making news this morning, severe storms. >> on this final day of winter, tornadoes, flash floods and more. an extreme system that pummeled the west with mountain snow and blinding wind. new details in the case against robert bales. his defense team arriving in kansas overnight to meet with him. and the $100 billion question. apple's big announcement just hours away. what will it do with all that cash? and last night's rare one on one, oprah with lady gaga. the pop star on fame, family, and that meat dress. and, what does her mom call her?

good morning, rob nelson is off. i'm t.j. winick. >> and i'm paula faris. winter is not giving up without a fight, at least for a chunk of the country bracing for severe storms today. >> it will be a rough day for much of the center of the country today. >> the first wallop to the west coast. now it that has plains in the cross hairs. late sunday, tornadoes fired you have across the plains, a hint of what is likely today. storm chasers spotting several twisters in oklahoma. two touched down overnight in north platte, nebraska. to the west, mown tears of arizona and new mexico are buried with snow, shutting down major interstates for a time. kids in flagstaff enjoying a snow day today. the town got two feet of snow over the weekend. in lower elevations, high winds

made for dangerous driving, blowing dust across highways, bring aing down trees, knocking out power to thousands. winds whipped up the surf up and down the state. >> i've seen it almost as bad. not quite this bad. >> reporter: for the mountains outside san diego, a foot of fresh snow was a great sight. >> i think it's cool. >> want to make a snow angel? >> no. >> i used to love snow days. they're digging out in the mountains. what about today's severe water threat? >> that's right. jim dickey is that canning the system. >> strong storms from dallas to east oklahoma. up into kansas city, missouri. strong storms will fire as in the afternoon and early evening hours. large hail, damaging wind gusts, 60 to 70 miles per hour in the

storms. is the storm drift their way to the coast. watch out in new orleans. back to you. >> the "gma" weather team is tracking today's threat. we'll have the latest at 7:00. that army soldier accused of killing afghanistans will have the first meeting with his defense team today. post traumatic stress may be a defense in the case. tahman bradley joins us with more. >> reporter: bales' defense team says it's too earl will i to determine what factors they have played into the incident. they look forward to meeting with their client over the next several days. the soldier accused of murdering 16 afghan civilians will meet with his attorney for the first time today. staff sergeant robert bales is being held in hol tear

confinement at ft. leavenworth. he could face life in prison of the death penalty. >> it has legal ramifications, social ramifications. you can't imagine a bigger case. >> reporter: attorney john henry brown may argue that bales, injured twice in his four tours of duty, suffered from post traumatic stress. >> even deployed three or four sometimes probably going have some level of ptsd. >> reporter: the case might be difficult for them to prosecute. it will be difficult to tie the weapon used to bales because afghans don't allow autopsies. >> i don't think it's a slam dunk case. the government may have very, very substantial problems in investigating this case and bringing it to trial. >> reporter: for those who know the married father of two, the massacre is hard to comprehend. >> a good guy.

fun to be with. never thought something like this would happen. >> reporter: he did have a few run ins with the law. a hit and run. he was frustrated over a missed promotion, his wife blogged. experts saying getting an acquittal by arguing post dramatic stress is almost unheard of in a military trial. to presidential poll tiblgs now, where mitt romney picked up more delegates. he won all 20 delegates at stake in puerto rico because he prevailed with more than 50% of the vote. that puts his delegate total at 521, far ahead of any rival. he campaigns in illinois today. rick santorum will also be campaigning in illinois, after a weekend appearance in indiana, refusing calls to step aside, he claimed he was in the contest for a long haul because romney is weak front-runner.

the duggar family hit chicago area churches to stump for santorum. and president obama took on the nation's bullies last night, lending his star power at a do. ry aimed at children. the film features heart-wrenching personal stories for children that have been harassed. the president said, to the parents and steecherrors stand up. for the children, speak up. >> it's wrong. everyone has to take action against bullying. >> the white house estimates that 13 million students are bullied reach year. it's time for the weather across the nation. the adindition to the severe weather, look for thunderstorms in minneapolis. showers from pittsburgh to the carolinas.

