good morning, america. breaking news for our viewers in the west. the strongest storm of the season hitting southern california. 20 million on alert for flash flooding as torrential downpours batter an already hard hit west coast. this mudslide shutting down i-5 in washington and this road collapsing. a car sinking. is new warning as nearly a foot of rain moves in. >> the president defends his first month in office in a fiery face-off with the press. >> this administration is running like a fine-tuned machine. >> answering questions about those contacts between his campaign and russia. >> russia is a ruse. i have nothing to do with russia. haven't made a phone call to russia in years. >> lashing out at the media. >> i turn on the tv, open the

newspapers and i see stories of chaos, chaos. yet it is the exact opposite. >> he vows to prosecute criminal leakers plus new promises on taxes and immigration. our powerhouse political team breaking it all down. >> the georgia dad accused of killing his son speaks out. >> there was no evidence that suggested that he would harm anyone much less his own son. >> one on one with amy. >> you went on the stand and supported your husband. >> why she's still defending him now. first time "gma" this morning. ♪ >> and half-court happiness. the young woman sinking one rock then landing another. making a basket then turning around and getting the proposal of her life. her boyfriend there in disguise inside the slam dunk engagement. ♪ who cares baby

and good morning, america. that proposal, the perfect way to start off a friday. i love what you said there sinking one rock and getting another. >> knows how to do it. i don't think they expected her to make that first shot but happened up in albany, new york, and their families were in the suite and caught that sweet moment. >> definitely a sweet moment. a lot of news to get to. you saw that press conference yesterday. what a presidential press conference. never seen anything like it before. president trump unfiltered. 77 minutes. his critics said he was unhinged at that time. two things we know for sure never seen one like that and just one month into his presidency we know exactly what's on the president's mind. >> yes, he definitely tells it all. >> first let's start with the biggest storm of the season about to hit the west affecting millions of people and rob

marciano is south of los angeles for us. good morning rob. >> reporter: hey, good morning. amy. they are bracing an a strong storm that continues just off the pacific coastline. this berm is meant to protect this town but we're going to have 15, maybe 20 foot breakers coming in. preparations, rush to completion filling sandbags in california. look what happened in washington yesterday. i-5 shut down from a mudslide. took them five hours to clear. we are worried about scenes like that with saturated soils. some of the hillside communities have been evacuated in anticipation of mudslides and trees coming down with the big wind. they brought in these big pumps to help keep the water away from these homes. >> now to president trump on attack for an hour and 17 minutes battling with the media during his press conference. jon carl was in the room.

good morning, jon. >> reporter: good morning, amy. well, the president came ready to spar and he seemed to relish it insisting that despite those headlines about white house turmoil his presidency is off to an historically productive start. >> to be honest, i inherited a mess. it's a mess. at home and abroad. a mess. >> reporter: despite the mess he says he's inherited the president insisted he's done a great job. the main problem, news coverage that harps on the negative. >> i turn on the tv, open the newspapers and i see stories of chaos, chaos. yet, it is the exact opposite. this administration is running like a fine-tuned machine. >> reporter: the president touted a productive first month. a soaring stock market, executive orders cutting regulations and a smooth rollout of his supreme court nominee. press reports on dysfunction and drama trump said were simply wrong. >> i can handle a bad story

better than anybody. as long as it's true and, you know, over the course of time i'll make mistakes and you'll write badly and i'm okay with that but i'm not okay when it is fake. >> reporter: fake is what the president calls reports that his campaign advisers had repeated contacts with suspected russian operatives before the november election. >> i just want to get you to clarify. because it's a very important point. can you say definitively that nobody on your campaign had any contacts with the russians during the campaign and on the leaks, is it fake news or are these real leaks? >> well, the leaks are real. you're the one that wrote about them and reported them. i mean the leaks are real. you know what they said. you saw it. and the leaks are absolutely real. the news is fake because so much of the news is fake. >> reporter: the first part of my question, the contacts can you definitively say that nobody -- >> i had nothing to do with it. i have nothing to do with russia. i told you i have no deals there.

i have no anything. >> reporter: later associated press reporter julie pace tried to pin the president down. >> no, nobody that i know of. >> so you're not aware of any contacts during the course of the election? >> how many types do i have to answer this question. >> can you just say yes or no? >> russia is a ruse. i know you have to get up and ask a question. russia is a ruse. i have nothing to do with russia. haven't made a phone call to russia in years. >> reporter: as for his former national security adviser michael flynn, the president continued to praise the man he fired. >> mike flynn is a fine person and i asked for his resignation. he respectfully gave it. >> reporter: but it was this exchange that stunned many. including lawmakers on capitol hill. >> when you say that, are you going to include the cbc, mr. president in your conversations with your urban agenda and inner city agenda -- >> am i going to include? >> the congressional black caucus and the congressional -- >> i would. i tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting. do you want to set up the meeting? >> no, no, i'm just a reporter. >> set up the meeting. >> i know some of them.

>> set up a meeting. i would love to meet with the black caucus. i think it's great. >> reporter: the congressional black caucus sent the president a letter a month ago saying that they want to work together but did not receive a response. now, amy, this morning both the congressional black caucus and the white house say that they're working on setting up a meeting. >> all right, jon, we're also learning this morning that president trump's initial pick to replace michael flynn as national security adviser has officially turned down that offer. >> reporter: that's right. former vice admiral bob harward former navy s.e.a.l. was offered the job. i spoke to him late last night. he said he was humbled and honored to get the offer but after serving for 40 years in the navy including several deployments, many deployments in war zones that he couldn't do it to his family again. he just couldn't make the commitment. >> all right, jon karl, we appreciate it. thank you. george. >> thanks, amy. big goal for the president to advance his campaign to delegitimize the mainstream media and show his supporters

he's taking them on. >> many of our nation's reporters and folks will not tell you the truth. it's all fake news. it's all fake news. russia is fake news. russia -- this is fake news put out by the media. the public doesn't believe you people anymore. the reporting is fake. i want to just tell you the false reporting by the media, by you people, the false, horrible, fake reporting makes it much harder to make a deal with russia. >> let's talk to our roundtable. cecilia vega, matthew dowd and amy holmes, political analyst for rasmussen and the president tweeted and said thank you for the nice statements. rush limbaugh said fake media, not happy. so the president had a strategy here. did he succeed? >> if it was to get everybody focused and talking about him and having everybody analyze him, he did succeed in that.

