making news this morning. pump up. >> gas prices rising at a record pace. on a rocket ride that could hit $5 a gallon. one candidate says he can get prices down to just two bucks. >> despite the fuel fears, all eyes on wall street today, opening just short of 13,000. a milestone not seen in four years. severe storms overnight across the plains, turning deadly in oklahoma, hours after a dust storm that made it almost impossible to see. and reunited in two new songs burning up online, three years after he attacks her, chris brown and rihanna together again.

good tuesday morning, everyone. i'm paula faris. >> i'm rob nelson. happy mardi gras. >> that's right. premium gas prices are pushing $5 gallon in some states. that could be the reality for all of us soon. >> tahman bradley shows us the impact this could have. >> reporter: gas prices are rising at record speeds. >> crazy. >> it's expensive. >> reporter: the cost of gasoline is up 25 cents from a month ago. >> i'm very unhappy with this. >> it's ridiculous. very diridiculous. >> i do about $120 a week to go to work. >> reporter: the spike in gas prices is being risen because of

the problems in the middle east. the news sent shock waves across global markets. higher oil prices will have a ripple effect, meaning consumers will pay nor more every day basics. milk, eggs, fruits and gej tabls. it could mean higher heating bills, more expensive plane tickets. goods made from petroleum such as fertilizer, makeup, prescription drugs could cost more. >> there's a supply chain. it's matter of weeks, perhaps months, as those costs get passed through. >> reporter: tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >> there are stair knows where gas prices could stabilize if tensions ease with iran or if saudi arabia increases oil production. both could bring prices back down. and those soaring gas prices are causing debate on the

campaign trail. newt gingrich is saying he'll drop gas prices down to two bucks gallon if he's elected. critics wonder how much influence any president may have on the price of gas. it's unlikely that he'll catch up to the newest gop front-runner, rick santorum. he's surged ahead of romney by ten points. his first double-digit lead. top republicans fear he will drive away independents, moderates, and women. and mitt romney is headed to michigan, which holds its primary a week from today. it's a must-win for romney. he grew up there, his dad was the governor there. michigan voters are worried because he supported the government bailout. turns overseas to the bloody conflict in syria. gomt troops are maintaining their bombardment in the city of

homs. president bashar assad's forces continue their shelling. there's word that russia will offer a new proposal for increased humanitarian aid there. in washington state, three skiers died in a roaring avalanche on sunday. the risk is growing. the danger is fierce. clayton sandell takes us inside the maelstrom and tells us how it's possible the survive. >> reporter: this winter, 17 people have been killed by avalanches nationwide they're powerful. a large slide like this one could carry enough snow to cover 20 football fields ten feet high. this shows what it's like to be caught up in one. a snow boarder in new zealand. riding one second. the next, he's overcome. this camera capturing what he saw and heard inside as the light faded. lucki

luckily, he survived. >> you okay? >> reporter: experienced ski patrol member chris describes the ride. >> it's like being stuck in a watch mag sheen full of rocks. you get tumbled around. you can't see anything. >> reporter: one of the survivors of yesterday's avalanche credits an emergency air bag with saving her life. >> you don't know which way is up or down. but the system keeps you up above. so you have a very good chance of survival. >> reporter: while caught up in the avalanche, the air bag keeps you from sinking. lifting you upwards towards the air. you can see an air bag saving this snow boarder a few weeks ago in colorado. even the best skeers caution that no technology is fail safe. >> you know your risks and your abilities. these were expert skeers.

nature is more powerful than we are. parts of the southern plains with cleaning up this morning after a deadly wind storm. it ripd through a trailer park in oklahoma. a mobile home was completely destroy destroyed. one woman was left dead. one man was trapped under a trailer but eventually rescued. in west texas, zero visibili visibility. a tractor trailer overturns. dozens of trucks, cars, and suvs plowed into the wreck. time for the weather from across the nation. drenching rain and flooding around seattle. avalanche warnings across much of the cascades. heed those warnings. up to a foot of snow in the northern rockies. afternoon rain showers from northern indiana to cleveland and pittsburgh. >> 50 here in the big apple.

