where we learned overnight that a charred body has now been removed. >> we believe that someone was inside. we had reason to believe that that was christopher dorner. >> reporter: after days on the run, witnesses say they spotted dorner tuesday afternoon, not far from where his burned-out truck was found last thursday. authorities say the suspect held two women hostage in a home. and one of the victims was jay hilton's wife. >> he broke in and tied them up. and then, stole the car. they're okay. as far as we know, they're fine. >> reporter: police say the suspect also carjacked a second vehicle. and after a police chase, he ditched the car and then took off on foot, which led to a shoot-out. those tense moments were captured on the air during kcbs' newscast. and another life was taken. >> unfortunately one of our deputies passed away as a result of his injuries. >> reporter: already accused of three murders, police say dorner promised to continue killing officers and their families in retaliation for being fired from the lapd.

he also wrote in his alleged online manifesto that there would be no negotiating. an intense standoff with s.w.a.t. teams at this cabin led to more shots being fired. then, came this massive fire. authorities tell abc news, the body is believed to be christopher dorner. but they're still waiting to use forensic testing to positively identify the remains. rob and diana? >> all right, brandi. many thanks for that. of course, we're following all of the fast-moving developments in southern california. stay tuned for the latest update from police, coming up in a little while on "good morning america." and our other main story this morning, the president's state of the union. republican leaders were quick to criticize mr. obama's speech. house speaker john boehner calling it, quote, little more than more of the same. abc's tahman bradley joins us from washington with latest details. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, diana. what president obama said about guns is probably going to be most remembered from this speech. but the president pushed several bold proposals, aimed at

strengthening the economy. in the first state of the union speech of his second term, president obama went big. announcing new domestic initiatives he said would assist america's middle class. the president proposed raising the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour, by $9 an hour by 2015. >> let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty. >> reporter: the president also called for universal preschool education for the nation's 4-year-olds. as well as a $50 billion infrastructure program, designed to repair crumbling bridges around the country. but the emotional high point of the speech came close to the end, when more than 40 victims of gun violence, wearing ribbons, stood up and heard mr. obama call on congress to at least vote on gun control. >> gabby giffords deserves a vote. the families of newtown deserve a vote. and the countless other communities, ripped open by gun violence, they deserve a simple

vote. >> reporter: the president also announced the withdrawal of 34,000 troops from afghanistan. and warned congress to avoid the deep government spending cuts set to kick in on march 1st. >> the greatest nation on earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. >> reporter: president obama faces an uphill battle with congress to pass his agenda. republicans say the president's proposals would require new taxes. >> his solution to virtually every problem we face is for washington to tax more, borrow more and spend more. >> reporter: president obama says none of his new proposals would add to the deficit. he takes his economic message on the road today, visiting an auto parts plant in north carolina. rob? >> all right. now, trying to sell his message once again. tahman bradley, live in washington. thanks, tahman. and more political news this morning. chuck hagel could be approved as defense secretary by the end of the week. on a party line vote of 14-11, the armed services committee has voted to send hagel's

nomination, now, to the full senate. republicans had threatened to block the nomination. but it now appears there are enough votes to approve it. former navy s.e.a.l. chris kyle has been laid to rest in texas. family members and fellow s.e.a.l.s looked on as his motorcade traveled through austin for burial. kyle was shot to death by an iraqi war vet earlier this month at a gun range. eddie routh has been charged with murdering kyle and his friend, chad littlefield. pope benedict told ash wednesday worshipers he is resigning for the good of the roman catholic church. his service at the vatican this morning is among his last official duties as pope. and is the first time he's been in public since making his bombshell resignation announcement. some worshipers cheered when they saw benedict. his term officially ends february 28th. and bookies are looking to make big bucks taking bets on who will be chosen as the next pope. right now, canadian cardinal

marc ouellet is the 3-1 favorite. he would become the first north american pope. people in cape cod are still struggling to clean up the damage after last weekend's monster blizzard. the storm that dumped more than three feet of snow on the northeast also caused widespread beach erosion, washing away 20 feet to 30 feet of real estate. there was also property damage along the beach. elsewhere in massachusetts, boston students return to school for the first time since the blizzard. they're doing so today. wow. time, now, for the weather across the nation. a little more snow for southern new england and new york and philadelphia. rain from d.c. to orlando and much of the gulf coast. a couple inches of snow across much of minnesota and north dakota. mountain snow in the cascades and northern rockies. showers from seattle to portland. >> 40s from boise to albuquerque. 40s also from omaha to chicago and new york. 54 in atlanta. 84 in miami. and coming up, another giant asteroid headed right towards earth. also, the latest from cruise passengers in the middle of a vacation nightmare. new fears, right now, about a virus onboard.

and brewing up starbucks coffee, along with a little sea salt? we'll have more. @ññcús1@ú?

