making news this morning, the growing crisis in ukraine. another show of force overnight with warships, threats and demands. we're live with the latest. winter's wrath. the cleanup under way from another snowstorm and record-breaking temperatures set in again and a reporter caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. growing problem, lawmakers say the quickest growing crime in the country could easily be deterred. so why is nothing being done about it? serious game. a high school senior's request for a prom date goes viral. he lands quite a catch. good tuesday morning. i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller. we begin with another show of force and escalating tensions

between russia and ukraine. >> overnight russia set its sights on ukraine's warships. new video this morning shows four russian navy vessels blocking a ukrainian ship at a crimean port. >> it is the latest sign that the two countries are on the brink of war. abc's tahman bradley is following the developments from washington. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, john and marci. world powers are urging president putin to withdraw his troops before this situation gets out of control, but so far putin is not backing down. he's saying he's protecting russian interests. with the russian air force in the skies, russian boots on the ground and the russian navy patrolling ports and seas, vladimir putin now controls the crimea region in eastern ukraine. it's a huge escalation raising tensions around the globe. russia says its troops are there to protect russian citizens from the unrest in ukraine sparked by violent protests that led to the ousting of the country's president. >> the country has plunged into chaos and anarchy. >> reporter: the u.s. is working on comprehensive sanctions and

economic assistance for ukraine. president obama again warned that russia risks isolating itself. >> the strong condemnation that it's received from countries around the world indicates the degree to which russia is on the wrong side of history on this. >> reporter: overnight secretary of state john kerry traveled to ukraine in a show of support, but there's growing worry that the people of ukraine may try to stop putin touching off a full-scale war. the russian military would likely crush the ukrainian forces. russia has 845,000 troops. ukraine, just 130,000. but european foreign ministers are warning russia. >> i hope very much that even at this stage the government of russia will see that it is in nobody's interests to continue to intervene in ukraine's affairs. >> reporter: so far president putin refuses to back down. this crisis has rocked global financial markets. u.s. stocks were down sharply yesterday.

the biggest impact, on ukrainian and russian markets. john and marci. >> tahman bradley live in washington, thank you. all right. well, back here at home, it is a slippery morning commute for millions of americans slammed by a nasty winter storm. >> now that the snow has moved out to sea, bone-chilling cold is settling in bringing subzero and single digit temperatures from the midwest to the east coast. these are the temps as you wake up this morning. abc's devin dwyer has the latest. >> reporter: the winter that won't quit was back at it again dumping ice, sleet and snow from texas to washington, d.c. the nation's capital today turned into a playground for skiers with federal offices closed for the fourth time this winter. the slick conditions triggered an outbreak of pileups and a giant mess to clean up. in snowy new jersey, one reporter found himself in the middle of it. >> whoo! >> reporter: an equally ugly scene at the airports. more than 2800 flights were canceled. up next, the deep freeze again.

windchills from the plains to the midwest to the northeast plunging back near or below zero. >> and get ready for record cold behind this storm in some spots tonight. >> reporter: and it might be cold, but it's not going to be as stormy. airlines have only canceled a few dozen flights nationwide. devin dwyer, abc news, new york. >> all right. thanks, devin. so how cold is it going to be today? 20s across the upper midwest. 30s in the northeast, 50s in the northwest. >> light snow today for upstate new york. sleet from san antonio to houston. snow showers from north dakota to michigan. rain in the pacific northwest. a massive cleanup is still under way in the southern california neighborhoods overrun by mudslides after that latest storm. >> some residents forced to evacuate were allowed back into those homes yesterday. one man's backyard had so much mud, it was threatening the foundation of his house. firefighters and neighbors and volunteers all pitching in to save that home. some high-profile trials starting with the murder trial of olympic runner oscar pistorius.

