>> right now, an america this morning evacuate now. the warning to people in the texas panhandle facing a fire emergency. an entire town surrounded flames burning an area bigger than new york city, forcing a nuclear weapons facility to pause operations that extreme february heat now giving way in the north to tornadoes reported near chicago. >> temperatures plunging from 86 to 26. the damage and what's expected today uncommitted the vote of no confidence in president biden as the results come in overnight from the michigan primary. >> the concern for democrats

looking ahead to november, a new push to protect ivf, how lawmakers in washington and in alabama hope to guarantee access to fertility treatments in the wake of that alabama court ruling that recognized frozen embryos as people. also today, the last minute appeal to save a man scheduled to be executed tonight in texas, with advocates citing new evidence in the case. >> the business of online dating takes a hit. major job cuts announced why dating apps are struggling to attract young people and new evidence just how smart dogs can be. >> what this pooch did when her owner was in trouble. >> from abc news in new york. this is america, this morning. >> good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> good morning to you. i'm rhiannon ally. we want to begin with that fire emergency in texas. an entire town evacuated and surrounded by flames. >> the fires even forcing a nuclear weapons facility to

pause operations. all of this unfolding as a large section of the country from texas to wisconsin, sees unprecedented february weather conditions from summer like heat to bitter cold. in just a matter of hours, a powerful storm even triggering tornadoes outside of chicago. but we begin with the emergency in northern texas this morning. historic february wildfires scorching parts of the southern plains, forcing the governor of texas to issue disaster declarations in more than 60 counties. the heat and heavy winds fueling the flames in the texas panhandle, one fire quadrupled in size in just 24 hours, burning an area more than seven times the size of washington, dc. >> even for trucks, we can't hold it. get out of there. let's pull out. we got too many spots. >> more than 40 homes damaged in fritch, texas. residents told to evacuate. now just outside amarillo, the country's primary nuclear weapons facility, pausing operations as the fire raged nearby the city of canadian, northeast of amarillo was surrounded by fire. anyone

who had not evacuated was told to shelter in place. >> we're just going to have to regroup. we can't. we can't stop it. >> the fires crossing into oklahoma, prompting more evacuations as farther north in nebraska, this fire erupting in the summer like heat. but overnight, a powerful storm front triggering weather whiplash, temperatures plunging in some areas from the mid 80s to the mid 20s in a matter of hours. saint louis dropping from 86 degrees to 26. the storm triggering at least four suspected tornadoes outside of chicago downing trees and ripping roofs and facades off buildings. passengers at busy o'hare airport were told to shelter away from windows as flights were grounded during the storms. the air traffic control tower briefly evacuated back in texas. officials say it could take days to assess the damage from those fires. we'll check today's weather forecast in just a few minutes. >> the other big story this morning. the results are in from the michigan primary. and it was an easy win for former president trump. but nikki haley is explaining why she's staying in

the race on the democrat side, president biden's win was not as overwhelming as some predicted. that is because of a protest vote. it was organized to show support for palestinians in gaza . abc's lina moise explains this morning a wild card in the michigan primary. >> tens of thousands of democrats instead of voting for president, biden chose to cast their ballots as uncommitted, many of them arab american voters who say biden has been too lenient on israel in its war with hamas amid a growing civilian death toll in gaza. >> they've made it into a thing by putting resources, putting energy into it and highlighting that there's a way to register disappointment with policy, a movement to secure at least 10,000 uncommitted votes, vastly exceeded expectations. >> if he doesn't change his ways, i most likely won't. i won't vote for him. >> the question now will this primary protest vote in michigan threaten biden in the general election? >> i support the democrats who said, look, they'd rather have

this problem. in february where there's time to patch things up and make sure that people are heard. then in october or november in michigan's republic primary, former president trump winning another landslide. >> but nikki haley is vowing to stay in the race through super tuesday. >> what i am saying to my republican party family is we are in a ship with a hole in it and we can either go down with the ship and watch the country go socialist left or we can see that we need to take the life raft and move in a new direction . >> as for trump, he's already focusing on the general election , where michigan will once again be a crucial battleground. >> donald trump won it by about 11,000 votes, and then four years later, uh, joe biden won by about 150,000 votes. so if we're talking about a number of uncommitted votes, that's 100,000 plus 100 or approaching 150,000, that, at least on paper , is enough to swing a state. >> analysts also question whether trump could take

