making news in america this morning, is the wait finally over? the developing news surrounding special counsel robert mueller's final report and what former director james comey is now saying. safety for sale? the revelation that boeing charged airlines for safety upgrades. did that play a role in those deadly crashes and where the investigation goes from here. the dire new warning about historic flooding on the way to spring. 25 states, 200 million americans as we get new video from the heartland. these cows stranded. why scientists call it an unprecedented risk. also, he's not even in the race yet, but there's word e biden may pick as a running mate. a "game of thrones" star

reveals her life-threatening scare. what you need to know about brain aneurysms. plus, surprising results after the most popular pickup trucks are crash tested. >> and -- >> life was like a box of chocolates. >> what we've learned about plans for a forrest gump sequel. good friday morning, everyone. the anticipation building in washington and around the country for special counsel robert mueller's final report on the russia investigation. he's expected to release it at any time now. >> we're learning new details about what could be in the report and what may not be included. meanwhile, former fbi director james comey whose firing triggered the investigation is now speaking out on mueller and the issue of whether president trump should face impeachment.

abc's stephanie ramos has more from washington. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: janai and marcus, good morning. for months now there's been plenty of attention on robert mueller and his investigation. there's still no report, but there are signs it may be wrapping up. the white house, congress and the american public all still waiting for special counsel robert mueller to complete his investigation into russian interference in the 2016 election. sources familiar with the probe tell abc news they expect no more indictments from the special counsel, but when it's all said and done, it's expected the report won't condemn anyone not actually charged with committing crimes. deputy attorney general rod rosenstein wrote in a letter last year, we also have a duty to prevent the disclosure of information that would unfairly tarnish people who are not charged with crimes. but will mueller's report be released to the public? >> i don't mind. i mean, frankly, i told the house if you want, let them see it. let it come out. let people see it. that's up to the attorney general. >> reporter: in a "new york times" op-ed former

director james comey criticized the president again but said he wouldn't want him to be impeached. comey writing, i don't mean that congress shouldn't move ahead with the process of impeachment if congress thinks the provable facts are there. i just hope it doesn't because if mr. trump were removed from office by congress, a significant portion of this country would see this as a coup. >> this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political. and there the democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment? >> reporter: so as we wait for robert mueller to drop his final report, the white house still has to deal with other investigations. just yesterday they rejected a request from congressional democrats for documents related to president trump's phone calls and meetings with russian president vladimir putin. janai, marcus. >> and that mueller in began 22 months ago.

stephanie, thank you. we're following breaking news from afghanistan. two u.s. service members have been killed during an operation. the military is not providing any more details about the incident or the location. 14,000 u.s. troops remain in afghanistan supporting local forces. one week after the mosque rampage that left 50 people dead, people across new zealand came together today showing solidarity with muslims. the country paused for two minutes of silence and observed the muslim worship. many non-muslim women wore head scarves including the prime minister who quoted the prophet muhammad during today's vigil. >> believers in the mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. when any part of the body suffers, the whole body feels pain. new zealand mourns with you. we are one. >> reporter: the imam from oneheques new zealand is brokenhearted but

not broken. we turn to the new revelation about those two deadly boeing plane crashes. we've now learned that both planes lacked safety upgrades because boeing charged extra for them. while experts say it's unlikely the upgrades would have prevented the crashes, they're raising a whole new set of questions. abc's mona kosar abdi reports. >> reporter: in the final minutes inside the lion air flight, panic as the pilots frantically flipped through a handbook to stop the nose from diving but the pilots ran out of time and the flight crashed into the java sea killing all on board. the disaster taking on new urgency as investigators find stark similarities to last week's doomed ethiopian airlines flight. preliminary data points to a malfunction in the anti-stall system in both boeing planes which may have been caused by faulty data from the sensor, the 737 max says two of those sensors on each side of the cockpit, but