the eastern half of the country still feels more like summer. >> 80s from dallas to hotlanta. near 80 in chicago. 75 in kansas city. 40s in the pacific northwest. sacramento, 55. >> i left chicago not long ago. my friend said, you leave, it all armed with up. not sure how i should take that. all eyes on am this morning. and promising news for gadget-loving tralers. powering down could soon be a thing of the past. and the dance floor is ready for tonight's debut of season 14 of "dancing with the stars." we'r

welcome back, everyone. we're going to find out this morning what apple plans to do with all its cash. the tech giant is sitting on almost $100 billion in cash and securities. even the ceo, tim cook, knows it's more than apple needs to have on hand. they'll issue a dividend to their stock holders. overseas, markets were mixed. tokyo's nikkei average added 1 points. hong kong's hang seng lost 45. in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow gained 311 points last week. the nasdaq was up 67. we're buying more small, cheap cars. the average gallon of gas is now

$3.84, up almost a nick untel ie past weeks. it's no surprise that sales of low-price, sub compacts are up almost 50% compared to a year ago. the nation's biggest bank by market value is now wells fargo. the stock is worth some $9 billion more than j.p. morgan chase. it's ahead of hsbc. they pulled ahead of the rivals by concentrating on community banking services. starbucks today opens its first noncoffee shop the the evolution fresh juice store will open. it's like the coffee shops. the emmoi yees will mix the custom orders. let's call this next story the alec bald win effect. the faa is looking at the policy that forbids passengers using

the electronic devices during takeoff and landing. these are the first tests since 2006. and audiences jumped to see $21 jump street" this weekend. the action comedy played best for those under 25. who don't remember the tv show on what it's based. "the lorax" was in second and "john carter" was in third. >> you can always tell the kids. coming up next, fear on a stretch of florida coastline after two people are attacked bay shark. and today's big event. a high-profile first by the duchess of cambridge. [ ringing ] hello? [ sea ] hello, this is the sea calling. [ laughing ] [ sea ] what's the last romantic thing he did for you? ohh, i don't know...

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a huge wind-driven wild

fire forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in rural colorado overnight. at least two houses have burned since yesterday afternoon. three firefighters were injured. the fire is ten miles long and more than a mile wide. zwlmpblts for a look at the morning road conditions. snow on parts of i-15, 25, and 40 in the rockies and 84 and 90 in the cascades. wet on i-5 from seattle to portland. slick on i-70 and 80 in pennsylvania. >> if you're flying, airport delays possible in phoenix, dallas, houston, kansas city and minneapolis. a vigil was held last night in central florida calling for justice in the case of trayvon martin. she was shot dead by man on neighborhood patrol. >> the shooter was nottest theed for drugs or chol even though it's standard in most homicide

investigations. the parents want the fbi to take over the investigation. >> you to think his fate would have been the same had he been white? >> no. i don't think he would have been followed if he was a white kid. >> just released 911 tapes show that jimmerman continued to pursue the teenager after the police dispatcher told him not to. a popular boat show in central florida turned deadly over the week end. three people were killed when they were thrown out of their fast-moving boats. the latest accident happened on sunday when one vote ran over the top of another boat, ejected both men. all of the victims were experienced racers. swimmers at a florida beach are keeping an eye on the water. a 15-year-old girl was pulled underwater twice and bitten by a shark while paddling on her surfboard. her mother pulled her to safety.

minutes earlier, a shark attacked a 17 year-old boy in waste-deep water. >> the shark was on my leg when i looked over. >> both teens were treated an released from the hospital. they both have scars to remind them of the ordeal. overkneseas, a big day for royals. kate middleton gives her fist public speech later today. she'll speak at a hospice for children. she's alone while her husband, prince william, is away on a six-week deployment. actor and activist george clooney is a free man this morning after being arrested for refusing to leave a demonstration. he joked he's considering doing a war crime musical. that one phone call allowed to the newly arrested, he said he rang up his mom.

in the men's ncaa tournament, now 16 teams moving on. no big surprises over the weekend. we get the latest from espn news. good morning and welcome to your espn news update. i'm zubin mehenti. the lakers did something they haven't done since january 22nd, lose on their home court. down five to the jazz. they've lost 10 of 11 in l.a. against the lakers. milsap. down three. final seconds. kobe's got it. for the tie. no. he had just 15. jazz win, 103-99. blazers and the thunder in oklahoma city. kevin durant. wow. 26 for him.

