making news in america this morning, the deputy who stayed outside during the florida school shooting defends himself explaining why he's not a coward. this while the white house responds to claims that president trump is backing off his push to raise the minimum age for rifle sales. and this morning, boycott backlash. republicans vow to punish the airline that cut ties with the nra. breaking overnight, some of the most popular items sold online by walmart and amazon are being exposed as counterfeit. the results of a federal investigation and the warning to online shoppers. a dramatic rescue. children saved from this burning building. hear from the 8-year-old who is being called a hero. plus, a surprise at the office. why standing at your desk may not be so good for you. later one new dad's response after learning mom was having

identical triplets. and the key to happiness, how much money you need to be happy. the research is out this morning. a good tuesday morning. we begin with the battle over guns dominating the national conversation as president trump struggles to find a way to prevent another school massacre. >> during a meeting the president slammed the deputy on the parkland campus saying if he were there, he would have confronted the shooter unarmed. at stoneman douglas, meantime, a rainbow appearing over the school as teachers returned. abc's tara palmieri is following all the overnight developments. good morning, tara. >> reporter: good morning, kendis. that's right. in washington, the gun debate continues to rage, but after a meeting with the nra, the president's approach has started to shift. while president trump argues for arming teachers, he keeps

hammering away at the man with the gun who didn't spring to action. trump branded former deputy sheriff scot peterson a coward for being stationed at the school during the shooting but never storming in and insisted he would have defended the school. >> i really believe i would have run in even if i didn't have a weapon. i think most in the people in this room would have too. >> reporter: peterson is saying he never entered the school because he believed the gunshots were coming from outside. trump continued to bash the police response to the shooting. when he met with governors from across the country he revealed that over the weekend he met with nra chief, wayne lapierre but since their meeting it appears the president may be backing down from raising the purchasing age for semiautomatic guns, something the nra is against. >> in concept the president still supports it but in terms of legislation we would need to see what that looks like before we weigh in further. >> reporter: instead, president trump keeps calling for arming select teachers to defend the schools. >> i want highly trained people that have a natural talent like hitting a baseball or hitting a golf ball or putting. >> reporter: washington state

governor jay inslee challenged the president on an idea that is likely to face resistance on capitol hill. >> we need to listen that educators should educate and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat in first grade classes. so i just suggest we need a little less tweeting here and a little more listening. >> reporter: gun control legislation is unpopular in congress. if a bill is going to move forward the president will have to use political capital to push it through. diane, kendis. >> all right. our thanks to tara. one more note from washington, d.c., as of early this morning, president trump has gone more than 55 hours since his last tweet. that's his longest twitter drought since becoming president not including retweets. delta is facing new backlash over its decision to cut ties with the nra. the lieutenant governor of georgia casey cagle and other state republicans are threatening to derail a major tax cut for delta unless the company brings back its discount for nra members.

>> we can't just kowtow to the type of political pressure that comes against conservative values and certainly the nra is an organization that obviously feels very strong as i do around the second amendment, and i think it's time we take this stand. meanwhile, fedex is facing critics because it's keeping discounts for the nra. the company says it's never changed customer rates in response to politics. one of president trump's closest advisers is expected to be questioned today in the russia investigation. white house communications director hope hicks is meeting with the house intelligence committee. lawmakers want to know what role she may have played in crafting the white house statement about donald trump jr.'s 2016 meeting with russians at trump tower. and now to the immigration debate. the daca program will stay in place for now after the supreme court refused to take immediate action on the issue. president trump had asked the justices to rule on the legality of the program which allows young immigrants to stay in the country.

the high court's refusal means the lower courts have to take it up first. meanwhile, today republican senator jeff flake, a critic of president trump, is introducing a new immigration plan. it includes a three-year extension of the daca program and nearly $8 billion in border security. overseas today is the first day of a russian ordered cease-fire in syria. hours after reports of yet another chemical attack on civilians, the russian president vladimir putin has ordered a five-hour daily pause in the bombing of a damascus suburb to allow for aid deliver irs and evacuations. an estimated 500 civilians have been killed in the last week alone, all of this because of the fighting as bashar al assad's forces backed by russia drive rebels out of the eastern suburb of ghouta. medics report treating symptoms of a possible chlorine gas attack, but russia calls those claims bogus. now to a story breaking overnight. a federal investigation shows counterfeit goods are a growing problem for some of the biggest online retailers.