my view is if you take a look at what the country thought of this, 25% of the country who loves trump loved that because it was a total assembly of him in all his glory, 25% of the country who hates trump hated that and was probably aghast and 50% of the country where they are concerned, a little bit confused and probably slightly nervous in the aftermath. >> he certainly seemed to love it. >> and he said so. he's having a great time. at the very beginning he was trying to reach the american people with the press just present. basically relegating them to nattering nabobs of negativity. i think he did succeed in showing his toughness. that's one of the great strengths he had and it's his willingness to take on the main stream media. >> one thing clear, cecilia, he definitely wanted to take control of this narrative. he sees himself getting pummeled every single day. these suggestions of the white house in chaos. he said i'll do it myself. >> this comes in the wake of a

series of really bad stories for this white house. the big one yesterday being that the white house was in turmoil. he wanted to change that narrative but let's not forget donald trump ran on being an unconventional candidate and that is exactly what we saw so i totally agree. i think supporters of his will eat this up and love it. but let's also go back to the business at hand, donald trump was there to announce a new labor secretary, that got just a handful of seconds during the press conference. i do still think there are a number of questions about russia and contacts that the campaign and surrogates had with russia that still remain unanswered but let's give it to him. there were a number of questions that were answered from everybody in that room and donald trump had been criticized leading up to this for not taking serious questions from mainstream media and certainly did that. >> he took all the questions. no question about that. but, matthew dowd, did he advance his agenda at all? >> no, because i think if you think about the person in michigan or the person in ohio that's worried about their job and voted for him reluctantly, i mean, keep in mind 46% of the

country voted for him but about a quarter of those voters thought he was unqualified to be president and didn't have the temperament. they want to see somebody that will advance the ball for them and be presidential. coming away from that press conference, 25% of the people that voted for him won't feel more comfortable about him. >> he complains about not getting focus -- the media not focusing on things he does with boeing and carrier but all the talk gets in the way. >> there is a tendency to step on his own message when he's addressing a thousand things over 77 -- >> all the time. >> well, there is that and i do appreciate that at the beginning of his press conference he went through what he's accomplished, what he's done through executive orders and decrees and so forth. but again what are we talking about? we're being theater critics instead of looking at the substance of the policy. >> here was the moment the most remarkable moment. the president talking about that russian ship patrolling off our shores. >> the greatest thing i could do is shoot that ship that's 30 miles offshore right out of the water. everyone in this country will

say, oh, it's so great. that's not great. that's not great. i would love to be able to get along with russia. >> kind of an astonishing thing that he would think that everyone would think it's great and it would start a major war with russia. >> you could make a comment about blowing up a russian ship 30 miles off the eastern seaboard with a quip have a lot of people scratching their head like blowing -- literally and figuratively blowing off a comment like that. >> it was a popcorn worthy press conference. unbelievable expose of donald trump. >> and they said the president loved it. we may be seeing more. thank you all very much. back to amy. president trump expressed outrage over intelligence leaks saying he will put a stop to them. take a look. >> we're looking at them very, very seriously. i've gone to all of the folks in charge of the various agencies and we're -- i've actually called the justice department to

look into the leaks. those are criminal leaks. >> let's bring in our legal analyst dan abrams and brad garrett. dan, i'll begin with you. you heard the president calling these leaks criminal. is that the case? >> they could be. certainly. there are a lot of statutes that you can use to prosecute people for sharing information related to the national defense. doesn't even have to be officially classified information. then you've got the possibility of classified information. you've got a whole host of statutes to use. if you want to and want to dig in to figure out who did it and whether they should be prosecuted. >> it is confusing because we heard president trump say the leaks are real but the news is fake. how do those two things co-exist? >> they don't. either there are people with access to national defense information or classified information that are improperly sharing this accurate information or the immediate media is making this stuff up, right?

if the media is making it up or if these people who are in government are taking the media for a ride what do you investigate? you're investigating nonsense so either it's real and it's frightening to the president and it shouldn't be happening because this is important information that's being shared or we in the media are supposedly just making this stuff up in which case there's nothing to investigate. >> let's talk about the investigation. brad, president trump is saying he is having the justice department look into these leaks. how difficult? what is it like to catch leakers? >> the first thing you have to do is figure out if the information leaked is actually classified. many times the press only get a small portion so that has to be vetted first and then look at the number of people who had potential access to that information. i will tell you, amy, less than 50% are identified and virtually nobody ends up being prosecuted at the end of the day. >> all right. brad garrett, dan abrams, more to come. thank you so much. >> okay, thanks, guys. hard to remember by the end but the president opened the press conference by announcing

his new pick for labor secretary, alexander acosta. let's get more from mary bruce. mary, the president moved quickly after he had to withdraw his first choice, andrew puzder. >> reporter: he certainly did, george. overshadowed in the press conference the president's announcement of his labor secretary nominee and named alexander acosta to replace andrew puzder who withdrew two days ago. he is seen as a safer pick, former law school dean and former assistant attorney general and it confirmed he could be the first hispanic member of the cabinet. >> a safer pick but democrats are raising some questions. >> reporter: yeah, george, right now consider this, president trump has more unconfirmed nominees than any president at week four in history. just 13 of 22 cabinet nominees have now been confirmed. in fact, they have been up here railing all night long. democrats against the next to have a vote. pruitt for epa, still at it. that vote later today. >> mary bruce, thanks very much. to michael. >> thank you, george.

we turn to a terrifying plot uncovered in florida. police are investigating -- arrested a man they say wanted to bomb target stores along the east coast. abc's eva pilgrim is outside a target in jersey city with the story. good morning, eva. >> reporter: good morning, michael. a florida's man's get rich quick scheme landing him in jail. his plan to destroy target stores like this allegedly so he could buy cheap stock. a florida man behind bars this morning accused of plotting to blow up target stores up and down the east coast using bombs hidden in packaged food, stuffing mix, breakfast bars and pasta boxes. investigators finding the ingredients to make the bombs right here at mark barnett's florida home. >> i'm speechless. it's terrifying to hear. >> reporter: according to the documents the 48-year-old offered someone $10,000 to put ten bombs on the shelves inside target stores warning not to let the boxes bounce around or they would explode.

asking that they put one in each state from new york down to florida. saying get as far as you can go. because we didn't want to make it a localized thing. >> having an individual out in the public that would have this in his mind to build these devices, that's an individual you want to get off the street quickly. >> reporter: he gave them a bag of gloves, a mask, a license plate cover and $280 a travel money. that person taking the bombs straight to police sending barnett straight to jail. investigators say the bombs were real. capable of causing property damage, serious injury or even death. his motive, authorities say barnett hoped the bombings would send target stock prices plummeting so he could buy shares on the cheap setting him up to make big money when the company's stock recovered. so, why did he ask for help? because he was wearing an ankle monitor tracking his every move. he was already on probation for multiple other felonies. michael. >> all right, thank you, eva.

some things you can't explain. >> i know. disturbing. all right. now to ginger on the storm's path. >> seattle nearing eight inches close to by monday. we see pictures like this. look at this washington. driving to work and your car just falls threw. that's what happened. this guy survived which is great news. that large gap in the road there. unfortunately we're thinking we'll see the same as this active pacific jet stream sets up and the timing is really important. it's through the day today. los angeles starts to get it after the noon hour and heavy rain. l.a. doesn't get a lot but it's a ton by san diego, the drive time tonight. let's get to your local weather.

good friday morning. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist mike nicco. heavy rain then just scattered showers this afternoon. scattered lighter showers this weekend. looks like saturday will be our driest point and the holiday rain trending the heaviest. today is a two on the storm impact scale. so the highest thing on my concern today will be hydroplaning followed by urban and creek flooding and trees down. my seven-day forecast, the next big storm w and coming up that abc news exclusive, the ex-wife of that father convicted of leaving their son in a hot car now breaks her silence. >> it never crossed my mind that ross had done it on purpose. never.

it was an accident. >> amy's exclusive first on "gma" this morning. then caught on camera, a dramatic ice rescue. a teen saved by strangers after being thrown from her snowmobile into freezing water. what you need to know if you're on the ice this winter. on the ice this winter. ut. hd 4 hd 4 check this out... ...there's always king's hawaiian rolls inside. whoa irresistible kings hawaiian foods. coming this spring, barbeque sauce. (sfx: 2 kids scream)

