this morning on "world news now," inside apple. >> the company's ceo speaking out about a terrorist's locked iphone, privacy and why apple will not offer a quick fix. our exclusive interview and response from the justice department. political demands. who is pushing donald trump to make public his tax returns? how mitt romney is getting involved and how trump is fighting back. powerful storms from the tornadoes that killed several people in the south to the heavy snowstorms that stopped travelers in their tracks. the latest from accuweather. and later inside the oscars from the dazzling stage to the fancy diggs, backstage. we're getting a look at the academy awards venue even before hollywood's biggest stars are there. it is thursday, february 25th.

>> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everyone on this thursday. i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm reena ninan. we're going to begin with apple's ceo tim cooke and his reaction to his exclusive interview with abc news. >> cooke says helping the fbi to unlock an iphone used by one of the san bernardino attackers would be like creating a master key that could impact hundreds of millions of users, but a senior government official says the fbi wants apple to develop a way into that phone which will be known only inside apple. >> abc's elizabeth hur has more. good morning, elizabeth. >> reporter: kendis and reena, good morning to you. right off the bat, tim cooke addressed the victims' families of the san bernardino attacks saying that they have his deepest sympathy and no one should go through what they have been through. that said, cooke says this case is more than about just one phone. >> safety of our kids, safety of our families is very important.

is incredibly important. >> reporter: apple's ceo tim cooke explaining his decision exclusive to "world news now" tonight with david muir senator apple has cooperated with the fbi fully in this case this they came to us and asked us for all the information we had on this phone and we gave everything that we had. >> reporter: a judge this california ordered apple to unlock san bernardino terrorist syed farook's iphone and apple has stood firm that's not happening insisting at stake is the data security of millions of law abiding people. >> the only way to get information at least currently the only way we know would be to write a piece of software that we view as sort off the software equivalent of cancer. that is what is at stake here. >> reporter: but in the name of public safety, attorney general loretta lynch is urging apple to comply. >> judges all over the country and on the supreme court have said that those parties must

their power to do so. >> reporter: the fight sending thousands across the country to rally in support of apple. even though a new pugh poll finds 51% of americans believe that apple should unlock the phone. >> if we knew a way to do this that would not expose hundreds of millions of other people to issues, we would obviously do it. but again, this is not about one phone. this is about the future. >> reporter: apple has until tomorrow to file a response to the judge's order and some legal experts say this is a landmark case that could reach the supreme court. kendis and reena? >> our thanks to elizabeth there. we're going to hear more from tim cooke and our exclusive interview in our next half hour and all morning long. the latest clash between donald trump and a mainstream republican. just today after trump's landslide victory in nevada, mitt romney called on the billionaire to release his tax returns saying they may contain

romney the former gop presidential nominee suggests that either trump is not as wealthy as he says he is, or he hasn't been paying the kind of taxes we would expect him to pay. >> i think the last time he was asked about his taxes he said well, it's going to be months. look, people have a right to know if there's a problem in those taxes before they decide. >> trump fired back saying mitt romney who totally blew an election that should have been won and whose tax returns made him look like a fool is now playing tough guy. >> the hillary clinton camp is out in force looking to shore up support ahead of super tuesday. former president bill clinton made a couple of campaign stops in virginia to make the case for his wife and accused republicans of demonizing muslims for political gain. hillary clinton spent her day shoring up support from the black community before the south carolina primary addressing the gun violence and flint water crisis.

gathering here in tulsa, oklahoma, last night. 2500 of them couldn't get in. bernie sanders told supports he didn't think there there was any way he could lose oklahomaing. > the deadly storms that have ravaged much of the mid-atlantic are beginning to dissipate. a state of emergency in virginia where four people were killed. wind and thunderstorms knocked out power and left motorists stranded by flooding. the farming town of wavily was especially hard hit after a tornado touched down with almost no warning. >> glad you let us get through the this. >> among those killed were two adult men and a 2-year-old boy whose bodies were found not fa are from a mobile home destroyed by the storm. >> it's a powerful system. you have wet heavy snow slamming much of the midwest especially around the greater chicago area. nearly

cancel canceled. hundreds of snow plows were deployed but many drivers found themselves trapped. forecasters are warning temperatures are falling overnight creating dangerously icy road conditions can, as well. the blustery wind that came with all the snow stirred up huge waves on lake michigan prompting a warning from the coast guard that those picture takers stay back at least 25 feet from the water's edge. the water is moving east. here's justin povick at accuweather. >> thanks and good morning to you. great news this morning. we are finished with the severe weather. all the tornado reports yesterday and on tuesday, and that storm system is now working its way well to the north and to the east. back behind it it, still some showers over the interior but these are going to much lighter. in fact, the snow showers will not demicrosoft more than an inch or two on the grassy surfaces from detroit to pittsburgh tore charleston. as we jump ahead