boeing's anti-stall system which drove the nose of the lion airplane down only relies on one sensor. >> it was incomplete design that the original design relied on the pilots to take appropriate action. >> reporter: in a disturbing new report "the new york times" says both 737 max 8s lacked two notable safety features that may have alerted pilots to the problem because boeing charged extra for it. according to "the times" airlines can buy an option which shows what both sensors are saying in the cockpit and another option is a light to highlight that the sensors disagreer. >> two identifial sensors, they both ought to be feeding to the cockpit. you shouldn't have to pay extra to get them both to tuck to the pilots. >> reporter: in boeing's yet to be released software the disagree air light will come standard. southwest and american airlines paid for it but united did not telling abc news instead, they trained their pilots to

shut off the anti-stall system. mona kosar abdi, abc news, washington. and breaking overnight, at least four school districts near the site of a day's long chemical fire have canceled classes today. authorities around deer park say they're taking extra precautions because about the concern of the air quality. authorities have insisted it is safe. environmental groups are arriving to conduct tests on the air and the water. and we head overseas where more than 500 people are confirmed dead after that historic cyclone slammed southeast africa. an estimated 15,000 people are stranded by rising floodwaters in mozambique. many villages have been washed away leaving desperate people holding on to trees with nowhere to go. abc's ian pannell is there. >> reporter: it wasn't just a cyclone and those high winds that made this so deadly, but also the torrential rain and flooding that's going on even now. aid agencies are desperate for donations. but this crisis is now so widespread, that simply reaching all of those affected is proving incredibly tough.

and persistent rain has slowed the rescue operations there. well, some dramatic video from iraq. this ferry overloaded with people celebrating the kurdish new year capsized in the tigris river near mosul. look at that. at least 94 people drowned in the strong current. local media reports several workers operating the ferry have now been detained. >> horrible pictures there. back in this country government scientists have a dire new warning. they say ongoing floods in the heartland may only be a preview of what's ahead. noaa is warning 25 states could experience major or moderate flooding in the next two months affecting 200 million americans. in the meantime, we have just learned that another small town along the missouri river has been evacuated farmers say it could take decades to recover. the national guard dropped bails of hay to cows stranded west of omaha. now as we get ready for the weekend, let's get a look at your friday forecast.

good friday morning. the nor'easter continuing to make its way into new england bringing heavy rains as well as snow to northern portions of new england. breezy winds going to be an issue as well. that purple shade gusts up to 50 miles per hour that will continue into new england into our saturday as well. across the southern and central plains some showers, perhaps some storms as well. this will not majorly impact the flooding across nebraska, but we will have another storm bringing rain and snow to portions of the west coast. i'm accuweather meteorologist adam del rosso. coming up, the plans for a forrest gump sequel revealed for the first time. but first the legal battle between anheuser-busch and miller coors over that controversial beer ad. the company's vice president tells us why they're suing.

we are back this morning with lucky from long island, new york. this pup truly is lucky after running away from home and onto this busy highway. but you see several lanes of traffic stop just in time, and he got home safe and sound. >> very lucky. well, we're getting our first look at a high-wire act that went horribly wrong in florida. it happened during practice for a performance by nik wallenda back in 2017. right there you see those acrobats who fell. five of them were hurt trying to waendaas not ojureheorng >> wow. joe biden hasn't eve officially entered the race for president yet, but there is word that his advisers are already considering a running mate. axios reports popular georgia democrat stacey abrams is being discussed.

one aide says choosing abrams would show that, biden, quote, isn't just another old white guy. miller coors is suing anheuser-busch after a super bowl commercial said coors light and miller light have corn syrup in them. the company claims budweiser was trying to scare customers who may confuse corn syrup used in the fermenting process for high fructose corn syrup found in soda. miller coors wants the ads to stop. >> they know what existing consumer perceptions are and they're using that as -- they're using that as a basis for fearmongering. we think that's wrong. >> some legal analysts say the court battle could be a long cold one before it all comes to a head. all right, some unexpected news from david letterman. the former late night host who retired four years ago opened up to ellen. he confessed that he should have left tv ten years earlier. er said, quote, but nobodya seql