the government report first obtained by cbs shows investigators were able to purchase products through third party sellers on amazon, walmart and ebay among other sites and 20 of the 47 products bought were counterfeit. the fake products included urban decay cosmetics, phone chargers and popular yeti mugs. in response to the investigation, the retailers say they have strict protocols and quickly remove counterfeit products from their sites. public schools in west virginia are closed for a fourth day because of a teachers strike. 33,000 employees have hit the picket lines demanding better pay and better benefits. the governor recently agreed on a 2% pay increase in july and a 1% increase in the coming years. teachers say that's not enough. time now for a look at your weather on this tuesday morning. heavy rain has pushed the ohio river to its highest level in more than 20 years. more than 3 feet above the flood stage and more rain is on the

way. in louisville police are patrolling flooded neighborhoods in boats. in the mean in the west, a hailstorm in sacramento turned those roads into rivers of slush while southern california had to deal with rain. and overseas six inches of snow brought rome to a standstill. it's only the second snowfall the city has seen in nearly 30 years. coming up, apple going big. reports of a giant iphone in the works. but first chaos on the interstate. bikers take over a major highway and clash with police. and a hero's welcome overnight as the u.s. curling team returns home to minnesota after their gold medal performance. gold

we're back with that loud and chaotic scene in boston. dozens of bikers and people on atvs taking over what is a highway there crashing into barriers and trying to escape from police. the mayhem ended with some seven bikers under arrest and one of the suspects shot in the foot. that man limped into court. police say he was among dozens of bikers who formed a kind of flash mob over the weekend speeding down the highway before clashing with officers. the prosecutors say the suspect who was shot had aimed his vehicle at a state trooper. >> as the suspect intentionally drove at that trooper as well as a bpd officer, the reporting officer ordered the operator of the atv to stop and lay down on the ground. >> well, his lawyer insists his client did get on the ground. six other suspects are due in court today. police are still searching for the other bikers.

for the first time california has given the green light to self-driving cars without a backup driver for safety. the driverless cars will be allowed starting in april. the state will still require the ability for a remote operator to take over if needed. a consumer watchdog is criticizing the state's move calling the remote testing of self-driving cars a deadly video game that threatens highway safety. and a city in southern california has outlawed crossing the street while talking on your phone. you also won't be allowed to listen to music on headphones while crossing the street in montclair. violators will get a warning but starting in august they could be fined $100. this comes months after honolulu became the first major u.s. city to ban phones in the streets. well, apple is going even bigger in 2018. according to bloomberg the company is planning to release its biggest iphone yet with a 6.5-inch screen. that's an inch bigger than the screen on the iphone 8 plus and slightly bigger than the design on the new

samsung galaxy phone. android users can now take shopping on amazon to a virtual level. amazon's augmented reality technology allows customers to see what that piece of furniture or appliance looks like in their home before they click the buy button. the online retail giant is joining a growing list of companies from ikea to target allowing customers to try before they buy or at least see before they buy. amazon says it has 15,000 products available now for viewing in augmented reality. >> looks kind of cool. when we come back, the upset in college basketball overnight. but first firefighters rescue a family as flames consume their home. see why an 8-year-old is now being called a hero. and actress heather locklear under arrest. new details on the charges against her. against her. e. so why accept it from your allergy pills? most pills don't finish the job because they don't relieve nasal congestion. flonase allergy relief is different. flonase relieves sneezing, itchy, watery eyes

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gutted the 16-unit building but it was her daughter, 8-year-old gabby, who alerted the family after hearing the smoke alarm. >> it was beeping and i can hear it better because i'm on top of my bed right beside the smoke alarm. i heard it and then i woke up and it was like in my mind i was thinking is someone cooking? >> she said, mommy, mommy, why are there flames coming out of my closet? >> she was cute. >> thanks to her quick actions no one was hurt. rachel says just last month she went through a fire drill with her kids practicing the escape route. she says they followed every instruction and everyone stayed calm. valuable lesson there. >> she was all about business. all right, some frightening moments in the meantime southwest flight from salt lake city moments after it headed to los angeles. passengers spotted flames shooting from the right engine. the pilots were forced to burn off fuel before circling around for an emergency landing. >> the most scared i've ever been in my life.

