after i finish my appointments, seeing my brothers and sisters, you know, and breaking bread, i'm driven by my 24-hour sober coach back to a home that i live in here in the south -- i mean, in the tri-state with a bunch of smelly boys who have become my family. >> talk show host, wendy williams tearfully revealed to her audience she had been living in a sober house. the 54-year-old said the only people who knew she was in a sober house were her husband and son.

she came back to the show two weeks ago after taking two weeks off for what she said was a thyroid problem related to her graves disease. >> i wish her the very best. >> absolutely in her recovery. turning to a development in the growing national controversy over children and vaccinations. >> a senior high school basketball player has been kicked off of the team because he refused to get vaccinated for the chickenpox. now he has filed a lawsuit. here is steve osunsami. >> reporter: the 18-year-old is a senior and basketball star at this school in northern kentucky and he is suing the health department because they won't let him back to class without a chickenpox vaccine. his objection to the shot is common, based on religious grounds. >> abortion is wrong, and since the vaccine is derived from aborted fetal cells that goes directly against that. >> reporter: it is true in the 1960s cells obtained from two

aborted fetuses were used to grow viruses to develop the modern vaccines. even the vatican has decided it's morally accepted for catholics to get the vaccines because they protect children. kentucky health officials are underlying they have 32 students out sick with the chickenpox right now at this one school and say they are not letting any students who are not vaccinated back to class until the outbreak is over. parents of the school are telling us the school has been closed temporarily. the student who is suing is saying what is happening to him is unfair because he can't play ball but all sports and extra curricular activities have been canceled, too. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >> you know, it came up again in recent weeks with the measles outbreak. it's so interesting to hear it over chickenpox, when i was growing up everybody got it, and i thought it was a right of passage, like you got the chickenpox and then went about your life. >> certainly emotional for people on both sides. >> absolutely. educators in one northern

california town are scouring their ipads after a racy discovery by second graders. >> school officials in sonoma say the children managed to access porn sites when the students searched the word kissing on safari. so innocent. the browser, twitter and youtube were removed from all the districts ipads. for the first time the most prestigious prize in mathematics has been given to a woman. >> she is karen aulenbeck of princeton university and the university of texas. the prize is awarded by the king of norway to mathematicians who have greatly influenced their field. the 76-year-old said she has not decided yet what to do with the prize money that amounts to $700,000. >> she said she knows she's a role model for young women in mathematics. coming up, tackling the spring-cleaning projects around the house. >> our giz wiz showing you some of the latest gadgets to help you jump-start your spring spruce up.

you are watching "world news now." showing you some of the latest gadgets to help you jump-start your spring spruce up.

♪

it may not quite feel like it yet but today marks the first day of spring, and with the days already getting longer now is the perfect time to tackle those spring-cleaning projects, and here to help with that is the giz wiz himself. thanks so much for being here this morning. >> you're welcome. i'm here to clean up the place. >> you brought the sunshine and flowers. >> i brought my swiffer, continuous clean. they come up with an idea, why not take the swiffer-type fabric and build a filter and get the dust before it gets on your furniture. >> so smart. >> this is very clever. i have the original version of this. this is a new filter, and this is after 30 days. >> wow. >> it's new york city that is norte u. look at that.

so much -- well, better it going in there than you breathing it in or it landing on the furniture. >> exactly. and filters are under ten bucks. and the new version has l.e.d. lights that will tell you when to change the filter. >> amazing. >> that's out now. >> awesome. >> on this show, three years ago from the hardware showwed the original go-cart, the cart that goes upstairs. now this is the newest version and it's called the go cart versa, v-e-r-s-a, and we have somebody there unfolding it. what is great about that is that you go upstairs, each new step gets a new wheel, and this guy is their most compact smallest version. this is going to come out in june. it's going to be under $80. >> that's great. je is u catadsd th yoon theway or le this

bus. >> so smart. perfect for smaller apartment spaces, narrow staircase. love it. all right. got to talk about this. >> these are neat. there are two different models here. each was about 10 bucks on amazon. it's an easy way to know when your flowers need water, or if they are getting enough sunlight, or if you do research to find out what the ph should be for a particular plant, but there's a little dial in the front and you can click it to moist, light or ph, and take care of your flowers that way. >> it's the perfect way to make sure you are not going to kill your spring flowers, you have a little helper. >> a little helper. these guys, these guys are weird. i try to find stuff for the show people don't know about. when i read about scrub gloves, you can scrub cars, and -- i bought a couple pairs and they kind of -- you know, they don't have much cleaning power. >> right, right.

