good morning, america. this morning, could this be a critical clue in the mystery of flight 370? investigators zero in on an elaborate flight simulator the captain had in his home. this, as new questions emerge about his life and his ties to a controversial political party. plus, the search, now, looking at land, in addition to the vast ocean. breaking overnight, a major recall that will impact hundreds of thousands of american families.

could your minivan catch fire? beauty bracket. high school students create a march madness way to rate the hottest girls in their school. how officials are using social media to track down who started the competition and what they plan to do about it. and is the five-second rule for real? >> cheers. >> if you drop your food on the floor, how much time do you actually have before you can no longer eat it? the new study, this morning. good morning, everybody. we're distracted by the five-second rule. i like sara haines saying, cheers. >> we'll finally address this. >> cheers. only sara can make dropping food on the ground, an occasion. we love that. that's coming up later in the half hour. first, we have a lot of new details to tell you about in

what has become the world's most baffling aviation mystery ever. the investigation now focusing on the pilot and the co-pirate. the pilot, his name is captain zaharie ahmed shah. he has over 18,000 hours of flying time. neighbors say he's a well-respected father and neighbor in the community. however, there are questions this morning about his ties to a controversial political party. >> and the co-pilot, fariq ab hamid, who lived at home with his parents. friends and family say he was religion and serious about his career. he had 2,700 hours of flying. and malaysian airlines say they were shocked when pictures surfaced of the co-pilot posing with young ladies in the cockpit during flight, which is a violation. >> the search area is now massive. it's focused on two, huge areas. the red arcs you see on your screen. a northern arc stretches over land, from kazakhstan and

turkmenistan to northern thailand. and the southern arc, into the indian ocean. 25 countries now involved in this huge search. >> of course, we have team coverage this morning. we start with a closer look at the men behind the controls of flight 370. and whether anything in their personal lives can provide clues into this great mystery. abc's bob woodruff is in the malaysian capital of kuala lumpur with more. bob? >> reporter: good morning. we have new clues this morning. we learned that the pilots did not make a special request for fuel. the investigators are looking at all those onboard, especially those with aviation experience. this morning, investigators are digging deeper into information about the crew members, engineers, ground crew, passengers and the two pilots. investigators, in unmarked cars, spent the last two days going in and out of the gated neighborhood, for the

53-year-old pilot, captain zaharie ahmed shah. four security guards keeping reporters from getting in. you're not allowed anybody in? any media in? no way? they're concentrating on zaharie's flight simulator inside his house. studying two laptops found inside. a friend of his, peter chong, told me today, the captain is considered a tech geek, who invited other friends to play with it. >> to be able to buy things off the count and set up his own flight simulator. yeah. and something he's proud of. >> reporter: in addition to technology, chong says he loves cooking. community activities to help children in need. even building this soccer goal for kids. but also politics. peter is the private secretary of the opposition party. and zaharie is a member. despite this t-shirt, democracy is dead, he says the pilot is far from extreme. >> we both know position in the party. i would consider him a silent member. >> reporter: last night, police searched the home of the

co-pilot looking for clues. but hours before the police arrived, we watched his two brothers leave with a box of noodles and drinks. as for personality, according to australia's channel 9, "a current affair," invited these women in the cockpit in 2011. allegedly taking pictures and smoking cigarettes with the women during the flight. his friends who grew up in his hometown, as a rising singer and insists fariq must be completely innocent. >> fariq is a very nice guy. and he's too young. so, i don't think he's involved. >> reporter: the families are closely watching every piece of information. the brother of american passenger, phillip wood, says, they are just waiting too long. >> we've gone from shock and disbelief, to sadness, to a little bit of anger, frankly. and i think there's a little bit of a drive to get some answers. we're trying really hard to understand what's going on. >> reporter: there's more information this morning, as

