i'm peggy bunker. >> and i'm rob nelson.vering breaking news from the south this morning after that giant storm system sent a tornado one-mile wide through tuscaloosa, alabama. emergency managers predict they will find mind-boggling damage come daybreak. >> and we are just seeing fresh pictures this morning of the devastation left behind after twi twisters tore through the south. at least 77 people have been killed. >> and by far, the hardest hit, city of tuscaloosa, home to the university of alabama. mike marusarz is joining us now this morning with the latest details. hi, mike. >> reporter: peggy and rob, good morning. several tornados rolled across the south last night. a massive tornado appears to have directly hit tuscaloosa, alabama. cameras captured the twister grow in size as it approached birmingham. in tuscaloosa, the town sustained major damage. people were trapped in collapsed buildings. rescuers pulled a child from the debris. >> just kind of like, it makes you stop and you think, you know, wow, you know, we're

peggy? >> heartbreaking to see that destruction. emily schmidt, thanks for reporting this morning. >>> and we talked to the man who shot some of the tornado hitting his city. >> chris works at the university of alabama. >> it was surreal. you see things like that on on movies and on tv. but you never expect to see anything like that, you know, live in person. my boss and i were inside coleman coliseum, our basketball arena here on the university of alabama. it's a safe place. but the power went out. and we had no clue what was going on. so, we went up to the third floor where you could see out, in our parking lot, going towards the hospital there. as soon as we stepped up, we saw this massive, huge, mile-wide tornado. and we didn't know where it was going. we didn't know if it was coming towards us or away from us or what. i could feel the pressure. and i felt like the windows were kind of doing some things they shouldn't do. and i just realized it's time to get out of there. and that's what

good morning, rob and peggy. that this job drive will change their image as an employer of last resort. call it mcjobapalooza. 50,000 new hires in one day, for the most recognizable name in fast food. >> it means food on a table and rent being paid. >> reporter: job seekers like james black in charlotte have been lining up across the country. >> when i heard there was a job fest i knew that i need a job bad soy came out on over, did everything that i was supposed to do. >> reporter: the hires are part of a positive trend. nationally the unemployment rate fell to 8.8% in march, a two-year low. still, felicia mcfadden has been out of work nearly two years, she needs a job before her benefits dry out. >> i was just nervous that i lose a lot of days off and i don't want to lose none of the stuff they own. >> reporter: many of those workers will be making around $8 an hour. that's $16,000 a year for full-time workers above the poverty line for individuals, but below for a four-person household. >> i think the economic

rob and peggy? >> top priority.ing on all of the details, we hear there's news about kate's potential hair style. >> reporter: that's right, peggy. no detail is too small. up until now, we were led to believe that kate was going to continue with her girl next door style, have her hair down. possibly have flowers in her hair style. there was an article in one of the papers here, that she's going to wear a tiara. the queen's tiara. we'll have to wait and see. >> mystery solved. we can all sleep a little better. >> diana alvear, this morning, live from london. thanks so much. >>> we'll have more coming up on "good morning america," including barbara walters, sharing her personal memories of princess diana. also join us on friday morning at 4:00 a.m. eastern, for the big, main event. it does approach in a couple days. >>> and other news now. another air traffic controller has been fired for, yep, sleeping on the job. the controller was assigned to boeing field in seattle. meanwhile, an ntsb member says short job naps sh

. >> and i'm peggy bunker. less than 70 hours and counting until a threatened government shutdown, which could delay some tax returns. >> the president will likely ono summon lawmakers back to the white house today. working towards an agreement before the witching hour, which comes friday at midnight. >>> and emily schmidt is now tracking each development from washington. good morning, emily. >> reporter: peggy and mike, good morning to you. president obama says he will summon the key budget negotiators back to the white house today and tomorrow, if that's what it takes to reach a budget deal. but after yesterday's meeting at the white house, democrat harry reid says he is not optimistic about reaching an agreement. though this year's budget still doesn't have a bottom line, president obama says it soon could. >> we are now closer than we have ever been to reaching an agreement. >> reporter: but if two sides are closer to preventing a government shutdown, they still sound far apart. >> we're not going to allow

rob and peggy?eling their own deficit at the gas pump now that prices have gone up yet again. gasoline has now hit an average of $3.84 a gallon, up another nickel in just a week. those higher prices are now helping to fuel the presidential ambitions of donald trump, who told our george stephanopoulos how he would handle things. >> i mean, look at what's going on with the gasoline prices. they're going to go to $5, $6, $7. and we don't have anybody in washington that calls opec and says, fellows, it's time. it's over. you're not going to do it anymore. >> so finish this sentence, if you don't produce more oil -- >> look, i'm going to look them in the eye and say, fellas, you've had your fun. your fun is over. george, let me explain something to you, we go into iraq, we have spent thus far $1.5 trillion. we could have rebuilt half of the united states. $1.5 trillion. and we're going to then leave. so in the old days, you know when you had a war to the victor belong the spoils you go in, win the war an