>> half of me was panicked. the other half was like get it together. >> lots of praying and holding hands. >> it was a compressor stall similar to a car backfiring. while it is scary, it's for many people on board during a flight it's usually not dangerous. >> but still terrifying. >> yes. all right, over to heather locklear who landed in legal trouble again. the "dynasty" and "melrose place" star was arrested at her home in california after beating her boyfriend and attacking three police officers who responded. she faced dui chargers in the past and was involved in a car crash last fall. police say they arrested her boyfriend for dui. new concerns for parents this morning about a spike in sexting among teenagers. researchers say 27% of kids under 18 are receiving sexually explicit texts including nude photos. nearly 15% are sending them. many teens don't realize those pictures could end up in the

wrong hands. >> it's really important for parents to have conversations about healthy dating relationships and sexting, sexuality and peer relationships with their teens. often so that they can really have a platform and a common dialogue with the teens so that if a problem does arise or a concern arises, the teen can go back to the parent and they can work through it together. >> well, the study found 12% of the teens surveyed forwarded the photos without consent. those pictures are sometimes used to bully other teens and blackmail them into taking more explicit photos. meanwhile, doctors say social media is putting teenagers at a higher risk of depression and suicide. now a top medical group is urging pediatricians to screen children for depression every year starting at age 12. they say 20% of adolescents have a history of depression. well, turning now to sports and a big upset in basketball.

virginia tech beating duke in the final seconds. >> now for nba highlights let's check in with espn. >> good morning, america. with kevin connors i'm zubin mehenti. and we saw yet again another performance for the ages from anthony davis last night. >> he's worked his way into the mvp discussion. new orleans without boogie cousins and davis was the one doing the boogying on monday night. spin cycle move. pelicans led by five, then darius miller misses the three. guess who is cleaning up. look at four suns around the ball, but davis, who came into the league a pipe cleaner, really filled out that frame. gobbles that one up and one. under two minutes to go, rajon rondo, no, davis, yes, it was yes all night. 53 points, 18 rebounds, 5 blocks and the pelicans beat the suns. >> they've won six in a row and they've got a way to go to camp the rockets who are looking for their 13th straight. salt lake city on monday. that could be your nba mvp. there's talk he should have

gotten it last year. i guess you can't give it to a guy who had a season long triple-double and then, oh, my goodness, chris paul, unbelievable. knowing where the shot clock was, the beautiful touch and then when the game is over, it's the sixth man or the sixth woman, it is james harden's mother, a high-five from chris paul, a turnover in the box score. i don't think chris will care at all, 96-85, and, kev, you can see the rockets in the second half of our wednesday doubleheader that will take on the los angeles clippers. >> if you can't high-five mom, who can you high-five? for zubin mehenti, i'm kevin connors. good morning, america. >> we can high-five. >> yeah. >> we'll keep trying. >> we'll try. up next in "the pulse," a new trend in the workplace may not be as healthy as we thought. and also ahead, the salary you need to make to be happy. the new research this morning. and later, the celebration overnight as the champion u.s. curling team arrives home from the olympics.

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♪ she works hard for the money ♪ so hard for it honey >> we do, indeed. it is time to check "the pulse." we are working hard for the money and now science is trying to answer that age old question of whether money can actually buy you happiness. >> apparently a new study found the ideal income for life satisfaction in north america is $105,000. researchers at purdue found salaries higher than that tended to bring lower levels of happiness. >> ah, yes, so if you buy into the research that means a manager at an in-n-out burger should be just as happy as jeff bezos or mark zuckerberg. also, anybody making more than 105, if they want to hand the extra over our way, that's totally cool. >> exactly. somehow i don't buy the mark zuckerberg analysis. >> or jeff bezos. >> no.

