making news on this wednesday morning -- >> terror threat. a new warning that al qaeda will likely attempt a new attack in the u.s. within months. payday. new outrage as a bailedout insurance giant awards fresh bonuses today. and toyota's trouble. we ride along with the silicon valley guru who says the pedals aren't the problem. >> it's february 3rd, 2010. good morning. it is an ominous, new warning from the government's terror-fighting team that an attempted attack is, quote, certain. >> they are telling congress that al qaeda has adapted, making its message more difficult to detect. >> reporter: good morning,

vinita and jeremy. the testimony focuses on a likely attack. and new methods, including the so-called lone wolf strategy. what's where terrorists act alone. the conclusion by the nation's intelligence chief that al qaeda is likely to launch an attack on the u.s. within the next six months is as chilling as it is blunt. >> what is the likelihood of another terrorist attempted attack on the u.s. homeland in the next three to six months? high or low? director blair? >> an attempt of attack, is certain, i would say. >> mr. panetta? >> i would agree with that. >> mr. muller? >> agree. >> reporter: what is being done to thwart these plans. the head of the cia, the fbi and national defense said, al qaeda has deployed smaller groups with little history. and simpler methods of attack. the cia chief said trying to

stay ahead of the terrorists before they act keeps him up at night. >> the biggest threat i see is not so much that we face another attack similar to 9/11. i think the greater threat is that al qaeda is adapting their methods, in ways that often times make it difficult to detect. >> reporter: abc news has learned some of the intelligence has come from the accused christmas day bomber. the past week, umar farouk abdulmutallab has provided questioners with useful and actionable intelligence. this comes after the fbi sxretly flew family members from nigeria to the u.s. to convince him to cooperate. and this new revelation is welcomed for the obama situation, which was criticized for reading the christmas bomber his miranda rights after his arrest. >> back to the terror threat. are the leaders talking about a large-scale attack, on scope with 9/11, perhaps?

>> reporter: jeremy, the director of national intelligence and blair said the u.s. has been successful in thwarting, really blocking al qaeda's ability to launch that kind of massive, spectacular attack. but the focus right now and the concern for the intelligence community is on these individuals and small groups. but again, it's really important to focus that there is, at this time, no specific threat. jeremy and vinita? >> viviana hurtado in washington, thank you. we're following breaking news about a terror attack on americans in pakistan. officials say three u.s. soldiers have been killed by a bomb blast in the northwestern part of the country. the attack happened during opening ceremonies at a girls' school. soldiers were in pakistan to train local troops. girls schools have been a frequent target of attacks by islamic militants. a group of high-profile senators wants to cut off funding of any civilian trial of 9/11 suspects. those senators include john mccain and lindsey graham. they want to force the trials to

be held in military court. that would create a standoff with an administration that strongly prefers civilian trials. top officials went to capitol hill to make a historic announcement. they told congress it's time to repeal the don't ask, don't tell policy. martha raddatz reports. >> reporter: it was the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. the highest-ranking military officer in the nation. who said what no one in his position has ever said before. >> it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. i cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. >> reporter: admiral mullen's statement ran into stiff opposition from republican senators. >> persons who demonstrate an propensity or intent to engage

in homosexual acts would very likely create an unacceptable risk to those high standards of morale. >> reporter: senator john mccain who just a few years ago said, the day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says we ought to change the policy, we ought to consider seriously changing it, said something quite different. >> at this moment, immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the don't ask, don't tell policy. >> reporter: defense secretary robert gates also supports repealing don't ask, don't tell. but wants at least a year to review several issues, including benefits for gay partners. base housing. and morale. at the hearing, was one, young soldier who is really at the heart of this debate. lieutenant dan choi is a west point graduate, an iraq veteran, and one of the few arabic speakers in the military. like thousands of others, he faces dismissal from the army by

saying publicly that he is gay. >> i was living in the closet. then, i realized, this is really a violation of the honor code, which on the first day at west point we learned. you will not lie or tolerate those who lie. i believe in that honor code. >> reporter: this will no doubt be debated for a long time to come. but what the military has now said is truly historic. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. a lawyer for the american missionaries imprisoned in haiti tells abc news they're fate could be decided this morning. a judge is set to question the men today, after questioning the women yesterday. they were arrested while trying to take a busload of haitian children to an orphanage in another country. many children were found to have parents. although at least some of them were allowed to go. the missionaries say they have done nothing wrong. >> i got information from a haitian government official that today, after they do the investigation on the males, the

