purchased in the state of connecticut, even though we had an assault weapons ban. >> reporter: on the table, expanded background checks. for gun purchases. tougher penalties for trafficking, and more money for school safety. the bill does not include a ban on assault-style weapons and high-capacity clips. >> we can't get 90% of the americans to agree on the weather. >> reporter: some republican senators say they plan to fi fillibuster to block the bill. one sticking point, whether to require background checks for all gun sales, even private transfers. >> even if you had universal background checks, bad guys are going to get guns. it won't solve the problems in the schools. it won't diminish the need for greater security in the schools. >> if we have a simple up or down vote, we can get this done. >> reporter: one possible compromise in the works. expanding background checks for

gun shows and onloine sales onl. that would be a significant breakthrough. lawmakers are making progress on the illegal immigrant bill. they're working to put the finishing touches on the bill. among the more controversial proposals is a plan to grant citizenship to the estimated 11 million people living in the u.s. illegally. turning overseas now, health officials in china are saying they are not seeing new evidence of human to human transmission of a new strain of bird flu. the outbreak centers of eastern china where poultry markets are being shut down. 21 people having contact with infected birds have gotten sick and six have died. if the virus mutates, it could be transferred from person to person. we have to natural munty and there is no vaccine. now to the death of a young american diplomat in a terror take this weekend. anne smedinghoff's body is

expected to be returned today to dover air force base in delaware. her parents are mourning the loss of their daughter and recalling her love of country. here's nick schifrin. >> reporter: 25-year-old anne had in the words of her parents, a truly beautiful soul. she was brave and generous. she knew the risks but volunteered to go to kabul. she was a press officer and helped highlight stories of afghans who overcame the odds. ♪ afghan musicians playing in carnegie hall in new york. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: two boys who had never acted then appeared in an american movie and were nominated for an oscar. her father sent me these photos. she wanted to go to kabul and travel throughout the country. >> she is just one of the many people who answer the call to serve our country in a myriad of ways. and for that, we are forever grateful. >> reporter: that led her to to this road in a poor city. in southern afghanistan.

she was acomp anying afghan journalists to deliver school books to school kids. a suicide bomber drove right into her truck. >> she was very intelligent, focused, driven, she really -- had a passion for what she was doing. that made all the difference in the way she did it. >> believing in the possibilities of diplomacy, of changing people's lives. of making a difference. having an impact. who was taking knowledge in books to deliver them to a school. >> reporter: in her hometown, white ribbons and american flags. for the first foreign service officer killed in afghanistan since 9/11. diplomats like anne are on the front lines. that makes them more vulnerable, including the youngest and the most promising. nick schifrin, abc news, london. a developing story from new england. man who took hostages

at hillary clinton's campaign office in 2007 has escaped from custody. leeland eisenberg was being held in a minimum security prison on probation violations. he has a long-standing record. he was up for parole in august. residents in denver are being warned about a possibly armed and dangerous prisoner who escaped from jail. initial reports say felix trujillo was wearing a deputy's uniform when he escaped last night. he has a long rap sheet and was held on aggravated robbery charges. a violent storm system moving across the country. cell phone video from kansas shows hail pounding down yesterday. there was heavy snow further west. some parts of colorado could see blizzard conditions. meteorologist ginger zee says it could be a rough couple of days. >> big hail possible, also isolated tornadoes. tuesday is the biggest day for tornado fwrs kansas city, including st. louis, down

dallas. it moves into the southeast and parts of the tennessee valley going into the midweek. >> 14 states from the rockies to the upper midwest have winter storm watches or warnings posted right now. >> not so spring-like there. >> no, sir. >> for the rest of the nation, snow along the canadian border. rain in the northwest. a threat of showers from minnesota to pennsylvania and west virginia. >> temperatures in the 70s and 80s across the south. 74 for the march madness fans in atlanta. spring-like into the northeast. boston, 57. 70s in california. and 56 for portland and seattle. up next, playing less at the tump. the states where gas prices have dropped the most in one year. trapped in a hole leaving father to panic. the rescue operation for two children. and fire engulfs a new york city bridge. what fire crews say added to the danger

welcome back. a disappointing jobs report in the u.s. impacting asia stock markets to begin the week. friday's announcement of just 88,000 jobs added in march is a letdown for investors. that is leading to lower market numbers in china, hong kong, australia and others today. japan is the one exception to the low numbers. stock futures are mostly up here in the u.s. oil giant exxon faces a multimillion dollar lawsuit over a spill in arkansas. thousands of barrels sprang from a pipeline in the small town of m mayflower. runs down streets and into nearly two dozen homes. two women are seeking more than $5 million in damages to their property.

gas prices plunging across the u.s. since last week, the average price per gallon of regular unleaded has dropped three cents since last week. it's lower because of crude prices dropping. indiana, a 12% drop from last year, followed by oregon, washington, illinois, and virginia. a fashion designer known for color and wild patterns has died. lil lilly pulitzer was popular in the '60s. she made the dress toss wear in the florida heat. even jackie kennedy wore them. her business lives on, bought by a company that is translating the styles for the young women of today. lilly was 81 years old. movie audiences wanted to be frightened this weekend with demons and dinosaurs. bringing in $26 million, the demonic horror remake "evil dead" day bebuts at numbe one. steven spielberg's 3-d debut of

