dearest paula faris. >> forsaking the television set. the average american watches more than 4.5 hours of television every day. people 12th to 32 are more likely to watch on their computer or telephone. amazon prime now offers programs from viacom, comedy central, and tv land, $75 a year. get ready to add google to the company's offering a cloud of storage system. it will be called drive and will compete with the drop box and the basic service will be free. a study finds sitting in front of your computer might be good for you sometimes. people will visit social networking sites like facebook experience a relaxed part rate as well as lower levels of stress and tension. i am paula faris. >> whatever it takes. >> i was really hoping that we were going to get dumped on last night. i wanted that to be a birthday present for you. happy birthday. >> you could go and buy convertible, midlife crisis. >> you cannot have that every year. >> tomorrow night we could have another few snowflakes, no big deal. 30 for the district, 32 in winchester, 30 a

i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson.toms are now under investigation in the indianapolis area. and the scary part is there could be many more on top of that. that's because the warning signs can actually show up days or even weeks after the initial exposure. that's the last thing public health officials want to hear, is a potential outbreak of a serious disease. and at of all things, the super bowl. >> which is just going to take that disease from indianapolis to various parts of the country. >> particularly new england and new york. all those fans. yeah. >>> also this morning, an attempted kidnapping right in the toy aisle at walmart. store cameras caught the suspect in the act. and the police say the little girl knew what to do to stay safe. a very brave, a very quick-thinking little girl. this is a lesson to all of you parents out there. don't leave your kid in the toy aisle by themselves. even at walmart. >> a very brave little girl. a very stupid criminal with 8 billion cameras in those super wal-marts. >> you have

. >> and i'm paula faris.hitney houston was last seen on stage giving a pre-grammys performance just prior to her death. last night the music world paid tribute to her amazing success. an unforgettable talent. >> and that last public appearance the song that she sang was "yes, jesus loves me." i wonder if there's some irony in that because 48 hours later she was no longer with us. kind of interesting how her life ended on that note. here's what we know now this morning. the medical examiner confirmed that whitney houston died in the bathtub of her hotel room. but it could be up to eight weeks before investigators release the exact cause of death and those toxicology reports. >> her daughter was overcome by anxiety and is in a fragile state after a trip to the hospital. her father, bobby brown-s now in l.a. after canceling performances. but her daughter, bobbi kristina, making two separate trips to the hospital. >> tough time for her as you can imagine. also, later this half hour, diane sawyer's in-depth interv

. >> and i'm paula faris. we begin with a number of stories developing overnight. a shootout in southern with a federal agent dead and a second one injured. >> investigators are swarming in around the federal building in downtown long beach. why did an immigration and customs agent pull out a gun and open fire on a coworker. >> this situation began in a case of work place violence involving two federal agents in their office space. one agent fired several rounds at another agent, wounding him. the victim is in stable condition in the hospital. another agent working nearby intervened and fired his weapon to prevent additional rounds being fired at the victim. this resulted in the death of the shooter. >> investigators say they believe this was an isolated, work-related incident noting is that should spark public fear. >>> yarn markets are hire on optimism about greece and because the economic news out of the u.s. is so good. the positive reporteds of housing and jobs sent the do you within shouting distance of 13,000. the best finish since nearly four years ago and

i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. >>> time is running out for the payroll tax cut that benefited about 160 million american workers. it expires at the end of the month. >> late last night, a bipartisan group in congress signaled they have broken through and found way to keep it going. we get details from tahman bradley. >> reporter: congressional ne gauche yarts have reached a tentative deal that would save the average american about 1,000 bucks. it could be revealed later today. it would extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of the year and renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. the deal could be a tough sell for many conservative republicans, elected on a promise to cut spending. the payroll tax break would add to the deficit. some gop lawmarks are tired of sparring over the issue. >> we get this done. >> reporter: word of the agreement came late tuesday. earlier in the day, the president pleaded with dong strike a deal. >> pass this middle class tax cut. pass the extension of unemployment insurance. do it before it's too late. i will sign it right away. >> repo

