number 7, the a's play their home opener today. first pitch is at 1:07. the giants open their season on the road against the san diego good morning, america.iego the new twist in the jussie smollett case. overnight, jussie smollett seen leaving chicago as the fbi now reviews why prosecutors dropped those charges against the "empire" star. did his family use their heavyweight political connections? we go one-on-one with the state's attorney as smollett's team speaks out. breaking overnight. a deadly shooting rampage in seattle. a gunman opening fire, going on a random spree killing two, injuring others including a hero bus driver who managed to steer his passengers to safety. now, he's speaking out on "gma" this morning. the major judgment in that weedkiller case. a jury now awarding $80 million to a man who says roundup caused

his cancer. now the thousands of lawsuits pending around the country. close call. a speeding semi slamming into a school bus just narrowly missing two children running to safety. the outrage this morning. heiress or scam artist? the woman going before a judge accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from friends, hotels, and banks to live a life of luxury in manhattan. ♪ i got bills overnight. just one winning ticket sold in wisconsin for the third largest jackpot ever, worth more than $768 million. and where nine other tickets worth at least $1 million were sold. ♪ i got bills amy picked up something in the lyrics. >> she was right, i just heard it. >> i heard it. >> it's great to have you with

us on this thursday and it's a thankful thursday for whoever has that powerball ticket. >> yeah, that's an understatement. someone in new berlin, wisconsin, has just won more than $768 million. they are the first powerball jackpot winners of 2019 and, wow, that's a pretty nice prize to wake up to. >> a lot of people waking up saying, i hope it's somebody in my family. i don't know anybody in wisconsin. we'll have much more on that ahead. we're going to begin this morning with the very latest on the jussie smollett case. the fbi is now reviewing prosecutors' decision to drop the charges against the "empire" actor. this comes as the state attorney defends the move. alex perez in chicago with the very latest, good morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael. even though she's coming under fire, the state's attorney is defending her office's decision. she says many cases with similar charges end the same way. "empire" actor jussie smollett spotted leaving chicago just one day after charges against him were dropped.

this morning, federal and local authorities are openly questioning the prosecutor's handling of smollett's case. he was accused of staging his own attack back in january. the fbi is now reviewing that bombshell decision to dismiss charges, and overnight, the national district attorneys association slamming the cook county office saying, the case in chicago illustrates a point that the rich are treated differently, the politically connected receive favorable treatment, adding, no one is above the law. cook county state attorney kim foxx defending her office's decision to drop all 16 felony counts against smollett, instead making him forfeit his $10,000 bond and partake in community service. >> our office handles cases like this, class four felonies, disorderly conducts in this way often, many of them with similar outcomes. that is in no way an indication by this office that he is not guilty of the crime he was accused of. >> reporter: but this morning,

more questions raised as to whether the smollett family used heavyweight political connections to thwart prosecution. text and e-mail messages obtained show that when smollett was still considered a victim by authorities, tina chen, a former chief of staff to michelle obama, reached out to kim foxx on behalf of the smollett family saying, they have concerns about the investigation. in the exchanges, foxx seen trying to get the case turned over to the fbi. texting tchen, i make no guarantees but i'm trying. >> please welcome tina tchen and jurnee smollett. >> reporter: tchen is friendly with smollett's family appearing at this time's up evenlast may with smollett's younger sister jurnee, defending her communications with foxx telling us, in part, my sole activity was to put the chief prosecutor in the case in touch with an alleged victim's family who had concerns about how the investigation was being characterized in public. >> because the family and others had raised concerns about

information that was steadily coming out about this case in a way that typically we don't see in a typical hate crime investigation. >> reporter: after smollett was named a suspect, foxx recused herself from the case. >> unlike other victims that i talk to, they don't often go from victims to suspect. >> reporter: as the controversy grows, smollett's attorney firing back overnight saying, we will not try this case in a court of public opinion. there is no case to try. the case was dismissed. we should allow mr. smollett to move on with his life as a free citizen. and at this point, because of the judge's orders, investigative reports and other court documents will remain under seal and not be released. amy. >> all right, alex perez, thank you. let's bring in abc news chief legal analyst dan abrams, and, dan, we just heard from the president, president trump tweeting, this is an embarrassment to the nation as the doj and fbi investigates this case. we heard from kim foxx defending this decision.

did she clarify anything? >> not really. i mean, all she is saying is that the outcome is similar. that was an interesting word she chose there, in other cases like this, class four felonies. yes, it's true that in other class four felonies for disorderly conduct, people don't end up getting prison time. but that is different than what happened here. here you had a 16-count grand jury indictment that was simply thrown away with no acceptance of responsibility and that's what makes this different. i don't think you're going to find a lot of cases where you're going to say, hey, apples to apples, and in so many of these cases where they have multi-count dimes they just throw them out. >> foxx even saying that prosecutors said they believe they could prove smollett's guilt. he wasn't required to apologize, admit to any wrongdoing and everything is sealed? how does that happen? >> the sealing part is also maddening, right? because, you know, the public has a right to understand something about what happened here.