well, about that flight simulator. they did remove those two laptops. but they also took out the simulator itself, to take it apart and reassemble it again to see what they can find. bianna? >> searching for any clues. bob, our thanks to you. and taking control of the malaysian airlines jet would require strong knowledge of the aircraft. so, one question -- was there anyone onboard that could know how to operate the plane's sophisticated system? pierre thomas has more from washington. good morning, pierre. what are you hearing? >> reporter: good morning. u.s. intelligence has been looking at the passengers and crew for a week now. malaysian officials say they continue to investigate passengers. but sources tell us the pilots are one of the early primary focuses. the reason? a plane did a series of maneuvers and may have been trying to evade radar. so far, u.s. officials have found no evidence any of the other passengers and crew had significant flight training. >> so, what do they know now, pierre? >> reporter: they're relying on the malaysians for information. but the fbi has not been invited

inside the country to help on the ground. and some in the u.s. government are really perplexed that the malaysians seem to be so slow in the police investigation. bianna? >> perplexed and extremely frustrating here. pierre, thank you. to the other major angle on this story. the massive search for the plane itself. this morning, investigators are scrambling to get a clearer picture of the plane's last-known maneuvers to try to zero in on the best place to look for it. abc's david kerley is in washington with more on that. david, good morning. >> reporter: you know, what's unusual with this one, dan, is we got some satellite pings. they have set up a couple of corridors that normally we wouldn't have known about. and let me show you where those are. one goes to the north and one goes to the south. this is not gps. they couldn't say exactly where the aircraft was. but it is the southern route that investigators are concentrating on. in fact, one source tells us, they believe that this aircraft went off the grid and into the ocean some place off australia. and that's where they will be concentrating.

and one more important information, that we have learned that this was a deliberate act. this morning, we have learned from one source that the first dramatic turn off course by the malaysian 777 was preprogrammed. that's right. whoever was at the controls, programmed that hard left turn. followed by turning off two critical communication systems, as first reported by abc news. >> somebody made this happen. and somebody had to sophisticated flying skills, probably for the 777. in other words, the suspicion falls on the two pilots. >> reporter: and law enforcement is saying basically, the same thing. while a hijacking has not been ruled out, pilot suicide is getting a lot of attention. part of the reason, the way the jet was flown. turning left, then west, but then where? satellite communications suggest those wide paths. but then likely, it headed south, into the indian ocean. flying almost six hours after it was last seen on radar. >> it's consistent with someone who wanted to vanish from the face of the earth. and make sure the ultimate crash

site was never found. >> reporter: did one of the pilots kill the other? it's possible. why didn't the passengers rebel? whoever was flying could have depressurized the cabin. those oxygen masks only work for a few minutes. even with the search narrowed off the west coast of australia, finding this jet is not going to be easy. >> it's such a huge area, it's going to take some luck to find any evidence at all. >> reporter: as i say, investigators tell us say they are looking off australia. the southern route is the most likely. dan, a puzzling piece of information came out this morning. apparently whoever was in control, shut off one of the communication systems before getting on the radio and telling the air traffic controllers in malaysia, good night. if you're trying to be dark, and basically disappear, this is kind of a strange little piece of information we got this morning. >> another strange piece of information. david kerley, thanks for tracking all of this for us. let's bring in abc news aviation consultant, retired

colonel steve ganyard. we have 25 countries involved in this search. given the huge swath of the planet they're looking at here, what are the odds they'll find anything? >> quite well. and every day we go on, the odds get lower because this is a vast area we have to look at. david pointed out today, they were finally starting to focus on the southern cone. but that's a wide-open indian ocean with depths of 15,000 feet. we have about 20 days left before that pinger runs out. it will be really tough to find it. >> are there any places, any islands, where they could have landed the plane? >> short answer is no. they were so far out, so far west of australia, perhaps 1,000 miles out to the west of australia. and they were at the very limit of their gas. there wasn't enough gas to get anywhere. >> i find that -- i'm sure a lot of people will agree, hard to compute. if you're smart enough and qualified to evade radar and fly for that length of time and that length -- that span of distance, why just crash it into the ocean? why not land it? >> this is the question of motive. and your guess is as good as mine. we haven't seen any political statements. is it terrorism?

