good morning, everyone. we begin with the severe weather rumbling through parts of the plains, midwest and south spawning heavy rain, large hail and deadly tornadoes. >> at least 17 people have been killed if two states and countless homes destroyed with some communities h it's the nation's biggest outbreak this year. >> and the threat isn't over yet. 17 states under high alert through at least the next couple of days. abc's kristin fisher has the latest. >> reporter: a path of destruction stretches for at least 30 miles near little rock, arkansas. some of the worst damage is here in mayflower where several people were killed. homes leveled. cars blown off the road. the photographer for an abc station in little rock that filmed this footage could hardly find the words to describe the damage. >> there is so much debris, it's hard to even tell what was what. this was a strong tornado. >> reporter: arkansas was hit the hardest, but sunday night tornadoes also touched down in oklahoma, iowa, missouri and nebraska. >> tornadoes on the ground. >> reporter: firefighters in oklahoma spent the night searching the rubble for survivors. just a few miles north near baxter spring, kansas, first responders are going door to door marking each home with an okay once they're sure everyone inside got out alive. hours earlier in missouri, heavy rain and high winds knocked a semi on its side. >> it started raining so hard that i couldn't see to drive, and after i had been stopped about 30 seconds, then a gust of wind hit me, and that was the result of it. >> that's it. there's the big cone. >> reporter: now before this outbreak, 2014 had seen the quietest tornado season in more than 60 years, but now there have been at least two dozen reported tornadoes in the past 24 hours. in washington, kristin fisher, abc news. >> all right, kristin, thank you. and as we just heard from kristin, arkansas was among the worst hit by these storms. >> that's right. joining us from arkansas right now, department of emergency management is brandon morris. brandon, we're hearing about major damage from these tornadoes. can you give us an idea of the sheer scale of the damage? >> we are looking at damage in particular in one of the counties just here in central arkansas where we're having -- we haven't even quantified the amount of homes that have been destroyed at this time. we also have reports of 16 people that are dead in the area and just major power outages and a lot of devastation. >> all right. brandon, so we're seeing the devastation. we're seeing the videos just now starting to come in, and we're hearing about the death and the destruction that's happening there. what should people do if they find themselves in a situation right now where their homes have been destroyed or they don't know where to go or what to do? what's your message to them? >> we're telling everyone to follow the instructions of the local public safety officials. we're also telling people to continue to -- if they have any radio or emergency communications, that they stay in contact with what's going on and what's being put out. >> all right. brandon morris of the arkansas department of emergency management, thank you very much for joining us this morning. we understand how busy you are right now. and social media immediately lit up with incredible pictures of storm damage. >> yeah, here's some of the ones that caught our eye. this image was tweeted out @tomhawkinsj. he says the picture shows a damaged fire station in oklahoma. he says a section of the building is gone as firefighters assess the damage. >> @stormcoker tweeted out this image. it's a picture from mayflower, arkansas. the image, a bit fuzzy, but you can see the damaged building and people walking away from piles of rubble. >> wow. all right. a reporter from our station in little rock sent this picture showing damaged cars marked with an "x." they have been checked by emergency responders for injured passengers. meantime, though, we are not out of the woods yet with this massive storm system. >> yeah, the front is marching east. accuweather's jim dickey now joining us with the very latest. good morning, jim. >> good morning, john and diana. after an active weekend across the nation's midsection, we keep the threat for storms in place though it shifts a bit further to the east as we go through the early part of this workweek here. so as far as today is concerned, we're watching from northern illinois all the way down to the gulf of mexico in particular and in around the mississippi river towards the nashville area. that's where storms are strongest. gusty winds, large hail and again the threat for tornadoes and the threat tracks a bit further eastward on into tuesday. john and diana, back to you. >> all right, jim, thank you. stay with abc news. we will have live team coverage of the deadly tornadoes coming up on "good morning america." also making headlines this morning, the nba players union and the owners are calling for immediate sanctions against los angeles clippers owner donald sterling. tmz released a recording it says is sterling berating his ex-girlfriend for bringing black friends to games and posting pictures online. no comment yet from sterling, but his players staged a silent protest before their playoff game with the warriors. they hit the court during the warm-ups with their shirts on backwards hiding the name of their team in protest. reaction has been fast and furious with most calling for an end to sterling's time in the nba. >> he shouldn't own a team anymore, and he should stand up and say, i don't want to own a team anymore. >> ironically, sterling was set to receive a lifetime achievement award next month from the los angeles branch of the naacp, but a new tweet from the group now says