have a great day, everybody. making news in america this morning -- deep sea search. the now month-long hunt for flight 370, zeros in on potential black box pings. but are these latest clues what searchers have been looking for? or something else? new details overnight. severe storms. nine tornadoes caused widespread damage and heavy floods, trapping cars and stranding drivers. new video of the damage and the rescues. kissing controversy. a married congressman, caught in the act, getting close with a staffer. what he's saying about this lengthy lip lock. and hungry huskies. uconn is back on top after a nail-biter in the ncaa championship. the highlights and celebration, overnight.

good tuesday morning. search crews, trying to track down wreckage from flight 370 have a new game plan today, using more ships and planes to cover a smaller, more concentrated area. >> as one task force leader says, they're throwing everything they've got at this difficult and complex task. abc's clayton sandell is in perth, australia, with the very latest details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we've just gotten an update from officials here. and the headline is this. search teams have not had any new contact with those underwater signals they hoped were coming from malaysia 370. you'll recall the australian ship, "the ocean shield," using this u.s. navy pinger locater, detecting two distinct signals over the weekend that are consistent with the signal that would be sent out by an airplane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. but in the last 24 hours, officials say they have not heard anymore of those pings. >> if we can get more pinger --

more transmissions, we can get a better fix on the ocean floor, which will enable a much more narrowly focused visual search for wreckage. >> reporter: if they do detect more of those pings, the team will deploy this underwater torpedo-looking device, called the blue fin 21, that uses sonar to map the ocean floor and in theory, would help reveal the wreckage of the boeing 777. right now, we're about 600 feet above the water. this new zealand airplane is one of about a dozen on the search today. the problem is the weather. if there's any wreckage out there, it's going to be a lot harder to see. officials here admit there is some doubt whether those pings are actually coming from malaysia 370's black boxes. but they say it is their best lead yesterday. and to expect several more days of intense action to try to track that signal down. clayton sandell, abc news, perth, australia. >> thank you, clayton. >> stay with abc news for the very latest on the search for

flight 370. we'll have a live report coming up on "good morning america." oscar pistorius is back on the stand in his murder trial this morning, following an emotional day in which he apologized to the family of the girlfriend he shot, reeva steenkamp. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: more drama expected today in the oscar pistorius murder trial. the paralympic athlete is back on the witness stand, to explain the key question, why he pulled that trigger. pistorius has pleaded not guilty, saying he mistook his girlfriend, model and reality star, reeva steenkamp, for an intruder. yesterday on the stand, as his voice quivered, he made this apology to steenkamp's family. >> i can't imagine the pain and the sorrow that i've caused you and your family. >> reporter: steenkamp's mother sat expressionless. like others in the courtroom, while pistorius went on and own about his life story, including his difficult last year. >> i have terrible nightmares. >> reporter: the defense hopes to present the star, known as the blade runner, as a man crippled by guilt and

depression. an athlete, once on top of the world, who now lives in deep paranoia. >> i've got a security guard that stands outside of my front door at night. >> reporter: pistorius' lawyers are also focused on the double-amputee's disability. trying to show that he felt vulnerable the night he shot and killed steenkamp. >> the defense wants to argue that a reasonable person in his position, with his disabilities, would have more fear than an ordinary person. >> reporter: in the end, the judge will decide pistorius' fate. whether this was a tragic mistake or cold-blooded murder. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. back here at home, parts of the south, water-logged after getting battered by a batch of ferocious storms blamed for at least two deaths. the system is still dropping heavy rain this morning as it slowly moves out to sea. but after a day of downpours and reported tornadoes, there's a lot of cleaning up to do. as the drenching rain came down

hard and fast across the deep south, this ominous twister descended on a neighborhood in the eastern part of north carolina. this is what it looked like after it touched down. snapped trees, overturned cars, roofs ripped off. more than a dozen people injured. high winds also raced across baton rouge, leaving homes like this one in shambles. at least nine apparent tornadoes tore across mississippi, raking over homes and a church. the storms also triggered dangerous floodwaters. >> the bottom floor of my house is under water. and the water is rising. >> reporter: the body of a 9-year-old mississippi girl was pulled from a drainage ditch after she was swept away. near atlanta, a driver was found dead in a car in a swollen creek. a much happier ending in smyrna, georgia. a mother and three kids survived when a giant tree flattened part of their home. in birmingham, firefighters had to wade through knee-deep water to save a man and two little girls from a submerged car. and nearly 100 families were trapped in this alabama apartment complex. >> they were freaking out. like, i mean, just hyperventilating. they were trying to make sure everyone was up. everyone was awake.