rob and peggy. >> unbelievable.ently saving gas money by staying home to watch movies and tv shows. netflix has attracted 3 million more subscribers in the first quarter. the biggest growth spurt for that company so far. netflix earnings also doubled for this same time to about $60 million. >>> and nintendo is trying to shore up its sinking profits by announcing that a new wii console will be available next year. for those who just can't wait, the company will demonstrate a model at the electronic entertainment expo in june. nintendo earnings have dropped for the second year in a row. >>> in other news this morning, the nfl lockout is over, at least for now. a federal judge yesterday agreed with the players over how to divide the profits from the $9 billion business. the owners say of course they will appeal the ruling. espn's nfl business analyst andrew brant says though nothing is settled. >> the nfl's in limbo right now to see what happens when players report to their facilities. teams and players are both being

peggy, i know. sad. abc is cancelling "all my children" and "one life to live," after generations on the air. "all my children" will air its last episode in september." one life to live" will end in january. the shows will be replaced by lifestyle and cooking programs. both shows had increasingly older audiences. and many of the stay-at-home moms and wives who are big fans just aren't home anymore. they're at work. >> what will happen to erica kane? >>> all right. in sports, the nba playoffs get under way this weekend. as for last night's highlights, here's adnan virk at espn news. >> good morning. johnny damon has certainly had a well-traveled career in baseball. so far, with the tampa bay rays it has been an inauspicious start. however, damon and the rays taking things happen. taking on the minnesota twins. bottom of the tenth. a man on for johnny damon. johnny drama. i'm walking here. a walkoff home run off of matt capps. as the rays win it, 4-3, improving to a modest 4-8. >>> other baseball action, t

peggy and mike?, we know congres >> well, emily, we know congress has already pasted two last-minute measures to keep government running. any chance of that 11th-hour move this time? >> reporter: yeah. the house-controlled -- the republican-controlled house actually passed a one-week spending bill yesterday. immediately president obama threatened to veto it. he said it's no way to run the government. there may be, though, a bit of wiggle room. the white house said mr. obama would be willing to sign a bill that he called a clean bill. one that would focus on budget cuts, not focus on particular policies, if that would allow some talking time to finalize an agreement. so far, though, no public indication that that is likely to happen. mike and peggy? >> all right. emily schmidt, live from washington this morning. thank you. >>> the commander who on in libe military mission in libya before nato took over, said the u.s. may consider sending troops into that country after all. army general carter ham told

mike and peggy? >> all right. emily schmidt, in washington, thanks to much. >>> now, to libya, where nato is stepping up its air strikes, prompting libyan strongman moammar gadhafi to send a new message to presidents obama. in a rambling, three-page later, he asks the president to withdraw and leave libya to the libyans. but he also wrote that obama would always remain, quote, our son. and he wished him victory in his re-election campaign. >>> the ivory -- the italian coast guard has now rescued 48 libyans after their boat capsized in the mediterranean. survivors say more than 200 other people are still missing. many could not swim. the group was fleeing the chaos in western libya. thousands of people have reached italy's shores since the popular uprising began in north africa in january. >>> secretary of defense robert gates will discuss troop withdrawals in meetings in iraq today. it's his third trip to the region in a month. yesterday, he was in saudi arabia. iraqi officials insist they can handle their own sec

mike, peggy?not a jaguar. but the sad thing is we're talking about jaguar cubs will maybe have to split up. >> i know. i have two brothers. i barely survived, like, first grade. >> there you go. >> yeah, we'll be right back, everyone. seriously. siblings are deadly. ♪ it might always be in doubt ♪ ♪ the animal ♪ one four-star hotel. two identical rooms. so why does this one cost so much less on hotwire.com? when hotels have unsold rooms they use hotwire hot rates to fill them so you get ridiculously low prices, backed by our low price guarantee. like four stars in san francisco / orbitz price $174. hotwire hot rate just $95. the same great room, just less than other travel sites. hotwire.com. four-star hotels. two-star prices. ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ ♪ hotwire.com ♪ save big on car rentals too. from $13.95 a day. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol to advil. to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil. >>> it seems pl