they are a little flimsier than you might think. >> they are 100% silicon. what is neat is when i was testing them out, i put my hands in very hot water and you can feel the heat but nothing like what the water itself is. >> totally. >> so if you want to play with them they are like, 10 bucks a pair. >> so, they are cheap. last but not least. >> i'm going to show you in my backyard. these are called leaf scoops. what you do, from the winter, i have all of these broken leaves and little branches that have fallen into the backyard, so with the scoop, yeah, it's just like that. >> piece of cake. >> and put them directly into a bag. it's really easy to keep the yard clean. you can use them as cymbals. >> you can practice your cymbals. >> or edward scissorhands. >> i feel like wolverine from "x men." >> i love it. dick, thank you so much. for more on these and other spring spruce up gadgets, visit

his website, gizwiz.biz or our website. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> you guys are watching "world news now." news now." us. >> thank you. >> you guys are watching "world news now." try new clean freak! it has three times the cleaning power of the leading spray to dissolve kitchen grease on contact. and it's great for bathrooms! just keep pumping the power nozzle to release a continuous burst of mist and make quick work of big jobs. it even works on stainless steel. it cuts through 100% of dirt, grease and grime. available with easy-to-swap refills. to get three times the cleaning power, try new clean freak from mr. clean.

i was on the fence about changing from a manual to an electric toothbrush. but my hygienist said going electric could lead to way cleaner teeth. she said, get the one inspired by dentists, with a round brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's gentle rounded brush head removes more plaque along the gum line. for cleaner teeth and healthier gums. and unlike sonicare, oral-b is the first electric toothbrush brand accepted by the ada for its effectiveness and safety.

what an amazing clean! i'll only use an oral-b! oral-b. brush like a pro. ♪ on the first day of spring, lessons in spring science. >> i want to bring in our favorite science geek, will ganss. >> we mean that as a compliment. >> absolutely. >> we joke that i always look like i am coming from the science fair, and my friends look fit and i look just like i am coming from the science fair. here i am, guys. here i am, everyone. thanks for having me. get ready to get springtime spooky because our final super moon of the year is here after the super blood wolf moon and y'all remember that, and the super snow moon, and tonight we will bring on the super worm equinox moon, and it's called that because this time of year grounds thaw and earthworms appear.

we can expect the moon to be 14% bigger tonight and 13% brighter than a normal full moon is. you can also expect ware wolves to be more active. that last one is not real science. today is also marking the official start of spring at 5:38 a.m. eastern time and and it's also the official start of spring when the sun passes directly overhead at the equator. it gives us 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness. it's also the only day the sun rises due east and sets due west at that spot. while some folks in europe will gather at stone hedge to watch the sunset, and others in mexico will gather together to watch the shadows of the feathered serpent dance. can you imagine the planning that went into that? >> what planning. >> we have eggs on the desk for a reason.

there's an old wives' tale that says you can balance an egg, but it's because of the equinox. is it all cracked up to be? let's see. >> okay. >> does it matter which -- here we go right here. let's see how i do this. >> you're doing it. no, you are not. >> janai? >> i don't want to crack an egg. >> oh, the other end. >> what other end? you almost got it. >> hold on. >> no. >> what will do you have to do, ask the yoke to sit still? >> yeah, i think if you ask the yolk to sit still. i will let you in on a little secret. you can balance an egg like this any day of the year. it has nothing to do with the equinox, it takes a lot of patience. >> we went and bought all these eggs for no reason? >> no, i am going to have scrambled eggs for breakfast. >> i was just about to say that. >> exactly. there's no real science about balancing it today versus other days, just takes a lot of patience. >> we are finally getting more sunlight. that's a reason to celebrate.

it's going to get warm. >> look at that.

this morning on "world news now," a state of emergency in the midwest. floodwaters displaced thousands of people. vice president, mike pence, seeing how towns have been tut off from the rest of the world after bridges and highways have been swept away and it's not the peak of flood season. also this morning, a bus driver facing charges for a deadly crash. two people left dead and 50 hurt when a charter bus flipped over. hear how a survivor described the terrifying ordeal. weeks after the biggest ba, the he is about to sign a $430 million contract. the question is, is he worth it? spring has sprung. companies are celebrating with

freebies from key lime to soft serve cones. we'll show you where you can enjoy yourself on the first day of spring. it's wednesday, march 20th. announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> do you see our flowers? >> look at this. >> happy spring. we made it. >> you look good. >> yes, thanks. thank you. you got spring blue going on there. >> i try to do what i can. >> we are excited for a new season. people looking for good, nice, spring weather. we begin in the midwest with many areas dealing with disastrous and deadly flooding. >> thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate their homes in iowa and missouri and nebraska. bellevue, where omaha and the flatt rivers meet, agriculture sustained heavy losses.

