unmanned drones to attack u.s. enemies overseas. brennan is the administration's point person on drones, the man who signs off on the kill list. >> i suggest to you that these targeted strikes against al qaeda terrorists are, indeed, ethical and just. >> reporter: the use of drones has grown 700% under the obama administration. we learned just yesterday, that america has a secret base in saudi arabia, used to launch drones throughout the region. lawmakers will also raise questions about a newly-discovered document saying, american citizens tied to al qaeda can be killed if a high-level official believes the target poses an imminent threat. but the government can do so without having clear evidence. human rights advocates disagree. >> that justifies, essentially, a claim that the executive branch can be judge, jury and executioner. >> reporter: drone strikes have become controversial. in pakistan alone, there have been more than 300 drone strikes in the last decade, killing thousands of terrorists, but

also more than 300 civilians. the retired general who once ran the military's drone strike program, thinks there should be discussion about their use. >> if the threshold gets too low and we're too casual about it, then we'll forget how much scar tissue we build up in those countries. >> reporter: the white house defends the drone program and says it will provide congressional committees classified information about strikes. rob and diana? >> all right. tahman bradley in washington. thank you for that. and the drone debate is heating up, as this video gets attention online. now, iran claims it is from a stealth drone captured two years ago. it's from the drone's perspective, flying and taxiing around a base in afghanistan. some officials are skeptical that video from a u.s. drone has been decoded. but others say it could have come only from a drone. and more news from that region this morning. the military is going from two aircraft carriers to one in the persian gulf. the move announced by the defense department comes as washington tries to avoid sharp

spending cuts set to strike the pentagon, as well as domestic programs, starting next month. and another big story that we're watching this morning. millions of people are bracing for a megablizzard that could dump a foot of snow on parts of the northeast. >> the storm could rival the monster blizzards you see here that paralyzed the area around two years ago. boston and coastal new england are expected to bear the brunt of it. but the heaviest snow coming down tomorrow morning. and the new york area could be buried under as much as ten inches of snow. >> airlines are preparing for the very worst. they've already started waiving rebooking fees for flights heading in and out of the storm zone. and as that storm moves in, winter warnings and advisories have been posted in 14 states, from minnesota to maine. here's accuweather's jim dickey. >> good morning, rob and diana. we're tracking the potential for a major winter storm. a crippling winter storm. that will develop as we head into friday. as two systems come together here. the area we're watching, across massachusetts to southern maine.

before all is said and done here, many spots picking up multiple feet of snow. now, snow and all snow across portions of massachusetts, through vermont, new hampshire. arrives late friday, lasting in some cases all the way through saturday. rob and diana, back to you. >> many thanks for that, jim. and stay with us for "good morning america." sam champion, of course, will be here with the very latest, as the big storm approaches. both sides are gearing up for an intense campaign to sway opinion now that the boy scouts have put off a decision on admitting gays. here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: jennifer tyrell was fired as a den leader. told her sexual orientation would be a distraction. >> well, i'm not a distraction. alicia's not a distraction. we're moms. and we're americans. >> reporter: that's her son, 8-year-old cruise, in tears, with his two moms. the news that the scouts will

postpone a decision on allowing gays in its ranks, this time had tyrrell herself fighting tears. >> i'm not looking forward to going home and tell cruise we have to wait a little longer. >> reporter: after last month's announcement that scouts were close to dropping the ban, there was an outpouring of feedback, like that from texas republican governor, rick perry, an eagle scout opposed to the change. >> scouting is about teaching a substantial amount of life lessons. sexuality is not one of them. >> reporter: in a statement, the scouts say they concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy. when it comes to the future of an organization more than a century old, division persists. a new poll out shows a narrow majority of americans want the scouts to end its ban on openly-gay members. while 61% of women want to see that ban lifted, fewer than half of men agree. now, time will tell. will the ban on gays end? tyrell says she will keep fighting.

>> i will never stop fighting for what i know is right. and i'll never stop fighting for a better world for my children to live in. >> reporter: so, what's next? the 1,400 members will make a decision at the group's national meeting in may. cecilia vega, abc news, new york. someone in virginia is $200 million richer this morning. there was just one powerball jackpot winner in last night's drawing. the $208 million sum was the highest since november's nearly $600 million prize. >> what a good morning for those folks. what a way to wake up. >> good morning. >> yeah, really. coming up next, grounded for weeks. boeing's dreamliner will take to the skies once again. then, a developing story from california. a young couple killed in an upscale neighborhood. a former police officer, the main suspect. and oops. this was not likely the intended parking lot. we'll be back.

welcome back, everyone. say good-bye to saturday mail delivery. the postal service plans to stop delivering regular mail on saturdays some time in august. the agency lost $16 billion last year. and this could save it $2 billion. the postal service will still deliver packages on saturdays. and its post offices will be open. but wait. congress still hasn't signed off on the cutbacks just yet. and there are signs, this morning, of a major airline merger. american airlines and u.s. airways are reportedly close to a deal, which could be officially announced next week. the result would take american's name and be the biggest u.s. airline.

