we'll get you through it. good morning, america. breaking fuss for our viewers in the west. secretary of state rex tillerson is out. >> i think rex will be much happier now but i really appreciate his service. >> president trump replaces him with cia director mike pompeo and appoints the first woman to head the cia. also breaking this morning. their bus flips over into a ravine. urgent hunt for a serial bomber. three packages exploding left on doorsteps in a major city. >> two people down. >> two people killed. the desperate warning this morning. republicans in the house committee wrap up their investigation saying they found no evidence of collusion. democrats cry foul. key witnesses not interviewed.

new trouble for president trump from adult film star stormy daniels. the deadline she set for this morning and now her lawyer is here live. ♪ baby i'm crazy and katy perry's new crush. the "american idol" contestant who made the pop star say this. >> listen, if you're not going to hollywood, maybe you can just hang out with me. >> his voice and story making all the judges swoon. ♪ a long, long time ago and good morning, america. hope you're well this tuesday morning. katy perry looked pretty happy. >> a little love connection there. >> yeah, there he is right there. >> is she blushing there? >> she was blushing. she pretty much asked him out for a date. breaking news for our viewers in the west. just moments ago, the president fired his secretary of state rex tillerson saying he wants cia director mike pompeo to take his

place and selecting gina haspel to lead the cia director. our chief white house correspondent jon karl has the latest. >> good morning, george. this is the third major player on the trump team to leave in just two weeks, a remarkable amount of turnaround even by the standards of the trump administration. just minutes ago, the president explained his decision to fire his secretary of state. >> rex and i have been talking about this for a long time. >> reporter: and why he wants cia director mike pompeo to be his new secretary of state. >> mike pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. i think it's going to go very well. >> reporter: tillerson's departure comes as the president announced his boldest and riskiest initiative yet. to meet with north korean dictator kim jong-un. a senior white house official tells abc news, quote, the president wanted to make sure to have his new team in place

advance of the upcoming talks with north korea. the president asked the nation's top diplomat to step aside last friday. the relationship between trump and tillerson was fraught from the start. tillerson split with the president on several issues, the iran nuclear deal, north korea, climate and trade. last fall tillerson refused to deny a report that he had called the president a moron. still, the president insisted they got along. >> we had a very good relationship. we disagreed on some things. other than that, we have a very good relationship. >> reporter: interestingly what turned out to be tillerson's last statement or apparently last statement as secretary of state, was a harsh condemnation of russia in the wake of those poisonings in the united

kingdom. tillerson said, from ukraine, to syria, now the uk, russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world acting with open disregard of severin of other states. that statement came last night from rex tillerson. we're told he was informed he was going to be fired by chief of staff john kelly on friday. he made that statement knowing that he was ability to be fired. >> informed by the chief of staff john kelly on friday. we just saw that statement from the state department that the president did not speak to rex tillerson directly. his own secretary of state. >> it's quite remarkable announcing the news to the world via twitter, but george, as you well know, tillerson and the president had been at odds on those policy issues and clearly on a personal level for months. this firing, the timing of it, may have been a surprise, but the fact that he was getting

fired's hardly a surprise. >> he seemed to want everybody to believe that rex tillerson was getting fired. >> exactly. this was a long time coming. almost 14 months into this administration he feels his cabinet is almost up to speed. let's bring in martha raddatz. this change comes at a very crucial time for this white house with that summit on north korea, possibly happening as soon as may. >> reporter: exactly, e sill ya, i whatn't to go back to that statement from the state department from one of the spokespeople at the state department. who said the secretary had every intention of staying because of critical progress made in national security, the secretary did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason but he's grateful for the opportunity to serve and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling. jon mentioned their differences on north korea, just about 48

hours before the meeting was announced by president trump and president trump said he made that decision essentially on his own and didn't bring in secretary of state tillerson. to counsel on him. rex tillerson was saying, this was not a time for negotiations, there were -- heed a tried to cover that up a bit saying what he meant there was's no for talking. >> for many months it was rex tillerson talking about talking to north korea and the president shutting him down. >> exactly. that's ironic indeed. they had so many differences, as jon mentioned. you know, george, you both know this so well, he didn't really get along with the president. they had very different views and if you do that publicly, you're not going to last in this white house. if you cannot effectively speak about what differences you have, we heard the president likes to

hear different opinions if you can't effectively communicate that and you go against your president in public you're not going to last especially in a trump white house. >> not to mention not denying he called the president a moron. >> exactly. i think that's where everything turned. that statement was apparently made in july, in october it was reported. rex tillerson never really denied it. he had a press conference after that and didn't flat-out deny it and had every opportunity to do that. >> martha, quickly, the president was quick to name a new cia director, what we know about her. >> she's career. gina haspel is a career cia officer. i think she'll be well liked within the agency and that's such an important thing right now as the director leaves, mike pompeo, again, is friends with the president. he gets along with well with the president and they're on the

same page and that's important to this president. >> the first woman to take that office as well. martha, thank you the other breaking news this morning, tragic bus crash involving texas high school students on their way back from florida when their bus plunged into a ravine in alabama. abc's eva pilgrim has more. >> reporter: urgent rescue happening right now after a bus full of houston band students crashing into ravine, that ravine is a huge drop-off, emergency responders shutting down. helicopters called in. more than 50 students we're told were on this trip. they were on a trip to florida when the accident happened. there on i-10. we had spoken to a family member of one of the kids on the bus, they tell us some of the kids were asleep when the accident happened. they woke up to the chaos. those who weren't badly hurt began passing a cell phone to

contact their families. some kids are being taken to a hospital in pensacola. the latest now from austin, texas. city on edge after two more package bombs exploded yesterday. three now in ten days. three people killed. more injured. abc's alex perez. >> reporter: hey, good morning, george. federal investigators have been here through the night. authorities say these packages were not delivered by mail, but instead left there by a suspect they are now desperately trying to track. many them down. local investigators on the hunt for a possible serial bomber. the incidents killing two, injuring two others. >> this evidence makes us believe that these incidents are related. >> reporter: authorities say the packages were not delivered by mail service. instead, in each case a mysterious average-sized letter box package was left on the front door, left without a knock or doorbell ring. >> the victims have gone out and

handled them in some way or another and have had the explosions occur. >> reporter: the string of package explosions starting march 2nd at 6:55 a.m. when anthony house was killed. a next-door neighbor who heard the explosion attempted to help save house's life. >> he looked at me with glazed over look on his face and pretty much immediately collapsed. he wasn't responsive whatsoever. i gave him two rescue breaths. >> reporter: investigators initially thought it was an isolated incident until monday morning. >> we got two people down. it looks like one in the door entry. >> reporter: when a 17-year-old boy opened the package he found at the front door killing him and injuring a woman. a few hours later investigators rushing to a second explosion, just some five miles away. >> we have a trauma activation, penetrating trauma, head and it torso. >> reporter: the elderly hispanic woman critically injured after she opened the package left on her front porch. the victims all black or hispanic. officials now looking into the possibility these may be hate crimes.

