karen travers has the details. >> reporter: kick the can. it's washington's famous game with another deadline looming for those massive automatic spending cuts. president obama said if congress can't get a deal done by march 1st -- >> they should pass a smaller package that would delay the economically damaging effects of the sequester for a few more months. >> reporter: but congress has done that once. in order to avid the fiscal cliff at new years, lawmakers agreed to push it out for two months. new that deadline is three and a half weeks away. there's no indication that lawmakers are close to an agreement. >> when washington is the biggest obstacle, we have a problem. >> reporter: there have been positive signs. for the first time since president obama took office, the federal deficit will drop below $1 trillion. last friday the down jones closed above 14,000 for the first time in five years. january brought modest job growth and drug dripping gains. for 10 scek tough months -- consecutive months housing prices have gone up. >> we sold 43

here's karen travers. >> reporter: the topic was probably unavoidable. today, president obama had a brief meeting, no more than ten minutes, with congressional leaders, about how to avoid the massive spending cuts. they'll sit down on friday at the white house. progress? not so much. the meeting is scheduled right at the deadline for the $85 billion in cuts. unlike, say, the fiscal cliff, or a potential government shutdown, there's little urgency in washington right now. but there is a lot of finger-pointing. >> the sequester was the president's idea. the sequester did not envision any additional tax increases. >> house republicans have declared that the entire strategy is to sit on the sidelines, stop working with us to pass something. >> reporter: the cuts will mean furloughs for civilian defense department workers across the nation. a 20% reduction in pay. >> hard-working people that have everything they've got. so, we're all kind of on the line now. >> reporter: most of the cuts will be felt immediately, which may give lawmakers wigger room to negoti

karen travers, abc news. >> it's happening in great city. let's hope it's great game. >>>

was discovered over one hundred years ago by sir william ramsey and morse travers' a novel finding certainly but practical applications for it were fleeting until the one nine hundred thirty s. when it found use in high speed flash photography and a bit later as an anesthetic in operations. high cost prevented it from being adopted by the medicine that all could be changing. thanks to work being carried out here at the institute of medical and biological problems xenon could be on the verge of a major revival. amongst the hyperbaric chambers where many of the country's divers and astronauts have gone through pressure chamber tests and training die. taking a look at just what xenon has to offer. in recent years what used to be observable favorable side effects of seen on base and has become objects of inquiry in their own right. exactly how the gas interacts with receptors is still under study initial trials and experiments have shown that xenon and its neuroprotective properties can relieve stress anxiety and even help addicts get over withdrawal symptoms. and if we talk about the production

travers' a novel finding certainly practical applications for. the one nine hundred thirty s. . and a bit later in operations. in medicine that all could be changing. thanks to work being carried out here at the institute of medical and biological problems xenon could be on the verge of a major revival. amongst the hyperbaric chambers where many of the country's divers and astronauts have gone through pressure chamber tests and training docs are taking a look at just what has to offer. in recent years what used to be observable favorable side effects of base and has become objects of inquiry in their own right. the how the gas interacts with receptors are still under study initial trials and experiments have shown that xenon and its neuroprotective properties can relieve stress anxiety and even help addicts get over withdrawal symptoms. and if we talk about the production of. there's no better place to look in the business for over twenty years. company officials place their market share. at around one quarter of total demand. for most of their history though the company has pri

was discovered over one hundred years ago by sir william ramsey and morse travers' a novel finding certainly practical applications for the one nine hundred thirty s. when it found use in high speed flash photography and a bit later as an anesthetic an operations. high cost prevented it from being adopted by the medicine that all could be changing. thanks to work being carried out here at the institute of medical and biological problems xenon could be on the verge of a major revival. amongst the hyperbaric chambers where many of the country's divers and astronauts have gone through pressure chamber tests and training docs are taking a look at just what has to offer. in recent years what used to be observable favorable side effects of xenon base and has become objects of inquiry in their own right. exactly how the gas interacts with receptors is still under study initial trials and experiments have shown that xenon and its neuroprotective properties can relieve stress. anxiety and even help addicts get over withdrawal symptoms. and if we talk about the production of xenon in russia there's no

was discovered over one hundred years ago by sir william ramsey and morse travers' a novel finding certainly practical applications for it were fleeting until the one nine hundred thirty s. when it found use in high speed flash photography and a bit later as an anesthetic in operations however it is prohibited lehi cost prevented from being adopted by the medicine that all could be changing. thanks to work being carried out here at the institute of medical and biological problems xenon could be on the verge of a major revival. amongst the hyperbaric chambers where many of the country's divers and astronauts have gone through pressure chamber tests and training docs are taking a look at just what has to offer. in recent years what used to be observable favorable side. effects of xenon base and has become objects of inquiry in their own right. exactly how the gas interacts with receptors is still under study initial trials and experiments have shown that xenon and its neuroprotective properties can relieve stress anxiety and even help addicts get over withdrawal symptoms. and if we talk about

