making news in america this morning, state of emergency. the winter storm described as epic with blinding snow and hurricane-force winds. hundreds of drivers stranded. interstates closed. a major airport shut down. the national guard called in. where the storm is heading next. the emergency grounding. the fallout from that decision by the white house to ground boeing jets like the ones that crashed overseas. this morning, the impact across the country. how many travelers will be affected and new details on why it took so long to ground those planes. tip of the iceberg. the college admissions bribery scandal expanding this morning. the "full house" actress posting $1 million bond. her daughter spending time on a

yacht belonging to a top university official. where the investigation goes from here. developing right now, the global outage shutting down facebook. the worst in the company's history. what we've learned. the new report about wireless headphones. could they caupose a cancer ris the coach taking a big tumble. good morning on this thursday, everyone. we begin with the storm that weather experts are calling epic. >> heavy snow, wind and flooding rains are impacting 70 million americans causing a travel nightmare. right now blizzard conditions are sweeping from colorado into the plains. to the east, flood watches in effect because of the heavy rain and snow melt expected and in texas, winds topped 100 miles per hour. >> new video shows the the blinding snow in nebraska overnight.

but hardest hit so far, colorado where a state of emergency is in effect. highways are closed and so many drivers are stranded the national guard has been called in to rescue them. this morning the ferocious winter storm roaring across several states with whiteout conditions. in colorado springs one wind gust hit 97 miles per hour. the same as a category 2 hurricane. >> i grew up in new orleans so i've seen a hurricane but this is a snowicane. >> reporter: the storm forced denver's airport to close all runways canceling for than 1300 flights. on the roads, interstates 25 and 70 shut down clogged by crashes. one stretch of highway from denver all the way to the kansas border closed overnight. abc's clayton sandell is there. >> you can see here this epic snowstorm has just wreaked havoc on the roads in this area. this highway is completely shut down. these cars have been sitting here for a very long time including maybe you can see it

an ambulance over here and a snowplow right over here. >> reporter: the storm turning deadly when a colorado state trooper responding to a crash was hit by a sliding car. in the rockies the heavy snow is prompting more avalanche warnings in the same areas that saw historic threats from snow slides last week. farther south in amarillo, texas. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: and near logan, new mexico, powerful winds knocked these train cars, all 26 of them, off the train trestle. no injuries reported. even weather experts are surprised at the storm's fury. this meteorologist in south dakota walloped by the wind while trying to release a weather balloon. nice try there. that storm is also taking aim at the great lakes. heavy rain is expected from parts of michigan to ohio valley. the full forecast coming up in less than five minutes. we turn now to that emergency decision from the white house to ground all boeing 737 planes similar to the one that crashed in ethiopia. overnight we learned just how many travelers will be affected

by this decision and what took so long for u.s. safety officials to ground the planes. several questions remain this morning and our stephanie ramos is tracking the story from washington. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: janai, good morning. for days boeing said it maintained full confidence in the max planes, but ultimately the jets were grounded until officials can determine what caused recent crashes. after days of mounting public pressure on the federal government to ground the boeing 737 max airliners after two recent crashes, president trump announcing the decision from the faa. >> we're going to be issuing an emergency order of prohibition to ground all flights for the safety of the american people and all people is our paramount concern. >> reporter: the jets were grounded immediately. >> tower southwest 4010, we've been directed to return to the gates. >> reporter: the u.s. is the latest country behind china, the uk, france, germany and canada to ground the jets after the max

8 model was involved in a crash in ethiopia and indonesia. the turning point came when canadian officials shared new data wednesday with the administration indicating a possible connection. according to the faa, tracking data from satellites and evidence from the debris field in ethiopia showed enough similarities between the flights convincing the agency to ground the fleet. both flights showing the nose moving erratically up and down right after takeoff. >> it does not mean the two crashes are related blue they're close enough it's worth saying stop flying these airplanes till we get the black boxes read out. >> reporter: the data from those black boxes now being examined in france should confirm in the crashes are related. passengers landing wednesday reacting to the news. >> i trust our aviation officials and if they feel a need to go ahead and ground those 8s, i think they should. >> reporter: the 737s serve about 43,000 u.s. customers every day. american, southwest, united