and state investigators are now offering a $15,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. authorities are warning residents, if you get an unexpected package, do not open it, call 911. george. >> all right, alex, thanks very much. let's bring in austin's mayor steve adler and chief brian manley. any closer to identifying a suspect this morning? >> no, the work that's taken place since we last spoke yesterday really has been on the post-blast analysis and looking at connections between the victims to try to determine if there is any ideology behind these attacks. >> that was the question i wanted to bring to the mayor. black and hispanic victims here. do you think this is a hate crime? >> i think it's too early for us to know and i understand that the chief is not ruling out any possibility to make sure that they don't overlook anything. we just don't know yet. >> chief, when you look at the residue of these bombings, what other connections have you been

able to draw between the package bombs and these three different incidents? >> so, there are some specific opponents that we won't go into the details to protect the integrity of the investigation but there are specific things we have seen that make us believe all three of these packages were constructed by the same bombmaker. >> the same person? >> yes, we believe that either the same suspect or suspects are responsible for all three of these attacks. >> and, mayor, remind people again, if they get some kind of a package on their doorstep, apparently these are being left. exactly what should they do? >> well, at this point what we want people to do is be very vigilant. we don't want anybody to open or pick up a package that in any way feels suspicious. we're urging folks here to call 911 and, boy, i tell you if there's any doubt in their mind at all they should leave the package alone and they should call 911 and let somebody else

decide whether what they're looking at is worth exploring. >> let's hope you all run this down today, chief, mayor, thank you very much. cecilia. >> a frightening story. we want to turn storms brewing on both coasts. the third nor'easter on the east coast. and california facing another round of rain and snow. rob tracking it all. the tropical connection into southern california. lot of moisture with this. hence flash flood watches have been posted. mandatory evacuations. winter storm warnings from 1 to 3 feet of snow with this storm and other storms coming as we go through the rest of the week. charleston, massachusetts, a road shut down because of that accident. eastern parts of long island seeing slick roads with snow on the road.

all right, this storm has been exploding as far as the rapidly deepening low pressure. most of the heavy snow is east of i-87 along i-91. that's a mess. east of there, along interstate 95, rhode island, anywhere from 12 to maybe 24 inches across eastern parts of new england. lesser amounts of snow there. it's coming down hard and fast. this kind of snow it's that wet, sort of heavy snow. slushy snow causing a mess all over the place. you have those winds. all across the northeast. you're seeing these conditions.

this morning, millions in the northeast hit with another massive storm. this is the third nor'easter in just 11 days, and it's packing a wallop. >> how about this? is this crazy? >> reporter: down in north carolina stretches of road riddled with vehicles unable to drive on the slick surface. some cars even involved in crashes like this car completely flipped over on the side of the highway. some parts of kentucky pummeled from the blizzards, the roads covered in thick, wet snow making it harder to drive. logan airport in massachusetts left a virtual ghost town. terminals completely empty, multiple flights outright canceled. the governor pleading with residents to stay off the roads and work from home because of those unsafe conditions. >> snow is projected to come down between 1 and 3 inches per hour at times and that means brutal driving conditions. >> reporter: we talked about the winds. here in eastern long island. we had a wind gust of 45 miles per hour. that's a concern for coastal floods, so coastal flood advisories and warnings are in effect. but the real concern is all of

this snow and that's what is going to be causing such a mess for your morning commute. cecilia. >> gio, you and the team stay safe. back here in new york, new details in that tragic helicopter crash, they're looking at the wreckage trying to determine if a passenger strap is to blame. abc's david kerley is on the scene. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, michael. they pulled the wreckage less than 24 hours out of the east river here and it will yield clues as to why none of those five passengers survived. these are the scenes before tragedy. smiles at liftoff for this private photo shoot flight at sunset sunday. moments later. >> zero-lima -- >> reporter: this morning, the ntsb is on the scene investigating what brought the helicopter down into the east river killing all five passengers. the only survivor, the pilot. reportedly telling authorities that a harness tether or part of a passenger bag snagged one of

the fuel levers shutting it, bleeding the engine of fuel. the pilot also saying that the deployable floats for water landing like these did not inflate correctly on the right side possibly explaining that dramatic flip. >> if both floats had operated properly, would we have had this tragedy? >> when floats do inflate there are times when the helicopter will still not necessarily stay afloat. >> reporter: those killed were in their late 20s and 30s. brian mcdaniel, a firefighter, with the dallas fire rescue department on vacation visiting a friend. trevor cadigan who just moved to new york to pursue a career in journalism. and carla blanco, daniel thompson and tristan hill, employees of the company. hill, engaged to be married. ntsb investigators will look at the harnesses that they were being worn by those in the helicopter. a sister flight on the same

night some of those flying said it was very difficult to get out of those harnesses. michael. >> thank you, david. just sad and tragic. >> awful story. >> all the way around. now we'll go back to rob with more on the snow and wind from this nor'easter. what did you call it a bombogenesis? >> the process of a rapidly deepening low, dropping 24 millibars has done that now. that means it's strengthening and will bring blizzard conditions across the northeast and we'll look for the snow to end in new york city by lunchti lunchtime. after that the evening rush in boston and surrounding areas will be a nightmare with over a foot in some cases 20 inches possible.

good morning, i'm "abc 7 news" meteorologist mike nicco. we're going to have steady rain through morning commute and a chance of showers with the snow level of 4,000 feet and thunderstorms later today through tomorrow, it is going to get quiter for the weekend. low to mid 60s. tonight cooler, low to upper 40s my accuweather seven-day forecast tomorrow trending drier and then punched by coming up, adult film star stormy daniels trying to make a deal with the president giving a deadline of noon today. her lawyer is here live. and a singer so charming he made katy perry do this. ♪ singer so charming he made katy perry do this. ♪

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guilty or not guilty ea good morning east bay. >> i'm natasha zouves from abc 7 mornings. it should be a meeting of the berkeley city council members discussing the latest police review report. african americans likely to be stopped by police than white pedestrians. and that indicate that is people are being stopped for no reason. we'll be tracking that. let's turn to traffic and alexis smith. >> i'm going to start off with good news. the lower deck of the bay bridge, crash earlier this morning before the tunnel. that cleared to treasure island and we're not seeing residual delays leaving san francisco. heavy here, the camera bouncing around a bit. emery vil traffic heading

towards the maze and i'm seeing delays everywhere. >> thank

now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> a one on the storm simt scale. steady rain and thunderstorms this afternoon through tomorrow. some of the heavier showers, the yellow going through east bay hills a hills antioch and the entire lines move off east. pour for the road this is morning and poor for mass transit and the bay. my accuweather seven-day forecast, lighter amounts tomorrow and then another push of stormy weather thursday into friday. look at the snow levels friday, 3,000 feet, natasha. >> we'll have another "abc 7 news" update in 30 minutes and always on the news app and abc7news.com. you can join us for abc 7

mornings, weekdays 4:30

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this is the pepsi for every generation. welcome back to "gma." the third nor'easter in two weeks is hitting all the way from new york to new england. you're looking at the roads in long island, the snow is coming down pretty heavy right there. take a look at boston, up to 2 feet of snow could fall. >> it's rough out there this morning. the other top headlines that we're following right now, president trump is heading to california today for the first time since taking office. his trip comes on the heels of his justice department's decision to sue the state accusing it of obstructing immigration enforcement efforts. the president will be in san diego where he'll be looking at prototypes for his border wall. and take a look at this, that amazing rescue in antarctica.