here's karen travers from washington. >> reporter: president obama isn't setting any expectations for his state of the union address tonight. in his annual address he is expected to outline an agenda that drives the country. to do that the president will call for new programs, new spending as a way to stimulate growth and republicans are already firing back. earlier today a feisty house speaker john boehner told reporters off camera that the president doesn't have the guts to make tough choices about the deficit because he won't take on the liberals in the democratic party. >> another litany of left wing proposals with plenty of meat for the base. >> reporter: he will discuss spending cuts, but it will be gun control that will likely sparkt emotional moments. attending as a special guest of the first lady, the parents of the chicago team who was gunned down just days after she evidence at the inauguration and nearly three dozen people personally affected by gun violence. the president is expected to announce anyone one year -- that one year from tonight, 33,000 troops will be home fro

karen travers reports on a new study which confirms our frustrations but explains why it could be a good thing. >> reporter: forget bacon and eggs sizzling on a griddle. for millions of americans, this is the sound of morning. every year the average american spends about one week in traffic. a given week that's about 38 hours. >> it's more than the average person spppeds at their job. >> reporter: a new study said all this sitting in traffic is coming at a huge cost, $121 billion in wasted time and wasted fuel. for the average american it means $818 lost just sitting in traffic. the texas a&m institute funded by road builders came up with the planning time index. that's a mathematical way of looking at how much extra team you need to add to your time to account for your city's miserable traffic. >> people are becoming captive in their cars. it's hard to plan and calculate how that will affect their daily lives. >> reporter: taking the number one spot, washington, d.c. commuters needed almost three hours for a trip that should only take 30 minutes. rounding out the top five no surprise th

discovered over one hundred years ago by sir william ramsey travers' a novel finding certainly practical applications for. the one nine hundred thirty s. found use in high speed flash photography and a bit later as an anesthetic in operations. from being adopted by the medicine. could be changing. thanks to work being carried out here at the institute of medical and biological problems xenon could be on the verge of a major revival. amongst the hyperbaric chambers where many of the country's divers and astronauts have gone through pressure chamber tests and training docs are taking a look at just what xenon has to offer. recent years what used to be observable favorable side effects of base and has become objects of inquiry in their own right. actually how the gas interacts with receptors is still under study initial trials and experiments have shown that xenon and its neuroprotective properties can relieve stress anxiety and even help addicts get over withdrawal symptoms. and if we talk about the production of. there's no better place to look in the business for over twenty years. all o

karen travers, abc2 news, washington. >>> john kerry received a warm reception for his first major speech as secretary of state. the speech focused on the president's foreign policy. kerry made the case for providing aid to other countries and spoke at the university of virginia. >>> well, jesse jackson, jr.'s political career has derailed further. he pleaded guilty to misusing campaign funds. >> jk son entered a plea in federal court. prosecutors said he used the money for gifts including two hats belonging to emergency mrnlings a rolex watch and furniture. >> there is reason for optimism. a man that talented, a man that devoted to public service, a man who's done so much for so many, there will be another chap trp of jesse jackson. >> jackson is facing up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. he will be sentenced june 28th. >> you may have to start leaving for the airport even earlier. why we may see longer lines starts as sun as next month. >>> two major office supply chains are joining sources. we'll tell you about the deal between office depot and office max. >>> a cold windy

carol travers, abc news, washington. >> katie's colleague diane sawyer will sit down with amanda knox, who was accused of killing her roommate and spent time in an italian prison. we'll remind you when it's coming your way. >>> they stay sai pposed to be found some evidence this is not always the case. >> find out how this owl got trapped inside a grill. are you kill kyding me? this doesn't look real. how an officer freed him. >> and we'll introduce you to queen victoria, the condor who caused quite a stir at a hockey game. ♪ [ instrumental ] [ girl ] when i started playing soccer, i wasn't so good. [ barks ] so me and sadie started practicing. we practiced a lot. now i've got some moves! [ crowd cheering ] spin kick! whoo-hoo! [ giggling ] [ announcer ] we know how important your dog is to your whole family. so help keep him strong and healthy with purina dog chow. because you're not just a family. you're a dog family. >>> take a look at this video. let's say you're at the kitchen window, you're looking ow, and this is a tornado touching down. this was in hattiesburg, mississippi. mi

