making news in america this morning, hammered again. a powerful winter storm will affect millions today from texas to new england. thousands of flights are already canceled. and an already battered south is in for round two. >> glitz and glamour. at the white house, a who's who of guests ranking from pro athletes to movie stars. we go inside the state dinner. surprise takedown. a police officer in the right place to capture a suspect trying to make a getaway. and foxy lady. the best in show struts her stuff to the winner's circle. so who is the new top dog? good wednesday morning, i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> i'm john muller.

we begin with the storm that could make life miserable for 100 million americans today. the storm is already responsible for at least four deaths in texas. today, it'll make its way up from the deep south into the mid-atlantic states and eventually to the northeast. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: forecasters warn this latest storm pounding the south could be catastrophic. the snow and ice could cripple some cities. in texas, icy roads caused spinouts. at least four people died in traffic accidents. from alabama to north carolina, authorities warn people to stay home. >> our goal is to be overprepared and hopefully underwhelmed by the storm. >> reporter: some got the message on their cell phones and answering machine. >> now is the time to prepare for this storm. >> reporter: along i-75 trucks moving past this weigh station were given flyers warning of the coming storm. officials are also bracing for widespread power outages. a half an inch of ice or more

could bring down trees knocking out power to thousands. >> this is one of mother nature's worst kinds of storms that can be inflicted on the south. and that is ice. it is our biggest enemy. >> reporter: in atlanta, an army of utility trucks are standing by ready to respond while the national guard prepares for possible evacuations. officials are leaving nothing to chance after this traffic nightmare two weeks ago. shoppers packed grocery stores getting milk, toilet paper, food, anything they might need if trapped indoor for days. >> bread and cereal. crackers, soup. just things you can make pretty easily. >> reporter: the storm is expected to march up the east coast over the next 48 hours bringing a foot of snow or more to some cities along the i-95 corridor. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. and, of course, traveling today will be a problem in the eastern half of the country. as of now more than 2500 u.s. flights have been canceled including most of those going in or out of atlanta.

the world's busiest airport. >> forget about taking the train instead. amtrak and bus companies have suspended most service south of washington, driving, of course, will be hazardous, a good day to stay home. we'll check in with accuweather's jim dickey on what's coming our way. jim. >> good morning, john and marci. major ice storm crippling ice storm under way. early morning hours across portions of the southeast, through columbia, all the way to raleigh we'll see significant ice, in many so cases over an inch here, that will lead to wi widespread power outages and road closures, as well. this is bringing the ice up the coast bringing significant snowfall on up into new england and that lasts through friday. john and marci, back to you. >> accuweather's jim dickey. thank you. stay with abc news for the latest on this storm. we'll have live team coverage coming up on "good morning america." well, parts of the uk are bracing for a new round of

monster storms with thousands of hopes flooded and evacuated after their wettest month in nearly 250 years. forecasters are expecting a month's worth of rain over the next two days much winds could top 100 miles an hour. thousands of people without power after the thames burst its banks. even if the rain stops now it could take months for the floods to drain. and there's been another deadly avalanche in the west. two back country skiers were killed. two others suffered broken legs. all the victims are from the seattle area. a skier missing after an avalanche outside of a colorado ski area was found dead yesterday. at least 12 people have died in avalanches nationally this season including six since sunday. the senate is expected to raise the debt ceiling today after a landmark vote in the house. republican lawmakers decided to reverse course and approve the increase which will allow the government to borrow money to pay bills. that ends a long fight which brought the nation to the brink of defaults. tea party conservatives are blasting the vote saying

republicans in washington are out of touch. all right, at the white house, a lavish tate dinner for the president of france. the obamas gave francois hollande a red carpet treatment greeting him as he arrived alone. the protocol experts solved that problem and sat hollande between the president and mrs. obama. he made out of his way out of another tricky spot when a reporter asked who his greatest ally was, france or britain. >> i have two daughters. [ laughter ] and they are both gorgeous and wonderful, and i would never choose between them. and that's how i feel about my outstanding european partners. >> very good comeback there. president obama now planning his first trip to france in five years. he'll visit normandy in june for the 70th anniversary of d-day. >> that was a good answer on the spot. >> oh, yeah. now to the winter olympics