it continues in south africa today. pistorius has pleaded not guilty to murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp and other gun-related charges. on the stand yesterday, a prosecution witness recalled hearing, quote, blood-curdling screams of a woman before four gunshots on the morning that steenkamp was killed. pistorius' defense attorney contended the screaming may have been pistorius after he realized he had shot steenkamp. well, a high-profile trial under way here in the u.s. prospective jurors have been introduced to osama bin laden's son-in-law who faces terrorism charges in new york. the judge asked sulaiman abu gaith to turn and face the potential jurors before asking if any of them knew him. none did. lawyers must choose 12 jurors and several alternates before opening statements can begin tomorrow or thursday. the prospects for middle east peace talks appear slim despite a major push by secretary of state john kerry. at the white house yesterday israeli leader benjamin netanyahu appeared pessimistic about meeting an april deadline

to move the talks forward. president obama meets later this month with palestinian leader mahmoud abbas. first lady michelle obama makes her first visit to china later this month. the trip will include meetings with china's first lady and high school and university students. mrs. obama's daughters and mother will also make the journey. all right, well, today is fat tuesday, mardi gras, and in new orleans, the party already started. the streets of the french quarter have been packed, and revelers don't want to waste a minute of carnival's last day. >> yeah, the first of more than a dozen parades set off at 8:00 a.m. the temperature looks to be in the chilly 40s, and there could be some showers, but chances are people won't mind too much. >> i got a feeling there's some blood marys and hangovers coming on real soon. >> absolutely. well, "forbes" magazine is out with its new list of billionaires, and for the first time in four years, an american tops the list. and cause for concern. the fastest growing crime in the country, it's getting more violent, and lawmakers say they have an easy fix.

plus, the salvage operation begins. the first corvette is pulled from a massive sinkhole that swallowed several classics, and wait until you see what happens when it was pulled out.

welcome back. stock futures are looking up this morning after yesterday's market tumble. the tensions in ukraine are giving investors the jitters. all three u.s. markets saw big losses before recovering by day's end. this year's wicked winter has either delayed or canceled more than 1 million flights since the start of december. and one flight tracker says those delays and cancellations have cost passengers more than

$5 billion in lost productivity plus other expenses like meals and hotel rooms. well, apple is out with a new version of its mobile operating system for cars. carplay integrates a driver's iphone with the entertainment system. music, messaging and maps can be controlled through a dashboard panel or hands-free by launching siri. apple says nearly every other automaker is coming on board. pizza hut wants to put new technology at your fingertip working on an interactive tabletop that would allow customers to create their own pizzas and even pay for it without talking to anyone, then they can play games on the touch screen while they wait for the customized pie. the plan is to test out a few shops before they roll it out nationwide. looks find of fun. hit the jackpot and it spits out coins. >> if it spits out pizzas, i'm

interested. oscar night turned into a pr bonanza for sam suggest. host ellen degeneres struck social media gold with her record-breaking selfie she clearly took with a galaxy note 3. >> although sam suggest was a major sponsor of the show the moment was not planned but the company is grateful donating $3 million to two charities that degeneres gets to choose. microsoft founder bill gates once again the richest person in the world. >> gates tops "forbes" list unseating carlos slim who held it for four years. more women made the top 100, including sheryl sandberg and two-thirds of this list are self-made including the whatsapp founder right there. >> still not on that list. next year. you and me marci. next, a surprise delivery. a new mom says she didn't know she was pregnant. plus, a high school senior wanted to take an nfl cheerleader to prom. it was a long shot, but her answer proves, you just have to ask sometimes. and king james proves why he

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the sweet dreams collection has scents so relaxing so you can tuck in and turn off after a day oh so taxing. ♪ [ click ] a storm that marched in from california turned into a traffic nightmare in texas leaving thousands stuck on slick highways. the biggest backup formed south of dallas. a line of cars and trucks stretching 30 miles. some families with kids in tow stranded for hours. >> roads remain icy across east texas this morning. wet along the gulf coast. slick from north dakota to southern minnesota and much of michigan. also slippery from seattle to northern california. snowy mountain passes in the northwest. and if you're flying just a couple of cities to look out for. airport delays are possible in houston and new orleans. back to the news now and the growing problem of cell phone theft. >> more than 1.5 million smartphones are stolen every year. it can be a violent crime.