peggy and mike? >> thanks for that update, emily. >>> also in washington, president obama makes a big announcement today. that comes as a surprise to no one. he's officially announcing his re-election campaign in a mass e-mail to su it allows him to start raising money. some believe he could raise enough money to be the first billion-dollar candidate. so far no republican has officially entered the race. >>> u.s. fighter jets will continue to strike at moammar gadhafi's forces through this evening. american participation was supposed to end on saturday. but nato asked for a 48-hour extension. bad weather in libya hampered nato's efforts. libyan government forces took advantage of the lull in air strikes to take back territory. >>> the unrest in syria has forced the state department to issue a new warning about travel to that country. it's allowing family members of u.s. government workers to leave the country. i says those americans remaining in syria should avoid demonstrations. >>> and "the new yor

rob, peggy?gears now politics and some backtracking by a possible presidential candidate, tim pawlenty. is he or is he not running for the white house? the republican, the former governor of minnesota was interviewed about his low standing in the polls. he was asked if he would consider as running as a number two on the ticket with donald trump. >> i'm running for president, i'm not putting my head in the ring rhetorically or ultimately for vice president, so i'm focused on running for president. >> but his campaign quickly said that comment was taken out of context and that a formal announcement is forthcoming. you got to watch what you say every second in politics. >> all of the games of politics, here we go. >> yes. >>> now to your wednesday forecast. a wet day, all day in the northeast and pacific northwest. there might even be some snow in higher elevations of northern new england and the pacific, northwest, that is. and showers in south florida. light rain in parts of dakotas and minnesota.

rob and peggy? >> all right. thank you.ves last night when an air france a-380 collided with a smaller jet at jfk. the air france plane's left wing struck the tail of a comair flight that just landed in after a flight from boston. both were towed to a secure area for inspection. no one was hurt. >>> a delta airlines flight forced to make an emergency landing in raleigh, north carolina. flying from jfk to ft. lauderdale, florida when crew members reported an odd smell believed to be due to an electrical problem. the plane landed safely and none of the 99 on board were injured. >>> a dramatic reassessment of the nuclear crisis in japan rated as one of the worst disasters in nuclear history, on par with the chernobyl accident in 1986. level seven signifies a major accident with wider consequences than the previous rating of level five. experts say radiation leaking from the fukushima plant was only around 10% of that at chernobyl. >>> and there continues to be terrifying reminders of the powerful quake. another strong quake ra

rob and peggy? >> i would say so. you've got to feel for the coworkers who decided not to pitch in one time when they formally do. >> a rough, long week ahead of them. they range in age from 29 to 63. imagine being able to retire, perhaps, at 29 years old. >> we like it. >> congrats, guys. enjoy. send me some. >> would you, please? we'll be back. ♪ if i had a million dollars [ male announcer ] if you think "heroes" are only in movies, consider this: over 70% of firefighters are local volunteers... these are our neighbors putting their lives on the line. and when they rely on a battery, there are firefighters everywhere who trust duracell. and now you can join with duracell to help. just buy specially-marked packs & duracell will make a battery donation to local volunteers. these days don't we all need someone to trust...? duracell. trusted everywhere. >>> welcome back, everybody. time for our weekly look back at the week gone by. of course, the battle for libya's future and japan's nuclear crisis we

good morning. >> thank you, rob and peggy. and the severe threat will continue for the rest of the day, extends from western pennsylvania into louisiana. however, think the greatest threat will lie within the tennessee river valley. we'll see a lot of damaging storms, bringing with it gusty winds and large-size hail. certainly be safe out there for the daytime hour the daytime hours. cooler air is moving in. peggy and rob, back to you. >> all right, and "gma's" team of reporters is in the disaster zones this morning. for live updates on the tornadoes, fires, and floods. >>> it's hard to believe but it's been a month today since japan's suffering began with the terrible earthquake and tsunami. all across that country today, people paused for a moment of silence at the exact time that that 9.0 earthquake struck. the hardest hit towns, sirens went off, tears were shed. nearly 25,000 people died. more than 150,000 are still living in shelters. >>> leaders of the african union say that moammar gadhafi has now agreed to a road map f

hi, t.j. >> good morning, rob and peggy.ut really no matter how much we learn about this tragedy, can we really truly understand? >> is there something that i could have done, that we could have done to have prevent this? >> reporter: mostly questions and precious few answers after 25-year-old leshandra armstrong drove her minivan into the hudson river with her four children on board. flowers were left at the boat ramp in newburgh, new york for the 5 and 2-year-old boys who died as well as an 11-month-old baby girl. >> i loved them to death. i didn't want nothing like this to happen. >> reporter: only 10-year-old leshaun armstrong survived. he escaped through a window and swam to shore. the boy made it to a nearby fire station where he pleaded for help. >> he was in a state of shock. disbelief. he was really nervous. and he just stated that she was in the water. >> reporter: rescue crews eventually found the vehicle 25 feet from shore, but it was too late. police suspect armstrong was distraught over an argument she had with