is it a political statement about internal politics? was an insurance scheme going on here? your guess is as good as mine right now, dan. >> have you ever seen anything like this? >> this gets more bizarre and more mysterious every day. we need some answers. and they're not going to come until we find the black boxes. >> which, as you said before, the hard fact is, we may never find them. >> we may never. >> steve ganyard, we appreciate your guidance throughout this. >> this reminds us about how devastating this is for all the loved ones. >> brutal. >> thank you. we're going to turn, now, to the latest on the crisis in crimea, where tensions are high, as residents vote today on breaking away from ukraine and become part of russia. the explosive referendum has been internationally condemned as illegal. and abc's alex marquardt is covering the vote from ukraine. alex? >> reporter: good morning, bianna. it had been a gray and wet morning here in crimea. that hasn't stopped large numbers of crimean voters to turning out for this election,

to decide whether to succeed from ukraine and join russia. voters streaming into the polling stations. we won't know the preliminary results until later tonight. but they're all but a foregone conclusion. we assume that crimean voters will vote overwhelmingly to join russia. we spoke with a young voter this morning who excitedly told me that it's like going home. he is ethnically russia and wants to live in russia. the minority of crimeans who are against this, are boycotting, staying at home. saying, like the u.s., this is an illegitimate vote. but concern is shifting to eastern ukraine, where there's evidence of a large-scale invasion. there's around 9,000 russian troops that's amassed on the border with ukraine. and moscow is warning that it is considering calls to intervene. dan? bianna? >> tensions are escalating. thank you. let's bring in the host of "this week," george stephanopoulos. george, just a few hours ago, i got off the phone with the acting foreign minister of

ukraine. and asked him on a scale of one to two, what are the chances of war with russia? he says the chances are very high. >> he sees the seizure of the natural gas plant. that's the big fear right now. the russians are not satisfied with the referendum in crimea, which would give crimea much more independence, and move them towards moscow. that could set off a civil war. that could split the country. and there's precious little right now. it appears that the rest of the world can do about it. >> i wanted to ask you about that. what kind of leverage does the white house have? we're hearing talk of sanctions. but what are sanctions, actually? and is there any history of sanctions actually working? >> these are going to be the most extensive sanctions against russia since the cold war. they'll put a freeze on assets and visas for high-level russians, including those inside and outside of the government. but you're exactly right. when you have a country like russia that is so large, and they have so many other ways to get the resources they need, it's unlikely that sanctions

alone can do this job. but the hope is, if the west unites, around this idea, russia can at least be deterred from moving further in eastern ukraine. >> and here domestically, the president seems to have support from republicans and democrats to act in some way. the foreign minister and the acting prime minister of ukraine, were here meeting with the president last week. they met with botharties and got reassuring news for them. >> bipartisan support to aid ukraine, even though it's gotten bogged down in domestic policy in the senate. one of the questions going forward, if russia moves, will the united states move to give military aid to ukraine? that's a tougher question. >> it was disturbing to talk to the foreign minister. to see if he talked to his counterpart in russia. he says he can't get through to him. not something you want to hear. george, thank you. george will have much more and all this matter later on "this week." a lot of other news overnight. and for the latest on that, let's get it over to ron claiborne. ron, good morning.

