this morning, wet and windy. >> flooding rainfall and powerful winds overnight. part of a system that's caused extensive damage. even spawning some devastating tornadoes. held hostage. a standoff drama now entering its third day. an armed man and a young boy. we have the very latest. powerful plea. gun violence forever altered her life. gabby giffords with her emotional speech. and a boy dashes on to the court right in the middle of a college basketball game. good thursday morning. i'm sunny hostin. >> and i'm rob nelson. we begin with the wicked weather

that unleashed two dozen tornadoes on the south and the west. flipping cars, trucks, even a moving freight train. >> that storm is trejing up the east coast this morning. and big cities, d.c. and new york are getting drenched. abc's tahman bradley has the latest on the storm blamed, now, for at least two deaths. >> reporter: wicked weather lashed parts of the midwest and south, heavy flooding, dangerous winds and monster tornadoes. look at these images north of atlanta. >> a funnel north of the interstate. >> reporter: a tornado with winds estimated over 120 miles per hour, demolished homes, office buildings and wiped out parts of a factory. >> it picked me up and flinged me three times. trying to get that door closed. >> i had to dig my way out. >> i thought it killed my son in the bedroom in there. and i thought it was going to kill me, too. >> reporter: the tornado left

behind a junk yard of twisted semitrailers and tossed suvs. one person was killed in georgia. another death reported in tennessee. in parts of kentucky, severe storms packed with heavy winds, left behind a trail of destruction. >> it's out into the field. some of the people's belongings in here is also out here, too. >> our trailer lifts off the foundation. and went back down. i thank the good lord up above for saving us. >> reporter: the storm brought high winds to texas, flash flooding in missouri. and in western michigan, a car plunged 20 feets into a creek, after heavy rain and snow melt caused flash flooding. >> the road we're in the middle of a river right now. the car's completely underwater. help. >> reporter: in indiana, a storm knocked out power for thousands and destroyed dozens of homes. >> the winds were so fierce, it was throwing my car sideways. i didn't know if i was going to make it through or not. >> reporter: tahman bradley, abc news, washington. and that storm will finally wrap up this morning, clearing

the way for some chilly air. >> accuweather meteorologist jim dickey tells us what we can expect. >> a powerful storm is tracking towards the coast bringing soaking rainfall on the i-95 car dor. you can expect blinding downpours, localized flash flooding. the winds stay gusty, ushing in chilly air. watching the temps fall in the afternoon. we're talking 60 miles per hour, with winds sustained 20, 30 miles per hour through the day. back to you. >> thanks, jim. stay with us for "good morning america," as our extreme weather team brings you the latest on this violent storm. a look at the hard-hit towns from inside the storm zone. >> and another developing story this morning. a child hostage situation, playing out in rural alabama. dozens gathered at a church near the scene last night, praying for some kind of peaceful resolution to all of this. here is the latest as we know

it. a 5-year-old boy is being held in an underground bunker by a 65-year-old man named jimmy. this happened before the man killed the bus driver. the investigators had been talking to him. and the boy has received the medicine he receives regularly. the bunker has electricity and tv. there was strong system about gun violence at a meeting in newtown, connecticut. it took place at newtown high school last night. parents whose children were killed in the sandy hook massacre used the hearing to demand stricter state gun laws. lawmakers also heard from newtown residents who spoke against more restrictions on gun owners. on capitol hill, shooting victim and former congresswoman, gabby giffords, was helped into a hearing by her husband, mark

kelly. it was a powerful call for congressional action. giffords demanded lawmakers do something, despite the opposition. >> too many children are dying. too many children. it will be hard. but the time is now. you must act. be bold, be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> and then, kelly called for better background checks for all gun sales. wayne lapierre of the national rifle association says background checks aren't the answer because criminals buying guns don't use them. there's new momentum towards immigration reform. a bipartisan group from the house is working on legislation similar to proposals by senate

negotiators and president obama. the groundbreaking measure could be unveiled within a matter of days. president obama says he would like the whole process wrapped up in six months. >> it's been too long since we reformed the system. and we're starting to see a bipartisan consensus build around this. >> florida lawmaker mario diaz has seen a sea change on the issue on both sides. senator kerry's seat has been moved on since he moved on to secretary of state. william mo cohen. cohen will be on the job until a special election in june. it's the first time in history there will be two african-americans serving in the senate. the other is tim scott of south carolina. and congress is expected to hold another so-called bipartisan date night when the president delivers the state of the union address next month. for the third-straight year dozens of lawmakers plan to

break tradition by sitting with members of the opposing party. it's all to symbolize the importance of working together. >> i'm sure that's not awkward at all. all right. coming up after the break, the man behind the manti te'o hoax. he comes clean in a very big way. >> yes. plus, the developing story about the power of computer hackers. a major newspaper battles a major cyber threat. and wrong place, wrong time. created quite a wild ride.

