dawn brancheau certainly knew how dangerous whales could be. she was a well regarded veteran who worked at the park since 1994. >> we extend our deepest similar pa think to the family and friends of the trainer and we'll do everything possible to assist them in this difficult time. >> reporter: jack hanna had worked with her on off and for years. >> i can just tell you that this young lady loved these whales and she loved her work. and she was one of the best there is. she was an icon when it came to training her -- the peers the people that work with her. anybody will tell you, this woman knew more than anybody, probably, that you could ever imagine as a whale trainer. >> many of these trainers are ill equipped to handle, you know, with an animal that weighs 8,000 pounds. an animal that's 22 feet long. an animal that has a history of aggression. how are you going to deal with that? in tilly's case, it was a time bomb waiting to go off. he had a history. you just had to real the rap sheet and you could have figured out he was going to show aggr

you may remember a 12,000 pound orca grabbed trainer dawn brancheau by her ponytail. trainers are not allowed back into the water with the animals until an investigation is complete. >> i'm glad they moved forward. i wish they would have said a little more about it, what was going to happen, because obviously everyone there is anxious and curious as to what the future is. >> it wasn't a happy atmosphere. we all stood up for the remembrance. and we cheered the trainers. >> emotions ran high as seaworld paid tribute to dawn brancheau. the orca that killed her did not perform yesterday. >>> some california residents whose homes were threatened by floods and mudslides are breathing a sigh of relief today. when heavy rains hit near los angeles yesterday, county officials issued evacuation orders for more than 170 homes. the evacuation was called off in the afternoon because the storm was weaker than expected. now, those homes are located under slopes where wildfires cleared out the trees. the area is now prone to floods and mudslides. it has been evacuated at least a half

take a look. >> reporter: when dawn brancheau is at work, she has a very low carbon fin print, and now to and from shamu's crib at seaworld is a little easier on the environment, as well. >> it's one small but really big way that we're trying to make an impact. >> larry: boy, drew, is seaworld closed for awhile now? >> i know that at least that part of the park is going to be closed. right when this happened, they kind of sectioned off that area of the park, but no word on if they're going to close for a long period of time. my guess is that they probably won't. >> larry: thank you all very much. >>> a woman who survived a killer whale attack is here next. first, they drive it in the real world. and put it through its paces. they rate its fit and finish and the amenities inside. they factor in purchase price and operating costs. fuel economy and resale value. in short, they do what you do to test its quality. now get a low mileage lease on this 2010 malibu for around $199 a month for 39 months. call for details. see your local chevy dealer. don: now get free delivery of walmart's $10 9

years. >> this woman knew more than anybody that you would ever imagine as a whale trainer. >> dawn brancheau is being remembered as an avid animal lover and a leader in her field. family members said even as a child, brancheau recognized that whales were her calling in life. >> we talked to her about the whales. you thought you were talking to her about her children. she would tell you who was acting up. she loved them to death. >> reporter: she would not want anything done to the whale. and she understood the risks of her profession. this has re-ignited the debate of large whales in captivity. >>> global head of toyota has apologized for the problems with his cars. akio toyoda, whose grandfather founded the company, appeared before angry lawmakers in on capitol hill yesterday. he and others dodged questions about what they would do with those in runaway cars. >> will you assume their medical costs? >> we will leave it to our counsel. >> later, he was greeted warmly as he addressed employees. he thanked the team members in the audience and the country. >>> the northeast is bracing for yet an

take a look. >> reporter: when dawn brancheau is at work she has a very low carbon fin print and nowrip to and from shamu's crib at sea world is a little easier on the environment, as well. >> it's one small but really big way that we're trying to make an impact. >> larry: boy, drew, is sea world closed for awhile now? >> i know that at least that part of the park is going to be closed. right when this happened they kind of sectioned off that area of the park but no word on if they're going to close for a long period of time. my guess is that they probably won't. >> larry: thank you all very much. >>> a woman who survived a killer whale attack is here next. paid invoices go right here. bang! - that hasn't been paid yet. - what? - huh-uh. - all my business information is just a phone call away-- to my wife... who's not answering. announcer: there's a better way to run your business. intuit quickbooks online organizes your business in one place. it easily creates invoices and helps you stay on top of your business anytime, anywhere. this is way better. get a 30-day free trial at intuit