okay, so it's a big trend in offices everywhere, standing at your desk instead of sitting, but now we're hearing it may do more harm than good. >> a small study in the journal "ergonomics" found standing at your desk for a long period of time can cause back discomfort and swelling of your veins. the study found workers suffered deteriorating mental reactiveness, in other words, standing made them less mentally sharp. >> wow. what does that say about our newsroom that you're looking at right now. >> that says a lot. a couple in kansas is working on ways to tell their newborns sons apart. >> the triplets were born six weeks early and they are identical. doctors say the chances of that happening are about 1 in 30 million. >> yeah, so dad says they might paint a fingernail different colors until they learn who is who. until recently they were only expecting twins. when they found out triplets were on the way, dad said we're going to need a bigger car. >> i would think so. and we have an elvis sighting on the ballot, that is.

>> that's right. elvis d. presley is running for congress in arkansas. as you might imagine he's also an elvis impersonator. >> and he's no political rookie. in the past he's run for governor of arkansas, several other positions. good thing he has that day job though to fall back on. >> and that great tiger printed shirt. those must feel lovely with his blue suede shoes. >> maybe he can run for warden and then perform "the jailhouse rock." ♪ you ain't nothing but a hound dog ♪ ck." ♪ you ain't nothing but a hound dog ♪ alice is living with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. she's also taking prescription ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor, which is for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole was significantly more effective

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and good morning. it is 4:27 on this tuesday, february 27th. thanks for waking up with us. >> we appreciate you being here. we're never seven minutes away from your forecast. mike? it's much quieter this morning. it's tuesday starting off with a dry live doppler 7. you can see a few showers around moving away from us. the winds are still an issue. half moon bay, 22. petaluma, 23. 17 in san carlos. livermore, 21. 38 right now in fairfield. that will push you towards the coast. temperature to about 47 in san mateo. windy and cooler but dry. we do have reports of snow over the santa cruz mountains summit about 2:00 this morning.

i'm not sure, we'll check back to see how that's affecting the drive. the golden gate bridge, smooth sailing. no metering lights. the left hand cash lanes stacked up a bit. otherwise a nice ride into san francisco. sue, you mentioned the snow and i want to jump in now because we are just getting new video of snow in the east bay just outside livermore on mines road. big flakes coming down around 2:00 this morning as sue just mentioned. matt keller is on his way out there after we saw this video. boy, we have to go. he'll have a live report on conditions at 5:00 a.m. east bay residents were pretty thrilled to watch hail come down for as long as it did. >> hail came down for several minutes in much of the east bay from oakland to hayward yesterday afternoon. in some areas there ws enough left on the ground for people to pick it up and take a closer look. >> they thought it was amazing.

they're like it's raining ice. it's raining ice. yeah. and then they kind of thought it was going to be snow. >> all of a sudden it started dropping from the sky and i think we were thinking maybe it was going to almost start to snow for a minute because it seemed really cold. >> it was so cold that it did seem more like snow than hail. the wintry mix of surprises gave bay area residents a day to remember. this was the wild scene in north concord yesterday. sheets of rain turning to hail before hitting the ground near industrial park. in sacramento the hail came down so thick a lot of people thought it was snow. it covered the ground with more than an inch of hail in some areas. the national weather service says some of the pellets were nearly the size of a dime. >> hail was so deep in spots cars were slipping and sliding. the hail made the afternoon commute a treacherous one for some. the region was hit with lightning and thunder. in the south bay mt. hamilton received about 3 inches of snow. from sky 7 you can see the snow

northeast of san jose. the ground was slushy and wet making road conditions on state route 130 difficult. caltrans closed it. crews will be back up until the end of the week. anytime the temperature falls below 35 degrees they do go out there as a precaution. this is the first snow of the season for those who live up the mountain. it is now 4:30. let's check in again with mike. >> some gorgeous pictures. love seeing every one of them. let's go back to earlier this morning. you can see by the radar that the green was falling in livermore. up to 1,000, 1,500 feet it turned over from a wintry mix in pink to white which is all that big, fat snow that we saw earlier that matt is going to chase now. we don't need snow shovels, we need snow glasses today. low to mid-50s at noon.