and we were knocking on friends' doors. >> reporter: thousands of people lost power. and in augusta, georgia, the rain washed out a practice round for the masters golf tournament. morning showers at augusta, will give way to sun and clouds. so, players should be able to practice today. >> rain also tapers off in the northeast. stormy at times across the ohio valley, with high winds and possible tornadoes. another hotter-than-normal day across the southwest. >> 90s in los angeles and phoenix. 70s for most of the rockies. mostly 50s across the midsection. 60s along the east coast. and now, to breaking news from los angeles, where a police officer has been wounded after a gunman opened fire inside an lapd station. even though he had been shot four times, the officer, along with a colleague, was able to return fire, critically wounding that suspect. the police chief says the officer is in good spirits and that his bulletproof vest saved his life. and as we mentioned in the headlines, uconn is the new king of college basketball. the huskies claimed their fourth-ever title last night by beating kentucky. >> uconn never trailed against

the wildcats. even leading by 15 points in the first half. they had all of the answers when kentucky staged a furious rally. several of them. but they couldn't get anywhere. in the end, it was uconn, 60-54. back on uconn's campus, more than 10,000 students gathered to watch the game. when they headed out, things got wild. dozens of arrests, mostly alcohol-related. there was some vandalism reported. but nothing too serious. one final note from the big game. former presidents bill clinton and george w. bush, were seated right next to each other. they were the guest of dallas cowboys owner, jerry jones. quite a selfie there. >> a great selfie. an important story about pregnancy. a drug that most people have in their medicine cabinet is being recommended to reduce a risk of complications. and caught in the act. the congressman who campaigned on a platform of faith and family and country, is seen kissing someone that is not his wife. what he is saying about the video. plus, so long shamu. this morning, the new

legislation that could put an end to killer whales in captivity. and the 10-year-old girl spearheading it all. we were told nothing could be done, to enjoy these final moments together. but in that moment, when all seemed lost... st. jude children's research hospital gave us hope.

announcer: because at this moment, st. jude children's research hospital is saving lives with pioneering research and care. we're changing the way the world treats childhood cancer by sharing our discoveries with doctors and scientists everywhere. and we'll never have to pay st. jude for anything, ever. at this moment, she wants to be in her own bed. i want to be outside playing. announcer: please take a moment and join st. jude in finding cures and saving children. visit stjude.org. at 15, i was addicted. by 40, i'll have lung disease. at 50, i'll die of a heart attack. dr. regina benjamin: cigarette smoke causes immediate damage that leads to health problems, even death. those who quit or die are being replaced by a new generation of smokers. i'm dr. regina benjamin, united states surgeon general.

go to cdc.gov. learn how to make our next generation tobacco-free. welcome back. some good news for general motors this morning, about the safety of two of its suvs. crash test results released overnight show that the chevy equinox and gmc terrain were the only models to score good ratings. the tests simulated a collision with a barrier at 40 miles per hour. similar honda, kia, and mazda models scored poorly. toyota, jeep and ford ranked in the middle. and auto recalls this year are on pace to break recent highs. and ford is adding to that tally, with 2 recalls totalling 500,000 cars and trucks.

the first 386,000 older model escape suvs, sold in states where's the cars are exposed to road salt because the frames can rust, causing steering problems. the other recall is for newer ford fusion, lincoln mkz, ford escape and ford c-max models for defective seat back frames. it is equal payday. it's a symbolic day that marks the extra time that the woman would need to make the pay a man did the previous year. president obama marks the day by signing two new executive orders that the administration says will strengthen enforcement of equal pay laws. a new survey is ranking airlines on overall performance, focusing on factors like on-time arrivals and mishandled bags. and once again, in the top spot, virgin america. jetblue comes in second. and third place is hawaiian airlines. ben & jerry's is celebrating its 35th anniversary today with free cone day. from noon until 8:00, fans of flavors like chunky monkey, cherry garcia, and your personal favorite, whichever it

may be, can stop any of the chains and pick up some freebies. >> i want some of that. >> i do, too. when we come back, behind the wheel and under attack. investigators say more than a dozen shootings aimed at drivers on a highway could be connected. and fiery wreck. a close call for one of nascar's most popular drivers. so ally bank really has no hidden fees on savings accounts? that's right, no hidden fees. it's just that i'm worried about, you know, "hidden things." ok, why's that? well uhhh... surprise!!! um... well, it's true. at ally there are no hidden fees. not one. that's nice. no hidden fees, no worries. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