advantage of this uncommitted vote among arab americans in michigan, given that trump has vowed to bring back a travel ban on people coming from majority muslim countries. rhiannon. andrew. all right. >> lionel, thank you for breaking that down. as the mideast war rages, the un is now warning that more than 575,000 people in gaza are just one step away from famine. that is a quarter of the population. meanwhile, israel and hamas have both expressed skepticism after president biden said he was hoping for a ceasefire deal by monday. >> russia is taking advantage of ukraine's ammunition shortage, seizing even more territory, officials say russia is advancing in eastern ukraine after capturing a strategic city. europe officials have agreed on a plan to buy more munitions for ukraine, although the timing and the amount remains unclear. president biden and congressional leaders discuss new funding for ukraine at a white house meeting yesterday, house speaker mike johnson insisted any war funding must be linked to more money for us border security. >> there is a new push today to

protect fertility treatments after a court in alabama issued a landmark ruling that recognizes frozen embryos as people advocates are worried that courts in other states could follow and that could put ivf treatments in big jeopardy. abc's perry russom is here now with the latest on this. perry. good morning. ryan >> good morning to you. >> both. lawmakers here in washington and in alabama are announced efforts to protect couples going through ivf treatments, which were paused in alabama after that court ruling. >> that's because during the ivf process, embryos are often damaged or disposed of. so today, senate democrats, led by tammy duckworth of illinois, are planning to force a vote on a bill that would establish a right to access reproductive technology, including ivf. >> republican senators lindsey graham and josh hawley have already voiced their support. meanwhile, in alabama, lawmakers are drafting bills in the house and senate to protect ivf. president biden's top health official visiting the state yesterday. >> this is what happens when you when you take away rights that people had for 50 years.

>> now you find the consequences go way beyond just abortion at the alabama state house today, hundreds of women and families are expected to gather to show support for restoring ivf treatments. >> they argue republicans who call themselves pro-life should be supporting families trying to have children. >> and as for senator duckworth's bill here in washington, her opponents say this issue should be handled at the state level, not the federal level. >> andrew. >> all right, more to come. perry. thank you. the us army is downsizing. it's cutting 24,000 positions. that's about 5% of the force. the announcement comes as the army deals with a recruiting shortfall. all the job cuts will mainly affect positions that are already vacant. >> we turn now to big news affecting local malls all across the country. an announcement from macy's changing the retail landscape with its macy's one day sale this morning. a department store in distress. macy's announcing it's closing. 150 stores in the next three years. the 166 year old retailer

is making the move to focus instead on expanding its luxury brands, bloomingdale's and bloomberg cosmetic stores. >> the companies that appeal to higher end consumers have been doing well. it's those in the middle that, like macy's that are struggling the most. >> the company plans to open 15 new bloomingdale's and 30 new bluemercury locations, and the macy's locations that will remain open. many of them will get an upgrade, including more visual displays and larger sales staff. >> they feel that the mall has a place in the way consumers want to shop, but it just needs to be reimagined. re-enlivened and, you know, upgraded a bit. >> the company is also investing in dozens of small format locations, about one fifth the size of a traditional macy's for a more intimate shopping experience. of the 150 macy's that are closing, 50 of those will close this year. >> time now for your wednesday weather.

>> good morning. we are looking at the threat for severe weather as we go through today and tonight. this area will have damaging wind potential with some thunderstorms. we start off the morning already pretty wet and fairly active with some thunderstorm activity out there, but the severe thunderstorms come with this line still forming to the west through the afternoon and into the evening hours, where it fades away as it pushes offshore overnight. behind it, much colder air coming in, and that's a big time temperature difference in some places. more than 40 degrees from accuweather. i'm melissa constanza >> coming up, the worker shortage in the hotel industry, how it could affect your next vacation. >> but first, the murder of a college student in georgia, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant, prompts a new push to change immigration laws. what new york's mayor is now suggesting and later, a sign of the times why dating apps are struggling to attract young pe

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save big and have the best spring break. we're back with new fallout after the brutal killing of college student lakyn riley in georgia, the arrest of an undocumented immigrant in the case is prompting new calls for tougher immigration laws. >> even in liberal new york this morning, disturbing new details about the death of 22 year old laken riley, who was killed last week while jogging on the campus of the university of georgia. according to arrest documents. the suspect, jose ibarra, used an unspecified object to cause blunt force trauma so severe that he disfigured riley's skull , then dragged her body to a secluded area to allegedly try to hide his crime. >> this was a crime of opportunity, uh, where he saw an individual kill and bad things happen. >> ibarra, who is from venezuela, was arrested in 2022 for entering the u.s. illegally. federal officials say he was arrested again last year in new

