to learn the signs of autism. making news in america this morning, the latest terror threat to the olympic games. toothpaste tubes packed with explosives. why the warning now as the games get under way. slammed by snow and ice. more than a million homes and businesses left without power after wicked winter weather. the hardest hit areas still in the dark this morning. dough drama much the biggest sandwich chain admits their bread contains a chemical that's in shoe leather. why they're coming clean. stairmaster. a tough tower climb to the top of a new york landmark and a little reporter involvement in this one.

>> good thursday morning, everybody. i'm john muller. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. we begin with a new terror threat surround the olympic games. a live picture of the coastal venues in sochi. competition is already under way ahead of tomorrow's opening ceremony. but there's a new security warning this morning and at least two arrests. abc's michelle franzen has been tracking events overnight. >> reporter: just a day before the opening ceremony in sochi a new urgent warning for u.s. and international airlines flying into russia. the department of homeland security says it has specific and credible information terrorists may try to use toothpaste tubes filled with explosives to create a bomb. >> either toen construct it on an airplane or smuggle it in. >> reporter: a serious enough threat for them to alert a small number of u.s. aircraft traveling to russia even though the warning is aimed at alerting

foreign airlines. the warning comes after the arrest of two chechen women after officials then warted a possible bomb attack. they had direct ties to the toothpaste tube intelligence that triggered the warning. russia has been trying to reassure the world that the games are safe. president vladimir putin created what he calls a ring of steel around the olympic venues with 100,000 security officials. the other concern, the so-called soft targets outside the olympic site and intelligence officials say the toothpaste tube threat is just the latest. >> there are a number of specific threats of varying degrees of credibility that we're tracking. >> reporter: now, russia has already banned gels and liquids into russia and out of an abundance of caution here in the u.s. the tsa may also step up security measures at airports around the country. but so far, no threats here on the domestic level.

>> okay, michelle, we know the size of a toothpaste dub. do they think someone could pack enough explosives this size to take down a plane? >> he do. they say several of those tubes, you know, filled with the right type of explosives could be enough to do enough damage to a plane or the other thought is that they were going to smuggle it in to maybe the olympic site so certainly they've got that on the mind and when you think about after 9/11 you've got the sort of shoe bomber, the underwear bomber so it's really not out of the realm of possibilities. >> right. >> you're right about that, michelle franzen, thank you very much. appreciate it. >> one person who had planned to be part of the u.s. delegation at tomorrow's opening ceremony is former tennis great billie jean king. >> she has been an outspoken critic of their anti-gay law but won't be able to make the start of the games because her mother is ill. she still hopes to travel to sochi later, she says. the latest blast of snow, freezing rain and ice to pummel much of the nation has created yet another major mess.

hundreds of thousands are without power and roadways are treacherous. now, the upside for today, a break in the snowfall to make a dent in the cleanup. here's abc's devin dwyer. >> reporter: the big digout has begun from topeka to cleveland, philly and boston, the second winter storm to hit this week created a mammoth mess and frosted nerves. >> this is the worst i've experienced. i think the worst weather i was in was just cold but this is like really cold and hard to walk in. you can't see and my face hurts relationship the icy conditions made travel treacherous across more than 20 states. this chain reaction spinout in michigan shut down i-94. >> today has been probably one of our worst days through this winter season. >> reporter: ice coated parts of virginia, north to pennsylvania, tree limbs and power lines becoming a dangerous line when they snap and fall. >> the little branches hit me in the shoulder and the big part of the branch missed me. >> reporter: hardest hit more than 500,000 homes and businesses without power from

southern pennsylvania into new jersey. crews are scrambling but restoring power can be a painstaking process. officials near philly said it could take as long as a week but the latest storm wasn't all bad news. with many schools canceled it was a chance to have some fun outside with friends. now, it will be back to school today in many cities affected by the storm but forecasters are closely watching a third system which could move in by the weekend meaning another potential snowy mess on monday. john and marci. >> devin dwyer, thank you. one area welcoming some wet weather, california. much of the drought-stricken state will get a bit of rain today. though not nearly enough to make a depth. a second stronger front is expected later this week. a virginia man and his two sisters are under arrest in connection with missing reserve police captain kevin quick. investigators say the siblings stole quick's truck which was found abandoned on monday. but there's still no sign of him who was last seen friday night. a reward leading to his

