making news in america this morning, stunning reversal. prosecutors drop all charges against actor jussie smollett accused of staging a hate crime for publicity. this morning the growing backlash. new details on the secrecy surrounding the case and what's next. the new battle over obamacare. health insurance for millions of americans now in jeopardy as the trump administration looks to strike down the law. the new way democrats are threatening to fight back. measles emergency. health officials take drastic new measures to stop the spread of the contagious disease now banning unvaccinated children from all public places. the growing concern and the new outbreaks we're tracking. plus, the mother who says her two kids traveling alone

were kicked off a plane and stranded overseas because of their peanut allergy. the new weapon just revealed in the war against robocalls. how to get it for free. and just how long is the perfect power nap? scientists have the answer and it's less than you may think. a good wednesday morning, everyone. we begin with the growing backlash after prosecutors made a surprise deal with jussie smollett. >> they abruptly dropped all charges against him for allegedly staging a hate crime. this morning the city's top cop and mayor are furious demanding answers. >> but we're learning that those answers may never come. >> it makes no legal sense, no common sense. >> reporter: chicago's mayor outraged after the stunning turnaround in the jussie smollett case who is accused of staging a hate crime against himself. >> the reason we have those laws

on the books is to protect people of faith, racial background, sexual orientation that they cannot be a victim of a crime, a violent crime of any nature because of who they are, what they believe or who they love, and he used that for his self-promotion. >> reporter: prosecutors have dropped the 16 felony charges against the actor blindsiding mayor rahm emanuel and the city's top cop who both stand by the investigation. >> they chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system. >> reporter: back in january smollett told police two men attacked him using racial and homophobic slurs and putting a noose around his neck. he quickly went from a hate crime crime to an alleged hoaxer. >> who the [ bleep ] would make something like this up? >> reporter: after an investigation police say smollett orchestrated the attack insisting they had plenty of evidence to prove he lied including testimony from two brothers who said he paid them

with this $3,500 check. >> i've been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. i would not be my mother's son if i was capable of one drop of what i've been accused of. >> reporter: this morning, prosecutors are acknowledging they still don't believe smollett's story but say they dropped the charges to focus instead on violent crime. >> you believe that he lied on the police report? >> yes, this was not an exoneration to say that he was exonerated by us or anyone else. that's not true. >> reporter: under the deal snoel did community service and will forfeit his $10,000 bond in exchange for having the charges dropped. legal analysts are calling the development highly unusual. >> you can say, look, he did right by us and we did right by him. it is just to see that in this case when it's not coupled with some acknowledgement of wrongdoing, some apology to the city. it's the opposite. what we're seeing is one who is tipping to say he didn't do it.

>> reporter: this morning, the public backlash is growing. >> you and i are both jewish. if on your front door there was a swastika or mine and found out weeks later after all the empathy that either you or i put it there, we will get off with two days of service at the anti-defamation league? really? >> with the case now sealed we may never see the evidence gathered by police. and the explanation for this deal remains a mystery. meanwhile, the lawyer for the two brothers implicated in the case say both were prepared to testify. smollett's legal troubles aren't over yet. the fbi still investigating whether he sent a threatening letter to himself. we turn now to the new battle over obamacare for the trump administration's surprise announcement that it wants to strike down the entire affordable care act. as both sides of the political odorna h.ling their ce.s the sie obamace emente dade agfa

a number of challenges, and this latest move is once again casting uncertainty over the future of the federal law. tensions rising in washington as the white house turns its attention from the mueller report to the affordable care act. in a surprising move monday, president trump reignited the obamacare debate, this time his department of justice asking a federal appeals court to strike the entire law down as unconstitutional. >> the republican party will soon be known as the party of health care. you watch. >> reporter: the reversal could impact millions of americans who receive coverage. nearly 13 million people got coverage under obamacare's medicaid expansion. more than 2 million young adults joined their parents' plans, and 52 million people with pre-existing conditions were protected and could no longer be if the law is eliminated. >> don't they know what the american people really care about? better health care. >> reporter: senate minority leader chuck schumer reviedzing

the president's words on twitter calling republicans the party that ended health care. >> republicans, listen, americans do not want to see the protections undone. >> reporter: many democratic candidates ran on the issue during the midterm elections. a big reason they swept into the majority. republicans have yet to introduce a replacement for obamacare, but president trump did make this vague promise last year. >> we will always protect americans with pre-existing conditions. >> reporter: well, while the white house is trying to eliminate obamacare, democrats are trying to shore it up. just yesterday they introduced legislation that would expand enrollment to millions more people, so, kenneth, we could see this battle going well into 2020. >> you mentioned that experts do say this legal battle of obamacare could take at least a year to play out. mona, thank you. a justice department official says it will be a matter of weeks not months befo members of congress.

