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. and caught on camera, the life-saving catch.

>> got 'em. >> the daring rescue after fire traps a family on the third floor. plus, growing pains. why scientists say we aren't fully mature adults until much later than we think. and the neighborhood dispute prompting one man's naked display in his front yard. good wednesday morning, everyone. we begin with troubling new questions about airline safety in the wake of those two deadly crashes of a boeing 737. >> for the first time captain sully sullenberger, the hero from the miracle on the hudson, is speaking out pointing a finger at the faa and boeing revealing a potential conflict of interest when it comes to safety. it comes as the department of transportation launches a new audit. >> we're also learning about die same boeing jet one day before the crash in indonesia last fall. stephanie ramos has new details.

stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, janai. boeing has said that the company is working on safety changes, but investigators overseas and stateside are eager to find out what caused those 737s to crash. the faa is now under scrutiny as the department of transportation's inspector general investigates how they certified the boeing max airplane and whether there was pressure to certify the 737 max and its automated flight control system. this comes after similarities were found between the ethiopian airlines and lion air plane crashes just months apart. boeing says in a statement they will fully cooperate in the audit. >> you can't fix the airplane until you know what the issue is. >> reporter: now the famous pilot from the miracle on the hudson is calling out the faa saying the agency and the aviation industry is too cozy. captain sullenberger writing in an op-ed, our credibility as leaders in aviation is being damaged. in too many cases faa employees who rightly called for stricter

compliance were overruled by faa management, often under corporate or political pressure. we're now also learning that just a day before the deadly lion air crash last year, another lion air boeing 737 max 8 in bali was reportedly saved by an off-duty pilot. bloomberg reports that the off-duty pilot was riding in the cockpit and helped the crew disable the malfunctioning flight control system and save the plane. but boeing still has support in the industry. >> statistics really are overwhelmingly in favor of our current system in that we've had a single fatality in 100 million flights in the united states. >> reporter: regardless of what u.s. investigators find, the eu and canada now say they will review boeing's software fixes before allowing the max plane in their airspace. janai, marcus. >> all right, stephanie ramos, thank you. a new explosion overnight rocked a chemical plant near houston that's been burning

since sunday. authorities are no longer giving a timetable for when that fire may burn out, and they claim air quality in that area at the ground level is safe. but some people living nearby are not so sure. and they've blocked off their windows with plastic. >> because my eyes were so red and burning, i have to sleep with a washcloth on my face. mom's throat started getting worse. she started developing nosebleeds, and so i thought this can't be normal. >> fog is expected there today which could bring the smoke closer to ground level. and schools that were open yesterday are closed today. we've now learned the fbi used a controversial surveillance technology to build their case against president trump's former lawyer, michael cohen. according to a newly unsealed affidavit, investigators wanted to search cohen's cell phones but knew he wasn't keeping them at home, so agents used a device called a trigger fish to pinpoint the phone's location and obtain a warrant to seize them.

a so-called trigger fish mimics a cell phone tower allowing police to collect calls, text messages and emails sent from a device and pinpoint its location. the aclu has reportedly found more than a dozen federal agencies using the devices. there is new indication that special counsel robert mueller needs more time to finish his report on the russia investigation. deputy attorney general rod rosenstein has decided to stay in his job at the justice department longer than planned. he was expected to leave this month, but now he could stay on for a few weeks to help finish mueller's report. we turn now to the plea deal offer given to patriots owner robert kraft in that florida prostitution case. "the new york post" is quoting sources saying there is no way kraft will accept the deal. he is due in court later this month. abc's danya bacchus has more. >> reporter: florida prosecutors offering a deal willing to drop soliciting prostitution charges against billionaire patriots owner robert kraft

and 24 other men but it comes with requirements. kraft would have to acknowledge he would have been found guilty at trial of soliciting a prostitute, take an educational class on the dangers of prostitution, perform 100 hours of community service, pay $10,000 in fines and submit to an std test. florida prosecutors say the 77-year-old was videotaped inside a spa by hidden cameras paying for multiple sex acts from various women. >> the question was, does the video contain mr. kraft inside receiving the alleged acts, the answer to that is yes. >> reporter: police say the six-month sting operation found evidence the women were victimized by spa owners, living on the premises in unhealthy conditions and that the owners of the spa brought them over from asia. >> this is not about lonely old men or victimless crimes. this is about enabling a network of criminals to traffic women into our country for forced labor and sex. >> reporter: just after the charges were announced, a spokesperson for kraft said in a statement, quote, we categorically deny that mr. kraft engaged in any illegal