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good morning, it's 7:23. that breaking news just crossed the wires. the a.p. reporting the trump administration is considering mobilizing as many as 100,000 national guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants. we, of course, are monitoring that story. it just came in. we'll bring you more details as they come into our newsroom. we are not anticipating an easy commute for you today. we've got moderate rain pushing through, just the san francisco bay area at the moment. and residual delays west on 580. we're all clear, all lanes are back open but still 2 miles an hour, 9 miles an hour as you get out of richmond. a look at the bay bridge toll

plaza. lots of drops on the lenses there. both hands

all right, let's take a look at live doppler. you can see that moderate to heavy rain right in the heart of the bay. san francisco over towards oakland, right along 580 over towards livermore and all the way to discovery bay. this is all heading north. it's one of many rounds we're going to have today with this storm coming through. so what it looks like it's going to continue doing is remaining pretty heavy as we head through the noon hour and then it becomes scattered as we head towards 4:00. tomorrow afternoon will be dry but monday morning heavy rain again. >> coming up an exclusive interview with the ex-wife of the man convicted in the hot car death of his son. does she still stand by him? that's next on gma.

another update including traffic and weather coming up in about 30 minutes. we'll see you then

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...because it could be chronic dry eye. go to myeyelove.com and feel the love. ♪ welcome back to "gma" and that is "dancing with the stars" favorite maks and peta and this morning, they're going from the ballroom to their baby's room. they're going to introduce us to their son shai. i love the name. which is an exclusive. >> i bet he won't be shy with parents like that. >> i doubt he'll be a shy baby. >> president trump heading to south carolina to meet the ceo of boeing and an unveiling of the 787 dreamliner. coming after trump battled the company and after his visit to south carolina he'll head to florida and hold a campaign event tomorrow. and the strongest storm of the season moving into california and more than 20 million on alert for flash floods. entire west coast feeling the force of the storm. a mudslide is already shutting down an interstate in

washington. now we have this abc news exclusive. amy, you sat down with the mom of the -- that little boy left to die in the backseat of his father's hot car. an incredible story. the mom divorced her ex-husband because of all the information that came out yet she still thinks he's innocent. >> innocent of the most serious crime, that is malice murder. leanna taylor wants nothing to do with her ex-husband and expresses anger towards him but doesn't think he deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. leanna, this is your very first interview. why are you speaking out now? >> it's been 2 1/2 years of very heartbreaking silence. >> you want to change the narrative. >> exactly. >> that narrative up until now is the one a jury accepted that leanna's ex-husband ross intentionally left their 22-month-old son cooper to die in a hot car. >> there was no evidence in our relationship that suggested that he would harm anyone, much less his own son.

>> we find the defendant guilty. >> reporter: it was a hot june day, 92 degrees, justin ross harris is supposed to drop his son cooper off at day care. instead he drives to work and parks his car there leaving little cooper strapped into his rear-facing car seat. >> a 22-month-old child died in the back parking lot here. >> reporter: ross claims it's a terrible accident but as suspicion builds leanna too comes under scrutiny. people looked at you and thought the worst. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: the public perception fueled by her own behavior in this infamous police video embracing her husband in an interrogation room. >> you were compassionate towards your husband which is something i think a lot of people look at and think how were you not upset? how were you not angry at him when you first saw him? >> it never crossed my mind that ross had done it on purpose. never. it -- it was an accident. >> but accident or not, he was

responsible for the death of your son. how are you not angry? >> that didn't -- that wasn't sinking in. since that day i have gone through all of those emotions. >> you've been angry at him. >> yes. but that moment i went -- i hadn't accepted what had happened yet. >> reporter: but what about this moment. >> did you say too much? >> why did you say that to him? >> i knew my husband. i knew his personality. logically ross doesn't shut up, so the only thing that i could think of logically what did you say to make them think that you did this on purpose. >> reporter: but as police investigate they uncover evidence of dozens of affairs with women, men as well as text messages from that fateful day. ross inside his office sexting other women complaining about marriage and fatherhood and on his computer, this video. >> i mean this kills.

and it's a lousy way to die. >> reporter: about the dangers of leaving pets in hot cars. viewed by ross just days before cooper died. leanna divorces ross but at his trial a bombshell. she takes the stand as the star witness for his defense. >> did ross love this little boy. >> yes, he did. very much. >> you went on the stand and supported your husband. why did you do that? >> this is never about me defending ross. when you get on the stand and you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth that's what you're supposed to do and that's what i did. i couldn't get up there and say that he was a bad father because it wasn't true. >> was there ever any evidence presented at trial that made you question whether or not ross was guilty of murder? >> not guilty of intentionally murdering. not, not planning the murder. no. >> what about ross watching that

video, that vet video of an animal in a hot car in the days prior to cooper's death? what do you make of that? >> we have a dog, many, many other people viewed that same video. >> many, many people didn't then leave their son in a hot car. >> right. >> does he deserve to be punished in any way for what happened to cooper? >> i think that there has to be a level of -- a level of punishment. >> has ross ever apologized to you? >> uh-huh. >> what did he apologize for? >> for not protecting our son that day. for not being faithful to me. for taking his family for granted. >> do you accept his apology? >> i accept it. it's not going to change anything. >> what she does want to change is the people's perception of

this case that only bad parents could leave their child in the car. she wants people to know it could happen to anyone so all of the things that came out about ross in trial, she was afraid that clouds people's ability to conceive that they too could do the same thing and she wants to prevent this from happening again. >> gripping to watch first of all but a little confusing because she thinks he should be punished but doesn't think he's guilty of murder. what does she think he's guilty of? >> a lot of parents -- this happened 39 times just last year do face charges and are convicted on lesser charges, vehicular manslaughter or some sort of lesser charge. >> negligence. >> negligence, but malice murder. she doesn't think that it rises to that level. she doesn't think she planned -- he planned it. she doesn't think he intended to kill their son. that's the distinction. she thinks he should have been responsible for being responsible for cooper's death. >> seems like she had total faith in him. and still does. >> she wants to believe he isn't capable of something that horrific. >> incredible interview, congratulations.

you can see it on "20/20" at 10:00 eastern right here on abc. all right, everybody, coming up in two minutes that dramatic ice rescue caught on tape. a 16-year-old was thrown from a snowmobile into a freezing lake. she was saved by strangers and gio is standing by live to show us what to do if you end up on the ice this winter. is winter. fothere's a seriousy boomers virus out there that's been almost forgotten.

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we are back with that safety alert about a popular winter pastime. snowmobiling. the coast guard warning warmer temperatures will make it more dangerous. gio benitez is in rome, new york, with important information. good morning, gio. looks a little cold out there. >> just a bit, michael. good morning to you. listen, over the past few weeks we've seen accident after accident on the ice and just two weeks ago right here at this lake a man had to be rescued on the same exact day a 16-year-old girl had to be rescued by total strangers. just take a look at this video.