near 60 in atlanta. 78 in miami. 70 in dallas, 53 in kansas city. mostly 40 friends omaha to detroit. phoenix, 72. sacramento, 68. seattle, 52. coming up, whitney houston fans overwhelm the cemetery where she's buried. police take action. and diet soda now being linged to serious medical issues. and apple's app store. 25 billion downloads. and a business bg prize awarded to whoever downloads tha

welcome back, everybody. major developments from europe overnight. with greece getting another chance at survival. euro zone countries agreed this morning to a second bailout. however, greece has to make some drastic changes and cuts. greex were already rioting in the streets. the government has agreed to some of those awe stairty measures. asian markets were mostly down overnight. investors feel europe is not out of the woods yet. tokyo's nikkei average fell 22 points today. hong kong's hang seng picked up 54. the ftse opening higher. on wall street, the dow rose 149 points last week. the nasdaq index up 48. but the big question today, will the dow hit that milestone?

13,000. it open this is morning about 50 points away. the last time it closed above 13,000 was about thundershower ye -- four years ago. >> taco bell is coming out of its shell for its 50th anniversary. new items on the menu. the newest one getting the buzz is the taco shell made out of doritos. they're coming off a bad year. >> look that shell. today's kids watch programs online as much or more than on tv or the movies. youtube is spending $100 million in hollywood to create new programming. three of them will be programmed by maker studios, which already turned out hundreds of videos a month. and apple's app store is nearing a milestone.

the 25 billionth download. if you're the person who makes that, apple will give you $10,000 spend in the app store. you can also enter without a download. but there's a limit of 25 entries a day. $10,000 for the app store? >> watch her get out the iphone during the break. coming up next, fans literally flood the cemetery to see whitney houston's grave. officials making a big announcement overnight. it's now closed. and we'll take you live to nornts next. it's fat tuesday. lisa's new normal hi jamie. here's my activia video. love this stuff. i'm starting to feel a change no longer feeling slow. i can't believe i thought irregularity was my normal. now i don't miss a beat. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day.

i knew lisa would love her new normal. ♪ activia love your new normal and introducing silky, fruity activia harvest picks. one more way to enjoy activia.

ah, yes, my favorite story of the day. today is, in fact, fat tuesday. that means big time party time in the big easy.

on saturday, will ferrell was the king of baucus. he tossed cow bells. he said, new orleans is arguably the best city in the world. i absolutely agree with him. a good time for all. you're looking at live pictures now, there in the world famous french quarter. a look at bourbon street from arnold's. mardi gras, the last day of carnival will wrap up at midnight tonight. they'll party hard until then. have a few for me, folks. >> but no place you would rather be than in our studios, right? >> no comment. a look at morning road conditions. a slick ride on i-80 from cleveland to chicago. wet, windy and icy on parts of i-15, 84, and 90 in the rockies.

>> and if you're flying today, airport delays possible in the midwest -- minneapolis, chicago, and detroit. well, the cemetery where whitney houston is bury sd now closed until further notice. monday morning, fans were allowed to visit the grave site covered with flowers, but still without a headstone. >> by afternoon, cars clogged the streets. fans were eager to pay their respects. >> it was on my mind all week. and i'm happy she wasn't buried out in california like the rest of them. she was buried here in jersey. jersey girl came home. >> man who lives across the street from that cemetery posted a hand made sign urging people to let her finally rest in peace. a fatal accident at a kentucky fried chicken near washington, d.c. last night. a bmw sedan crashed into the restaurant killing the driver and injuring four others.

the car was traveling about 100 miles an hour when the driver lost control, hit a curb, flipped into the air and slammed to the ground. a few lucky guys this morning. a tv crew came to the rescue of a group of sailors whose ship caught fire. still unclir why the fire started. a disaster was averted. at the end of the day, nine men were brought to safety. just as lucky were the eight french people on that 200-foot yau yacht there. it suffered a mechanical failure and ultimately sank. they faced winds. everyone was brought to safety before the yacht sank. diet soed dma be good for the waistline, but it could mean you have a hire risk of heart attack. older people that drank

sugar-free soda every day were much more likely to suffer a heart attack. people who draing a lot of diet soda had a lot more unhealthy habits. you try to compensate for other bad habits. scientists have created a living flower from a seed that was frozen nearly 30,000 years ago. it's the oldest plant ever generated from ancient tissue. it holds out hope for recry eating animals that were also extinct. >> sounds like ice age. now, hoops highlights from the nba. including the latest installment of insanity. the details from espn news. i'm chris cotter. let's start in madison square garden. lin and anthony in the lineup