i could have told you that, right, peggy?> amen. >> a study finds people working 11 hours a day or longer have a 67% higher risk of developing heart disease than those who work between seven and eight hours a day. the study did not include blue-collar jobs. the findings did not apply to everyone. >>> it was likely a sleepless night of celebrating in connecticut, as the uconn huskies collect their latest national title in men's basketball. here's mike yam at espn news. >> good morning. we start with the national championship game in houston. the eighth seed, the butler bulldog, trying to unleash the magic and get over the hump. they lost the national title game last year to duke. the three seed, uconn. first half, kemba walker. wheeling and dealing. seven first half points for him. he was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. shelvin mack buries the triple. butler, six total first half field goals. early second, jeremy lamb, 12 points all in the second half. getting it done. uconn up by nine. off the finish from

peggy?he expects an answer this morning. so stay with abc news for the latest details on "america this morning" and "good morning america." and around the clock at abcnews.com. >>> and overseas a strong aftershock killed at least two people in northern japan. look at this frightening scene at a local tv station as the 7.1 quake it hit. this was the strongest aftershock since the quake originally hit a month ago. it did not generate a tsunami and the nuclear power plant appears to have been spared from any damage. this morning toyota announced it will resume limited production at all of its plants beginning next week. >>> in medical news, a stunning new study about the risk of a hospital stay. one in three patients will face a medical mistake, a number far higher than we've been told before. sharyn alfonsi has a look at the numbers. >> reporter: these triplets are healthy today. a wagon full of cute. but hours after they were born, little taylee flatlined in her mother's arms. >> i looked dow

. >> and i'm peggy bunker.st to coast would like some answers when it comes to the outrageous price of gas. is there one solution the president and the top republican can actually agree on? >> those tax credits. >> have you filled up your tank lately? it is really crazy. >> and then on top of that, troubled actress lindsay lohan has not received a standing ovation in a very long time, but why she got one last night when she made an appearance on tv with jay leno. i don't quite get it, what's going on. maybe they had a few drinks before the show. >> people focus on the wrong things when it comes to li-lo. >>> and the sweetest prom dress that you will ever see. the high school student who didn't want to be worried about somebody else wearing her same dress. take a look at that number. >> you won't believe what that dress is made from. >> why it's special. >>> but first the push to lower gas prices, the national average right now for a gallon has hit $3.88. that's more than a dollar higher than this time last year

mike, peggy?apan's damaged nuclear plant have finally been able to stop radioactive water pouring into the pacific. but this morning's "new york times" says u.s. engineers are warning of grave new threats which could last indefinitely. among the possible problems are explosions within the containment structures. >>> and now to a story shocking the baseball world. a san francisco giants fan is in a coma after being severely beaten outside dodger stadium in los angeles. his attackers were wearing dodgers clothing. sid garcia of kabc reports. >> we've received all the support from the dodger fans. we really want to thank everybody. thank you. >> reporter: bryan stow's family held each other as they addressed the media. his cousin john proudly wore his giants jersey and cap as he talked about his cousin bryan texted that things were not going well for him during the game last thursday afternoon. >> during the game he did -- my wife received a text message from bryan during the game where he basically

i'm wa peggy fox. we'll tell you who is and why. restora helps heal my symptoms. s cortizone-10 -- feel the heal. more bold flavor!onds! more variety! more of what you want... not what you don't. blue diamond almonds... more than a snack. >> happy friday. >> not a great way to start off a new month. >> no april fools joke. we have snow out there this morning. it is light stuff though. not expecting a whole lot in accumulations. maybe some of the grass will see it. except for areas around baltimore. they're getting some more serious snow. but yeah, in our area, we'll talk about some chilly conditions out there and kind of a yucky day. here is a look at our bus stop forecast. as you're getting the kids ready this morning, time to wake up. light rain and some snow. mid-30s to start off the day this morning. so, definitely, kids, you'll want your scarves and gloves. no heavy duty snow boots needed because the snow will be falling in some locations and it really should be light. live doppler 9000 hd, you can see we have widespread light rain where you see the areas in

peggy lang, you are on deck. >> we are happy to see you. we welcome you. my question has to do with hall, as a health service provider and have been doing so for more than 11 years, how do we protect the funds we still have in place? how can we looked at providing even more services right now for individuals with pediatric of smug, adults with asthma, and as you know -- pediatric asthma, adults with asthma, and as you know, the funds we had for our breast cancer program is now gone. we do not have funds to add. what is it that we are supposed to do? one other question and as, -- one other question is, are we obligated to a year to -- ahere to the contract as being laid out to the department of public health money comes to an individual's time being vested in support services verussus administration? if we have a small budget, we cannot help but replace staff working in administration and support services categories. so, why is it that we cannot jump around in our budget -- if in fact we know we need to spend more time in administration -- what are we being

