making news in america this morning, tern warning for russia amid the crisis in ukraine. president obama reaches out to vladimir putin. what was said during that tense hour-long phone call. possible link. several murders are now connected to what could be a serial killer. the similarities, the new evidence tying them together and the warning from investigators. violent collision. new video this morning of a high-speed crash. what one driver was doing wrong that was likely the cause. and foul play. a college basketball fan doesn't like what he sees from the stands and confronts the opposing coach.

good friday morning. i'm john muller. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. we begin with that tense one-hour phone call between president obama and russian president vladimir putin. it is the second time in less than a week the two leaders have talked about the crisis in ukraine. president obama urged a diplomatic solution while proposing a pullback of russian troops. >> putin upped the ante saying ukraine's government is not lem and the conversation did little to quell the violent protests in ukraine. abc's tahman bradley live in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: john and marci, good morning. this standoff has taken a dangerous turn. secretary of state kerry returns home without a solution as vladimir putin digs in. with the crisis in ukraine rapidly escalate -- >> the slightest miscalculation could see it spiral out of control. >> reporter: -- the united states is offering vladimir putin a diplomatic solution. president obama is proposing direct talks between ukraine and

russia. russian forces returning to their bases and international monitors in ukraine but even after mr. obama and mr. putin spoke on the phone for an hour on thursday, the russian leader doesn't seem ready to budge. in fact, he's tightening his grip. putin claims ethnic russians living in crimea are being threatened and have asked for help. pro-russian authorities push the parliament to call for a referendum vote to officially become part of the russian federation. the u.s. calls that illegal. >> in 2014 we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders. >> reporter: the international community has moved swiftly to impose sanctions on russia. european leaders meeting in brussels on thursday suspended talks with russia on an economic pack pact and a visa agreement. >> he must not destabilize it further. >> reporter: the president ordered a ban on travel here and

is freezing their u.s. assets and sent fighter jets to the region to help nato monitor the skies. this could get dicey if the people of crimea decide during the referendum to join russia, the u.s. and eu will not recognize the vote. john and marci. >> tahman bradley, thank you. also in washington a setback for supporters of an effort to combat sex assaults in the military. commanders will retain their power to prosecute rape and other crimes after a closely watched vote in the senate. the vote was 55-45 in favor of stripping commanders of that authority short of the 60 votes necessary. the bill sponsor, senator kirsten gillibrand will likely force another vote in the spring. one of the top sex crime prosecutors is being investigated. joseph morris accused of groping and trying to kiss an army lawyer while both attending a conference in northern virginia in 2011. morse is currently on suspension pending the result of the investigation. more gripping testimony this morning at the murder trial of

south african runner oscar pistorius. his attorney has been furiously questioning a doctor who was among the first people on the scene after pistorius shot his girlfriend. among the details being challenged are what the doctor saw in pistorius' bathroom which can be seen from the doctor's house. and what the doctor heard before arriving where he found pistorius trying to keep reeva steenkamp's airway open. the doctor's testimony yesterday caused a strong emotional reaction from pistorius. at one point he appeared to be physically ill. >> four suspects have been arrested of a shooting at a memphis mall that sent shoppers running for cover. it was the result of a dispute between suspects and victim all who knew each other. at the sea pac under way outside washington presidential hopefuls are jockeying for position. among those trying to rehab his battered image is chris christie.

he urged republicans to focus on their own good ideas rather than tear down democratic proposals. >> when we say that we want to make a difference in our society we need to make a difference through free market reforms that have always worked in our country and we don't need to, mr. president, your opinion on what income equality is. we don't have an income equality problem. we have an opportunity inequality problem in perhaps the most enduring image from cpac comes from mitch mcconnell who took the stage brandishing a rifle. it turned out to be an nra lifetime achievement award for retiring senator coburn of oklahoma. it ends with a speech by sarah palin. massachusetts lawmakers proving a new voyeurism bill. well, the legislation was quickly drafted after a man who took pictures under the dresses of unsuspecting women on the boston subway was let off the hook. the ruling said the existing law