. >> reporter: this was trainer dawn brancheau on wednesday moments before her death in video taken by a sea world visitor. she was swaying and playing with tilikum, a six ton killer whale. she lay in a submerged ledge, her face close to his. seconds later, he grabbed her ponytail and pulled her into the tank to her death, putting sea world on the defensive. >> this is something we feel awful about. >> reporter: jim atchison, sea world's president, refused to speculate whether brancheau did anything wrong. >> the biggest thing we're doing tomorrow and will be doing from here forward until we can reasses everything we do is we're not getting in the water with these animals. >> reporter: tilikum's the biggest killer whale in captivity and the most deadly, killing three people in various circumstances since 1991. but atchison says tilikum will stay part of the sea world team. >> we would never advocate punishing an animal of ours. we won't entertain that. we won't do it. it's not part of our d.n.a. >> reporter: shamu entertains 13 million people a year at all three sea worlds. a commercia

we were able to reach dawn brancheau's mother late this afternoon. she told us that dawn was one of six children, she loved animals and she will be missed. katie? >> couric: so sad. kelly cobiella in miami tonight. kelly, thank you. across the country in san jose, california, an energy company said today it that has answer to america's power problem. it's called the bloom box and its inventor says it can power an entire home. john blackstone tells us the idea is backed by some serious star power. >> reporter: seldom that has unveiling of a gray box the size of a parking space been surrounded by such hype. >> it's my baby. isn't she beautiful? >> reporter: but its inventor says what's inside the box can supply the world with clean, cheap energy. >> the core of our technology simply is sand. >> reporter: the sand is the raw material used to make these wafers that can make electricity. >> what i want to introduce to you, the bloom energy fuel cell. (applause) >> reporter: bloom's fuel cell works like this: oxygen is pumped in on one side, natural gas on

dawn brancheau worked there for years. the wail named tilikum. >> he took off fast, came around to the glass, jumped up and grabbed the trainer by the waist. started shaking her violently. her shoe was floating. sirens immediately started. within five minutes she was in the tank. we saw the thrashing and the bubbles and him pushing her with his nose. it was so, so traumatic and all the people around. of course rksz my daughter saw it and i tried to shelter her eyes from it, but it was too late. >> how awful. you are looking at video from youtube. it's been involved in two other deadly attacks. in 1991 tilikum and two other whales killed a trainer when she fell into the pool. it also killed a man who climbed into the tank. an expert talked about how huge animals don't always realize how dangerous they are. >> it's a tragedy. when playing with big animals, it's a tragedy. can a killer whale that size play with anything and throw it around? sure. we see them do it in the wild all the time. the trainers spend a lot of time wit

it was a moving tribute yesterday for dawn brancheau. there were a lot of tears in that audience. by the end of the show, there were also a lot of smiles. it began with a tribute. >> we would like to dedicate this moment to our friend and colleague, dawn brancheau. >> reporter: and photographs of the 40-year-old trainer filled the screen, family and friends were moved to tears. 2,000 people filled shamu stadium. when the trainers took the stage, the crowd leapt to their feet. and the show took off. [ applause ] >> i could see their faces change, their bodies change. their energy changed. their purpose was reinvented out there. you could see it. they were doing this for dawn and for themselves. >> reporter: trainers kept their distance from the whales, under strict orders from seaworld. the one and only time they got in the water, the whales were locked away. >> i think it was wonderful. you know, it's so hard to put into words. >> reporter: some in the audience cried not just for brancheau, but for the killer whales, who they say should not be blamed for wednesday's tragedy. >> i

dawn brancheau and tilikum playfully interact. she feeds him and throw bucts of water on him. she tosses her hair from side to side and tilikum follows. but then, this questionable moment where she lays in the shallow pool next to the killer whale. according to performer mentor, that was her fatal mistake. >> if she was standing here with me right now would tell you that it was her mistake. >> shortly after the cameras stop rolling, tilikum grabbed her by her ponytail and drowned her. seaworld has a policy that nobody is allowed in the whale -- in the water with that will because of his involvement in previous deaths. >> he has been part of our team and will remain part of our team. >> there is a new rule -- trainers cannot get into the waterith any of the wales until that investigation is complete. >> we will move slowly and cautiously to prevent this from happening again. >> teams are coming to the seaworld to see if the park did anything wrong. it appears this was all a tragic accident. >>> coming up on abc 7 news. how did a local woman captured high society. >>> metro fare