but there's no decision just yet. and american might still decide to emerge from bankruptcy as an independent airline. boeing will fly one of its troubled dreamliner jets from texas to washington state today. the faa gave permission for the test flight. only a basic crew will be aboard. all other 787s are grounded after several mechanical problems, including a battery fire shortly after one of the planes landed in boston just last month. former treasury secretary, timothy geithner, has a new job. he is joining the council on foreign relations as a distinguished fellow. he's also planning to write a book, probably about how the u.s. responded to the financial crisis. apple's itunes digital store hit 25 billion downloads this week. and it's now averaging 15,000 a minute. the actual song that put itunes over the top was a version of "monkey drums." a german music lover was the customer. and now, he's getting an itunes gift card worth $13,000. at current prices, that means he

can download 10,000 songs. not bad. >> not bad at all. and you might say that monopoly is going to be wrinkled but pet-friendly. the next version of the game will have a cat token, rather than an iron. reaction online, as you can imagine, came pretty swiftly. one player said, it's about time cats got some respect. but another fan complained the iron was his favorite piece. so, monopoly had advice. buy another copy of the game right away, before it's too late. >> you already have the dog. it's okay to have the cat, too. >> i like the race car. >> i wanted the diamond ring. >> of course, you did. shocking. you got a nice one. you're fine. >> thank you. coming up next this thursday morning. lance armstrong's troubles are mounting, just as he makes another major about-face. and the soccer player who went heels over head against the united states.

when i first started experiencing the pain, it's hard to describe because you have a numbness but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point, i knew i had to do something. when i went back to my health care professional, that's when she suggested the lyrica. once i started taking the lyrica, the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eye sight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who've had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica.

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well, check out where a man and his toyota camera ended up in san diego. the car was suspended precariously over an outdoor staircase. the driver mistakenly, we've heard this before, hit the gas, sending the car over a curb, through a guardrail and into a building. he was rescued and is okay. and now, a look at the morning road conditions. a wet commute from seattle to san francisco. snowy passes in the sierra nevada, cascades and rockies. slick from dallas to kansas city. snow-covered roads in the upper midwest. rain drenches highways from new orleans to north carolina. >> and if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in chicago, detroit, atlanta, charlotte and san francisco. there's a massive manhunt underway in southern california right now for a murder suspect described as armed and dangerous. investigators say former lapd officer, christopher dorner, has admitted to killing a popular college basketball coach and her fiance. >> revenge was the apparent

motive. the coach's daughter had represented dorner when he was fired from the p.d. in a rambling confession posted online, dorner wrote, quote, i never had an opportunity to have a family of my own. i'm terminating yours. a bombshell in the lance armstrong scandal now. he is reversing course and is now expected to come clean, under oath, to anti-doping authorities. armstrong had until yesterday to testify about using illegal drugs during his cycling career. but authorities have now given him a two-week extension. his testimony means his lifetime ban from sports could be reduced to just eight years. but his legal problems are far from over. a promotions company is suing him today for $12 million. and singer chris brown made a brief court appearance in l.a., amid questions about whether he performed required community service. and sitting close by, none other than rihanna, who brown was convicted of assaulting in 2009. she blew him a kiss as he

entered the courtroom. his lawyers say -- claims that brown never finished his community service are dead wrong. and medical news this morning. a staggering statistic here. a new report predicts the number of alzheimer's cases in the u.s. will triple by the year 2050, with nearly 14 million patients expected, as the baby-boomer generation gets older. health experts say there's an urgent need, now, for more research and teemts. also, a headline out of britain that's getting a lot of people's attention this morning. the government there has announced all dogs in the u.k. will have to be implanted with microchips beginning in 2016. owners whose dogs are not microchipped could face an $800 fine. the law is designed to make it easier to track down owners of dangerous pets. now, an update on the recovery of our colleague, barbara walters. walters says she hopes to be back with the ladies of "the view" in three weeks. recovering from the chickenpox and a concussion, walters says she's weak but not in any pain. time, now, for some sports news this morning. we get the highlights from espn.

>> welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. college hoops is where we go. number five kansas, taking on tcu. pick it up second half. garlon green, 2 of his 24 points on the night. tcu, up 14. inside, getting the bucket to go. 12 point, 8 boards for him. under four minutes to play, green doing the work. getting the jumper and the foul. tcu win it, 62-55. the first-ever win against a top team. world cup qualifiers. honduras taking on the united states. the 40th minute we go. ball played right in the box. and then, juan carlos garcia, are you kidding me? the bicycle kick to beat timmy howard. and it's tied at 1-1. take another look. garcia, the great goal.

his first career goal. that's the way to start it. timmy howard, he couldn't do anything about it. 79th minute is where we go. ball played right through. and it's oscar boniek, finding banks for the easy tap-in. the revolution star making it 2-1. honduras win it 2-1. the u.s. failing to win after scoring the first goal for the third time in the last four road games. the next game will be against costa rica. that's your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. have a great day. well, for the 36th-straight year, runners from around the world raced up 86 flights of stairs in what's being called the empire state building run-up. >> that's nearly 1,600 steps. the australian winner made it in 10:12. also taking part in this, talk show host kelly ripa, who is famously fit and proves so yet again yesterday. >> and she did it for a good cause. that's great. >> nicely done, guys.

coming up next, "the pulse." and the dos and don'ts at sunday's grammys. why the fashion police will be out in force. and a male model, giving up the fame and fortune to pursue a very different passion. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up 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. do not take 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. intermezzo should not be taken if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night

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because our focus is you. all right. welcome back, everybody. time to check "the pulse," this morning, the stories you will be talking about today. and get this. as the music industry celebrates its biggest night this coming weekend, there will be a lot less skin out there on the red carpets. >> that's right. you guys all remember seeing this. >> yes, we do. >> that's j. lo and li'l kim and

pink showing a whole lot of skin. stars attending this year's grammy awards have been given a new set of rules, after years of skimpy getups similar to these. so, j. lo, li'l kim, pink, they're being told buttocks and breasts must be completely covered up. >> what's the point in watching now? ratings will go down. >> no one wants to see that. >> put that j. lo picture back up for a second. that was a wonderful moment. or shear clothing that might reveal private parts. clothing with obscenities, also banned. and t-shirts with brand names are banned. they're cracking down hard there. if all that justifies the, ladies, here's the opposite. you might recognize calvin klein ads featuring a very, very chiselled hunk. >> here we go. this is miles crosby. he just made a potentially life-changing choice. now, instead of moving on with his lucrative modeling career, crosby announced he is going to southern methodist university to play some football.

crosby put it pretty simply. saying he has a passion for the game. and, which i love to hear, he wants his education. many folks don't make that choice when big money's on the line. so, congratulations to that fella. >> he's going to be the hottest football player on that team. now, imagine going to bed and waking up the next day. but with the same person for 80 years. >> wow. >> that's incredible. meet john and anna batar. the longest married couple in the entire country. >> they tied the knot back in november 1932 and went on to have 5 kids, 14 grandkids and 16 great grandkids. so, you have to ask. what is their secret? >> really living. normally. >> he's always never worked. she's always cooked and took care of her family. good mother. great mother. >> and he's always had his hand on my knee. >> that's the secret.

hand on the knee. they weren't supposed to get married, apparently. ann's parents had arranged for her to marry someone else. so, they eloped. there's just something about hearing your favorite song that can really perk you up. case in point here. this little boy, sound asleep until he hears this song. >> it's "gangnam style," which he gets into. you can even see his big sister is getting the biggest kick out of it. his own version. >> that's affecting everyone, including that little fella there. [ female announcer ] imagine skin so healthy, it never gets dry again.

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good morning, at 4:28 on thursday. thank you for joining us. >> we expect some rain today. the question is, when? >> the question is, the small stuff or the big stuff? mike nicco gets us started. >> you can see we have light rain around the radar. we have light rain developing

around santa rosa to cloverdale. that is where we will have light rain the next hour. you can see it is very scattered. there is not much falling. there is enough to cause the commute to be slick up there. it is mostly moving west to east. it will stay in the north bay for the next couple of hours. the rest of us get our rain after the commute with scattered showers possibility later today. >> the golden gate bridge shows northbound road work, rather, the northern portion of the span. southbound is the road work up the waldo grade down to one lane through the tunnel and the span. it then opens up and later this morning it will be four lanes. traffic is clear. there are no problems. westbound out of antioch good

and from 980 to 16th embarcardero has a road work until 5:00 this morning. >> showers today and winter tides return to the bay area. we have new concerns on the road and the bay and the coast. amy is live in sausalito. amy? >> the coast guard is issuing warnings with the change in our weather meaning there will be a change on the water. they want everyone to remember: it and great to look at our beautiful beaches but do it from a distance. the coast guard is so on alert they did drills yesterday practicing rescue operations off of half moon bay. we have had seven people who have died this winter, who have drowned, in the last couple of months being swept away by sneaker waves. >> it does not need to be huge

waves to knock you off your feet. many times it is the 6" to 8" that have the force to pull you off your feet and roll you into the ocean. >> the coast guard warns people not to go into the ocean to rescue a pet that has been swept away. the dogs are well equipped to swim back to shore but people are not. humans are more like throw drown. if you are thinking you have heard this before, you know this, think of this: officials say those that have drowned were not tourists. they were locals. >> thank you, amy. san francisco police investigators are asking for the public's health in the 1984 disappearance case of kevin collins, a story you first heard here last tuesday. there are new photos of wayne jackson a "person of interest"