>> hi there, dan. bianna? good morning, everyone. we begin with the minivan recall. honda is recalling 900,000 odyssey minivans because of a potential hazard. it affects model year 2005 through 2010. part of the fuel pump cover could deteriorate prematurely. resulting in cracks that could lead to a gas leak. honda has tried to fix the issue. but the, quote, proper parts will not be available until this summer. so, if you're looking for a fix, you will be given an interim part. the automaker says it doesn't aware of fires or injuries as a result of this problem. now, to venezuela, where there was another round of violent clashing between anti-government protesters and police in the capital city of caracas. the protesters threw molotov cocktails at the police. who responded with tear gas canisters. this comes after the country's president warned demonstrators he would send security forces

to dislodge protesters have taken over part of that country. 25 people died since the protests when high crime, inflation and food shortages began last month. and a third person has been charged with the murder of a aspen, colorado socialite. nancy fister. kathy carpenter who reported the death, is now charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. fister was found dead last month inside of her mountain chalet, after returning from an extended trip to australia. a married couple who were renting the home have also been charged in that murder. and former new york city mayor and billionaire businessman, michael bloomberg, is opening up to katie couric, for the first time since he left office at the beginning of this year. bloomberg sat down for a wide-ranging interview with kate to couric's debut program on yahoo! news. and viewers got to ask some questions during the interactive sitdown. among the hot topics, bloomberg's controversial

new york city soda ban. >> the full-sugared drink thing was not banning and not taxing anybody. it was simply reminding you that it's enormous quantity, 32 ounces. why don't you take 2 16s? >> and you can watch the interview with katie couric on yahoonews.com. and the navy's blue angels are soaring once again. the blue and gold jets returned to the skies over california saturday, after being grounded much of the past year because of spending cuts. the team behind the iconic aerobatic performance is scheduled for 68 performances across the country. catch one of them. and finally, that time of year when just about everybody feels just a little bit irish. sara haines dancing an irish -- riverdancing. more of that later in the show. in pennsylvania, gaelic pride was on display for the annual st. patrick's day trade in

pittsburgh. and in chicago, people line up for an annual tradition. the chicago river turning emerald green. believe me, it really did happen. and in minneapolis, kids donning their costumes for something called the wee leprechaun contest, to raise money for charity. >> i forgot it was that time of the year. it's so cold. >> it's actually tomorrow. so, getting tuned up early. >> for cold weather, you can have something they call antifreeze. >> i heard about that. >> you heard about that? thank you, ron. now, to a burning scientific question, especially if you have children. is the five-second rule for real? you know what i'm talking about. the supposed window of opportunity you have to snatch a chip or a cracker off the floor before it's too dirty to eat. there's a new study out. and sara haines is here with scientific answers. good morning. >> i have sicientific answers fr all of you. this is a rule i've used more than i like to admit.

and i just did. you're trying to do too many things at once. stuff drops. often, i pick it up, brush it off and eat it. i live by the five-second rule. am i fooling myself? or is there some truth to this rule? we've all been there. you're juggling too many things. and the food goes down. five-second rule? not just jennifer aniston's character in "along came polly." in an interview with "self" magazine, the a-lister said, the food i love so much that if i dropped it on the floor and would eat it anyway, is a nacho. is there any truth to it. at a preliminary study in birmingham, u.k., they discovered a direct link to the bacteria on the food to the time it's been on the floor. >> the key to the five-second rule is know where it dropped and use good judgment. >> reporter: where would you use the five-second rule? in the office? in the park? why not? in the subway? that's not going to happen. in the bathroom? not that hungry. not all five seconds are created equal.

sometimes it's not where you're eating but what you're eating. >> if i dropped anything sticky, such as candy, pasta, i would not pick it up and eat it off the floor. if you drop some toast on the floor, probably not going to kill you. >> reporter: now, we're off to do our own highly analytical scientific study, bringing you what the people have to say. do you ever use the five-second rule on food? >> yes. >> yes. >> reporter: where is it okay? >> if it's in your house. >> everywhere. >> no. >> reporter: do you eat off the floor? >> no. >> reporter: cheers. >> that's delicious. >> reporter: not bad. in our highly scientific analytical double-blind study that we did in the park, we found out that three-quarters of the people that we asked, actually do use it. the number one place you should never use it is the sidewalk. because i didn't want to leave you out of my shoot, i brought you cashews from the shoot.

