. right now on america this morning. controversy execution. alabama using nitrogen on a death row. inmate overnight, marking the first time an executioner used the gas in a us prison. the late night decision by the supreme court and what it means for future executions using nitrogen. >> severe weather threat 51 states under a flood watch as another round of rain impacts much of the country into the weekend, plus ice jams now causing flood concerns in other

areas. >> as a piece of history destroyed. >> just collapsed right down the middle. >> a church in connecticut suddenly collapses without warning, the roof and steeple crashing to the ground. how did it happen? and what's next for the damaged church built in the 1850s? plus. a death involving a peanut allergy triggers a cookie recall a young woman dying after eating a mislabeled product. >> what we're learning. >> sorry, speeders. the new proposed law in one state requiring a device in cars, limiting how fast they can go, and special delivery. >> the deputy who went above and beyond after arresting a food delivery driver. >> from abc news in new york. this is america this morning. >> good morning everyone. i'm lionel moise in for andrew, and i'm alison kosik in for rhiannon. >> and we begin with alabama. s controversial execution of a convicted murderer who spent

decades on death row, 58 year old kenneth smith was put to death using nitrogen gas, one state official calling it a humane method of execution. >> but critics disagree. the state of alabama executing death row inmate kenneth smith overnight, marking the first time in u.s. history nitrogen gas was used to carry out capital punishment. >> smith was pronounced deceased by a physician at 8:25 p.m. central standard time. >> the supreme court had denied an appeal in a 6 to 3 decision, with the liberal justices dissenting, justice sotomayor accusing alabama of experimenting with human life, saying having failed to kill smith on its first attempt, alabama has selected him as its guinea pig to test a method of execution. never attempted before. smith was one of three men convicted in the murder of elizabeth bennett in the 1980s. in 2022, smith and the state of alabama, agreeing to a new form of execution after the state botched a lethal injection.

execution in a settlement with smith, the state of alabama agreeing to not pursue lethal injection again and instead attempt a new method of execution nitrogen hypoxia. smith only eating some of his final meal. his last words were tonight alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards. i'm leaving with love, peace and light. >> he struggled against his restraints a little bit, but there's some involuntary movement and some agonal breathing, so. that was all expected and is in the side effects that we've seen or researched on nitrogen hypoxia, nitrogen hypoxia has been controversial, with advocates noting that a version of the method has been used in some assisted suicides in europe, lawyers for the state argue that the method is painless, with unconsciousness occurring in a matter of seconds, but the united nations human rights office called on alabama to stop the execution, noting there is no scientific evidence to prove that execution by nitrogen

inhalation will not cause grave suffering. >> alabama says it will continue to use the method nitrogen epoxy is one of the three methods of execution. >> so the inmates choose it. then. that's the method we will use. >> witnesses say smith appeared to remain conscious for several minutes despite experts saying it would take seconds. mississippi and oklahoma have also authorized their prisons to carry out executions with nitrogen now to the whether 15 states with flood watches up many of them in the southeast, where more downpours are expected. >> today, thick fog created in part by warmer temperatures, is reducing visibility in illinois, officials are keeping close watch on ice jams in upstate new york and potential flooding. another storm brings more heavy rain to the southeast tomorrow. by sunday, snow in the midwest and northeast more forecast details in just a few moments, the biden administration wants to broker a new deal to free all of the remaining hostages in gaza. >> cia director william burns is headed to europe, where he'll

meet with his israeli counterpart, along with intelligence leaders from egypt and qatar this weekend. hamas is holding more than 100 hostages. six are believed to be american citizens. >> new numbers show the us economy is growing at a faster than expected pace, and in an exclusive interview with abc news, treasury secretary janet yellen saying she believes 2024 will be a good year for the nation's economy and abc's jay o'brien joins us with details. jay good morning alison. >> good morning. treasury secretary yellen exclusively telling abc news she believes there is no reason for a recession this year, as the white house hopes that these positive economic numbers will turn americans perceptions of the economy around. and this morning, the us economy shattering expectations, new numbers from the commerce department showing the nation's gross domestic product grew at a blistering 3.3% pace from october through december of last year. rapid growth quelling

economists fears of a recession. we have an economy that has been growing at a good, healthy pace. >> i see no reason why that can't continue to. i think 2024 is going to be a very good economic year in an exclusive interview with abc news, is elizabeth shultz, treasury secretary janet yellen touting the growing economy but no reason right now why there would be a recession. there's no obvious reason why there would be the strong growth, driven largely by consumer spending, accounting for roughly two thirds of us economic activity. >> but recent polls consistently showing voters worried about the state of the us economy. an abc news ipsos poll released earlier this month showing just 27% of americans say they believe the american dream is attainable for them. >> there are parts of the country that have really not seen much economic progress. they haven't seen good jobs created and some that existed