....la entrenadora de sea world dawn brancheau estaba interactuando con la ballena asesina cuando esta la apreso entre sus mandibulas y la sumergio, causandlo la muerte, asi lo confirmo el jefe de entrenadores de los parques de sa world. dawn estaba trabjando con la ballena pero tenia el cabello recogido en una cola cuando de pronto la ballena le agarro el pelo y la sumergio. los presentes den el espectaculo con los gigantescos animales miraban atonitos como la ballena asesina tilikum que pesa 12 mil libras sacudia a la entrenadora de 40 anos y la sujetaba bajo el agua. las ballenas estaban intranquilas, incluso uno de los entrenadores nos dijo que si seguian sin cooperarano iban a poder continuar la funcion. la oficina del medico forense determino que la entrenadora muiro ahogada y a causa de las heridas graves sufridas tras el ataque de la ballena. fue una reacc inesperada. dawn habia estado practicando con tilikum solo un rato antes y su en momentos en que los gobiernos estatales y locales estan recortando fondos a programas incluso

some seaworld employees cried as a video montage of the late whale trainer dawn brancheau played at the shamu amphitheater here. once it was over the famed orca show got under way. despite cold and rain, the attraction was about three quarters full. the crowd gave the trainers a standing ovation and clapped loudly for the whales as they performed their routine. unlike past shows, the trainers didn't swim or perform in the water with the whales. on wednesday, an orca named tilikum pulled the 40-year-old brancheau in the water and fatally injured her. >>> thousands of people in the northeast are sitting in the dark right now because of a massive snowstorm. repair crews from new jersey all the way to maine have been working since thursday to fix broken power lines. but toppled trees and up to 30 inches of snow are just getting in the way for them. the power situation got so bad in new hampshire, even a state emergency center was working on a generator. new hampshire's governor says it could be a week before the power is back on for everyone. >>> the storm was brutal even in the areas that

they will also express sympathy for the family of dawn brancheau.e how much detail they will go but express sympathy. and they will announce importantly, whether this sham hue believe show will continue. how far they're willing to go is another matter. what will they do with tilikum. talking about the 12,300 pound beast that they have included here that has been in captivity tore some 30 years. seaworld says it indeed will not put tilikum down. they will not euthanize that mammal for couple reasons. number one, it is a very, very important part what goes on here at seaworld orlando. as you said, jane, he has sired at least 13 calves. a quite a few of the calves are part of the seaworld program in orlando. they say tilikum provides a great amount of social order for a large number of those whales that he sired plus others that he didn't sire. but since he is the biggest beast if you will, part of that program he commands a whole lot of attention not just from humans but other mammals that he is part of. now, there again they're having a question they

he said the rule for everyone and every trainer and dawn brancheau knew this, was not to get close tot he has seen and heard he believes brancheau made a mistake and got too close to the whale. >> greta: tragic story grabbing that pony tail and killing that poor trainer, thank you. breaking news about two politicians, they are both in very hot water. one is a democrat, one is a republican. first democratic congressman charlie rangel. the chairman of the house ways and means committee, moments ago rangel announcing the house ethics committee is public admonishing him for letting a private corporation pay for trips he took to the carbine -- caribbean with the congressional black caucus. now republican. marco rubio in a red hot primary race for u.s. senate in florida his 0 -- , charlie crist. rubio reportedly used a credit card paid for by the gop to buy personal groceries and repairs to his minivan. rubio is saying that he paid the money back. listen to this rubio is trying to deflect. he says he's ticked off at governor crist. he says the governor leaked the credit card ing to the pres

