making news in america this morning, supreme court showdown. a new fight in washington across all three branches. president obama announcing his nomination for supreme court. senate republicans already refusing to consider his choice. we're live with the latest. canceled. donald trump single-handedly shutting down the next republican debate warning of riots if he's denied the nomination and taking aim at hillary clinton. a amazing survival story. a dog missing at sea after falling off a boat for more than a month found alive. thrilling thursday, two great american traditions

start of march madness and st. patrick's day. good morning, everyone. happy st. patrick's day to you. it has quickly turned into a major political battle talking about president obama's desire to fill the vacancy on the supreme court. >> right in the middle is judge merrick garland who president obama tapped as his nominee. today he begins what is going to be a long road and that road ultimately could lead nowhere. >> we get the details from abc's kenneth moton joining us from d.c. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and reena. senate republican leaders have made it clear they will not fill the supreme court vacancy until after the november election. but that won't stop the president's nominee from marching up to capitol hill today. this morning supreme court nominee merrick garland will meet face-to-face with democratic senators but it's the

>> at a time when our politics are so polarized this is precise straight. >> reporter: it intensified the second president obama introduced his pick and the rose garden moment emotional for the 63-year-old husband and father. >> had this is the greatest honor of my life other than lynn agreeing to marrying me 28 years ago. >> reporter: the harvard educated chicago native has dedicated his life to the law. a top prosecutor in the oklahoma city bombing, nearly two decades spent serving the d.c. circuit court of appeals. also known as a moderate, a compromise in the heat of this partisan election year. >> it's at senate's constitutional right to act as a check on a president and with withhold its concept. ground. the next president should pick the next justice but mitch mcconnell did take a call from garland reiterating his feelings

>> any chance you'll change your mind? >> none. >> reporter: we found at least six republican senators open to meeting with garland. that includes senator orrin hatch who once praised garland. >> i didn't say he belongs on the supreme court. i said he belonged on the d.c. circuit court. >> reporter: chuck grassley announced he's also open to meeting with garland but at this point there are no signs that any of these meetings will lead to confirmation hearings. reena and kendis. >> political lines already being drawn, kenneth, thank you. well, the battle of garland's nomination will run right alongside the ongoing presidential campaign. >> after tuesday night's primary results it's looking more and more likely hillary clinton and donald trump are heading to are a showdown. both of them already seem eager for the fight. it's "your voice, your vote." abc's lauren lyster joining us live with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, reena and kendis. a closed door meeting is scheduled today in washington with some influential conservative leaders to talk about how to stop donald trump

should he become the nominee. in the gop race for president a debate over the next debate. donald trump backing out prompting ohio governor john kasich to do the same. >> i've had more attention in the last two weeks than i've had in the last six months so it's fine and i'm pleased with how it's all going. >> reporter: debate host fox news then canceling monday's event in salt lake city, utah, saying obviously there needs to be more than one participant. ted cruz firing back. meanwhile, trump is swinging at different targets first the republican establishment saying an attempt to block his nomination would lead to chaos at the convention. >> i think you'd have riots. i think you'd have riots. i'm representing a tremendous, many, many millions of people. i think you would have problems like you've never seen before. i think bad things would happen. i really do. >> reporter: also attacking hillary clinton releasing this videotape mocking her as a weak leader in foreign affairs

overnight, clinton getting the last laugh literally appearing on comedy central's "broad city." >> oh, no, no, it's the she. >> reporter: she'll hit 11 up coming fund-raisers in 12 days. a well respected global analysis from the economist intelligence unit named a trump presidency a top ten global risk event saying it could disrupt the world economy putting it on the list along lists like the fracture of the eurozone. >> unbelievable. thank you, lauren. well, three days until spring and snow is pummelling parts of the country overnight take a look at the radar. winter weather warnings posted and snow falling up to a foot expected in parts of michigan, minnesota and wisconsin and 60-mile-an-hour wind gusts expected this morning in chicago. that same system tore through several states yesterday spawning at least five tornadoes, piles of rubble where homes once stood in clinton

debris hanging from the trees. yet another after another tornado tore through peoria county. the white house is demanding the release of an american student in north korea. the country sentenced otto warmbier to 15 years hard labor. he is accused of trying to steal a propaganda poster from a pi young gang hotel. josh earnest says the white house is urge ing them to grant him special amnesty. new sanctioned were filed in response of missile and nuclear tests. the washington, d.c. area and metro system re-opens after a 29-hour shutdown for safety inspections. they turned up three areas in heavily traveled parts of the system. with severe damage to power cables. you're seeing it there. a faulty cable is believed to have caused a fire that spent smoke bowering into a tunnel. it is the second busiest in the country with 700,000 rides a day. okay, you'll probably be