york for acting in a manner to injure a child, but again was released and most recently, he was wanted for shoplifting in georgia. the case is igniting new debate over the nation's immigration laws. there are some people that feels that they should be able to remain here, keep doing their actions until they eventually, um, convicted. >> i don't subscribe to that theory. >> new york city mayor eric adams wants to roll back the city's so-called sanctuary city policy, which helps protect migrants from deportation. he says migrants suspected of serious crimes should be turned over to federal immigration officials, even if they have not been convicted of those crimes. that would be a major departure from the current law in new york. >> they didn't give due process to the person that they shot or punched or killed, but any change would require city council approval, which is unlikely. >> immigration advocates say the change is proposed by the mayor would wind up perpetuating family separation and dividing communities, and they deny that migrants are responsible for any surge in crime. the nypd is also pushing back, claiming it has no arrest record for jose ibarra

last year, despite what federal officials have claimed. back at the university of georgia, the school says it's spending millions to upgrade security on campus with more lights and cameras. >> and it seems prices everywhere going up these days. and now you can add hotels to your list. staffing shortages are forcing many hotels to pay their workers higher wages, which are up 20% since the pandemic. and then hotels, many of them are now passing those costs onto guests. they're also slashing services such as daily housekeeping, new trouble in the online dating industry. bumble is laying off 30% of its staff after posting big losses in the fourth quarter. analysts say the industry is struggling to attract younger users who place more value on long tum relationships over quick romance coming up, singer adele shares news about her health and her las vegas residency. also ahead, the appeal to save a man scheduled to be executed in texas. despite new evidence in texas. despite new evidence in the case one breath... ...can delight them all.

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death, but the case has been ruled a homicide. reports say. the 23 year old was found by her husband. a red jeep was reportedly seen in the driveway that day in texas. >> advocates for a convicted killer on death row are hoping for a last minute reprieve from the governor today. it comes after new evidence surfaced. here's abc's andrea fujii. >> later today, ivan cantu is set to be executed by lethal injection for killing his cousin and his cousin's fiance outside dallas. >> more than two decades ago. a jury found him guilty, though cantu, now 50, has always said he didn't do it face value when you look at all the evidence, it was an open and shut case. >> you've always maintained your innocence. >> absolutely. from day one. give me a new trial with the team and with the attorney that i've got today. but i want them to know, hey, you know, stop the madness. >> since his conviction, new evidence has come to light. a key witness, the brother of cantu's ex-girlfriend who initially claimed cantu confessed, recanted his testimony in 2022. cantu also claims new information corroborates his story that his

cousin, a known drug dealer, was killed by rival dealers. but a texas court yesterday denied cantu a stay of execution. >> i believe that the only reason that things are being dragged out, out in this courtroom and this courthouse is they're running out the clock on an innocent man and do not want to hear his newly discovered evidence in an evidentiary hearing, at least three jurors who sent him to death row have now pushed to halt the execution. >> even celebrities, including martin sheen and kim kardashian, have tried to rally support for him. but the district attorney insists he is guilty, saying my belief is anchored in the undeniable evidence presented at trial, reinforced by over two decades of exhaustive state and federal appeals post conviction, more than 140,000 people have signed a petition to stop the execution, which is scheduled for 6:00 tonight, but only texas governor greg abbott has the power to grant a reprieve.

rhiannon andrew. >> andrea. thank you. coming up, a lesson in artificial intelligence from a phony chocolate factory, plus new evidence. >> just how smart dogs can be feeling sluggish or weighed down? could be a sign that

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down. true hero in that game. and here's another remarkable sports headline a 13 year old scoring a goal in a pro soccer match. mckenna windham scored for the new york based gotham fc. it was just a preseason game. it's still impressive. she's currently part of a youth age u.s. national team. next a golden ticket turned out to be worthless for families who were promised a willy wonka experience, so they paid 45 bucks. >> after seeing your promotion for a fun experience in scotland. and it turns out these images, this is what they saw. they were made using artificial intelligence, turning a warehouse into a chocolate factory themed experience for kids. >> but in reality, they got this a practically empty warehouse with some flimsy props. the company says it's refunded the tickets. >> next one. very smart pooch, a three year old pit bull named aries, was involved in a minor car accident. >> the scared pooch bolted from her owner's vehicle through an open window. her owner thought she was lost, but aries managed to find a safe space. her doggy daycare, about a mile away. surveillance video shows her at

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is now a five. >> the big step back to downtown san francisco's revival macy's is preparing to close its flagship store in union square, along with many others. the reaction from customers and city leaders and why this definitely is not the end for the iconic retailer. >> neighbors in vallejo now demanding action following a series of violent events over the weekend. we're hearing from vallejo police about the department's response and protesters turning aggressive on the uc berkeley campus. >> the event that was disrupted by demonstrators who broke windows and forced an evacuation . good morning to you. i'm gloria rodriguez. it's wednesday, february 28th, and we want to begin with a look at our weather. >> how was yesterday? >> was it okay? it was nice. you liked it. well, okay. what's wrong? >> oh, i mean, i have a sick child, right? so that's. i didn't even get to go outside. >> yeah. you're like i was