males of the mission, the male members of the mission, that they will be released. >> it is a crime in haiti to make off with a child, even with good intentions. but with the country's legal system a wreck, it's expected the prosecutor may decide not to prosecute. thousands of residents in southwest oklahoma are still without power, a week after a winter storm brought ice, snow and sleet to the area. power crews have been working nonstop to repair the more than 100 poles that were damaged. but it could be next week before everyone is back online. and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. heavy downpours for oklahoma today. part of a storm dumping up to five inches of rain from texas and louisiana to the southern rockies. heavy mountain snow in arizona, new mexico and colorado. rain and mountain snow in northern california to seattle. snow ends in the northeast. but lingers around the great lakes. >> 30s from boston to baltimore and much of the midwest. 48 in dallas. 58 in new orleans.

75 in miami today. 40s from boise down to albuquerque. phoenix climbs to 60. and sacramento's 55 degrees. and when we come back, new taxpayer outrage. the company saved from collapse is rewarding its employees with big bonuses today. and one of the founders of apple computers says gas pedals aren't to blame for some of toyota's troubles. announcer: kids who don't at breakfast .aren' getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. carnation instant breakfast essentials supplies all the nutrients of a complete breakfast to help build strong muscles and healthy bones.

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gotta get that bacon! there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time! insurance giant aig is under fire once again for its plans to hand out big bonuses. the company will give $100 million today to workers in the

unit that brought down the company. those payouts have been reduced thanks to concessions for most workers. the top republican on the senate finance committee says aig has taxpayers over a barrel. stocks are rising in asia this morning after the biggest back-to-back gains for the dow in three months. tokyo's nikkei average climbed 0.3% today. hong kong's hang seng finished sharply higher. in london, the ftse opened lower. signs are strengthening in the housing market, lifted the dow 111 points yesterday, to close at 10,296. the nasdaq gained nearly 19 points to close at 2190. in today's "wall street journal" tech review, a website that aims at shopping online more or less shopping in a mall. flip.com helps you search for an item at multiple stores. >> the whole point of flip.com is that you don't have to enter as many websites or urls and click as many times. it's supposed to be less work on your part. less typing on your part.

and that kind of accomplish more in less time and keep track of it. >> you can read katie's full review. the nation's housing crisis is serving as inspiration for a couple of artists in detroit. they transformed an abandoned home into a work of art by encasing it in ice. the artists spent weeks in the bitter cold spraying the house which had been slated for demolition. it's calling attention to the alarming number of foreclosed homes around the country. just ahead, a new clue into what could be a major cause of sudden infant death syndrome. and the president under fire for comments about las vegas.

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especially along i-10, i-20 and i-40. and slick on i-5, from northern california up to washington. >> if you are flying today, expect airport delays in houston, new orleans, and dallas. on the east coast, boston, new york and philadelphia and seattle out west. toyota's sales fell last month, after the company stopped selling eight models because of defective gas pedals. the automaker sold almost 15% fewer vehicles than a year ago. >> then, there's the surprising challenge to toyota's claim it fixed the pedal problem. >> reporter: hundreds of toyota owners have said the same thing. coming from one of america's most renowned computer geniuses, it got attention. steve was woz says the flor mats are not an issue. >> i think it's software that caused it. acan't cause it every time on

every frip. but i'm sure it will happen again. >> reporter: wozniak says he can solve the problem by hitting the brakes. but when it happens, it's a surprise. wozniak said he could not get through to toyota or federal safety officials when he tried to alert them to the problem. so, now, he's gone public. >> i would think they would want to hear me. but it's tough to get through. it's tough to get the phone number for anyone important in a company. >> reporter: now, the chairman for the house commerce committee, henry waxman has raised his own issues by toyota. saying assurances by the company's president are undercut by what he said in private to waxman's staff. now, he wants toyota to come clean and substantiate the claims by the time of the hearing later this month. brian ross, abc news, new york. some medical news this morning. researchers in boston now link the number one killer of babies to a chemical imbalance in the brain.