activity. though these charges could be dropped and his record clear, kraft could still face disciplinary action from the nfl. danya bacchus, abc news, los angeles. the historic floods in the heartland are taking a devastating toll on farmers. losses could top $1 billion in nebraska alone. and that does not include the toll on farmers in iowa and other states or the hundreds of homes and businesses that have been destroyed. and abc's gio benitez reports that repairing the region's infrastructure would cost millions of dollars. >> reporter: rivers breached. at least a dozen levees in nebraska, iowa and missouri and bridges weren't spared either. just take a look at this one destroyed by those floodwaters. repairing public property in this state could cost more than half a billion dollars. >> and many farmers were already struggling because of the trade war with china and people with jobs in other parts of the area are also facing hardships because the flooded roads mean they can't get to work.

so some good news, spring officially arrives today at 5:58 p.m. eastern time. let's take a look at your wednesday forecast. good morning. despite the break of the rain in the central part of the country, still river flooding will be a major problem from sioux falls, omaha, milwaukee, davenport, st. louis, all the way down towards memphis. road closures, communities threatened and ice jams. now, bear in mind throughout this part we have the worst of the flooding. increasing sunshine in a break. but along the west coast we look for unsettled weather with rain that will drench the west coast to the point where you might see some flooding there. and in the northeast brace for snow thursday going into friday. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. coming up, the three most expensive cities to live in and you might be surprised. but first the popular workout program hit with a massive lawsuit over the music it uses to get people moving. and later an unusual

question, should a store have to accept a coupon that's nearly 36 years old?

got 'em. back now with the harrowing rescue in iowa. body cameras showing officers catching three kids from a third floor window, this after the family got trapped in that fire. officers urged the children's mother to drop them one by one and firefighters eventually got everyone out safely. a groundbreaking new lawsuit has been filed in the church sex abuse scandal. the attorney general of west virginia is suing the catholic diocese claiming it knowingly latsilo loseophiles. the attorney general argues failing to warn parents who paid for schools and camps violated .

cil seut could give the state leverage to subpoena church files. authorities are trying to figure out if speed was a factor in this bus crash near richmond, virginia, tuesday. two people were killed, dozens hurt. the discount fare bus was traveling from orlando to new york. the driver is charged with involuntary manslaughter. near los angeles police say a man drying a stolen car crashed into this gym. remarkably nobody was hurt, but the man faces attempted murder charges. police say his gym membership was recently terminated because of harassment and stalking accusations. music publishers are riding the fitness company peloton into court. the company behind video streaming exercise bikes is being sued for $150 million. publishers representing justin timberlake, lady gaga, drake and other artists say peloton is using their music without permission. the company says it's now evaluating the suit which comes just months before peloton plans to go public.

okay, the new list of the most expensive cities in the world is out, and it appears the u.s. is not keeping up. there's a three-way tie for the most expensive city in the world. this year it's between singapore, hong kong and paris. the priciest city in the u.s., no surprise here, is new york but it ranks seventh worldwide. los angeles came in tenth and san francisco didn't even make the top 20, janai. >> that is impressive that san francisco didn't make the top 20. new york making it is absolutely no surprise, as you said. you guys are doing pretty well down there in texas. >> we try to do what we can, and we pay you in sunshine as well. >> oh, my gosh. we're just going for broke up here. coming up, a cow makes a run for it down a new york city highway. also ahead, the increasing chaos and violence on spring break in miami. that city announcing new steps to control the crowds. and also the astounding $430 million contract for one baseball player. why this deal is considered a major league bargain. oh! oh!