paula faris is on assignment.powell set his home on fire after losing a child custody battle last week. you'll recall his wife mysteriously disappeared two years ago in a case that received worldwide attention. >> a lot of folks obviously saying what he did to himself and to his kids perhaps tells you finally and ultimately what happened to his wife perhaps. >> absolutely. clearly a have disturbed man. no doubt about it. >> heartbreaking story. >>> also today, parents in a small town in new york state demand to know what's behind an illness that has caused spasms and even seizures in dozens of school girls. folks just don't know quite what this illness is just yet. >> a lot of people very, very upset. parents very angry over this. >>> and the major headline for sports fans, new york giants win the super bowl. but which advertiser scored in the hearts and minds of viewers last night? well, our media expert is here later with some insight. >> super bowl's like the most americana night of them all. the commercials. p

. >> and i'm meg oliver in for paula faris who is on assignment. you can blame increasing gas prices on the tension with iran sb how that country's using its oil supplies and shipping lanes as international bargaining chips. you'll see what this is doing at the gas pump and to your budget. >> here we go again. it seems like this time of year we see this thing skyrocket all the way through summer. >>> also another major story today, a deadly avalanche in the pacific northwest. three skiers were killed in fact, but others in their skilled group knew what to do in the face of danger. >>> and later this half hour, fighting cancer over long distance. how face time on the iphone is helping a son be a part of his father's health care. >> very cool story. we'll get to that in just a second. >>> but first, oil prices have jumped to a nine-month high, near $105 a barrel in asia this morning. that's after iran said it halted crude exports to both britain and france. >> even before this latest fight, gas prices have been rising here at home, up 18 cents in the

let's get to paula faris and the other top stories developing right now.nk you, it's great to be here. i have big shoes to fill. what size are they? we begin with news that directly impacts your wallet. the price of oil rose overnight to its highest level in nine months. it's the result of iran cutting off ail sales to britain and france. the latest move in the fight over iran's nuclear program. u.n. nuclear inspeshgctors arri overnight. some experts are predicting gas prices here in the united states will average nearly $5 per gallon by memorial day. that's tough to hear. >>> and we're learning more this morning about a killer avalanche that took the lives of three expert skiers in washington state. they were enjoying fresh snow outside of stevens pass when they were swept down the mountain. one skier who survived told robin the safety air bag she kept in her backpack literally saved her life. >> it was literally was like being in cement. there was no way to free myself. all i could do was help keep the snow off my face once i was buried. >> a snowboarder

. >> and i'm paula faris. it was a bittersweet grammy awards ceremony in los angeles last night.e're going to have all the highlights from the show ahead. but first, here's what we know right now. >> the latest headlines in this. at a news conference just last night the l.a. medical examiner confirmed that whitney houston died in her hotel room bathtub but still could be six to eight weeks before those all-important toxicology reports finally get back and get released. >> and then houston's daughter, her only child, bobbi kristina, has been released from the hospital where she was treated for anxiety. there are reports this morning her family fears she's suicidal. >> you can only imagine what that little girl is going through to lose her mom at such a young age and so publicly. meanwhile, whitney's ex-husband, of course, bobby brown, he has just arrived in los angeles to be with his daughter, bobbi kristina p. this is actually video of bobby at l.a.x. he did issue a statement to "extra" saying, "obviously the death of her mother is affecting her," referring to his daughter. "howe

i'm paula faris. >> had to rub it in about the tar heels. good morning, everybody. millions of home owners facing foreclosure could soon get relief. a settlement may be announced this morning. >> it would force the five largest mortgage lenders to reduce loans for about 1 million households. >> reporter: abc news has learned that state and federal officials are near a multimillion dollar settlement over shoddy foreclosure practices in the housing crisis. it would involve wells fargo, bank of america, citi and jp morgan chase. some of it would go to foreclosure prevention measures. other provisions could lower interest rates for home owners. some may get payouts of up to $2,000. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >>> and details are being worked out right now. it could push the announcement back to tomorrow. the deal would be the biggest involving a single industry since the 1998 tobacco deal. >>> welcome news for air travele travelers. going through the security process will soon take a lot less time. it will only affect certain passengers. >> for years, travelers