they may or may not have been dropped out during the shoot. i didn't want you to feel left out. so, dig in. >> i've been neurotic about this. now that i'm a mom, i'm a 25-second rule. you know what i'm talking about. >> we did studies. and dan confirmed this possibly. you actually might have more than five seconds. even though we say five seconds, you have some forgiveness. >> not all five seconds are created equal. >> they are not. we have to check the forecast. we have more than five seconds for that. erika martin from our new haven, connecticut, affiliate is here. wtnh. eri erika, good morning. we have a tornado watch, huh? >> we've been tracking this low since yesterday, that developed in texas. as we said yesterday, we did see the possibility of some severe weather. and in fact, here is some hail that you're seeing in texas. about dime-sized hail. and unfortunately, this is not the end of this system. the lows continuing to track towards the east coast there. as we go ahead and get this into motion, we can see it affecting louisiana, parts of georgia and

the mid-atlantic states. there is enough cold air in place here. so, the issue at hand would be for our nation's capital. it looks like we will see anywhere between two to six inches of snowfall total. and accumulated ice, as well. so, a major headache for your early monday morning commute. otherwise, our st. patrick's day forecast, looking a little bit colder farther north. chicago at 38. denver, 68. the west coast is trending a lot >> look at these guys over arlington this morning of the wii of snow in route. temperatures mild out there. as you go to the day-to-day the system down to the southeast, plenty what you're, older coming in. we are at the spot we do not want to be where most of the store -- snow is going to fall. anywhere from two to six inches

of snow when all is said >> i'm eating right now. that was your full weather. there you go. >> don't ask ron any questions. don't expect any significant answers right now. >> erika, ron just dropped those nuts on the floor. >> you're fine. thank you. >> trying to defend himself. >> have some water. coming up on "gma," march madness anger over brackets set up, not to pick basketball teams. but to rate how high school girls look. is this a form of high-tech bullying? and the fascinating, new science that says you can rewire your own brain to be nicer. researchers put me to the test. did i pass? bianna -- yes. and in "pop news," the oscar-winning "12 years a slave" star. the huge, new role that could be in lupita nyong'o's future. >> huge role. >> huge role. >> excuse me.

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>> live from the abc seven

broadcast center, this is an abc 7 news up eight. >> we are on storm watch today, old man winter, he is headed back in the district snow team is going to full deployment tonight. more than 200 clouds will hit the streets by 10:00 p.m. rain is expected to turn into snow by 9:00 p.m. te are snow over i now we havems right lots of sunshine to go but down here to the southwest look at all the moisture that going to arrive at the wrong time at the temperatures start to drop. today 42 degrees desert 46 degrees. to four snow, two inches by the time we get up tomorrow morning and the ultimate soul totals up to six inches we look like. >> thank you for wanting to will be will back it 8:56

♪ because i'm happy clap along ♪ ♪ if you feel like a room without a roof ♪ they're having a lot of fun there. check out the folks at wate, our affiliate in knoxville, tennessee. they know how to get happy. who knew working in tv could be so much fun? we do. we always have fun. >> with ron and sara here. >> that's in the back of our head. news about a hospital fund-raiser there getting involved. and that's the background to

this song. and the videos they sent us. you can send us your own "happy" video, as well. and you might see it on "good morning america." >> five minutes of fame, right here on "gma." also coming up, speaking of happy, there's this fascinating, new science that says it is possible to literally change your brain to make yourself nicer. this morning, researchers put me to the test. bianna thinks i'm not going to do well. >> you're an expert in this field. obviously, this relates to your book, "10% happier." fantastic book. >> thank you. appreciate that. first, this half hour, enthusiasm over march madness is one thing. but some teens took it to a new and disturbing direction. >> the kids had a bracket-style beauty contest to rank female classmates. when people found out, there was a huge controversy. and abc's gio benitez is on the story this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. it happened at one of the stop high schools of america, shaker high, in albany, new york. but this morning, a firestorm over a questionable bracket challenge.