whereabouts increased to $30,000. longtime murder mystery in florida may be solved. tiffany sessions disappeared while out for a jog 25 years ago. her body was never found and there were no arrests. now investigators say a notation in the address book of a serial killer links him to her murder. they are revealing more information later today at a news conference. >> all right, to the other side of the country to show you the big party they threw in seattle. 700,000 people crowded into the city to celebrate the super bowl champion seahawks. that is more than seattle's entire population. >> that is crazy. police asked people not to use their cell phones. they were worried about overwhelming the system. there were plenty of 12s along the ways, the 12th man status, of course. another number, 25% of seattle's schoolkids were absent yesterday. i got a hunch they might have all been there. >> i think so. all right, chemical concerns, subway is removing

something from its bread that is it also found in yoga mats. >> plus, self-made coca-cola one step closer to letting it be in your home that you can make soda. all right, courtroom drama. emotions run high in the case involving a retired police officer who admits to shooting a man in a movie theater. why the man's daughter says he should be let go.

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plastic based chemical from its bread dough that's also used in yoga mats and shoe soles. subway says it was already in the process of voluntarily phasing out the use of the chemical which is banned in europe and australia. with the world starting to focus on the olympic games in sochi some big companies are voicing concerns. anheuser-busch says it's not throwing its usual budweiser parties in sochi because of security concerns and at&t is condemning russia's anti-gay law. the company calls the law harmful to a diverse society. chobani yogurt is at the center of a dispute, official sponsor the u.s. team. russia doesn't allow u.s. dairy products in and it is blocking a chobani shipment of 5,000 cups. new york senator charles schumer says russian customs rules are impossible to satisfy. shares of twitter plunged in after-hours trading because the company's earnings report was seen as a disappointment. despite beating expectations,

analysts said they would have liked to see more users starting to tweet. so shares of the company dropped more than 17% and could fall again today. starting today walmart is offering deep scoupes on tablets. the retailer is cutting the ipad 2 by $100 for the next month, some models cost as little as $299. the store is offering $100 if you trade in an old ipad and if you trade in a working smartphone you'll get $100 off a new one with a verizon or at&t contract. well, how would you like to make your own coca-cola at home? >> interesting idea. sodastream is getting some competition from the granddaddy of sodamakers, coca-cola buying 10% of green mountain coffee for about a quarter of a billion, $1.25 billion. >> green mountain with its single serve keurig makers is set to release its own machine for cold drinks next year. >> put a coke patch in there and hit the button. >> interesting. i don't know. >> we'll see. when we come back, a violent

rampage and gunfight. police release new video of an intense shootout. sign on the dotted line, a 5-year-old is now a member of a college baseball team. with freshly bakedeve in whole grain bread.right then we add all-natural eggs... lean antibiotic-free ham... and vermont white cheddar. get 16 grams of protein and 23 grams of whole grain

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♪ new vicks nyquil severe. helps relieve your ugliest, nastiest, roughest, toughest nighttime cold symptoms. new nyquil severe. with maximum symptom fighting ingredients. ♪ how's that look for you? while north america digs out from under ice and snow, parts of south america are broiling. rio de janeiro hit 104 degrees yesterday, a day after hitting 105. making the heat even more unbearable, more than 2 million people across brazil were hit with blackouts, so everybody flocked to the beach. >> not a bad backup plan. all right, now looking at your morning road conditions here at home, rain showers will slicken roads along the gulf coast into south florida. snow will make driving tricky across the rockies and rain will make roads slippery from l.a. to portland.

>> now, if you're flying, airport delays are possible in san francisco and los angeles. back to the news now. an emotional day in a florida courtroom. a judge deciding whether a retired police officer who shot a fellow moviegoer should be released on bail. >> there were so many witnesses who wanted to talk, the judge put off his decision until tomorrow. here's abc's steve osunsami. >> reporter: the 71-year-old retired police captain accused of shooting a man for texting in a movie theater wept in court. >> he has arthritis in his hands. >> reporter: at a bond hearing, curtis reeves cried when his daughter told the court that he's an old man with medical issues and needs to be set free. >> he used to make tables and benches and just all kinds of things. he kept all of his tools because he just knew that his hands would get better, but it hasn't happened. >> reporter: reeves is charged with second degree murder. police say he shot and killed 43-year-old chad oulson after they argued. police say oulson was texting his daughter's baby-sitter back home. reeves says he was struck in the face with an unknown object and acted in self-defense, but witnesses said the only object