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for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. another hot day in store for southern california. los angeles is hitting the 90-degree mark today. people there have been enjoying sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperatures over the last few days. less than a week ago, they were talking about snow and hail. now, for a look at your morning road conditions. a slick commute across washington state. windy and rain-soaked highways in the ohio valley. and roads will be wet, at times, from florida into georgia, and the carolinas. >> and if you're flying, a few cities to look out for. airport delays possible in boston, memphis and miami.

a married lawmaker from louisiana is apologizing after he was caught on video kissing a staffer. >> conservative congressman vance mcallister admitted that he had fallen short of his principles after the surveillance video was posted online. he asked for forgiveness from god, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve. mcallister attracted national attention because of his endorsement from the men of "duck dynasty." kansas city police are urging drivers to be on high alert after 13 random shootings in the last month on interstate highways. three drivers have been wounded. police fear that more vehicles may have been shot at with drivers unaware that their cars had been shot at. even for drivers aware that something had happened, the last thing they would expect to find is a bullet hole. >> just was driving down the highway. and heard a loud noise. something hit the car. didn't know what it was. so, pulled over my first

opportunity to kind of see if there was any damage. and that's when i saw the bullet hole. >> kansas city authorities have asked several federal agencies to join in their investigation. singer chris brown will go on trial for assault later this month. a d.c. judge yesterday refusing to dismiss the case. brown and his bodyguard charged with punching a man outside a hotel last october. at the time, brown was on probation in california for an attack on then-girlfriend rihanna. he's in jail until the trial begins. a hearing is being held in california, today, to address a bill aimed at stopping seaworld from featuring killer whales. legislation sparked by the documentary "black fish," calls for seaworld to release its ten orcas and stop breeding them. animal rights activists say they're too big and intelligent to be cared for in captivity. after seeing "black fish," a 10-year-old girl got her school to cancel a trip to seaworld. and an online petition got more than 1 million signatures.

>> my friend, i'm not going to say names. but he was really mad with me. and i told him, wouldn't you rather see whales be not treated right? or would you rather see real whales in the ocean and go whale watching? >> seaworld officials insist their whales are not mistreated. they're calling the documentary one-sided propaganda. well, new research shows that a common all-purpose remedy can significantly reduce the risk of a potentially life-threatening condition in pregnant women. preeclampsia can cause organ failure, preterm delivery and even death in some cases. but federal experts that doctors prescribe baby aspirin as a preventive measure. police in san francisco are searching for those responsible for vandalizing smartcars. four of the lightweight vehicles have been flipped in two city neighborhoods. all of them suffered shattered windows and body damage. police aren't sure if it's a one-time prank or whether those responsible did it to protest san francisco's rising cost of living. and speaking of body damage.

how about nascar driver dale earnhardt jr.'s car? >> a rain-delayed race in texas. earnhardt clipped the grass before his car slammed into the wall. it burst into flames. earnhardt escaped without being injured. officially, he finished the race in last place. at augusta national golf club today, another chance for the pros to practice ahead of the masters. >> yesterday's practice round was canceled by rain. highlights from some of monday's other action now from espn. >> good morning. welcome to our "sportscenter" set. i'm stan verrett, along with neil everett. it's uconn over kentucky 60-54 to win college basketball's national championship. now, to baseball. >> i won the pool. derek jeter. first game at yankee stadium since announcing his 20th season would be his last. this was his second at-bat. man, he missed a home run by that much. hustles in for the double. said afterwards, he thought it was going foul. think maybe he thought it was going yard. he was going to give it a little

trot. and he had to pick it up. jacoby ellsbury will pick him up and bring him home, next batter. the yankees win it, 4-2. buck showalter was jeter's first manager. >> jeter still getting around good for a guy pushing 40. rays and royals. matt moore on the mound for tampa bay. a.j., nothing but a number. that's what you say. matt moore threw an offspeed pitch and motioned for the catcher to come to the mound. he said he had elbow soreness. they hope he's okay. ouch. bell hits infante on the face. infante was tested for concussion on monday night. they hope he is okay, too. the royals win the game, 4-2. how is the golf game? >> pretty good. played pebble beach for the first time on saturday. >> good seeing you smile. like a little kid at christmas. >> that's all we got. back to you. >> thanks, guys. we should also mention tonight's women's college basketball championship game. the unbeaten uconn huskies look to match their men's team against also unbeaten notre dame.