more than a billion dollars in nebraska, alone. >> the river washed out this highway bridge. it's one of many bridges that will need to be repaired or replaced. gio benitez reports. >> reporter: the historic floodwaters inundating communities, damaging hundreds of homes already are on the move. after those dramatic chopper rescues in nebraska, residents in northwest missouri are bracing for impact. in st. joseph, they filled 100,000 sands bags already. >> dirty, nasty job. it's hard work. >> reporter: the missouri river is expected to reach the highest level there since 2011. this, as we see new images of the devastation, the icy water left behind in nebraska. rivers breached at least a dozen levies in nebraska and iowa. take a look at this one, destroyed by the floodwaters. repairing public property in this state could cost more than a half billion dollars. agricultural losses could be

double that. vice president, mike pence assessing the the rose family is among those cleaning up. >> i don't know if we are going to rebuild. it's going to cost a lot. >> reporter: volunteers are helping them salvage whatever they can. so many levees have been damaged here. usually, they take six months to fix. the peak flood season hits in may and the new levies might not be done by then. there's so much property damage and work to be done here. gio benitez, valley, nebraska. >> astonishing pictures there. forecasters aren't sure when the current danger of flooding will end. >> let's get the weather from accuweather's paul williams. good morning. >> good morning, janai, marcus. this week, flooding a big problem. moderate to major flooding. record flooding in missouri. ice jams, road closures including davenport, milwaukee, sioux falls, memphis, tennessee. this is going to be a major

flooding problem for the entire spring on all these major rivers. on this day of spring, we get a break. sunshine for most of the country. that's not the case for the west coast. heavy rainfall in california, nevada and cause flooding there alone. more rain in dallas, little rock and reaching up throughout the ohio valley region. marcus? janai? >> thanks to paul. also happening now, that huge chemical fire in texas is still burning and caused a spectacular scene. an explosion hours ago sent a huge fire ball into the sky. look at that. during the update, four chemical tanks are building. they don't know when the fire will burn out. they are confident at the air quality in the area is safe. despite that, some people are blocking off their windows with plastic. elderly residents and pregnant women are told to be cautious. a survivor of this deadly bus crash in virginia says the

bus was swerving like a roller coaster before it overturned. two were killed and several others hurt. the bus was on the way from new york to florida when it careened off the exit ramp. the driver is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. police say that exit is prone to accidents. we are learning more about special counsel's interest in former trump attorney, michael cohen. newly released search warrants show they zeroed in on mr. trump's so-called fixer right away, two months after mueller was appointed. pierre thomas reports. >> reporter: documents show mueller had his sights on cohen much earlier than was known. a full nine months before the fbi raid on his home. the fbi obtaining a search warrant for e-mails in july, 2017, investigating several possible crimes, including a scheme to defraud multiple banks. cohen, $22 million in debt failed to disclose he was

aggressively raking in $2.8 million in payments from a number of corporate giants, some based overseas. the promise of insiders advice and how to deal with a trump white house. they are looking into campaign finance violations, allegedly involving donald trump. the details of the illegal campaign contribution scheme, nearly 20 pages long, fully redacted. the investigation, still active. in an update, rod rosenstein was expected to leave by mid march, but we are now told he may stay a few more weeks to help out with the mueller report, which is being finished up and handed over to the new attorney general. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> thanks to pierre. the latest presidential poll hasn't declared biden is running yet. he is ahead of bernie sanders, 20%. california senator, kamala harris is at 12% in a cnn poll.

beto o'rourke is behind at 11%. biden told a half dozen supporters he is running. wall street journal reports biden is asking for help in lining up major contributions. new zealand's prime minister says they will hold two minutes of silence on friday to honor the mosque massacre victims. jacinda ardern met with survivors showing compassion. the first burials of those killed friday are taking place. a father and son were laid to rest this morning in christchurch. the remains of half of the 50 victims have been released to family members. in london, prince harry and megan visited and laid flowers there. they also signed the book of condolence. the department of transportation watchdog agency is opening an investigation into how the faa certified the boeing jet involved in two recent crashes. specifically, that investigation will look at whether there was pressure to certify the 737 max

in its automated flight control system. that system may have played a role in the crash in indonesia last october. they are looking at whether it had to do anything with the plane that went down in ethiopia. captain sully sullenberger has his own theory. in an op-ed, he says the relationship between the faa and aviation industry is too cozy. funding and staffing is hurting the faa's effectiveness. the faa may soon be under new leadership. president trump selected former delta airlines executive, steven dixon to lead the agency. faa has had an acting administrator more than a year. the new jersey referee, at the center of the dread locks controversy is preparing a lawsuit defamation of character, emotional duress and loss of income. he forced a wrestler to cut dread locks or forfeit a match. video of that went viral drawing accusations of racism and cultural insensitivity.

