tv America This Morning ABC April 17, 2012 4:00am-4:30am EDT
4:00 am
real help, real answers right now. making news this morning, weather extremes. >> it's mother nature's springtime surprise. baking the northeast, while burying northern minnesota in a foot of snow. also, new details in the growing scandal involving elite u.s. agents and prostitutes in colombia. the booze-fueled mess that's now spreading to the pentagon. and death by swan. the caretaker of a suburban lake, killed by an overly aggressive bird. and we've all got them. photos we'd pretty much like to forget. well, guess what? the first lady reveals hers for the world to see. good tuesday, morning,
4:01 am
everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm tanya rivero, in for paula faris. a mixed bag of extreme weather has thrown millions of americans for a loop. >> from a deadly tornado outbreak in the plains, a foot of snow in minnesota. and record heat in the northeast. tahman bradley has it all covered. >> reporter: weather is really hot or really cold. the weather across the country is out of control. in some places, you'd never know it was only mid-april. kids jump for joy at the beach, while adults tan. >> i can't believe we're out in april. it's fabulous. >> it's beautiful out today. the water is very cold. but it's nice to relax and put your feet in the sand. >> reporter: in philadelphia yesterday, the temperature was around 90. boston was so hot, people opted out of the marathon. >> first time ever we have air conditioning in the tents because of the weather this year. >> reporter: the unseasonably warm weather is expected to lost in parts of the midwest and northeast through the end of the week. but not everyone is so lucky. in some places, winter returned
4:02 am
with a vengeance. in minnesota, they're shoveling out, where snow wreaked havoc and school closures. they got nearly a foot of snow. >> amazed on april 16th, we could get this much snow. >> i wasn't expecting this much. but it's minnesota. if you expect something, something's going to change. it's all going to change. so, kind of like predicting a wife. >> reporter: parts of the midwest are still cleaning up after more than 100 devastating tornadoes swept through oklahoma, kansas, iowa and nebraska over the weekend. in sweeney, texas, heavy rains left motorists driving through flooded streets. farmers are watching nervously. the weather could turn again. tahman bradley, abc news. >> what a spring it's been. we'll get a check of today's weather coming up later in this half hour. first, we have exclusive new details involving this unfolding scandal involving the secret service and members of the u.s. military. abc news has learned the agents
4:03 am
under investigation were partying at a cartagena brothel. the men were drinking heavily on their night out and enlisted the services of the club's prostitutes. with more, here's abc's karen travers in washington. >> if it turns out that some of the allegations that have made in the press are confirmed, then of course, i'll be angry. >> reporter: those allegations include heavy drinking and soliciting prostitutes. sources say 11 secret service personnel and more than 10 u.s. service members were involved in the incident. >> we let the boss down because nobody's talking about what went on in colombia, other than this incident. >> reporter: the secret service personnel have lost their security clearance, pending the outcome of the investigation. congressional hearings are inevitable. >> security was compromised by the fact that these agents were in this compromised position, where they could be blackmailed. >> reporter: the team arrived in colombia about a week before the president. by last wednesday, staff at the
4:04 am
hotel caribe became aggravated with the agents' heavy drinking and partying. sources say they were bringing local prostitutes into the hotel. the whole incident may have stayed a secret. but -- >> there was a dispute the next morning when one of the women did not leave the room. police had to come and ask her to leave. she would not leave until the secret service agents paid her money she said was owed to her. >> the secret service is now looking at other strip clubs in the area and trying to locate surveillance tapes which may show what the americans were up to. now, to another scandal drawing the attention of lawmakers on capitol hill. members of the house heard new details about that spending spree by employees of the general services administration. but they did not hear from the official who is at the center of that scandal, shown in photos relaxing in a vegas hot tub right there. jeffrey neely took the fifth. he is facing criminal charge, as