olilyey pridt trp id theor could not have been be short of exonerangim on stction. former fbi director james comey spoke publicly yesterday saying, quote, i can't understgoing on stuff. as we wait to hear whether former vice president joe biden will run for president, he publicly apologized last night for the way his senate committee treated anita hill back in 1991. biden was chairman of the senate judiciary committee when hill accused then supreme court nominee clarence thomas of sexual harassment. during an event in new york last night, biden said there was a white man's culture on that committee. >> there were a bunch of white guys, no, i mean it sincerely, a bunch of white guys hearing, hearing this testimony on the senate judiciary committee, so when anita hill, when anita came to testify, she faced a committee that didn't fully understand what the hell it was all about.

to this day, i regret i couldn't come up with a way to get her the kind of hearing she deserved. >> anita hill recently said biden has never personally apologized to heir. the next mission to the moon may be sooner than expected. the trump administration is calling on nasa to send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2024, four years sooner than the current time line. vice president pence says nasa will have to undergo changes if it can't meet the challenge. time now for a look at your weather for this wednesday morning. more rain today for northern and central california as well as oregon as a new storm system arrives on the west coast. up to a foot of snow could fall in the northern rockies. in the heartland rivers are still running high. many towns and farms remain flooded like here midway between omaha and kansas city. temperatures in that region will be springlike today. kansas city will see a high of 69, the same as los angeles and warmer than atlanta's 64.

much of the midwest will be about 20 degrees above normal. coming up, a big change for reese's peanut butter cups. we'll explain. but first a big profit on wall street. just how high they're getting and the average bonus that was just paid out. and tonight's massive powerball drawing, $750 million is up for grabs. remember the way we used to do things?

hey man... like connect with friends? dig it! or get in shape? or sell a house and pay a real estate agent a big commission. [crash] at redfin, we charge you a 1% listing fee. and because redfin.com is america's #1 brokerage site our agents get more eyes on your home so you sell for thousands more than the one next door. don't get stuck in the past. sell with a redfin agent.

we're back now with more proof that canadians are really nice. a woman near vancouver took on the potentially smelly job of freeing this skunk's head from a cup. she said concern for the animal outweighed her fear. she freed the skunk and it

walked away without praying her. so both very nice. >> brave woman. new details about the latest mishap involving boeing's 737 max jet. one of the planes had to make an emergency landing in orlando tuesday because of an engine issue. those planes are grounded but southwest airlines was flying the plane without passengers to a storage area. the engine problem was not related to the anti-stall issue that's become a focus of the recent crash investigations. boeing is briefing pilots and industry leaders today about a software fix. wall street profits are up but the bonuses took a tumble last year slipping 17%. the average wall street bonus is now a meager $153,700. tough times. according to one calculation, if the minimum wage had grown at the same rate as wall street bonuses, it would be up to $33 an hour. there is a new weapon in the war against robocalls that disrupt millions of americans every day.

verizon has announced a new app that uses a list of 300 million numbers that are linked to either robocalling or spam accounts and blocks those numbers. it is expected to replace their caller i.d. app which costs $3 a month. tonight's powerball jackpot is worth $750 million. the fourth lottery jackpot in u.s. history. the powerball lottery was started 27 years ago and people in louisiana have won the most jackpots with 17, wisconsin, second with 16 winners. >> big news from the world of chocolate. reese's is introducing new versions of its peanut butter candy called lovers cup. one version has extra chocolate. the other extra peanut butter. new cups go on sale in a few weeks and comes in two sizes. >> i've been waiting for years for the peanut butter cup. coming up, a major change in the nfl when it comes to instant replay. but first a state of emergency is declared over a measles outbreak.

unvaccinated children are now being banned from public places but can it be enforced? and two children are kicked off a plane and stranded overseas because of their peanut allergy. what the airline is saying. hopes you drive safely. but allstate actually helps you drive safely... with drivewise. it lets you know when you go too fast... ...and brake too hard. with feedback to help you drive safer. giving you the power to actually lower your cost. unfortunately, it can't do anything about that. now that you know the truth... are you in good hands? you'll make my morning, buty the price ruin my day.ou? complicated relationship with milk? pour on the lactaid, 100% real milk, just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good. you wouldn't accept from any one else. why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase relieves your worst symptoms

including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. most pills only block one. flonase. ♪ ♪ ♪ stop fearing your alarm clock... with zzzquil pure zzzs. a drug-free blend of botanicals with melatonin that supports your natural sleep cycle so you can seize the morning. zzzquil pure zzzs. it's like a friday night, where you made plans, but you and your bff change into sweats