supervisor cohen: peggy -- perry lang. >> thank you, supervisor cohen. first, and when to make sure we are promoting programs that promote social capital. we are talking about synergy between programs and connectedness, because we should have programs that deal with health, that deal with houses. it does not have to be in one place. we can do this virtually. we have to make sure things are connected. secondly, we need a comprehensive policy that deals with those disparities. we talk about disparities, but let's think about a policy that the city can truly embrace that looks at health disparities in district 10 and district 5. we cannot let these artificial barriers separating us. i am dealing with the african- american population. it does not matter if ibm in district 10 or the fillmore. i am still sicker than other parts of our population dealing with these illnesses. we are dealing with the black coalition on aids. if the way the contracts are designed, it is indeed someone from the fillmore comes over to get services, we are not supposed to give the s

those are your tech bites, i am peggy bunker.

rob and peggy?. airlines are cutting back their service to japan in the wake of the crisis there. united and continental say demand is down so they won't be making as many flights. both airlines are dropping 10% of those flights this month and nearly 15% in may. american and delta airlines also recently cut their flights to japan. >>> passengers may not be traveling to and from japan but radiation is. traces of radiation from the fukushima plant have been found in the water and air of 20 american states. and now in the milk from washington state. the particles get carried on the jet stream here to the u.s. where they land on grass that the cows then eat. >> from the time the cow produces the milk and the farmer collects the milk till it gets to your table is not very long. it's a matter of a few days. >> experts say the amounts are very, very small and that the iodine breaks down very quickly. the government is now testing more often and continues to say the radiation poses no threat to americans' h

>> reporter: good morning, mike and peggy.ected to offer a plan that would extend government funding for one more week and cut $12 billion in spending. there's only one problem. president obama has already rejected it. after a late-night meeting, there is still no deal. >> i thought the meetings were frank, constructive and what they did was narrow the issues and clarify the issues that are still outstanding. >> reporter: but the president held out hope. >> we should be able to complete a deal and get it passed and avert a shutdown but it will require a sufficient sense of urgency from all parties involved. >> reporter: the senate majority leader and house speaker agreed that a deal is still possible and that they did not close it in the late-night meeting. >> we'll continue to work. the staff will work through the night. speaker and i will get back together tomorrow morning and see how they did and continue. i have confidence that we can get this done. >> reporter: not everyone is concerned. in the shadow of the capitol, thes

. >> reporter: peggy and rob, good morning to you. if you're going to stop to fill up your tank this morning, on your way to work, it could be a tough way to start the day. prices are up over a dime the past week. in every state now except wyoming, a gallon of gas is going to cost you $3.50. and it seems the prices are only going up. at gas pumps across the country, more means less. paying more. >> i've noticed that the price has gone up. >> reporter: getting less. >> i just put in $13. and it got me about three gallons. >> reporter: the federal government says gas pr11 cents jumped 11 cents in just the past week. the nationwide average is $3.79 a gallon. >> it's painful. you have to make a decision on where you drive and where you go nowada nowadays. >> reporter: for five-straight weeks americans have bought less fuel. it coincides in middle east uprising and a change to summer blend. >> it's not going to take too much more of an increase in oil prices to strigerring the changes in consumption behavior. >> reporter: gas prices have b

but just property. >> peggy bunker, abc7 news. >> you never failed to be impressed by the power of motherature and the power of the tornadoes. they rip things apart. >> tornadoes like that, you need to get underground. carolina don't have basement. building code in the carolina are less lax than other part of country because they're not used to the severe weather. >> they get hurricanes, don't they? >> they do. so new construction along the coast has to have it. as you move inland to raleigh, two-and-a-half hours from the coast, not as much. that many tornadoes, wow. >> talk about what is going on here. much quieter. we have our chance of seeing weather. light showers. eric wants to know if they are real rain. >> are they real rain? can they bench press 400 pounds? that is a real rain. >> it could move a car if it's heavy enough, because it could make it slick outside. we'll see less than a tenth of an inch. you can see the moisture moving in ahead of the system as it is becoming foggy and misty. with drizzle around the bay area this morning as we look at downtown. take a look at live dop

peggy fox of our washington station wusa reports. >> reporter: the everyday rhythm of life in quanticond other military bases around the world may be filled with a creeping anxiety. marines here understand they'll eventually be paid if there's a government shutdown. but they won't see a paycheck until the government is back up and running. >> i've been setting aside a substantial amount of money each month so it's really not going to be a problem. >> all depends on how well-prepared you are. that makes a difference. >> reporter: but families have more expenses, homes, spouses and children. many young families like lance corporal adrian sylvia live paycheck to paycheck. >> my wife doesn't work and a baby at home. so it's a little hard. >> reporter: live paycheck to paycheck? >> right. base everything off that one check to get what we need. and have nothing left. >> national military family association -- >> reporter: the national military family association says the government has been slow in giving details about what will be closed. they have learned commissaries around the world will

