everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm sunny hostin in for paula faris. we begin with the arctic blast, bringing snow instead of sunshine to southern california. >> this morning, that powerful system is stretching all the way to michigan, with winter warnings and watches posted, now, in more than a dozen states. abc's michael barr has the latest. >> reporter: the arctic blast is dumping snow on southern california, shutting down interstate 5, north of los angeles. roads in higher elevations quickly turned icy. >> it's very, very icy up there. kind of dangerous roads. making sure to chain up before i head up there. >> reporter: along with snow and ice, the storm is bringing 45-mile-per-hour to 60-mile-per-hour winds to the west. the blustery weather triggered mudslides near seattle. it's a cold front, sending a chill to the middle of the country. would notice that chill after

getting severe weather more common in summer. >> our patio floor is actually over here in the neighbor's yard. we got outside. and we walked out to this. >> reporter: this week's storm damage, of downpours and tornadoes are bad enough where louisiana's governor declared a statewide emergency. michael barr, abc news. and for the very latest on exactly when and where the snow will hit and just how much it will get, we turn, now, to accuweather. >> meteorologist jim dickey is tracking the storm. >> good morning, rob and sunny. a mess in the northern west and the upper plains. an icy mix into minnesota, with wind-driven snow into the dakotas. blizzard conditions tonight. travel conditions will be dangerous if not impossible. a foot of snow when it's all said and done. the pattern for this weekend, quite warm into the east. many spots challenging record highs saturday and sunday. rob and sunny, back to you.

>> thanks a lot, jim. and sam champion will be tracking the storm and will have the latest information coming up on "good morning america." and now, turning to washington, where the forecast for ending the epidemic of gun violence is still cloudy. the outline of the vice president's proposal is beginning to emerge. but so is the plan to oppose it. abc's jonathan karl has more. >> reporter: on the day vice president biden met with the national rifle association, he made it clear he's pushing for the biggest expansion of gun control in two decades. >> there's got to be some common ground here. >> reporter: biden's proposals will likely include mandatory background checks on virtually every gun sale, and a ban on semi-automatic weapons and those ammo clips that hold dozens of bullets. that will pit him squarely against the nra. >> everything that's been proposed impinges on people who have every right to own firearms. >> reporter: the nra has long been a lobbying force like no other.

its unwavering opposition to gun control immortalized by its late president, charlton heston. >> from my cold, dead hands. >> reporter: recent polls suggest an opening for some gun control. a majority now favoring a ban on semiautomatic handguns. but it would be a mistake to think the nra's influence has waned. in the three weeks after the shooting in newtown, connecticut, the nra added more than 100,000 new members. jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. and even as the vice president was holding those meetings in washington, another school shooting was taking place. this time, in california. police say a student snuck a shotgun into school and then struck one classmate in the chest and fired on another. fortunately, a heroic science teacher was able to talk him down and disarm him. a sheriff said that the 16-year-old gunman told investigators he targeted the two students because they had bullied him.

a colorado judge has given the go ahead to the trial of james holmes for the movie theater massacre last july. he will be back in court today, where he will officially be charged. abc's clayton sandell reports from aurora, colorado. >> reporter: the judge's ruling is not a surprise. after prosecutors spent three days laying out a mountain of evidence, including how holmes allegedly amassed guns and ammo, booby-trapped his apartment with explosives. even scoped out the theater weeks before the attack. they say holmes took eerie self-portraits just hours before the shooting started. >> he had black contact lenses on. and he sat in the courtroom delighted. >> reporter: holmes is charged with 166 counts, including murder and attempted murder, for last summer's massacre that left 12 people dead and dozens wounded. his attorneys say he is mentally ill. families of the victims don't buy it. >> had all that time to plan it,

write it, talk about it. no. you're not mentally ill. >> reporter: the courtroom drama is unfolding as this community is still struggling to heal. and next week, for the first time since the shooting, the theater where the massacre took place, will reopen its doors. next in the legal fight, holmes must decide how he will plead to the charges. and prosecutors will decide if they will seek the death penalty. clayton sandell, abc news, aurora, colorado. also, new details this morning about the secret service prostitution scandal ahead of president obama's visit to colombia last year. a justice department report found three drug enforcement administration agents had paid for sexual services. now, two of those agents hired a prostitute for a visiting secret service supervisor. the agents used their d.e.a. blackberries to arrange the encounters and later tried to delete the information. and after a voft visit to the pentagon yesterday, hamid karzai meets at the white house today with president obama.

the u.s. drawdown in afghanistan through next year is on the top of the agenda in all of karzai's meetings. leon panetta said, the u.s. is in, quote, the last chapter of the afghan war. here's something you don't see every day, snow blanketing the holy land. it was the biggest snowstorm in jerusalem in 20 years. all of the city's holiest sites were covered with several inches. eight people were killed this week as the storm battered the region. >> rare scene. >> the children were having fun. when we come back this morning, a missing child case is finally over after 19 years. then, whale watch. fear, relief. now, fear again about the fate of a pod of ice-bound killer whales. and where is samuel l. jackson when you need him? the big snake that was found, that's right, on a plane.