. >> 40-year-old dawn brancheau was the trainer. >> we saw him put her under it went bad from there. >> shocking to fence, ocean experts are not surprised. >> there is always the odd chance that it might repeat itself. >> in 1991, the orca was blamed for killing another trader lost her balance and fell into a tank at a park in victoria, canada. eight years later, the body of a man was found draped over the well after security sneaked past impaired because of the wheels size, traders were told not to get into the tank with temporary >> this is a situation that will happen again and again. it is a long history of these animals being aggressive. >> animal experts say killer whales are known for their predatory nature. it is reported that tilly will still be allowed to perform in shows at sea world. >>> we turn to developing story out of manhattan where a former top executive from bernie madoff is in custody. the fbi says it picked up the man early this morning in his manhattan home. he was bernie madoff's operations director as it is expected in court later today. bernie madoff assertin

at the end, it was a tribute to the 40-year-old veteran trainer, dawn brancheau, visitors described what it's like to be at that show today. >> i just wanted to be here for this show, to make sure that it continued. it's so professional and it touched so many lives and i don't think there was a dry eye in the stands when they mentioned this was a tribute. >> the medical examiner says brancheau died from drowning and multiple traumatic injuries. friends of brancheau say she loved her job and knew what she was doing when she choose her career. >> osmond's son has died. osmond didn't provide any details about the 18-year-old's death. entertainment tonight is reporting that he jumped to his death from a downtown los angeles apartment building on friday night. la police did respond to the suicide last night, but the victim has not been identified. michael was one of the osmond's five adopted children. >>> one of the students shot outside of a littleton, colorado school spoke out. he was one of two students shot in deer creek's middle school apartment. he was shot in the chest and currently re

it showed 40-year-old dawn brancheau just minutes before the whale named tillikum grabbed her by herr braid and dragged her under water. seaworld officials suspended killer whale shows at parks in florida and california. they are also reviewing training and safety protocols and say they hope to learn from the incident. >> this is one of those times that just, it's baffling to us. we are going to evaluate this and make sure we understand it. >> tillikum the whale is 30 years old. he's been involved in two previous deaths. >>> coming up tonight, a deliry of potato chips turned violent. a gunman jumped into the back of a truck. >> two teens breaking into a car make a mistake even police officers couldn't believe it. >> trouble for white house officials. >>> you get a sneak peek at my video. we are talking hockey. caps back at work. the u.s. women going for the gold against canada. >>> two high school sophomores were killed by an amtrak train today. they left school early and were walking along the tracks when they were hit. the high-speed acela was on its way from boston to washington.

laernlg kirl whale, a 12,300 pound male or came named tilikum swam toward the female trainer dawn brancheau and according to one witness pulled her understand water. >> she was standing on the racks right above the viewing area. like he took off, and came back, he jumped up, grabbed her, started thrashing around. and then she shoe fell off and he was thrashing her around pretty good. it was violent. >> reporter: a tourist at an earlier show said the animal seemed agitated. >> i was afraid that they hadn't gotten to the pool since the whale it was clear it was upset and just my prayers go to that person's family. >> reporter: seaworld closed part of the park and canceled killer whale shows in orlando and san diego. >> we have never in the history of our parks experienced an incident like this. >> reporter: yet this killer whale reportedly has been involved in another death at seaworld. in july of 1999, a man apparently stayed in the park after hours, jumped into the animal's tank and was killed. and in 1991, before being sent to seaworld orlando, tilikum and two female killer whales dlouned

on wednesday horrified witnesses say the 12,000-pound animal grabbed dawn brancheau from her pony tail and dragged her underwater. >>> a prosecutor wants her brot in 1986. the death was ruled an accident. bishop is the woman accused of killing three faculty colleagues at university of huntsville. >>> another blast of winter weather slams the tristate. the slow-moving storm is packing heavy wet snow and high winds that created whiteout conditions nearly 2,000 utility customers in new jersey are without power. >>> still ahead, on 9 news now, if the walls at dematha could talk they would have some stories. they close their legendary gym. >>> we have high wind warning for everybody and a winter weather advisory for some. we will tell you about some amazing wind we speeds we have already had and what we can expect for the rest of the weekend. >>> you want to talk about a home court advantage, dematha in their home gym never lost for years and the coach coached all of the 46 seasons and last night they closed the door on the building. final game at the wooten gym. dozens of alumni came back