welcome back, everybody. the dow jones industrial average

still has not hit that coveted 14,000 mark. in fact, it actually lost ground yesterday, thanks to some disappointing economic news. the dow fell 44 points yesterday. the nasdaq index was off 11. more than 40% of american households are just one emergency away from financial ruin. they don't have enough savings to cover basic living expenses for just three months. almost one-third of us have no savings account at all. the study also found that many people are living check-to-check. one reason, high credit card debt. it's going to be harder for gun owners to get ammunition. walmart is limiting sales of ammo for three boxes per customer per day. the largest gun seller says supplies are limited because demand has risen since the connecticut school shooting. a major newspaper is the victim of cyber retaliation for news reporting. "the new york times" says chinese hackers have been

infiltrating its computer systems for the past four months, even getting the passwords of reporters and other employees. the attacks came after "the times" published the story on how relatives of china's prime minister have become very wealthy. it's a makeover for the blackberry with a nod to the iphone. not only are their new phones running a new operating system. but the company that makes them has changed its name to blackberry. it has a new global creative director, alicia keys. she admits she broke up with the blackberry for a while. the company will have an uphill battle to regain its prominence. and there's no change at the top for the most popular breed of dog. the american kennel club says it's the labrador retriever for the 22nd year in a row. labs are versatile, they're great company. great with families. but they also work in law

enforcement, search and rescue and hunting. and also, they're also very cute. >> you're a cat person. >> i have three dogs. and i had a cat, too. >> a lot of animals. >> i'm an animal person. when me and dr. doolittle come back on this thursday morning, behind the hoax. the man who pretended to be manti te'o's girlfriend. now, he's revealing his true feelings for the football superstar. and the man who says he's sorry for injuring oprah. [ elh or have lemon in my water... e eat tomato sauce on my spaghetti. the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush. you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion.

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[ male announcer ] 100% whole grain and some people found that a little bit strong. but as soon as they tasted blonde roast, boy they were on board. ♪ another look, now, at the sheer power of those killer storms that swept over a big section of the country. the winds were so strong, they derailed this moving freight train in missouri, knocking over 50 cars. no one was hurt. but 800 feet of track will have to be replaced. now, for a look at your

morning road conditions on this thursday. windy with flooding from d.c. up to boston. snow-covered roads in western new york, pennsylvania and michigan. a snowy commute around the ski resorts in the rockies. and pretty slick in the pacific northwest. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in washington, d.c., philly, new york and boston. now, we turn to another developing story this morning. the search for a 70-year-old man considered armed and dangerous. >> one person has been killed and two others wounded yesterday when the suspect, arthur harmon, allegedly opened fire at a law firm in arizona. they say he took off in a white rental car. in san diego, a massive explosion sent hotel guests running for cover. police say a couple in one of the rooms was processing drugs, which apparently caused the blast. the man was critically burned in the explosion. and the woman was less seriously

injured. a fire department spokesman compared the damage to a war zone. caught on camera. a woman in ohio who was not happy about riding in the back of a police car wanted out in the worst way. video shows her kicks out a window and showering a police officer with glass. she was arrested for allegedly punching and biting her mother. police say she was drunk at the time. president obama and the first lady are praying for the family of a chicago teenager killed in gun violence. 15-year-old hadeya pendleton had attended the inauguration. she was killed tuesday, when a gunman fired into a crowd of students. the police chief in chicago is vowing to find the killer. one more twist to the fake girlfriend hoax involving college football star manti te'o. in an interview airing today, the man behind the hoax, ronaiah

tuiasosopo makes a revelation. he tells dr. phil he believes he may be gay and created the nonexistent girlfriend because he fell in love with te'o. he explains why he ended the relationship. >> i finally realized, i had to move on with my life. and had to get my -- i had to start just living and let this go. >> te'o has denied any role in the hoax. >> that story just keeps getting stranger. tyler perry is apologizing after oprah hurt her back lifting a huge flower arrangement he had delivered to her. writing on his facebook page, perry said he sent the flowers for oprah's birthday. but apparently the talk show titan did not use the proper posture in lifting them and strained her back. perry says next birthday, he's just going to send a single rose. . and ron jeremy is in sensitive care this morning at a hospital in l.a.

the 59-year-old jeremy suffered an aneurysm near his heart he has appeared in 2,000 adult films. the 49ers and the ravens are reporting no serious injuries to their players ahead of sunday's super bowl in new orleans. as for last night's nba hoops, we get the highlights from espn. >> doug kezirian here with your "sportscenter" update. we start with the biggest soap opera in the nba. steve nash, returning to phoenix for the first time in a laker uniform. fourth quarter action, dwight howard. the rebound. but he injures his shoulder. he would not return. final minute of the game. tied at 86-86. michael beasley, the lay-in in traffic. suns rally from a 13-point deficit in the fourth. now, on top. kobe bryant with a chance to tie. the lakers and their three-game win streak over as steve smash loses in his return to phoenix.