and welcome back. a new study finds many of us are barely making it. more than four out of ten americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck. and almost one in ten don't even make it that far. they can't pay for everything they need. allstate insurance says it's not just the soft economy and labor market. but also poor money management skills, even when people know better. well, u.s. airlines are doing better at delivering you

and your luggage. 82% of flights arrived within 15 minutes of the schedule last year. one of the best rates in the past 25 years. and a lower percentage of bags lost than at any time in that period. but fewer planes were actually flying last year because of the economy. and fewer passengers were checking bags because of those much-beloved fees. and apple says there's nothing wrong with its retail stores except some that aren't big enough. so, the company is closing and moving 20 of them so they can expand. apple is also opening 30 additional stores, most outside the u.s. its 400 stores now see about 10 million people a week. and they average $50 million a year in revenue. wow. and now this. join the navy and see a starbucks? there's now a fully-functioning coffee shop aboard "the uss boxer," a u.s. navy amphibious assault ship. the cafe is called the star boxer.

starbucks trained the navy personnel to make sure the lattes are made just right. profits will go to the ship's morale, welfare and recreation fund. >> in new york, starbucks on every corner. so, it makes sense now there's one out to sea. >> what's next? one on the moon. >> are you a coffee person? i haven't learned that yet on this shift. >> decaf. >> oh, really? >> yes. unfortunately. not by choice. >> that's brave on this shift. good luck with that. >> thanks. >> we'll talk. >> it won't last long. when we come back this morning, an unforgettable first flight. >> and the disastrous landing was recorded on video. wait until you hear the rest of this story. and an early special delivery, thanks to a fast-thinking big brother and a shoestring. ay. okay, we gotta time this just right. okay. ready... mm-hmm. happy valentine's day. [ female announcer ] the charmed memories collection at kay jewelers. each charm is hand-crafted in italy

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just another mardi gras coming to an end. revelers there in the big easy braved the threat of rain most of the day. we'll presume not too many of them probably cared that much. fat tuesday has given way to ash wednesday, of course, the official beginning of lent. they partied hard while they could. i know that for sure. and with that, a look at your morning road conditions. a slick ride from new england all the way to florida. also, wet along the gulf coast. snowy roads across minnesota and north dakota. snow-covered mountain passes in the northern rockies and cascades. and slippery highways from seattle to portland. >> and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in washington, d.c., philly, new york city, and minneapolis. and back to the news this morning. a huge asteroid is about to zip by our planet. but fear not, folks. it ain't the end of the world. >> the asteroid is about half the size of a football field, which would make it one of the largest ones in recorded history to come so close to earth. on friday, it will just pass within 17,000 miles.

that's closer than some communication and weather satellites. and the biggest danger, it could knock out your phone service. >> oh. >> nothing to worry about. >> that's intolerable. a utah family is breathing a sigh of relief after surviving a dramatic crash-landing. and it was all caught on camera. as you can see, the private plane they were in came to rest in a snowy field upside-down. the man recording the video had arranged the flight to celebrate his wife's birthday. and it was her first time ever on a plane. her mom and infant son were also onboard. everyone, though, luckily walked away. just a few minor injuries. but shaken, to say the least. >> it will be a while until she gets back in the air. can't blame her. the cruise line is apologizing for those problems aboard that disabled ship now being towed to a port in alabama. passengers have described chaotic conditions, including overflowing toilets and also limited access to food.

there's also, now, fears about the spread of disease, particularly norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea. after three days of silence, carnival's ceo, gerry cahill, is finally talking. >> our promise to our guests is to provide great vacation experience. we try very hard to do that full-time. it's obvious in this particular case, we did not deliver on that promise. >> to say the least. with good weather conditions, that ship should reach mobile, alabama, by tomorrow. well, they say it takes a village to raise a child. but in this case, it took a whole family to deliver a baby. little josiah decided to make his appearance two weeks early. and that's when mom yelled for help from her two older sons. 15-year-old damian called 911 for some hands of help. >> they said, can you see the umbilical cord? i said, yes. they said, tie it with a string. i was running down the hallway. i couldn't find a string. and i found my brother's shoe. >> when firefighters and

paramedics arrived on the scene 14 minutes later, all of the hard work had been done. mom and baby are doing just fine. by the way, the shoestring was to cut the umbilical cord. >> that mother and son have a very close relationship. to say the least. mind-boggling is how one former gold medal-winning wrestler describes a decision to drop his sport altogether from the olympics. wrestling will be included in the rio games in three years. but olympic executives say, not after that. it has a long olympic history, all the way back to the first modern games in 1896. and now, along with seven other sports, wrestling has to apply to be part of the 2020 games. and how does super bowl saturday or super bowl monday sound to you? well, next february's big game will be played in my home state of new jersey. and now, a published report says the nfl is working up a contingency plan to move the game forward or back, depending on possible inclimate weather. fans have clamored to have the super bowl on saturday for a

long time, for their own reasons of recovery, of course. >> of course. and on addition to the security detail at last night's lakers game. one guy tweeting a picture. yes, that's will ferrell. playing the part, complete with a red blazer and a name tag. at one point, he even escorted tv analyst, shaquille o'neal, to the arena. he's always in character. now, a bit of history included in last night's hoops highlights. we get those from espn. >> good morning. and welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm superen mehenti. lebron james doing something last night nobody has ever done in the nba. taking on the portland trail blazers. what would it be? amazing consistently. no player, nobody, has ever scored with 30 points and shot better than 60% from the field in six-straight games. people have done it five times, including king james. nobody a half-dozen. got it done tuesday. exactly 30 and 11 for 15 from the field. heat win, 1,000th win in regular