now, the police did release certain documents, which seems to indicate again that the brothers who were at the heart of this, offered an account that the police believed about what had happened there. >> they're not even being charged. no one is being charged in this case. >> it's not just that they're not being charged, it's that the police believe them. the police believe the account that they gave was the true one and that jussie smollett's was not. >> and now the fbi and the doj are investigating. >> i don't know that much is going to come out of that, though, i think that's just a review. >> what could come out of this possibly? >> i think they're looking to see if there was any corruption involved and i don't know that they're going to be able to find corruption as opposed to just ineptitude. >> there's just so many questions. >> is that the way things are done in chicago? that's what people are saying. >> i don't think people should lose faith in the system. this doesn't always happen. >> it never happens because you've been answering these questions all week and you said you've never seen it. >> yeah, yeah. >> thanks, dan. >> amy, thank you. now to that breaking news

overnight, a deadly shooting rampage in seattle. a gunman opening fire killing two people, injuring two others including that hero bus driver who managed to stay calm, get his passengers to safety. david kerley is in seattle with the very latest. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, robin. those two injured are being treated here at this hospital. as we're learning more about this bus driver who's being hailed this morning as a hero. >> possible shooting, sand point north northeast, a male running with a gun. >> reporter: details about the chaotic shooting and rampage and the attempted getaway in this north seattle neighborhood which has left two dead, two others critically wounded. >> he was walking down sand point way just firing at anything. >> reporter: all the violence starting around 4:00 in the afternoon in the seattle neighborhood north of downtown known as lake city. the 33-year-old gunman reportedly from the neighborhood attempting to carjack a 57-year-old woman, shooting her before she veers off the road. >> he's shooting in the direction of a metro bus. >> reporter: the gunman then firing on a nearby county bus

striking the 53-year-old driver, eric stark, in the torso. >> did a two-second assessment of my injuries and figured, well, i can breathe, i can think, i can see, okay. we're getting out of here. i got to get these people out of here. >> reporter: stark wounded, alerts authorities before he heroically turns the bus around and drives his 12 passengers to safety. the gunman, apparently looking to escape, carjacks another vehicle, opening the car door fatally shooting the driver point blank just as officers are arriving on the scene. >> the suspect then closed the door, drove off. officers pursued him. that suspect ran head-on into another vehicle that was driving northbound killing the driver of that car. >> it's going to be a red toyota prius 120 and sand point. >> reporter: police break the window out of that getaway car, successfully negotiating the surrender. the gunman crawling out as police swarmed the vehicle taking him into custody. amazing tale the bus driver told

here at the hospital. that suspect was also brought to the hospital here and treated. but that will not keep him from appearing in a courtroom later today here in seattle. of course, robin, the question this morning the city is asking, why? >> yeah, why. why is the question we ask often. david, thank you so very much. this next story that we have coming up, i've been involved with special olympics for many years and just got back from abu dhabi, where the world games are being held, 7500 athletes from all over the world and so determined, and this type of story just really pulls at the heartstrings. >> it pulls at the heartstrings and makes you outraged and the outrage's growing over that white house plan to slash funding for special olympics. education secretary betsy devos is heading back to capitol hill today for another round of questioning and our senior national correspondent terry moran has more. good morning, terry. >> reporter: good morning, michael.

sparks are going to fly up here when education secretary betsy devos comes back. she'll face a senate committee this time to defend that trump administration proposal to kill all federal support for special olympics, a program that has really put people living with intellectual disabilities in a new light on the world stage and the federal government has supported it for decades. earlier this week, secretary devos faced tough questioning from house members about this administration's proposal to end all of that. >> mr. pocan, let me just say again, we had to make some difficult decisions with this budget. >> again, this is a question of how many kids, not about the budget. >> i don't know the number of kids. >> it's 272,000 kids. i'll answer it for you. that's okay. no problem. it's 272,000 kids that are affected. >> i think special olympics is an awesome organization, one that is well supported by the philanthropic center as well. >> reporter: so it's only $17.6 million in a $4.75 trillion federal budget and secretary devos says this is not a federal program, it's a charity, and the education department funds all kinds of

programs for special needs kids but the administration did find money, $20 million, for one charity, the jack nicklaus children's hospital in miami. jack nicklaus, of course, a golfing buddy of president trump. robin. >> duly noted. and it's not just kids. young adults also involved in special olympics. all right, terry, thank you so much. now to the demand for answers after a fifth grader died following a fight in her south carolina classroom. parents are, as you can imagine, outraged asking how this could happen. steve osunsami is outside that school in south carolina. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. this is the growing memorial for the child who was killed here and parents are upset wondering how in the world this could have happened. getting details is tough because both of the children involved are minors, but families want to know, where were the teachers in all of this? about an hour outside charleston, a family of a fifth grader is preparing for their daughter's funeral after she was seriously hurt in a classroom fight with another girl monday, and police say the deadly fight didn't involve a weapon.