karen travers. >>> heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women but something many of us don't know b tonight we're taking your calls about your heart health. >> robbin roberts made her emotional return to tv but we'll talk to two ladies, a local mother and her daughter who have taken the same journey as rb bin. >> you could be a millionaire and not know it. the mt. airy store where the winning lottery ticket was sold. >>> february is american heart month. we're working to raise awareness and keep your heart healthy. abc2 partnered with the university of maryland. today we're joined by dr. brad taylor who's focused on surgery at the university of maryland medical center. so you get that diagnosis. there is some type of heart disease in the family, either adult or child, and you have to have surgery. how has surgery changed over the years regarding evolving technology? >> cardiac surgery has become much more patient friendly. it's clearly a lot safer to undergo than 10 years ago. the way we conduct cardiac surgery is much less invasive. 10 years ago the risk of having some

it was discovered over one hundred years ago by sir william ramsey and morse travers' a novel finding certainly practical applications for the one nine hundred thirty s. when it found use in high speed flash photography and a bit later as an anesthetic in operations. a high cost prevented it from being adopted more widely in medicine that all could be changing. thanks to work being carried out here at the institute of medical and biological problems xenon could be on the verge of a major revival. amongst the hyperbaric chambers where many of the country's divers and astronauts have gone through pressure chamber tests and training docs are taking a look at just what xenon has to offer. in recent years what used to be observable favorable side effects of xenon base and has become objects of inquiry in their own right. exactly how the gas interacts with receptors is still under study initial trials and experiments have shown that xenon and its neuroprotective properties can relieve stress. anxiety and even help addicts get over withdrawal symptoms. and if we talk about the production of

traver put up more resistance in the second set but there was no stopping nadal. after 1-1/2 hours he won the second set 6-4 to advance to the semi. >> i'm happy about winning in two sets. i'm going to continue to play in the same way. and try to improve a little bit every day. nadal meets third seed from france in the semi-final. >> let's check in with golf now. and german rookie kiefer has also hit a snag after his strong showing at the european tour event. the 22-year-old pro dropped back to 11th after a week second day outing. south africa's richard stern and trevor fisher share the top positions. and start the second half of the open with 128 strokes apiece. george cots earks another south african is currently in second three strokes off the lead. well, berlin is getting a little taste of hollywood glamour as the city hosts its annual film festival. this time it's a politically charged u.s. film about the controversial practice of fracking that's drilling a lot of interest and probably didn't hurt that the film's star matt damon was on hand to discuss the mat

the showdown is all in the family, as abc's karen travers reports. >> reporter: the super baugh.. even the bro bowl. whatever you call it, it's a super bowl first. on one sideline, the baltimore ravens. led by head coach john harbaugh. on the other, the san francisco 49ers, led by head coach jim harbaugh. two brothers, squaring off for football's biggest prize. >> the team that we're going play is a great football team. they're extremely well coached. >> doesn't matter who the coach is. what -- what relationship you have with someone on the opposite side. you're trying to beat them, so -- that will be my approach. >> reporter: john, good-natured and confident. jim, emotional and intense. they're just 15 months apart. growing up, they were close, but competitive. their love of football ingrained in them at a young age. the parents say football talk has been off limited this week. no predictions, no xs and os. despite their nerves, jack and jackie harbaugh are relishing the leadup to the biggest game in their family's long sports history. >> this is a fantastic, fantastic story. an

karen travers reports from washington. >> reporter: congress has a major deadline looming on friday. and president obama says it's time to put politics aside. >> at some point, we have to do some governing. >> reporter: if lawmakers don't come up with an alternative plan, $85 billion in automatic budget cuts go into effect. president obama asked governors to put pressure on the state legislators in washington. >> congress should not allow the sequester cuts to go through. and hurt our economy. slow our recovery. there has to be a better way. >> now is the time to cut spending. it can be done without jeopardizing the economy. >> reporter: lawmakers can't seem to agree on much these days. except that the cuts are basically inevitable. expect the obama administration to keep up its steady drumbeat on the dire consequences. >> disruptive and destructive to our security and economy. >> reporter: the white house says there will be cuts to education programs, fewer federal meat inspectors. and travel disruption because of furloughs of airport workers. >> it's already a two-hour wait. it's s

our thanks to karen travers.ng about the money, president obama has not released a lot of details about this, but there is one liberal think tank estimates it's going to cost about $100 billion over the next decade to get this done. >> big price tag. >> so that's a lot of money. staying on the value of making this happen, preschool teachers don't have a lot of requirements, and a lot of them make minimum wage. so to -- it's just a hard compromise to come up with to get this done. >> you would think if you look at america's educational rankings compared to other countries around the world, and we're slipping, particularly in math and science areas, it's -- i understand the cause factor. we're in a tight budget spot, but is there a downside to kids getting into school earlier in terms of long-term benefits? >> i don't understand. >> we've got to find the money for certain things. >>> still to come, what's a toy these days without all the bells and whistles? >> our giz whiz makes a stop at the toy fair here in new y