i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. >>> we're learning new and wrenching details about how josh powell carried out the murder of his two little boys. >>> the two children died of smoke inhalation, but also suffered severe head and neck injuries. >> reporter: it's a horrific crime that has left so many wondering how it could have happened. >> i was afraid if he had the chance, the only way he could win this game he was playing was to kill them. >> reporter: more disturbing details have emerged. josh powell tried to kill his 7-year-old son, charles, and 5-year-old braden, with a hatch chet before the fire took their lives. >> i don't know if his intent was to try to put them out before the fire took them, but he didn't do a very good job. >> reporter: the children were taken to the home on sunday by a case worker for court-ordered visitation. he locked the case worker out and ignited two cans of gasoline. it killed both boys and powell. he had been carefully planning the final act, shown by some kinds. he donated his kids toys to charity over the weekend. >> the act he did was cowardly.

i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. the developing news overnight, negotiators have been able to come the an agreement to extend the payroll benefits. >> and avoid a reduction of federal money to doctor who is treat medicare patients. a vote could come as early as tomorrow. >>> and to politics now, in the looming republican battle in michigan. it was supposed to be an easy win for mitt romney who was born and raised there. >> but now the native son is trying the avoid an embarrassing loss there to rick santorum. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. running against john mccain four years ago, mitt romney easily won michigan. this time, michigan is a different story. and romney knows it. this is not homecoming he was hoping for. the battle for michigan has tightened as rick santorum has surnlgd ahead of romney nationally. romney, today, will pick up the endorsement of the michigan governor. santorum is spending plenty of time in oil country lately. overnight, he relations his tax returns. the former senator and his w

. >> and i'm paula faris. less than two years ago, george huguely v and yeardley love were two seemingly typical college students. >> now he's facing 26 years behind bars for beating her to death. it could have been much worse. george huguely faced a first degree murder verdict and life in prison. last night, the jury denied both. instead, receiving 26 years in prison for the beating death of his girlfriend. >> there are no winners in the case. there's nothing but loss everywhe everywhere. our hearts go out to the love family. >> reporter: the jury of seven women and five men returned the verdict. 24-year-old huguely bowed his head in sentencing. >> we've been proud to represent george in his fight for fairness. he has the support of a loving family. he's displayed amazing resilience and courage. >> reporter: the case captivated the small virginia college town since the may 2010 kills of yeardley love. they apparently had a tumultuous on and off again relationship. huguely had been drinking heavily the day he

. >> and i'm paula faris. we begin with breaking news from afghanistan. growing unrest over what the u.s. is calling a horrifying mixup. u.s. soldiers mistakenly burned old copies of in the koran, something muslims never do. u.s. and nato officials have issued profuse apologies. >> this morning, that rage is spreading. nick schifrin joins us live with more. what is the latest? >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, paula. this is real fury on the veets. outside one of the largest u.s. bases, hundreds of people were throwing rocks. they set fire to a tanker. the guards had to fire guns into the air. police have fired into the crowd. some of the shops have been attacked. cars have been attacked. there has been some looting. that leaves troops, diplomats inside afghanistan on lockdown. those in the embassy are not allowed out. there are fears this will get worse. the protests have spread already outside of kabul in the base where the kor rans were mistakenly burned. four cities are seeing protests. one turned deadly. one protester has died. >> several

paula faris is on assignment. we're following a developing story overnight from washington state. >> that is where three skiers have died. the tragedy mapped at a popular ski resort not far from seattle. >> reporter: 13 skiers headed to an out of bounds area around noon just on the perimeter of stevens pass. >> and as they were going dune the chute on the back side of the ski area here, an avalanche happened. >> reporter: pro skier lee stockset was with the group sand told espn that the snow gave away. the general manager of the ski resort showed us the path of destruction. >> slide started here. carried them down to this point where the rescuers are at. about 2,000 vertical feet. >> reporter: about half the group got swept down. some farther than others. >> once the avalanche happened, everyone waited for the snow to settle and immediately went into rescue mode. >> reporter: those who could dug themselves out but three men remained buried at the bottom. ski patrol responsed to a 911 call. by the time the rescue a