thrown was a bag of popcorn. oulson's wife nicole was sitting right next to him when he died. she too wept in court. the sheriff's deputy who was inside the theater and kept reeves there until police arrived says he overheard reeves speaking to his wife. >> she postured, and she said, that was no cause to shoot anyone, and then he leaned back around and stuck his finger out, you know, as to scold her and said, you shut your [ bleep ] mouth and don't say another word. >> reporter: steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. now to dramatic video of a police shooting in albuquerque. the images are shaky because it comes from a lapel camera worn by one of the officers. the suspect, who had a cop killer tattoo, fires on the first officer who shows up, carjacked his cruiser and then led police on a chase. he then shot three more cops inside their cruiser. they all survived. the shooter was killed in a hail of bullets. here in new york, the investigation is deepening into

the apparent heroin overdose death of philip seymour hoffman. broadway dimmed its lights yesterday evening to honor the life and career of the 46-year-old actor. police found 70 bags of heroin in his apartment and have now arrested four suspected dealers, at least one with hoffman's phone number in his cell phone. former major league pitcher curt schilling says he is battling cancer. schilling plans to take a leave of absence from his current position as a baseball analyst for espn while he undergoes treatment. he isn't saying what type of cancer he has or what his prognosis may be. during his 20-year career in the majors, schilling pitched for five different teams. retired soccer legend david beckham is moving forward with plans to launch a major league soccer franchise in miami. >> all he needs now is a place to build a stadium and some more investors. he will need what's considered a bargain price of 25 million just for the franchise plus many millions more for the stadium. the earliest the yet to be named franchise would start playing would be 2016. check it out.

there he is, the newest and youngest baseball player at lipscomb university in nashville. brooks russell signing his letter of intent to play the game he loves. check it out. the 5-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumor. the coach's team found out about him and they thought about making little brooks part of the school's family. it was a very nice thing to do. >> what a cute little guy. >> absolutely. good luck to him. and we mentioned the opening ceremony at the sochi olympics isn't until tomorrow, but the competition is already under way. >> chas guldemond was the first american in action. in this morning's slopestyle snowboard event, he qualified for the next round. two other americans, sage kotsenburg and ryan stassel, pictured here also qualified in the same event. later today there is more snowboarding, as well as freestyle skiing and figure skating. team usa off to a good start. >> and here in the usa there was nba action last night. we get highlights now from our guys at espn. good morning, america. this is the "sportscenter" desk in los angeles. he's stan. i'm neil. he's doing the clippers/heat.

so there's not going to be a lot of dunks. >> yeah, i would say so. the heat, winners of five of six starting off a six-game road trip. the clippers home for the first of five in a row. lebron james, 31 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists for him in this game. under three minutes to go. clippers are down 6. blake griffin. griffin had 43 points and 15 rebounds. heat up 2. under a minute to play. dwyane wade in the corner, ray allen over for three, and you know what happens next. 11 of his 15 in the fourth. heat win it, 116-112. i don't know how anybody is going to follow that but i've got to try. tony parker didn't play in the second half of the spurs/wizards game. tightness in his back. there's a lot of that going around. nene nearly stole it. tim duncan ends up with it, ties it. that was in the final minute. duncan had 31. let's go to overtime. six seconds left. john wall, roger waters' favorite nba player, the steal and you know the deal, 29 points, 9 assists. this game went to double

overtime. green is good. what a pass. was that boris? yeah, it was to danny green. spurs, 125-118 in two overtimes. >> funny how both those games worked. you got to remember ray allen open in the corner for the heat and you got to remember danny green open in the corner for the spurs. >> and you have to remember us. why not. >> yeah. >> guys, thanks. we're happy to pass along some congratulations to you, marci. that's right. both for something you did last night and for making our "play of the day." >> my goodness. what an honor. okay, so i guess this is about last night. i ran up the empire state building, all 86 floors, 1576 steps of it. i was helping to raise money for the multiple myeloma research foundation, which works to find a cure for blood cancers and happy to report i not only survived it, but i got it done in about 22 minutes and 40 seconds. i have the medal to prove it. >> folks, that's 20 -- that's 22