and finish the whole series instead. new two good greek lowfat yogurt. slow-strained down to 2 grams of sugar. because sometimes you just gotta do good by you. we're back with video from el paso, texas, where there are so many migrants seeking asylum they are being housed under this bridge. border officials say they're on track to apprehend 1 million people at the border this fiscal year. the highest in more than a decade. nearly 4,000 people were detained on monday alone. now to that state of emergency that's been declared as the nation faces one of the worst measles outbreaks in decades. one county in new york is now taking drastic measures. >> it's now banning unvaccinated children from all public spaces. but this morning we asked the question, can this ban be enforced? a decioin the new in one county declare a state of emergency amid a historic measles outbreak. authorities announcing anyone

under age 18 who is not vaccinated will be barred from all public places until they get the proper inoculations. >> contracting the measles is not only dangerous while you have it, but it can lead to complications years later. >> reporter: the ban includes schools, grocery stores, shopping malls and places of worship. >> if we have a situation where it comes to our attention that a parent is willingly, knowingly not allowing a child to be vaccinated under the emergency order there will be a referral to the district attorney. >> reporter: rockland county is 30 miles north of new york city and is responsible for half of the country's measles cases with 153 people sickened in just 6 months. but the crisis reaches far beyond the new york suburb. according to the cdc more than 300 cases have been identified in 15 states this year with confirmed outbreaks in washington, california and michigan. detroit alone has identified 22 cases in the last two weeks. the disease is highly contagious even before there are symptoms and can linger in the air for up

to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. officials in the san francisco area say one infected traveler may have exposed thousands of residents and earlier this month in washington state more than 800 students vulnerable to measles were told to stay home from school for weeks because of an ongoing outbreak. now, this new york ban is the first of its kind with kids with medical or religious ex-exes not affected. as for an enforcement officials say they will not stop people to ask for proof of vaccinations. they say the emergency declaration is more about raising awareness but they say anyone who knowingly puts people at risk may be prosecuted. now to the parents who claim their boys were kicked off a night because of a peanut allergy. pooja patel says her 15 and 16-year-old sons were flying from atlanta to the philippines. the boys reached south korea where they had a connecting flight on korean air. according to their mother the flight crew told the boys they could either get off the plane or endure the flight with peanuts being served.

>> i was very shocked and almost in tears. i mean, the last thing i thought was where my kids would be stranded all the way in korea. >> she says the boys offered to sit in the back of the plane and even wear a mask but the crew refused. the airline has now apologized. the boys eventually flew back to atlanta. a change of legal strategy from new england patriots owner robert kraft. he now wants his prostitution case to be tried by a jury. instead of just a judge. he's also waived his right to an arraignment. the nfl is hoping to avoid another pass interference controversy like the one in the nfc championship game. a new rule will make interference calls subject to challenges and reviews. noncalls like the one in the rams/saints game will also now be reviewable. well, up next in "the pulse," the perfect length for a power nap. but first the controversy surrounding pope francis redefining the term kiss the ring. plus, meet the boy earning a six-figure income to play the

video game fortnite all day. i wanted more from my copd medicine... ...that's why i've got the power of 1-2-3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy. the power of 1-2-3 ♪ trelegy 1-2-3 trelegy with trelegy and the power of 1-2-3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works 3 ways to... ...open airways,... ...keep them open... ...and reduce inflammation... ...for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling,.. ...problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. think your copd medicine is doing enough? maybe you should think again. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy and the power of 1-2-3. ♪ trelegy 1-2-3

save at trelegy.com. i looked for realed ingredients for real taste. absolutely no artificial flavors or preservatives. knorr selects real ingredients for real taste. but one blows them all out of the water. hydro boost from neutrogena®. with hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back. neutrogena® so it bounces back. [boy gasps] for real cold and flu protection with lysol, you can help protect them from a real cold. lysol disinfectant spray kills the #1 cause of the cold and clorox wipes don't. lysol. what it takes to protect.

♪ it is time to check "the pulse," and we begin with the outcry on social media over what pope francis recently did. >> he was greeting a crowd and, watch, he repeatedly tries to prevent people from kissing his ring. he's pulling his hand away from them. >> but they keep trying as you can see. vatican scholars say francis is actually following the lead of previous popes who discourage the practice of kissing the ring viewing the gesture as being too much like a monarch displaying power. look how they keep trying and he keeps yanking his hand back. >> others say the pope just wanted to keep that line moving

during cold and flu season next we have a question, is the greeting card going extinct? >> my mother would say no. "usa today" reports major retailers including cvs and walmart are cutting back on cards, and hallmark has cut more than a thousand jobs in recent years as people use e-cards and email instead. >> so we want to know when was the last time you sent a greeting card to someone? let us know on our website, atmfans.com or send us a card. there's nothing like a handwritten card. i love them. when is the last time you bought one? >> it had to be around my mother's birthday. >> i literally did two weeks ago. >> maybe it was valentine's day to that special someone that was not you. >> special someone. next to the 14-year-old making big money playing video games. >> he's a pro at playing fortnite. griffin spikoski of new york has earned $200,000 playing the game in tournaments and on youtube and plays about eight hours a y. >>ho has bec

