in the east leave thousands without power overnight and counities in the south are stunned by the deadly destruction as the midwest is hit hard by whiteout conditions. we have the latest on the storm track. privacy fight. ceo tim cook telling abc news that apple is standing firm against the government despite that order to access a terrorist's iphone. >> this is not about one phone. this is about the future. the abc news exclusive interview just ahead. fighting the flu in the depthsf the season. some encouraging news about this year's vaccine. why you should consider getting one if you haven't. and, oh, boy, pants on fire. a small explosion in a store caught on security camera, and, no, th is not money burning a hole in his pocket. well, good thursday morning.

reeling from the vicious storms hamming the eastern two-thirds of theountry. >> along the mid-atlantic, virginia is under a state of emergency this morning where tornadoes and thunderstorms have left at least four people dead. tens of thousands are still without power, and roadways are flooded. >> and in the midwest blizzard-like conditions left a huge mess. nearly a foot of wet, heavy snow blanketed roads and knocked ouout wer. drivers planning to head out this morning need to be careful of dangerously icy conditions created by frigid temperatures overnight. >> the impact, nearly 1,200 flights in and out of chicago airports have been canceled so far, which is likely to impact air travel across the country today. and on the ground the full effect of the devastating storms and the massive cleanup ahead are just starting to unfold. overnight, millions of americans hit hard as a deadly winter storm continues its march north. torrential rains flooding the mid-atlantic to the northeast.

floods, washing away cars and creating a mess for the d.c. area. >> i thinking le i called god to help me and prayed. >> reporter: in new york heavy winds overturned this truck on the george washington bridge. this time lapse shows the storm moving into charlotte, north carolina. strong winds toppling trees, homes and power lines there. more than 160,000 people without power across 7 states. it's the same system that spawned terrifying twisters. in virginia, a state of emergency in effect. a deadly tornado shredding homes, among the victims, a young child. >> the only thing we heard was a 2-year-old baby was found in the woods. >> reporter: that baby and two others pronounced dead. >> this is devastating. >> reporter: across the region morehan 30 tornadoes in the last day alone, first tearing across louisiana destroying this rv park. >> god let us be okay. let us get thrhrough thi >> reporter: and on the back

blizzard conditions across the midwest. >> if you don't need to make the trip, don't make the trip today. >> reporter: in parts of illinois and indiana, nearly whiteout conditions making travel extra difficult. and that area, by the way, is in for more snow today. take a look, but it's not expected to be quite as heavy with t snow showers continuing around the great lakes and temperatures will move back up into the 30s. >> in the mid-atlantic and northeast plan on mostly dry conditions although temperatures will be a bit cooler. well, to politics now, the republicans preparing to face off in houston tonight. their final debate before super tuesday. >> after his landslide victory in nevada, donald trump is n now tangling with mitt romney over his tax returns, but he's also tring jabs with the other gop candidates who are struggling to catch up. >> it's "your voice, your vote." we get the latest from abc's kenneth moton. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, reena and kendis. it is a case of irony.

criticized in 2012 about his own tax returns but now he's making similar attacks against billionaire donald trump. hoururs beforeevere weather ripped through virginia overnight, donald trumwas on the ground rallying supporters, talking running mates. >> i do want somebody that's political because i want to ge lots of great legislation that we all want passed. >> reporter: trump was a no-show for a republican town hall on fox news hosted by megyn kelly who had a very public feud with the gop front-runner. the candidates lined up as they worked to take down trump. >> we are not going to allow the conservative movement to be defined about i a nominee who n't a conservative. >> reporter: all four promise release tax returns this week after mitt romney called on them to do so. the 2012 gop nominee even said he believes there's a quote bombshell in tru's taxes. >> when people decide they don't want to give you theiraxes it's usually because there's something they don't want you to see. >> reporter: trump went on the attack and tweeted mitt romney who totally blew an election that should d have beewon and

like a fool is now playing tough guy. >> well, hello. alpha kappa alpha. >> reporter: fewer fireworks from the democratic side. hillary clinton made her case at the sisters of aka ahead of saturday's south carolina primary. bernie sanders who is struggling with black voterers there ved on to super tuesday states drawing g 9,000 people to his rally in tulsa, oklahoma. as for trump's taxes he says there is no bombshell other than he pays a lot. the republicans will debate tonight on cnn in the super tuesday state of texas where the governor just endorsed his senator, ted cruz. reena and kendis. >> all right, it's comining down to the wire definitely for them. abc's kenneth moton live in washington for us this morning, thank you. new developments this morning now in the standoff over president obama's pick for the supreme court. sources tell abc news the president is considering a republican. nevada governor brian sandoval as the nominee.