official now say it was likely dawn brancheau's pony tail that triggered wednesday's deadly attack. >outh carolina governor mark sanford's divorce from his wife, jenny, is expected to be fil today. the couple was unable to reconcile after the governor disappeared last summer then publicly confessed his affair with an argentine woman he called his soul mate. >>> after yesterday's meeting between george w. bush and dick cheney, the alumni will have a breakfast in washington. hundreds of former staffers are expected to attend. but cheney won't be among them because of his recent heart attack. >>> coming up later on "good morning america," trying to sell your house in this tough market. we have got the lowdown from some real estate experts, who are going to reveal the top five things you can do to make that sale fast. apparently now was the time to list because summer's a lot more competitive. >> and it will be here before you know it. >>> for some of you, your local news is next. for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after this. (child laughing) where is it? where is the ba

. >> reporter: an autopsy shows that the veteran trainer, dawn brancheau, died of drowning and multiple injuries when she was attacked by the 12,000 pound killer whale on wednesday. but tilikum will not be isolated from the other whales at sea world in orlando. the trainers will continue to work with the animals, despite the incident. >> at this point, it's too early. we need to talk about what we need to do to still maintain him and take care of him. you know, we still need to physically see them. they are in the collection. >> the witnesses say that the 30-year-old man will snatch them by the shell from the platform of the pool and dragged her in. >> tilikum, just shot off like a rocket. and then he came back up, bobbed up, had something in his mouth. >>> trainers had to coax him into a smaller pool and then they used the platform to lift the whale out of the water before they could free her from the jaws. diane gross said that her sister died doing what she loved. >> she talked about it her whole life, knew she wanted to work with the animals to see what they were doing. >> this is t

veteran trainer dawn brancheau was in the holding area.e whale appeared to jump up and grab the trainer, thrashing her around. >> the fire and rescue responded to a report of an injury at the shamu stadium. units got on scene and realized that the ictim in this case was deceased. >> reporter: sheriff's deputies are investigating what appears to be an accidental death. sea world officials say tillicum is the same whale connected in two other deaths. dan brown of sea world spoke after the death. >> we have never in the history of our parks experienced an incident like this and all of our standard operating procedures will come under review as part of the investigation. >> reporter: records show this is not the first time a while has attacked a trainer at a sea world park. in 2006, a trainer was bitten and held under water at sea world in san diego, escaping with a broken foot. in 2004 a whale at the san antonio park attempted to bite a trainer able to escape. >> they had told us that something was wrong and that they were cooperating and try

killer whales looking on, the ceo of seaworld says tourist video like this shot moments before dawn brancheau'sare an important part of the investigation. as the show comes to a close, brancheau is seen lying in a shallow pool, next to tilly, something the man who brought tilly to seaworld in 1991 says no one was supposed to do with this whale. >> she laid down, she got comfortable rubbing him down. her pony tail drifted in the water and he simply opened his mouth and pulled her in the water. >> reporter: he says everyone knew tilly killed a trainer in canada and was never trained to interact with humans in the water. to help explain why tilly may have reacted the way he did, you have to understand the anatomy of a killer whale. specifically the area around its mouth. that area is called the rostrum. well the whale sees something intriguing, the rostrum serves as a kind of hand. the end is so precise, a full-grown 22-foot long killer whale can pick up a dime at the bottom of the ocean. look again at that tourist video. brancheau tosses a tiny fish into the water. with his mouth, tilly retrieves

officials at sea world say they now believe it was dawn brancheau's ponytail that triggered the attackprobably recognized, it may have touched his nose. he may have sensed it was there or could have seen it. but it could have been a fascination to him. >> reporter: bran choep's autopsy shows the 40-year-old died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning. officials say trainers nearby used a platform to lift the whale out of the water so they could free her from his jaws. some witnessed the attack from special underground viewing areas. brancheau and tilly have worked together for years. here they are in 2008. brancheau's cysister says she wouldn't want any harm to come to tilly. >> she wanted to work with animals. >> reporter: despite the fact that the 12,000-pound whale is linked to two other depths, conservationists say facile tips like seaworld are essential. they protect and can save endangered species. but some experts believe wednesday's incident was no accident. >> killer whales, because they're supposed to be so intelligent, don't do things accidentally. this was not an ins