the protester who climbed the statue of liberty on the fourth of july is sentenced to probation. she had tape across her mouth and "i care" across a head band. five years probation and 200 hours of community service. she climbed the base leading to a four-hour stand off. >> i remember that. that was quite an ordeal. >> quite an ordeal, on the fourth of july, no less. >> no less. a pigeon has flown higher than any of its kind. >> this is armando. he is a racing pigeon, considered to be the best ever long distance bird in history. two men tried to catch him, wound up in a bidding war. >> at one point, the price was set at just over $600,000. an hour later, it soared to 1.4 million dollars. the man who raised armando called this bid a crowning

glory. of course. >> i'm shire. i'm sure. the previous record, $427,000. the same person who sold that bird. the seller has 500 birds, knows all of them by name. he's making a killing off them. >> he's made more than $2 million, almost $3 million. >> a whole bunch of money. i mean, do you -- can you send a message with them? how fast do they fly? >> that's the question. >> are they faster than amazon prime? can we get them involved? i mean, if you are going to spend that much, it better be delivering all kind of goods. coming up in the mix, talk about a savvy saver. someone used a 36-year-old coupon. we'll show you where. first, why a newly released 911 call is under scrutiny after a veteran firefighter was shot outside his home. why his widow wife is facing charges. widow wife is facing charges.

charges. you are watching "world news now."

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so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours just for calling. so call now. a man had to be rescued on a cliff near the golden gate bridge in san francisco. he was stuck 100 feet from the water. firefighters propelled 300 feet to get him. he is okay.

in southern california, a garbage truck turned into a rolling ball of flames. >> it caught fire, then slammed into a home at monterey park. no one was hurt. look at the flames. the flames melted the truck's brakes. it was hauling vegetation. investigators say the truck's contents didn't cause that fire. iowa police officers are being hailed heroes after showing great hands after a fire. >> a frantic scene played out at a des moines apartment complex. a mother dropped her three small children from the building's third floor into the arms of the officer on the ground. all the kids, the officers and the residents are okay. they are certainly so thankful for the first responders who were there to catch the kids. >> heavy smoke kept them from getting into the building. they had to find another way to get people out. >> incredible. from indiana, we are hearing more developments in the murder of a firefighter. >> he was gunned down in front of his home.

authorities released 911 calls including one from the man's wife who is now facing charges. here is erielle reshef. >> reporter: this newly released 911 call under scrutiny. >> my husband just got shot. >> reporter: saying her 51-year-old husband had been fatally shot outside their evansville, indiana home. >> all i saw was my husband's headlights pull into the driveway, then i heard a bunch of popping. >> reporter: elizabeth becoming a widow that night last month. but, the day after her husband was laid to rest, she was arrested, charged with obstruction of justice and misinforming law enforcement. >> the charges for deleting a phone call from her phone and not being honest with investigators when questioned about it. >> reporter: that call, police say, was received before she dialed 911. >> i did not see a car or a person. the only person i saw was my husband laying on the ground.

>> reporter: police say she is not a suspect in her husband's murder. she pleaded not guilty to other charges. erielle reshef, abc news, new york. >> incredible story there. coming up in the next half hour, miami beach under siege by spring breakers. see how officials are struggling to control the chaos there and what they are doing to combat the violence, including infrared technology. $330 million, bryce harper used to have the richest contract in baseball. that was so 17 days ago. checking out the league's new top dog. that's next on "world news now." league's new top dog. that's next on "world news now." checking out the league's new top dog. you are watching "world news now."

♪ first day of spring. we are ready to talk baseball. there is one major league center fielder who is, without a doubt ready to play the season.ikeut reportedly set to sign with the los angeles angels, the largest

contract in professional sports history. a 12-year deal worth $430 million. if you have not heard of him, you are not alone, neither have i. >> if you have never heard of the team, either. >> but, our own will ganss -- >> our million dollar man. >> oh, man. i wish i was the $430 million man. >> yeah. yeah. >> one day. one day. he is about to sign the biggest deal of any pro-athlete, ever. i did a little dugout digging and center field reporting to make sure our bases are covered when it comes to mike trout. mike trout is a 27-year-old from new jersey on the brink of signing the largest contract in professional sports history. >> he absolutely delivers. >> the 6'2", center fielder signed a heavenly 12-year deal worth more than $430 million. knocking the previous record holder out of the park. bryce harper, briefly holding

that top spot, signing a 13-year contract with the phillys for $330 million a couple weeks ago. trout boasts one of the best career starts in baseball history. just over a thousand games, his career batting average is a .307 with 240 home runs, 648 rbis, 793 runs and 189 stolen bases. back in his high school days in new jersey, mike set the state record with 18 home runs his senior year. when scouts came to visit, his neighbor baked him zucchini bread. now he's married to his high school sweetheart. he is a dog dad who really loves his dog. his last name may be trout, but he reeled in bigger fish. he's a philadelphia eagles fan and season ticketholder. this year, he's got duke to win the ncaa march madness. with two american league mvp's with the angels and $36 million