>> get this to her. leave it tied to this. >> reporter: a desperate and difficult rescue playing out right before our eyes. look over there. that's a 16-year-old girl in the frozen waters of waterboro, maine, getting thrown off a snowmobile but three strangers fishing nearby jump into action throwing a thick rope her way. >> get it, get it. hold on. all right, kick, kick your feet really hard. >> reporter: now watch. you can see her being pulled out. that moment heard on police radio. >> there's a female that was in the water there and they are bringing her to shore at this time. >> reporter: the teen's heroes speaking out. >> all three of us pretty much decided, hey, let's get out there, right place the right time and helped and we have what we needed to get the job done and worked out well. >> reporter: the girl they saved was lucky but the dangers that come with snowmobiling on ice are real. some of the machines can fly at speeds over 90 miles per hour and weigh more than 600 pounds.

ice needs to be at least five inches thick just to support that weight and experts say each year 14,000 people are injured on snowmobiles. the industry says operator decisions, not the machine, may be responsible for some of these accidents. people can drown when they fall through the ice. what to do if you fall into icy waters. just last year our matt gutman showed us. the best thing to do is control your breathing. don't panic. then focus on putting your arms on the ice and kicking your legs to pull yourself back on to the ice. so, snowmobile or not. just about every expert we speak to says no ice is safe ice so just don't get on the ice. it's just that dangerous. i want to turn live to our drone camera here just to show you how dangerous this can be. look at this. right now this lake is totally covered by snow. so you really have no idea how thick this ice is. you have no idea where it's safe. we're told along the edges it's usually thicker and in the

center it's a lot thinner but still we're told just don't get on the ice. it's just not safe and, michael, you mentioned that coast guard warning, right now parts of this country, they're saying the ice is already melting. >> and, gio, please tell me there's something that 16-year-old did that helped her make it through. what was that? >> reporter: you know what, i love this because she says that her teacher taught her to take off her boots if she falls into a frozen lake. and that's because the boots are going to weigh you down and help sink you down so she took them off and officials say that is what could have saved her life. >> i'm glad she remembered that in the middle of that turmoil. thank you. get warm, my friend and amy, what do we have coming up? >> it is heating up. our legal team is here for our big board and coming up the bombshell new e-mails that could change the case for "fast and furious" star paul walker and that heat, we were already having a heated discussion. a new bill that could make it harder to divorce. we're back in two minutes. t harder to divorce.

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the next big thing to hit the juice aisle. we are back now with our big board. we got our legal team here, dan abrams and sunny hostin. they're at the table to break down this morning's top stories. we're going to start with new claims in a wrongful death suit of paul walker, the "fast and furious" star died, the 2013 car crash. now court documents allege porsche purposely hid damaging evidence including e-mails and according to new documents in an e-mail from 2006 a porsche employee joked about reports that his car's high crash rate and how that made the value of the remaining cars increase and what could be the fallout? >> what walker's family is saying is this is critical evidence that makes our case stronger. another quote uncovered, total worldwide production of the carrera was 1,280 and over 200 were already totaled. the family is saying, look, this is stuff we ought to have had.

how could they have hidden this from us and now asking for sanctions. that could range from money to saying, we should win this case. so, this is a big deal in particular because the driver of the car already sued porsche and lost. judge threw it out. said, you know what, there's no evidence it's porsche's fault. the family of paul walker would say his situation is different because he was in the passenger seat and as a result there are different legal issues with regard to the car, et cetera. >> it's interesting, sunny, because these types of cars can go up to 200 miles per hour. how does the law distinguish between the driver's responsibilities and the car's capabilities. >> the law looks at it case by case by case and in this case you have to determine who made the mistake. was it the car company or the driver? if you look at the evidence so far, the l.a. county sheriff's department, california highway patrol both conducted investigation and found it was going 94 miles per hour. they're saying it's the speed of the car, not the car. >> i guess the biggest question

is do you think this will go to trial? the driver's family, the case was thrown out. do you think they'll take this to trial or be a settlement? >> before these things came out i would have said i think the best shot is to get the case thrown out for porsche. with these new e-mails, this could force a settlement. on the part of porsche. >> i think we're talking about a little girl, 15-year-old who lost her dad and when it comes to emotion you take your lawyer hat on and put your parent hat on and it definitely goes to trial. she wants her day in court. >> they need to get past the judge first. >> all right. now we move on to a heated divorce debate. a texas lawmaker sparking controversy by proposing a new bill that would repeal no fault divorces making it more difficult for couples to end a marriage and, sunny, i just want to say personally there's no such thing as an easy divorce and i just think that's a very important point to make. there's no such thing but in a statement he said proving an easy way out of marriage greatly undermines the institution so first talk about the difference

between a no fault and fault divorce. >> you have to determine who is responsible for ruining the marriage in a fault divorce, right? >> so no irreconcilable differences. >> right. who is to blame and some reasons are adultery, mental or physical abuse, abandonment or someone who goes to prison. has a prison record. in a no fault divorce no blame is placed on anyone so irreconcilable differences, you get out of the marriage. >> so you probably have to air dirty laundry to say the least. >> yeah, and, listen, the bottom line is a marriage is a contract. what contract can you get out of just for no reason at all? you have to have a reason or i think you should have a reason. >> the idea of making it harder to get out of a marriage, this lawmaker is trying to make it 180 days instead of 60 days and so you have to give specific -- to drag kids through that -- >> i agree with dan. >> and drag parents through that and say we'll make it that much harder, we're talking about adults here. this notion that the government is going to be able to tell you, well, you know what, take some more time because we're going to

make it that much harder. >> shouldn't it be more difficult to get out of a marriage when there are kids involved? the sanctity of a marriage -- >> by the way, i'll say this. if you have a no fault divorce you have to make up a reason. sometimes there just isn't a reason. sometimes the reason is you just fell out of love. that's okay. i don't need a texas lawmaker to sanction his morality on me or anyone else. >> what contract, legal contract can you think of you can you get out of for no reason at all? >> both people want out. >> this is a different contract. let agree marriage isn't like every other contract. it's not like a business deal. >> it's probably a more important contract. >> as a result, as a result, not dragging kids through a lengthy process of fighting over how to get out of it. to me seems like -- and, by the way -- >> you've been quiet. >> watch the argument about a fault and no fault divorce makes you realize how hard divorce is on everybody. i've been there. not an easy conversation.

last thing you want to put your kids through. >> we can all agree on that. coming up, we'll take a look at this incredible video of lava in hawaii and ginger has the story behind it. and then a "gma" exclusive, maks, peta and their new baby, our favorite dancing couple telling us about parenthood and getting back in the ballroom. and one woman conquering her greatest fear soaring to new heights. this is all on "gma." greatest fear soaring to new heights. this is all on "gma." (mic thuds) uh, sorry. it's unlimited without compromising reliability, on the largest, most advanced 4g lte network in america. (thud) uh... sorry, last thing. it's just $45 per line. forty... five. (cheering and applause) and that is all the microphones that i have. (vo) not just unlimited. verizon unlimited. shouldn't mean choosing to spend more.

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so this is really living up to its name recently. all happening since '83 and far before that. we wanted to go from hot to hot for this time of year, chicago, this afternoon to 61. minneapolis, same number and that mild air is going to shift east by sunday. check that out, new york city, 63, washington, d.c., almost 70. this warm segment has been brought to you by macy's. your local news and weather next.

