making news this morning, outrage is spreading. >> marchers in several cities. growing calls for justice, after the shooting death of trayvon martin. why his killer is still a free man. also, copter crash caught on tape. a close call, as an apache helicopter barely misses people who were standing just a few feet away. and the growing cookie controversy. how many girl scout cookies are sold by actual girl scouts? the call for parents to stop selling. spring in maine, looking more like summer. swimsuits on the slopes, with more warm weather in store for today.

good morning, everybody. the parents were trayvon martin meet with officials from the justice department later today. >> and they are demanding answers about the way their son's shooting was handled by local police. it is a case that is sparking outrage across our country. we begin our coverage with abc's tahman bradley. >> reporter: the anger over the shooting death of trayvon martin, an unarmed black teenager, continues to intensify. >> justice. now. >> reporter: last night, thousands marched in several cities across the country to show their outrage. at a new york city rally, trayvon's parents joined the demonstrators. >> trayvon martin did matter. i just want new york to know that we're not going to stop until we get justice for trayvon. >> reporter: the tragedy happened february 26th in sanford, florida. the 17-year-old was returning to a gated community, after buying

candy from a convenient store, when a neighborhood watch volunteer began to follow him. >> these [ bleep ]. they always get away. >> are you following them? >> yeah. >> you don't need to do that. >> reporter: the man, george zimmerman does anyway. he confronts trayvon. a struggle ensues. then, a single gunshot. >> there's gunshots. >> i'm pretty sure the guy's dead. >> reporter: zimmerman, claiming self-defense, has not been charged for the shooting. as the justice department investigates the shooting, abc news has learned that local investigators ignored key witnesses and failed to contact martin's girlfriend, who was on the phone with him moments before he died. in sanford, a vote of no confidence for the police chief. and calls for his resignation. the author of florida's stand your ground law, which gives leeway for people to use deadly force when they feeled

threatened, says the law doesn't apply here was a zimmerman was pursuing trayvon. rob and paula? >> thanks to tahman bradley for that report. turning overseas, and that standoff between french police and a shooting suspect in toulouse, is being its second day. hundreds of police cordoned off streets and surrounded the apartment building where mohammed merah is still holed up inside. suspicions that the sympathizer may have killed himself. police were hoping to take him alive. back here at home, the mitt romney campaign is trying to recover from yet another embarrassing misstep. this time, a popular children's toy is playing a major role in the political drama. here's abc's jake tapper. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a day for mitt romney's campaign to revel in its victory and try to get the party behind him. but then, a top romney strategist was asked on cnn if romney had run too far to the right to win in november.

>> he hit a reset button for the fall xin. everything changes. it's almost like an etch-a-sketch. you shake it up and start all over again. >> reporter: an etch-a-sketch. the toy for children was there were rivals. >> you're not looking for someone who is the etch-a-sketch candidate. >> reporter: governor romney responded to the controversy, saying the issues he's running on now will be the same ones in november. >> i'm running as a conservative republican. i was a conservative governor. i will be running as a conser conservative nominee. >> reporter: now is the time for republicans to unite behind governor romney. senator john mccain, who has endorsed romney agrees. why is it difficult to drop out even when you can look at the math and know you're not going to be the nominee? >> you invested so much. you have this loyal cadry of people. don't drop out. we can do it.

>> reporter: hope springs eternal. all the more so when the front-runner fumbles. jake tapper, abc news, washington. meantime, president obama is in oil skun ahead of a major energy announcement today. the president mingles with servicemen and women after air force one touched down in oklahoma today. he's going to announce a plan to speed up development of a portion of the controversial keystone pipeline, the part stretching from oklahoma to texas refineries. a body believed to be that of a missing montana teacher has been found in north dakota. police say that sherry arnold was snatched off the street at random during a morning jog more than two months ago. one of the suspects charged in the case admits they kidnapped arnold and choked her to death. and homicide and other formal charges are expected to be filed today against army sergeant robert bales. he is accused of leaving his base in afghanistan and killing 16 afghan civilians. many of them children.