season history. but history on this night belongs to king james. college basketball. michigan/michigan state, meeting for the first time ever when both are in the top ten. matt costello, would finish on the other end for michigan state. he was looking to remain perfect at home this season. that's would be 15 wins in 15 tries. first place, for the spartans for the win. talk about indiana. michigan, even. ohio state. nope. spartans with a win. all alone on top. tom izzo said, he wanted the breslin center shaking. it was, after that performance. and that is your "sportscenter" update. i'm zubin mehenti. have a great wednesday. some amazing video here. so, let's get right to it. watch as this skier defies death, or at least an accident, during a competition in switzerland. >> this really is pretty amazing. don't try this on your next run, please. this guy's doing just fine. that is, until, he triggers an

avalanche. all part of the thrill. so, why not pull off a backflip? yes, he did it, as the snow is chasing him down the mountain. he did that flip. he outran that slow slide and actually finished the run safely. >> no thank you. >> man, oh, man. we'll stick to the bunny slope. >> that's for us. much better. >> and then, i'll be in the lodge. coming up in "the pulse," at age 67, there's a big change coming to steve martin's personal life. and the moment when some lipstick threatened to upstage the president's primetime message. we'll be back. 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 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.

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lipstick on his collar, actually his cheek. you can see congresswoman frederica wilson, greeting him with a nice, little kiss. but she left a trace of her lipstick, right there, on the leader of the free world's face. down the aisle, two other congresswomen helped wipe it off. didn't want michelle to get the wrong idea. >> and the president also shared a bipartisan fist-bump with senator mark kirk. the illinois republican just returned to congress last month, a year after suffering a major stroke. and surprising news out of hollywood. funnyman steve martin has reportedly taken on a new role. becoming a first-time dad at the age of 67. >> first time. i didn't know that. "the new york post" says martin and his 41-year-old wife were spotted near their l.a. home with their new baby. they've been so secretive, we don't know if it's a boy or girl. a source tells "the post," the couple worked hard to have the baby. and they are absolutely thrilled. >> nice. finally, as you all may know, tomorrow is valentine's day. and a chance to express your

love to that special someone. >> in honor of the day, we present these classic lovebird photos, thanks to the website awkwardfamilyphotos.com. you're going to learn, real quick, why we're laughing. what could be more lovely, than a man, his chain saw and his gal? >> and then, who knows what they're thinking. the banana they're sharing. >> something tells me they're very popular. and finally, it happens. you fall out of love. don't worry. just wipe the guy out and keep on rolling. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush. you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion. and i believe it's doing a good job. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans.

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>> abc7 news starts right now with live breaking news. >> good morning. it is 4:28. >> police in southern california confirm that a badly burned body was found in a cabin in big bear lake after police shot it out with a man believed to be accused cop killer christopher dorner. katie marzullo is live in our newsroom with more. katie? >> there is a charred body in the cabin. authorities believe it is christopher dorner but proof

could take days. the cabin in the mountains where authorities believe he barricaded himself burned for hours. it was too hot and too dangerous for law enforcement to go in. when they did they found the body. the sheriff deputies say identification will attempted through forensic means. law enforcement is not letting their guard do you. >> mr. dorner has been identified as either deceased or handcuffs on him and sitting in jail, until that happens we will continue as if he is out there. >> we have video closeup footage from the ground near the cabin during the stand off showing what appears to be police throwing an object toward the cabin and we hear lots of gunfire. police saw dorner enter but not leave. the stand off in the fire came after dorner allegedly tied up two women and burglarized a different cabin, carjacked a truck and exchanged gunfire with

fish and wildlife officers and san bernardino county sheriff deputies. one sheriff deputy was killed. that puts the death toll at four, two civilians and two law enforcement officers. we expect an update from the san bernardino county sheriff this afternoon at 4:00. >> a memorial is set for this morning for the riverside police officer who dorner is accused of killing on thursday. the governor will be among those attending the service. police say the 34-year-old was gunned down while on a manhunt for dorner. he leaves behind a wife and two young children. stay with abc7 for continuing coverage of the story with more throughout the morning, you can see urgent updates on the smartphone by downloading our free abc7 news app and opting for "push notifications." our team is sending updates the moment we receive them by

twitter@abc7news bay area. >> shots risk out in pittsburg. an officer was hit. our reporter is live at the scene. amy? >> the officer was shot but he was able to return fire and shoot the man shooting at him. the officer has been treated and released from the hospital. this happened at 11:30 in pittsburg. you can see video of men put in police cars. they were taken into today for questioning but the only suspect is in the hospital and is the man who shot at the believes. they shot him. they say he is in stable condition. this happened because officers tried to approach him about a caucus which police don't want to go into details. this man is 30.