course, we already donned our own. with it being st. patrick's day that means it's time for the 255th edition of new york's annual st. paddy's day parade. >> 2 million people either will watch it or march in the parade. about half of the official groups in the parade are marching bands. the grand marshal is former senator george mitchell. >> an important voice there, george mitchell there. >> yes. well still ahead, a major change coming to america and american made cars. and new this morning flames shooting from a refinery, hazmat crews rushing to that scene. how a balloon likely caused this. plus special bond. a woman in a bitter battle to keep her pet alligator.

there are 16 fresh-picked oranges squeezed into each bottle of tropicana pure premium. and absolutely no space for added sugar, water, or preservatives. tropicana. we put the good in morning. quilted northern works so well people can forget their bathroom experience. but sir froggy can never forget. "what's worse", he thinks... "that my arms can never relax or my eyes can never look away?" i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms.

with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for

dramatic images of a private yacht engulfed in flames in the u.s. virgin islands. it filled the sky with plumes of smoke. the u.s. coast guard helped tow the yacht to a remote location so crews could contain the fire. no injuries reported. authorities are investigating the cause. also burning part of an exxon mobil refinery near los angeles. massive flaring at the plant was a result of a power interruption apparently happening when a my lahr balloon hit a power line in that area. hazmat crews called in and roads nearby were closed. the same plant that suffered an explosion last february. well, a major safety step is being announced by automakers agreeing by 2022 to make automatic braking standard and on large suvs and pickups by 2025. automatic braking uses cameras and sensors to see objects in

driver does not react. that could cut impacts by 40%. hoverboards are being banned and not over safety. they're blocking them that infringe on segway patents. a number of makers are based in other countries like china. segway's initial complaint involved 13 companies but at least five have settled. those efforts to keep airline fees in check failed. they tried to prohibit airlines from setting unreasonable fees and also wanted the transportation department to establish what is reasonable. can't stand that on my -- what i pay for an airline ticket. if. >> all the extras. >> yes, seat belts. when we come back brazen prison break hoisted to freedom by a helicopter. a quick thrive thinking clerk saving a baby seconds

with the pain and swelling of my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ordinary objects often seemed... intimidating. doing something simple... meant enduring a lot of pain. if ra is changing your view of everyday things orencia may help. orencia works differently by targeting a source of ra early in the inflammation process. for many, orencia provides long-term relief of ra symptoms. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you're prone to or have any infection like an open sore, the flu, or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. orencia may worsen your copd. if you're not getting the relief you need... ask your doctor about orencia. orencia. see your ra in a different way.

this saturday! and save on early birds 'till 1pm. like 40 to 60% off dresses. save on sport shirts and on all cookware and food prep. everyone get kohl's cash too! this saturday - only at kohl's. because it's the only almondmilk made with california-grown blue diamond almonds. of course, if you ask one of our almond growers... there's no maybe about it. the best almonds make the best almondmilk. what brand of makeup is better for your skin neutrogena cosmetics. with vitamins and antioxidants. now with foundations in shades

surveillance video from monday night in florida capturing a car fleeing police careening over a bank flipping over and bursting into flames. the car had been stolen last month. two teenagers inside were rescued and treated at a hospital. when they were released they were arrested. well, there will be wet roads there in florida this morning as well as along most of the gulf coast. same goes for parts of the northeast. slippery around the northern

the northern rockies. if you're flying on this st. paddy's day, morning airport delays possible in minneapolis, no luck of the irish there. well, we are learning disturbing new details about the fatal shooting of a maryland officer outside a police station. >> authorities say detective jacai colson was shot by a fellow officer who mistook him as as a threat. colson was stopping by the station on his day off even was wearing plain clothes and michael ford opened fire at the station and he was charged with second degree murder. and in canada, a brazen prison break that turned into a comedy of errors. struggling to climb to a hijacked helicopter, two inmates and freedom. one almost makes it to the top, even gets a hand from a partner in crime only to fall a minute later. the chopper tries taking off but failed. all of this while the unarmed guards are watching and recording the spectacle prevented by prison policy from intervening in an escape where