it will not be happening. all right, new this morning, australia's prime minister has announced that after more than 50 days the hunt for malaysia flight 370 is entering a new phrase. the aerial search is ending but the underwater search will be expanded as more sophisticated deep water vehicles can be brought in. that search could take eight months. no debris has been recovered yet. authorities assured victims' families they will do everything possible to solve the mystery. well, the coast guard has been searching for a pilot in the northern part of san francisco bay after two small planes collided in midair. the two aircraft had taken off from the same airport about 20 miles north. one plane landed in the water. the other pilot along with his wife managed to land safely. neither was injured. president obama is in the philippines this morning. he's signing a ten-year security agreement that will boost the u.s. military presence in that country and give american forces temporary access to military camps and allow them to pre-position fighter jets and ships. this is the last stop in the president's four-nation asia tour. and the president's still closely watching the unfolding crisis in ukraine. president obama is expected to stiffen sanctions against president putin as early as today. a top secretary official says security official rather says the sanctions will be against people in putin's inner circle and the companies that they control. all right, two 20th century popes who changed the roman catholic church are now saints. >> john xxiii and john paul ii were canonized at a spectacular ceremony at the vatican and participating were not only the current pope but his predecessor benedict. pope john liberalized the church while john paul upheld court principles, major issues like abortion and marriage. all right, listen to this, a self-cleaning car. >> i want one, please. >> you want one? one automaker is working on just that. it could make car washing a thing of the past. plus, under fire, new details about a police officer accused of choking a man who was already in custody. what his bosses are talking and saying about those pictures. and we are following breaking news. tornado-related deaths in arkansas and oklahoma. we will have an update in just a few minutes. for colon cancer? get tested i don't have any symptoms. 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[announcer] no buts about it... this is one cancer you can prevent! if you're 50 or older, talk to your doctor and get screened for colorectal cancer. screening saves lives! did you know that people born from 1945 through 1965 have the highest rates of hepatitis c, but most don't know they're infected? people can live for decades without symptoms, but over time hepatitis c can cause serious health problems. if you were born during these years, the cdc now recommends that you get a blood test for hepatitis c. so talk to your doctor and find out if you have hepatitis c. it could save your life. know more. welcome back. toyota is reportedly moving its u.s. sales and marketing operations to the dallas area. the japanese automaker's north american headquarters have been located in southern california for nearly 60 years. toyota has more than 5,000 employees there, but texas governor rick perry has been pitching businesses to move from california to his state. an announcement is expected today. all right. low cost airlines, they can save you money even if you're not flying them. a new study finds that one of the discount carriers serves a domestic route, the average price on all airlines drops by as much as two-thirds, but the effect is only temporary. fares usually do come back up again. netflix is becoming a cable television channel. the streaming service will be available on three smaller cable providers through an app in the set-top boxes. customers will need to subscribe separately with netflix and also have the cable provider's dvr service. the three cable companies are mostly in the east coast and texas. well, "captain america" was no match for "the other woman." the romantic comedy took top honors at the box office in its opening weekend. "the other woman" earned $25 million in ticket sales. "captain america: the winter soldier" took in $16 million, and "heaven is for real" came in third with $14 million. all right, you may never need to visit a car wash again. nissan testing an exterior paint that repels water and oil. the paint is currently being tested on the european version of the nissan note. >> no word on when or even if it'll be sold in the u.s. offering just a small ray of hope to the 130,000 people who are employed in car washes in the united states. by the way, i'm upset that this hasn't come out before. >> yeah. you know that story, if it's too good to be true? >> oh, you think? >> i don't know, but the video looked impressive. >> it really does. >> and it's a reputable -- it's a good company. >> i'm interested. >> bring it on. all right. when we come back, bad dad caught on tape. a video goes viral showing what appeared to be a dad being a little too, let's say, pushy. >> yeah. plus, we hear from a tourist who offered food to a guy she saw rummaging through trash. it turned out to be a hollywood star. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week. one week? this one's a keeper. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®. 