. >> reporter: hi, rob and peggy. good morning to you. over the past couple weeks, we have heard a lot about air traffic controller mistakes. this isn't the first.t lady, it only raising more concerns about who is guiding the planes in the air. first lady michelle obama spent monday in new york, making appearances, including one on abc's "the view." but the part of the trip that would most make news was the part no one expected. >> executive one foxtrot. >> reporter: that's the code name for the first lady's boeing 737, on its way back from washington, when air traffic controllers at an approach to d.c. apparently made a mistake. mrs. obama's plane got within three miles of a giant c-17 military cargo plane. required separation is five miles. >> it can be dangerous. this is not just some trivial mistake. >> reporter: giant planes can create turbulence. so, military controllers asked the first lady's pilot to execute "s" turns to slow the approach. but even as the cargo plane landed, they worried it wouldn't clear the runway fast enough. s

>> reporter: rob and peggy, good morning. it is quiet here in this raleigh, north carolina, neighborhood. one of the only sounds is a smoke detector that has been beeping since the tornado went through on saturday. police aren't allowing nonresidents into this neighborhood. and many of the people who do live here cannot now safely stay in their homes. >> all of a sudden, i started hearing -- crack, crack. that's when i said, time to go. >> reporter: governor perdue says the spirit of the state is coming out. one example was at the lowe's in sanford. 100 people huddled together in the store. and all survived. here in raleigh, the city's public works director says he estimates there will be 200,000 cubic yards of debris that has to be cleared. if you do the math, it's about 6,600 of the largest dumpsters available. and across the state, officials say they have no idea how much this tornado will actually cost. rob and peggy? >> emily, thank you. >>> more weather news this morning. in northern new jersey, residents there are begg

. >> reporter: rob and peggy, good morning.cup tastes better coming out of my official royal mug. you know what's more exciting than that? tons of royal swag. more exciting than that? the dress rehearsal for the big day. it seemed like the real thing. streets were closed and guards stood at attention, as members of the cavalry made their way to westminster abbey, followed by a coach. it was all part of a dress rehearsal, practice to ensure a perfect performance on friday. the pair at the center of it all, were rumored to do a run through on wednesday, as well. today kate heads back to london, at the goring hotel. that's where she will stay until her wedding day. the finishing touches are also taking place. trees were taken into the abbey where they will line the aisle. and the first of estimated 30,000 flowers are on their way. >> we began cutting early yesterday morning. and then, it was full-on for several hours. we have a system well in place. they give us support. and we think that the flowers arrived as fresh as they possi

rob and peggy?murder his parents. police say 20-year-old dennis markoff shot his father and mother after they refused to give him just $5 for gas. their bodies were discovered earlier this week in a small town just north of milwaukee. markoff is still in jail on $1 million bond. >>> and we have a sad update to a story that we covered recently. the mysterious disappearance of a north carolina teenager has ended with the discovery of her body in a maryland river. phylicia barnes disappeared four months ago while visiting family in baltimore. her body was pulled from the susquehanna river early wednesday morning. the body of a man was pulled from the river hours later, but it's still not clear if there is any connection. >>> and in canada, a day in court for the man accused of killing a chinese exchange student as her helpless boyfriend witnessed part of the attack on web cam thousands of miles away. and the victim's distraught parents arrived in toronto to identify their daughter's body. more now from

rob and peggy, back to you. >> all right.y cool stuff. >> yeah. >> well hot topic coming up next. one everyone is talking about. >> especially in our newsroom. yeah. >> the "american idol" elimination that has apparently shocked the world. >> you'll never guess who was behind pi's scandalous departure from the show. you're watching "world news now." we'll be right back. scandalous departure from the show. you're watching "world news now." we'll be right back. mud? yeah, dirt? do you think the two of us will ever find the one? well, we've been left behind by so many mops and brooms... ...each other. ♪ what about love?! ♪ [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. the 2 in 1 swiffer sweeper uses electrostatic dry cloths to trap and lock more dirt than a broom and uses dirt dissolving wet cloths to clean better than a mop. you're quite the pickup artist! [ male announcer ] 2 in 1 swiffer sweeper gives cleaning a whole new meaning. [ doctor ] here's some health information for people over 50. maybe you don't think you're at isk fo