airlines, they all fly these jets, and they're downplaying the impact saying spare planes and rebooking of passengers should minimize problems. janai. >> and we know so many passengers will be affected, though. stephanie, thank you so much. former texas congressman beto o'rourke says he wants to run for president. a tv station in el paso was first to report that o'rourke will seek the democratic nomination in 2020. he told "vanity fair" magazine, quote, i want to be in it. i'm just born to be in it. he begins a three-day visit to iowa today. former trump campaign chairman paul manafort is facing new charges just as he begins a longer prison sentence. prosecutors in new york are now charging manafort for mortgage fraud. if he's convicted on those state charges, he would not be eligible for a presidential pardon. the new charges were announced after a judge added three years to manafort's sentence for money laundering and obstruction of justice bringing the total sentence to more than seven years. his lawyer faced protesters outside court.

>> judge jackson conceded that there was absolutely no evidence of any russian collusion in this case so that makes two courts, two courts have ruled no evidence of any inclusion. >> he's a traitor. liar. that's not what she said. >> now, despite the sentencing during that sentencing hearing the judge made clear that case had nothing to do with russian collusion in the election. investigators in southern california now say one of the largest fires in state history was sparked by power lines. they say heavy winds caused power lines to slap into each other causing an electrical arc that ignited dry brush on the ground. the deadly thomas fire destroyed more than 1,000 buildings. time now for a look at your weather forecast for this thursday morning. good morning. a major storm brewing in the center part of the country. heavy rain on one side. heavy snow on the other. so, first and foremost we talk about the snow. we're talking about 12 to 18

inches from denver, rapid city up towards fargo with the possibility of 26 inches in some isolated pockets giving us blizzard conditions then you combine that with the very gusty winds, 80-mile-per-hour winds and then we're concerned about severe storms reaching indianapolis, nashville, birmingham and jackson, mississippi. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. coming up, the need for speed. the new american car that's just too powerful for the road. but first the breaking news overnight. the reputed mob boss killed in new york. a closer look at the new report claiming wireless

we're back with a close call

on this highway near a small airport in canada. that plane nearly slamming into a truck just before going down on the side of the road near toronto. the plane apparently overshot the runway, but the two people on board were not injured. >> thankfully. now to breaking news here in new york where police say a reputed mob boss has been found murdered. someone shot francesco cali in front of his home on staten island. police say a truck was seen fleeing the scene but no arrests have been made. prosecutors believe cali known as frankie boy was the leader of the notorious gambino crime family, the same family john gotti ruled over in the 1980s and 1990th. facebook has its worst outage. its two messaging apps and instagram wednesday. users have been getting updates via twitter. facebook wouldn't say overnight what was causing the problem but says it was not a so-called denial of service cyberattempt. meanwhile, the company is facing a criminal investigation stemming from its data sharing with other tech companies.

"the new york times" says a grand jury has now subpoenaed records from two smartphone makers. some scientists are getting attention after raising concern about wireless headphones and whether they could pose a potential cancer risk. the bluetooth devices are worn inside the ear canal prompting concern about radio frequency radiation so close to the brain. but experts say the issue needs far more research to determine whether any meaningful risk and to determine how long you would have to be exposed to the radiation for it to pose any harm. in the meantime, a jury in california says johnson & johnson must pay $29 million to a woman who claims that asbestos in talcum powder caused her cancer. johnson & johnson has issued a statement again insisting its powder does not contain asbestos or cause cancer. it plans to appeal. general motors delayed the debut of its new corvette and wait till you hear why. the redesign engine is said to be so powerful that test cars are bending out of shape. their aluminum frames were

twisting. it was supposed to appear at the detroit auto show in january. instead it will likely debut this summer. that is a powerful, powerful car. >> vroom, vroom. coming up, the new push to limit the sale of e-cigarettes. but first when we come back, the new bombshell in that college bribery scandal. what is happening now to actress lori loughlin and why her daughter was caught sailing on a yacht belonging to a top university official. hey, who are you? oh, hey jeff, i'm a car thief... what?! i'm here to steal your car because, well, that's my job. what? what?? what?! (laughing) what?? what?! what?! [crash] what?! haha, it happens. and if you've got cut-rate car insurance, paying for this could feel like getting robbed twice. so get allstate... and be better protected from mayhem... like me. ♪ of non-drowsy claritin...

