making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, severe weather striking the heartland right now, tornadoes ripping apart buildings and tearing down trees. plus, severe flooding on a university's campus. the students swimming in buildings. sparking outrage from donald trump, the presidential candidate stirring controversy for his comments about abortion. first saying that women should be punished and back-tracking. the other candidates weighing in overnight. we're live with the latest.

an argument in an suv ending when the woman is flown from the vehicle. a man plays the lottery for the first time in his life and hits it big. beginner's luck. well, good thursday morning. we begin with breaking news. a powerful weather system putting millions of people in danger overnight. >> the severe storms spawning numerous tornadoes in oklahoma. a terrifying scene. twisters forming over neighborhoods causing damage and knocking out power to thousands of homes. >> also reports this morning of a tornado in arkansas near the mississippi border. you can see the size of this system on radar quickly heading east right now. it's bringing heavy rain and flooding from new orleans to detroit. overnight severe storms on the move. >> it's forming, oh, man, look at that. >> reporter: the large twister touching down in tulsa,

>> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: just one of several tornadoes spotted in the state. >> we got a tornado on the ground in stone canyon and there's going to be damage. we're watching debris fly into the cloud right now. >> reporter: this morning the damage assessment under way. pictures from inside this church showing a ceiling torn apart. the roof of another church ripped right off. splintered trees and power lines littering the streets. this truck, a mangled mess. a tree falling on it as a family drove down the street all four people inside expected to be okay. that same storm system causing violent turbulence on a plane forcing the pilot to land in arkansas. this morning, two flight attendants are recovering. both were serving drinks when the turbulence hit. >> the drink cart actually goes up in midair, flips upside down and this is like i don't know how many hundred pounds with all the beverage, flips upside down in midair then drops on top of the male flight attendant on the front side of the cart.

overnight showing flooded buildings at arkansas state university. but students making the best of a bad situation swimming in their flooded dorm. and the national weather service in arkansas just announcing in little rock 4 inches of rain yesterday. one of the wettest days on record in march. >> let's get now to an explosive development in the race for the white house. donald trump's controversial comments on abortion. all sides. >> after saying women who have abortions should be punished trump promptly reversed himself and with the primary five days away a new poll has ted cruz 10 point as head of donald trump. we get the latest from megan hughes. >> good morning. these comments were donald trump have sparked furious debate. the issue is not just about whether abortion should be legal, but about who should be punished.

wisconsin he was asked to define what it would mean to ban abortion, a position he supports. >> do you believe in punishment for abortion as a principle? >> the answer is that there has to be some form of punishment. >> for the woman. >> yeah, there has to be some form. that i don't know. >> reporter: asked if there would be punishment for the man involved he said no. hours later he completely reversed course saying if abortion is banned, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman. but the comments were already in the political crosshairs. trump's gop rivals both oppose abortion rights but reject the idea of punishing women who have abortions. >> it's the latest demonstration of how little donald has thought about any of the serious issues facing this country. >> reporter: the two democratic candidates support abortion rights but had slightly different takes on his remarks

he called the comments shameful and beyond comprehension but added -- >> it becomes the story of the week. >> reporter: hillary clinton says this is a serious issue. >> to think that this is an issue that is not deserving of reaction just demonstrates lack of appreciation for how serious this is. >> reporter: today candidates will move beyond the state of wisconsin with several events scheduled for new york and pennsylvania. key primaries will be held in those states in late april. reena, kendis. >> megan hughes live in washington, thank you. well, so far trump has managed as you know to bounce back from every controversy surround his campaign. >> and we'll have to wait and see if these latest comments and reversal will take a toll on his path to the nomination. abc's rick clienteles us what it all could mean. >> reporter: reena and kendis, a major moment in the presidential campaign.