. >>> good morning, i'm meg oliver in for paula faris. >> good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. breaking news about the cruise ship in waters infested with pirates. >> they were off the coast of madagascar when they lost power due to a fire in the engine room. >> at this hour, a french fishing boat is towing that ship. it won't reach land until tomorrow. a helicopter is on the way with food and communications equipment. the boat is a sister ship of the "costa concordia," which crashed off the coast of it ll lay month, killing 25. >>> a yet heading to newark liberty airport was forced to make an emergency landing. the united express jet came down on its rear wheels and the nose of the plane. 71 passengers had to exit via the e emergency chute. >>> classes are canceled at the ohio school where a shooting took place yesterday. people gathered to remember the person who died. >> a quick-thinkening coach probably saved several lives by chasing the shooter from the school. >> reporter: here in the western suburbs of cleveland, five students shot monday morning in chardon high school.

. >>> and i'm paula faris. >> whitney's body arrived back in new jersey overnight aboard actor tyler perry's private jet. a police-escorted caravan carried the body to a mort way just a mile from the church she sang at as a little girl. >> reporter: mourners left flowers and candles outside new hope baptist church, a place years ago the world first heard houston afs gift. discussions are under way for a public memorial on friday, at the prudential center in newark. houston's publicist says a final decision has not be made. >> in charlotte, north carolina last night. >> one of the greatest singers that ever stood before a microphone. >> reporter: the queen of soul, aretha franklin remembered her god-daughter. since word of houston's death on saturday, fans have shown enormous support. 7 of the top 10 albums sold on monday on amazon.com were whitney houston albums. >> she's an inspiration to so many people. >> reporter: back in l.a., medical examiners were not ready to release her cause of death. there were no traces of illegal drugs. there were prescription bottles in the bathroom whe

good morning, i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. >>> a powerful, slow-moving storm is bearing down on the rockies and central plains. blizzard warnings are in effect. >> many schools are closed today. nearly 200 flights canceled thus far at denver international airport. amy aronson is track it all. >> on friday, winter kicks into full gear. winds could gust as much as 40 miles per hour in this purple zone. some places will get up to two feet of snowfall. >> it's not expected to end in some places until tomorrow. if denver gets two feet of snow, it would be the fourth largest snowfall ever. we'll have a live report coming up from denver on "good morning america." >>> to politics now. mitt romney is way ahead in the polls. he also have an endorsement from donald trump. as we hear from david muir, that endorsement cuts both ways. >> reporter: it was like a scene out of a reality show. standing side by side with mitt romney and his wife delivering the endorsement. >> governor romney, go out and get them. you can do it. >> reporter: then, governor romney acknowledged what many at home m

>>> good morning, i'm linsey davis in for paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. >>> disturbing details in the josh powell case. they discovered computer-generated incest on powell's computer. that prompted that josh undergo a psych co-sexual evaluation before he killed himself. >> we're hearing from the social worker for the first time. >> reporter: when elizabeth griffin hall brought them to see their father on sunday, the boys were excited to go. until that afternoon, she had only witnessed a father that loved his sons. thn josh powell opened the door and everything changed. >> i saw josh. i saw josh for just one second. his eyes caught mine. and he had a look in his eyes. it was just kind of sheepish. he shrugged his shoulders at me. he slammed the door. i thought it was an accident, that he didn't mean to lock me out. i knocked, knocked, rang the doorbell. i started yelling, josh, let me in. >> reporter: then she smelled gas and rushed to call 911. >> we'll have somebody look for you ththere. >> how long will that be? >> i don't know. we have to respond to life-threatening situatio