the girl's death has left parents in this community absolutely shocked. >> my mind can't wrap around it. >> this is a child. she's in an elementary school. this should not be an issue in -- it shouldn't be an issue in any school. >> reporter: when first responders got to the school, the wounded fifth grader, 10-year-old raniya wright, was in the nurse's station and was unconscious but breathing. they then rushed the girl to the hospital where she was barely holding on and remained unresponsive. on wednesday morning she died. her mother shared her grief on facebook. as of 9:39 my baby girl has gained her wings. the school district released a estimating saying, raniya was a wonderful student, she loved to write and loved being a big sister. our entire school district is saddened by this event. >> it has hit our community like a cat 5 hurricane. >> reporter: parents, teachers and administrators are now wondering how violence great enough to kill could take place in a classroom.

the other student has been suspended indefinitely. we don't know, amy, how or why this happened. amy. >> it is so heartbreaking. steve osunsami, thank you. now to new developments in the college admissions scandal. the former yale soccer coach accused of taking bribes is due in court in boston today where he is expected to plead guilty. abc's whit johnson is there with all the latest. good morning, whit. >> reporter: amy, good morning to you. rudy meredith went from hall of fame soccer coach to federal informant after he was busted about a year ago. the yale institution ultimately becoming a key player in this college cheating scandal. this morning, the coach at the center of what prosecutors call the largest college admissions scam ever is set to appear in court, rudy meredith, the former women's soccer coach at yale for more than 20 years, expected to plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud, facing possible jail time and ordered to forfeit nearly $900,000 he received in alleged bribes.

but meredith's cooperation, authorities say, was crucial to unraveling the nationwide scheme and leading to its accused mastermind, rick singer. according to court documents, singer paid meredith for getting a student falsely described as a co-captain despite showing the applicant did not play competitive soccer and in a separate incident, the documents state that he personally met with the father of an applicant in a boston hotel asking for $450,000 for his child's acceptance into yale. that meeting recorded by the fbi. and earlier this week, yale announced it was rescinding the admission of one student connected to this investigation. robin. >> all right, whit, thank you. now to the luckiest person in america, someone is waking up $768.4 million richer. >> sleeping in for the rest of their life. >> you got that right, michael.

one single winning ticket sold in new berlin, wisconsin, for the powerball jackpot, the third largest in u.s. history. hillary mintz from our milwaukee station wisn is very excited. good morning, hillary. >> that's right, robin. it is an exciting morning here in new berlin, wisconsin, because somebody bought the winning jackpot ticket. they matched all numbers and they are $768 million richer. it may have been sold in a gas station just like this. we don't know yet, and we also don't know who the winner is. they have 180 days to claim the prize and in wisconsin, you cannot remain anonymous. guys. >> all right, hillary. not sure if it was that gas station but it could be. our thanks to her. whoever has that ticket isn't the only lucky person. nine other tickets sold worth at least a million dollars. nine other tickets at least a mill. >> not too bad. not too shabby. >> other people may not have won the jackpot but still a chance. >> they won at gas stations just like those. >> oh, you know, we're going to

move on now. >> that made t.j. laugh so hard. we're going to get to t.j. right now talking march madness, man. sweet 16, it gets under way tonight. only one man still has a perfect bracket and that's not the only thing that is making history. you are here to explain it. >> and it's kind of been a historically dramatic-free tournament. we haven't seen the big upsets. the result of that, ratings are up. why is that? let me explain. take a look at your bracket. if you look, look right here, guys, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. all top seeds. go to the other side, one, two, three, one, two, three. first time in a long time but only the second time in history all the top seeds. only the second time in history all the top seeds. and if you look at those teams, michigan state, duke, north carolina, these are the bluebloods, these are the big schools that a lot of people have interest in. the only option possibly for a big upset now would be 12th seed

oregon even though a school from a big conference, they could take out virginia. this would only be the second time the 12th seed made it to the elite eight. that's our only hope for a cinderella. >> you talk about first time evers but what about mr. perfect bracket guy? >> gregg nigl, first time, we introduced you to him. he is going to the game out in the sweet 16 and he may see his perfect bracket burst in person. >> i tweeted about using the telestrator, that was it? that was the extent of your telestrating? >> a telestrator like this actually is what i meant to use. >> okay. >> between that and that gas station, let's move on. all right, let's take a look at a terrifying close call. a semi caught on camera there slamming into a school bus. look at that. just as children were departing. the investigation this morning into how that could have happened. >> and the surprise turn in the case of that young woman who pushed her friend off a bridge. we hear from her family but first to ginger. >> and let's get to the rainy cities brought to you by verizon wireless.

good morning. i'm "abc7 news" metrologist mike nicco. keep the umbrella handy. another day of showers and thunderstorms. a chance tonight with cooler weather and it will be dry through the weekend. it's a one on the storm impact scale. upper 50s to mid-60s today. how to upper 40s tonight. my accuweather seven-day my accuweather seven-day forecast, enjoy the we'll be right back. right back. >> we'll be right back. ab thosed picture hanging strips and let's make it work.