welcome back, everybody. wall street will have a close eye on the world's third-biggest economy this morning. the japanese government has just approved a $117 billion economic stimulus plan aimed at creating 600,000 jobs and adding 2% to the country's gdp. the nikkei ended the day at its highest level in almost two years. the ax is swinging at american express. the credit card and financial firm is slashing 5,400 jobs. almost 9% of its workforce. amex says most of the cuts will be in its travel services, which has been hammered by corporate

cutbacks and more clients booking online. boeing's 787 was supposed to be the next big thing in travel. but reports say federal safety officials are going to review the dreamliner's power system. just this morning, a three-foot crack was found in the cockpit window of a dreamliner an hour after takeoff on a flight in japan. in this country, the faa will hold a news conference today following recent 787 incidents. including a fire on a japan airlines jet. united airlines, which operates six dreamliners, says it has no plans to ground the plane. and news for anyone hoping to save a few bucks on an iphone. apple is apparently knocking down reports it's planning a cheaper version of an iphone. an apple executive is quoted as saying, the company will not sell a less expensive version just for the sake of growing market share. meanwhile, walmart's big sale of iphone 5s for $127 ends tomorrow, replaced by a

walmart-only no-contract version. >> that's not a bad price. >> that's a good deal. >> that's a great price. i get it. all right. when we come back, a wake-up call about ambien. new warnings about too many people taking too much of the popular sleep drug. and vaccine alert. as the severe flu season spikes, supplies of the vaccine to prevent it are dwindling. fort benning, georgia, in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto-insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid

approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. hd 8. do ne intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and may be fatal. . rmezzo should not be tak if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night or drank alcohol that day. do not drive or operate machinery until at least 4 hours after taking intermezzo and you're fully awake. driving, eating, or engaging in other activities while not fully awake without remembering the event the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. alcohol or taking other medicines that make you sleepy may increase these risks. in depressed patients, worsening of depression,

including risk of suicide, may occur. intermezzo, like most sleep medicines, has some risk of dependency. common side effects are headache, nausea, and fatigue. so if you suffer from middle-of-the-night insomnia, ask your doctor about intermezzo and return to sleep again. ♪ there's new concern this morning for those killer whales that broke free from the ice in canada. search planes have yet to find any signs of the whales. officials say there's a lot more ice. and they fear the orcas may be trapped again. the whales may need to swim under the ice for miles or wait for it to melt in warmer weather. and with that, we take a look at your morning road conditions on this friday. slick passes in the cascades and sierras. heavy snow could make for a treacherous commute from the

northern rockies to the midwest. roads will be wet at times from new orleans to atlanta and much of the south. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in salt lake city, minneapolis, chicago, atlanta, new orleans, charlotte, detroit, and new york. and now, to the story everybody around the country is talking about. a perfect storm of sickness is blowing across america this flu season. but it's not just the flu that's sending people to the hospital. >> that's right. there's a nasty stomach virus and whooping cough, too. and doctors are having a rough time keeping up. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: from coast-to-coast, americans are waging a losing battle against the nasty flu strain. doctors overrun with patients are running low on flu shots and tests, as the virus spreads. >> we're all a little overwhelmed. not only the practitioners. but the caregivers in general. >> reporter: more than 128 million vaccine doses have already been distributed nationwide. but clinics can't keep up with demand. and pharmacists are struggling to fill prescription drug

orders. >> each day, getting 24 box of the tamiflu capsules. but we're getting 40 or 50 prescriptions for them every day. >> reporter: at brigham and women's hospital in boston, it's all-hands on deck in the fight against the flu. >> it's going to take you probably two or three weeks to feel really good again. >> reporter: at holy name hospital in new jersey, one doctor isn't even administering flu tests. he's just handing out treatment. this morning, schools across the country are reporting hundreds of students out sick. one school district in oklahoma, even canceled class after a quarter of the students became ill. >> it came pretty fast. when it hits you, it knocks you quick. >> reporter: the flu season hasn't it its peak, but it's already been deadly. amelia perry was hospitaled with the virus and passed away. >> no chronic medical conditions. didn't take any medications. she was a healthy 22-year-old. >> reporter: it's not just the flu.

another virus, a nasty stomach bug called norovirus is also on the move throughout the country. doctors say it's extremely contagious and another serious concern for hospitals. tahman bradley, abc news. now, if you get sick, abc news medical editor richard besser says stay home if you can. if you have trouble breathing or if you're getting better and take a turn for the worse, that's when you should head for the hospital. big news for the millions of americans who take sleeping pills. the fda is ordering drug companies that make ambien and similar medications to cut the dosage in half for women. new research shows the sleep aids stay in the body longer than initially thought. and women, in particular, process it more slowly. the study found eight hours after taking ambien, many women are still impaired and just too drowsy to drive. a remarkable story from the midwest.

