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tv   America This Morning  ABC  April 16, 2012 4:00am-4:30am PDT

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making news this america this morning, widespread damage across the heartland following a wild weekend of deadly storms. abc news is live this morning right there in the tornado zone. then, we hear from president obama for the first time since the secret service sex scandal broke. he's demanding a thorough and vig use investigation. and new is it a it tstatistt romney. and a big bid, just to spend time with the one and only tim tebow. the good thing is it's all going to charity. and good morning, everyone. i'm rob nelson. paula faris is on assignment today.
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we begin with the deadly tornadoes that touched down over the weekend across the nation's heardland. damages likely to run into the tense of millions of dollars. a small town in oklahoma was among the hardest hit. diana alvear joins us from woodward. good morning to you, diana. >> reporter: rob, good morning, the strongest tornado was reported in kansas. the second strongest was what did the damage around me. it leveled the carpet store and tossed trucks like toys. and worse, killed five people. it was as bad as forecasters had feared. by the time the storms had passed, more than 130 tornadoes had ravaged kansas, northwest oklahoma, nebraska, and iowa. neighbors came back to their homes to clean up while crews searched for survivors. in one of the hardest hit areas, wood ward, oklahoma, many were caught offguard when warning sires failed to sound.
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after lightning disabled the system. the tornado left a tragic legacy. five dead, including a father and his two daughters. dozens of buildings were leveled. one office was completely destroyed. the one directly next to it still has picture frames hanging on the wall and a mug still sitting on its owner's desk. trucks carrying food, water, cots, and other supplies headed to the area. where more than 8,000 residents were without power. >> very, very scary. first time we have been through anything like that. so very scary. >> reporter: the oklahoma governor toured the damage by air and on the ground. >> it's been encouraging to me to be here in woodward to see just the immediate response by so many great oklahomans and just how people help their fellow neighbors. >> reporter: in iowa, a hospital took a direct hit from a tornado. but everyone in its path survived. in kansas, about 97 tornadoes were reported. leaving dozens injured.
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and as you can tell, it was a highly destructive weekend. it was a highly unusual one, too. take kansas, for example, on average the state has about 55 tornados in a year. and this weekend, it had almost 100. it's staggering, the number of tornadoes experienced this weekend, rob. >> unbelievable. the death toll couch been a lot worse. diana alvear, thank you. our other major story this morning is the growing scandal surrounding the president's secret service detail. agents are accused of partying with prostitutes ahead of mr. obama's trip to colombia. tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: the scandal made it on to the world stage when president obama was forced the take a question about it. the president says he expects a rigorous investigation. those men and women entrusted with protecting the president. pride themselves on
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professionalism and respect. this morning, 11 secret service personnel and five u.s. military service face embarrassing allegations of heavy drinking and soliciting prostitutes. the president commented on the situation for the first time on sunday. >> if it turns out that some of the allegations made in the press are confirmed, then, of course, i'll be angry. >> reporter: members of congress called the alleged behavior outrageous. the house oversight committee chairman vows to investigate. >> it will be about how did this happen? how often has it happened before? >> reporter: the incidents allegedly occurred days before the president was scheduled to arrive. sources say local women were coming in with the agents. the alleged scandal might have remained secret if not for an argument between the agents and a prostitute.
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>> police had to come the ask her to leave. she wouldn't leave until the secret service ajejts paid her money she said was owed to her. >> reporter: none of the agents involved were assigned to directly protect the president. but many believe that it compromised the president's safety. >> security was compromised by the facts that these agents where in a compromised position where they could be blackmailed. >> reporter: they were sent home and placed on administrative leave while the agency investigat investigates. rob? >> tahman bradley reporting from washington. thanks. to afghanistan's capitol of kabul. the police chief there says the fighting that raged there and in other cities is over. security forces clashed for 18 deadly hours. at least 36 rebels were killed in the fighting along with a dozen afghan fighters. and civilians. an al qaeda-linked group is claiming responsibility for the violence.
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and team of six united nagtss observe evers arrived in damascus over the weekend. they're monitoring syria's crumbling cease-fire. the attacks were escalated over the weekend in the city of homs. another 25 u.n. observers will join the team later this week. the coast guard has called off the search for four yacht crew members missing off the coast of san francisco. they were thrown overboard when 12-foot waves swamped their boat and ran it aground on saturday. the coast guard searched 5,000 square miles of ocean for more than 30 hours. in addition to the four missing sailors, the body of one who died was recovered. three others survived the ordeal. time for a look at the weather. the threat of severe weather moves east over the ohio valley, west virginia, upstate new york. new orleans and houston could see storms today. winter returns to parts of minnesota and michigan with up to 7 inches of the white stuff. more like july on the east coast
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with boston at a record-breaking 90 degrees. not good for the marathon runners. the big am hit about 88. pleasant and mild in l.a. albuquerque in the 60s. comfortable at 83 in miami and atlanta. political charges and countercharges in the so called war on women. who is saying what as another campaign week gets started? plus, what attendance at baseball games is telling us about the economy. and also today, a startling confession in a case that cost a basketball coach his job.l a lia stick aroulit, it wa stick around. we'll be right back.