i'm paula faris. rob nelson is off this morning. mitt romney's run away win in florida has left the other candidates black and blue. they're all moving ahead today, with critical contests in nevada, colorado, and minnesota in the next week. is this race as good as over? it's "your voice, your vote." that m tahman bradley is live in washington. >> reporter: this thing was a blowout. the exit polls showed that florida voters still don't think romney is conservative enough. so his rivals plejed to keep fighting. mitt romney leaves florida with a decisive win and momentum. >> to the people in the room and the people all over florida, thank you tonight for this great victory. >> reporter: romney took advantage of a more diverse ele electorate. after overwhelming newt gingrich with partially negative ads, he turned his attacks toward the president. >> mr. president, you were elected to lead. you chose to follow. now it's time to get out of the way. >> reporter: the candidate will begin receiving secret service proe tegs. >> we're going co

i'm paula faris. >> i'm rob nelson. happy mardi gras. >> that's right. premium gas prices are pushing $5 gallon in some states. that could be the reality for all of us soon. >> tahman bradley shows us the impact this could have. >> reporter: gas prices are rising at record speeds. >> crazy. >> it's expensive. >> reporter: the cost of gasoline is up 25 cents from a month ago. >> i'm very unhappy with this. >> it's ridiculous. very diridiculous. >> i do about $120 a week to go to work. >> reporter: the spike in gas prices is being risen because of the problems in the middle east. the news sent shock waves across global markets. higher oil prices will have a ripple effect, meaning consumers will pay nor more every day basics. milk, eggs, fruits and gej tabls. it could mean higher heating bills, more expensive plane tickets. goods made from petroleum such as fertilizer, makeup, prescription drugs could cost more. >> there's a supply chain. it's matter of weeks, perhaps months, as those costs get passed through. >> reporter: tahman bradley, abc news, washingt

. >> and i'm paula faris. las vegas seems to be the perfect setting as donald trump makes an announcement on the republican race today. >> meanwhile, mitt romney looks for votes in vegas as well, as we trying to recover though from yet another gaffe. tahman bradley joins us from washington with more on the day ahead. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. newt gingrich trying to turn things around. especially are mitt romney in damage control. in need of a beast, newt gingrich might play a trump card. two campaign advisers say they expect their candidate will receive donald trump's endorsement at a las vegas event today. gingrich has not been told directly. the potential endorsement comes as front-runner mitt romney is under attack once again for something he said. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. you can focus on the rich. that's not my focus. you do focus on the very poor. that's not my focus. my focus is on the middle americans. >> reporter: his

. >>> good morning, i'm meg oliver in for paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. breaking news this morning. a tornado outbreak slamming the heartland overnight. ten twisters last night from nebraska to missouri. the high winds flattened a church. damaged homes. homes were destroyed in springfield and joplin, missouri. >> this is hutchinson, kansas, just after sun set last night. for more of the same is expected today from tennessee to the carolinas. >> the same massive winter system is bringing snow to states across the northern u.s. blizzard warnings and whiteout conditions on tap for the dak a dakotas and minnesota. it will dump up to a foot of snow in northern menew england. we'll have the forecast in a few minutes. >>> we're also tracking more breaking news this morning in alabama. >> three people are missing after their helicopter went down. the mh-65 dolphin was on training mission when it crashed into the bay. one person was rescued. it's not clear if those on board were members of the coast guard. we'll stay on top of the breaking stories. >>> the other m

i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson.s fans, of course, mourn the loss of singer whitney houston we are learning some new details about her final moments here, the very latest. >> reports say houston may have drowned after mixing alcohol and an anti-anxiety drug. official results won't be known for about six to eight weeks. >> meanwhile, houston's only child, her daughter bobbi kristina has been released from the hospital after being treated for stress and anxiety. >> family and friends worry she might be suicidal. her father bobby brown arrived saturday night to be at her side as she grieved. >> and houston was remembered last night at the grammy awards. >> oh, yes. we begin with diana alvear outside of the staples center. >> reporter: rob and paula good morning. the grammys are about celebrating. that's exactly what happened last night. whitney houston was there in spirit. as star after star took the stage to honor her night and legacy. on a night when the music industry honors its biggest stars sadness tinged the celeb