five americans saved, rescued by the argentine navy on a ship off the antarctic coast. right now to that new challenge from stormy daniels. the porn star's offering to return the $130,000 she got from president trump's lawyer to keep quiet about the affair. he denies it. the deadline for trump is noon today. we'll speak for stormy daniels' lawyer. tom llamas has the latest twisz in the story. >> reporter: the president's lawyers tried to fix this problem with an arbitration proceeding. that turned out to be a pandora's box. now there is a lawsuit and that new offer from stormy daniels that leaves the president with no good choices. this morning, stormy daniels trying to play the art of the deal with president trump. the adult film star offering to pay the president $130,000, the same amount she says the president's personal attorney, michael cohen, paid her to stay silent about an alleged affair she had with mr. trump. daniels' attorney sending this letter to the president's

lawyers promising the money if they toss out that nondisparagement agreement, allow daniels to spoke openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and to use and publish any text messages, photos and/or videos relating to the president that she may have in her possession. 11 days before the election, daniels and cohen signed this agreement, cohen paying daniels $130,000 he says he facilitated with a personal home equity line but daniels' lawyer says that deal is null and void because the president using the alias david dennison is null and void -- because he never signed it. >> it seems like they're preparing to do more. michael cohen and president trump are in a really tough spot here. >> reporter: stormy daniels'

deadline for president is 12:01 eastern to apply to that offer. so far no comment from the white house or the president's personal attorneys including michael cohen. >> thanks. let's talk to the attorney for stormy daniels, michael avenatti. we heard no comment from the white house or michael cohen. have you heard from them? >> crickets. >> nothing? >> nothing. >> what happens if that deadline passes? >> if it passes the offer will be automatically withdrawn and we'll gear up and we're going to proceed in a deliberate, measured, smart, aggressive manner as it relates to this case and we're going to get into a stage that is called discovery and that will involve the issue issue of subpoenas -- >> to depose president trump. >> well, i'm not going to lay out our strategy but i don't think that's a stretch to say that's likely to happen at some point in the future and we'll get to the bottom of this.

i want to be really clear about this. if we don't get answers to the relevant questions that we've been asking for awhile. >> which are? >> which are did mr. trump know of this agreement. >> do you think he did? >> i think there's no question he did and we'll prove it. did he sign the agreement? we don't believe he ever signed the agreement. >> his name is not on that david dennison line. >> correct. >> why didn't he? >> we believe he did not sign the agreement dough that he would have deniability. the same deniability that we're seeing right now so that he could claim that he knew nothing about it. that's the second question we're going to get answered and then the third is, did he have anything to do with this payment? did he reimburse mr. cohen? did he have a surrogate reimburse mr. cohen? >> do you have evidence he did? >> we have a significant amount of evidence and we're certainly not going to lay it out now in connection with the case. here's what i'll say. we did not include all of the facts and evidence that we have when we filed the complaint. no good lawyer would. >> is stormy determined to tell her story even if this deadline passes and she's not released from the nda? i've known michael cohen for a long time and he's a pit bull.

every time she breaches it, it is a million dollar penalty. it will rack up tens of millions in penalty. >> i want to understand this. if the plan by mr. cohen and the administration is they're going to pursue millions of dollars in damages against a private american citizen who wants to -- >> isn't that what the agreement calls for? >> who wants to exercise her first amendment right, bring it. that's our position. bring it because our position, george, is that the agreement was never signed and, therefore, the million-dollar liquidated damage clause has never come into existence, and i'll also say this and this is a bold statement but i'm going to stand behind it. we don't believe there is a court in california anywhere that will ever, ever enforce that million-dollar liquidated damage clause. >> why not? >> because it's what is called legally unconscionable. it is so outside the realm of possibility or what is legal that it's not going to be enforced. >> your client did sign an agreement to keep quiet about whatever relationship she had with president trump.

how do you respond to critics who say she is acting in bad faith? >> she's not acting in bad faith because the agreement was never signed by mr. trump. in order to -- your viewers know that in any contract, you have to have parties that agree and you have to have signatures on the dotted line, and there's no signature by mr. trump. >> and you're confident that's going to make any court say the agreement was null and void. >> we are confident not only under the law but also under 8.6, paragraph 8.6 of the agreement which specifically required signatures. i want to add one other thing, i'm familiar with mr. cohen. i'm familiar with his reputation. i'm familiar with the fact that he prides himself on being a pit bull. i'm a pit bull too. and we're not going away. >> well, so why is it so important to speak out now about the affair if ms. daniels was willing back before the election to not say anything? >> because what you've seen over the last two months is, at the same time that mr. cohen and the administration had been seeking to gag this woman, silence her,

prevent her from telling her story you have, mr. cohen and others out in the public domain out in the media making statements about this deal. making statements about her that quite honestly are not accurate. >> you believe he broke the agreement. >> we do. he broke it first. >> and to those who say this is all about the money, it was about money then, it's about money now? >> i think as evidenced by the offer that we just made in writing we've put our money where our mouth is. it's not about the money. >> and we've seen in the lawsuit references in the nondisclosure to text messages, photos, other material about the relationship. i know you haven't been able to comment about this or haven't been willing to comment about this in the past, but didn't the nda require ms. daniels to turn over or destroy any of those materials? >> well, had the nda been valid and had it been signed, yes, but it was never signed. >> your lawsuit says stormy was intimidated to denying the affair back in january. what exactly happened and do you have evidence of that

intimidation? >> we certainly have evidence of it and i think when and if miss daniels is allowed to tell her story the details concerning that are going to be known to the american public and we're going to let the american public pass judgment on who is telling the truth and who is not shooting straight with them. >> is this "60 minutes" interview going to air? >> we hope so and hope the administration and mr. cohen are not going to take steps from preventing it to be aired. we want the american people to hear her story. >> thanks very much. coming up, what the california couple accused of torturing their children in a so-called house of horrors now reportedly says about their family from behind bars.