russell westbrook. 28 for him. thunder had lost 3 of the last 4 at home. pretty odd for team that's one of the nba's pest at home. they're about to atone. durant, the two-time defending scoring champ. the blazers' seven-game road trip ends, 111-95, oklahoma city your winner. the ncaa tournament is down to its sweet 16. there are among four of your winners. the state of ohio has one quarter of the 16 teams remaining in the dance. and that is your espn news update. i'm zubin mehenti. have a wonderful week. >> ohio's loving it. ohio state, ou. cincinnati, and xavier. >> good times for the state of ohio. up next, "the pulse" including the video burning up the internet this morning.

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welcome back, everyone. it's time to check your "pulse," the pulse, the stories you'll be talk b about today. we start with jason russell. the man responsibility for the

documentary about joseph kony. >> this morning, he's in a psychiatric hospital after he was found on a san diego street, almost fully naked, ranting about the devil and slamming his firsts on the pavement. his family says he's suffering exhau exhaustion and dehydration. >> the negativity he heard took a toll on him. wow. >> absolutely. well, the world knows quite a bit more about lady gaga this morning, thankfully, thanks to her rare, two-hour interview with oprah winfrey. >> she told oprah she wrote the edge of fwlorry in ten minutes while doing tequila shots with dear old dad. >> her mom kaums her stefani. >> by tend of the night, was the

meat smelling? >> yes, but i kind of liked it. you know why? i don't like talking to celebrities. >>er mother looked some what normal. >> lady gaga warned fans this is the last they'll hear from her for awhile. quote, no press, no tv, all to focus on her own music. have you made your prediction which couple will take ohm the mirrorball trophy? >> no. >> you haven't? >> not yet. >> the 14th season kicks off tonight right here on abc. is there there's not one controversial contestant. they're going for a more nostalgic feel brining back tv stars from other ere ras like melissa gilbert and jaleel white. >> i'm going say martina

navratilova will going to bring it home. for everyone else, big wrong turns. blaming the gps for this. my dd in fruit, or fruit juice or fruit teas softens the enamel so that then it can potentially erode. once that enamel is gone, it's gone. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel to help harden that enamel so that it's not brushed away. pronamel protects your teeth from the effects of acid erosion. i don't have to cut out the things that i love in my diet. i can have the best of both worlds with pronamel.

updating today's top stories. see veer storms fired up overnight. more thatten a dozen tornadoes from south dakota to oklahoma. today, a threat of more of the same. the soldier accused of killing afghan civilians meets face to face with his lawyers for the first time today. he's been held at fort lech wof worth, kansas. shareholders of am have been lobbying for a dividend. look at today's waerts, more snow in arizona and the northern rockies, hail, gusty winds and tornadoes from texas to oklahoma city and kansas city. well most of us can't remember what it was like before

gps. >> as amazing at that technology can be, that voice inside your dashboard is not always correct. a lesson can be learned the hard way. here's dan kloeffler. >> reporter: they were headed here thursday. three japanese tourists to the beautiful sappeddy beaches of stadbroke island. it seemed simple enough. what their gps didn't show was the nine miles of water between the mainland and the island. >> continue driving ahead. >> reporter: so they kept on driving and driving. >> continue driving 14.5 kilometers. >> reporter: they made it across some of the water before they decided it was a bad idea. were they the victims of gps confusion of trying to replicate what happened on "the office." >> it can't mean that. there's a lake there. >> the machine nose.

>> it's a like. >> stop yelling at me. >> reporter: maybe some units have a thing for water. in washington state last year, instead of guiding a driver to a nearby hotel, the voice led her to a swampy stop. >> i don't know why they wouldn't question driving into a puddle that doesn't seem to end. >> reporter: in 2008, a bus driver followed his dregss right into a nine-foot bridge. >> continue straight ahead. >> reporter: his bus used to be 12 feet tall. a year later, one man almost drove off a cliff. perhaps the biggest gps blunder of all. what used to be this georgia man's childhood home. wrecking crews accidentally leveled the wrong address thanks to satellite coordinates. maybe it's a better idea to listen to the voice in your head.