>> two undefeated teams have never played for an ncaa basketball crown, either women or men. the game begins at 7:30 p.m. eastern on espn. following kentucky's letdown, one wildcat fan has shown he is true blue. >> friends thought he was crazy getting a 2014 kentucky national championship leg tattoo before march madness even started. now, after coming so close to looking like a genius, he is probably considering a tattoo removal. >> put in parentheses right after the 2014, almost. >> also, he could just remove the 14. >> that's true. >> there you go. >> after the game, tyler stuck by his wildcats tweeting, heads up, boys, you made it further than anyone ever thought you would. my heartbreaks with you guys. up next, "the pulse." we knew it was coming. now, we know when. barbara walters announces her official signoff date. and a popular pooch. a dog with over a million fans on facebook because of his unique talent.

atrial fibrill, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto. like warfarin, xarelto is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin there is limited information on how xarelto and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it

as this may increase the risk of having a stroke. get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto with aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto if you have abnormal bleeding. xarelto can cause bleeding, which can be serious and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto is not for patients with artificial heart valves. jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto. once-a-day xarelto means no regular blood monitoring -- no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com.

all right. topping "the pulse," we know when barbara walters will sign off from "the view." >> barbara's final day co-hosting will be friday may 16th. >> and knowing barbara, it is no surprise. she's still remaining the show's executive producer. abc news headquarters, the building we're now in, will be named in her honor. next up, an emotional night for lady gaga, here in new york city. ♪ ♪ just dance just dance ♪ >> gaga there, belting it last night in what was the final show of the historic roseland ballroom. >> the roseland ballroom has

been a fixture of the music scene since opening in 1956. >> it is closing because of skyrocketing rent in the neighborhood. other acts include the rolling stones, bob dylan and madonna. and the video kind of speaks for itself. >> take a look at this. this little guy, his name is jiff. this pup, actor, model, has learned to walk on his front two feet. his facebook page is boasting 1.3 million likes. >> 1.3 million likes. >> how many likes does our facebook page have? nowhere near it. we're just coming up to 400,000. >> they like him better than us? that is all kinds of wrong. with a face like that, maybe not. >> exactly. >> maybe if we learned to walk on our hands, we'll get that many likes. >> maybe if we turn into cute

pomeranians. >> yeah? we better learn to walk on our hands. we better learn to walk on our hands. >> i think so. especially now that i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. i was taking warfarin but wondered, could i focus on something better? my doctor told me about eliquis for three important reasons. one, in a clinical trial eliquis was proven to reduce the risk of stroke better than warfarin. two, eliquis had less major bleeding than warfarin. and three, unlike warfarin there's no routine blood testing. [ male announcer ] don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding like unusual bruising.

eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. those three important reasons are why i'm shooting for something better. eliquis. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor today if eliquis is right for you. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor today transferred money from his before larry instantly bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business for "not offering a 401k." larry knew the importance of preparing for retirement. that's why when the time came he counted on merrill edge to streamline his investing and help him plan for the road ahead. that's the power of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america. .

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good tuesday morning at 4:28. start you for starting your day with us. we have another nice day in store. we will talk with meteorologist mike nicco for the home opener for the giants. >> spring fever. we have clouds along the coast and otherwise it is clear. we will watch the 101 corridor with fog developing by the morning. we are less than quarter mile at half moon bay. today, we look on san francisco which is clear of fog toward berkeley and we will have temperatures the same as yesterday and low-to-mid 80's and slightly cooler at the coast into san francisco because of the fog and a very men mall sea breeze. 67 to 71. and the commute, leyla gulen?

>> another day to take the top down. on the car. across the bay area, we are looking at light conditions with areas of construction and one will be along highway 84 south of 580 through livermore headed between jack london boulevard and buchanan you will see construction crews. 580 from tracy to dublin 26 minutes gets you there. antioch to concord is 15 minutes. from san rafael to san francisco is 17 minutes. you can see it is quiet and it will only take nine minutes to get to the peninsula. >> 4:29 with developing news. san jose firefighters remain on the scene of a fierce fire that burned three homes and smoldered for hours. the neighborhood is still affected this morning. anyone is on the hose border

with campbell. >> crews are still here. not only three homes destroyed but seven displaceed. i want you to see how much the damage did not only to property but to the homes. firefighters tried to put at the fire. part of the problem was a gas line fueling the fire after the walls of a home burned to the ground. the house where the fire started is destroyed and flames spread to two other houses. the neighborhood is full of what are called ickler homes, built in the 60's, a reputation with firefighters. >> it is so open it allows more airflow so that helps with the fuel production and heat in the fire in the structu