even the police got involved. this morning, online outrage, after students at this top new york high school, launched a march madness bracket challenge like no other. forget basketball teams. guys took to twitter to rank girls at the school, by their looks. >> i was disgusted. >> reporter: guys behind the twitter account, shsbracketology selected four girls to compete against each other for a week. writing, may be best girl win. but almost immediately, current and former students at shaker high, went on the offensive. tweeting, are you kidding me? bullying for fun? can you be decent human beings and not do this? the principal turned to cops for guidance. but after 24 hours, after backlash from students, the twitter account was dead. this was one of the girls listed in that bracket challenge. >> i would be walking down the halls. and there would be groups of guys who would start clapping.

and i was embarrassed. >> reporter: it sounds like what we saw in you've i have "the social network," about the start of facebook. >> we're ranking girls? >> you mean, other students? >> yeah. >> reporter: psycho therapist, dr. robi ludwig says, boys will be boys. >> when girls are in high school, they judge themselves by their peers. they want to be considered beautiful. they want to be considered attractive. and if they're not, it can influence their self-esteem and self-concept. >> the guys thought it was funny. they don't understand what it does to us or how it makes us feel. >> reporter: and this morning, school officials are trying to find the guys responsible for that twitter account. and while police were called for guidance. we're told, they are not looking at any criminal activity. even though some seem to think that this is a form of bullying, perhaps. >> gio, thank you. fascinating story. a lot of other news overnight. let's get it back to ron for a look at the top stories. >> good morning, everyone. in the news, begin with the latest on that missing malaysia jetliner that vanished more than a week ago. the investigators are focusing

on the flight crew, looking at the backgrounds of the pilots, engineers and the ground crew. we've also learned that the first dramatic turn off course by the malaysian 777 was done by someone at the controls who likely had sophisticated flying skills. and a controversial referendum is under way in ukraine's crimea region. voters are expected to vote in favor of splitting off from ukraine and joining russia. the majority of the population is ethnic russian. the ukraine and the west say the vote is illegal. and they will not recognize the results. it could lead to further sanctions against russia for its involvement. and comedian david brenner has died. brenner was a favorite of johnny carson appearing on "the tonight show" more than any other guest. brenner died at his home in new york city after battling cancer. he was just 78 years of age. and finally, an unlikely hero at the iowa state high school boys basketball tournament. watch as number 11, logan

sheppard, grabbed a missed shot. there he goes. tossing it almost the length of the floor. and backboard and in, hail mary. that's an estimated 80 feet away. the dewitt sabers went on to beat floyd valley high school by two points to make it into the semifinals. and this guy is a backup player. >> really? >> he played two minutes the entire tournament. they won by two. it wasn't a buzzer-beater at the end. but effectively won the game. >> you know what he's doing this morning? watching that over and over again. >> the next ten years of his life. that's amazing. >> probably. >> ron, thank you. good for him. time, now, for weather. and back to wtnh, new haven, connecticut, erika martin. good morning, erika. >> good morning, everybody. this is the last sunday of winter 2013-2014. so, let's take all that all in. on the west coast, it's feeling warmer than that. late summer, if you will, as temperatures are about 20

degrees above average. 85 in fresno. sacramento, 82 degrees. however, in the midwest, and on the east coast, it's a much different story. colder air in place. it looks like we could see anywhere from two to six inches for parts along the eastern seaboard. why is this? we have a cold blast sliding on through. is it another polar vortex or a polar plunge. simply colder air moving in from timeline, fonts this afternoon, and then later today rain changed to snow, two to four inches by morning. one to three additional tomorrow. >> this weather was brought to you by zillow.com. >> thanks, erika. coming up on "gma," a radical notion. is it possible to make yourself a nicer person? there may be a lot of spouses and co-anchors out there who are