federal judge who supports abortion rights. his nomination could be seen as an overture to republican lawmakers who vowed to block the president's choice. top senate republicans will meet with the president next week. and access to abortion clinics may soon be limited in louisiana. a federal appeals court has refused to block a new law which advocates say will force clinics in the state to close. that law requires doctors who provide abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles. a group supporting abortion rights says it will take the case to the supreme court. moving overseas now to syria where a cease-fire in the civil war is set to take effect saturday morning. it allows aid to reach remote areas. here at home there are growing calls tostablish a so-called safe zone in northern syria if the cease-fire fails.

that such a zone would require up to 30,000 u.s. ground troops to maintain. a new isis video in the meantime threatens the lives of facebook founder mark zuckerberg and jack dorsey, the head of twitter. the 25-minute video is too disturbing to show. it includes pictures of the two men covered in bullet holes. isis says it is responding to efforts by facebook and twitter to suspend accounts and remove posts that promote terrorism. well, still ahead, our exclusive with apple ceo tim cook speaking for the first time about apple's legal showdown with the fbi. but first tearful testimony as erin andrews' father says she's a shell of her former self after nude photos leaked online. and america, we're no longer home to the most billionaires so

beat the u.s.? those charging elephants in africa were chasing arizona senanator jeff flake and some others during their trip to africa. last week during a boat ride a hippo showed off teeth. the purpose off his trip was to learn more about wildlife poaching. well, new details in kesha's legal battle. abc news has obtained video denying that she ever had sexual relations with music producer dr. luke. kesha is suing claiming he sexually abused her and she wants out of her recording contract. the video was taken during a deposition five years ago. a judge ruled friday that kesha must follow through on the contract but she doesn't have to work with dr. luke. kesha has garnered support from other top singers including taylor swift, lady gaga and just last night adele. well, emotional testimony from the father of sportscaster erin andrews. andrews choked up as her dad

his daughter was a shell of her former self. he said all she did was cry after discovering a stalker had posted videos of her online. andrews is suing david michael barrett and the marriott for $75 million. they're mourning a loss o nate kerrigan, a veteran law enforcement officer who died while carrying out a high-risk eviction. two other deputies were hurt which killed the homeowner. it was consisidered hi risk after that homeowner posted online rants against the p police. and in austin, texas, a police sniper who shot and killed an armed suspect will not be charged. newly released video from a year ago shows 27-year-old sawyer flash repeatedly firing at a poli helicopter as it hovered over his house. that's when the officer moved in anshot him in the head. his two young daughters were sleeping inside. well, the u.s. is nono longer home to the most billionaires in

that distinction now goes to china now. accordg to a newly released annual list, 90 new chinese billionaires moved to china -- moved china into first place by a margin of 33 billionaires. beijing is the city with the most billionaires with 100. that's five more than new york. >> see, donald trump is going to say, i was right all along. it's china. >> china. well, when we come back, the exclusive interview withth apple's ceo tim cook arguing that their battle with the fbi isn't just overricy, but security, as well. and promising new information regarding this

what you need to know. jane's always on the move. luckily her light & fit protein smoothie can keep up with her. packed with 12grams of protein and no added sugar. so she can watch her calories and where she's going.