have disappeared, feared in large swaths of the country. and that's something that has to change. >> no, president biden, hoping the strong numbers will alter voters largely pessimistic views about their finances. this election year, thanks to the american people, america now is the strongest growth, the lowest inflation rate of any major economy in the world. and there are some signs voters are finally agreeing. in a recent survey by the federal reserve bank of new york, it found that the number of americans who believe that their financial situation will improve within the year is at its highest levels since june of 2021. allison >> jay, thank you. >> closing arguments are set for today in the civil defamation case against donald trump. this comes after he took the stand in his own defense. since a jury already found him liable for sexually abusing writer e jean carroll. the judge limited trump's testimony to addressing whether he made negative

comments about her. instead he defied that instruction, forcing the judge to strike much of what he said. from the record, trump has denied any wrongdoing. peter navarro is now the second former trump aide sentenced for blocking congress's january sixth probe. >> a judge ordered navarro to serve four months in prison for refusing to testify before the house. navarro claimed executive privilege. he was forced to speak over protesters after the hearing, saying his fight isn't over. >> this is a case of first impression. is that i have said from day one is destined for the supreme court. >> former trump adviser steve bannon received the same four month sentence both are hoping to remain free while appealing their conviction and breaking overnight in the uk. buckingham palace says king charles has been admitted to a london hospital for a corrective

procedure for an enlarged prostate. the palace said overnight it will confirm his treatment when it has ended. the 75 year old king will be treated at the london clinic, where the princess of wales is recovering after she underwent abdominal surgery. the palace, saying this in a statement his majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes now to a dramatic church collapse in connecticut. the steeple on the historic church came crashing down yesterday, leaving a massive hole in the roof. miraculously, no one was hurt. here's abc's victor oquendo. >> an investigation is underway after the structural collapse of an historic church in downtown new london, connecticut. >> possible explosion or smoke. >> the roof and steeple crumbling in the middle of the day, shrouding city blocks in a haze of dust. church just went down. lester harris had just parked his car across the street

. >> i heard this boom sound and i looked to my left and there was the church all in one piece. but then it just collapsed right down the middle. >> miraculously, the only person inside the building at the time escaped without injury. she thought it was a windstorm and so she didn't really pay the mind until she heard them yelling, evacuate! >> evacuate! >> the former first congregation church built in the 1850s, now reduced to rubble. teams using drones and heat sensors to comb through the wreckage. but officials are preparing for a demolition. you can count the luck involved in this, uh, a million ways, the city was extremely fortunate in the manner of the collapse. >> it could have been a much bigger disaster for us. >> officials were not aware of any warning signs ahead of the church's collapse. the mayor says that the building had routine fire inspections, but it's unclear if there was a recent structural inspection. victor oquendo, abc news, new york. >> all right, victor, thank you. time now for a look at your morning weather.

>> well the fog is still with us across the plains the midwest and parts of the northeast and gulf coast as well. dense fog advisories again for millions across the nation. but another round of flooding, renewed risk of flooding will return late friday into saturday for the southeast. we are concerned about something that exceeds drought relief. another round of flooding saturday. we could even see some gusty thunderstorms with flooding and even a stray tornado threat into the southeast. so the drenching rain will come back for the southeast over the next 36 hours. i'm accuweather meteorologist jeff cornish >> coming up, new details in the teen murder suspect who escaped. >> also ahead, the serious allegations facing vince mcmahon, a new lawsuit accusing the former wwe boss of trafficking and a peanut allergy death leads to a recall. >> what we'r

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ringwald are live on good morning america. >> back now with new video of a teen murder suspect in philadelphia fleeing a hospital where he was being treated, shane prior was also seen in the lobby of a building being denied use of a phone. police have been questioning a man who may have picked him up after his escape. >> former wwe ceo vince mcmahon is facing new sexual misconduct allegations. a lawsuit accuses mcmahon of trafficking a former employee. his accuser is one of four women paid to stay quiet about his misconduct in 2022. that agreement came to light shortly before mcmahon announced his retirement that summer. a spokesperson calls the lawsuit replete with lies. >> a bad food label is being blamed for leading to the death of a dance teacher in connecticut. officials are trying to figure out what went wrong. here's abc's derrick dennis for someone to leave

so young and so soon at the height of her career is really is a tragedy. >> reporter. >> this morning, those who knew 25 year old new york dancer orla baxendale say her death should not have happened. >> she was vibrant, dynamic, um, a little kooky at times was, um, you know, someone, one who didn't particularly take themselves seriously. but they took the work seriously. >> she died earlier this month from an allergic reaction after eating a cookie from a package, missing a warning that the cookies contained peanuts. her friends rushed her to the hospital and used her epipen, but it was too late because orla was so vigilant and so careful with everything she touched. >> she actually googled soy nut, which is on the package, thinking, wanting to make sure that a soy nut wasn't a nut. >> the cookies were made by a wholesaler, but were sold at a stew leonard's grocery store location in connecticut. stu