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something called atopic dermatitis, which can be caused by inflammation under your skin. maybe you should ask your doctor? go to eczemaexposed.com to learn more. we are back with new details about the california parents who are accused of starving and torturing their children in that so-called house of horrors. now family members are sharing what their life is like behind bars and abc's linzie janis is here with this story. good morning, linzie. >> reporter: good morning, cecilia. relatives who have visited louise and david turpin in jail say the two parents are having different reactions to the situation they're now in and the charges they face. they say one of them is apparently not living in reality while the other seems remorseful. louise and david turpin documented the lives of their 13 children enjoying trips to disneyland and las vegas, a smiling facade that hid the horror going on in this middle class home.

inside investigators found the siblings aged 2 to 29 living in filth. malnourished. some chained to beds. most had never seen a doctor or a dentist. >> they were very, very pale skinned like almost like they've never seen the sun. >> reporter: louise and david were arrested and charged with multiple counts of alleged torture and child endangerment. they haven't spoken publicly since their arrest. but this morning, relatives are providing key insight into their mindset behind bars. >> it was like she's living in a fantasy world like she's in denial. >> reporter: louise turpin's sister elizabeth and cousin trisha gave an exclusive interview with dr. oz after meeting with louise and david in jail. >> i know it sounds strange. i don't feel like i was talking to louise. >> reporter: cameras were not allowed inside but outside, afterwards, the women say they're confused by her reaction. >> does she ask about the kids? >> no.

i asked her about the children. but she didn't. >> reporter: they say she even begged them to visit her husband. the relatives who say they haven't seen the turpins in years say david's reaction could not have been more different from his wife's. >> it was like i was looking at a little boy that was ready to confess everything he had done. >> reporter: saying he wanted to share more. >> he cried the whole entire time. it wasn't fake. >> he broke down in sobs at one point. >> yeah, he kept saying, i wish i could tell you what we done, what happened. >> reporter: elizabeth and trisha say the turpin children, including the 17-year-old who reported her parents to authorities and was later found to have been posting these youtube videos online. are adjusting to their new surroundings and family members are working to gain custody of them. louise and david turpin have pleaded not guilty. to the charges against them.

the seven oldest children, the adult children are in a medical center while the younger children, the six children are in two separate foster care homes and all communicating with each other via skype. >> with each other but not the parents? >> not the parents. >> such a disturbing story, michael. coming up, we have that construction worker's dream come true on "american idol" last night. don't want to miss it. we'll be right back. righbreakfast sandwichesese delifor just $4.ld's mix and match the bacon, egg & cheese mcgriddles, the sausage mcmuffin with egg, or bacon, egg & cheese biscuit. a deal that will make your morning routine, a little better.

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t.j. holmes, a lot of reaction to this. >> stole the show, stole her heart. i see katy perry trying to steal somebody's man. this is what this was. let me show you the brother. trevor holmes, no relation despite our obvious resemblance. he is a good-looking guy to pay for his singing and songwriting. listen to this. the dude can sing. ♪ oh so here goes nothing in case you didn't know katy i'm crazy about you ♪ >> he can sing. >> ad-libbing the song and flirting. she's flirting back. we got one problem, folks. his girlfriend is in the next room watching all of this play out. so watch what happens when his girlfriend does come in. watch what katy does. >> katy, can i tell you something really quick? i have literally had a crush on you. >> i'm sorry, buddy. >> i'm sorry, but you have been

my crush forever so i'm sorry. i had to get that off my chest. >> all joking aside, just dig in a little more on your voice and -- ♪ there's only you in my life >> what you think, lionel? ♪ in your eyes your eyes >> i said, trevor, your girlfriend is out there. >> howdy, howdy. >> there you go. ♪ you mean the world to me >> katy is gone. she's heartbroke. what is it? next time you see her -- we are adjusting. >> thank you so much. >> it was really great. that's great. yes. >> girlfriend is there and she got her man back. for now. >> a lot more forgiving than my wife would be. >> she walked out there and she basically staked her claim. that's her boyfriend. t.j., thank you.

your cousin did well in that piece. >> thank you. coming up, we have "dancing with the stars" host erin andrews with an important message for women everywhere. ch. oh, not so fast, carl. ♪ oh no. schwab, again? index investing for that low? that's three times less than fidelity... ...and four times less than vanguard. what's next, no minimums? ...no minimums. schwab has lowered the cost of investing again. introducing the lowest cost index funds in the industry with no minimums. i bet they're calling about the schwab news. schwab. a modern approach to wealth management.

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good morning south bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> good morning i'm natasha zuves from abc 7 mornings. all right, mike nicco how long will this rain last? >> well the straedy rain going to last for the rest of the morning commute. downpours on 37, down to hercules and richmond and albany. and from the south. your outdoor activities going to be wet with scattered showers by the afternoon hours and thunderstorms possible through tomorrow. alexis. >> live doppler seven so that's a lot of green and a lot of red where we are looking at the traffic flows. slowing you down. not a lot of major incidents, but slow spots. southbound 101 across golden gate bridge. and reduced visibility all the

drivers with the wipers on the s soggy and slow toofrmgts another update in 30 minutes and always on the

good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. breaking this morning, secretary of state rex tillerson out. cia director mike pompeo will become the new secretary of state. the lastest from the white house this morning. blizzard warnings as this third winter storm in less than two weeks blasts the united states. 40 million americans from north carolina all the way to maine, schools closed, flights canceled and a treacherous morning commute for so many right now. the latest from all over the storm zone. ♪ i'm on my way meghan and the queen. harry's bride-to-be joining the royal family at westminster abbey. her most important public event yet. now new clues about her wedding dress. are these the photos pointing to who could design it? ♪ >> "american idol" fever sweeping the country. big moments as more contestants get those golden tickets to hollywood. >> i think if you ain't careful

you might win "american idol." >> from the moment that got katy perry dancing, to the dangerous woman who got a hug from lionel. and lane from the bayou who had everyone singing along. >> the answer is -- >> yes. >> yes. >> all ahead as we say, good morning, america. good morning, america. so happy to have all of you with us. on this tuesday morning. >> snowy tuesday morning and it seems like america is happy to have "american idol" back. the judges are having a great time, too. you can see right there one contestant got them up on their feet. some dancing there for "idol." >> a lot more highlights. earlier this morning, president trump fired his secretary of state rex tillerson, tweet tag he wants to replace him with cia director mike pompeo. the move apparently blindsided tillerson. let's go back to our chief white

house correspondent jonathan karl with the latest on all this. good morning, jon. >> reporter: the president's decision to fire his secretary of state comes just as he's embarking on his riskiest and boldest diplomatic initiative yet, the talks with north korea. the president talked about the decision just a few minutes ago on the south lawn of the white house. >> rex and i have been talking about this for a long time. we -- we got a along actually quite well but we disaagreed on things. when you look at the iran deal, i think it's terrible. i guess he thinks it's okay. either break it or do something and he felt a little built differently. we were not really thinking the same. with mike, mike pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. >> reporter: although tillerson had clashed with the president on several major issues the firing caught him by surprise. the state department said, quote, the secretary had every