savin money. >> i >> if i go down the road or if this goes down or whatever, i cod n lleg a house, anything. >> if it goes down -- >> smart kid. >> if this all goes down, doesn't make him more money, going to save it. his parents got him a financial adviser and say homework always comes first. >> not bad at that. >> not at all. finally a subject important to all of us, napping. >> yes. nasa scientists have been researching, and they've determined the perfect length for a power nap. they say it's between 10 and 20 minutes. >> they say 10 to 20 minutes gives your body the benefits of a sleep cycle without the grogginess that comes from longer sleep. i was just telling you earlier my power naps are about two hours plus. >> oh, i'm right there with you because the grogginess is coming no matter what. >> yeah, and if i do 20 minutes or an hour, i'm just going to

have a really bad headache. we don't want that. >> no, we don't want a grumpy kenneth. nap on. nap on. more news after this. the fire going for another 150 years. ♪ to inspire confidence through style. ♪ i'm working to make connections of a different kind. ♪ i'm working for beauty that begins with nature. ♪ to treat every car like i treat mine. ♪ at adp we're designing a better way to work, so you can achieve what you're working for. ♪ you won't find relief here. congestion and pressure? go to the pharmacy counter for powerful claritin-d. while the leading allergy spray only relieves 6 symptoms, claritin-d relieves 8, including sinus congestion and pressure. claritin-d relieves more. heartburn and gas? ♪ fight both fast tums chewy bites with gas relief all in one relief of heartburn and gas

♪ ♪ tum tum tum tums tums chewy bites with gas relief i am totally blind. and non-24 can make me show up too early... or too late. or make me feel like i'm not really "there." talk to your doctor, and call 844-234-2424. sun care is self care. i used to not love wearing an spf just because i felt like it was so oily and greasy. but with olay regenerist whip spf 25, it's so lightweight. i love it. i'm busy philipps, and i'm fearless to face anything. how's your cough? i'm good. i took 12-hour mucinex and sent it far away. hey buddy, have you seen a nice woman with a cough? woahhh! mucinex dm releases fast and lasts 12-hours, not 4. send coughs far away all day. ♪

♪ hi there. good morning. it's wednesday, march 27th. meteorologist mike nicco is here to tell us about more rain ahead. >> yep. there's a little bit out there right now. let's jump into live doppler 7. it's spotty everywhere except the north bay. it's steadier across marin, sonoma and the northern parts of napa county. you can see the storms moving southwest to northeast. they'll keep tracking that way all throughout the day. you can see more developing off the coast. in fact, some of our heaviest rain will be during the morning. it is very mild as we expected. temperatures in the 50s everywhere. concord at 60. los gatos, clear lake and ukiah, the school spot. here's a look at the highs today. richmond, san francisco, half

moon bay, santa cruz, everybody else in the low to mid-60s. we'll take a look at the 12-hour planner and the storm impact scale next. here's alexis. >> we were talking about this before. i have high wind advisories for the benicia bridge and dumbarton bridge. surprising. i drove a skrcross the bay brid and it's windy. it could be breezy as you cross the richmond s-san rafael bridg. until 5:00 on the eastbound side. here is a live look at the richmond side of the richmond-san rafael bridge. you can definitely see wet pavement. make sure you slow down and are driving for conditions. we'll take a look at drive times coming up. breaking news. a house fire in concord and one person is hurt. >> abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield is live at the scene.

amy? >> reporter: reggie, firefighters are still here at the scene.though, at that fire. one person inside the home was hurt during this fire. the call came in at 2:40 this morning in concord to respond to a home on bonhomme way. when firefighters arrived, the house was fully involved. they did keep this down to a single alarm fire. they got it knocked out pretty quickly. they got that fire under control at 3:00 this morning. they don't know yet what caused it. it was still under investigation. we do still see several fire trucks here in the area. so they're still here monitoring the situation. reporting live in concord, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> amy, thank you. it is 4:29 right now. let get a quick check of our weather and traffic. hi, mike. >> hey, guys. what's going on. live doppler 7, we'll look at that and then the 12-hour planner. wanted to zoom in a bit and show

you where steady rain is. you can see the circle 7 on our radar dome there down to bodega bay, dylan beach, point reyes. that's the most widespread rain. there's still scattered showers for the rest of the us. it's a storm impact scale of 1 today. thunderstorms with small hail, especially this morning. alexis and i know it's pretty windy this morning. 25 to 35 mile per hour gusts out of the south. in san rafael, it's raining here. 52 to 56 at 7:00. same thing at noon. 57 to 61. then that initial line moves off and we'll have a chance of showers during the afternoon hours. by 7:00, this round is over. but there's more coming up in the accuweather seven-day forecast. here's alexis. lanes for the bay bridge toll plaza. that is the norm until they get a few more lanes open