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well, meditation seems to be the new, hot trend. celebrities like selena gomez, miranda kerr, and a naked michelle rodriguez have posted meditation pictures. and dan, fully clothed, thank you for that, has written a new book, called "10% happier," about how you became a meditator. >> i got interested in the suggest, in part, because of all of the science that said meditation can be good for you. i read a report that said that meditation can reduce your chocolate cravings. sara haines. there's research that says meditation can make you nicer. i asked some scientists to put me to the test. check it out. >> right in this chair over here. >> reporter: the researchers at u.c. berkeley wired me up as i watched a sad video. >> i really, really want to go home. >> reporter: they tested my ability to detect. and communicate emotion through facial expression and my voice.

and then, they videotaped my face as i heard a sad family story. >> died in his early 30s. homeless in san francisco. >> reporter: and asked a panel of strangers whether they found me trustworthy. >> we're interested in your gut feeling of your impressions of this person. >> reporter: in a moment, the results of what these researchers call a compassion workup. first, why does this matter to you? because new science says compassionate people tend to be healthier, more popular, and successful. >> there are data showing, the clearer signal you show, people trust you more. >> reporter: and check this out. the new research also says you can effectively rewire your own brain to be nicer. personally, i always figured, i'm a nice enough guy. i love animals and children. but when i heard that you can actually build your compassion like a muscle, i decided to give it a try. for several years, i've been doing compassion meditation. >> ready to see your scores? >> reporter: yeah.

so, is it working? >> you showed a strong physiological response in regard to compassion. >> reporter: i also did well with the group of strangers and the faces and voices i had to read. will you look into the camera and say that to my wife? >> he's excellent at reading emotions. it says so right here. >> reporter: science, baby. science. however, when it came to communicating emotion, i was well below average, which might have something to do with my job. >> you fit your profession so well. you have an eagle eye for what other people are feeling. and you're not letting them -- you're not letting other people see what you're feeling. however, your wife likes that. that's another question. >> reporter: yeah. i don't think my wife is a huge fan of that. >> technical terms. science, baby, science. right? with a little mug to the camera. in all seriousness, what is compassion meditation involving?

how do you do it? >> at first it's going to sound irretrievably dopey. basically, what you do, you picture a series of people and send them good vibes. you wish them good health, happiness. things like that. when i first heard it, i said there's no way i'm going to do it. the research shows it can change your brain and the parts of the brain that has to do with compassion and empathy. and it's good for your health. it can reduce levels of stress. and it's been shown to work. little kids who were taught how to do this were more likely to give their stickers away to strangers. i picture you guys all the time when i do the meditation. >> thank you for that. >> especially you, claiborne. >> thank you. >> it's a fascinating story and a great book. i hope the women around the country buy this book for their husbands. if you want happier husbands, get this book for simple meditation instructions. go to abcnews.com/10%happier. or go to amazon.com. and buy dan's book. >> alternatively, you can check out ron's book, "11% happier." >> best seller.

>> exactly. coming up here on "gma," the 7-year-old singer burning up the internet, who everybody is comparing her to. this morning, keep it here. you've tried to forget your hepatitis c. it's slow moving, you tell urself. i have time. after all there may be no symptoms for years. no wonder you try to push it to the back of your mind and forget it. but here's something you shouldn't forget. hepatitis c is a serious disease. if left untreated, it could lead to liver damage and potentially even liver cancer. if you are one of the millions of people with hepatitis c, you haven't been forgotten. there's never been a better time to rethink your hep c. because people like you may benefit from scientific advances. advances that could help you move on from hep c. now is the time to rethink hep c and talk to your doctor. visit hepchope.com