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[ male announcer ] 15 minutes for a quote isn't how it works anymore. with esurance, 7 1/2 minutes could save you on car insurance. welcome to the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. welcome to the modern world. your pet is like a mirror... they reflect what you give them. that's why the quality of their nutrition is so important. learn more about choosing the right food for your pet's unique needs, at petsmart. see the difference in your pet when you rethink mealtime! welcome back. now for a look at the morning road conditions, a wet and windy commute from the deep south into the mid-atlantic. also slick across much of the midwest. a slushy ride around the northern great lakes. heavy snow hampers driving in the black hills of south dakota and slippery mountain passes in the northwest. if you're flying, airport delays possible in new orleans, chicago, minneapolis and memphis. all right. updating our top story, that powerful storm system slamming a wide swath of the nation with heavy rains, large hail and deadly tornadoes. >> at least 14 people have been killed. hundreds of homes and businesses have been destroyed by twisters that were up to a half a mile wide. 45 million americans in 17 states are still under high alert this morning as that storm front marches east. >> we're going to have live team coverage of that deadly tornado coming up on "good morning america." well, there are no classes today at the connecticut high school where a 16-year-old girl was stabbed to death friday. a communitywide candlelight vigil planned tonight to remember maren sanchez. the medical examiner confirmed sanchez died of stab wounds to the neck and chest. the suspect, a fellow student, remains under observation at a medical center. he was allegedly upset she would not go to the prom with him. well, the fbi has joined in the investigation and search for a man who reportedly jumped overboard off of a cruise ship off the coast of florida. coast guard crews have been combing the waters for 30-year-old james miller of charleston, south carolina, since he disappeared early sunday. miller is said to have jumped off the rail of the bahamas "celebration" cruise liner 27 miles east of delray beach. well, the latest now on that teenager who survived a flight from san jose to hawaii hidden in the wheel well of a jumbo jet. the 15-year-old's father says he's planning to go to hawaii soon to reunite with his son and bring him back home to california. the father insists he's a good kid and was struggling to adjust to life in the u.s. after the family fled from civil war in somalia. a knoxville sheriff's deputy has been fired after he was caught on video that appears to show him choking a college student on saturday. 22-year department veteran frank phillips along with some other police officers were arresting the student for public intoxication at a street party. well, take a look at the pictures. they appear to show phillips choking the young man until he collapses. also caught on camera, a florida man appearing to kick his son down a skateboard ramp. the little boy seemed to be hesitating at the top of the ramp, and that's when witnesses say the dad lost his patience and kicked him over the edge. another boy confronted the dad demanding to know why he would do such a thing. >> i asked him, why is he doing this? and then he said, because he needs to learn. i was like, pushing him down it isn't teaching him how to do it. >> the boy was not injured but now the florida department of children and families is investigating. for the time being, the dad has been banned from the skate park. >> not cool. >> not cool. >> huh-uh. time for sports. a full slate of nba playoff action. >> for the highlights here are our friends at espn. good morning, america, and welcome to "sportscenter." i'm steve levy. before the clippers and warriors tipped off for game four of their playoff series, chris paul, blake griffin and their teammates took a stand against their owner. clippers players with a silent protest against owner donald sterling, who was allegedly caught on tape making racist comments. players shed their warm-up jerseys, went through their pregame routine with their red shirts, the team logo inside out so you couldn't see the name. also wore black bands on their wrists or arms and black socks in a show of solidarity. as for the game itself, fourth quarter, warriors up ten. steph curry had a ball game. curry had 33 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists. warriors crush the clippers. the series all even at two games apiece. it'll be interesting tuesday night. game five in l.a. rockets and blazers, game four. players from both of those teams wearing black socks in support of the clippers. 40 seconds to go. damian lillard ends up with a loose ball, and he's going to find mo williams for three. got it. blazers up one just like they drew it up. under ten seconds left, rockets down 2. james harden driving finds dwight howard, tied at 106. we go to overtime. in the o.t., 7.9 seconds left. rockets down three. patrick beverly with the ball, matthews steals it away, lamarcus aldridge hands it off to lillard. throws down a dunk in celebration that doesn't count. the blazers go on to win, 123-120. live "sportscenter" 9:00 a.m. eastern on espn. >> all right. thank you. a group of elementary school students outside ft. worth, texas, making quite a splash. >> yeah. they did it without water. this makes our "play of the day." eight boys, all fifth graders from w.a. porter elementary school in hurst, texas, performing a synchronized swimming act for their annual talent show. >> as you can see, there was no water and they didn't do it in a pool, but it certainly beats juggling or playing the guitar. >> it really is amazing. look at this, right? >> i have a funny feeling this is not the last we're going to see of synchronized nonswimming swimmers. >> yes. this is the most basic version. it's going to be pretty elaborate and going viral on a website near you. >> it's going to be the next trend somewhere. >> well done, guys. all right. coming up next in "the pulse," a