the screenwriter eric roth says the movie was going to include forrest in o.j. simpson's bronco chase. they also planned to show him dancing with princess diana. roth turned the script in the day before 9/11. but he says after the attacks the film, quote, had no meaning anymore, and they canceled the project. >> wow, interesting to say the very least. okay, coming up, how the ford f-150 performed in a brand-new crash test. and also ahead, "game of thrones" star emilia clarke's health scare. how she survived two brain aneurysms and the symptoms you need to know. plus, new information overnight about the u.s. figure skater accused of slashing her rival. ept an incomplete job from any one else. so why accept it from your allergy pills? most pills don't finish the job because they don't relieve nasal congestion. flonase allergy relief is different. flonase relieves sneezing, itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose, plus nasal congestion, which pills don't. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances.

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got a poor rating. well, now to that frightening health scare for one of the stars of hbo's "game of thrones." >> emilia clarke is revealing how she suffered two abc's linsey davis reports. >> i am the dragon's daughter. >> reporter: she plays khaleesi on hbo's fantasy series "game of thrones." a figure of strength. but now emilia clarke is revealing her own near-death experience detailing to "the new yorker" not one but two aneurysms during her 20s. the first symptom, an agonizing headache at the gym. >> and i suddenly get this unbelievable pain that felt very much like an elastic band around my brain, excruciating. >> reporter: an artery had ruptured in her brain. while recovering from the first of two surgeries, the nurse asked her name, and she couldn't remember it. >> it was the scariest thing i've ever experienced in my life. it was in that moment i asked

them to just let me die literally. >> reporter: soon after that during a publicity tour for season two, she describes being a so woozy, so weak that she sipped on morphine in between interviews. clarke is fortunate. of the 30,00to 40,00s ofrupture miunptay exiss tells at the primary warning sign to look for is a severe headache, a headache unlike any you've ever had before, and it comes on suddenly. they say if you have any of those symptoms, go to an emergency room right away. linsey davis, abc news, new york. >> our thanks to linsey. international skating union officials say they are satisfied that american mariah bell did not deliberately injure a korean skater during warm-ups for the world championships. a representative for 16-year-old eun-soo lim claimed that bell intentionally cut lim's calf with her skate. bell's choreographer adam rippon

says some people have been calling for bell's disqualification, but he says bell did nothing wrong. >> i think this was purely an accident. and i don't think that mariah deserves to be getting this hate especially at the intensity and the level that she seems to be getting at. >> lim did compete with a bandage on her leg and scored a personal best placing fifth just ahead of bell. and this morning, the two athletes met and exchanged best wishes in the ladies freeskate. new fallout from the college admissions bribery scandal. the men's soccer coach at ucla has now resigned. jorge salcedo has been indicted for conspiracy to commit racketeering. he's accused of taking $200,000 in bribes for helping students get into ucla by passing them off as soccer players even though they had no soccer experience. day two of march madness gets under way in just a few hours, and in last night's late games, it was baylor knocking down 16 three-pointers to beat syracuse. also last night, wofford beat seton hall to win its first ever tournament game.

meanwhile, ja morant entered the historyoo a rare triple-double helping murray state crush marquette. >> a lot to look forward to in march madness. up next in "the pulse" the debate over freezing your genes. also ahead, canadian prime minister justin trudeau gets in big trouble for eating chocolate in parliament. and why the term "florida man" has now sparked a social media craze. why the term "florida man" has now sparked a social media craze. for better value, tackle grease with dawn ultra. dawn is for more than just dishes. it provides 3x more grease cleaning power per drop, which cuts through tough kitchen messes, pre-treats laundry stains, and even tackles grease build-up on car rims. tackle tough greasy messes around your home, and save money with dawn ultra. ♪ fresh, fresh as the ocean breeze, fresh as the waves... ♪

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number of people were eating in their seats including the minister of defense, the minister of canadian heritage and the prime minister who appeared to be hiding a bagel in his desk. >> indeed, mr. speaker, i apologize. it was a chocolate bar, but i apologize. >> not a bagel, a chocolate bar so the rules of the canadian parliament state lawmakers are permitted, quote, to refresh themselves with a glass of water but the consumption of any other beverage or food is not allowed, certainly not a chocolate bar. >> strictly prohibited. all right, next, what's being called the florida man challenge is going viral. here's how it works, you google the words florida man plus your birthday. >> and you will surely find that colorful stories that happened in the sunshine state on the same day that you were born, so some examples of what you might find include the naked man who broke into a restaurant to eat soup and play the bongos. that was on november 12, and there was also the florida man who planned a florida man themed maternity photo shoot.