to many conservative voters the feeling he doesn't speak their language, doesn't understand the policy, hasn't thought about it putting on a position that is far more extreme than anyone considers themselves pro-life. he wrote a campaign ad for hillary clinton and for the democrats trackpractically and more broadly raises questions on the eve of the wisconsin primary about his how much thought he's given to major issues. reena and kendis. >> thank you, rick. overseas authorities in france say they stopped an imminent terror attack on paris. prosecutors charge this man, redakriket saying he had an arsenal of guns and explosive suspected of planning the nova tacks in paris. he was convicted of recruiting jihadists. a one time cheerleader is facing up to 20 years in prison after admitting she wanted to join isis. jalen young pleaded guilty

judge that she and her fiance wanted to go to syria and become medics for injured isis fighters. they were busted by the fbi in an undercover sting. and on a different note that young girl you may recall who cried hysterically when she learned president obama would be leaving the white house, well, has now met him in person. >> khmer. i wrote to the president and said i want to meet you before you leave. >> her and her family were invited to the white house. look at that video with plenty of pictures and big hugs all around and smiles all around. >> the difference writing a letter to the white house can make. >> i'll start writing right now. from burritos to burgers, chipotle hinting towards a new chain. a poison plot inside an elementary school. first graders accused of targeting a fellow student. plus, close encounter a

a small plane sitting on a tarmac in north carolina suddenly bursts into flames last night. nobody was on board but the plane is a total loss as you can see. faa investigators are expected on the scene today hoping to figure out how and why that fire started. new government guidelines are making it easier to get the so-called abortion pill. the fda has relaxed old rules for taking the drug that induces miscarriage. a woman could now take a lower dose further into pregnancy and fewer visits to the doctor are required. the new guidelines mean more access to the drug even in states that pass laws limiting its use.

into another iphone just days after it hacked into a phone linked to the san bernardino terror attacks. an arkansas prosecutor said the fbi will help open two apple device, an iphone 6 and ipod which might hold evidence in a murder trial. not known if the fbi will use the same method it used to crack the iphone 5c used by one of the san bernardino terrorists. a new report says consumption of soda is at its lowest level in 30 years. there are a lot more options now and people are looking to cut sugars and artificial sweeteners. profits at coke and pepsi haven't been hurt because they've branched out into other drinks. speaking of branching out chipotle is expanding into burgers. the company may launch a new chain called better burger. the gourmet burger market is booming right now. chipotle also operates chop house. a southeast asian cuisine and pizzary have low cale. their main brand is still struggling to recover from a series of health safety issues last year.

>> it's not bad. good eats. >> when we come back a police officer indicted after a shooting blaming the gun, the new video released by investigators. and a frenzy on the field. what caused this stampede of kids at a baseball game? right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast.

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or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you. hey, you forgot the milk! that's lactaid. right. 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so you can drink all you want... ...with no discomfort? exactly. here, try some... mmm, it is real milk. see? delicious. hoof bump! oh. right here girl, boom lactaid . 100% real milk. no discomfort and for a creamy and delicious treat, try lactaid ice cream well, this massive sinkhole forced the evacuation of six mobile homes in florida. about 25 miles from tampa, there were no injuries when the hole opened up.

out now. the hole is 60 feet wide about 35 feet deep and has cut water and sewer lines. >> florida roads are otherwise dry this morning but that's about the only place in the eastern half of the country. south. drivers will find snow and ice and rockies. if you're flying airport delays likeliest in denver, new orleans, memphis, chicago and atlanta. well, there is new video of a controversial shooting by a police officer in texas. >> take a look at the video. you can see officer courtney johnson draw his shotgun as gregory adams goes down on one knee. seconds later a blast, wounded in the shoulder. the police officer has been charged in the shooting but he blames the shotgun saying he didn't mean to fire. he remains on restricted duty and could face five years to life in prison if he's convicted. the police chief says he does not believe race played a role. in minneapolis last night,