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now, from abc 7, live breaking news. >> good morning, i'm reggie aqui. it's 7:56. that breaking news from the associated press. it is reporting an unprecedented move by the trump administration to mobilize 100,000 national guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants. i should say that sean spicer, the white house press secretary, has recently tweeted that that information is not true. more on abc7.com. let's go to our weather and mike nicco. >> hi, everybody. moderate to heavy rain from berkeley all the way up to novato and concord. this is all heading to the north. there's more waves as we head through the next six hours. it will taper to scattered showers this evening. more showers overnight. saturday afternoon will be dry. >> looking forward to that. we've got a lot of collisions out there. 40 incidents on the boards. southbound 880 just past davis a

rollover crash that's blocking lanes. definitely soggy, too. another update in about 30 minutes. you can find us on our news app and abc7news.com. hope to see you then.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. new overnight the strongest storm of the season pummels parts of the western u.s. millions on alert right now. flash floods, dangerous winds and mudslides and interstates already closed as a foot of rain moves in. new this morning, are all your food labels about to get less confusing? use by, sell by. what's right and what do you need to know? ♪ final countdown con question your fears. could you battle your phobia and overcome it in just hours? one brave viewer who can't stand heights put to the test by our psychologist now live. did it work? we'll show you this morning. ♪ baby baby baby plus, it's a "gma" exclusive. maks, peta and little shai as the dancing super couple opens up right here about life as parents, whether they'll dance again and you're about to meet

the baby for the very first time. >> both: good morning, america. and good morning, america. happy friday. great to have everyone here. that little bit we saw of baby shai, he is really cute. >> he is adorable. we can't wait to see more and we have a wonderful way to start off your day because of that new baby, shai, the dancing couple giving us the exclusive, first look at him right there. and revealing apparently this is a thing who's really on diaper duty. >> it's awesome to see shai and awesome to see you here too, sara. >> thank you. >> it's good having you here. [ applause ] today is about overcoming fear, right? we're helping our "gma" viewers conquer their fears. take a look at jane fisher. she's been terrified of heights her entire life, and this morning there she is climbing the ladder. something she couldn't do before

and she's going to swing from a trapeze live. >> wow. >> and the countdown to that, the clock is ticking on jane, so she is overcoming her fears and we're kind of pushing people to do that now. >> not literally pushing her. >> sara was just scaring everybody here at the desk talking about your latest -- >> it's a trailer i saw and i'm dragging -- michael and amy like to see scary movies. these are my partners in crime. >> we see scary movies together. we enjoy fear, george. >> you do? we'll learn a lot more about fear coming up. first to paula faris with the morning rundown. >> on that transition, thanks, guys. good morning to you. we begin with millions of people in the west bracing today for what's being called the strongest storm in years. heavy rain is expected to trigger flooding and mudslides in areas already saturated by recent storms. in washington state, a raging river, look at this. washes out this road just as a man is driving over it. he escaped, but his car ended up in the water. today it's southern california that is getting hit the hardest. some evacuations under way already. rob marciano is there. good morning, rob.

>> hey, good morning, paula. the winds now starting to pick up as the storm gets itself together. they're worried about the winds and water. this pump brought in to drain the water that's going to get into the homes on the beach. also this big berm that protects against the waves. we can see 15 or 20 foot waves and winds 60 or 70 miles an hour. and the hill sides are saturated well over twice the normal range since january 1st. some of the hillside communities have been evacuated anticipating the worst is coming later this afternoon. paula. >> powerful, indeed. rob marciano, thanks for your reporting this morning. and one day after insisting his administration is operating like a fine-tuned machine, president trump is searching once again for a national security adviser. that's because retired vice admiral robert harward, the president's choice to replace michael flynn, he has turned down the job for personal reasons. now, the president's

controversial nominee to run the epa is expected to be confirmed today. scott pruitt sued the agency in the past to fight regulations on oil and gas companies. meantime, president trump says he will issue a new immigration order in the next week. his revised travel ban is expected to focus on foreigners who have never entered the united states. and the fbi says it's arrested a white supremacist who was plotting to attack a synagogue in south carolina. according to investigators, benjamin mcdowell said he wanted to attack jews, quote, in the spirit of dylann roof, the charleston church shooter. and a close call to show you at the airport in phoenix. a frontiers airline jet heading to denver clipped the wing of an incoming southwest flight. you can see the damage. a fuel leak also reported, however, no one was injured. a safety alert for parents. nearly 700,000 strollers made by britax are being recalled because of a defect that can cause the seats to detach. dozens of children have been injured.

our website has more details. and finally on this friday, a very creative proposal. an illinois man, he bought his girlfriend a box of her favorite chicken nuggets and wrote, will you mcmarry me, in the box. the ring was right there with the mcnuggets. i hope she didn't waste any of those because mcnuggets are tasty but our favorite proposal of the day is this, it comes from a dunkin' donuts promotion. erin tobin nails the half-court shot but her boyfriend is hiding under that giant coffee cup, gets down on his knee and pops the question. the women in both proposals said yes but in this case erin also made $500 for making that shot. but, you guys, we're talking about two things that happen only once in a lifetime, making a half-court shot and engagement. i'd kind of want to relish in that half-court shot. you know what i mean, let me soak it in. >> you know what he's thinking, let me know if she makes it or i'm staying in here. >> i'm surprised she only won 500 bucks. they should pay for the wedding. >> agreed.

>> she had to make the shot. i don't think it was contingent. >> i'm only marrying a girl that can sink this one. >> sara, we know you could sink it too. >> i was going to make that joke. it sounds a lot better coming from sara. >> were you really? i love when you're funny, george. thank you. are you ready for some pop? [ applause ] okay, time now for "pop news." there may be one person more excited than george and amal clooney for their new arrival and it's, of course, george's mother, nina clooney. the grandmother-to-be is spilling the beans on the twin babies' genders telling "vogue" magazine it will be one of each. yes, a boy and a girl. george's mom and dad nick already grandparents to the actor's niece and nephew but that isn't dulling their enthusiasm in the least calling the pregnancy marvelous. the clooney twins are due in june. >> that's great. >> i can tell, they're going to be spoiled. >> you want to start with twins. people say you don't know any other way, but one is -- like i

get fear palpitations for them. but i know they're going to have hopefully a lot of help and grandma and grandpa. next up one of our favorite bands with big plans. you loved onerepublic's hit "counting stars," and we play that actually all the time here, and now their new music video is here, plus before they head off on their summer tour, we're rocking out with them next wednesday, the 22nd right here on "gma." it's a good one. yeah. i love ryan. and this one might be my favorite. a little funny one, george. hillary clinton spotted enjoying a night out in nyc. but it's her company that's catching our attention. her very own "saturday night live" impersonator, kate mckinnon, according to page 6. clinton and mckinnon grabbed a bite before clinton, the real one, went to see glenn close on broadway in "sunset boulevard." the last time we saw clinton and her "snl" counterpart together was live in studio 8a.

mckinnon was dressed as clinton and hanging out with a bartender named val played by hillary herself. patrons report lots of laughter from their table and we should point out mckinnon was dressed as herself that night. >> what they show is pretty intense. >> she looks like she's like listening. >> there's a lot to talk about, george. >> i think so. >> letting more info for the next "snl." >> i feel like a drop into the impersonation. if you're around southern people, amy, i know this happens to you. you start to get a twang. and you're like, this is so contagious. if you're with hillary clinton, i think i would start doing my impersonation of hillary clinton. >> that's got to be pressure. even though you're playing hillary clinton to her face, that's a lot of pressure. >> but when you're that good at it. >> yeah, she nails it every time. >> well, think about sarah palin and tina fey. tina fey is better at sarah palin than sarah palin is. [ laughter ] you know she is. you're all thinking it. >> so, would you be sarah palin if she were sitting across -- >> yeah, this part is my favorite.

