breaking overnight. widespread damage from a massive meteorite. >> incredible video just coming in. hundreds of people injured, when the sky started falling this morning. the streak of light, seen by millions. extensive damage on the ground. we'll have the very latest. also breaking overnight, relief. thousands of passengers are finally off that crippled cruise liner. we've been hearing from them overnight. and we're live in alabama. blade runner in court, now facing murder charges. the stunning twist for a celebrated athlete. and new vintage. the super celebs and their newest role, winemakers. going on sale soon.

and good friday morning, everybody. we do begin with breaking news this morning. a shocker from outer space. a sudden meteor shower, raining down chunks of burning rocks on russia. >> the speeding meteorite was captured on camera, streaking across the skies of siberia overnight. shattering windows and injuring more than 400 people. many of him hit by broken glass. >> 20,000 soldiers have been sent to that scene. with so many windows shattered, schools in the area had to be closed because the temps had dipped to about zero outside. it's a developing situation, which we'll continue to follow throughout the day. we'll have much more, from russia, coming up later in this half hour. breaking news does not stop there. also from overnight, the nightmarish vacation cruise is finally over for all of those passengers who have been stuck onboard "the triumph." >> some boarded buses for new orleans or texas. while others settled into hotels in mobile, alabama.

all in search of a hot shower and warm food. marci gonzalez join us from mobile, alabama. good morning, marci. >> reporter: here it is. the carnival cruise docked. and hours later, all of the relieved passengers were finally off the ship. dry land at last. carnival "triumph" passengers chrissing the ground as they leave what's been their miserable cruise ship prison. >> the sewer kept backing up. people would slip and fall in it. the smell was terrible. >> reporter: the stench and lack of electricity drove many of the 4,000 people onboard to live and sleep in a kind of shantytown on the ship's deck. a nightmare that began sunday,

when a fire knocked out the ship's engines, leaving the vessel stranded in the gulf of mexico. >> didn't know if it was going to slow, catch back on fire. for a day or so, we didn't see any kind of sign of life. and so, that's pretty scary when you're out there on the water. >> reporter: after eight days at sea, tugboats slowly brought the ship into dock in alabama last night. the ceo of carnival going onboard, offering reimbursement, a free cruise, $500 and an apology. >> i know it was very difficult. and i want to apologize again for subjecting our guests to that. >> reporter: but many passengers feel that's just not enough. as they board buses, finally heading towards home. >> just feeling great. >> reporter: and some of those buses are heading straight back to texas, where this cruise originated. others are taking a shorter, two-hour trip to new orleans.

passengers can finally take a hot shower, get some rest. and then, they'll fly home later today. rob and diana? >> all right. marci gonzalez, live in mobile, alabama, for us tonight. thank you. a major legal question so many are asking this morning, can the passengers sue the cruise line. legal experts say it's possible. but the lawsuit may not have any merit. hidden in the fine print of a cruise ticket is a clause that prohibits class-action lawsuits. in tend, the passengers may just want to get on with their lives instead of having to spend years in a courtroom. we'll have more stories from those passengers who endured so much, coming up at 7:00, on "good morning america." >> it will be the best shower of their life. no doubt. and our other major story this morning, south africa's most well-known athlete, now charged with murder. oscar pistorius was kept under cover this morning ahead of his court hearing. he's accused of using a small pistol to kill his girlfriend,

30-year-old model reeva steenkamp. she died at his home yesterday. and there's no other suspects in the case. >> neighbors called police reporting the latest in a string of apparent disputes before the shooting. pistorius shot to fame last summer after becoming the first double-amputee to run in the olympics. a live report from south africa is coming up on "good morning america." after he terrorized police in southern california for more than a week, we know that rogue excop christopher dorner is, indeed, dead. the charred body found inside a burned-out cabin in the big bear area has been identified as dorner. dorner's revenge campaign against the lapd left four people dead, including two cops. leon panetta will remain the defense secretary for at least a few more days. republicans in the senate have blocked a vote on chuck hagel's nomination. and since congress is in recess for the president's day holiday, the next time the nomination can be taken up is a week from monday. president obama accused

republicans of playing politics. but they deny it. and also, senator frank lautenberg makes it official. he will not run for his current term. he is the oldest member of the senate. he will not seek a sixth term. that eliminates a primary battle between newark, new jersey, mayor, cory booker. he's announced his intent to run for the senate in december. and rahm emanuel is reportedly considering a white house run in 2016. "the daily beast" says imew ema would run if hillary clinton does not. emanuel used to be president obama's chief of staff, in addition to working in the clinton white house, as well. we just had the inauguration. already, the chatter about 2016. >> throwing it in. >> it's always the next election. >> what's coming up next? and what's coming up next for you guys is weather across

our nation. light snow for western pennsylvania, new york and new england. up to five inches in northern michigan. showers in the tennessee valley. and from philly to d.c. and heavy downpours from orlando to miami. four to eight inches of mountain snow in colorado and wyoming. >> teens from fargo to minneapolis. 28 in the windy city. 48 in beantown. 50s from atlanta to the big easy. it's okay to check your 401(k) statements again. balances are at an all-time high. and are the pennies' days finally numbered? and the breaking story shocker overnight. a meteorite falling in russia. we'll be right back.

