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 depths of the season. some encouraging news about this year's vaccine. why you should consider getting and, oh, boy, pants on fire. a small explosion in a store no, that is not money burning a hole in his pocket. well, good thursday morning. millions of americans are reeling from the vicious storms hammering the eastern two-thirds of the country. >> along the mid-atlantic,

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 out power. 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 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. the downpours creating flash floods, washing away cars and creating a mess for the d.c.

>> i thinking like i called god >> reporter: in new york heavy winds overturned this truck on the george washington bridge. this time lapse shows the storm 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 in virginia, a state of emergency in effect. 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 more than 30 tornadoes in the last day alone, first tearing across louisiana destroying this rv park. >> god let us be okay. let us get through this. >> reporter: and on the back side of this massive storm, blizzard conditions across the midwest.

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. expected to be quite as heavy with the snow showers continuing 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 now tangling with mitt romney over his tax returns, but he's also trading 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. millionaire mitt romney was criticized in 2012 about his own tax returns but now he's making similar attacks against billionaire donald trump. hours before severe weather

overnight, donald trump was on the ground rallying supporters, talking running mates. >> i do want somebody that's political because i want to get 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 isn't a conservative. >> reporter: all four promise to after mitt romney called on them to do so. the 2012 gop nominee even said he believes there's a quote bombshell in trump's taxes. >> when people decide they don't want to give you their taxes see. >> reporter: trump went on the attack and tweeted 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.

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 voters there moved on to super tuesday states drawing 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 coming 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. sandoval is a former federal judge who supports abortion rights. his nomination could be seen as an overture to republican lawmakers who vowed to block the

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 war is set to take effect saturday morning. it allows aid to reach remote areas. here at home there are growing calls to establish a so-called safe zone in northern syria if the cease-fire fails. john kerry told top lawmakers that such a zone ground troops to maintain. meantime threatens the lives of facebook founder mark zuckerberg

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 can you guess which country has beat the u.s.? make it a point to shop kohl's... through monday!... because yes2you rewards members take an extra 20% off!... and earn triple points - no matter how you pay! get a $5 reward for every 100 points. plus - everyone gets

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those charging elephants in africa were chasing arizona senator jeff flake and some others during their trip to africa. last week during a boat ride a hippo showed off teeth. the purpose of 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 gaga and just last night adele. well, emotional testimony from the father of sportscaster erin andrews. andrews choked up as her dad tearfully told the court that his daughter was a shell of her former self. he said

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 of 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. after that homeowner posted online rants against the 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 police helicopter as it hovered over his house. that's when the officer moved in and shot him in the head. his two young daughters were sleeping inside. well, the u.s. is no longer home to the most billionaires in the world. that distinction now goes to china now. according to a newly released annual list, 90 new chinese billionaires moved to china --

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 with apple's ceo tim cook arguing that their battle with the fbi isn't just over privacy, but security, as well. and promising new information regarding this season's flu vaccine. what you need to know. to pay a mortgage, and i've also got a brain. life's short, talk is cheap. i'll be working while you sleep. still don't think i've got a brain? you think a resume's enough? who'll step up when things get tough? don't you want that kind of brain? a degree is a degree. you're gonna want someone like me. but only if you have a brain.

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so, a passenger on board a plane captured this dark image of turbulent storm clouds swept up by a tornado that hit louisiana. the twister was part of that bigger deadly storm that's been tearing up parts of the south and mid-atlantic states. that same system is creating dicey conditions for this morning's commute. watch out for icy or wet roads from the 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 we view as sort of the software equivalent of cancer.

we would never write it. we have never written 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 with the possibility there could be information on that phone that 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 already 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 slaughtered and many more had their lives ruined. many the phone holds the clue but we can't look the survivorses in the eye or ourselves if we don't follow any possible lead out there. coming from. >> i do and this is an

place a back door in the iphone. we believe it does put hundreds of millions of customers at risk. there's probably more information about you on your phone than there is in your house. our smartphones are loaded with our intimate conversations, ow financial data, our health records, 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. in response to cook's comments the senior government official tells us the fbi wants apple to develop a way into the phone

company itself and no one else. as for cook's suggestion congress resolve the dispute the 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 on 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 his leg, but he is expected to be okay. >> good to know he'll be all right. police in ohio are on the

the rogaine robber. the bald bandit is accused of stealing the hair growth drug buckeye state. cops say it's likely he's trying to resell the stolen rogaine markets. they don't believe he's using any of the products on himself despite his bald 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 the nutrition that i'm missing. boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of proteinto help maintain muscle. all with a great taste. i don't plan on slowing down any time soon.

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topping our look at the "the pulse" our conversation with the man who spent nearly a year in space. >> astronaut scott kelly is wrapping up his visit to the international space station and

>> okay, so among the insights he shared with our david kerley who covers transportation 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, but, you know, there are challenges especially with radiation between the earth and mars that we need to work 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 scott's body held up to 11 months of space compared to mark who's been down here on the ground.

reactionng to reactions getting used to the new button options. >> those are them. the social media giant has completely revamped its feedback system revamping its like button and expanding by adding the ability to love and you can also use a series of emojis including ha, ha and wow and sad face 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 that 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. okay, so we all have those favorite foods that we really don't like to share. maybe a plate of french fries

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 have friends coming over? yeah, so? it stinks in here. you've got to wash this whole room are you 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 inhales hey, it smells nice in here and try pluggable febreze... ...to continuously eliminate odors for...

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taking a look at our top story, donald trump firing back at mitt romney after romney challenged him to release his tax returns. romney believes there may be a bombshell in trump's taxes. the republicans debate tonight in houston.

mark zuckerberg and jack dorsey, the head of twitter. isis says it's responding to anti-terror efforts by the two tech giants. nasty storms leave a path of 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 midwest. looking at today's weather, dry and warming up in the west. snow showers around the great lakes. mostly dry in the east and deep 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 sunday 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 and brian cohen set to carry those famous briefcases. >> and the oscar goes to --

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. >> reporter: inside that secret un undisclosed location security is tight. there's a specialized alarm system by joe metyoejoe biometric locks, no internet access and they're counted by hand. >> we make sure we're going through their pile, counting 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 brief briefcases like this, both are locked in a vault until oscar sunday when ruiz and cohen enter their code and take their briefcase. each then traveling a different route to the oscar red carpet

>> 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 important secret. the reality is, there's a secret we keep forever and that is who got second. news, los angeles. >> very intriguing. abc is the place to be on oscar night, sunday at 7:00 eastern3 pattie this morning...we have all the latest on that deadly storm that moved through the state. four people are confirmed dead..including one in our area... abc 13 reporters are out live in appomattox this morning and will bring you what you need to know. 3 our thoughts and prayers are

severe weather yesterday. for the rest of the workweek, we will see quiet but breezy conditions for the heart of virginia. i'll have the latest up next. 3 3 pattie good morning virginia. it is thursday, february 25th. i'm pattie martin. 3 pattie this morning -- appomattox county is in the dark. now some families are cleaning up what's left -- after a possible tornado touched down there yesterday afternoon. 3 pattie tight this morning we have team coverage of the storm damage in appomattox.. melissa lefevre is tracking the latest in the weather center. len stevens and tola adamson are live on the scene in appomattox right now.. len to you first -- what have you seen out there.. 3