intention of staying because of the critical progress made in national security and it added tillerson, quote, did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason for the firing. cecilia. >> okay, jon, thank you. let's turn to that new n nor'east nor'easter. the third in two weeks creating a lot of travel problems. more than 1400 flights canceled and schools closed across three states. and let's go back to gio benitez in riverhaed, new york. the snow is really falling. it is not that soft, fluffy snow that is easier to deal with. it is that wet, heavy snow, the kind that is going to bring down power lines and bring down trees. it's already a dangerous commute on the roads. you have cars flipping over on the highway. you have accidents happening. that is why the governor of new york has already issued a travel advisory. he really wants people to stay off the streets, stay home if you can. he wants those emergency crews to be able to get to people if

they need that help. and coastal communities need to be watching this too because of all this wind from this nor'easter. we're talking about coastal flood advisories and warnings in effect right now in parts of the northeast. so you just have to be really careful out there, george. >> you be careful too. thanks very much. 40 million americans from north carolina to maine are in the path of this third nor'easter. let's go back to rob and, rob, what is the latest track for this storm? >> it's still on track and the snow continues to come down blowing sideways here in manhattan. but you mentioned -- gio mentioned the wet snow. not quite accumulating here. but it certainly will in suffolk county. a live shot for you there. the roads are getting dicey. you'll find the heaviest amount of snows i-91, i-95 through rhode island will be very messy today. and the track will continue up towards the north and east. and those winds, over 30 miles an hour in new york and atlantic city, 40, 50, maybe 60 miles an hour along the coast there. and a foot of snow in eastern

parts of new england as this storm ramps up throughout the day. michael, who has been throwing around big-time weather terminology all morning long, back to you. >> it's all about the bombogenesis. you know that. you know that. hopefully, if someone is on the road, they're really careful out there today. >> definitely. we want to turn to that string of deadly package bombs putting austin on edge. there have been three explosions so far. the question now is, are these bombings racially motivated? and alex perez is on that story. good morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, cecilia. the police chief here says they have recovered specific components from these explosions that have led them to believe these incidents are all related. now, authorities have been working around the clock, hunting for any clues that will lead them to the suspect. monday alone there were two separate explosions here killing a 17-year-old boy and injuring two women. the first explosion back on march 2nd killed 39-year-old anthony house. in each case the suspect leaves a package on the victim's front door without knocking or ringing a doorbell.

and it explodes when they open it. and now, investigators are warning people, if you receive an unexpected package, don't open it. call police. cecilia. coming up here that exclusive with the former figure skater who claims his sexual abuse allegations were swept under the rug nearly 20 years ago. and "dancing with the stars" host erin andrews sharing an important message for all women after her cancer battle. and what she's saying about her marriage and kids. plus, what will meghan markle wear down the aisle? can we be seeing some new clues coming in? the mystery this morning when we come back. coming in? the mystery this morning when we come back. from the first moment you met it was love at first touch and all you wanted to do was surround them in comfort and protection that's why only pampers swaddlers is the #1 choice of hospitals to wrap your baby in blanket-like softness and premium protection mom: "oh hi baby" so all they feel is love

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how long do you think we'll keep -- oooooohhh! you stopped! you're gonna leave me back here at year 9? how did this happen? it turned out, a lot of people fell short, of even the average length of retirement. we have to think about not when we expect to live to, but when we could live to. let's plan for income that lasts all our years in retirement. prudential. bring your challenges. narrator: public education has been valued for centuries. man: the direction in which education starts a person will determine their future in life. woman: the highest result of education is tolerance. woman: it's the road to equality and citizenship. man: education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. narrator: brought to you by the california teachers association. woman: because we know quality public schools make a better california for all of us. [ cheers and applause ] welcome back to "gma."

welcome to our audience here this morning. wow. now, michael, they're so loud because they're like you, from texas. >> you know what, all the texas people, shout it out. [ cheers and applause ] >> well, you have to do another shoutout. welcome back to sara haines. just back from maternity leave. good to have you back. >> thank you. it's so nice to be back. i know how to do this job. >> how is the baby? >> the babies are great. i just saw -- max texted me. and i thought it was going to be a sweet, good luck. hey, that bottle before bed is key. she really slept well last night. that's how life has changed. yes. is it time for "pop"? >> it's time for "pop news." >> it turns out all those rumors about beyonce and jay-z touring were true after all. they are getting into formation announcing a massive on the road

ii tour this summer and fall, it's a sequel to the original on the run tour of 2014. but a lot has changed. i feel that, too, for the super couple. two more kids, two hugely successful albums which i haven't turned out yet but "lemonade" and "444" and an avalanche of hits. so here's the question, will they bring the twins and blue ivy on tour? >> sure, they will. >> you can't just leave them at home. they're not chihuahuas. this is parenting, people. i'm reading the books, okay. so next up, we have the does municipal government interest you? >> that's a real turn. >> i feel like this is a george stephanopoulos story right here. wait for it, george, though. do you have an active social life? let's go to michael. okay. good news. sorry, george. i know you have a wild, crazy -- i know your wife. so i know you do. thank you, guys. you can applaud for that. [ applause ]

good news, new york city just created an office of night life and appointed its first night life mayor. it's a thing, guys. arielle palets, the official mayor of night life. >> i like this job. >> the position was created by new york city mayor bill de blasio. more than 30 others have night life offices including london, paris and berlin. the goal is to keep the peace between the city's nightlife and the neighborhoods. now, i kind of feel like imagine what you expense on a job like that? >> ooh. >> everything. >> everything. just swipe it. this round is on me. like everywhere you go. >> that's when you go in a club, you see the twizzler with the sparkler on it. put it on the city, it's all on the city. >> are you speaking from experience? >> i've seen other people. >> when you did college and i'm officially the mayor of nightlife. i learned that at school.

>> yeah, degree in nightlife. >> yes. but a fun gig. >> great gig. >> i'm not leaving any time soon but that could be fun. >> good plan b. >> yeah. and finally, i almost thought we were done. got to get back to george. if a dog is a man's best friend, this next friendly pooch is a man. check out yogi. he's a 1-year-old sheep-poo with deeply soulful human eyes and unusually pouty lips. this is going around because everyone thinks he looks human. a reddit reader writing, it looks like nicolas cage dressed as an ewok. his owner says yogi may have those sweet soulful eyes, but he is a hyper puppy, who always wants to cuddle and play. everyone looked at him and -- >> looks like a little kid wearing a dog mask. >> yeah. >> i mean, come on. >> i'm going to say it.

it is a little creepy. >> like a panda bear syndrome. every panda bear looks luke a human in a panda costume. what? i lost my track. okay. >> i'm rusty, george. take it. >> we're getting the move on. thank you, sara. [ applause ] it is time for our "gma" cover story. in the wake of the usa gymnastics scandal, an american figure skater is now claiming the u.s. figure skating association turned a blind eye when he accused a coach of sexual abuse two decades ago. paula faris sat down with craig maurizi for an exclusive interview. she joins us now. good morning, paula. >> good morning to you, george. craig maurizi first brought his allegations to skating's governing bodies in 1999. almost 20 years ago claiming the man who coached some of the biggest names in figure skating had abused him for years. maurizi says it was swept under the rug, nothing short of a coverup. but now in the wake of scandals in other olympic sports he thinks it's time to speak again. but this time he's hoping for consequences. >> it's a life sentence, you know, it's -- i am who i am. >> reporter: former pairs skater craig maurizi says that life

sentence began when he started training with renowned figure skating coach richard callaghan. callaghan who has coached olympians like tara lipinski and todd eldredge became his coach when he was 13. according to maurizi, callaghan began grooming him shortly thereafter and sexually abused him until he was in his 20s. how often was this happening? >> in the hundreds. i'm angry, i'm embarrassed. >> reporter: this isn't the first time maurizi has made these allegations. he told his story to "the new york times" and to our diane sawyer back in '99. >> i've spoken with five male -- former male students who were -- had inappropriate sexual relations with richard, as well. >> you reported him to the u.s. figure skating association 20 years ago and nothing was done. >> nothing was done. it's really shocking.