leonard, junior, in a recorded statement blaming the original maker cookies united on long island, the supplier changed the recipe and started going from soy nuts to peanuts and are cheap safety officer here at stew leonard's was never notified, but cookies united says that's not true. releasing an email alerting multiple stew leonard's employees to the change in ingredients and showing an original label with peanuts as an ingredient. health officials are investigating the woman's family hiring a lawyer. >> they're too distraught to speak to anybody, but they want this story out so it doesn't happen again. >> the cookies have been recalled, and since they were sold in december, it's unlikely they're still around. peanuts are among nine major food allergens that federal law requires to be listed on food packaging. lionel. alison. all right. derek >> thank you. alaska airlines plans to put some of its grounded 737 max nine jets back into service today. it was exactly three weeks ago that one

of those planes landed with a gaping hole in its side. after a door plug blew off. no injuries were reported. alaska's alaska said, grounding its max nines after that incident, though, cost the airline $150 million. >> coming up, the nfl player under arrest, accused of gambling on his college team. >> also ahead, we hear from the trooper who was struck in this trooper who was struck in this terrifying collision next ♪ there's a light that always shines on me ♪ ♪ there's a way ♪ ♪ everybody say ♪ ♪ to do each and every little thing ♪ ♪ oh... oh... ♪ ♪ you must know what it's like ♪ ♪ baby you must know what it's like ♪ ♪ to love somebody ♪ ♪ to love somebody ♪ ♪ the way i love you ♪ ♪

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get out of the way! as if watching my team lose wasn't punishment enough. what are you looking at huh... it's a one speed. hahaha. hahaha. and if you have cut rate car insurance, odds are you'll be paying for that yourself. so, get allstate and be better protected from mayhem... like me. hey, i'm walking here! here now to a traffic stop. >> that was anything but routine . an oklahoma trooper is describing a terrifying moment. last week when an out of control suv sent him flying. this morning, the oklahoma highway patrol trooper struck in this terrifying incident, speaking out. jesse gregory was sent airborne during a traffic stop last week when an suv rammed into the vehicle. he pulled over. >> i didn't hear brakes or

anything. i just remember, um, going flying, stunned. >> after getting hit, gregory tried to stay calm and phone emergency services. i was able to bounce to my feet and, um, call for help. >> and so being on my feet was very reassuring. i was blessed to be walking. >> he was taken to the hospital, but incredibly released that same day, suffering only minor injuries. >> i kind of had, um, some swelling on the top of my arm. um, i've kind of have some purple, um, bruising all through my hand. >> trooper gregory now using this moment to remind drivers what to do when passing a traffic stop, when you see red and blue, please plan ahead and get over for us. >> so, um, we can focus on, you know, who we're dealing with, and we don't have to worry about getting hit. >> the cause of the collision is still under investigation. a new england patriots receiver has been arrested on gambling charges. >> they stemmed from keyshawn

booty's time as a player at lsu. he's accused of placing thousands of online bets while under the legal gambling age of 21. the school has cooperating with authorities, the patriots say they are aware of the case. >> breaking overnight, novak djokovic's streak at the australian open is over. the world number one lost in the semifinals to italian jannik sinner. djokovic had won 33 straight matches at melbourne park, with his last loss coming in 2018. coming up, the state considering a speed limiting device in cars, plus the deputy who went above and beyond after arresting a doordash driver chances of a plane crash -- 1 in 11 million. you're not gonna finish those salted nuts, right? never waking up from anesthesia -- 1 in 185,000. validate your parking or just see how it goes? what? why stress about the unlikely? does a killer clown worry about being struck by lightning -while winning the lottery? -sure don't. but your odds of falling victim to online crime are 1 in 4.

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we begin with a bill to curb the need for speed. >> a california lawmaker has a plan to slow down drivers. a new bill would require new vehicles in the state be equipped with speed, be equipped with speed governors, making it impossible to drive more than ten miles per hour over the speed limit. if approved, the plan would take effect with the 2027 model year in illinois, a sheriff's deputy is credited with going above and beyond the call of duty. >> yeah, he personally delivered a doordash order, a doorbell camera caught the actual delivery, the deputy explained that he had arrested the driver, but wanted to make sure that they got their food. a big celebration is underway involving some twins from texas, formerly conjoined sisters are arriving one year after surgery to separate them. >> amy and jamie finley were born sharing a liver and attached at the chest. today, the now 15 month old are running all over the place together, but apart. their dad hopes it stays that way. i just hope they stay together.

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an overnight execution in alabama is making headlines across the country this morning. now at five, witnesses describe the gruesome complications during the first in the nation death by nitrogen gas planes once grounded for safety inspections following the mid-air blowout. >> now cleared for travel. we are at sfo this morning where some are expected to take to the skies, and e is about moving the politics out of public safety. >> san francisco's mayor pushing for a ballot measure which would give police more authority to track and pursue suspects. critics say it will trample privacy rights