4:05 am
well. on capitol hill, republicans and senate have blocked further discussion on the so-called buffett rule. it would have ensured that the highest-earning taxpayers pay a 30% tax rate. republicans argued it would hurt small businesses. with 29 weeks to go before the november election, president obama holds a comfortable lead over republican mitt romney. a new cnn poll finds that if the election were held today, 52% say they would vote to re-elect the president. 43% would choose mitt romney. the president's lead is wider among women voters. ahead by 16 percentage points over romney. diane sawyer talked to romney about the perception that he's out of touch with ordinary americans, especially when it comes to his wealth. and his apparent reluctance to disclose his tax returns. >> if you have nothing to hide, why not release 12 years? >> the president is trying to do everything possible to divert
4:06 am
the attention from his record as president. he wants to get the details on each year. i'm not going to get into that. >> another issue romney isn't getting into just yet, his choice for a running mate. he wants to avoid the fallout john mccain faced in 2008, when he chose the high-impact but inexperienced sarah palin. thousands gathered on the virginia tech campus last night to remember those killed on an on-compass massacre. 32 people and the gunman died that day. it was the deadliest mass shooting in mott earn history. and it's time, now, for the weather across the nation. cooling down in the northeast. but still above normal. strong thunderstorms, with hail, gusty winds and flooding in the carolinas and georgia. also, stormy from pensacola to montgomery and new orleans. a drier day in texas.
4:07 am
showers from the northern rockies to the dakotas. evening rain and mountain snow in the pacific northwest. >> 54 in seattle. 66 in salt lake city. and near 90 in phoenix. fargo hits 61. mostly 70s from new orleans up to beantown. and coming up, the costly lightbulb of the future going on sale this weekend. it could soon be the only option. >> wait until you hear how long it lasts. and a midair scare we learned about overnight. a pilot's big mid flight mistake and the injuries because of it. and later in "the pulse," whoa, baby. this tiny tot really wants to see what is on that computer.
4:10 am
gas prices are falling again. the average price of a gallon of regular is 2 cents less than a week ago, $3.90. that's still 7 cents from a month ago. and prices are probably going to rise again. dartmouth's president is headed to the world bank. he was headed to the institution after his naming by president obama. the world bank's president has always been from the u.s. this year, there was opposition from developing nations. overseas markets were held down over continued worries over europe's debt problems. nshg nshg lost 6 points today. hong kong's hang seng fell 131 points. in london, the ftse opened
4:11 am
lower. and on wall street, the dow rose 72 points yesterday. the nasdaq index lost 23, largely because apple's stock fell more than 25 points. and the lightbulb of the future goes on sale this sunday. the phillip's bulb won a $10 million contest for price efficiency and lighting. and it should last about 20 years. most bulbs will be banned in two years. and the rumors about a miniipad are back. asian media are reporting the pocket-sized tablet could go on sale this year or next. it would have a five-inch or seven-inch screen. apple isn't talking. >> no surprise. today is tax day. the deadline for filing your income taxes or requesting an extension. and to sweeten the sting, several restaurant chains are offering some freebies today,
4:12 am
from curly fries to frozen yogurt. there's a list and link to coupons on abcnews.com. not even free cinnamon buns can sweeten the fact that activists say today is equal payday. when women have earned enough to make up for last year's wage gap. 3 1/2 months of the new year, women catch up to what men made in 2011. what year is it? >> it's about time. that's right. yeah. that and a dime. coming up next on this tuesday morning, serious stuff. the swan responsible for the death of a kayaker. and the latest light show, courtesy of the sun.