or the warm olympics as some are calling them. >> here is a unique shot of sochi, russia all lit up on the shore of the black sea taken from the international space station. >> americans have already been in action today. plenty of people still talking about yesterday's big disappointment. abc's kirit radia has details. >> reporter: shaun white's reign as the king of the halfpipe ended tuesday. the two-time gold medalist was favored to repeat but stumbled and finished fourth. white failed twice attempting the yolo short for you only live once. >> i got there but it didn't work out. >> reporter: the swiss snowboarder who invented it nailed it and won the gold. americans were shut out of the halfpipe medals for the first time since the sport was introduced in 1998. but american women made some history. for the first time in 50 years since the women's luge became an olympic event an american won a medal. erin hamlin nabbed the bronze in the singles competition.

fellow american devin logan clinched the silver in the women's slopestyle skiing. a new event at the winter games. >> i was biting my nails and just because all the competitors are so good and you know that anyone at any given point can put down a run that can bump you out. >> reporter: logan overcame slushy wet snowy caused a series of wipeouts including that crash by a canadian skier. in another olympic first, american sarah hendrickson became the first woman ever to ski jump at the olympics. in the end, neither she nor her teammates placed. already today, julia mancuso was back on the slopes for the women's downhill but failed to medal despite a strong run. later today, snowboarder hannah teter looks for her third olympic medal in the women's halfpipe. speed skater shani davis tries for his third straight gold medal in the men's 1,000 meeters and the u.s. women's hockey team takes on its rivals from canada. both teams are already qualified for the semifinals.

kirit radia, abc news, moscow. >> and a unique result from this morning's women's downhill. two skiers, tina maze and dominique gisin tied for first place. both get a gold medal. the woman in third was 0.1 second behind. a quick check of the medals count. norway is out in front right now with 11. >> then it's canada, the netherlands, the united states and russia. all right, an important recall for parents. millions of car seats are being pulled from the shelves. we'll tell you what you need to know. >> and random road rage. a father and daughter terrorized inside their car. we have the dramatic 911 calls. plus, top dog. the best in show is crowned at the westminster dog show, but it was another four-legged friend that stole the crowd's heart.

welcome back. wall street likes what it's hearing from the federal reserve in her first appearance on capitol hill new fed chief janet yellin continues to pledge the policy of low interest rates after the stocks soared almost 200 points for the market's longest win streak of the year. a consumer alert to parents about one of the biggest car safety seat recalls ever. nearly 4 million seats made by graco are being recalled. 11 models may have harness buckles that get stuck making it difficult to remove a child from a seat in an emergency. the government wants graco to recall even more models. well, twinkie lovers will soon get their fill on the cheap. the closeout chain big lots just became the official discount retailer for hostess snacks

poised to sell twifk kiss and ding dongs for 40% off. it is replacing the old hostess thrift outlets which were not re-opened when a new owner took over the brand. i love it. sweet treats and a bargain. >> still got it, marci. another american classic getting a new lease on life and it's equal parts strange and brilliant. barbie posting for this year's "sports illustrated" swimsuit issue. the 50th anniversary of the popular feature. >> she will be joined by other swim legends including christie brinkley and kate upton and heidi klum. >> innovative, indeed. when we come back, dramatic takedown. a police officer comes out of nowhere and takes down a suspect. new details about why the man was wanted. things get out of control on a school bus between the driver and a student as the bus is moving. [ female announcer ] we lowered her fever. you raise her spirits.