surgery in cuba that's according to the national assembly speaker who recently visited him in hospital travers has not been seen publicly since mid december when he suffered a risky rhetorical good cations following the operation in havana and he should have been a recent warning as president last month but missed the inauguration ceremony promising and prompting the opposition to demand new elections which. the artistic director of moscow's world renowned bolshoi ballet's says he knows exactly who was behind the acid that's hot which badly damaged his face sergei filin will be flown out to germany in a few hours' time as doctors try to save his eyesight or he's sure thomas has more . it certainly is a strange and bizarre story under exposing the deep and dark underbelly of the world of ballet if you believe it or not a feeling has the artistic director says he doesn't know exactly who did it he says he's certain he knows but he won't say anything until the police have released their statement regarding the situation and have made an official announcement a little bit about the attack that act

elderly man wiping the spit off his incontinent's wife's face in french, this is the one, raves peter traversof pi." a great story, visually unbelievable. ang lee won best director for it tonight. they announced there's a sequel in the works. wouldn't you know it, we happen to have a sneak preview. ♪ >> my name is psy, p-s-y. i have been in a ship wreck. i am on a life boat alone with a tiger. [ growling ] i have a boom box that only plays one song. a very, very annoying song. please, send help. ♪ gangnam style ♪ ♪ gangnam style ♪ ♪ hey sexy lady ♪ >> "life of psy." he's dead now. you're welcome. >> jimmy: so the academy awards are officially over. the red carpet has been rolled up. the 10-foot-tall oscar stat us go back to standing guard around elton john's bed. we'll be back to watch people in "lie witness news," jamie foxx channing tatum and "movie oochlt: the movie 2v" is next. come on back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] get email that lets you share organize and stay up-to-date like never before. [ mom ] with my little girl, every food is finger food. so i can't afford to have germy

surgery in cuba that's according to the national assembly speaker who recently visited him in hospital travers has not been seen publicly since mid december when he suffered a risky rhetorical good cations following the operation in havana and he should have been a recent warning as president last month but missed the inauguration ceremony promising and prompting the opposition to demand new elections which. the artistic director of moscow's world renowned bolshoi ballet's says he knows exactly who was behind the acid that's hot which badly damaged his face sergei filin will be flown out to germany in a few hours' time as doctors try to save his eyesight or he's sure thomas has more . it certainly is a strange and bizarre story under exposing the deep and dark underbelly of the world of ballet if you believe it or not a feeling has the artistic director says he doesn't know exactly who did it he says he's certain he knows but he won't say anything until the police have released their statement regarding the situation and have made an official announcement a little bit about the attack that act

with more now, here's abc's karen travers. >> reporter: good morning.oming out swinging. no surprise. the report that they commissioned said the legendary football coach did not cover up the sexual abuse allegations. a year after he passed away, joe paterno's family is fighting to clear his name. >> if he knew what he knew, if he knew in 2001 what he then learned in 2011, yes, he would do more. anyone would. but we didn't have that benefit. >> reporter: paterno was fired during a late-night phone call after more than 45 years as the penn state head football coach. the university said he covered up the allegations of sexual abuse against his long-time assistant and former player jerry sandusky. in an exclusive interview with abc's katie couric, the wife of the legendary coach recalled her reaction when she heard the charges against sandusky. >> horror, disbelief. it's still hard to accept. >> reporter: penn state tapped former fbi director louie freeh to investigate who knew what and when about sandusky's dealings with young boys. his report said joe pat

across the peninsula from leyland on grand travers bay rocks and boulders, long underwater, got the now dry... dot the now dry lake bed. docks sit far from the water. in nearby sutton's bay sand flats appear. concrete blocks that once anchored boats now sit in just inches of water. if i had been walking down this beach in sutton bay in 1984, the water would have been almost a foot over my head. the army corps of engineers confirmed that lake michigan and lake huron water levels have hit an all-time low. on this chart, the blue line shows the long-term average for the two lakes. the red line, the actual monthly water levels. scientists at the great lakes environmental research laboratory in ann arbor michigan blame evaporation and less precipitation for the dropping lake levels. >> when the water temperatures increase, which they are right now, especially in through the summertime, then in the fall when we have the cool air masses coming over the lakes we have increased evaporation. that evaporation rate has been exaggerated particularly this year. we're in a year with extremely low prec