the cons finally flew off and were quickly caught. well, a sudden passing overnight. frank sinatra jr. has died. his family says he died yesterday of cardiac arrest while on tour in daytona beach, florida. as a teen he was kidnapped. his family paying for his release. he then followed his famous father's footsteps into the music business eventually becoming his dad's musical director and conductor. he most recently did voice work on "the family guy." frank sinatra jr. was 72. alarming moment caught on camera. a story clerk grabs a baby before her mother falls to the ground during a seizure. rebecca montano then handed the baby to a customer as she rushed to help the mother. the woman is fine now and so is the baby. thanks mostly to montano. some are calling her a hero, but the grandmother says that she was just trying to do good. and another heartwarming save. a beloved dog luna has returned after more than a month when she fell overboard in the pacific

had drowned. the beautiful german shepherd the dog on san clemente island turned up tuesday at a navy base 70 miles off san diego. yesterday luna was handed over will care for the dog until the owner returns from out of town. swimming there. all right. well, we call today thrilling thursday earlier because today, st. patrick's day, is also the >> and we now know the full march madness field of 64 so let's get some hoop highlights from espn. >> he's stan. i'm neil. steph curry just scored again. >> scored in bunches, once again >> warriors taking on the knicks in oakland. the warriors trying to get to 50-0 in their last 50 regular season games at home and, well, steph is going to step. 12 for 20 from the floor. 8 for 13 from three including that one. his ridiculous shot of the night which he seems to have every game, 34 points even

fourth quarter. and the warriors win again at home, 32-0 at home this season. they're taking on san antonio saturday on abc. >> he didn't play in the fourth, knicks didn't play in all four quarters. michigan is advancing to get notre dame. this is your first four or whatever fancy phrase they're use using for it this year. zach irvin there. pat burt there. wrong there, that was irvin there. this is burt here for the tie. no. it was harrison who started it out. wolverines win and advance. >> that's all we got. back to you. >> a friendly reminder to everyone at home, aren't brackets due at noon today? >> yes, got to get them in. i have suny oswego going all the -- wait, they're kansas, who do you have?

all righty. that's a copout. up next in "the pulse," nike going back to the future for its newest kicks. >> i'm trying to remain neutral. and a professional baseball player, why he's walking away from $12 million. >> but you're going with uconn? >> yes. n? (vo) if you have type 2 diabetes, you may know what it's like to deal with high... and low blood sugar. januvia (sitagliptin) is a once-daily pill that, along with diet and exercise, helps lower blood sugar. januvia works when your blood and works less when your blood by enhancing your body's own plus januvia, by itself, is not or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). januvia should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. tell your doctor if you have a history of pancreatitis. serious side effects can happen, including pancreatitis which may be severe and lead to death. stop taking januvia and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in

pancreatitis. tell your doctor right away and stop taking januvia if you have an allergic reaction that causes swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or affects your breathing or causes rash or hives. kidney problems sometimes requiring dialysis have been reported. some people may develop severe joint pain. call your doctor if this happens. r using januvia with a sulfonylurea or insulin p may cause low blood sugar. to reduce the risk, your doctor may p prescribe a lower dose of the sulfonylurea or insulin. your doctor may do blood tests before and during treatment to check your kidneys. if you have kidney problems a lower dose may be prescribed. side effects may include upper respiratory tract infection, stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, and headache. for help lowering your blood sugar talk to your doctor about

time to check "the pulse" and for kids of the '80s, your futuristic footwear is finally here. nike has unveiled self-lacing shoes 27 years after marty mcfly made us all want our own pair. >> yeah, apparent think they are part of -- they are called the hyper adapt 1.0 and once you step into the shoes, your shoes hit a sensor that causes it to tighten, and the shoes will be available in three colors out at the end of the year but you must be a member of the nike plus program to buy them. >> and i imagine they're probably be pretty expensive. >> i would think so but still cool. >> renaldo loves them so why shouldn't we all? >> you do whatever renaldo tells you. a major league baseball player and devoted dad is retiring rather than take agent cutback on the team time that his teenage son can spend in the clubhouse. >> chicago white sox first

about $10 million that's left on his contract. the decision getting plenty of support from fellow players. mvp bryce harper tweeting nothing like father and son in the clubhouse. it's a family game. laroche, by the way, knows about that. his dad played in the majors, as well. >> daddy standing by his son. >> although the team did say, he keeps his son in the clubhouse 100% of the time. >> nothing with that. >> how about cutting back a bit. >> nothing wrong with that. >> your kid is over there. so, this is a baby, a green and scaly one that only a mother could love. mary thorn of lakeland, florida, says this alligator named rambo is her baby. he's nearly 6 feet long and 15 years old. >> she hugs it, she kisses it, rambo even sleeps in her bed like they sleep together but state officials say the gator's got to go. thorn says that she'll die if they have to part and so will