woman shows absolutely no fear when she uses her car to stop a serial bank robber. and a motocross driver shows us the coolest way to get a bike in the back of a truck. ♪ time now to check "the pulse," stories you'll be talking about today. a pennsylvania woman taking the law into her own hands to stop a bank robber in his tracks. >> tina gleim was inside a pnc bank when it was robbed. well, instead of waiting for police to arrive, she swung into action, followed the man out, jumped into her pickup and rammed it into the getaway car. >> and the opportunity just presented itself to step on the gas and run into his vehicle to try to disable it, and he's thinking, this woman is nuts. >> needless to say, the suspect did not get very far. >> yeah. after the crash, his car conked out about a quarter mile away and he was arrested. hope the car good fixed. >> ooh, she's very lucky. all right, coming up next now, richard gere was shooting a movie in character as a homeless man in the streets of new york when a french tourist saw him sifting through the garbage. she offered him some leftover pizza from her family. >> she is still stunned that the man was actually richard gere. in fact, she didn't find out until two days later when she saw herself in a newspaper photo. gere, by the way, is worth about $100 million. >> so not homeless is what you're saying. >> not homeless. >> not homeless by a long shot. all right. when you're done with a tough day of stunt riding, you can walk to your motorcycle and get it on the truck. >> yeah. >> just push it up the ramp, or you can do that. >> whoa! jack field, that's his name, 27-year-old professional stunt rider, he's got several world records for backflips under his belt. so when we say he put away his motorcycle like this, it's probably nothing special. by the way, his birthday is tomorrow. >> all right. let's see it one more time or maybe even two more times. you know, the thing is, how do you perfect that? like there must have been a few mis-goes, right, and they couldn't have been pretty. >> i'm glad he's wearing a helmet this time and hopefully every other time. imagine if he missed by an inch. he was going to be on the roof of his pickup. >> yep, yep. >> would you let someone do that to the back of your pickup? >> negative. not my truck, not me. not the motorcycle, nothing. none of the above. >> not interested. you walk it up the ramp. right? >> definitely. i'll have somebody else walk it up the ramp, give him $5 and go sit on the couch. >> there you go. jim's hair is perfect. so's his serve, and his mandarin [speaking mandarin] xieúxieú, hou chiú but like up to 90% of americans, jim falls short in getting important nutrients from food alone. making jim more like us. add one a day multivitamins, rich in key nutrients you may need. hurry in and try our new santa fe chicken quesadillas or the delicious bacon ranch. served with fries and your choice of soup or salad. chili's lunch combos starting at 6 bucks. be a sound sleeper, or...l you a mouth breather? 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[ female announcer ] lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for more 100% real dairy treats you'll 100% enjoy look for lactaid® ice cream and lactaid® cottage cheese. and for more 100% real dairy treats you'll 100% enjoy nfc, afc, offensive lineman, defensive tackles, quarterbacks and cornerbacks are all living united. to ensure the academic success of millions of kids in our communities. all the way to graduation day. but that won't happen without you. so take the pledge at unitedway.org. make a difference in the life of a child. suit up like your favorite nfl players, and become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor with united way. live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good morning if you are a warriors fan, right? >> maybe not so much if you arrest clippers fan. we will get into that. but, first, a change in the weather. a heat up. >> we have value warm weather coming, the hottest temperatures so far this year, if you have air conditioning, make sure it is ready. we have four days of 90-degree heat inland. it will change rapidly. today, kind of the transition, and quiet. no clouds. no realty fog to contend with, just clear conditions. we will talk about the first forecast, low-to-mid 70's inland, and upper 60's to mid-60's around the bay and a sea breeze at the coast. the temperatures are close to average. >> good morning, everyone, at 4:28. it is early indeed and we do not have too much traffic so it is quiet on the roads and we have the high wind advisory on the bridge. be careful if you are driving anything high sided it is gusty, the cartinez is traveling loan fine. the altamont pass shows 24 minutes from tracy to dublin and westbound four from antioch to concord is 14 minutes. the bay bridge toll plaza shows it is wide open. not too many cars funneling in from oakland to san francisco. kristen sze and eric? >> amber alert is issued for three-year-old girl reportedly kidnapped by a stranger in fresno county. nick? >> yes, good morning, the amber alert is for three-year-old kenya ruiz. this is the latest information, according to c.h.p. she was abducted in fresno county last night at 7:45. she is hispanic and 3' tall weighing 33 pounds and brown hair and brown eyes and last seen wearing a brown shirt with flowers and white sandals. the only information we have on the suspect is the description of him being hispanic man around 30 with long hair. the suspect was last seen wearing a red shirt and having a red hat. if you have information call the police department at 559-945-2348. we are actively working this story and speaking with the c.h.p. and i will have more information on the circumstances surrounding her abduc