mike and peggy? >>> despite all of the criticism mr.hite house. he made the announcement official in an e-mail to millions of supporters. >> reporter: with the election about 20 months away no republicans have declared their intention to run against the president. >>> southwest airlines hopes to fly a complete schedule today with no cancelations. the airline was already forced to cut almost 700 flights after the roof of one of its planes tore open last week. >> reporter: the government is ordering more inspections of older jets. abc's t.j. winick has the latest on the investigation. >> reporter: nightmare at 34,000 feet was all too real for passengers on board that friday night flight from phoenix to sacramento. >> top of the plane was ripped offer masks came down and it was pretty frightening. >> reporter: when fatigue cracks in the plane caused this gapg hole, five feet long and a foot wide top up, the southwest crew sent the 737 into a snoesnose dive and made a safe emergency landing. almost yamtly swept reviewed their 737-300, fatig

but as peggy fox reports some say the people who were moved are now in even more danger. >> reporter: uprooting more than 100 homeless people from an encampment yesterday they wondered where they would. we found some of them. >> had to go somewhere. >> reporter: bob has been living outside for a year and a half. he just moved to this small patch of woods with others after state police forced them from their tent city along i-95 thursday. the encampment had existed for at least 15 years. >> how in the world do they think we are going to live? we are homeless. where are we going to go. >> reporter: the delegate who represents the district asked vdot which owns the property to close it because of the danger russ nature of the site. >> that's just an unsafe environment. we had a wild fire here recently that was started unfortunately in a homeless camp. i'm sure they didn't do it on purpose. but it happened and it caused millions of dollars in damage. >> reporter: one reason they were living in these woods next to the interstate is because through this gate is a homeless shelter where seco

but it's just property. >> peggy bunker, abc7 news. >>> it is 5:36 now. just about 5:37.olent storms back there. but for us, a little bit of rain today. mike? >> a little bit that pales in comparison to what they have been dealing with over the weekend. for us, here you go. the live doppler 7hd. good morning. radar returns in the golden gate bridge and moving to downtown san francisco. the san rafael up to rodeo, hercules, richmond, vallejo, and up 80 to fairfield. across 780 over toward martinez and concord and a few sprinkles around the east bay hills and in the east bay valleys. especially around the trivalley. this is moving to the southeast. this is just the beginning of what will be a day with waves of light showers that will amount to a tenth of an inch of rain. if you have outdoor activities this atch, i don't think the ground will get too wet. you will still be able to play. look at visibility. at the reporting station. sue and i have been showing you that there is patchy fog. watch out for that. talk about the temperatures. they will be in the low to mid-50s whe

i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm peggy bunker.t. >> you won't believe this either, two more air traffic controllers have been fired now for, guess what, sleeping on the job. the controllers worked at radar facilities in miami and in knoxville, tennessee. >> it's just groundhog day yet again, in the meantime we do have some good news for airline passengers who are getting some added protection and even cash now under new regulations so it's just been announced. karen travers is joining us from washington with the details. good morning, karen. >> good morning, peggy and rob. the transportation secretary tells us that these new rules are aimed at giving airline passengers the quality service they deserve. >> reporter: for millions of americans, air travel can be quite an expensive hassle. >> they charge you for pillow. they're charging for blanket, they charge me for everything. >> reporter: now, some welcome relief. new passenger protection measures. >> passengers like to be treated with fairness, they like to be treated with respec

i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm rob nelson. 62 tornados hit north carolina alone.system now for the history books and it was an amazing scene at a lowe's store literally flattened by the storm. but get this, not one shopper was hurt. >> it's unbelievable to see that destruction there from the aerial view. >>> also coming up the rules from the faa. trying to protect the flying public after yet again several air traffic controllers get caught sleeping on the job. this, while pilots were trying to land the planes. it's getting ridiculous. >> those stories are so unsettling. >> yes. >>> and later in this half hour, remarkable lessons from the wild. what we're learning from an elderly elephant named joyce. always respect your elders, right? >> especially if it's a pachyderm, yes. >> indeed. >>> before that we get to the deadly storm system that left destruction all the way from oklahoma, up to virginia, at least 45 people were killed. hundreds of others have been hurt. >> and the hardest hit was north carolina, where more than 60 twisters touched down. emily schmidt is

. >> announcer: from abc news this is "america this morning" with rob nelson and peggy bunker. >>> good morning, everyone. residents in 14 states are starting the painful and long process of recovery after a weekend of devastating storms. on top of that, another system could hit this week. >> the storms spawned more than 240 tornadoes and killed more than 45 people. it could be one of the largest outbreaks in history. the tar heel state was hit the hardest, more than 60 twisters tearing apart north carolina. most of the dead were from two small rural counties not far from raleigh. this storm barrelled across six states. 62 twitters ripped through north carolina, killing more than 20 people and flattening homes and businesses. >> there was pieces of all kinds of metal, boards, just just a complete spiral. >> reporter: it's the worst spinning storm to hit the state in two decades. north carolina governor beverly purdue said touring portions of the state nearly brought her to tears. >> we have to pitch in. thank god, there were not as many lives lost as could have been when you look at the