>> reporter: six people wrote letters of support for maurizi, some saying they witnessed or heard of abuse by callaghan. and two saying they had been abused by callaghan themselves. but in documents obtained by abc news u.s. figure skating officials quickly dismissed his claims stating that since maurizi didn't file a grievance within 60 days of the alleged abuse it was considered untimely. didn't even give you a hearing. >> they didn't even give me a hearing, nothing. >> reporter: despite his claims being dismissed, the recent gymnastics scandals empowered maurizi to refile his grievance to safe sport, the olympic committee's misconduct watchdog. >> all right, let's see that. >> reporter: and to tell his story again. >> hold on one second, okay. >> reporter: as difficult as it may be. >> i have the obligation in my mind to do whatever i believe is necessary and helpful to help

other people. >> as we look at the gymnastics horrors. as we look at the swimming story. you almost can't believe it's happened again in figure skating. >> reporter: maurizi, now 55 and engaged, he spends most days coaching elite athletes at this new jersey rink, taking one of them to last month's winter olympics. >> you're at the olympics and you pulled it off. >> reporter: callaghan who in 1999 vigorously denied having sex with maurizi or engaging in any improper behavior continued to teach, even running a school with todd eldredge. but he was suspended last week by u.s. figure skating as an investigation was opened. for maurizi, that is not enough. >> he should be in jail. >> if you had an opportunity to talk to him, to approach him, have you thought about what you might say? >> i'd tell him to go rot in hell. >> now, richard callaghan refused our request for an interview. his attorney telling us he won't speak publicly while the investigation is ongoing.

u.s. figure skating tells abc news it has a zero tolerance policy for abuse and harassment and says it has implemented a task force on this issue right after craig maurizi's 1999 complaint. they say they've never received any complaints about callaghan before or after maurizi's but, george, u.s. figure skating tried to discourage him from doing this interview with us. >> i hope he gets a fair hearing now. thanks, paula. let's go over to michael. we turn to my good friend erin andrews, she is a "dancing with the stars" co-host, nfl reporter, and now she has an important message for all women, raising awareness about cervical cancer after her diagnosis and surgery. >> you're in for an electrifying night. >> reporter: between co-hosting "dancing with the stars" and hitting the sidelines for fox sports, erin andrews is one of the busiest women in showbiz. but just as the 2016 football season kicked off, andrews' world came to a screeching halt, when she was suddenly diagnosed with cervical cancer. what went through your mind when

you heard the words, "you have cancer "? >> i think what everybody thinks of when they hear, what do they hear the "c" word, i have what? i have what? i got a text on a saturday from my doctor. i was getting ready for a game. and -- oh, boy, this isn't good. she told me what was going on. and i said how bad is this? >> reporter: she had surgery a few weeks after her diagnosis. and three days later was on a plane to cover the green bay/dallas game. i remember the conversation at fox, they're telling us erin -- we knew you had surgery and saying erin is going back to bork this weekend and we're like, erin is doing what. what? what? why? >> it's my normalcy. that's where i feel better on the sidelines. i could actually forget about it. but it's where i felt like, this is me. and also, stra, i didn't want to think anything was a big deal. i really didn't. >> but it is a big deal. >> yeah.

>> everyone pretty much knows someone affected by cancer, amy at "gma" and robin, and robin has something called make your mess your message. and that's what you're choosing to do right now. >> the biggest thing for me when i came public i remember walking out on the field, and there were those big men that i'm so used to seeing all the time, pulling me aside, how are you doing? how are you feeling? robert kraft, i did a sit-down with mr. kraft before the super bowl and he had tears in his eyes and hugged me and said thank you for coming out with this and being public with this. it's so important women go get checked. his wife died of cancer and he's just like women need to go to the doctor. >> and that's a great message to all the women out there who haven't had a checkup. think, there's nothing wrong. i feel okay. >> exactly. >> because how did you feel before you found out? >> absolutely fine. and then when i went to get my annual exam and they called me back and said something is wrong, everybody said this, even people that we know well, nothing's wrong with you. you're healthy. you go work out all the time. there are no symptoms. and that's what makes this

something that should urge you to go to the doctor more. >> reporter: now cancer-free for a year, andrews has a lot to celebrate including her marriage to former nhl player jarret stoll last summer. marriage? jarret? family? >> we have little how how. he's a gorilla. 85 pounds. >> i'm talking of the baby variety. >> yeah, i want it. i definitely want it. i feel like, even though i'm crazy on the sidelines and doing other things with "dancing with the stars," and so forth, absolutely. i didn't have to have a hysterectomy. and so breaking it down for men, i'm fully capable of having a baby. but that's because i went and got tested. and because we were able to treat it early and that's all you need to tell the women in your life. >> a great message from erin andrews there. get yourself checked even if you feel great. and, i gotta throw it over to rob. she had a great admiration for what you do for a living. >> she is a big weather fan. she's a weather enthusiast.

we got the jacket on her. we put her in front of the weather wall. here's erin andrews last week doing weather for us. >> 12 to 24 inches this way. i'm not sure -- the models haven't come out if it's going to move over here or shift its way over and around. >> how about that? erin andrews. got a second career if she wants it. good morning, i'm "abc 7 news" meteorologist mike nicco. we're going to have steady rain through morning commute and a chance of showers with the snow level of 4,000 feet and thunderstorms later today through tomorrow, it is going to get quiter for the weekend. low to mid 60s. tonight cooler, low to upper 40s my accuweather seven-day forecast tomorrow trending drier and then punched by and we now have new clues about who might design the

future royal, meghan markle's wedding dress. abc's eva pilgrim has the details. >> reporter: meghan markle attending her most important event yet. monday, the royal bride joining the royal family including the queen at westminster abbey. the fab four were all together. prince harry by her side as well as the duke and duchess of cambridge. markle making a nod to princess diana wearing a cream coat by her favorite designer amanda wakely along with a matching beret by steven jones. after the service, meghan seen sharing this sweet moment with a young girl who gave her a bouquet of flowers. >> the royal family is clearly very publicly embracing meghan and they're clearly very keen for this relationship to be a success and they want to give as much support and love to her as possible as she joins the royal family. >> reporter: with the royal wedding just two months away, the big question remains, who will be designing her wedding dress?