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we're back with something you just don't see every day. a cow stopping traffic from moving on the new york city highway. police don't know where it came from or how it got there. >> it was corralled and sent to an animal sanctuary. it's been named major deegan after the expressway where it was caught. we turn now to the growing chaos plaguing spring break. it's now prompting police in miami beach to take new action. >> this after an outbreak of violence that we first told you about yesterday. city officials held an emergency meeting on how to control the crowds. abc's victor oquendo is there. >> 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 pummeling each other. police intervening. three officers have been injured

in the last 72 hours. even before making it onto 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 crowds a third larger than last year, more officers will be deployed to combat public drinking and marijuana, even using infrared radar technology to keep an eye on partyers after dark. do you want to eradicate spring break on south beach? >> well, we certainly want to eradicate this kind of spring break. we don't mind people coming here to avail themselves of restaurant, our ren shoes and our bars but we certainly don't want them behaving the way they have and that's going to stop. >> reporter: they're gearing up for another week on miami beach. they prepare for about six weeks of spring break. this is not over yet. >> our thanks to victor who was on that story, and we're also told police will now wear protective gear on the beach. they say many of the unruly people are locals looking to party, not necessarily college students. one challenge has been events announced on social media and

rentals on airbnb which make it hard to estimate crowds. a massive cocaine bust in philadelphia could be a record for that city. investigators say they found more than 500 kilos of cocaine at the city's port inside duffel bags on a ship from colombia. the estimated value, $18 million and it comes just days after a record bust in energy. new jersey. the fda has approved the first medication created specifically to treat postpartum depression. the drug called zulresso is administered via a 60-hour i.v. infusion. it requires a 2 1/2-day hospital stay and is meant to help women not responding to other treatments. the cdc says one out of every nine mothers struggles with depression after giving birth. some new technology is helping to stop car thieves andt tooouse. alex armah with the carolina panthers recently installed a video security system in his car, and it's called an owl cam.

it alerts you on your phone when there's motion around your car. he watched in realtime as a stranger broke into his vehicle and he told our juju chang that he ran from his apartment, and he detained the would-be thief himself. listen to him describe it. >> i grabbed him, and i threw him out here. he comes this way in between these two cars. >> and he's making a run for it. >> he's making a run for it. i got you. >> reporter: that man was arrested but police insist you should never apprehend a suspect yourself. >> duly noted. in sports, the new baseball season begins this morning as the mariners take on the a's in tokyo, but the big headline is angels star mike trout. espn reports he's finalizing a 12-year, $430 million contract extension to basically stay with the angels for the rest of his career. it would be the largest contract in sports history. some say it's a bargain based on its length and trout's production. one estimate says trout wo make about $60,000 every time he steps to the plate.

>> wow. not a bad gig if you can get it. >> not bad. a lot of money. up next in "the pulse," the age when science now considers you an adult. ahead, e ris coupon that dates back three decades. so can it be cashed in? and the neighborhood dispute that prompted one man to decorate his yard with naked mannequins. we're going to hear from him next. next. betes, are you thinking about your heart? well, i'm managing my a1c, so i should be all set. right. actually, you're still at risk for a fatal heart attack or stroke. even if i'm taking heart medicine, like statins or blood thinners? yep! that's why i asked my doctor what else i could do... she told me about jardiance. that's right. jardiance significantly reduces the risk of dying from a cardiovascular event for adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease. that's why the american diabetes association recommends the active ingredient in jardiance. and it lowers a1c? yeah- with diet and exercise. jardiance can cause serious side effects

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dawn is for more than just dishes. with 3x more grease cleaning power per drop, it tackles tough grease on a varietyf suac. ♪ glory days well they pass you by glory days ♪ it's time to check "the pulse." and if you think your days were back in college before you became a real adult, think again. >> scientists say you don't really become a fully mature adult until your 30s because that's how long it takes your brain to develop. researchers meeting in the uk say up until you're 30, your

brain is changing, which affects your behavior. >> of course, everyone's brain is different, so ages of maturity vary, but scientists agree it takes longer than we may think. >> i'm still a big kid. >> yeah, that's the excuse you're going to use, this new study says. all right, now to california and the man who decided to get even by getting naked. >> so it all started with the neighbor's complaint about the height of his fence. jason windus put up the fence to keep his dogs inside but he was forced to cut it down because of a code violation. >> so he decided to throw a naked party in his yard. it features half a dozen mannequins he collected over the years. >> i guess the average person would cop a resentment and get all angry, and i threw a naked party in my yard. they wanted me to tear my fence down so they could see inside my yard, and now they get to. >> is it more odd he threw the naked party or that he collects mannequins? he's also inviting the complaining neighbor to that garden party.