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time, now, for "pop news." sara haines, take it away. >> it looks like the force is strong with lupita nyong'o. "the hollywood reporter" says the oscar winner was spotted meeting with j.j. abrams. it's believed nyong'o is being considered for the female lead for the upcoming "episode 7" from disney and lucas films. disney is the parent company for abc news. we can't wait to see what lupita does next. and no doubt an announcement will come soon, with "star wars" due to set production in spring. next, we want to introduce

you to the amazing 7-year-old making headlines around the world for her incredible voice. she sounds just like billie holiday with her rention of "gloomy sunday" on "norway's got talent." >> that's so good, it's bizarre. >> what a voice. >> who knew there was a show called "norway's got talent"? >> and now, you know. at only 7 years old, she had the judges in tears. she's going crazy viral with more than 3.7 million views in just over a week. it's scary when you see a kid genius because they grasp a passion they shouldn't understand. this is going to be a favorite. we've seen some crazy goat videos in "pop news." the taylor swift one is definitely a favorite. ♪ trouble when you walked in leaving me left out ♪ ♪ it isn't everything now, i'm lying on the cold, hard ground ♪

>> but this morning, i've gotten an even better one. i bring you faucet, the yelling kid. when i watched that at least 15 times yesterday. you have to tune in to see that one, too. st. patrick's day is tomorrow. and i know that conjures images of a nice, big frothy mug of coffee. okay. that's probably not the drink you were thinking of. if you are, we have the perfect doughnut to pair with it. the doughnut plant in new york city has created a four-leaf clover-shaped doughnut, with a vanilla green glaze, a green mint stripe and an edible shamrock. >> what do you think about that, golodryga? >> go ahead. >> make you 12% happier. >> i want to hear you taste test it. dig in there, ron. you've never come back with food. >> it's really good. >> really sweet.

>> yeah? >> our boys are happy. thank you, sara. we'll be right back.

you see the "mini" ion my chest? funny, yes? no. i'm huge. flavor? i'm bursting with it. creamy? i ooze it. rich. creamy. and 100% natural cheese. mini babybel. snack a little bigger. how did edward jones get so big? let me just put this away. ♪ could you teach our kids that trick? [ male announcer ] by not acting that way. it's how edward jones makes sense of investing.

before these two get into a sugar coma, we want to congratulate the newest member of our abc news family. reporter gabe. gave birth to a baby girl. her name is saya. >> great name. >> mom, dad and baby are very happy. congratulations. >> live, from the abc seven

broadcast or cover this is abc seven news update. 56 in news around the region of an extradition hearing is scheduled for tomorrow for a man who police are looking at in connection with three unsolved murders and at algeria -- nx algeria. they're investigating if he could be a person of interest in the death of ron kirby and nancy adding -- dunning. is in the jail on unrelated charge. district and the entire region is are primed for another winter storm. the district snow team is going to full deployment tonight. more than 200 clouds will hit the streets by 10:00 p.m. rain is expected to turn to snow after 9:00 p.m., and how bad is it going to get? >> after 70 degrees yesterday cover the weather pendulum is going to swing yet again the other direction. it will skies over arlington this morning about lots of sunshine out there.

that will not last. they can see the big picture down to the southwest, that is a a lot of moisture that is going to collide with north air -- colder, government north -- cold air coming down from the north. temperatures today in the mid 40's. p.m. a it seven ago winter storm warning for the district of and all of the areas in think stay that way until 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. possibly two to four inches by the time he gets up tomorrow morning, keep in mind the round is somewhat warm, so some of that will melt. that could keep the tallies down. this is our predicted snowfall, watch as we go through the day tomorrow. here in the district we're going to top out at about five inches and down to the south and west we could have some snowfall tallies in the double digits. >> snow is on the horizon.

captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> business news from the capital region. this is "washington business report" with abc 7 national correspondent rebecca cooper. >> welcome to fresh look at business and finance here in the waington region. today, t the greatest show o on earth. we will sit downith the head of fd entertainment find out how a local boy turned the big top into a bilillion-dollar business. plus, you can fifind a bank finanance your new business d you will not h have to look an