and welcome back, everybody. well, toyota is paying up. the automaker says it will pay $29 million to dozens of states as part of a new settlement over recalls. those states claim that toyota sales notified customers promptly about sudden acceleration problems. toyota says it will give its american executives more decisionmaking power. have you checked your 401(k) balance lately? the average balance rose 12% in the last year to just over $77,000. that includes 20-somethings. the average for those age 55 and older is $143,000. and it's higher for those who have been with the same plan for ten years. that's about $100,000 higher. the irs wishes the taxpayers

would show a little more patience. the tax agency says the where's my refund website and smartphone app are being overwhelmed by requests. there's no need to check it every five minutes because they update it once a day. traffic on that site will keep growing as the april 15th date approaches. president obama is jumping on the anti-penny bandwagon. the president said he is open to getting rid of our one cent coin since it costs more than a panny to produce a penny these days. he called the penny a metaphor for some of the larger problems the government now faces. but admitted it's not exactly high on lawmakers' priority list. they have fame and money. and now, brad pitt and angelina jolie are getting their own wine label. the first wine, a rose, will be

made from organic grapes from the couple's estate in france. it goes on sale next month. >> workforce done. well done. next on this friday morning, counting the damage and injuries from this morning's meteorite plunge in russia. we'll have a full report from our team in moscow. and a former big-city mayor's million-dollar blunder. we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up

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and hurt their eyes. carnival's ceo was there to apologize for the conditions. >> welcome back to land, guys. now, for a look at your morning road conditions. slick mountain passes in the colorado and wyoming rockies. r great lakes and northern new england. a wet ride across tennessee and southern illinois. rain-soaked highways in central and southern florida. >> it looks like a good day for flying. weather-related airport delays are expected only in miami. we have more on the breaking story this morning. the meteorite, bursting through the atmosphere over russia, injuring hundreds of folks overnight. >> it happened overnight in frigid siberia. kirit radia filed this report just moments ago. >> reporter: the meteorite was captured on car dashboard cameras and phones. a bright light streaking across the sky. and then, on the ground, chaos as fragments slammed to earth.

witnesses say they thought a war had broken out. the blast shattered windows. over 250 people were injured, mostly from broken glass. it's extremely cold in this part of russia, below zero today. schools closed after the windows were blown out. about 20,000 troops have been sent to the scene, as well as three aircraft who are surveying the damage from the sky. scientists say the meteor shower was not related to an asteroid that will fly dangerously close to earth today. but one estimate suggested this meteor was big, perhaps tens of tons. kirit radia, abc news, maoscow. >> the meteor shower is not believed to be related to the massive asteroid passing by earth later today. scientists say it will come within 17,000 miles of our planet, around 2:25 p.m. eastern time. that's closer than weather and communication satellites, believe it or not. so, some cell phone service could be disrupted temporarily.

in other news, a major shift for the war in afghanistan. it's been nearly a month since a u.s. service member was killed in the war. the afghans themselves are doing most of the fighting ahead of the pullout next year. and for the first time, that ultraconservative country, female afghan soldiers are now being trained for the social forces. illinois is one step closer to becoming the tenth state in america to approve same-sex marriage. the state senate has passed a bill allowing gay couples to wed. but the house has to okay it. if that happens, the governor has promised to sign it into law. the former mayor of san diego admitted to gambling away an astounding $1 billion and taking millions from her late husband's charity. maureen o'connor wagered the money from 2000 to 2009. she was married to the founder of the jack in the box fast food chain. and said she was going through a rough time. >> it was at a time that, in my

life, the last chapter of my life, where i lost my husband, i lost three of my siblings, i lost my two best friends. and i had a difficult time. >> o'connor also blames her gambling addiction to a brain tumor. she's reached a deal to avoid prosecution while trying to repay all that money. >> that's a lot of video poker. concerning reports out of l.a. right now. the owner of the lakers is said to be hospitalized with an undisclosed form of answerer. his team was in action, as we see now from espn. >> good morning. and welcome to your espn news update. i'm zubin mehenti. clippers and lakers used to be a laugher. and kobe and company, practically a home game for them. no home cooking. met ka world peace off the mark. will give it one more shot.