. >> this morning, the whale actually grabbed the trainer dawn brancheau and pulled her into the waterjoining us is nancy black, who is a marine biologist studying whales your 20 years. thanks for joining us. people are asking why the whale grabbed her, apparently, this happened after a show. was it the intention of the whale to hurt the trainer or potentially was he just trying to play with her? >> yeah, it could be, you know, a variety of reasons. but killer whales are very powerful, even what seems like a gentle thing for us, you know, for a 12,000-pound killer whale could be obviously fatal for a person, if it just accidentally holds her under a saddle too long so she couldn't get her breath. this killer whale could have wanted companionship. maybe it was frustrated, maybe it wanted a person to pull in the water. because they play with seals and sea lions in the wild. they don't necessarily kill them. they toss them in the air and sometimes let them go. you know, it could have been act of frustration. act of play. but i don't believe that the killer whale actually intended to kill

this is the trainer identified as dawn brancheau and described as highly experienced. she was apparently petting the whale on its stomach and then tillikum was called to go out into the main show area. instead, witnesses say, it turned back around at a high rate of speed and slashed in the water and grabbed dawn, the trainer right there, and began throwing her around. witnesses started screaming, running in different directions. tonight the orange county sheriff's office as well as usda are trying to determine what went wrong. >> kerry sanders in florida for us tonight. thanks. >>> orleans tonight, a retired police lieutenant has broken the wall of silence over one of the most troubling incidents during hurricane katrina. michael lohman pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice over the police shootings that killed two unarmed people on the danziger bridge. lohman admitted to helping orchestrate a cover-up. the victims were trying to get to a grocery store over the bridge from the eastern part of new orleans. >>> former vice president dick cheney has

. >> reporter: this is a home video of seaworld orca trainer dawn brancheau minutes before her death. heightly experienced veteran animal handler reaches out to the killer whale name tillikum. >> he grabbed her by a head. i screamed and she screamed. i said, he took her down. >> reporter: today the orca was being held in a separate pool away from other killer whales that perform here. >> we don't know why he reacted the way he did. >> reporter: but this animal has a history of aggressive interactions. in 1991, tillikum and two female whales drowned a trainer in british columbia. seaworld bought the whale a year later for breeding purposes. a canadian trainer at the time remembers tillikum was sold with restrictions. >> so it was, to my understanding at the time, that the orcas were not going to be display or performance animals. they were just going to be there for breeding purposes, primarily. >> reporter: and tillikum lived up to that expectation, siring 13 calfs for seaworld. in 1999, a man was found dead in his tank here. >> this does beg the question about whether or not it's app

a killer whale snatched trainer dawn brancheau during a performance yesterday and thrashed her around. she was killed in front of the audience. the undefeated u.s. men's hockey team beat switzerland in the quarter finals. two american goals were disallowed as time ran out. the u.s. went on to win 2-0. ovechkin and rush hour were eliminated by canada. -- alex ovechkin and rush hour were eliminated by canada. >>> address officials testified yesterday in a hearing that killed nine people. despite warnings, metro replaced equipment at the crash site with another manufacturer's parts. the hearing resumes today. there is word and man accused of killing eight people has confessed. an investigator makes that assertion seeking a dna sample from christopher speight. there is some backing from the maryland attorney general. state agencies must recognize that despite gay marriages and it's still the courts decide otherwise. >>> back to our series on yr morning commute. which is more cost-effective? it depends on your commute. courtney robinson has more. >> no matter how or where you commute -- >>