for the first time. everyone wondering about the chemistry. early on, it looked good. l irvegs n here with the steal on the break, 3 on 1 for the knicks. he's got carmelo on the wing but decides to do it himself. this is probably the last highlight for the knicks of the night. they were down that point. in the second half, it was really williams taking over. the nets guard raining three pointers. he took 14 attempts and made 8 on the night. 38 points. the nets win, 100-92. it wasn't that close. tony parker and the spurs taking a ten-game winning streak into utah to take on the jazz. a stutter move in the lane with the layup. the spurs take the lead. fourth quarter we go, parker, again, the pull-up jumper. putting the team on his back.

23 points 11 assists. bonner, drive and kick to the veteran. jefferson hits the jumper. giving the spurs the four-point lead. final seconds. parker to neal. over to jefferson. the veteran with only five points on the night. they were big. 106-102. that's your espn news update. i'm chris cotter. enjoy the rest of your day. up next, "the pulse." paris hilton's new way to pad the bank account. and rihanna and chris boun together for two new songs. some fans thinking, what is she thinking? there's no such thing as too soft. as long as it still gets the job done. i know what i like. i like feeling both clean and pampered. why should i compromise? not only is quilted northern ultra plush® the only bath tissue with plushquilts®, it now has the innerlux layer. three levels of softness and the gentle clean you want. clean comes first.

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and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! all right, time to check "the pulse" the stories you'll be talking about today. former couple chris brown and rihanna are back together again, musically speaking. >> maybe really together. he's singing on her new song and she's on the remix of his new single, turn up the music. >> he was sentenced for the 2009 attack on rihanna. he tweeted happy birthday message to her. she replied thanks. >> they've been seen around one another. could be publicity, who

knows t knows? paris hilton was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. >> she turned 31 on friday and won big at the black jack table and partied at a club with her parents, her sister, and her rumored boyfriend, afro jack. >> she probably spent the $30,000 on her purse. >> or maybe her dog. okay, new evidence this morning that cameras are just about everywhere today. including at royal dinners in denmark. >> check out the husband of the president there. he was checking out denmark's princess mary. wh when he's apparently caught in the act. it's apparently time to get a good look at the ceiling. >> let's hope for the best and presume he was taking a look at her necklace. look at mir eyes right here. >> eyes. such beautiful eyes. >> what color are they? >> i have no idea.

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thank you! that's the cold truth! and updating the top stories. gas prices at a record high for this time of year. up 25 cents in just a month. it could cost five bucks a gallon by memorial day. european leaders worked overnight and agreed to loan greece more money. they've also decided to forgive greece a big part of what it owes. the dow needs 50 points to reach 12,000 today. the question is, will it stay there? looking at today's weather, showers from pennsylvania to indiana, snow in michigan. up to a foot of snow in the northern rockies. avalanche warnings in the cascad cascades. and fanl inally, an incredi story of generosity times 30.

it began with a single act of donating a kidney. >> it blossomed into chain of giving that spurned even more. >> reporter: it's the incredible algebra of human kindness. one american deciding to save the life of a stranger. whose family in turn saves the life of another stranger. and on and on. enter rick, an elect trish yan, who said work was slow right now he had time on his hands. enough time to give a gift. >> if the world can love the strongers and be as kind to them as family and friend, world problems would be solved. >> reporter: getting nothing in return, he decided to give his kidney to someone whose family couldn't provide match. it traveled to new jersey, to the family of man who, in turn, donated one of their kidneys. it went and on. the master mind behind it all,

an ex-marine with an nba and his own company. and a 10 dwreerld daughter who once had kidney failure. it must have been a terrifying time. >> it was very stressful. yes. >> reporter: so you're giving back? paying forward? >> yes, you might say that. >> reporter: and so it was, before dawn, matching profiles, logistics, blood types. 4 months, 17 hospitals, 11 states. until this largest chain of generosity ever ended with the 30th transplant, 47-year-old donald. >> when the doctor called me and said that he had a kidney and that he was going donate, i burst down in tears. >> reporter: and terry had know idea that the two people watching over him were that ex-marine and the stranger who, on impulse, walked into the hospital. >> if i had another kidney, i would doe that that one too. >> reporter: so many people connected