"jurassic park" brought in $18.2 million. on top of the $357 million it brought in domestically in 1993. who knew? >> who knew? >> we can get eaten in 3-d. when we come back, increasing the chance of heart disease. what energy drinks and steak have in common that could damage your arteries. and speaking for the first time, what a teenager is saying after being lost and injured for days in a california forest. now we can all be at the corner of "just another prescription" and "sweet, something just for me." because walgreens balance rewards is more than a savings card. it's a rewards card that gives you 500 rewards points every time you fill a prescription. points you can redeem in store or online for, well, almost anything. rack up points with each prescription you fill, right here. at the corner of happy and healthy. [ female announcer ] some prescriptions not eligible to earn points. restrictions apply. see website for details.

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a fiery and smoky scene last night here in new york on one of the bridges connecting manhattan and the borough of queens. a truck caught fire and the oxygen tanks inside exloaded. driving can be near limb possible in the rockies.

blizzard-like conditions there. rain across the plains and the midwest. if you're plying, airport delays possible in salt lake city, "moneyscope," chicago, and detroit. emergency dplus north carolina were called to a residential construction site on sunday evening after a desperate 911 call. >> father said his two young children wer several fire departments responded with climbing gear and a backhoe. they worked into the night. >> they were building a basement or a house or a building or something. and it just fell on them. >> when i came up, they had helicopters or 500 fire trucks everywhere. i feel sorry. i hope they get them out. >> sadly, the crews were unable to reach the children in time. and the mission to save the 6-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy turned from rescue to

recovery. we're hearing for the first time from the california hiker who managed to survive an ordeal in the wilderness. nicholas spoke to reporters after being released from the hospital. he said he grew so weak and began having lucid dreams every day. he was asked how he became separated from his hiking companion. >> now that they told me i suffered a trauma. maybe we fell. i fell, she thought i was dead. maybe i was unconscious longer than she was. we were not meant to die. kendall was meant to be found at that time because she was spent. i was meant to be found at that time because i was spent. i was so scared, that night, the most fear of death. i knew i was going die. i spent all my energy that day. >> his companion, kendall jacks, is being treated in the hospital for dehydration and hypothermia.

pastor rick warren reached out on twitter talking about the support he's gotten after the death of his son. 27-year-old matthew took his own life wednesday. his parents said he struggled with depression most of his life. autopsy results could be released tomorrow. pastor rick warren was not scheduled to speak this weekend. but he had chosen the subject to be spoken about. how to survive the worst day of your life. roger ebert being remembered today in chicago. he died last week of cancer. the anti-gay group, westboro baptist church has announced plans to picket the service. and now to an intriguing health study. researchers say they've found a substance in a popular energy drink and is in red meat. it could be the real culprit in heart disease. it's called carnitine. it produces a compound that clogs up arteries.

it speeds up metabolism and that's why it's in energy drinks. one more reason to be cautious about drinking energy drinks. all right, now some sports. specifically, college basketball. louisville and michigan tonight for the men's national title. the women's championship game was set up last night. here's highlights from espn. >> cole wright here with your "sportscenter" update. let's head straight to new orleans arena, where final four teams looking to turn themselves into 1 of 2. notre dame squaring off with uconn. second half. irish down nine. skylar diggins. getting the steal for 2 of her 10 points. that brought the irish within seven. later in the half, stephanie misses. breanna stewart did not miss. uconn up ten. later on, seven-point husky game. lewis, part of her 16-point evening. the triple try good. a uconn ten-point game. later on, stewart from three. 4 of 5 from deep. she led all scorers. uconn wins. 83-65. they're in the national title

tilt. who will they take on? louisville or cal? let's find out. under three minutes left in regulation. louisville down one. smith, the up and under goes. she was enthusiastic about that. so was louisville. later on, tied at 57-57. ensuing louisville ball. schimmel to hammond. draws the foul. she made her free throw. louisville wins, 64-57. they advance to the national title game tuesday night in new orleans. that will do it for this "sportscenter" update. for the latest from the sporting world, tune in to the highlight express, 11:00 eastern on espn news. a stunning upset at last night's academy of country music awards in las vegas. luke bryan beat out nashville heavy hitters to win entertainer of the year. he also happened to be co-hosting the awards ceremony. >> he was presented his award by shania twain. who is making her first appearances at the caroms in a decade. another unforgettable highlight, a duet between garth brooks and

george strait. as part of a tribute to dick clark. >> i am a huge garth brooks fans. that -- ♪ i got friends in low places up next, "the pulse." asking a girl to prom. what one teen wore to get his date to say yes. plus, scoring a touchdown for the nebraska cornhuskers. why a 7-year-old was hand the ball. humira, adalimumab, can help treat more than just the pain. for many adults, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb.

ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist about humira, to help relieve your pain and stop further joint damage. people lose 5x more weight following the weight watchers approach than trying on their own. you can too. the new weight watchers 360 program.

join for free and check out the new risk free guarantee today. because it works. i took something for my sinuses, but i still have this cough. [ male announcer ] a lot of sinus products don't treat cough. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope, but alka seltzer plus severe sinus does it treats your worst sinus symptoms, plus that annoying cough. [ breathes deeply ] ♪ oh, what a relief it is [ angry gibberish ] time to check "the pulse" the stories you'll be talking about today. and we couldn't resist this one. no problem picking out 7-year-old jack hoffman. yeah, there he is in the nebraska football uniform. >> he's a big fan battling brain cancer. at the end of the team's spring scrimmage, they let jack take

a handoff. he showed the big boys how to run 69 yards for a touchdown. team picked him up in the end zone. the crowd of about 60,000 fans just cheered him on all the way. we will hear from jack later on "good morning america." >> that will be awesome. and he's a good runner. he looked like a miniature pro out there. >> awesome. another dose of inspiration from an 8-year-old girl in utah. jaylee duker, showing off her moves at a skate park near her home in her wheelchair. she was born with spina bifida. has never walked. that is not stopping her from doing anything she puts her mind to. >> her dad says she dances and skis and is absolutely fearless. case in point. this video shot when she had only been shredding up the skate park for four days. >> she's got talent. well, prom season is here. one young man has found a rather eye-catching way of inviting his date of choice. check it out.

we're going to show you the booty shorts. yeah! he is rocking that gold lame look with the word prom prominently featured. and a friend provided the sound track with a boom box. >> unbelievable. pretty gad moves there, i must say. while we might not admit it's the most romantic invite, apparently, it worked. she said yes. >> she knows he'll be able to bust moves on the dance floor. >> hopefully not wearing that outfit. for some of you, your local news is next. and for everyone else, an act of kindness gone wrong. we'll hear from the victim. what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello? ally bank. your money needs an ally.

i love to golf. ♪ [ grunts ] yowza! that's why i eat belvita at breakfast. it's made with delicious ingredients and carefully baked to release steady energy that lasts... we are golfing now, buddy! [ grunts ] ...all morning long. i got it! for the win! uno mas! getting closer! belvita breakfast biscuits -- steady energy to do what i do all morning long. she pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. and she's not exactly tidy. even if she gets a stain she'll wear it for a week straight. so i use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft. since i'm the one who has to do the laundry. i do what any expert dad would do. i let her play sheriff. i got 20 minutes to life. you are free to go. [ dad ] tide and downy. great on their own, even better together.

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>> abc7 news starts right now with live breaking news. >> good morning, everyone, breaking news is in san francisco. homicide investigators are at a residential high-rise in pacific heights in a building on vallejo street. the victim is said to be a 47-year-old man. police say they are looking for a "person of interest" in this

case. we have a crew on the way and bring you additional details when they come in. >> shy of 4:29. on this monday morning we will check with mike nicco. very windy. >> an interesting overnight. >> it was. trees remain down. a lot of debris on the roadways. we have rain overnight. live doppler 7 hd showing it is clearing quickly right now. we are watching the showers move to the east. the wind are gusting to 30 miles per hour in the north and santa rosa. 45 at sfo. 36 at oakland. 43 in san carlos and 25 at concord and live more. that is the big story today. increasing sunshine. temperatures running in the 60's in most areas. it will be windy until 8:00. get ready for that. get ready for traffic this morning. leyla gulen? >> the wind is causing problems

on the roads. we head down the peninsula we have trees blocking skyline boulevard at page mill road on a two-lane highway. both lanes are blocked because of the wind. up to sausalito southbound 101 before spencer avenue we have branches blocking the number four lanes and that could impede your traffic there as you make your drive southbound direction. look at this area shaded in the yellow green. that means high win advisory. that includes all the toll bridges. at treasure island, westbound 80 on the treasure island off-ramp we have a tree down. it is blocking the off ramp. right now i want to take you out to the tolls. here is a look at the bay bridge. it does not look to be slowing traffic down. we have power lines in sonoma that are blocking the roads. that is coming up in a little bit but now over to you. >> a lot going on.

the high winds are making driving tough and bringing down trees and limbs. they are also reports of broken windows and other damage. cornell bernard is live near ocean beach in san francisco with more on the havoc the winds are causing. >> it is incredibly windy. we are a few blocks from the cliff house with geary believe closed because a huge tree has fallen on to 48th avenue and surrounded by police tape. this tree is at least 70 to 80' tall. it fell on to a utility shed on 48th avenue and a bush shelter on the other side which you cannot see. the tree is so large it is hard to tell if there is any damage to the small structures. the high winds are blamed on bringing this tree down. far from here on ocean beach, high winds are being blamed on

bringing down a lot of orange traffic markers on the great highway on ocean beach. ocean beach and the great highway got the full brunt of the winds overnight and they continue continue to fall. a lot of sand on the great highway. drive with caution this morning. the sand and all over the place. anywhere in the bay area be careful. came across the golden gate bridge 45 minutes ago and the winds were extremely strong. back to this street. the san francisco police are monitoring the road closing on 48th avenue. i asked if there was any idea when this tree will be chopped up and brought out and taken away, they have absolutely no idea. 48th avenue is clod