so, a passenger on board a plane captured this dark image of turbulent storm clouds swept upy a tornado that hit louisiana. the twister was part of that bigger deadly storm that's been tearing upp partsf the south and mid-atlantic states. that same system is creating dicey conditions for this morning's commute. watch out for icyr wet roads fromhe great lakes stretching south to northern tennessee. and if you're flying, likely to find airport delays today in detroit and boston. well, now to that abc news exclusive. apple's ceo tim cook's first interview. cook tells david muir that doing so would make hundreds of millions of customers vulnerable to hackers. >> yes. the only way we know would be to write a piece of software that

eqequivalentf cancer. we think it's bad news to write. we wouould neverrite it. we have e never wrten it, and that is what is at stake here. >> the fbi though says it believes that syed farook used that phone to communicate with his wife his accomplice and i'm curious, do you struggle at all th the possibility there could be information on that phone ththat could reveal other plot, other people who were involved in planning the san bernardino attack? >> david, if we knew a way to get the information on the phone that we haven't alrea given, if we knew a way to do in that would not expose hundreds of millions of other people to issues, we would obviously do it.. i want to get to what the fbi director james comey said. he said it's not about a slippery quote but 14 were slaughterered and many more had their lives ruined. many the phone holds the clue but we can't look the survivorses in the eye or

possible lead out there. do you understand where he's coming from. >> i do and this is an incredibly complex issue to place a back door in the iphone. we believe it does put hundreds of millions of customers at risk. ere's probably more information about you on your phe than there is in your house. our smartphones are loaded with our intimate conversations, ow financial data, our health recordrds, they're also loaded with the location of our kids in many cases and so it's not just about privacy, but it's also about public safety. >> but this your quiet moments do you have any concern that you might be able to prevent a terrorist attack by breaking into that phone? >> david, some things are hard and some things are right and some things are both. this is one of those things. >> and in this case you believe there are some things that just should never be created. >> correct. >> apple has until tomorrow to file its legal response to the case.

the senior government official tells us the fbi wants apple to develop a way into the phone that will only be knowno the company self and no one else. as for cook's suggestion congress resolve the dispute the official claims that would take too long. now to some encouraging news about this year's flu vaccine. it's doing better than last year's vaccine. preliminary information from the centers for disease control finds it is 59% effective. a big improvement over last year's results showing only 20% effectiveness. health officials say that we've had a milder flu season this year, but they warn it has not peaked as yet. to a frightening scene caught o camera at a gas station in kentucky. an e-cigarette battery exploded in a man's pocket. josh hamilton was shocked when his pants burst into flames as he ran from the store in panic. a clerk followed him with a fire extinguisher and put out the flames. hamilton suffered serious burns on hisleg, but he is expected

>> good to know he'll be all right. police in ohio are on the lookout for a man they' dubbed the rogaine robber. ththe bal bandit is accused of stealing the hair growth drug from store shelves across the buckeye state. cops say it's likely he's trying to resell the stolen rogaine either online or at flea markets. they don't believe he's using any of the products on himself despite his bd head. >> okay, well, coming up, coming back down to earth astronaut scott kelly ready to come home but not without helping us take a giant leap towards mars. fresh reaction to the news facebook reaction to our favorite options that didn't make the cut.ness. but i really love it. i'm on the move all day long... and sometimes, i just don't eat the way i should. so i drink boost to get e nutrition that i'm missing. boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones

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topping our look at the "the pulse" our conversation with the

>> astronaut scott kelly is wrapping up his visit to the international space station and returns to earth next tuesday. >> okay, so among the insights he shared with our david kerley who covers transportationn for us the monotony of being cooped up day after day, but there are the incredible sunsets and he doesn't mind the food but misses sitting down at a table to eat. he also talked about the possibility of a trip to mars. >> think absolutely i feel -- i feel great, t, you know, there are challenges especially with radiation between the earth and mars that we need to work k on, overcoming but it's something i hope to see in my lifetime. >> i love his passion. by the way, nasa scientists are exploring the possibility that lasers could shorten the trip to the red planet to just three days. >> wow, very cool. when kelly lands he and his twin brother mark of course, a retired astronaut will face a battery of tests to see how

months of space cpared to mark who's been down here on the ground. >> it'll be a huge homecoming. reactionng to reactions getting used to the new button options. >> those are them. the socl media giant has completely revamped its feedback system revamping its like button and e expanding by adding the ability to love and you can also use a series of emojis including ha, ha and wow and sad fac and what is sure to be the new favorite one, an angry reaction. >> i'm just glad there's no dislike button. i like the positivity than the negativity. there are some suggestions floating around ever since facebook made the move like this one thatt apparently says you are insufferable. >> you make me want to puke. >> how about cringe. this would work well for some of the things i see on my feed every day or how about simply drunk. >> drunk. >> i've been drinking. somebody's been drinking with that one.