i can see russia from my back porch. >> it's fun to play a straight man to you sara, that's great. >> did you have any other choice? >> i really don't, no. but we're coming back with a reality check on use by dates. and on top of that we'll conquer our fears live. jane is making her way up that ladder. there she goes, and she's terrified of heights, everybody. wait until you see what she's about to do about her fear. that's coming up right here on "gma." "gma's morning menu" is brought to you by the fast, powerful cough relief of robitussin because it's never just a cough. o. r free. you come in when it's convenient i know this because i'm from seven days in the future. now don't be frightened, seven days in the future is a glorious place. after all you had two good hair days in a row... perfect. right out of bed. and this car you reserved on carmax.com

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comes up for me. when did i buy this can of corn? to see if it's still good look at the label. but that's where it gets really confusing. best by september of 2016. best by? but has it gone bad? can i still eat it? there are ten separate phrases for date labeling and sometimes just the date itself. >> it's very confusing for the consumer because a package may have multiple dates that are conflicting. it doesn't give the consumer a very clear idea about when they're actually supposed to eat the product. >> reporter: so, now the new guideline, two major food trade associations are encouraging retailers and manufacturers to make the switch to only two product date labels by the summer of 2018. they are best if used by and use by. best if used by describing product quality where the product may not taste or perform as expected but is safe to use or consume. and use by applying to highly perishable products or those that have a food safety concern over time.

>> i think the new initiative that simplifies all the dates will be really, really helpful and cut down on food waste. it's so streamlined and it's much easier to follow. >> reporter: and hopefully lets us scrounge a meal out of the pantry with confidence and throw less food in the trash. for "good morning america," becky worley, abc news, oakland, california. >> all right. great report by becky worley there. and coming up, everybody, from the ballroom to a baby room, it's a lot of dancing, i guess. "dancing with the stars" maks and peta introducing us to their new son shai for the first time right here on "gma." and also ahead, this "gma" viewer is about to conquer her biggest fear and will take a huge leap, everybody. and we'll be here to watch it live. and also ahead, this "gma" viewer is about to conquer her biggest fear and will take a huge leap, everybody. and we'll be here to watch it live. ♪ heigh ho!

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packed with goodness. back here on "good morning america," you know what, i had to show you this. because portland, oregon, has had a tough winter but there's one person that is very happy about it, and that is nora, the belly flopping polar bear. she's one so she's like a puppy. really playful and i love watching this. this is kind of how i feel. just diving into the weekend. so cute. what's your name? >> cheyenne. >> cheyenne.

cheyenne is from chicago and said, i saw that video. i'm so glad. let's get a check of your local forecast. good friday morning. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist mike nicco. heavy rain then just scattered showers this afternoon. scattered lighter showers this weekend. looks like saturday will be our driest point and the holiday rain trending the heaviest. today is a two on the storm impact scale. so the highest thing on my concern today will be hydroplaning followed by urban and creek flooding and trees down. my seven-day forecast, the next big storm will ♪ baby love ll we are back with this big, happy "gma" exclusive. maks and peta from "dancing with the stars" introducing us to their brand-new son shai. there he is right there. paula was in their home in new jersey. paula, that looked like a lot of fun. >> it was so much fun, and i got to say, peta is absolutely glowing as a new mom. meantime, maks is crying tears

of joy. he's a mush. baby shai is absolute perfection. they wanted to keep baby shai all to themselves but "dancing's" first family decided now was the time to debut their first son. they're "dancing's" favorite duo, maks chmerkovskiy and peta murgatroyd are mirror ball champs but their greatest collaboration -- >> this is little shai. >> reporter: -- shai aleksander. just over a month old. who does he look more like, mom or dad? >> i would have to see me. >> he's definitely got your perfect nose. >> i was hoping that he would look like me and have her personality, so i'm just worried a little bit now because he looks like her. >> he changed the first diaper. >> you changed the first diaper and it was also the last diaper, absolutely, but i did. >> this is the first time that everyone is going to see your baby. how do you feel about that? >> it's nerve-racking because we -- i specifically wanted to keep him very private from the beginning because we just want to keep him for ourselves.

>> we just wanted to settle into this is our child, and every time somebody comes over you kind of share him with somebody else. >> reporter: in their first interview since shai's birth, the new family introducing their gift. >> the meaning of shai in hebrew is gift. >> reporter: and while they're finally ready to share him with the world, they're not so sure they want him to share their love of dancing. how long before he starts dancing? >> gee, i hope never. >> if he says i don't want to be a dancer, you're going to be okay with that. >> thank god, yes. >> i figured if he's like around 6'6" and lebron just got a billion dollar contract -- >> he's not going to be 6'6". >> well, 6'5". >> so, you're thinking nba. >> i'm thinking a billion dollar contract. >> reporter: the first-time parents seemingly at ease and in awe but recognizing the challenge of parenting. peta making headlines for posting this photo just eight days after giving birth sharing that struggle on her new blog, all things fam & glam. >> i left the hospital literally

looking five months' pregnant, and at first i was like, oh, wow, like i was a little disappointed. i just realized that this -- i just did the most beautiful thing that a woman can produce and do in life, and i need to just suck it up, move on and, you know, not worry about the little things. >> you just had a baby. you're working out. you're planning a wedding. >> i'm just like, whoa. we -- >> it's a lot. >> we are planning, not just any wedding, it's a large wedding. it's going to be three days with 300 people, so it's a lot. i had a moment of, should we put it on hold for a little bit? >> and what did i say? >> he said, no way, baby. we're getting married. >> not in that tone of voice. i was like, i want to marry you. >> you called her your wife at least two times in this sprue. >> just misspoke. >> do you anticipate shai to have a special role in the ceremony? >> just roll him out. >> wondering how to get him down the aisle. he can't walk. it's not about me anymore.

it is all about shai, and it's amazing. i'm okay with it. >> i love this family, but i asked them if they'll be back for "dancing with the stars" and we're revealing the cast in less than two weeks. they said maybe but peta said there's more important things than making sure my mascara is applied. they could give him the world but want his first instinct they say when he grows up to want to give that world back to others, to be an altruist and think about others. they struggled. they really had to work hard to get where they are. really did. but maks, he's a mush. in the hospital he played "i only have eyes for you" just the three of them. he was crying and he had to leave the hospital because he was so emotional. he had a good cry. >> they look so happy. >> they do. >> so sweet. >> they're adorable. >> big dreams, lebron james size contract. >> billion dollar contract. >> he can hear you, guys. >> the whole interview on our website and, of course, on march 1st we'll reveal the new "dancing with the stars" cast right here on "gma."

and coming up, should you ask someone's dad for permission before you get engaged? we'll answer that. we'll answer that.

good morning, north bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> good morning. it's 8:27 on this friday, i'm reggie aqui. our big story the rain and how it's affecting your commute. >> it's slowing you down. we're looking better 580 in the richmond area although tough to see with the drops on the lens. it's heavy as you approach the bridge at richmond. that's bouncing back from several earlier crashes. southbound 101 san francisco to sfo 18 minutes. folks starting that long holiday weekend

