christine in new york. thank you. 30 minutes after the hour. time for your morning s top stories. misrata is in ruins. one western journalist witnessing the battle inside the city describes misrata as hell on earth. some of the bloodiest fighting yet is being reported there. moammar gadhafi s forces continue shelling the libyan port city. nissan recalling nearly 200,000 suvs. the automaker says corrosion problems could damage their steering and suspension systems. the recall involves path finder models from 1997 to 2003. and the infinity qx 4 from 1996 to 2004. owners can bring their vehicles in and have them fixed for free. extreme weather battering the south and midwest. seven dead in arkansas this morning where powerful thunderstorms and a tornado last night knocked out pow er with to nearly 70,000 homes. the governor declared a state of emergency and plans to tour the damaged areas of his state later this morning. jacqui jeras joins us live from the extreme weather center