a year coming his way, trout is the real winner. and fans of the los angeles angels get to watch one of the best players in mlb history spend his entire record setting career for the same team. so, although his contract is baseball's biggest ever, analysts say it's a bargain for baseball's best player, ever. >> a bargain? a bargain. i don't know, we should have been swinging a bat. >> something. >> $67,000 per at bat, give or take. >> you couldn't pay me $67,000 to try to hit a professional hit. >> i want the money, but not that bad, not that bad. man. >> i would try. >> you would? >> i want the money. >> that's amazing. that's a huge contract. >> it's cool for fans in l.a., they know, their favorite player is sticking with the team for the rest of his career. that's exciting. >> the los angeles angels, i have been a fan of them for a

long time. >> sure. sure. >> i have heard you talk about it nonstop. >> anaheim, that sounds good. nds good. just because i felt like it was so oily and greasy and that it was going to clog my pores. but what i love about olay regenerist whip with spf 25 is that it's lightweight, it's barely there. and then i can put makeup on over it if i want or if i'm not working, you know, just roll. it's perfect for me. i'm busy philipps, and i'm fearless to face anything.

ok i'll admit. i didn't keep my place as clean as i would like 'cuz i'm way too busy. who's got the time to chase around down dirt, dust and hair? so now, i use heavy duty swiffer sweeper and dusters. for hard-to-reach places, duster makes it easy to clean. it captures dust in one swipe. ha! gotcha! and sweeper heavy duty cloths lock away twice as much dirt and dust.

it gets stuff deep in the grooves other tools can miss. y'know what? my place... is a lot cleaner now. stop cleaning. start swiffering. ♪ it's time for the mix on the first day of spring. ooh, ooh, ooh. that means there's free stuff to celebrate the new season. a lot of it is frozen treats, maybe because we are getting out of the frozen tundra. dairy queen, you can get a free, small vanilla soft serve cone. ben and jerry's, a free cone from noon to 8:00 today. get out of the house and treat yourself for getting through winter. >> how you going to work on the summer bod? >> you have a whole season before you need to be summertime fine. give yourself until at least april. >> it's time to save or do traveling. we have cheap air fares as well. frontier airlines.

>> wait, what? >> cheap air fares. >> i guess you did say cheap. >> yeah. you know -- so, $20 flights, $20 fares to various destinations all over the u.s. the tickets have to be bought by march 20th. >> you have until the end of the day to book a flight on frontier, 20 bucks. it will cost you more than that to bring a bag, but look -- >> first class? >> do they have a first class? i have never flown first class. >> caviar in the air. >> i am coach, through and through. caviar in the air. coach, through and through. talking about saving money, 35-year-old coupon. if you are spring cleaning, you know, cleaning out that drawer that has everything that's probably in your kitchen, you might find a 35-year-old coupon and someone used one. it was a coupon from 1983. you know what?

they saved 20 cents on criscoe oil. >> wow! hey, they made it work. >> they saved money. >> didn't go to waste. every bit helps. >> footage out of england. check this out. a guy was trying to figure out why items in his shed were moving around. he'd come back and they were in a different spot. he asked his neighbor to set up a hidden camera. this is what it captured. that is a mouse. >> will's face dropped in the background. you can't see him behind the camera. will is stunned watching this video of stewart little. >> stewart little is doing spring cleaning. >> oh, my gosh. he is really on a mission. is he building something? >> i don't know. >> oh, my gosh, maybe he is nesting. >> speaking of spring cleaning -- >> what? >> let me tell you what happened. >> oh, what? >> janai unfriended me on instagram. >> you are so shady. it was an accident. it was an accident. >> i don't know what i did to

make her mad. >> oh, my

babies aren't fully developed until at least 39 weeks.

a healthy baby is worth the wait. this morning on "world news now," dueling disasters. that massive chemical fire still burning in texas sending potentially dangerous smoke over parts of houston, and in the midwest the vice president saw the historic flooding firsthand. in nebraska, alone, 95% of people in the state have been affected. more rain is in the forecast. also this morning, prosecutors offering new england patriot's owner, robert kraft, a a deal in his prostitution case. he's facing two misdemeanors. there's reporting whether or not he will even take that deal. new this half hour, cracking down on spring breakers. >> violent and rowdy behavior on miami beach led leaders to take action holding an emergency meeting to address the problem. in the words of one leader, we need to make it a lot less fun to be here. it has been 50 years since music history was made at woodstock.