training at sea world in orlando and a good friend of brancheau. >> she was the epitome of having fun. she loved her job. >> reporter: but he says dawnmade a deadly mistake. witnesses say brancheau was laying down on a shelf in shallow water next to tilikum when he grabbed her pony tail and dragged her under water. when he left sea world two years ago, trainers were not allowed to get that close to this killer whale because of its link to two previous deaths. but sea world refused to go into details about the rules surrounding tilikum or if those rules were broken. >> we're not here to talk about the rules we v. the complexities associated with training killer whales and caring for animals is something we're not going to share in a press conference here. it's something we've learned over 46 years of experience. we're going to move on. >> reporter: sea world says the whale shows will resume at all three parks tomorrow, saturday. but the trainers will not go into the water until that review is complete. in orlando, florida, orlando salinas, fox news. >>> the troubles just keep coming for toyota. according to a house lawmaker inernal to

amateur video that was taken just moments before the 12,000 pound orca name tilikum grabbed trainer dawn brancheau and pulled her into the water. autopsy results released show brancheau died of drowning and multiple injuries. the shows right now in both seaworld orlando and san diego will be canceled again today, but the park will be open. we're going to have much more on this story later in the hour. >>> it appears democrats are ready to push forward on health care reform on their own. president obama's bipartisan health care summit failed to bring the two sides closer on key areas of disagreement. republican leaders want to scrap the existing bills and simply start over, but democrats refuse, saying that's not an option. >>> six weeks after the earthquake in haiti and thousands of people are still starving, and many more living in tent cities and thousands have been dead still don't have their own graves, but the government there has inexplicably declared the emergency is over. >> that decision is stopping even more people from getting the food, water and medicine they need. people who clearly d

in sea world orlando and it happened front of hundreds of witnesses and say the whale dragged dawn brancheau by her pony tail. she was the most senior trainer at sea world and her boss says she was prepared for her job. >> we worked dry with him. had more experienced trainers work with him. we thought we provided an environment that we thought would be the safest possible environment. >> sea world cancelled killer whale shows until further notice. >>> the fbi says case closed in the investigation in the 2001 anthrax attacks but the house wants more answers. last week, the fbi ruled bruce ivans was the only person involved in the attack. five people died. the house wants the government to look for evidence of foreign involvement. the push was called for by congressman bartlett. >>> time for a "living $mart" report. jessica doyle has good news for the local housing market. >> it is so good it is almost hard to believe. last quarter the local real estate market turned out to be the strongest in the entire country. a government report says housing prices the washington area posted the biggest in

. >> the sea world president said he knew dawn brancheau and she was a very skilled trainer. >> accordingo sources, patterson faced mounting calls to about out of their race. he became governor in 2008 after eliot spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal. the white house social secretary is resigning after criticism of the way she handled the administration's first state dinner. deseret rogers will step down sometime next month. she came under fire when a celebrity seeking couple was able to get into the formal event without an invitation. she has the knowledge not having enough staff >> a student protest at the university of california at berkeley turned violent. a demonstration over tuition hikes spread into the streets shortly after midnight. police arrested at least two protesters. a massive system wide protest is scheduled for march 4. tonight the suspect a accused of washing up -- walking into a state school and shooting is dead. reports say a teacher had gotten an anti harassment order against the suspect. the suspect was killed with a shared out about a mile from the school. >

the orca wednesday killed 40-year-old trainer dawn brancheau. >> i'm very high-energy behaviors with the animals. >> reporter: that's dawn from an interview two years ago with the nbc station in orlando, described as highly experienced, dedicated, at the top of her profession. the head of animal training at all seaworld parks says the whale suddenly yanked dawn into the pool after a noontime show. >> she was rubbing his head, and what we know is that this animal grabbed her and then pulled her into the water, and unfortunately, she drowned. >> reporter: some visitors say the trainer mentioned tilly seemed agitated right before the attack. >> the end of the show, she said, oh, i'm sorry, but you know, they are wild animals, so they need to do what they feel like to do. >> reporter: tilly has an aggressive history with humans. in 1991, the bull orca was blamed for the death of a 20-year-old trainer in british columbia, after the whale attraction there was closed, tilly was sold to seaworld and eventually wound up in orlando. steve huxter was one of tilly's trainers in british columbia.