after the announcement that two white police officers were cleared of criminal charges in the shooting death of a black man. jamar clark was killed last november during an incident with police that lasted just over a minute. the county attorney says clark grabbed the officer's gun. investigators concluded the officer acted in self-defense. there's this from alaska. three students have been suspended for plotting to poison a classmate. all three are in the first grade. police in anchor rage says the girls planned to use silica gel packets thinking they were poisonous. the students were not charged with any crime. school officials say the girls admitted to the plot. an argument in fresno, california, ends with a woman being flown from an suv. you see right here she's clinging to the front door before she's knocked off into some bushes. the bushes may have broken her fall and witnesses say that the woman popped back up to chase the suv down the street. police are looking to talk to the two women involved.

survived a midair collision with another jumper now says he can't believe he's alive. gopros were rolling when sebastian leal spun out of control and hit the ground with a thud. he fractured his spine in four places and is paralyzed from the waist down. but doctors say they're hopeful. leal says he has no regrets. in fact he says he's determined to jump again. okay, so the porsche 911 gtr3 rs goes 0 to 120 miles an hour in less than 11 seconds which may be why this happened. the they plame a mechanic for driving the sports car into a canal. a spokesman said it's worth about $300,000 but the engine is in the rear and the dealer says it will be back on the road very soon. >> okay. all that ends well. >> might be a lemon issue there to try to sell that one. time now for sports and a games. >> let's talk to our fellows at

it's "sportscenter" from los angeles. neil everett, stan verrett. second of back-to-back games for the warriors so second of back-to-back leads on this update. >> i thought utah was going to win this one. if you were at the game you probably thought utah was going to win this one because utah had golden state and utah could not close the deal. no coffee for the jazz. final 15 seconds, cougar gold klay thompson give him two chances he will bury it went to overtime as utah kicked the final possession away. in overtime, draymond green and the foul and he flexes because he can because he is an nba champion. and it's not a warrior highlight without riley's dad. warriors, they win again. >> there's so much drama in the lakers locker room. you can look that up. d'angelo russell and company posting the heat. remember, they got blown out by

you got kobe bryant, dwyane wade squaring off for the final time, wade, take that with you into retirement. wade had 26, knocked that one down. heat up 2 but went to overtime. in overtime tied at 100. under five seconds to play, julius randall, it's all him. gets to go 13 boards, lakers win it 102-100. all the drama about a d'angelo russell videotape involving nick young. you can look it all up. >> or not. >> good listening to. easter was only a few days ago but this scene reminds us of an easter egg hunt searching for a home run ball hit. >> it does look like it. >> they're not going to let the carefully cultivated flowers stand in the way of finding that egg -- well, ball, not egg, right? >> the landscapers are probably like, no.

>> it looks like a lot of work. well, up next in "the pulse" one ticket and he's hit it big. the lucky lotto winner who only played once. the most expensive wedding ever. (toilet flush) if you need an opioid to manage your chronic pain, you may be sooo constipated it feels like everyone can go ...except you. opioid-induced constipation, oic, is a different type of constipation, which may need a different approach. longing for a change? have the conversation with your doctor about oic, and ask about prescription treatment options. look at this sweet face. so sweet.

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>> as of that day i just looked at them -- looked at my guy, guys looked at me and go, you're leaving, aren't you and i said, yes, i'm walking out. >> you didn't expect him to say, did you. >> velez is taking the lump sum payment $4.2 million after taxes, not bad of the he's not yet sure what his first big purchase will be but first on the agenda taking his family to disney world. >> a well earned vacation. >> we appreciate you doing that. spend a lot of your money at disney world? our parent company. the average wedding these days costs more than $26,000 but a bride in moscow recently spent that just on her dress. >> yeah, so that was just the start, the nine-tiered wedding cake was more than twice her size. the 600 wedding guests, there you see, were entertained by j. lo. >> amazing. >> sting and enrique iglesias being called the billion dollar wedding. >> oh, but wait. there's more. there's another part to this wedding coming up in london with