we're warming things back up. high pressure is in control. cold ker air bottled up to the north streaming all the warm air in. next week, looks like the colder air will make a quick return. reena, kendis, back to you. a new video showing how badly ancient ruins have been damaged by isis. the destruction at palmyra must worse than previously thought including monuments at the valley of the tombs, part of an ancient roman city. this video was splugalled out of syria and obtained by swedish tv. >> a cease-fire is set to go into effect in that country saturday although isis and other groups are now covered by the agreement. there are growing calls to establish a so-called safe zone nep northern syria to protect syrians fleeing their homes. if the cease fire fails. secretary of state john kerry told top lawmakers would

to maintain. >> in colorado, three sheriff's deputies shot while serving an eviction notice. last night a vigil was held in his honor south of denver. nate kerrigan was killed when the homeowner opened fire on the buttons. he homeowner also died in the shoot-out. the oovictions has been considered high risk. a mystery at a federal office in the san francisco bay area. the customsen and border protection office in almeda was evacuated after an employee opened an informing containing white powder. thee people complained of feeling a sick but a search turned up nothing suspicious and the office was deemed safe. encouraging news from the centers for disease control. this year's flu vaccine is doing better than last year's. it is 59% effective. that's a big improvement from

about 20% effective. our flu season has been mild arer this year but it has not peaked as yet. a judge in new york city clear the way for salt warnings to be placed on many menus. those distinctive warnings must be posted bid large chain restaurants and fast food outlets by next tuesday. if they don't comply, they could be fined up to $600. the national restaurant association challenged the warnings which will appear on items containing more than the recommended daily dose of sodium. >> michelle obama called it a bittersweet event an the white house last night. the final time the obamas were helping honor one of america's great musicians. >> the president paying tribute to the late ray charles who he said matcheds his piano playing with a one-of-a-kind choice. usher raymond was among the

my mind." ♪ oh georgia, northern peace, no peace i find ♪ ♪ just an old sweet song, yeah, keeps georgia on my mind ♪ >> i very nice there. demi low ratto, yolanda adams and the band perry also performed. the event will broadcast on pbs tomorrow night. >> nothing like a little ray charles in the morning. president obama calling him having a rare ability to collapse our weightest emotions into a sickle note. so well said. >> so well put. ray charles passed away in 2004. still remembered. coming up "the mix," the most attractive jobs for men and women according to tinder. >> our first look at the

dazzling stage and luxurious backstage at the oscars of course, getting everything ready for sunday night. and the woman accuses of a murder for hire scheme insists she never planned to have her husband killed. wait until you hear her explanation. >> you've got to check out our behind the scenes picks on instagram. you're watching "world news now." your heart loves omega-3s. but there's a difference between the omega-3s in fish oil and those in megared krill oil. unlike fish oil, megared is easily absorbed by your body... ...which makes your heart, well, mega-happy. happier still, megared is proven to increase omega-3 levels in 30 days. megared. the difference is easy to absorb. today you can do everything in just one click, even keep your toilet clean and fresh. introducing lysol click gel. click it in

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till march 1st to decide whether to sign a bill requiring students to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their birth gender. advocates for transgender rights rallied at the capitol and met with the governor urging veto. if the bill is signed, south dakota would become the first state to enact such a law. similar legislation is also pending in at least 22 other states. and indianapolis man has been convicted of blowing up a house for the insurance money. two next door neighbors were killed. dozens of people were hurt and more than 80 homes destroyed in the explosion and fire as part of the testimony, jurors heard a tape recording as one of the victims begged for help in the last moments of his life. he eventually burned to death. the man found guilty bob leonard faces life in prison with no chance of parole. >> we turn to the dramatic murder for hire playing out in west palm beach, fl. dip lit tote is serving 20 years for alleged

>> now she's back in court testifying for the first time what police caught her doing on tape was an act. here's abc's linzie janis. >> dahlia dippolito is facing a retrial for hiring a hit man to kill her husband of six months. >> i was afraid. >> her 2011 guilty verdict was overturned due to a tainted jury pool snee threatened to hurt me and hurt my family. >> you know, he gets two in the head. >> i'm positive. >> she says she was simply acting during this video from a script that dahlia, her then husband michael and former love muhammad had all written for an acting project they lan planned to post on social media. >> you can post it online so you can get publicity. >> on social media so we can try to get an acting job from it. >> so this is acting? >> yes. >> reporter: but

that was no can the and allege she paid an undercover cop posing as a hit man $3,000 to kill her husband, the real act investigators say was her reaction to these south fl police officers telling her this lie. >> i'm sorry to tell you, ma'am, he's been killed. >> no. >> but her lawyer claims the police were setting her up for an appearance on the reality show "cops." whether you like her or not, she's entitled to the same constitutional rights as you and i. this case is about a police department that tossed her under the bus for purposes of getting fame on a cops tv show. >> reporter: linsey davis, abc news, new york. coming up in our next half hour, the other high profile croom drama playing out in the nashville, tennessee this week. the emotional testimony of the father of erin andrews and how his daughter as a stalker has devastated her

oscar sunday, preps kicking into high gear. we're getting a first peek behind stage and you're watching "world news now."