favorite foods that we really don't like to share. maybe a plate of french fries you plan to consume till the last one is gone. >> that includes this panda. enjoying a fist food of bamboo root. the small one is thinking i'd like to take a bite of that. try snatching it away. clearly that won't happen. see the foot that went up there. so the bigger one doesn't miss a beat fighting off the younger's advances. >> wow. he's going to smack him away. doesn't want to share. >> wow. that is one panda smackdown. >> that is how i am about pizza. get your own. >> your bamboo root is pizza. >> yes. >> more news, folk, after this. karl, don't you ha friends coming over? yeah, so? it stinks in here. you've got to wash this whole room aryou kidding? wash it? let's wash it with febreze. for all the things you can't wash, use... ...febreze fabric refresher whoa hey mrs. webber

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i lost 26 pounds and i have eaten bread every ngle day. taking a look at our top story, donald trump firing back at mitt romney after romney challenged him to release his tax returns.

bombshell in trump's taxes. e republicans debate tonight in houston. a new isis video threatens mark zuckerberg and jack dorsey, the head of twitter. is says it's responding to anti-terror efforts by the two tech giants. destruction. tornadoes killing at least four people in virginia while nearly a foot of wind and snow cause flight cancellations and impassable roads in the miest. looking at today's weather, dry and warming up in the west. snow showers around the great lakes. mostly dry in the east and dp down in the south it looks like it's going to be kind of nice. >> not bad at awe. finally this morning as we count down to sununday night's oscars we take a glimpse behind the scenes. >> and when it all comes down to it it revolves around what's in the envelope. brandi hitt. >> reporter: they are the best secret keepers in hollywood. martha ruiz andnd brian cohen set

>> and the oscar goes to -- >> reporter: holding the names. has there ever been a mistake. >> no. >> reporter: price waterhouse coopers has counted the oscar ballots. 6,261 sent out on paper and online. >> we control everything from the time they go out indicated with security codes and those come back to us. we then have those in an un undisclosed location. un tight. there's a specialized alarm system by joe metyoejoe biometric locks, nonternet access and they're counted by hand. >> we make sure we're going through their pile, couing that and recounting that. we will stuff the envelope, close it, seal it with the red. >> reporter: those 24 winning envelopes and a duplicate set are then loaded into two brf briefcases like this, both are locked in a vault until oscar

their code and take their briefcase. each then traveling a different route to the oscar red carpet escorted by los angeles police. >> no matter what happens, at least one of us will get there. >> reporter: do you feel like 007 a little bit? >> i little bit. >> reporter: last year as a spoof they carried a third briefcase used by host neil patrick harris and backstage they only hand the envelope to the presenter just seconds before the announcement. is this the hardest secret to keep? >> it's a big impmportant secret. the reality is, there's a secret we keep forever and that is who got second. >> reporter: brandi hitt, abc news, los angeles. >> very intriguing. c is the pla to be on oscar night, sunday at 7:00 eastern time, 4 pacific. that's what's making news in america this morning."you're watching good moring iowa in hd. we are iowa's most accurate weather team. good morning iowa starts now " sabrina: good morning iowa! i'm ???. it's x:00 a-m on

thanks for joining us! sabrina: good to have everyone with us! and it's great to have central iowa's most accurate forecast with meterologist sam schreier! hey sam! sam: (sam adlibs) sam (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: february gave us a reminder it's not ready to quit yet these last couple days, but don't worry because a much warmer trend is only a day away now. we're going to be overcast again today with highs climbing into the upper 30s and a strong wind out of the northwest making it feel colder than it will actually be. tonight we're going to see generally less cloud cover with lows falling into the mid 20s. friday will start with clouds but we should see sunshine open up through the afternoon allowing our highs to climb into the upper 40s. saturday still looks amazing with a breeze out of the southwest and highs climbing into the low 60s under full sunshine! sunday is looking fairly nice as well since our cold front will come