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to authorities and her daughter is making news once again as we learn more about how investigators accidentally stumbled upon this massive scheme. lori loughlin is back home released on $1 million bond after a brief court appearance for her alleged role in the college bribery scheme. the actress who played a role model on "full house" allegedly shelled out $500,000 to consultant rick singer along with her fashion designer husband to get their daughters into usc. tmz reports her daughter olivia was on a usc trustee's yacht when the scandal broke. olivia is currently a freshman. the college tells abc news they're now conducting a case-by-case review for current students involved in the allegations. >> fbi. warrant. >> reporter: loughlin was arrested a day after dozens of wealthy parents were taken into custody including felicity huffman who was arrested by agents with guns drawn and then cuffed. the star of "desperate housewives" allegedly paid

$15,000 to consulant singer to bribe a procter who would secretly change her daughter's test answers. colleges and companies are distancing themselves from employees accused of either paying bribes or taking them. on wednesday, the university of texas fired its men's tennis coach. a major silicon valley hedge fund replaced its leader. same with an international law firm based in new york. prosecutors say the scheme's mastermind worked with dozens of parents to gain the system. >> hi, my name is rick singer and i'm the founder of the key. >> reporter: a video obtained by tmz shows singer in 2010 pitching himself as the star of his own reality show centered around the stresses of college admissions. >> mom and dad go to a dinner party and they hear about every kid who is getting into this school, going to this summer program, doing, this, doing that. sunday morning, my phone rings off the hook. why? how come we're not doing this? after all this chaos, the payoff for me is knowing that these kids found the right place to go

to school and they feel great about themselves. >> reporter: while the show never sold people did buy into singer's idea. officials say singer allegedly faked athletic credentials, photoshopped pictures and faked scores on college entrance exams while pocketing millions from wealthy parents. overnight abc news learned the fbi stumbled upon the scheme by accident after receiving a tip related to a fraud investigation surrounding a 400,000 payment allegedly made to the women's soccer coach at yale. also facing charges in the case, mark riddle. the harvard alum admits to taking part in the scheme by taking college admission tests for students. >> he was just a really smart guy. he was just smart enough to get a near perfect score on demand. >> reporter: riddle apologized in a statement saying, i understand how my actions contributed to a loss of trust in the college admissions process. on usc's campus students say they feel cheated. >> i feel for people like us who actually strive hard day and night to just come here and learn.

i hope this stops. >> and many believe the arrests have exposed a wider problem with college admissions systems. one expert calls it the tip of the iceberg. the former head of admissions at yale will be live on "good morning america" this morning to answer questions. investigators in north carolina say they have found the body of a woman who had been missing for more than a week, and they say foul play was definitely involved. police questioned the husband of diane keel for hours and then released him. they say they were aware of problems in the marriage. her body was found in a wooded area about 30 miles from where she disappeared. the federal government is moving ahead with plans to keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of minors. a new fda proposal would restrict sales of most flavored items to stores that either verify customers' ages or have age restricted areas for vaping items. companies that don't follow the rules could have their products pulled from the market. critics say the proposal lets companies police themselves. a separate fda plan calls for a ban on flavored cigars.

in sports a college basketball coach was celebrating his team's big win but got a little out of control. nebraska coach tim miles was running off the floor when he, yep, stumbled and hit the deck. miles called himself safe and kept on going to the locker room. his fall came after nebraska beat rutgers in the big 10 tournament. it's not about the fall, it's about how you pick yourself up and make fun of it. >> yes, laughed it off. up next in "the pulse," what happens inside your brain when you pretend to be someone else. also ahead, the squirrel versus the eagle. how this face-off ended. we take you to the world ice swimming championships redefining what it means to be freezing. es, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage,