l.a. misses nine from the field. blake griffin, he does more than dunk. 18 in the first quarter. having the touch inside. second quarter, chauncey billups has missed so much of the season. but when he's there, an added weapon for l.a. they're up 12 at the break. lob city in effect. perfect example. exhibit "a" on why they call him lob city. look out. we're going to keep playing that in the playoffs. looking to return the favor with a dunk of his own. the game didn't really get the support that he needs. down 16. the lakers and the clippers, changed both franchises. elsewhere, lebron and heat visiting the thunder. he's got that big 30 points, 60% from the field for six-straight games, nba history.

and last night, in oklahoma city, he had a season-high 39. but he was 14 for 24 from the field. that's 58.3%. just under the threshold. the streak comes to an end. but lebron said, i don't care about the streak. i care about winning basketball games. they do, by ten. nba all-star weekend is upon us. enjoy it. i'm zubin mehenti. have a great weekend. coming up next on "the pulse," america's newest lottery multimillionaires. lots of money. >> time to get jealous. and a look at one very strange addiction. the guy who is in a relationship with pool toys. ain. i worked a patrol unit for 17 years in the city of baltimore. when i first started experiencing the pain, it's hard to describe because you have a numbness but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point, i knew i had to do something.

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morning, the stories you will definitely be talking about today. an early retirement for a virginia couple who just claimed a $217 million powerball jackpot. >> david honeywell bought the ticket just before leaving on a business chip. he and his wife took the lump sum payment. that's $131 million. >> i started reading the numbers left-to-right. said, no, this can't be. and i looked at the draw date. and pretty soon, my hands were shaking like this. i could hardly read the ticket anymore. >> they both work the defense department but are planning, of course, to retire, build a house and buy a new suv to replace their 13-year-old car. >> good for them. and an unusual sight on the golf course in australia. >> look at this herd of kangaroos that charged across the fairway. play had to stop until they got out of the way.

australia's drought is to blame for all this. the animals are being forced to find grass and water wherever they can. and we hope you had a great valentine's day with your loved one. or in the case of this man, your loved one. mark is in a relationship with 15 blowup pool toys. and his strange obsession is the talk of the internet this morning and focus of a show on tlc. >> he divides his attention among several whales, a dolphin and a dinosaur. but he considers layla the dragon to be his wife. >> oh. >> talk about free willy. that is a bad habit. >> strange bird. >> fascinating tv. >> i'm going to watch it. you're going to watch it. >> what a world we live in, folks. man. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with the stunning scenes

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updating our top stories now. passengers stuck on that disa e disabled carnival cruise ship are back on hand. oscar pistorius has kept under cover today, ahead of his court hearing. the double-amputee is charged with murdering his girlfriend. he's described as a gun enthusiast who is generally easygoing but prone to mood swings. and republicans have blocked the nomination of chuck hagel as defense secretary. congress is now in recess. the next vote will come in ten days. mountain snow in the rockies. showers in the tennessee valley. snow around the great lakes and the northern new england area. drenching rain in orlando. information is still pouring in from russia this morning after a stunning meteor shower there. >> the meteor streaked through the skies over siberia, breaking

into fragments and injuring more than 400 people. scientists say it's not related to the asteroid expected to whiz by earth today. abc's neal karlinsky has more on that. >> reporter: right now, while you're watching this, a chunk of space rock big enough to level a city is hurtling towards our planet, eight-times faster than a speeding bullet. the good news is, scientists say it will miss. the scary news is, the asteroid called ad-14, is the size of half a football field. and it will be much closer than the moon. in fact, it will thread the needle between earth and the roughly 600 satellites around us, the one that your cell phone relies on. possibly even smashing one to smithereens on its way by. if that's why you're thinking it's a long, long way from all of us way down here walking the streets, you may want to think again. the last close call turned out to be a direct hit. it was 1908. and luckily, it hit the middle

of nowhere, siberia, sdecimatin 1,000 miles of trees but no people. >> if a large asteroid hit, it would create the same kind of disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs. >> reporter: amazingly, no one knew da-14 was headed our way, until a dentist and amateur astronomer identified it a year ago. a trio of american astronauts and rocket scientists are raising money to launch their own asteroid early morning system called sentinel, a dedicated telescope scanning the stars for threats. >> this asteroid is a wake-up call that we should be looking out there. these things do hit the earth. >> reporter: scientists say we can keep the planet safe if we know what's out there, headed our way. neal karlinsky, abc news, seattle. >> pretty to look at. but it will not hit. that's the good news. >> far away. >> the weekend is safe.