did not apply to photographic or videotaping people fully clothed in public places. strong thunderstorms left a mess across parts of south florida. more than an inch of rain fell in just a few hours. gusty winds knocked out power, tore up trees and scattered debris all over the place and several sporting events canceled or delayed. much more pleasant for florida but the rest of the southeast can expect wet weather. also snowy in western higher elevations then changing to a mixture of sleet and freezing rain stretching into wisconsin. otherwise mild and dry almost everywhere else. >> temperatures heating up, mostly 40s from the great lakes to the northeast. 50s in the midwest. lots of 60 degree plus readings in the south. more than 50% chance that el nino will form in the pacific later this year likely to mean heavy rain and flooding for drought stricken california next winter and less snow for the midwest and northeast. this weekend marks the beginning of daylight saving

time. that means that on sunday morning at 2:00 a.m., most of us will move our clocks ahead one hour to 3:00 a.m. it's also a good time to test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and make sure to replace those batteries. >> incredible ladies night at the white house with some great women of soul belting out some greatest hits. >> the amazing patti labelle. president obama had much praise for the singers, but he had a little spelling trouble when it came to introducing the queen of soul. >> when aretha first told us what r-s-p-e-c-t? [ laughter ] >> you're no good. >> aretha didn't seem to mind the flub. she brought down the house with a string of her hits and part of the lineup, melissa etheridge, jill scott and aryanna grande. it airs on april 7th. two americans selling

secrets to china. what oreo cookies have to do with it all. a sear cal killer on the loose near the nation's capital. here roaric actions on a burning bus. a brave driver jumps into action just in time.

welcome back. the government's new jobs report, the most important measure of the nation's economy, is out this morning. it's expected to show 145,000 jobs were created last month. that's an increase from 113,000 during january. the unemployment rate is expected to remain at 6.6%.

bank of america offering a checking option that it hopes will appeal to low-income customers. it will carry a set monthly fee of 4.95. customers won't write paper checks, do all their banking electronically available in five states. they will be offered nationally soon. the irs says that so far this tax season americans are getting an average return of just over $3,000. a sign more of us saving money only 19% plan to splurge on something they really, really want. two american businessmen have been convicted of economic espionage involving the oreo cookie. they conspired to steal the company dupont's method of making titanium dioxide, a formula used to whiten everything from cars to the middle of oreo cookies. the plan was to sell it to the chinese. the chemical generates $17 billion a year in sales. now the men could face more than 15 years in prison. chrysler is forcing schools across the country to destroy

nearly 100 dodge viners including one worth $250,000. >> the muscle cars were donated to high schools and colleges mostly for research. two were involved in steps that cost the company millions of dollars. an unexpected visitor gets distracted by something they weren't ready for. >> courtside confrontation, a basketball fan runs from the stands but this has nothing to do with the celebration. [poof!] [beep] [clicks mouse] nice office.

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opener against the phillies. now for a look at morning road conditions. watch out for snowy roads in the rockies and slippery conditions fromo wisconsin and in the southeast. if you're flying, the only possible weather related delay will be in denver. a washington, d.c. suburb on edge this morning after getting word that a serial killer may be on the loose. >> three unsolved murders in alexandria, virginia, appear to be connected. bullet markings from each crime scene are similar. the killings, one last month, one in november and one in 2003 took place within a two-mile radius and the victims were all respected and active members of the community. >> he believes in his mind that these three people represent the city of alexandria and the city has wronged him and he's going to make it right. >> and now police are looking for this man, the victims were all killed in the middle of the day but investigators stopped short of saying that the same gun was used. medical news now.