>> and, of course, who could forget the miami man known as the florida joker. you never know what you're going to find. >> and we looked up ours. they were pretty good, a man who slapped his dad with pizza for helping birth him. >> and hid list legless girlfriend in a tote. >> crazy. some advice about genes from a guy who ought to know something about denim. levi's ceo chip bergh was offering tips about jeans as the company's stock went public. >> listen, he said you should not freeze your jeans to clean them. he calls that an old wives' tale that doesn't work. he says, though, don't wash your jeans in the washing machine. >> bergh claims he has a ten-year-old pair of jeans that he's never washed. >> i don't believe it. >> no, and if so, filthy. finally some divers in florida came across a stingray that is the size of a corvette stingray. look at this. >> whoa! one of them says this is the largest stingray he's seen in more than 40 years diving. i sure hope that that's the biggest. they saw it at a dive site in u? >> oh, my goodness. i prefer the corvette with

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can you imagine 24-hours without heartburn? good morning everyone. it's friday, march 22nd. and it is puppy day here on abc 7 mornings. so excited. >> that's right. we have a bunch of puppies upstairs. they're super cute and going to show them in a few minutes. first we need to talk about the weather with meteorologist mike nicco. >> not as adorable. not the weather today. let's look at what's going on. it's quiet on live doppler 7. but rain is imminent in the north bay. we'll take a look at the accuweather 12-hour planner and the storm impact scale after i show you the temperatures this morning. milder, mainly in the 40s. 50s in vacaville. same thing at half moon bay. here's a look at the afternoon,

what grabs your attention. the greens and the oranges and the yellows. the clouds and the rain are going to keep us in the mid to upper 50s. frances is in with your traffic. good morning. >> good morning mike and everyone. unfortunately, starting off with your accident in hayward. let's go to the maps and show you. we're starting to see slowing southbound 880 approaching a street. you see purple there, that means very heavy traffic and the red and yellow is slowing approaching the scene. the solo car crash has been blocking the lanes. we're hoping they start to clear the lanes. we'll keep you posted on the backup here. if you're headed across the san mateo bridge, right-hand side looking good. eastbound delay-free at this point heading towards 880, guys. >> frances, thank you. happening today, a judge is considering whether to delay the

ghost ship trial for six months >> the defense wants to dismiss some of the charges. jobina fortson live with the latest developments. jobina. >> ghost ship warehouse creative director and -- are charged with 46 counts of manslaughter that killed the people at the warehouse. the defense is asking for a delay because of newly discovered evidence and the dismissal of all charges on the grounds that, quote, potentially exonerating evidence was destroyed under the watch of prosecutors. the judge expects the trial to be long and talked about. almena and harris' trials in the coming months and could affect his. >> jobina fortson, abc 7 news. thank you. 4:30 right now.

if you're just joining us, it's puppy day. first, we're going to check our weather and traffic. here's mike. >> it's also a rainy day. >> kind of the yin yin yin yin >> morning rain and heavier showers in the afternoon and evening hours. gusty in our hills and on our water this morning and the afternoon hours. little bit of light rain in santa rosa. light rain up and down the coast in the north bay right now. possibility of the richmond-san rafael bridge getting a little wet early already. while the other bridges are pretty dry.reook from the roof camera looking at the bay bridge. mid to upper 40s at 7:00. by noon, south at 4:00. it will become heavier is light to moderate rain in the late afternoon and ebo 60 down into the mid to upper 50s this evening.