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updating our top story, there is snow on the ground in north carolina. that lady looked happy bit. and more on the way. it is the second major winter storm to hit the south in two weeks. charlotte could see as much as 6 inches before it's over. schools are closed and already hundreds of today's flights have been canceled. driving through the south won't be much fun either. highways will be wet and slippery, roads near the great lakes will have snow. watch for the wet roads in the pacific northwest. and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in atlanta, charlotte, washington and memphis. all right, speaking of being on the road, we have all heard about those terrifying tales of road rage. >> yeah, now we find out what it's really like to be in the middle of an attack. here's abc's jim avila. >> reporter: the four-wheel brawl, a scourge on american highways from fists flying in north carolina to this lawyer and retired police officer duking it out on a california highway.

and now what it's really like to be inside that moment of terror. a vicious attack on a raleigh, north carolina, street that left this saab a crumpled mess and a father desperately calling 911. >> i've got a guy that's following me and he's rear-ended me and now he's following me again. jesus. >> what is your name? >> he hit us again. oh, my god. >> what is your name? >> he just hit us twice. >> reporter: and twice was not enough. >> jesus, he just hit me again. >> reporter: no argument between drivers, just a dad and daughter on the way home from the movies. >> i'm trying to figure out what his plate is. he just hit me four times now. >> reporter: dad looking for somewhere to hide hoping police arrive soon. >> look, he just broke my window, broke my car. i'm freaking out. jesus. he's trying to kill us. please, my god, someone, please. >> reporter: the terror ending only when dad grabbed his

daughter and ran into the store. followed by the mad driver now on foot. police believe he was on drugs at the time. finally subdued by store workers and police officers. jim avila, abc news, new york. >> closing arguments set today in that high-profile case in florida which started as an argument over loud music. the defendant testified he faced a clear and present danger when he grabbed his pistol and opened fire. mike the dunn told jurors he thought the teen in the car was armed. >> he slammed something against the door and said, you're -- yeah, i'm going to [ bleep ] kill you. >> no weapon was found in the suv. prosecutors also questioned dunn about why he did not call police immediately after the shooting. some dramatic police work in sacramento caught on video. officers set up a perimeter around a suspect who allegedly broken into a nearby home. when he hopped on to a bicycle and tried to get away. but he rode straight toward an officer who tackled him. you see right there. other cops and neighbors joined

in and a tv cameraman record it all. the suspect reportedly had several outstanding warrants. and in kenosha cameras were recording as a high school boy attacked a bus driver demanding his i.d. for swearing and being disruptive in the past. the driver punched the kid back while the bus slowly rolled into a car and two parked pickups. the boy was charged in juvenile court with felony battery and the driver was fired. some important medical news, a large new study of mammograms is sure to add confusion over whether women should have them. after studying 90,000 patients researchers found death rates were the same among women who had a mammogram and those who had not. the canadian studz di found risks to having mammograms one in five cancers found through them were treated even though they were no threat to women's health. all right, veteran journalist tom brokaw announced he's battling blood cancer, the former nbc "nightly news" anchor

diagnosed last summer. doctors are encouraged by his project. he continues to work on projects for nbc news. he calls himself the luckiest guy i know. >> time for nonwinter olympic sports. >> college basketball season heating up. details on why we say that now from our guys at espn. >> good morning, america. this is the "sportscenter" set in los angeles. i'm neil. he's stan. we had a major upset in college basketball on tuesday. >> yes, san diego state had won 20 games in a row since they lost to arizona in their second game of the season. they're at wyoming. you know elevation can be a problem there for visitors. but not for the home team. derek cook jr. with some great elevation to throw that one down. later wyoming up 10. nathan sobee to nance once again. wyoming with the upset over number five san diego state, 68-62. let's storm the floor, go crazy, laramie, go, crazy.

this felt like a playoff game up in portland. the kevin durant road show was in town and a lot of portland people wondering what if we hadn't then oden but durant with the first pick in the '07 draft. >> might have worked out pretty good. >> instead seattle took him and now playing for the thunder and portland has two all-stars. that is one of them, lamarcus aldridge. he can't get it to go for the win. and then the other one is damian lillard and he's going to get this shot to win it. no. those two went 1 for 17. >> ooh. >> in the second half and the thunder behind by 36 win it did it without notes. locked in. >> and now we're locked out. thanks for watching, back to you. >> all right, thanks, guys. up next "the pulse" where there is a new best in show. but she was not the fan favorite. >> all right. falling fast to camera tumbles out of a plane. the plunge is recorded. wait till you see where this camera lands. hey, dad's room looks great.