the three-day festival with its message of peace and love. now we know who is going to be performing at woodstock 50. here is the lineup later in "the skinny." it's wednesday, march 20th. ♪ >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good wednesday morning. happy first day of spring. >> happy first day of spring. we've done renovations here and added some life -- >> to encourage everyone to stop and smell the flowers. >> do they smell good? >> did you say these were poinsettias? >> poinsettias. bluebonnets. they look like bluebonnets. >> they are not poppies. we are not good at flowers. we have them, they are looking good. we are celebrating spring. we will get right to it this morning. >> last night officials said

four huge tanks are still burning and they have no idea when that fire might burn itself out. schools in that area that were open yesterday have cancelled classes for today. >> authorities are trying to ease fears about air quality saying it's safe at ground level. abc's marci gonzalez is there. >> reporter: those towering flames burning out of control at this chemical plant. >> it's evolving and it's a dangerous situation. >> reporter: debris falling into neighborhoods. >> they look almost like a lump of charcoal. >> reporter: officials closely monitoring air quality insisting it's still at safe levels. the wind carrying that huge plume towards houston, and officials say that smoke is 4,000 feet in the air, high enough off the ground to not cause any health problems. but jennifer and her 74-year-old mother say they are already feeling the affects, so much so they have blocked off the windows of their home with plastic. >> because my eyes are so red and burning. i have to sleep with a washcloth on my face. mom's throat started getting

worse. she started developing nose can't be normal. >> reporter: the company that owns the plant set up a hotline for anybody that could be impacted, now offering an emotional apology to the community. >> this is not an event we wanted or planned. >> reporter: schools in the area reopened but teachers were told to keep students indoors because of this. now fire officials are saying they don't know how much longer this could keep burning. marci gonzalez, abc news, deerpark, texas. >> our thanks to marci there. they say the air quality is safe at ground level, which makes sense because the smoke is higher, but then fog is in the forecast for today and that could bring that smoke downwards creating issues. >> i talked to a lot of friends who live in the houston area and everybody can see the smoke in the air every day and are checking it out and concerned about what that smoke could do to their health. >> we'll watch to see how long

it burns. >> it may be months or years before nebraska and other midwestern states recover from the devastating flooding we have been covering this month. >> vice president mike pence toured the damage in nebraska promising federal help. iowa's governor is expected to file a emergency declaration soon. today is the first day of spring. spring flooding in this region usually doesn't start for another six weeks and more flooding is likely at that point as well. accuweather's paul williams has more. good morning, paul. >> good morning, marcus, janai. how about this, the first day of spring officially begins wednesday at 5:58 p.m. eastern time and couldn't come anytime sooner. why are we experiencing spring in the first place? first of all, the earth axis, it sits at a 23.3 axis, and that tilt is what gives us that season. remember, we have four seasons, winter, fall, summer, but the march one or the vernal equinox. that's what we are talking about right now that kicks offspring.

what happens is the earth's axis is not tilted towards or away from the sun, and it's equal, and that is what makes spring spring. what we don't need is more spring showers because river flooding is still a problem with record flooding, and the missouri watershed and communities threatened, unfortunately, increasing sunshine and rain will inundate the west coast in a major way, causing flooding there, alone. watching out for additional rain from dallas up towards little rock. janai, marcus. >> our thanks to paul. president trump is lashing out at the husband of kellyanne conway who is one of his top advisers. >> george conway questioned the president's mental health on twitter and the head of the president's re-election bid says it's because the president turned conway down for a job. >> "the wall street journal" reports, it's the other way around, conway turned down a top justice department post. cecilia vega has the report. >> reporter: the president taking aim at kellyanne conway's husband, calling george conway a

total loser. it comes after he questioned the president's mental fitness for office. conway saying it's getting worse and americans should be thinking seriously now about trump's mental condition and psychological state. the well-known conservative lawyer and frequent trump critic even posted pages from the american psychiatric association manual highlighting disorders for narcissistic and anti-social personalities. reporters asking kellyanne conway if she shares her husband's concerns? >> no, i don't share those concerns. i have four kids and i was getting out of the house this morning -- >> conway concedes his wife is not happy when he publicly trolls her boss. >> i don't think she likes it, but i have told her i don't like, you know, the administration. it's even. so it's one of these things. >> reporter: conway told the "washington post," the audacity and incompetence is maddening to watch. saying he tweets about president trump, quote, so i don't end up screaming at her about it.

it's not just george conway, president trump is also, again, taking aim at john mccain. he was asked why he keeps attacking the former arizona senator. he says i was never a fan of his, i never will be. cecilia vega, abc news, the white house. >> the president is, again, escalating attacks against the late senator, john mccain. at the white house yesterday he made this remark to reporters about a war hero that died seven months ago. take a listen. >> i was never a fan of john mccain and never will be. >> there you go. that followed his twitter attack about mccain over the weekend. and now mccain's widow is reposting a message she received from a stranger, and it's so bad we are not going to show you, we can say the message attacks both john mccain and their daughter, megan. cindy mccain saying on twitter, quote, i want to make sure all of you see how kind and loving a stranger can be. >> incredible. the special counsel's team