it was an emotional show that started with a photo montage of veteran trainer dawn brancheau. an investigation is under way and trainers at seaworld are no longer allowed into the water. >>> tragic news for maria osmond. her 18-year-old son has committed suicide. a representative says 18-year-old michael blosil jumped from his los angeles apartment building. he left a note detailing a lifelong battle with depression. osmond said in a statement that her family is devastated by the tragic loss. >>> and meanwhile, whole new meaning to grabbing a bite to eat. take a look at this panda in china. he went searching for food at a villager's house and they gave it to him. success. the man and his neighbors gave him food to munch on. clearly he was very happy. jenna, can you imagine, what do pandas eat? whatever they want. anything you have. >> good for the panda, i guess. melissa, thank you so much. >>> janice huff is here with a check of the weather. good morning. >> did you hear you say you're ready for more snow here? >> no, no, no. i said no me snow please. >> after the last few da

the killer whale grabbed dawn brancheau by her ponytail and dragged her into the water. she died from multiple traumatic injuries. friends and family says she always had a passion for animals. >> what are you going to be when you grow up? i want to be a marine biologist and i want to train whales and i want to be at, you know, those parks in florida. >> sea world says there were no signs of problems with tilly as they called the whale before the attack. the body of former "growing pains" actor andrew koenig found in a wooded area in vancouver. his father now says he took his own life. > >> are susceptible to this kind of anger, don't ignore it. >> the 41-year-old had a recurring role as richard stavone on the 1980's sitcom, it was "growing pains", wasn't it? i think so. anyway, he was reported missing on february 14th while visiting friends in vancouver. his family says he suffered from life long depression. >> his father was in "star trek." >> yeah. ok. kentucky senator jim bunting is holding up legislation that would extend unemployment benefits. the republican had some

the funeral for dawn brancheau will be held on monday. a week after announcing he would run for reelection, david paterson is calling it kwits. a newspaper report criticized involvement in a domestic abuse case with an aide. he said he did nothing wrong. he took office when eliot spitzer resigned in a prostitution scandal. now back to amy and ginger. >> ginger sze is back with a check on the forecast. you have a lot to talk about. >> i have been blessed in the weather world, but not for everyone else. this storm is put down by the earthquake and tsunami warnings, but we had a storm and it's sitting on top of the tri-state area. it is not producing that much. we have scattered showers and the breeziness will give us a break on monday. believe it or not, another storm headed this way by the time we reach wednesday. mountain snows and rain going to be a problem with the tsunami advisories for southern californ >> a lot of clouds today. temperatures are close to 40 for the high and we will probably in the northeast, breaks of sun between the

train are dawn brancheau lived for killer whales.om a combination of drowning and trauma when seized by tilikum, a 22-foot, 6-ton killer whale. >> it just looks like he either got curious or bored and wanted to grab her. >> reporter: this former seaworld contractor in-silhouette to protect his identity says tilikum was generally play full but had angry moments. >> these are incredibly potentially danger are rurs animals. >> reporter: brancheau had been standing wednesday this shallow pool water when tilikum grabbed her by her long pony tail and grabbed her under. spectators were horrified. >> he was thrashing her around pretty good. it it was violent. >> reporter: the largest killer whale in captivity anywhere spent most of his time swimming alone. he has a deadly history. in 48 years of captive, kill are whales have killed four people, three of the deaths involve tilikum. but at seaworld and other park, killer whales bring the wow factor. despite his past, tilikum is worth millions. seaworld will not use tilikum. the park plans to k

this is dawn brancheau and tilly, putting on the shamu show for tourists at the park restaurant.he playfully feeds him. clearly enjoying the moment. throwing buckets of water for the wading whale. they play. she tosses her head side-to-side, he follows. but moments after the cameras would shut off, tilly would grab that pony tail and pull brancheau to her death. seaworld told us, because of his violent past, trainers would never get in the water with him. but the video clear shows brancheau swimming with tilly. shows here and at whale shows across the country are shut down. now, tilly is with other killer whales. no tourists in sight. federal investigators are now combing the grounds. teams from the occupational safety and health administration are trying to figure out if seaworld did anything wrong. at more than 6 tons, tilly is the largest killer whale in captivity. these animals are incredibly intelligent, which makes some experts question whether this was truly an accident. >> this was not an insane, uncontrollable act. this was premeditated. and the whale, for whatever whale