>> do you think they have a wedding registry list? >> well, you think there's a prenup. >> probably. when you head out for a nature walk you're not surprised to see plenty of, well, nature. >> yeah, but this walker got more than she bargained for. look at it. wait for it. on her peaceful stroll through this florida sanctuary that was interrupted by, boom, a panther. thankfully the cat raced right past her because as you can see she didn't really have anywhere to go. >> notice the panther wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. >> yeah. this happened in naples. panther sightings are rare in florida with only about 100 of them left in the wild. ooh. no thank you. did you hear the beeping? >> i sure did. >> a rare human who passes up the chance to pose for a selfie and now pandas are getting in on the act. >> the giant panda cub posed for several selfies with his human foster father even changing up

anyone would do checking out the final results on a tablet. >> the next step expanding his social media presence by setting up an instagram hopefully to share his selfies. i wonder what filter they used. >> i wonder he'll go snapchat after this. well, more news coming up. i take pictures of sunrises. it's my job and it's also my passion. but with my back pain i couldn't sleep... so i couldn't get up in time. then i found aleve pm. aleve pm is the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12-hour strength of aleve... for pain relief that can last into the morning. and now... i'm back. aleve pm fora better am. introducing oikos crunch. greek nonfat yogurt with delicious crunchy toppings like chocolate and peanut butter chips. crunched it! new oikos crunch.

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not yet. not yet! pull the peach! mmmm, yoplait. checking our top stories, donald trump is taking back his controversial comments on abortion. he sparked outrage from democrats and republicans by saying that women who have abortions should be punished if it were outlawed. authorities in france say they stopped an imminent terror attack on paris. the suspect had an unprecedented amount of weapons, arsenal in his apartment. he also has been linked to the nova tacks. today's severe storms in the south could result in more damage like this in the tulsa area. some buildings were damaged or destroyed by the tornado and more than half a dozen people were injured. and looking at today's weather the more severe storms

south but almost the entire eastern half of the country will see some rain. the rockies will see some snow. well, finally this morning after sledding for more than a thousand miles in alaska's iditarod. four mushers and their 53 dogs got stranded with no way home. >> that is when washington state native american tribe stepped in to help. lindsey cohen from our seattle station has the rest of the details. >> reporter: they mushed for miles in the cold alaskan snow. but it was all the way south of seattle that 53 elite athletes hit a speed bump, stuck on the side of the road. >> iditarod is a long trip but very nice trip. >> reporter: they raced in the iditarod and were headed home from anchor raj to norway when they say they ran into an issue at the airport. told the cargo planes couldn't fly the dogs from alaska to seattle.

u-haul, put crates inside, make some air for dogs and drive 2,500 miles. >> reporter: that last-minute drive involved camping stops. wherever they could find a place big enough. heidi thomas spotted them. >> what i knew was a stressful situation for them, i just -- i don't know. my heart said to stop and see what was going on. >> reporter: that stop turned into a stroke of sympathy. thomas is a member of the nisqually tribe and invited the four teams and those 53 dogs to stay on their land. >> we're always willing to lend a hand. especially with people in need. >> reporter: those needs are being answered from fresh water for the pups to a hot shower for their humans who have been on the road roughly five days. >> this is a paradise for us. very nice. >> reporter: they'll fly home to europe having survived one of the most brutal races in the world with the craziest part of

final leg home. >> i want to know they made it home safe. >> she was an angel. taking care of us. >> reporter: in olympia, lindsey cohen, komo news. >> very nice of them. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." have a great day, everyone. this is new york's number one news. channel 7 eyewitness news with lori stokes and ken rosato. bill evans with the exclusive accuweather forecast. now, eyewitness news this morning. good morning, it's 4:30. donald trump backtracks after saying that women should be punished if they have an abortion. we're live with new reaction from one of his biggest supporters, chris cristie. >> parents are on alert after a