they say low serotonin levels make make babies susceptible to s.i.d.s. the discovery could lead to serotonin screening problems. did the president dis sin city again? the senate's top democrat thinks so. now, he's slamming the president for singling out las vegas in comments made yesterday in new hampshire. >> you don't go buying a boat when you can barely play your mortgage. you don't blow a bunch of cash on vegas when you're trying to save for college. you prioritize. you make tough choices. >> nevada senator harry reid called on the president to lay off las vegas. the president wrote back explaining he wasn't saying anything negative about the city. you remember last year, mr. obama outraged the city's mayor when he told bank execs they shouldn't be flying off to vegas on the taxpayers' dime. the president didn't apologized. but today, his chief of staff will for something he said last

summer. rahm emanuel was cited for calling liberal activists retarded. emanuel has apologized and will meet with members from the special olympics. four days until the big game. and the saints and colts will practice separately today. yesterday, it was question and answer time, as reporters from around the world descended on sun life stadium. with more sports, here's steve weissman of espn news. >> good morning, america. the night after kobe used memphis to set a record, lebron makes the grizzly his target, as well. cavs up 12. lebron, finds anderson varejou. o.j. mayo thinks he has an easy lay-in. later in the third, james to j.j. hickson. he had a career high with 15

dimes later, cavs up early. lebron had 22. cavs. how about kevin durant, coming off of 45 points. thunder hosting the hawks. hawks down three. mike bibby for the tres. he had 12. tied at 89-89. thunder up two. durant doing his thing. 33 points. thunder up four. less than two to go. westbrook, give and go with durant. k.d. scoring 25 points for the 22nd-straight game. oklahoma city, the victor. to campus we go. tom izzo, michigan state, visiting wisconsin. they haven't won in madison since '01. lucas, the reigning big ten player of the year looks hurt. and he is. he gets help off the floor and would not return. bucky up 12.

hughes making like his moniker. that's tres. now, up 16. keaton getting in the act. bo ryan staying undefeated at the colt center. that's your espn news sports update. i'm steve weissman. have a wonderful morning, america. back to you. we have some proof this morning that new yorkers are nicer than most people think. >> it surprised me. comedian and filmmaker mark nokoff videoed him being carried. 155 people in all to make the 9.4-mile trip. >> this is not his first brush with internet fame. he lived in a new jersey ikea ya for a week and spent 30 days an air transs plane. >> new yorkers are nice. >> this guy has interesting time on his hands. >> i guess so, yeah. up next, the stories we'll

be following today, including that new terror warning from the nation's top officials. and the president will face tough questions from members of congress. i was short of breath, so i couldn't always do what i wanted to do. but five minutes ago, i took symbicort, and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. so, today, i've noticed a significant difference in my breathing. and i'm doing more of what i want to do. so we're clear -- it doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort, and it's significantly improves my lung function, starting within five minutes. symbicort has made a significant difference in my breathing. now more of my want-tos are can-dos.

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on american soil. the president, again, faces off with members of congress in a live, televised question and answer session, like last friday. but today, a less hostile crowd, house democrats. there could be fresh outrage directed at financial giant aig later today. the company is said to pay out $100 million of bonuses to employees. a judge in haiti will question a group of american missionaries again today. they were arrested trying to leave that country with 33 haitian children they said were orphans. it's become clear many of the children still have parents. involuntary manslaughter charges could be filed as early as today to dr. conrad murray. dr. murray admits giving michael jackson a powerful anesthetic but denies any wrongdoing. coming up later on "good morning america," cutting-edge technology. a look at how the brain works. it could help thousands who suffer from seizures.

>> that's coming up on "gma." for some of you, your local news is up next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after this. and inspired my open hearts collection at kay jewelers. as the number one jewelry store in america, kay was the perfect choice to help me into something beautiful and eternal. you were right, mom. keep your heart open, and love will always find its way in. rheumatoid arthritis going? they'reiscovering the first self-injectable ra medicine you take just once a month. it's simponi™, and taken with methotrexate, it helps relieve the pain,

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vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. by now we should be used to it. you know what it takes to get out the door and we found ways to help you get out the door. >> some of you can barely get up on a kitchen chair. the danger of doing windows downtown. >> last night you were in front of your tv no doubt watching lost. next month you will be rooting for baltimore at the as cars. thanks for joining us on this wednesday morning. >> welcome back megan frankle. everything go okay? >> yes. >> you left in the snow come back in the snow. >> love it. >> justin. >> we have more on the way believe it or not. in fact, a very active weather pattern that doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon. this is what you will wake up

to. probably a bit more than what i am showing on the screen because most of these reports haven't been updated since midnight. people go to sleep including weather geeks during a storm. parkville, elk rim, 4 inches, 3 bwi. on average, we have ranged between 3 and 5 inches of snowfall. we have two days for this stuff to melt and a major storm this weekend. it is rare i do that this far out but looks like this will be a doozy. maryland's most popular radar. with four other suites showing it departing the eastern shore. our forecast improving coming up in a bit. right now here on the roads. kim brown. >> after that big, crews