bales is in custody at ft. leavenworth, texas. we want you to look at this video. an apache helicopter swoops in and bounces off a snow-covered landing zone. and it kept spinning into the distance, completely out of control. just flipping, flipping. luckily, no one on the ground was hurt. and the two-man flight crew amazingly survived. the $20 million chopper, however, was destroyed. the army is looking into the entire incident. >> amazing they survived. wow. a truly bizarre story here. a central wisconsin town is trying to find the source of mysterious booming noises that have been rattling resident there's. people in clintonville have been startled out of bed by the noises at least three nights here. city officials are stumped. residents are becoming increasingly concerned. >> a lot of people, the house is rattling. you can hear the ground rattling. it's booming all the time. it's like what's going on? you know? you don't know what's happening? >> reporter: luckily in all this, there's been no injuries or serious damage. so far, experts have ruled out

an earthquake, military exercises. also ruled out mining, as well. weird, huh? >> what a mystery. >> no one knows what's going on there. now, for weather across the nation. it's going to be 30 degrees warmer than normal, from the dakotas to the northeast. morning fog. thunderstorms to the carolinas. heaviest downpours in flooding in mississippi and alabama. >> 40s in seattle and portland. 68 in sacramento. and 59 in salt lake city. parts of the midwest and northeast could hit 80 degrees. record highs could be broken today. 71 in dallas. 75 in new orleans. 83 in miami. >> what were we saying today? 1,500 record highs. >> 1,700. >> 1,700. >> crazy. coming up, a big corporate shakeup. a new name coming to some of your favorite snack foods. and abc news getting big-time results. there's a growing list of

grocery chains out there, vowing to stop the sales of beef with the filler known as pink slime. and the cookie debate. how many girl scout cookies are sold by real girl scouts, as opposed to ma and pa?

and u.s. economic policymakers are breathing a sigh of relief. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke says the worst is over in europe. and even if the debt crisis there worsens significantly, u.s. banks are still in good shape to withstand the shock.

overseas markets were up slightly on mixed news from the u.s. and china. tokyo's nikkei average picked up 41 points today. hong kong's hang seng gained 49. and in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow falling 46 points yesterday. the nasdaq index was up one. if stockholders approve, kraft will call its subsidiary, mondelez international. the new name was suggested by two employees. it's a combination of the latin worlds for world and delicious. grocery products like their famous mac and cheese will simply be called kraft. even before "the hunger games" opens in movie theaters tonight, its soundtrack is burning up the itunes charts. it includes songs by three big-name acts. soundtracks and companion albums have not done quite this well. and think about it. when was the last time you

bought girl scout cookies from an actual girl scout? the organization would really wish the girls could do the selling themselves, other than their parents. girl scout usa wants parents to help, not take over, ala hand the sheet over the company office. >> we all get them from our adult colleagues. coming up next, clothing giants like tommy hilfiger, taking action, after workers die, making clothes bound for the u.s. it's all part of an abc news investigation. and how warm will it be near you today? this is not california or hawaii. this is maine.

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in maine, stripped down to bikini tops and shorts, even. and some of the guys went shirtless, as temps were around the 80-degree mark. many of the resorts that usually stay hope through april have closed for the season. now, for a look at road conditions. wet on i-5, from seattle to portland. icy on i-84 and 90. rain soaking new orleans to st. louis. i. 10, along the gulf coast. from the northern plains to chicago. get out that umbrella. >> if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in chicago, kansas city, minneapolis, new orleans, atlanta, charlotte and seattle. and now, to the fallout from our abc news investigation into what's known as pink slime, that pink filler that has been added to 70% of the ground beef here in the united states. >> such appetizing stuff. abc news was the first to report that safeway, the nation's second-largest supermarket chain, is no longer using the slime, which the meat industry

calls lean finely textured beef. >> we call it slime. they call it textured beef. all right. also, the nation's third-largest chain, supervalu, albertson's, lucky, and jewel osco is pulling all pink slime from its shelves. >> and walmart will soon offer beef options that do not contain pink is slime. another abc news investigation getting results after nearly 500 garment workers died making clothes for american brands in the past 5 years. brian ross went behind the scenes at new york's fashion week to ask tommy hilfiger about a fire at this factory in bangladesh. it killed 29 workers. hilfiger said his clothes are no longer made there. but later, he called abc news back. >> i did make a mistake in telling you that i would imagine we would be pulling out of all

bangladesh, when, in fact, that wasn't true. >> yesterday, hilfiger announced a landmark agreement, putting up as much as $2 million for an independent fire inspector and to support safety standards. something they refused to do before our investigation. brian ross getting news. some devilish behavior has now resulted in the coach of the new orleans saints being suspended for the entire season. sean payton's suspension begins april 1st, when the nfl ruled he did not do enough to stop the saints' bounty program. the former defensive coordinator, gregg williams, was also, indefinitely banned from the league. some unhappy days in the big easy, for sure. mixed reaction to this news. quarterback tim tebow is heading to new york. the broncos traded him to the j-e-t-s, jets, jets, jets, last night, in exchange for a couple of draft picks. the deal almost clamsed when the teams couldn't agree who would

pay tebow's $5 million salary advance. they decided to split it evenly. march madness resumes tonight, with the first of the sweet 16 match-ups. as for the pros last night, some highlilights from espn news. >> good morning. i'm don bell with your espn news update. and we start in dallas. the lakers visiting the mavs. kobe bryant. on fire early. spinning. baseline. drano. in the second, corner pocket. three-ball good. lakers season high 58% from the floor. and then, kobe, in the lane. acrobatic, making the play. 21st 30-point game of the season. lakers win, 109-93. carmelo anthony and the knicks, visiting the 76ers. fourth quarter we go. jeremy lin. pump fake. making it happen down low. new york up by three. later, tied at 63-63.