. >> i'm peggy bunker.st airlines flight got quite the scare this weekend when the roof of their plane started to peel off. could it have been prevented? also, what about other planes? we're going to take a look. >> very crazy stuff there. >>> also ahead, it's official, president obama will run for re-election in 2012. the only question now is how much money can he actually raise and who will run against him? the gop contenders coming up. >> no shocker about that announcement but it will become official today. >>> also official, the big royal wedding. it's about three weeks out. that doesn't mean you can't get your hands on this memorabilia now. you want your kate and wills cocktail napkins, plates, commemorative coins. doesn't end. >> and it could be very valuable. >> we'll talk about all that stuff. >> that's right. >>> first, three out of four southwest airlines boeing 737s, they've been grounded today. that is until they can be inspected. this will take several days. and will mean more flight cancellati

i'm mike marusarz in for peggy bunker. >> and i'm rob nelson. we begin with a breaking story. that we have been following overnight from afghanistan. there's been a massive jailbreak of taliban insurgents. more than 500 prisoners have tunnelled out of a maximum security prison in kandahar, the nation's second largest city. the tunnel was dug from the outside in. now the search is on. if we get information, we'll bring it to you in this news cast. >>> overnight, nato has scored some hits on moammar gadhafi's compound in tripoli. it's not known where gadhafi himself was at the time. the air strikes follow a bloody weekend in the rebel-held city of misrata. shelling from government forces killed at least 32 people. but the rebels now claim they have control of the city. >>> a passenger on a paris to rome flight led a weak attempt to hijack the jet and have it diverted to libya. he tried to attack a flight attendant with a nail clip person he was subdued and the plane landed as scheduled. >>> oil prices have hit $113 a barrel this morning. that will mean even higher gas prices bac

i am peggy bunker. woman: my giant -- they're fantastic. i can't say enough about them. can go in, get the things i need, and i know i'm saving money. why would i shop anywhere else? at giant, we want to thank you for making us the store you love to shop for over 75 years. this week, look for savings in every aisle, just for you. like whole fresh pork shoulder roasts, 99 cents a pound. and strawberries and blackberries, buy one, get one free. i pay for my groceries, and i look at the bottom of the receipt, i'm like, "yes! i did it!" that works for me. more savings every time you shop, with your giant card. >>> welcome back. powerful storms moving through tampa bay and central florida spawning funnel clouds and knocking out traffic lights. the storm brought town trees and power lines knocking out electricity for several customers. crews went to clean up the damage after the bad weather passed by. no reports of serious injuries. time for a check of your weather. and for that we talk to just in. >> now maryland's most powerful doppler radar and forecast certified most accur

blessing with holy water and one little humorous part was one of the nurses at the infusion center, peggy made it very clear to me to make sure we go into the infusion center i steered the archbishop into the infusion center. >> oh, that is great. when we talk about these things and then we talked earlier about it you promised there would be chow. >> cookies and punch it was great. >> yeah, real nice ground breaking. >> it was a wonderful group of singers from usf they sang really great and after the archbishop's blessing or at the conclusion of the ceremony they sang somewhere over the rainbow and it was really right on. right on. >> that is a great number. pretty little blue birds fly. >> there is a lot of hope flying at the cancer center the hope too is that you will raise all the money needed to complete paying for it so st. mary's of course is a wonderful place nonprofit hospital, a lot of indigent care there at st. mary's what can people do to help with that should they want to do that. >> this has been phase one. of the cancer center. we are still looking towards more breast health

peggy? >> unbelievable. emily schmidt, this morning. thank you. >>> in other news this morning, nevada republican john ensign is resigning from the u.s. senate today. he's been under investigation by the ethics committee for having an affair with a former campaign staffer and helping her husband get lobbying jobs. ensign says he has done nothing wrong, though. and the justice department and federal election committee agreed. however, the ethics committee inquiry did continue. >>> also, there's another republican presidential hopeful this morning. former new mexico governor, gary johnson, made it official yesterday in new hampshire, which is one of the first primaries. his major issue is cutting spending, even for defense. and he also favors legalizing marijuana. >>> senator john mccain just arrived in benghazi to meet with the libyan rebels. the arizona republican has been calling for more u.s. military intervention there. president obama appears to be moving in that direction. and as martha raddatz reports, he also supports new u.s. ai