23-year-old megan boken was shot and killed in st. louis 18 months targeted for her phone. now new york city's police commissioner is calling for a federal law forcing cell phone companies to design a kill switch which essentially renders the stolen cell phones useless. >> they're making a fortune on this and they don't want to lose it. well, shame on them. >> i am frustrated. it should be moving faster and i'm sad to see that we have to introduce legislation, but i think it's important. >> some cell phone companies argue that a kill switch might open smartphones to hacking. a new link this morning to the nation's childhood obesity problem. 60% of children between the ages of 10 and 14 have tvs in their bedrooms. well, a new study found those children gain almost an extra pound every year compared to kids without tvs. researchers say it makes it easier for children to be less active. an indiana woman got the surprise of her life when she went to the hospital with stomach pains.

that's little general lee who came into the world weighing almost 8 pounds. quite a shock since mom didn't even know she was pregnant. she admits to gaining a little weight. >> i never showed. i had weight gain, but it was my normal wintertime weight gain so i was shocked. very shocked. >> she was shocked. her co-workers couldn't believe the news, and she had just put in an eight-hour shift on the assembly line before going to the hospital with those stomach pain. >> can you imagine not knowing? wow. >> i cannot. >> almost an 8-pounder no less. >> yeah, and she thought she had appendicitis. that's why she went to the hospital. what a surprise. >> hello. all right, well, happy surprise for the crew rescuing some classic cars that were swallowed up in a sinkhole in kentucky. surveillance cameras at the national corvette museum caught the moment that eight rare cars fell. you remember that video. well, yesterday the first of the eight cars was carefully lifted

out. a 2009 zr1 and the moment of truth. an official put a key in the ignition and started it right up. >> it's already in place out in the museum as is and for people to take a look at, so come on out and see the first one out of the hole. >> the second car was also lifted out, but it suffered more damage so it wasn't started up. the six other cars will be trickier to extract including one that's completely buried in all that rubble. >> that might be something worth checking out. not just going to see these cool corvettes but the smashed up one. >> the most action they've seen for a long time. now some sports. we start with jason collins of the brooklyn nets. >> he got a big round of applause playing his first home game since signing a ten-day contract with the team. that made collins the first openly gay player in a major u.s. sport. sources say he'll sign a second ten-day contract tomorrow and the expectation is that he'll be with the team for the rest of the season. well, the nets won that game against chicago.

the nba's really big news from last night comes from miami. we get the highlights from our guys at espn. good morning. alongside john buccigross, i'm adnan virk. lebron james is the headliner and in this case it's perfectly valid. >> yes, the finest game of his nba career and in terms of points scored. here it is, monday night, heat home against the charlotte bobcats. of course, lebron has to wear that mask, but so far it has not stopped him at all. three-point shooting over al jefferson. second quarter, another triple. in transition, over josh mcroberts. michael kidd-gilchrist get out. another three. james would make his first eight three-pointers of the game. you're watching the first seven. he finished with 61 points. he was 22 of 33 from the field. heat win, 124-107.

>> it felt like i had a golf ball thrown into the ocean so especially in the third quarter at one point i pulled up behind the three-point line probably like 30 feet and when that one went in, i knew i was in a really, really good groove. >> well, lebron did something that's only happened four times in nba history, 60 points, five rebounds and five assists and joins an impressive list including t-mac, pistol pete, rick barry and elgin baylor. you're up to date for now. for john buccigross, i'm adnan virk. we'll see you next time. >> all right, thanks, guys. up next "the pulse" where a hollywood star announces some big baby news. and the most famous pizzaman in the world. got a really big tip after his oscar delivery.