minutes, and you did 86 floors. >> yeah. >> you are amazing. how do you feel this morning? >> i'm feeling good. you know, there was a firefighter who did the whole thing in his full gear, and there was a 72-year-old woman who did it, so don't be too proud. there were some people who -- >> i'm impressed. >> well, thank you. >> i'm very impressed. way to go. up next, "the pulse" where selena gomez making headlines for entering rehab. what justin bieber has to do with this. and the tighty whitey statue that is really creeping some people out. [announcer] welcome to the all-new intuit quickbooks. run your entire business with quickbooks. get paid however you want with it. get real work done wherever with it. say "buh-bye" to the old way with it. run payroll with your finger with it. scan receipts with it. sync this stuff with that stuff and that stuff, with it. maintain your sanity with quickbooks. this is your business on the all-new quickbooks. run with it.

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she apparently needed help clearing her head while getting over her ex-boyfriend justin bieber. >> her rocky on again off again relationship with the star was straining relations with her friends and family. she probably needed to get that song out of her head too. >> anyone with a dog is always at risk of losing at least some prize possession from newspapers to maybe your favorite slippers. things like that getting chewed up. >> but what if your dog eats your car and the car just happens to be an aston martin, ouch. a british man came home to find his dog did that. gnawing goo the bumper of what used to be a $10,000 car. man. and something that's getting plenty of attention and we'll show you why in a moment. it's part of an art exhibit that opens today at wellesley college in massachusetts. >> there it is or there he is. it's a sculpture of a guy sleep walking in his tighty whiteys. >> already prompted plenty of debate on campus.

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on select medicare part d plans. at the corner of happy and healthy. ame is eddie metcalf.re part d plans. i enjoworking in my yard and you know, i can't. i can't do that any more,'cuz i'm missing most of my lung. they did a cat scan of my kidneys, no more kidney stones. that's the good news. "but, we found a spot on your lung." that frankly scared the "hell" out of me. i hadn't smoked in 22 years. how could this happen to me? he said, "well, you know about radon gas?" we'll... you know, i heard about it. he said, "well, the second leading cause of cancer" "in america is radon, 22,000 people a year die from this." i literally left the doctor's office, got a test kit, put it in my house, and our result was 39.8. the upper limit is 4. we got to get this fixed. that was on a monday, and on wednesday, our mitigation system was up and running. well, i think everybody should have their house tested. we'd never know. we'd still be living there. i could get another tumor from it. right now, it's changing my life.

live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> 4:28. it is wet. it is thursday. i am kristen sze. >> i am eric thomas. we will find out about the weather. mike? >> the rain is out there. it is coming down. you can see light rain with the radar showing moderate rain on the peninsula that could be running hot. mostly light-to-moderate rain. we will watch it because it will cause ponding on the roads. it has been raining all night. you can see more rain building over the ocean. mostly the entire commute will be full of steady rain. you can see on the golden gate

bridge it is wet. this afternoon, we will be in the 50's with rain scattering down to a shower. leyla gulen? >> good morning, everyone. yes, the rain is affecting the commute. in san jose, this is where we have flooding on the road northbound 280. be careful in that area and stay in the middle lanes. a lot of bonding can happen on the shoulders or the center divider causing hydroplaning. we have seen our fair share of accidents. certainly a spinout on a 80 westbound at live more avenue. we will have more information on that ahead. this will take you to the bay bridge toll plaza. we have traffic funneling in from the maze. kristen sze and eric? >> commuters are dealing with a

wet, treacherous and slow drive this morning. abc7 news reporter amy hollyfield is at castro valley. >> good morning, kristen. it is coming down. finally. the rain is here. there will be a wet commute this morning. we shot video of what it looks like as you drive and here is what you could face: this was shot on interstate 680. the morning when the c.h.p. is full of advisories, a two hands on the wheel morning. they are worried about spinouts with the oilen the road 79 they hope everyone will slow down and give more space between you and the car in front of you so you have time to stop if necessary. the rain is welcome. we are on pace to have the driest winter on record. it is wonderful but it is not enough. water officials across