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now you're accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> you can see the moderate to heavy downpour from the carquinez bridge down to the valley. we've got more on the way. the heaviest rain will fall until about noon and become more scattered into the afternoon and evening hours. my seven-day forecast looks like tomorrow afternoon will be dry, heavy rain for presidents day. another abc 7 update in about 30 minutes and always on our news app and abc7.com.

join us weekday mornings from 4:30 to 7:00 a.m. well, welcome back to "gma." we are -- we're up here with -- >> we're making a mess. >> can we get a napkin? >> and george, you're making a mess. >> i am. >> i haven't even got to the reason we're toasting this morning with this chocolate shamrock shake. now, how many of you have ordered a shake like this and you get a little upset when you don't get the perfect sip? like when you don't get the mix of the chocolate and the mint and all these other things where mcdonald's came up with a solution, no solution for your spilling, george. a solution for the shake. the straw.

check out the straw. yes. so when you get one sip, you get both flavors in one sip. >> i did, though. that's so true. >> did you try it? >> i got chocolate and mint. >> i haven't had a mcdonald's shake in a long time. >> me either. >> really well. >> you're getting the perfect proportion. they went deep and enlisted anary rowspace -- you did it again? >> mine was melting on its own. you did that to yours. >> yes. >> be a big boy today, george. >> you got this, buddy. >> but a lot of things went into this. they enlisted an aerospace and robotics engineering company to come up with this. it's limited. okay. so you have to find out where and when they're having on the website mcdonald's website when they'll have these shakes and when the straws will be

available. i'm happy they made them strong enough to take them home and use them again. >> super green of you. >> super green. now, george, you're a mess, but anyway -- >> we're staying with science and food and it's about food color and what colors make you want to eat more and, amy is now proving my point. it turns out yellow foods make you happy. >> yes. >> sort of yellow. that's why you can't stop eating it. >> it's my brain. i can't help it. >> because they feel like nothing. >> that's the white. >> that's the popcorn. >> and the marshmallows. >> people think it's empty of calories. >> it is. it's popcorn. >> what about -- >> not the yellow butter. >> when i look at apples and a cherry, i feel like it's flavorful. >> and the deeper the color the sweeter you think it is which is why they color those apples. >> except when it comes to black

food. >> which is gross. >> if you want to eat less of something -- you don't like black licorice. >> i really like it. >> if you want to eat less take the black version which makes sense. people associate it with sickness, death. >> i enjoy my black licorice. >> on that they're saying move on, move on. we don't want to talk about sickness and death. >> this is really interesting. there have been -- we had on the show a couple of marriage proposals but i want to poll the audience. how many think a man should ask the father first before asking for his daughter's hand in marriage? so, a lot of you do. [ applause ] well, it's interesting because there is now, you know, people are looking back to what went behind that tradition. it's a lovely tradition. i think everyone can say that it is but when you think about why that happened, people say, hey, dates back to a time when women didn't have a choice and women married really young so the deal was done between the -- >> when the father kind of

owned -- >> women were property basically so a lot of women are saying, hey, don't ask for my father's permission because he has nothing to did with it. it's my decision not his and i kind of get that. >> i think you should ask both parents. the way i look at it is the people that love this person the most, like your daughters, you're coming in and saying we're joining and i'll take care of this person, man or woman, whatever your preference is and they're going to be okay on my watch and i think it's a respect thing to say -- >> i agree. >> i'm going to take care of. >> i raise my hand but don't mean it. i don't think you have to ask but give a heads-up. ask for their blessing. i think that's exactly it. >> max asked my dad and when he was done, when i found out we were engaged i said i wish you would have asked my mom too but my dad made it hard on him. he goes, could you handle a no? and max was like his whole body -- i had to pick on him later. dad, what were you doing?

he said, i just had to have a moment. >> but it's true, though. i don't think -- i think as a man you assume if you're going to ask the parents or the woman that she's going to say yes so i think it's good that your dad did that because my daughter may say no. >> back in the day it felt like you owned your daughter. my daughters own me. i don't own them. but i've already -- i thought about that and it's going to be a -- >> we're a ways away. but i want the guy to come and talk to me. >> come talk to me and i still want to be young enough to intimidate him. that's what i want. >> you're a hall of famer. you have that for the rest of your life. wear all your rings. >> yeah. [ applause ] >> oh, boy, we're all softies at the end and just want our kids to be happy. i know i do. something that i think it's

coming up may make you happy. going to look at this interview of the cast of hbo's new series "big little lies." nicole kidman, shailene woodley, laura dern, zoe kravitz and reese witherspoon and overcoming stereotypes. take a look. >> my new dress, my new friend, jane. >> hi. >> take five, powerhouse actresses. ♪ if you want it bad. >> reporter: a ritzy backdrop of ticking time bombs and murder mystery wrapped around the plot of hidden anguish and you have a captivating dramedy which is "big little lies." >> this is a very interesting conversation at piece. not only with this driving narrative about there's a murder and you don't know which one of us did it but about the complexity of the female experience. >> do you have a husband or -- i should assume, boyfriend,

girlfriend. >> no husband or partner, just me. >> you often don't see any show that explores the inner psyche of a female, a woman. but everyone can relate to loneliness, secrets. everyone can relate to jealousy. >> nice for the nanny to get to know each other. >> jane is not a nanny. >> speaks to how beautiful it is to find deep friendship. >> she's a mom. she's young, like you used to be. >> like we used to be. >> sometimes it's true the depths of despair or gossip, challenge, that you break through and accept people for all of themselves. >> how easy or hard was it to identify or relate to your own individual characters? >> you know, i had empathy for all of the characters. i think the way the script is written is every character kind of appears to be one way. we're all painted in these certain ways where you think, okay, i know who she is, i know who she is, i know who she is then as the story goes all of these characters are kind of ripped open and you realize i knew nothing and that's how we kind of walk in this world is

thinking that we know what people are like and we know this much. >> reporter: and that is where the show excels. debunking the myth of perfection while transcending female stereotypes. >> half-sisters and pretty much never see each other. >> are they? am i missing the math. >> reporter: why do people feel so much pressure to cover up imperfections, problem, issues they're having. >> we judge ourselves and it becomes this cycle, judgment. >> and trust, feeling vulnerable and fragile. that's what i think a lot of it is because as much as we're strong we're incredibly vulnerable too. that's just the female psych si. >> if film has one hopefully gift to model, it's flawed authenticity. people want to believe a lie because it's easier to be hopeful but if we get rid of the shame and we remember what the truth looks like that's where you find true safety and true warmth and friendship and family

and all the ships we actually are built on, so let's get rid of the lies. >> reporter: for "good morning america," jesse palmer, abc news, los angeles. >> okay, i'm looking forward to watching that and that is "big little lies" premieres on hbo this sunday and coming up, we're conquering our fears. jane who is afraid of heights is about to take that big leap. there she is. [ applause ]

yoi've had it forever.o. we'll sell it on letgo. hey, i'll take it. it's time to snap, post, chat and sell. it's time to letgo.

all right. this is starting tomorrow. an exciting time and we have a first look at two of the hottest toys from our parent company, disney. first this video that we all know and love, belle from "beauty and the beast," the animated version, oh, we love her. now you can make her dance. this is dance code belle doll. very s.t.e.m. and they can code as they make her learn to dance from the original movie. it's all interactive. let's go now to rock 'n' roll groot from "guardians of the galaxy." ready for this. what does groot say. >> all: i am groot. >> watch this, he can dance to his own music. i'm going to hold down to this button. i'm holding, i'm holding. anyway, you can hear the music that he would dance to. i think we have that as well. all right, nope, either way.

he goes like this. i'll show you what groot does. all right. well, there's so many disney toys debuting at the toy fair including new web wings on spider-man and touch screen lightning mcqueen so he kids can ride along. big news for "star wars" fans. i have to be in this room. there goes groot by the way. there he goes. on friday, september 1st. fans will able to buy the first toys and c good morning. wet and breezy this afternoon. a random shower at 7:00. temperatures hovering around 60 today. heavier rain coming monday. >> all right. michael, all the kids are leaving me but i'll dance with groot for a little bit.