with rumors swirling, could it be australian-born designers tamara ralph and michael russo of ralph & russo, who designed her $75,000 engagement dress. >> ralph & russo have been front-runners ever since she wore that dress for our her engagement photos. they keep saying no comment, or even denying it, and that fuels speculation because alexander mcqueen designed that fashion house was designing kate's dress. and it turned out they had designed her dress. >> reporter: maybe it's her close friend roland mouret. he said she knows what she likes. and the main thing with meghan is to work in collaboration with her. >> if he were involved, he would be most likely to be involved with the evening dress, not the wedding dress. >> reporter: meghan will most likely wear two dresses, one for the ceremony, and one for the reception, just like princess kate did at her wedding in 2011. >> she will almost certainly have one very spectacular wedding dress for the service in st. george's chapel.

and for the evening reception, she's probably likely to go full-blown glamour. for her wedding dress the queen has to see and approve that dress. >> reporter: whatever the american princess wears, it will be copied by women around the world. her fashion influence dubbed the markle sparkle. last week, meghan wearing a $398 navy j. crew coat that had to be restocked in stores. she caused a complete frenzy for white line, the label, when she wore their coat announcing their engagement causing the brand's website to crash. word is her dress, her wedding dress is valued at over $500,000. that's like a house. >> and the queen has to approve it. i love it. we'll be right back.

good morning north bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> good morning, it's 8:27 i'm reggie aqui on this rainy morning. it will never happen again the proposition from the sheriff after i.c.e. agents allowing in jails thursday. that violates the poll say. agencies interviewed a inmate. it is her mistake and taking steps to find out why it happened. it was someone else's mistake, she's taking responsibility for it. traffic now. >> soggy in many areas and you saw the rain coming down in our san francisco shot. a lookal walnut creek. southbound 680 and highway 24, reflecting we have a ten minute b.a.r.t. delay system wide.

now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> welcome back, we'll start with the storm impact scale. one, steady lane this morning becoming showers and thunderstorms this afternoon threw tomorrow. 24 near berkeley and down near san ramon and more rain on the way. commute soggy this morning encountering rain and showers through afternoon hours.

>> another update in about 30 minutes and always on the news ap welcome back to "gma." we have a great audience here with us this tuesday morning. yes, we do. >> not scared away by the snow. they are here and in it to win it. i appreciate that. it was a big night on "american idol." did you guys see "american idol" last night? [ cheers and applause ] one contestant getting the judges on their feet and another bringing them to tears as they got those golden tickets to hollywood. >> you're going to hollywood. >> rep >> good job. >> reporter: with the talent on "american idol" quickly impressing the judges. ♪ >> reporter: some singers even getting them up to dance. >> yes, katy do it. hey, hey, there you go.

>> oh, nellie. whoa. ♪ >> reporter: the competition's youngest stars showing that age is just a number. ♪ lady madonna children at your feet ♪ ♪ wonders how you manage to make ends meet ♪ ♪ i made it oh i made it through ♪ >> a true thing of beauty. i felt like i should have paid a cover charge. >> reporter: and stories like david francisco's journey from a devastating car crash to the "i doll" auditions, moving katy to tears. >> you've come a long way, though. >> honored to be here really. >> let's hear you sing. ♪ isn't she lovely ♪ isn't she wonderful ♪ isn't she pretty ♪ less than one minute old

>> i'm just watching her and like -- how in love she is. i'm just losing it. >> reporter: now the panel's already making some bold early predictions. ♪ baby you got me like oh >> this is a top ten. >> thank you. ♪ i was unaware >> oh, i think he's the best male singer we've seen so far and i think he's top ten. ♪ born in the rain on the pontchartrain underneath the louisiana moon ♪ ♪ but nobody taught her it take orleans ♪ >> i think if you ain't careful, you might win "american idol." >> i'm going to hollywood. [ cheers and applause ] >> you heard me talk about it. i am just really excited about the lionel richie factor. my fan girl is coming out. i can't get over it.

>> so exciting to see all that young talent getting its chance. >> and the little love episode we had. >> love episode. >> trevor holmes who was flirting with katy and the girlfriend was listening on the outside. >> well, she was flirting back. that was the thing. but i think the thing about this show is that you have these kids, they have a dream and this is an opportunity for them to get a chance to, like, show everyone their talent. and hopefully, it's appreciated. and hopefully, they get that golden ticket to hollywood. doesn't guarantee you're going to be a star. >> plus lionel richie. >> plus lionel richie. >> you can see a new episode of "american idol" sunday night at 8:00 eastern right here on abc. all right. i got a question for everybody. who here remembers the ice bucket challenge a few years ago? [ cheers and applause ] well, it raised millions for a.l.s. resermg. and n research. and now there's a new challenge that is heating up the internet.

it's called the a.l.s. pepper challenge. celebrities like jimmy kimmel. shaquille o'neal, kelly clarkson did it. everybody is stepping up. it raised over half a million dollars already and, of course, still counting. more people are participating. "nightline's" juju chang threw down the gauntlet to the team at "gma" after taking the challenge herself. you can see she's braving through the peppers right there. so our weekend "gma" colleague ron claiborne, ron did it. looks like he -- >> two, rob, two. >> wow. that man is brave. you know i actually did it myself. >> yeah, how did that go for you? >> you want to see. take a look. hey, juju. i accept your challenge. here we go. okay. whoo! y erk e! got a little kick to it. yeah. [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> good for you. >> well, i had three different types of peppers.

and they weren't that hot at first. but then i think i hit a seed. because i got a little arrogant and cocky. >> and you don't like spicy food. >> i don't like spicy food. it's a little too much for me. >> why am i scared right now? >> i asked you earlier if you like hot food. and you said yes. >> i said yes, why, because i was like, my dad is mexican and we grew up eating them. >> will you participate? i'll challenge you both to do it right here, right now. come on in. [ applause ] jalapeno. habanero. >> oh, wow. >> and you know what, yesterday, i had -- i had milk, which really didn't help much. but i'll give you some yogurt. i don't need that. i've done it already. you take that away. >> you'll do it with us again. are you going for it? >> george, you wasted no time. >> tiny bite. here i go. >> okay. >> that wasn't so bad.

>> okay. try the other one. >> i like this one. >> i did three, george. come on. >> are you going for it? >> yeah. [ applause ] >> it's all for a good cause. >> we don't have to read anything after this, do we? >> i'll read it but you guys can participate. you guys are going through it. man, you ate that much? wow. how you feeling? >> pretty good. >> it's got an after -- >> i can't even hold it. >> this is great but it's -- whoa, whoa, whoa. >> he ate the whole thing. >> hey, tom, you just -- you don't have to eat the whole thing. but i appreciate your dedication. >> why didn't you say that before? >> how you guys feeling? okay? >> no problem. >> you're hot happy. >> he's trying to look all cool. i know you are burning up, man. >> not yet.