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sky has been named best in show at the westminster kennel club dog show at madison square gardening. >> the 5-year-old wire fox terrier was judged to best match the ideal standards for her breed beating out nearly 3,000 other canines for the honor. but the crowd favorite was a bloodhound named nathan. oh, so cute. it was competing as the top found. something about that droopy face or maybe his visit to the new york knicks game where he smooched the cheerleaders but sadly no bloodhound including nathan has ever been judged best this show. >> partial to nathan myself. >> i know. from now on everyone who meets this ohio mom will call her sexy. >> yeah, they have to because it's now actually her real name. sheila crabtree said she hated her first name so much she legally changed it. she wanted a name that suited her personality so a judge agreed to let her go from sheila to sexy. >> sexy also got the seal of approval from her husband and teenage daughters, so

interesting because we were going to change our name. >> i'm telling you. she beat us to it. change your name to sexy you better be pretty darned sexy. >> you're changing yours to studly muller. >> you're supposed to use a camera strap in high places especially true when you're sitting in a skydiver's airplane. the camera stayed on as it plummeted to the ground. watch where it lands. it's going to hit a pig pen, everybody. >> and one of the residents came on to check it on out and give it a taste. see that in a moment. >> wait for it. boom. it's in the pig pen. >> here it comes. here it comes. >> take a look at that. >> but other than that, it just kind of sat in the slop for eight months until the farmer found it. no one has claimed it. probably too embarrassed. can you imagine you drop a camera from the sky. you just lose track of it. no idea that this cool video is out there. >> the pig thinks it's food. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else we'll be back more on the state dinner's guest list.

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abc7 news begins with breaking news. san francisco police are vetting an overnight crash that left a pedestrian dead in pacific heights. abc7 news reporter coat -- katie marzullo has details. >> i have just come from the scene, eric, and the inspector in charge of the accident tells me van ness is still closed between pacific and broadway and that could be the case for another hour and a half, until 6:00 this morning. before 1:00 o'clock a.m. police say this silver car -- the yellow car is not the body, it was already taken from the scene -- the silver car was headed south on van ness when the

driver, a man, hit and killed the pedestrian, also, a hale. you can see how severely dented his car is. the driver is being detained but has not been arrested. the police have not been to the station to interview the man. they have not determined if speed, drugs or alcohol played a role. the traffic collision investigation unit is working to figure out how and where the pedestrian was hit. the victim is an adult male. police do not know if he was in the crosswalk, the fourth deadly previous accident of 2014 in san francisco and the third on van ness. it is 4:29. we will check with any changes, mike?e nicco. >> we have fog forming. it has been quiet the night. now we have live doppler 7 hd. half mile in santa rosa and quarter-mile visibility in livermore. in san jose and south bay, seven

miles. not so much fog as yesterday. it is not as widespread fog as yesterday. the national weather serviced canceled the dense fog advisory overnight because it did not develop. we will watch it. it we have -- we have clouds this morning. a chance of sprinkles in the north bay. otherwise, sunny and mild. low-to-upper 60's inland and upper 50's to low 60's along the coast. >> good morning, everyone, if you are just waking up, we have a quiet start. we will look at maps to see what is happening, with plenty of green moving to sunol from pleasanton we have report of boxes in the lane southbound 680 . 580, tracy through castro valley is 33 minutes. 101 northbound from highway 85 to the san jose airport is