4:15 am
these amazing pictures of a powerful solar flare were captured by a nasa spacecraft yesterday. superheated particles and plasma shooting deep into space. the temperature, nearly 150,000 degrees fahrenheit. now, for a look at morning road conditions on this tuesday. wet on i-40, from raleigh to asheville. and to atlanta and birmingham. rain soaks i-10, from tallahassee to new orleans. and by this evening, it will be snowy on parts of i-84 and 90 in the cascades and northern rockies. >> and if you're taking to the skies, airport delays are possible in atlanta, charlotte and new orleans. well, some quick thinking on the part of a 3-year-old boy in colorado springs turned what could have been a tragedy into a very happy ending. >> the boy's dad had just stepped outside his car in a convenient store parking lot, when someone jumped in and sped away with the boy still inside. the carjacker let the boy out in
4:16 am
front of a nearby house, where he had the presence of mind to ring the doorbell in the middle of the night and say, help me, i'm cold. he was able to say his name and his parents' names. and police reunited the family. >> smart kid. there is heartbreak, though, for a chicago area family this morning after her husband and father died in a bizarre attack. anthony hensley drowned when his kayak was overturned by an aggressive swan. swans are known to be protective of their young. >> they probably thought he was going too close to their eggs. and they were too scared and just attacked him. >> he was well loved in the community. and it's great for the community to come together for the family. >> the company hensley worked for placed the swan there as a way to scare off geese. now, osha is investigating the
4:17 am
circumstances of that man's death. waking up so woozy we don't know where we are. a new canadian government report blames pilot grogginess on a sudden dive last year. the pilot thought he was going to hit another plane. but the report also notes that the 16 people injured failed to comply with lit seat belt signs. and england's airport is back to normal. operations were shut down after a small fire forced an energy landing. 15 people were injured while escaping down the emergency slide. time, now, for the latest from the nhl playoffs. here's espn news. >> hi. i'm will selva with this "sportscenter" update. the caps and the bs trying to play a game in regulation. series tied at 1-1. the series shifting to d.c. alexander ovechkin, lighting the lamp. the caps have the 2-1 lead in
4:18 am
the second period. later in the period, daniel paille, dragging the rebound. puts it back in. game tied at 2-2. third period, shot is out. brian rolston puts in the rebound. and bruins were up 3-2. light on the break-away. he would get denied. game tied at 3-3, now. under three minutes to go. bruins on the power play. zdeno chara, shot. save. and the whistle, wouldn't you know it. milan lucic and matt hendricks, they go at it. lucic, would get to the penalty box. making it now four-on-four. mere seconds later. chara, one-timing. wristing it home. and the bruins go on to win,
4:19 am
4-3. and they are now up 2-1 games in the series. and the red sox, appearing twice this week on espn and espn2. first, wednesday night at 7:00 eastern on espn2. the red sox take on josh hamilton and the two-time defending a.l. texas rangers. sunday night at 8:00 eastern on espn, the sox host derek jeter and the yankees. both games available on espn3, and the watch espn app. coming up next, the first lady reveals her prom picture. this one you've got to see. >> very brave of her. plus, tupac shakur performs on stage 16 years after he died. and the video is burning up you know line. one cat's annoying wake-up call. i love cash back.
4:20 am
4:21 am
3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ [ female announcer ] improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno. i found a moi♪ urizer for life. abracadabra. new hershey's milk chocolate with almonds in pieces. your favorites, in pieces. you know, from car insurance companies shouting, "save 500 bucks over here!" "no, save 300 bucks over here!" "wait, save 400 bucks right here."