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the "pulse" starts with a fascinating find about hollywood actors. >> researchers found when actors are playing a character their brain activity is different. scientists analyzed a group of actors who were trained to play either romeo or juliet. they were each asked questions while having brain scans. >> when the actors answered in character, their brains showed different activity in their prefrontal cortex indicating they were suppressing their natural reactions. >> that's just incredible. you hear about actors getting into the role. and you see there's proof. >> they're really in the role. grab your hand warmers for this next story. the ice swimming championships are here. >> 400 swimmers have gathered in northern russia for the big event. it's held in a pool carved out of a frozen lake and includes normal swimming performed in 40-degree water. no wet suit allowed. just a regular swimsuit and a cap. >> no diving uring a dive could be dangerous. >> it's really cold.

>> all right, next a different kind of competition. a squirrel facing off against a bald eagle. >> this treetop staredown was in maine. experts think this was a mother squirrel possibly mow texting her babies. the squirrel kept taunting the eagle staying just out of reach knowing where to position itself to avoid the beak and talons. >> the taunting lasted for ten minutes until the eagle got tired and flew away. >> momma won. speaking of mommas, just listen. parents, you know this song. ♪ baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo ♪ >> i know this song. one father in oregon could not get it out of his head so did his own version. take a look. ♪ he calls himself the unipiper and likes to play his flaming

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i'll take aleve. aleve. proven better on pain. good morning. it's thursday, march 14th. >> almost there. meteorologist mike nicco has a look at your day ahead. >> it helps to think of today as friday eve. >> i thought you were going to -- >> i woke up and i thought it was fridayment then i was disappointed. >> sorry. >> weather will maybe perk you up a little bit today. yeah. there it is. it is a little bit cooler this morning than yesterday morning. we have 38 in santa rosa. 39 at half moon bay and livermore. san ramon, 37 degrees. everybody else in the low to mid-40s. san francisco at 49. vacaville at 52. unlike yesterday afternoon, won't be as breezy. temperatures around 59 at half

moon bay and san francisco and then we have 60 to 65 just about he have where else. i think it's time to turn it over to alexis. >> all right.ad serious cra between a box truck and sedan a lot of damage done to the sedan. westbound 580 near flynn road. we'll check on this drive time too. if you're getting out of tracy, not too bad. in the yellow already. 39 minutes tracy to dublin. dublin to mission boulevard 15 minutes. thanks, alexis. beto o'rourke making it official, he's running for president. >> o'rourke is now the 15th democrat to join the 2020 race. >> this is' defining moment of truth for this country and for

every single one of us. >> o'rourke released this video announcing his 2020 campaign this morning. it shows him and his wife seated on a couch as he talks about the issues he would tackle as president, including preserving democracy and health care and immigration and criminal justice reform. the el paso native is introducing himself to voters in iowa for the next few days. he gained national attention during the 2018 midterm elections when he narrowly lost a race to incumbent republican ted cruz. today the black boxes from ethiopian airlines flight 302 are expected to arrive in paris for examination. that crash led the u.s. to ground all boeing 737 max planes yesterday. the last country that flies the planes to do so. flights around the country were impacted, including a few flights in and out of the bay area. southwest leads the three u.s. airlines in number of max aircraft. it has 34 max 8 airplanes in its

fleet. five southwest flights were canceled in oakland yesterday. >> i saw that the europe, uk, china, india did ban this and after that the u.s. reacted to it. better late than never. >> in an e-mail to abc news, the faa says they wanted more specific information before deciding to ground the fleet. it's 4:30 right now. if you're just joining us let's get an update on the weather and traffic. hi, mike. >> hi everybody. here's a look at live doppler 7. it's absolutely nothing. here's a look from the exploratorium camera. you can see the stars twinkling above. 33 to 46. definitely cooler this morning. by noon, we're hanging around 55 to 57. a little milder. a few high clouds start to rolling 'ol in. we call those invection clouds. 58 to 63 degrees. if you liked yesterday afternoon, today is better.

by 7:00, we'll be around 53