had immediate interest in former trump attorney, michael cohen. we have just learned that search warrants were obtained only two months after robert mueller was appointed, and that was nine months before the raids on cohen's home, office and hotel room allowing the russia probe to look at e-mails and his cloud backup files. the released documents are heavily redacted indicating the investigation into cohen's activities is still active. >> meanwhile, mueller may be getting help from a top justice official. deputy attorney general rod rosenstein is delaying his departure for at least a few weeks. rosenstein appointed mueller and he's indicated he would not leave the justice department until he is satisfied that the russia investigation was either complete or close to it. there's no official word yet on whether patriot's owner, robert kraft will accept a plea deal offer in his solicitation of prosecution case. sources tell the new york post, there is no way he will agree to the deal. if he does, the charges would be dropped and he would have to perform community service and

attend a class about the dangers of prostitution. kraft has pleaded not guilty. march madness is not just limited to the u.s. >> no, it's not. check out this buzzer beater at the special olympics in abu dhabi. >> whoa! >> wow. that's 40-year-old matthew firing up a 75 footer. >> oh, my gosh. >> nothing but net. it came a day after golden state's steph curry hit a 70-foot buzzer beater for the warriors. >> nothing but net means it only touches the net. but it hit the backboard -- >> no, that was steph curry's that hit -- do you need glasses. >> eagle eyes. eagle eyes. look again. >> no, that was nothing but net. >> maybe you are right. either way, it's amazing. >> thank goodness for replay. what an incredible moment. >> the special olympics in massachusetts put the shots side by side, and they said matt decided anything you can do he can do better, and he did. nothing but net. >> he did it.

ar ns of g up, it's one of the exercise equipment, the peloton bike, and now they are facing a $150 million lawsuit. later, in "the skinny," we know j lo is starring in a new movie, but guess who else is in it? you are watching "world news now." later, in "the skinny," we know j lo is starring in a new movie, but guess who else is in it? you are watching "world news now." you are watching "world news now."

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a california man is facing attempted murder charges for this. police say he slammed a stolen car through the front of a gym near los angeles. a witness says the man revved the engine before he smashed into the glass, just missing, hitting that worker. ou missing, no one was hurt. the suspect's membership was recently pulled after harassment and stalking accusations. >> wow. >> yeah. the company that makes a wildly popular, but expensive piece of exercise equipment is facing a big lawsuit. >> peloton is being sued for more than 150 million for copywright infringement. the publishers representing drake, lady gaga and others say the company has used more than

1,000 videos without permission. a spokesperson said the company is evaluating the complaint, but pointed out that peloton has partnerships with major music publishers. >> i wonder what that means for all those that have one at home? >> maybe stop working out. i don't know. >> hopefully not. not before summertime fun. >> no. spring break is in full swing. officials in miami beach are struggling to control the chaos. >> yeah, with fights breaking out in the streets and multiple officers injured, officials have held an emergency meeting to combat the violence. here's victor oquendo. >> reporter: as spring breakers descend on miami beach, the city is saying this annual party destination has grown hard to control. the mayor calling an emergency meeting to combat scenes like these over the last few days, brawls from the sand to the streets. these women, poling each other. police intervening. three officers have been injured in the last 72 hours, even before making it on to the beach madness, these cars inching close enough for one driver to pour a drink for a passenger in the other vehicle. >> this is not a city where anything goes. >> reporter: with grounds a third larger than last year,

more officers will be deployed to combat public drinking and marijuana. even using infrared technology to keep an eye on partiers after dark. >> do you want to eradicate er spring break? >> we don't mind people coming here to avail themselves of our restaurants and venues and bars, but we certainly don't want them behaving the way they have been and that's going to stop. >> reporter: the city and police gearing up for another big weekend here on miami beach, and they are prepared for about six weeks of spring break, and this is not over yet. >> our thanks to victor. when we come back, see who is starring with j lo in her new movie. we are just now finding out who will be headlining at woodstock 50. "the skinny" is next. headlining at woodstock 50. "the skinny" is next.

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♪ skinny, just give me the skinny ♪ it's time for "the skinny," starting with the big revelation about jlo's new movie. >> we talked about it, jenny from the block is about to star as the stripper in the movie "hustlers," and now we are

finding out who is co-starring with her and making her own big screen debut. it's reportedly cardi b. >> oh. look, you can do it. that's not too bad, marcus. it is set in new york city during the mortgage meltdown and follows a group of strippers who plot to scam their wall street clients out of thousands of dollars. no release date yet, but "hustlers" set to start filming on this friday. i bet cardi will be good in that movie. >> you bet she is. >> she has a history of dancing, so she'll probably be fantastic in it. >> up next, looking to woodstock 50 years later. >> this summer marks that major anniversary of the legendary music festival that attracted more than 400,000 people to up state new york. >> this year the 50th anniversary concert will be held 150 miles west of the original site in new york. >> this morning we are finding out that among the hip hop

headliners will be jay-z, the one and only, chance the rapper, run the jewels. >> okay. as for the top headliners, we've got miley cyrus, halsey -- >> okay. >> whoever that is, and janelle monae. >> and the acts that participated way back in 1969 will also be there, including carlos santana, and john fogerty, and dead and company. >> the festival runs august 16th through the 18th, and tickets go on sale april 22nd. >> so just over a month away. you can tell a lot of the music acts, we are so thrilled about. >> yes. >> john fogerty. >> yes. >> and halsey. >> and halsey. >> i can't wait. >> what hits does halsey have? should i know this? >> the sun is not even up yet. all the shade. >> that would be amazing.