heat visiting the nets. a little war of words before the game between reggie evans and lebron james. as for the action, lebron sticks the three. second quarter, nets trailing by 11. andray blatche, thousands it down. this game would be tied at half, despite the heat going up 12 on dwyane wade's lefty floater. third quarter action. all heat in the third. lebron for the rack. more from wade, now. miami outscored brooklyn 36-14 in the third. fourth quarter is a blowout. lebron on the wing. steps back. he scored at least 20 against the nets for the 20th-straight time. only other player to do that is michael jordan. i'm doug kezirian. have a great day. the high schooler you're about to see is not heading straight to the nba. but by his own admission, he's a pretty good player.

>> check out ben gerard from burrowville high school. he threw in that full-court shot on tuesday. and for that, he was named player of the game. >> certainly worthy of that. love to see that. look at that. threw a bomb. "the pulse" is coming up next this morning, with video you won't forget including an on-the-court collision, that looked pretty painful with that mascot. and why did the woman cross the road? she's probably asking the same question. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. 's an effectivese as needed in the misleep medicineght you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep.

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and return to sleep again. ♪ time to check "the pulse"

this morning. some of the best video you're going to see all morning, starting with a canadian college student getting the ride of her life. >> yes. the young woman was trying to cross the street near mcgill university in montreal, when a water main suddenly broke. you can see her there trying to stay on her feet. but the raging water was too much. it slipped her downhill like a water slide. >> the student not injured. but her pride, a little hurt. that has already gotten 18,000 hits on youtube. that looks a little fun. can you tell march madness is getting closer and closer? it sure looks like seeing these videos. >> check out rocky the mascot, from western illinois university. running into that flipping cheerleader. rocky tried to be cool about what happened, during push-ups and other exercises after the collision. >> rooky looks like he got taken out. then this, a youngster runs

on to the court last night interrupting the game between the oklahoma sooners and the baylor bears. he's a baylor fan. unfortunately for him, though, the bears lost. during a break in the action, the kid was allowed to slam dunk a ball into a junior-sized basket. >> enthusiasm of the young. we like that. a squirmy baby proved quite the challenge for doctors in an exam in san diego. it took three sets of hands to measure and examine this giant panda cub, who was interested in playing around. >> at 20 pounds, the cub is on schedule for weight gain. and they say he's gaining a lot of muscle in his back legs from all that climbing. and he showed off new teeth. >> cute little fella there. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, when "america this morning" continues in just a second, a mom and dad who say they'd be proud even if their sons weren't coaching in sunday's big super bowl. >> but it's pretty cool that they are.

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updating the top stories. defense secretary nominee, chuck hagel, faces some tough questions today before a senate committee. a handful of republican senators have already come out against his nomination. in alabama, prayers for a 5-year-old boy being held by an elderly man in an underground bunker. they've been there since tuesday afternoon, after the man allegedly killed the boy's bus driver. the east coast is getting battered this morning as wet and windy weather moves in from the carolinas to new england. that storm triggered two dozen tornados in the south and midwest, leaving at least two dead. rain and mountain snow in the northwest. heavy lake-effect snow in michigan, person pennsylvania and also in update new york. we are counting down to super bowl sunday and rob's favorite city, new orleans. the big game is just three days away.

and things are getting wild in the big easy. >> no one parties better or longer. the ravens and 49ers pits head coaching brother against brother. but it's hardly a family feud. just ask the parents. >> who has it better than us? nobody. >> reporter: meet the proudest parents on the planet, jack and jackie harbaugh. for their sons, it's just another day at the office, as their two teams prepare for the biggest game of their lives. at 49ers practice, head coach jim harbaugh watched closely as he put his team to work. not too far away, harbaugh's brother, john, guided his baltimore ravens through their drills. but ray lewis found time to crack a joke. the harbaugh brothers will go head-to-head, in what's being dubbed as the harbowl. >> no one talks to anyone. jim is quiet and guarded. and john is quiet and guarded. >> reporter: their mother, is a

little more optimistic. >> this is like frosting on the cake for our whole family. >> reporter: oddsmakers have the 49ers favored by 3 1/2 points. but the super bowl is in new orleans. so, if you want a prediction, ask the experts at reverend zombie's house of voodoo. even then, there's no clear answer. >> i can't really say. but i can say that it looks -- you're looking pretty good. i would shore up the offense, though. >> reporter: for new orleans, all of the superhype is business as usual on bourbon street. food, music, and flying beads for mardi gras, which this year, shares the spotlight of the big game. the best of both worlds. >> you won't be able to walk. >> a lot of these people can't walk right now. >> that's because they're drunk. >> i can verify that. that's what's making