a boy abducted by his grandparents 19 years ago in indiana has been found, living under a different name in minnesota. this is richard wayne landers jr., as a 5-year-old. he is now 24. landers was taken away by his grandparents who were upset over a custody fight. no word yet whether those grandparents will be prosecuted. and in sports this morning, nhl players have until tomorrow morning to approve a new labor deal that would end the current lockout. as for last night's hoops highlights, here's espn. >> doug kezirian here with your "sportscenter" update. we start in the nba, with the knicks playing without the suspended carmelo anthony, traveled to indiana to face the pacers. colt coach chuck pagano, standing ovation. obviously, a tremendous story. chuck strong in the nfl. j.r. smith, monster jam. 2 of his 25. although, the knicks muster just 34 points in the first half. later, amare stoudamire, the left-handed scoop to go. knicks are down one. now, it's a nine-point deficit in the third quarter. paul george, one of his six steals.

monster throwdown. indiana up double-digits. later, more from george. 24 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists. pacers have won nine-straight at home. go to college ranks. oregon, riding a ten-game home win streak, hosting number four, arizona, undefeated this year. good oregon "d," to t.j. singler in transition. the hoop and the arm. he's the younger brother of kyle singler. second half, now. carlos emory. 7 of 11 behind the arch. 64%. singler. chip kelly liking what he sees. a three-point game. closing seconds. arizona rebound. nick johnson has a chance for the wildcats. his pocket is picked by jonathan loyd. oregon hands the wildcats its first loss of the season.

the ducks have won 11-straight this year at home. dating back to last season, it's 17-straight. i'm doug kezirian. have a great day. and coming up next this morning, "the pulse." and an oscar name that's hard to remember. but one that you won't want to forget. we'll be right back. not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke.

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or bleeding problems. ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. all right. time to check "the pulse," now, the stories you'll be talking about today. and here is a young actress everybody will be talking about, between now and the oscars next month. >> that's right. she's 9-year-old quvenzhane wallis, a best actress nominee for her role in the movie "beast of the southern wild." and quvenzhane, that's q-u-v-e-n-z-h-a-n-e, is taking

hollywood by storm, winning a critics' choice award last night. >> thanks. hello. first, i would like to thank -- >> as for the oscars, quvenzhane is the youngest lead actress nominee ever. but justin henry, the kid in "kramer versus kramer," is the all-time youngest actor nominee. he was 8 years old. despite being snubbed in the oscar nominations, ben affleck took home best director at the critics' choice awards. his film "argo" won best picture. and after winning, he sarcastically thanked the academy. and passengers taking off from australia yesterday could have used a little help from samuel jackson. >> enough is enough. i have had it with these [ bleep ] snakes on this [ bleep ] plane.

>> how did he not win the oscar? that's all i'm saying. 20 minutes into a qantas flight, passengers noticed a huge snake dangling from the wing of the plane. it turned out to be a ten-foot-long scrub python, the longest species of snake in australia. even in single-digit temps, the snake managed to hang on for the entire two-hour trip. but it did not survive the ordeal. >> the snake slipped into the landing bay. they're known for hiding in confined spaces, to lie in wait for prey. can you imagine seeing that out of your window? >> and it hung on. even though it didn't die, it still was there for a long, long time. that is pretty -- >> it's impressive. >> that is pretty impressive. so, let's get samuel l. jackson on that plane, next time. he would have clearly handled it in no time. for some of you, now, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with the early oscar score card.

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>> abc7 news starts right now with like breaking news. >> good morning, everyone. i am eric thomas. >> a shooter killed a teenager in marin city. >> our reporter is like at scene with the latest. what is going on? >> we are still waiting for a official work. look what happened. they are looking for shooter. initial reports are a 17-year-old has been shot. you can see police, a sheriff van, and detectives on the scene. they blocked off a portion of the street during this active investigation. it has been an hour and a half since crews arrived for the shooting. we are still waiting for word from the sheriff's department. they are going to speak with us in a knew minute -- few minutes.

we will bring the latest to you. >> thank you. we are monitoring traffic. there is a problem in berkeley. >> we will find out latest. >> we have an alert in effect, 80 eastbound, the reverse commute direction. you are down to two left lanes. there was an early accident that has been cleared from the roadway. i expect chp will have the flares picked up shortly because the accident is now completely off the road. you are down to two lanes eastbound. westbound is moving nicely moving toward the macarthur maze. here is the toll plaza with the metering lights off. it is light on friday morning. >> the forecast now from mike nicco. >> good morning, everyone. live doppler 7 hd shows it is

dry. we have some breezes. they are keeping temperatures up. but no sheltered valleys. we have a freeze warning in the north bay and east bay valley and santa clara valley until 8:00 this morning. also, tomorrow morning from 2:00 to 8:00. the frost advisory for the bay shoreline with temperatures in the lower to middle 30's for this afternoon until 8:00 and tomorrow morning from 2:00 to 8:00. it is sheltered right now. 31 in napa. 30 in fairfield. everyone else is above freezing. having drive were through the areas if you get in a sheltered area it is colder and froster. it will be breezy this afternoon and sunny and cooler-than-average, upper 40's for mid-50's. kristen and eric? >> now the theme of cold temperatures. people in east bay have the coldest temperatures of the new