troubling new research about skin cancer. scientists have found those who survive the most common type of skin cancer have a 36% greater rick of developing other kinds of cancer. they say it holds particularly true for patients diagnosed before the age of 25. researchers say it may be because sunlight suppresses the body's immune system. well, check out this cringeworthy crash caught on dash cam much the pickup truck driver did not come to a complete stop before pulling right into traffic. oh, boy, looks like he's talking on his cell phone and apologized afterward saying it's completely his fault. thankfully nobody was seriously hurt. scary ride for a group of students on their way to school much the bus driver saved the day. he pulled over as soon as he smelled smoke and managed to get all four special needs children out including two in wheelchairs. police believe a faulty heater is to blame and say the driver did everything right. and from phoenix, we will

call this one the pugnacious pug versus the police. the pug is right there in the street basically just being a nuisance to the s.w.a.t. team that was on scene because of a robbery suspect who had barricaded himself in his home. >> unbelievable. despite his little size there, he's -- and being outgunned the pug creates a little bit of a stir before he hastily retreats to a safer distance. a student at u.c. barbara is facing legal action after outrageous behavior last night 5 at a basketball game. >> he charged on to the court to confront the coach from the university of hawaii and he was challenging the whole team while retreating back to his seat. security then escorted him out thankfully. >> what a dufus. >> meanwhile, it seeps johnny football is now a nike guy and we're talking about quarterback johnny manziel, the most marketable player in the upcoming nfl draft. >> signed a new deal with nike

for an undisclosed amount bringing him on board is a big win for the company that beat out adidas, underarmour and others for his signature. our friday morning sports highlights. >> we get those from our guys at espn. good morning, jonathan coachman, john buccigross. two big nba games. two biggest stars in the league, lebron james, latin night for the nba. and lebron does not like wearing these tight t-:30s when he's playing basketball. maybe after the game, also doesn't like to wear that mask after tony parker got two of his 17. lebron takes the mask off. nice pass here to chris bosh. heat kept trying to scrap back into it but the spurs just pull away. tim duncan, 23 points, 11 rebounds and san antonio beat the heat by 24. johnny, you mentioned the other big star. kevin durant. >> there he is. >> he met with muhammad ali before the game. fast forward to the fourth.

green, had himself a career night. 41, suns go up by 5. a high scoring affair. russell westbrook, 36-9-8. ties the game at 116. later, durant, serge ibaka and thunder take the lead but down the stretch, too much from the smooth lefty goran dragic. durant had 34 in the loss. suns score 128. that's going to do it for us. he's bucciman. i'm the coach. enjoy your friday. >> guy, thanks. creative alarm clocks but no one can sleep through it. why it's our right then, here's the "play of the day.". >> all it took was a laser pointer and a playful husky. eyes fixed on the laser, the dog pounces on the sleeping man all the while just trying to catch the moving dot. the ultimate wake-up system

here. not a bad idea. >> looks like he's taking his sweet time waking up. that would get me out of bed real quick. up next "the pulse" and want to show you. notice anything wrong here. take a look. one politician taking some serious heat for it. we'll explain why. >> lucky winner. a woman is $2 million richer and you won't believe where she got her winning lottery numbers. let me get this straight... [ female voice ] yes? lactaid® is 100% real milk? right. real milk. but it won't cause me discomfort. exactly, no discomfort, because it's milk without the lactose. and it tastes? it's real milk! come on, would i lie about this? hello. [ female announcer ] lactaid. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for a 100% real dairy snack you'll 100% enjoy try lactaid® cottage cheese.

and for a 100% real dairy snack you'll 100% enjoy see your finances in a whole new way with quickbooks. this is your business on the all-new quickbooks. run with it. checking our top stories, president obama has offered a diplomatic solution to the crisis in ukraine during an hour-long phone call with vladimir putin but the kremlin says it cannot ignore calls for help from crimea. a bill that would have stripped senior military commanders of their authority to prosecute sex assaults has been defeated in the senate. >> it was a tough cross-examination this morning for a doctor who was among the first people to arrive at the scene after oscar pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. looking at today's weather, warm and dry in the west, snow in the rockies, a wintry mix from south dakota to wisconsin. and if you're in the southeast, might want to bring the umbrella. should be showers today.