>> and she says that he is too domesticated and just cannot survive in the wild. >> i understand her love for her child rambo. but i think one day she might worry that he finds out that he's hungry and bites her head off. >> i hope she survives that feeding time. come on. really? >> no. the florida resident and i side with the state officials on this one. >> some issues there. a video of a magic trick going viral. >> 5 million views all because of a baboon's priceless reaction and take a look. a man visiting a zoo standing in front of the animal and he pulls out a card, and it disappears with a flick of the wrist. >> this is just priceless. look at that. the baboon's reaction, amazed like a little kid. the baboon has a similar reaction when the magician makes the card reappear. >> what is this?

>> yeah. baboons are much smarter than we give them credit for, kendis. >> they know it's fake. there's no such thing as magic. >> maybe he's waiting for his fortune to be told. >> i'm going to cuddle with my alligator over there. >> more news after this. cuddle with my alligator over there. >> more news after this. and looking good and sandwich and soup and a new personal best. and a little help and soup and sandwich and study group. good, clean food pairs well with anything. try the clean pairings menu.

only kraft natural cheese has a touch of philadelphia cream cheese, so whatever you make, is creamier than ever. they'll always be our babies. so there will be things to keep us up. but tonight johnson's can help with a bedtime routine. clinically proven to help them fall asleep faster. and stay asleep longer. tonight, we sleep. maybe almond breeze tastes so good because it's the only almondmilk made with california-grown blue diamond almonds. of course, if you ask one of our almond growers...

the best almonds make the best almondmilk. taking a look at our top stories on this thursday, president obama's pick for the supreme court, judge merrick garland, meets today with democratic senators on the hill. maintain garland will not be confirmed. donald trump's backing out of a debate scheduled for next monday prompting fox news to cancel the event. john kasich also said he would not attend. on this st. patrick's day, plenty of parades will be held celebrating irish heritage, the oldest and largest right here in the big apple where about 2 million people are expected to watch or march. looking at today's weather there could be some rain along the parade route in new york. showers along the gulf coast, mountain snow in the northern rockies. nice and sunny throughout the

>> very nice. and finally this morning, we know one thing is for certain as march madness gets under way, some wild finishes are all but guaranteed before a champion is crowned. >> and whatever actually happens, the big boys have nothing on one little guy. abc news "world news tonight" anchor david muir introduces him to us. >> reporter: watch jack jeffrey, number 45 on the right playing basketball since he was 4. right there wearing number 21, nothing but net. now 8 years old, look at this. and the championship game just this past week. jack now playing for the blue devils facing the number one panthers. his team down by three. only six seconds left. are you kidding me? jack in the half-court buzzer beating tying the game. now in overtime, and who gets the ball again? jack taking the shot from

from the other angle the team, the coaches soon on the court. jack checking in with us. >> hi, david. my name is jack jeffrey and i love basketball. >> reporter: we could tell. he has one wish. >> when i'm older i want to be in the nba. >> reporter: david muir, abc news, new york. >> i got to say one thing about that man, the knicks and sixers could really use that kid right about now. he would be a star player on those teams, and steph curry would probably like him, as well. >> powerful punch there, little guy. >> yeah, he said his favorite player is blake griffin. >> i'd like to know what his bracket looks like. >> that's the big thing and what a lot are dealing with today. this is one of those days that many say that not a lot of work gets done. about 90% of guys are probably going to be calling off later today or tomorrow because the games get under way at noon. kansas, of course,

good for the economy and that's a good idea. america this morning. >> have a good one. breaking news rainout on eyewitness news this morning. investigators are trying to find out what caused the fatal fire at a home in mineola. what they did to try to rescue the person trapped inside. my time is valuable i worked hard yesterday. >> hundreds of election workers will line up to get the money they are owed. their checks bounce. >> 5 am thursday, march 17, saint patrick's day and somebody got the memo. >> we have an excuse.