>> you ate the whole -- he's feeling it. i don't care what he says. but everyone at home, please, you know what, you can donate or you can take the a.l.s. challenge. you can challenge someone. the a.l.s. pepper channel. and you can challenge someone else to take it, as well. over half a million has been raised so far. hopefully that is low on what is going to be raised and continue to give to such a great cause and help so many people so continue to do that. we'll be right back, everybody. thank you, guys, for participating. "gma's" "american idol" brought to you by zyrtec. do what you love with zyrtec, consistent allergy relief. with zyrtec,

♪ ♪ there are two types of people in the world. those who fear the future... and those who embrace it. the future is for the unafraid. ♪ ♪

back now on "gma." we're in the middle of this nor'easter. the snow coming down here in new york city. luckily not accumulating too much here but it will be elsewhere. and accumulated in places like raleigh, north carolina, with almost two inches of snow falling there. you see the red buds. crabapple trees. and daffodils blooming. and the snow on the ground. and records in lekington, kentucky. and folks in the south are tired of them too and hard freeze warnings this morning from columbia, south carolina back through birmingham. and frost advisories south of that. and the big snow is the big story, with likely a foot or

more east of interstate 91, where the heavy snow bands are setting up right now. upstate new york could easily see a foot or outside new york city, three to six inches. and also watching big storms woling into the west coast, california. all the of nicco. transition to. we'll have a chance again this weather report is brought to you by walmart. third time is a charm with this nor'easter with st. patrick's day right around the corner. hard to believe. michael, back inside to you. >> all right, thank you, rob. and i'm here with two of the stars of shonda rhimes' newest abc drama, it's called "for the

people." following talented lawyers working on opposite sides of the law. a warm welcome to britt robertson and ben rappaport. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> congratulations on the show. you are part of shondaland now and, britt, you are like the first lady of the new show for shonda. >> ooh. >> have you gotten any advice from elen pompeo? kerry washington? or viola davis? >> no, but i like to read a lot of those articles they're putting out now. ellen pompeo is now the richest woman on tv. so i read her article about how she made it there and i was like, i could be that, no, i don't expect to make $20 million a season especially we're an ensemble and have to share. but i really admire what they've done on all of the shows across the board. "scandal," "how to get away with murder" but "grey's anatomy" was one of my favorites but sort of look to them as inspiration and more of a procedural like our show. >> we covered it last year, the

300th episode. you're on your way. >> ten down. >> ben, how was it when you get the call to say, you know what, you got the part. >> the way i like to describe it is like getting into an ivy league school. you get that letter in the mail and you're like, i made it. i'm in the club. yeah, it was superexciting. and, you know, shondaland is an amazing team. it's a great company. top to bottom. people -- everyone is so respectful of each other and you feel taken care of as an actor on a shonda show. >> yeah, absolutely. >> you really trust -- there is a lot of trust going on. >> i think there should be a lot of trust, because she creates hits. and we'll take a look at her latest. this is "for the people." >> okay. >> for as long as you work here, you will call it home. the cases are hard. the stakes are high. the lawyers on the other side are better than you. and the judges are smarter than you. some of you won't succeed. some of you are not worthy. but for those of you who are,

your time here will be the highlight of your career. [ applause ] >> and i want to ask a question that everybody -- i always wonder this. you both play lawyers. a lot of legal talk. >> yeah. >> how do you memorize all that? >> with a lot of time and help from our friends, i google a lot. we ask our show runner lots of things. >> paul, the guy who created the show, paul davies, is actually a lawyer by trade. so he really knows what he's talking about. if we have questions he's always there for us. >> we share a lot of our information so we can like trade articles that might be useful to the other. and just, you know, being friends. >> we're basically law school grads now essentially. >> so they say. >> people will start walking up and asking for law advice. >> yeah, yeah, yeah, i'll just give them poor advice. it'll be like please don't sue me. >> and you two were so generous that you say you wanted to do the pepper challenge. >> we'd like to, yes. [ cheers and applause ]

>> which ones were -- >> which are the better? >> okay, you can take that plate. >> take the plate. >> thank you so much. >> i'll be honest. the green one is okay. that orangish one, that one is fire! [ laughter ] we should have some yogurt just in case by the way so on the countdown, three, two, one, here we go. oh, you -- you didn't have to eat all -- okay. are you okay? >> i'm kidding. i'm kidding. i'm kidding. >> it's happening. >> there it is. >> it's happening. >> it's a delayed hit. >> i'll start sweating soon. wow, that's good. >> we'll bring out the yogurt. >> perfect. we'll make sure we help you. >> i'll dip it into yogurt. >> don't even try another bite. we have to say the show "for the people" with these two talented actors premiers tonight at 10:00, 9:00 central right here on abc, britt and ben, thank you both so much.

can't even talk right now. i get it. coming up. we have grammy-winner michael w. smith is going to perform live. >> that's

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we are back now with three time grammy award-winner michael w. smith, the christian singer has written 32 number one songs. and he has two new albums out, "a million lights" and "surrounded." here's michael and the times square church choir with "surrounded." >> thank you. ♪ this is how i fight my battles ♪

♪ this is how i fight my battles oh yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles oh lord this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ oh, yeah ♪ just when you think you're lost ♪ ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ oh lord ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles

this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ thank you lord ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles

this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ this is how i fight my battles this is how i fight my battles ♪ ♪ oh yeah ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ thank you lord ♪ it may look like i'm surrounded but i'm surrounded by you ♪ ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪ ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪ ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪ ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪ ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪ ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪ ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪ ♪ this is how we fight our battles ♪

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♪ [ cheers and applause ] have a big thanks to michael

w. smith. michael, we are lucky to be surrounded by you and everybody else here. that was fantastic. >> before we go, i want to challenge my white house colleague, chief white house correspondent jonathan karl for the a.l.s. pepper challenge. take it, jon. >> have a great day, everyone. thanks for watching.

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good morning bay area. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. good morning it's 8:59 i'm reggie aqui from abc 7 mornings. it's raining, how long mike? >> another hour or two we're going to have rain up until noon and transition other to showers. and in the possibility of the showers lasting to tomorrow and throwing lightning, thunder and hail. and breezy and gusty along the bay shore and the coast and another storm thursday to friday. >> it's going to be a tough week on the roads. a slow morning. san jose, highway 87 around the airport. it is soggy and slow and i want to give you a big picture of live doppler seven. don't ignore the read t is slow traffic, reggie. >> time now for "live with kelly and ryan." and we'll be back at 11:00. reporting always continues on

the news app and abc7news.com. a live look at >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, from the new series "instant," alan cumming. and "saturday night live" writer and weekend update anchor colin jost. plus, check out these money saving apps as continue march money madness week. all next on "live!" ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪ [cheers and applause]