next to more proof it's better late than never. a savvy saver walked into a store in new york to redeem a coupon that is nearly 36 years old. that coupon nearly a fully mature adult. it was for 20 cents off a bottle of crisco oil. you can't blame the customer. it says at the top no expiration date. >> and the store owner posted a picture of the coupon on social media, which inspired other people to post their old coupons including this pizza hut coupon from 1991. >> wow, wow. and finally a big piece of art in texas isn't just another face. >> check out this two-acre crop circle bearing beto o'rourke's image. >> wow. >> yeah, it sits in a field near austin's airport. the artist said he just wanted to show support for the former congressman who is now running for president, and it's sand, mulch, clay, rocks and pecan shells. 's -- that ifalous, and it also looks like a penny. could beto be the next abe lincoln? >> it does. and he said that if he passes

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vicks sinex. breathe on. hi there. good morning. it's wednesday, march 20th. we're obviously on storm watch as we have live doppler 7 behind us. >> yes. it is coming down pretty hard this morning, at least in san francisco >> some areas, absolutely. there's puddles on the roads. if you're an earlier commuter. you can see on doppler 7, it's raining about everywhere. it's coming at us from the south and heading to the north. everybody will be touched by steady rain during the morning hours. you can't escape it. it's very mild out there. temperatures mainly in the low to mid-50s. we'll end up cooler this afternoon than yesterday. upper 50s to low 60s. also, notice the steady rain becomes more showery in nature. the best chance of getting wet will be during the morning commute. it will taper into the afternoon and evening hours.

all right. speaking of the commute, here's alexis. >> no surprise. we have several crashes on the board with the wet, soggy driving conditions here this morning. we're looking live at the bay bridge. i do have a crash reported on the upper deck and lower deck. on the lower deck, eastbound 80, sounds like past treasure island, we've got a two-vehicle collision. that's blocking the two right lanes on the upper deck, i believe, we have a crash on the shoulder. not too far from treasure island as well. i'm working to map those out. i'll have an update in a few. we've got light to moderate rain for pretty much everyone if you're about to head out the door. >> more on that now. thanks, alexis. we continue the storm watch coverage in the south bay. >> matt keller is live in santa clara county. matt? >> reporter: good morning, jessica and reggie. we're in sunnyvale right now. we just got on 101. we're headed to one of the worst bay area.pots here in all of th- i have advice for you. if you are going to commute this

morning, leave now. it's great at 4:30 in the morning. look at this. no traffic out there. do have t. just checking the chp website and it shows that there are a couple of accidents popping up now in the south bay area. in the san jose area. no real major issues right now. in the santa cruz mountains, dangerous driving conditions. the rain isn't coming down that hard. but it is foggy. people have to be carefu driving on highway 17. chp is keeping an eye on drivers making sure they're driving safely and checking the chp website on 17 up in the santa cruz mountains. no major issues. althou although, there is a crash on 17 in san jose near camden avenue. that's around the campbell area. i checked the pg&e outage map, it shows a handful of outages. nothing major. with the rain intensifying, of course, that can always change. of course, we had two cars speed past us. we're doing -- i guess we're only doing about 50. relatively- 58

>> sorry. i thought that was a 50. we're doing the speed limit, which is good. but obviously other people are going a little bit faster out there this morning. not a lot of cars. back to you in the studio. >> okay, matt. thank you. do the speed limit. >> 4:30, good morning. it's a wet one out there. hi, mike nicco. >> i wanted to show you guys something on live doppler 7. see this ring of heavier radar returns. in the it's about the same distance from the radar all the way around. that means the radar is looking dead into the storm. the storm could have ice in it. the rain that's falling is not nearly as heavy as that would predi predict. i'm getting from surface reports, a lot of light rain to steady rain. so that's something i want you to consider when you're heading out. there's still plenty out there. the breezes are for the most part in control. san jose, about 14 in oakland.