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welcome back, everybody. well, there are science of a spring renewal from housing. buyer confidence seems to be up as the job market seems to get better out there. mortgage rates and home prices are low. rents are high. they expect the housing market to move higher slowly but steadily. analysts say the turnout at baseball games is a good economic indicator. major league baseball predicts an increase in aten dans this year. up to 3k9 to 5%. overseas markets are down today because of worries about south korea and spain. tokyo's nikkei average fell 167 points. hong kong's hang seng dropped about 145. in london, the ftse owned lower. on wall street, the dow lost 211
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points last week. the nasdaq index was off 69. key votes on tax bills are set for this week. the senate could vote today or the so called buffett rule backed by the president and fellow democrats. it would impose a minimum tax on about 30% of the nation's millionair millionaires. the. bill would give a tax break to small businesses. and movie goeers are still thirsting for "the hunger games." it was number one for the fourth consecutive weekend. tooking in already $22 million. the total, nearly $337 million. "the three stooges" abued in second and the cabin in the woods made about 15 million bucks. and when we come back, mitt romney with new details on his
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spending plan. and baseball honoring a true trail blazer. everyone on the diamond wearing number 42. we'll be right back. the capital one cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus. and who doesn't want 50% more cash? ugh, the baby. huh! and then the baby bear said, "i want 50% more cash in my bed!" phhht! 50% more cash is good ri... what's that. ♪ you can spell. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card.
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well, four good samaritans managed to save a driver whose suv had rolled into a creek in denver. the car was submerged for ten minutes while they broke the windows and opened the door. the fire department arrived just the time to cut through the seat belt. lucky guy. now for a look at the morning road conditions. i-90 from chicago to buffalo could be wet. wet along i-40 near memphis, i-90 and 84 could be icy. in the cascades and the northern rockies. wet on i-5 near seattle. if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in houston and new orleans. political news this morning. republican mitt romney has
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promised to cut income taxes and rein in federal spending. null now, he has not said how he would offset those cuts. during a florida fund-raiser last night, he said high earners would probably lose the mortgage interest deduction for second homes. he would look to hud and the education department for additional cuts. and now we turn to the fight for women's votes in this country. on the campaign trail, mitt romney is claiming more than 92% of the jobs lost in the last two years were held by women. but as abc's david kerley reports, the obama administration is not taking the claim lying down. >> reporter: it was the treasury secretary on abc's "this week" -- >> it's a ridiculous way to look at the problem. >> reporter: -- who fired the latest salvo on the war for women voters. this battle was intensified by the latest attack by mitt romney. he's using a new statistic. >> 92.3% of the people who have lost jobs have been women. his failures have hurt women. >> reporter: really?
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here's the fact check. the number is correct. but misleading and mostly false, say experts, because the romney campaign didn't look at the recession as a whole. which saw male job losses construction and manufacturing -- early, before mr. obama took office. what does geithner think of the statistics? >> it's ridiculous. it's been largely debunked. >> but technically accurate. >> the crisis began in early 2008. and again, the early job losses were concentrated in manufacturing and construction. a lot of men lost jobs then. a lot of women lost jobs later on. >> reporter: it is the first full week of what amounts to be the fight for the general election campaign. no assertion by either side is going unanswered. it will be a nasty 6 1/2 months to election day. david kerley, abc news, the white house. >> nasty and long. remember, tonight, on "world news," diane sawyer's exclusive interview with ann and mitt romney.
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you can sugges questions through abcnews.com and yahoo! news. people will get to express outrage over the lavish conference put on in vegas. the inspector general is testifying today in the house. the executive largely responsible for the conference is expected to plead the fifth. he could face possible criminal charges as well. also today, it's been five years since that devastating massacre at virginia tech. a mentally ill student shot 32 people to death and wounded 25 others before taking his own life. a candlelight individualle to honor the dead is set for tonight to honor the dead. also a startling confession from one of the men who rocked the syracuse university basketball program this year. turns out it was all lies. zachary tomaselli accused bernie fine, the assistant basketball coach, of molesting him years earli earlier. now, tomaselli says he never even met fine.