4:22 am
with so many places offering so much buck-saving, where do you start? well, esurance was born online, raised by technology, and majors in efficiency. so they're actually built to save you money... and time... and whiplash. esurance. insurance for the modern world. click or call. all right. time to check out "the pulse," the stories you'll be talking about today. starting with cringe-worthy promwear. >> that's right. first lady michelle obama, fits the category. take a look. during a video chat on the ellen degeneres show, admitted that her look was a little too risque. the first lady said she wouldn't want to see her daughters in anything similar. and who is that man? >> he looks older than high
4:23 am
school. i don't know who that guy is. i'm sure he regrets not hanging on to michelle. >> he does look like 35 to me. all right. now, did you see this over the weekend? tupac shakur performed live at the coachella music festival. >> this was amazing. it was a hologram performing with snoop dogg and dr. dre. but it looked real to the hundreds of folks around that show. the stunt cost around 400 grand. last night, jimmy kimmel called it pretty cool. >> he's been dead for 16 years. he's still in much better shape than i am. hologram tupac did a duet with snoop, which we have some tape of. it's pretty cool. it looks like they're on the stage together. you look at snoop, he doesn't know what's happening. i may have smoked too much, finally. [ laughter ] i'm having hallucinations. >> i love jimmy kimmel. >> oh, snoop. tupac's mom, by the way, she
4:24 am
approved the hologram of her son was pretty amazing. extremely life-like. look at that. >> on stage together. several videos burning up online this morning. when you hear pullups and babies, you usually think diapers, right? >> take a look at little jonas, who is doing serious pullups on the side of daddy's desk. he was not trying to build upper body strength. he was trying to get a better look at cartoons on the computer screen. that was just out of reach. keep it up, kid. >> he's one strong little kid. >> you will rule preschool, kid. and a family pet is giving its owners arude awakening every day of the week. making sure he is not the only one in the house bright-eyed and brushy-tailed. >> every day at 5:00 a.m. sharp, boo the cat loudly flips the door stop back and forth, until the owner is wide-awake. they could leave the door open. but he likes to bite their
4:25 am
4:26 am
start out softer and more vulnerable? new aquafresh kids fresh and fruity toothpaste gently cleans their teeth with natural calcium and fights cavities with fluoride. try new aquafresh kids fresh and fruity toothpaste. [ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ laughs ] that's awesome. you can read that? ♪ [ female announcer ] the accufit digital system, exclusively at lenscrafters... is about 5 times more precise than manual measurement techniques. lenscrafters. [ jennifer ] better. stronger. it's time to believe again. stand up and take charge. join for free [ female announcer ] and if you join by april 21st, you can get a free month.
4:27 am
[ jennifer ] weight watchers. believe. because it works. updating the top stories this morning. even more members of the secret service and the military are implicated in the growing sex scandal. a top official at the pentagon says he is embarrassed by the allegations. a new cnn poll finds president obama holds a 52-43% lead over mitt romney in the race for the white house. the president's lead among women voters even wider, at 16 points. the shuttle "discovery" travers to its final resting place today at the smithsonian museum. the safety will ride a jumbo jet. evening showers and mountain snow in the pacific northwest. rain in the rockies and dakotas. and thunderstorms along the gulf coast and from raleigh to atlanta. and finally this morning, it was hot, hot, hot, on "dancing with the stars" last night.
4:28 am
not only was it latin night. >> my favorite. but two of the couples came close to perfection. abc's george pennacchio has all of the latest news. ♪ >> reporter: singer katherine jenkins and william levee both scored 29 out of 30. their argentine tangos. william took the stage after getting an mri for an ankle injury. >> i was worried that my ankle would get worse. >> i have to take this a week at a time. i have friends and family that want to come and visit. i won't let them book flights because what if i'm not here. >> reporter: two points behind them, tv host maria menounos. >> i was kind of really nervous. you were nervous going into this one. this is a really, really hard one. >> reporter: they tried with football star, donald driver, who twirled his partner in one of the night's most memorable moves. >> i didn't have to do anything.
4:29 am
i just kicked my legs up. >> reporter: roshon fegan danced to fifth place with his salsa. melissa gilbert came in eighth. and her partner is concerned they may be in tomorrow's danceoff because of it. >> you leave it up to the judges, they will let us go. i don't know what the deal is. i feel almost sorry for melissa for having me as a partner. i feel like i'm a liability. >> reporter: and gavin degraw feels like he's in damage, landing in last place. >> i need a rescue. somebody throw me a lifeline. i can't swim. it's tough. >> reporter: here comes the twist, the bottom two couples based on your votes and judges' scores will need to dance off for the judges tonight. and the judges will decide which one of those couples goes home. in los angeles, george pennacchio, for abc news. >> i love me a little salsa. >> you like to do it? >> yeah. >> really? >> it's the cuban in me. ri
205 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
WJLA (ABC) Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on