>> ginger. you know, you don't have a fear of dancing but some people just might and it is time for conquer your fears. around 20 million americans are terrified of heights and abc's mara schiavocampo is with a "gma" viewer who is facing that fear head on and beating it live right here on our show. good morning, mara. how is it going? >> reporter: michael, good morning. we're at a place called fearless fires and the name could not be more appropriate. she's been climbing this ladder all morning and about to face her ultimate fear but first let's take a look at her journey to get there. 35-year-old jane fisher loves adventure. she's into sport, hiking and even competitive races. but at home with her husband john in atlanta, there's one obstacle she can't overcome. >> you're doing awesome. jane. >> no, i don't know if i can go up another one. >> yeah. >> reporter: jane is terrified of heights. >> okay, that's it. >> okay.

>> yeah. >> reporter: not able to climb more than four rungs up this ladder. >> i freeze. i get sweaty palms. i'm starting to get sweaty palms thinking about it. >> reporter: now jane is ready to face her fear head on. this excited and ready to conquer my conquer. new york, here we come. >> she goes to trapeze school new york to be treated by dr. ellen koch who specializes in one-session exposure therapy. if you repeatedly run away at the height of anxiety you reinforce your fear. but if you stay put and face the fear little by little, the anxiety will eventually subside. what's the process for treatment. >> take one step at a time and pace treatment and so when she's ready she'll take the next step up the ladder and we'll go one step at a time till she gets to the top. >> reporter: dr. koch believes this is so effective that jane's lifelong fear of heights can be cured in just three hours.

the end goal, climb this 25-foot ladder and then swing from the trapeze. >> all right. you can do this. >> reporter: first a baseline test. she makes it up six rupgs until the anxiety is unbearable. >> ooh. i'm shaking really bad. >> reporter: with dr. koch and instructor annie coaching her on, she slowly beginning her climb to the top but breaks down, not sure if she can do it. >> it's really hard. >> okay. that's all right. >> i'm really scared to get off. >> reporter: she finally makes it to the platform but that's when the fear becomes overwhelming. >> i don't want to let go of this ladder. >> you do not have to let go. >> reporter: and jane has to question whether or not she can actually complete the challenge and swing from the trapeze. she is so brave, she inspires me. we saw just how hard it was for her to get up the ladder. that was a difficult challenge but she did it so now all that's

left is that final step, michael. flying through the air on that trapeze bar. >> all right. and, jane, we see you up there. you look like you're ready to go. how are you feeling right now? >> michael, i'm ready to fly. >> all right. well, good luck, jane. >> we heard her. she's ready to fly. it's about that time. jane, conquer your fear. [ cheers and applause ] >> wow! >> yes. >> very impressive. so impressive. dr. koch, how is it possible to treat a lifelong fear in a couple of hours. >> for jane she was very motivated to overcome her fear and that was really helpful for her and it was really important for her to learn about the anxiety process and that's important for her to confront her fear and let the anxiety come down and that she'll be fine with that as opposed to

trying to fight it or to avoid it had she done it in the past. >> confront it. don't avoid it. here with the woman of the hour. how do you feel right now. >> i'm feeling awesome. yeah. i feel fearless. well, not fearless but i'm still good. >> you conquered your fear. what was the hardest part. >> hardest part is on the platform getting from the ladder to the platform and just trying to reassure yourself that there's a net underneath and then from there it's -- it helps the anxiety go down. >> wow. >> well, jane, i got to say that that was rehearsal. are you ready to dit again? >> maybe. >> maybe. but, you know, it really is remarkable. it was remarkable to see you climb the ladder and face your fears and just take it at your pace. i think a lot of people can learn so much interest that and we want to from us at the desk and everybody in our audience, everyone at home we want to congratulate you because you have faced your fears and we're very happy and very proud of

you. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> i couldn't have done this without everybody so thank you. it's a team effort. >> thank you, and, mara, thank you. we'll have more with jane and mara coming up when we come back. ♪

you . back now and conquer your fear, jane fisher just overcome her fear of heights live on the air jumping off a trapeze platform 21 feet in the air. let's go back to jane at fearless flyers in connecticut. >> how are you feeling? >> i'm feeling good, mara. >> yeah, you know what, we got something for you. a little t-shirt. >> thank you. >> we didn't want you to just go home and say all i got was this stupid t-shirt. we also have this trophy. >> thank you very much.

thank you. >> yeah. michael, wasn't she amazing? >> we are amazed. congratulations, jane, again, one more time and mara, thank you for bringing this to us and hopefully help somebody to conquer their fear, as well and not be afraid as you said to fly. jane said fly. we'll remember that. so, congratulations and good luck. conquering that fear, so proud of you. >> thank you so much. >> stay right there, everybody. we'll be right back. we'rebut maybe we've had it wrong all along. maybe our most extraordinary moments happen when we feel small. princess cruises, come back new.

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love oscar? yeah, so do we and the nominees. >> i'm really excited. >> they love oscar and they love -- >> good morning, america. >> so if you love oscar and the stars and what's not to love -- >> oh, yeah. >> you'll love us next week because -- >> no one does oscar like "gma" and if they say they do they're lying. >> hear that, robin? before we go, let's see that jump one more time. here's jane conquering her fear of heights right here on "gma." 21-foot platform. congrats. >> see that twirl. there she goes. >> next is a flip. >> that's the way to get to the weekend. way to go, jane.

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good morning, bay area. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. good morning to you. 8:59 on this friday. alexis is tracking a water rescue going on right now in oakland. >> obviously this is a serious situation. this is right by the oakland airport off of doolittle drive. it's near langley street. this water rescue is under way. a lot of witnesses called in saying they saw a vehicle leave the roadway and go into the water. these guys have been frantically get to the people or multiple people in the vehicle. so far i've not seen them pull anyone out. let's check in on the soggy forecast. let me show you live doppler 7. waves of light to moderate even heavy downpours. the winds are starting to pick up. that's why this storm is a moderate one op our impact scale. it will be much lighter this evening. >> we'll be back at 11:00 a.m.

for the midday news. our reporting always continues >> announcer: it's "live with kelly!" from the "long island medium," theresa caputo. bebe rexha. all next on "live" ." [cheers and applause] >> announcer: and now, here are kelly ripa and chris harrison! [cheering and applauding] ♪ ♪ [cheering and applauding]