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he was told what to say by another accuser of the couch. and he says, belief it or not, he's proud of his ability to lie. about 27,000 runners are expected in today's 116th boston marathon. for yesterday's sports news, the highlights from our friends over at espn news. >> reporter: good morning, i'm jorge andres. this is your "sportscenter" update. let's go out to staples center. kobe bryant nursing a shin injury and not playing. sessions, a jumper. los angeles down by three. under three to play in the fourth. sessions, again, this time, doing the work, hitting a floater. 2 of his 22 points. we're tied at 95-95. second and half remaining. nowitzki, three, no good. we're going to overtime. tied at 98-98. in ot, gasol, knocking down the second of his two three pointers
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in o.t. for a 20 and 10 game he had. the last chance for dallas, terry, no good. the lakers win, 112-108. some baseball. padres-dodgers, top of the ninth. game tied at 4-4. the pitch hits the batter, he thinks it's foul. ellis picks it up in front of the plate and makes the throw to third. the dodgers turn the triple play while the padres watch in confusion. bud black coming out to argue. everyone the umpires had to talk about it. there it is. lands in foul territory. black gets tossed from the game. bottom of the ninth. bases loaded. gordon, singling to left for the walkoff rbi. the dodgers win. they're 9-1 for the first time since '81. and remember, monday night baseball coming your way tonight at 7:00 eastern time. it's the twins taking on the yankees on espn. espn3 and the watch espn app.
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you may have noticed lots of number 42s out there. that's because 65 years ago, jackie robinson, number 42 himself, made his debut with the dodgers. becoming the first black player ever to take to the field in the major leagues. to mark the occasion, every player on every team wore his number. coming up next, "the pulse." we knew tim tebow was kind of popular. wait until you hear how popular this guy really is. also, a landmark for "titanic" the movie, as the world marks a century since that famous disaster. stay with us. it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more.
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all right, time to check "the pulse," the stories you'll be talk about today. we start with new york jets backup quarterback tim tebow. he hosted a big golf tournament fund-raiser over the weekend. the real news came at a luncheon auction last friday. a mystery couple bid $100,000 for the prize of spending a day with mr. tebow. they live in the florida cease. they want him to spend time with local kids during their day with the nfl star. a picture from the summit in colombia proves it wasn't all business. this doesn't have to do with the secret service story we did earlier. check out secretary of state
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hillary clinton dancing. we hope she enjoyed it all. now that seemingly endless event marks 100 years since the sinking of "the titanic" are wrapping up, we have tidbits for you. ticket sales for the film now top $2 billion. on top of that, a new york auction house sold off some origin original trinkets. a menu sold for more than $31,000. a ticket for the launch fetched about 66 grand. for some of you, your local news is next. for everyone else, the science behind your morning cup of coffee. wait until you see what it actually medically does to your brain. don't go far. out some deals at the warehouse stores. tomorrow we're gok
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next, the vote today that could put csu professors on the strike lines. one dead, four missing, bay area boating community in mourning. the coast guard's failed search for four boaters. later today, sunny skies and warmer temperatures. complete look at the forecast as well as your monday morning commute. you want to join us nex updating the top news stories now. the nation's heartland is picking up the pieces after more than 130 tornadoes touched down over the weekend. five people, including a father
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and his two daughters died in oklahoma. president obama says he'll be angry if allegations against secret service agents prove to be true. they're accused of partying with a prostitute in colombia ahead of the president's visit there. if you haven't field your taxes yet, you're in luck. the deadline is not until tomorrow, the 17th. you're getting an extra two days because the 15th was a sunday and today is a holiday in d.c. rain in the pacific northwest. the east coast could set some heat records. and finally from us this half hour, a new study about caffeine and the brain. it's a story that is certain to perk you up this morning. basically, it seex to answer two questions. what does a brain on caffeine look like? is it something we should worry about? lisa stark reports. >> reporter: it's the most popular drug in the world. >> i need that little boost. >> reporter: it'sre, everywhere
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from 320 milligrams in a first one, with no caffeine in my system. then i downed one drink. now my second mri. this was my brain before caffeine. this was after. the difference was remarkable. >> it's like a 40% drop in the blood flow you to brain. that's a lot. >> reporter: why the drop? caffeine blocks a chemical called adenosine. add caffeine, less blood circulates in the brain. because blood vessels constrict. your blood pressure and heart rate go up. if you skip your regular coffee, that surging blood can trigger a caffeine headache.
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>> it's like trying to get a fire hose to pump blood to your skull. >> reporter: if you're a caffeine lover, your brain has actually changed. it now functions normally on caffeine. how much do i have to drink to change the physiology of my brain? >> not very much. >> reporter: not much? >> one cup a day will change your brain. >> reporter: the good news, experts say for healthy adults, a few cups a day is not dangerous. keep in mind. a little caffeine can do a lot. lisa stark, abc news, winston-salem, north carolina. >> and here's to our brain, america. remember, tonight on "world news," diane sawyer's exclusive interview with mitt and ann romney. m closed captioning by closed captioning services,inc

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