>> what the kids say today, sade, the kids that don't know. >> those poor kids. oh, you guys keep us young. next to the big reveal by channing tatum. >> the "magic mike" star is known for among other things, his physical attributes, and his luxuriously thick locks of brown hair -- >> is he known for his hair? but, now, following the footsteps of zac efron, the 38-year-old star -- what -- has stunned his 17 million instagram followers by taking an eminem approach and going on the bleach blond bandwagon. >> you know what? i might do this. have kind of a cisco look. he captioned this, bad idea, haha, alongside a yes or no poll. whether he didn't disclose whether his fans voted yes, he followed up with a quote, bad idea of sorts -- >> are sort of my thing. speaking about that, tell us

about twitter, yes or no, should marcus go for the cisco look? tell us on twitter. go ahead and say no. next, across the pond, duchess kate spending quality time with her grandma-in-law. >> she stepped out for her first ever solo outing with queen elizabeth. the two toured a college campus in london. >> the 37-year-old royal tweets her personal style out of the day for respect of the queen. she wore black tights rather than her sheer hose. >> she even made a point of allowing the monarch to exit the car first, and etiquette experts say as future queen, kate followed the royal rule book to the letter. back here at home, details about some of our own abc royalty. we know our good friends here are expecting and she had her own clever gender reveal. >> when it comes to the gender of your child, it's a boy! >> the bouncing baby boy will b

husband max shiffrin. he'll join 3-year-old big brother and 1-year-old sister, sammie. he'll join 3-year-old big brother and 1-year-old sister, sammie.

alice loves the smell of gain so much, she wished it came in a fabric softener too. [throat clears] say hello to your fairy godmother, alice.

oh and look they got gain scent beads and dryer sheets too! ♪ this morning we are meeting a man that works real hard. he's still on the job at the age of 97. >> there we go. the world war ii veteran in edison, new jersey, he pulls two shifts a week bagging groceries and refuses to take 15-minute breaks. abc's tony yates has his story. >> you want the bottles in there? >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: he is very proud of his years. >> 1921 i was born. >> reporter: he brags to his stop & shop customers as we record. >> you know, i'm getting old. >> reporter: that's the way

97-year-old, benny, lives his life, with age as a fact, not a factor. >> reporter: you don't look it. >> no, i am handsome. >> reporter: he is busy working, bagging groceries two days a week at this edison stop & shop. >> put it in the bag. customers want to get out. >> reporter: he has been part of this stop & shop family for nearly ten years. he used to be in another store and then his family moved closer to edison and all that meant was a job transfer for mr. benny. >> he's a joy. he's full of life and happy. >> makes you feel proud. they put my write-up over there. >> reporter: he is talking about the recent stare story in the "star legend" that's made him a star. >> i am amazed he's still able to move around at 97 years olds. >> reporter: all the love he gets when folks learn he was a gunner on a fighter plane during world war ii.

>> the lord took me back. >> reporter: benny stops the conversation, and his customers comes first -- >> be careful. >> reporter: he picks up with us and we learn one reason why he cherishes his long life. >> the day i didn't fly, they shot my plane down. >> reporter: this veteran and duty bound american. >> i don't know where they went down. >> reporter: an autograph seeker. >> were you in the air force? >> yes, sir. >> what was your flight? >> f-86. >> reporter: he looks forward to every day. how long are you going to keep working? >> until i drop dead. >> reporter: in edison, tony yates, channel 7, eyewitness news. >> can you imagine the conversations with the customers coming through. >> i know. >> what a treat. >> i love how joyfully he said that. how long you going to work? until i drop dead. >> he's still going strong. >> that's incredible at 97. will you still be working at 97? >> one never knows. >> one never knows. you're right, but i do know, actually today is going to be my last day working after that powerball drawing tonight. >> are you going to win? >> yeah, we started an office pool. we're getting out of here, aren't we, jack?

>> you got that right. >> catch you later, america. >> be careful. she does

making news in america this morning, fallout at the faa. the new investigation launched into the safety of that new boeing jet after two deadly crashes. and now for the first time, legendary captain sully sullenberger speaks out revealing what he says is to blame and what he says every american should know about the airline safety and how it's changed. high-tech surveillance. newly unsealed documents reveal how the fbi can unlock your phone and track your movements and how agents used the controversial tracking device against the president's former lawyer, michael cohen. ol onprbrncy me ce announce new action to control the crowds.