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swhummer. all right. we're learning more about that man at the center of one of ellen's biggest oscar night jokes. >> the guy she dragged on stage to deliver pizza was not an actor. he was actually a real pizza man, co-owner of a pizzeria in hollywood. ellen invited him on the show. he told her he thought he was making a delivery to writers until he ended up on stage. ellen also expressed her gratitude. >> you left before i gave -- i wanted to give you a tip and i passed pharrell's hat around. and i ended up getting about $600, something like that. here is more. there is $1,000. so you have a total of a thousand dollar tip. >> what a thrill for for that pizza man. he got to deliver julia roberts. he said he's been dreaming about her for years. good thing she passed pharrell's hat around. if it was only a ball cap would have only been a couple hundred bucks. >> he was dreaming about julia roberts and a lot of people including julia roberts were probably dreaming about

if only someone would bring us pizza right now. a lot of dreams coming true. >> i wonder if they vetted that guy beforehand. >> left out that he was a good guy. the internet devastated that leonardo dicaprio has not won an oscar. >> leo missed out on the best actor award for "the wolf of wall street." after his loss, #poorleo started trending on twitter. >> he should be so poor. but the meme started including this one saying, catch me if you can but leo chasing an oscar statue. >> that's great. then there's this one, dicaprio seen laying next to oscar which was photo shopped in from a scene from "romeo and juliet." >> then crying from "shutter island" and the text, "i wasn't even in the selfie." bad enough he doesn't win, he has to have these memes. >> oh, my gosh. that is really funny. a lot were rooting for him not only was he excellent in "the wolf of wall street," that was an awesome performance, but you know you want to see the underdog win. he hasn't had his shot yet. he's a brilliant actor. >> he's a brilliant actor. you got to think he's going to get his chance sooner or later. and i guess it's going to be later, but

hopefully he'll get one. the very brave high school kid who asked the nfl cheerleader to be his prom date. he is mike ramirez of crosby high school in houston. >> yep, he messaged a houston texans cheerleader privately on twitter asking to be his prom date if he got 10,000 retweets. it's caitlyn. there she is. and how could she possibly refuse? >> i thought it was just the tweetest thing ever and i immediately said yes, and i confirmed it with my coach and the texans and it kind of took off from there. >> no matter dreams, you can't hit unless you swing, so just chase your dreams. >> you did. >> yes, and i captured one. >> wow. >> he's got it right. congratulations to mike. good job. >> as you might imagine, he took a good bit of ribbing from his friends who thought there was just no chance of it happening, but as the saying goes, fortune favors the brave. he was definitely brave and had a lot of support from those 10,000 people who -- >> he's going to be going, how do you like me now on prom

night. that's for sure. these quite pretty. >> for some -- local news is next. say it together. as fibromyalgia -- ctor diagnosed t thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i can do more of the things i enjoy. 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 eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, or tired feeling. 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 have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain.

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abc7 news begins with breaking news. >> the breaking news is traffic news. it is in the south bay. it is a fatal. sue? >> it is a fatal accident. the san jose saratoga off-ramp is shut down. this is a live shot. we are not sure of the details how this happened. c.h.p. is on the scene. san jose p.d. is there, as well, the saratoga off-ramp is blocked from northbound 280. you can use the expressway and you can use the lauren expressway. well continue to follow this breaking news for you as it develops. lisa is here now with the weather. >> good morning, sue. we are looking at wet pavement. live doppler 7 hd show we have clouds but there is a little bit of mist and drizzle and the visibility is reduced.

looking at a mile and a quarter visibility and to walnut creek, a stray shower but overall, notice, we have the muggy conditions. we have fog. temperatures are mild. low-to-mid 50's to start and 54 in livermore. the visibility is a problem in novato at mile and a quarter. wettest part of the day is today. we will have more clouds. we will have another chance of rain the next 24 hours. kristen and eric? >> breaking overnight police investigated an accident when they believed the driver was drinking. according to witnesses the car hilt a building shattering the door front of a car hership and slammed into a pole and crashed into a number of parked cars. >> c.h.p. is blaming speed and

rain for a rollover that happened on the on-ramp to eastbound 80 around 11:30. vest gives say the driver was going too fast for the conditions and spun out of control. she was treated on the scene and is expected to be okay. >> for the second time in four months a violent incident involving a transgender high school student. police are investigating it as a hate crime. amy hollyfield is in hercules with the latest on this story. amy? >> the school board president is worried that not enough is being done. this not the first incident like this to be reported. he is calling a special meeting after what has happened. if this recent case, a 15-year-old traps gender student whopped as a male was leaving the boys bathroom and he was forced back into a stall by three boys who sexually and physically assaulted him. he wa