it's getting exciting. three days away from hollywood's biggest night of the year. >> so the yards and yards of red carpet are being laid outside the dolby theater in hollywood, but this morning, we're getting our first peek inside of the theater. and backstage. here's abc's george pennacchio. >> it's a bird's eye view of production as crews continually add more finishing touches to the red carpet. that's what's happening outside the dolby theater. but what's going on inside?

year as production designer for the oscars. this year the set design celebrates '70s glam and that takes lots of spark. using more than 200,000 swarovski crystals and all the decorative elements. the glittering stage will be eye popping for audiences both at home and in the dolby theater. >> of course, you want it to feel glamorous for the people in the room. this celebrates their night, their celebration but at the same time so many more people are seeing it on television that we try to be pretty disciplined about really paying attention to what we're seeing on the tv monitors and not with our naked eyes. >> the production team has a master plan but is not afraid to change things at the last minute. >> there's not a thing we don't look at and go how can we make that better. >> of backstage the green room. stars who need a little break

to relax and enjoy the laid back atmosphere. >> there may not be any actual windows here but this is still a room with a view. idea of this year's green room was inspired by the look and feel of the late 20th century home high in the hills of hollywood. >> this is george pen knack yoeg reporting for abc news. >> geez, i'd like to move in. >> abc is the place to be on oscar night. live coverage starts sunday 597:00 eastern, 4 pacific. tune in to "world news now" next monday morning for a full and entire wrap-up into do you know who the most nominated person is? >> merril? >> no, the composer of star barpz he's had a few more nominations. you noech who has the most? walt disney. >> oh. >> 59. >> uncle walter senator uncle

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feel the difference with k-y ultragel. now it's time for the mix. remember when president clinton was a big campaign issue. i didn't inhale. remember the whole thing? apparently it's not an issue for bernie sanders campaign. take a look at there paraphernalia stamped with its stoner accessories, marijuana pipes. you can feel the burn in a whole new way. it was created by a man out in portland where obviously smoking up is totally legal. he tells the center for public integrity 10% of the proceeds go back to the bernie campaign. i'm not sure how legal it is to steal someone's campaign logo because it's not affiliated with the campaign. apparently he sold $3,000 worth of pipes. get your $300 from the kid. >> i'm sure bernie sanders is ju

>> he believes in the contributions from the little folks. apparently burn one for bernie. he has his own slogan. >> apparently stoneware company.com. >> there you go. anywhere you can make money for the campaign i'm sure bernie would be fine with that. so you know tinder if you swipe to the right, then you've had success, you like that person. so they did a survey of the professions that most garner swipes to the right. can you guess what they are for men? >> no. >> pilot. >> pilot. >> you notice that somebody's a pilot. you're more likely to swipe right. other men ones founder entrepreneur, firefighter, doctor, a tv personality. >> oh. this is why you love the tinder. >> number four. the tinder. the tinder. for women, by the way, physical therapist is number one. interior designer. >> okay. >> and founder entrep

>> not tv personality. why is that. >> they're a dime a dozen. >> they're a dime a dozen. >> you won't go near them. >> they're not dateable material. >> oh, man, not even for the night. anyway. >> i like you always give me your tinder update. i enjoy that. i feel i know the tinder now. how about moving on to caring and sharing. apparently some panda bears didn't quite get that. look at this, having a bamboo road snack. the little guy trying to get in on the snack but the big guy sticking his foot up. trying to block him. from getting in. >> gin me some. i want some. >> what goes up. >> no, no, no. going to smack him away. there you go. not at all. not sharing. this great dayne has a way with cameras. so he's just known for his personality. for all these funny faces he makes when they're taking pictures of him. >> absolutely.

>> that will be

this morning on "world news now, >> this morning on "world news now," furious storms, killer tornadoes from the gulf coast to virginia and the snowstorm that canceled hundreds of flights in the midwest. the human toll and today's clean-up. >> speaking out, apple's ceo tim cooke reveals his side of the story as the justice department orders his company to unlock a terrorist locked iphone. it's an abc news exclusive. >> and new this half hour, astronaut scott kelly's record-setting year in space. it's almost over. >> what he loves about the space station. what he misses about earth and the food he cannot wait to eat. and later, adele treated like a queen at britain's version of the grammy awards. her performance and honors in "the skinny" on this thursday, february 25th. ♪