scrambling for the loose ball, anthony, finding amar'e stoudemire. amar'e had a big game. knicks up by two. later on, lin, driving layup, going to the hole with soul. 18 points, 3 assists. knicks win, 82-79. derek fisher's first day with his new team, the oklahoma city thunder. taking on the clippers. second quarter we go. kevin durant, doing what he's always done. thunder lead by ten. third quarter now, durant, stick a hand in his face, or he'll do that. fourth quarter, derek fisher, five points. had his thunder debut. they go on their way to win 114-91. that will do it for this espn news update. we love this next story. fraternities at western kentucky university are sending a powerful message with their feet. the guys donned red stilettos to

raise awareness about violence against women. and despite the obvious discomfort, the men said they were happy to suffer a bit for a good cause. some men out there can empathize with how painful it is to be a woman. up next, a vanity edition of "the pulse. "which a-lister appears unbrushed in a cover shoot? we're going to show it to you. plus, another reason not to mess with miss piggy. you know who you are. you can part a crowd, without saying a word. you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts. well, muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. zyrtec®. love the air.

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okay. we know you're ready for it. it is time for "the pulse." and it's all about appearances today. scientists may be closing in on a cure for baldness. they've been able to isolate a protein that triggers -- you have a long ways. >> that could eventually lead to a cream that could reverse, even prevent balding. unfortunately they say, that process could take quite a while. 80% of guys, in fact, experience hair loss as they age. >> and a lot of women do, as well. >> it's not pretty on anybody. speaking of hair, we have news about a very famous head of it belonging to former governor rod blagojevich. >> he is serving 14 years behind bars for political corruption. and now, his former barber is speaking out. he says blagojevich has been dyeing his hair for years. >> dyes are not allowed in prison. so, in about three months, he's going to look probably a little more like this. i always wonder if he's got natural curl in that hair, too.

>> you have to wonder what he'll look like post-prison. hang in there, rod. cate blanchett is making a bold beauty statement on her latest magazine cover. the actress appears with a photograph that has not been touched up or photoshopped. >> it reflects real life. but she is genetically blessed and looks great, even without the help. she doesn't need any. >> but new respect for her. >> for sure. take a look at this. a throwdown, on the set of "the talk." >> hey. what's wrong with you? hey. how dare you do that to me? >> i think that's great. what set it off? sharon osbourne admitted she rubs kermit's feet.

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without smudging, creasing or fading away. updating the top stories right now. hundreds of protesters marched in new york, demanding justice in the trayvon martin case. parents of the florida team will meet justice department investigators later today. and president obama announces plans too fast track development of an oil pipeline from oklahoma to texas. it is part of the much-bigger keystone project, which the president rejected earlier this year. and the army is investigating this apache helicopter crash last month in snow-covered afghanistan. amazingly, no one on the ground was hurt. and the two-man flight crew survived. rain and mountain snow in the northwest. heavy rain and flooding in the southwest. and warmer from the dakotas to new england. and finally from us this morning, the much-anticipated "hunger games" opened at

midnight tonight to already sold-out audiences. >> and while the stars of the film are already getting swarmed by fans, the author of the book series it's based on has remained under the radar. dan harris has more of her personal story that shaped the trilogy. >> reporter: if you look closely during this frenzied hollywood premiere, you catch a fleeting glimpse of her. the woman who made this all happen. a media-shy mother of two. suzanne collins has never done a tv interview. but we get a rare insight into her and the "hunger games" trilogy, in this video from her publisher, scholastic. >> i was flipping through images of reality television, where there were these young people competing for a million dollars. and i was seeing footage from the iraq war. and these two things began to fuse together in a very unsettling way. >> reporter: katniss, the fierce

heroine at the heart of the story, is a far cry from the "twilight" saga's bella, who is often a damsel in distress. collins' is set in a future dystopia, where a tyrannical government forces teenagers to fight to the death on reality tv. collins, whose father served in vietnam when she was a little girl, explains in this interview that she wants young people to think critically. >> what do you think about choices your government, past and present, or other governments around the world make? what's your relationship to reality tv, versus your relationship to the news? >> reporter: collins may shun the spotlight herself. but this mom and her views are about to be everywhere. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> the reasons behind a movie like that. fascinating. >> love that she's making kids think. >> exactly. amen to th