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and automatically adjusts... so you wake up rested and ready for anything. save $500 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. only for a limited time. good morning, east bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is "abc7 mornings." good morning. i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings" and this morning pg&e creditors proposing a $35 billion plan that would allow the utility to exit bankruptcy within a year. it would establish a trust to pay claims from the wildfires in 2017 and 2018. pg&e is facing liabilities that could exceed $30 billion because its equipment may have started those fires. >> taking a look at the roads. we still have a rollover crash in the south bay. we don't have any roadwork reported but i know they have been doing work just past the

toll plaza. that could be a factor again tonight. about a 25 minute delay on that approach. here's that rollover, southbound 17 at the big moody curve. a tow truck is on the way. >> metrologi the ross spring dress event is here-finally! so you can say yes to the biggest selection of the season. yes! seriously, 20 to 60 percent off department store prices! more new dresses means more reasons to say yes. at the ross spring dress event. on now!

and you find the same style you knoyou saw there... ross ...here? that's yes for less. yes! say yes to those spring trends you love, at 20 to 60 percent off specialty store prices, every day. at ross. yes for less. now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> some of our better radar returns, santa cruz mountains and down into the south bay. in fact as we move through time, yeah, another round of showers and even some thunderstorms are possible. you can see them at noon and even as we head into the afternoon and evening hours. good news, there are going to be more hit than miss showers. you may need the umbrella, but the drying trend is on the way starting tomorrow. >> coming up the latest on jussie smollett. the state's attorney speaking out after that stunning reversal

and new questions about the "empire"'s star political connections. we'll have another update in about 30 minutes. we'll

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they've been waiting patiently all morning long. >> did they bring cookies? >> i'm not -- [ laughter ] they're not inside so evidently they didn't bring cookies. great to see them. we'll have to go outside and spend a little time with them. >> yeah, we will. but first, we have the top headlines we're following right now. the fbi now reviewing the jussie smollett case after prosecutors dropped charges against him. we spoke with the state's attorney who defended the decision but said it's not an indication that smollett is not guilty. also right now, boeing has updated its software for the 737 max jet, the type of plane involved in those two deadly crashes. the update is under review by the faa while all 737 max jets remain grounded in the u.s. and this morning, a big announcement from facebook and instagram, the social media platforms are making a big change to take on hate speech and will no longer allow content that praises or supports white nationalism or white separatism and the new policy goes into

effect next week. and guess what, it's time to play ball. >> play ball. >> yeah, it's opening day for major league baseball right here in the u.s. the earliest opening day in league history designed to give players an extra few days off during the season. here in new york, the yanks are taking on the baltimore orioles and the boston red sox taking on the seattle mariners. it's a good weather day for baseball. >> you know it's spring. it was snowing last year for opening day for the yankees, i remember that. >> i didn't go. >> perspective. >> i'll wait till it warms up. we have that terrifying close call now in ohio. a semi truck barrelling into a parked school bus just as children were departing, narrowly missing them. but two on board were injured and diane macedo is here with the latest. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, diane. two people are recovering this morning. the video of this crash is heart-stopping, but a closer look shows this could have been

so much worse. this morning, two people injured in this horrific crash in ohio. a speeding semi possibly attempting to pass a school bus slams into the back of it just as two young children were stepping off. watch again and you see the students run to safety. officials say two other students were still on that bus along with the driver. this is the latest bus stop incident after a wave of tragic accidents across the country in the fall. a 2018 survey of school bus drivers in 38 states and washington, d.c., found that nearly 84,000 vehicles pass their buses illegally on a single day. that's an estimated 15 million violations during the school year. some end in close calls. others worse. this crash in tampa left two adults and five children injured and backpacks scattered on the shoulder of the road. >> there is a lady that was holding one of her -- the little boy and the little boy -- when she got hit the little boy flew out of her hand and he hit the ground and she flipped on her

face. >> reporter: in pennsylvania, a second grader was killed waiting at his school bus stop, and three young siblings in indiana were killed as they were about to board their bus on a busy road. that bus stop is now relocated to a side street and the driver charged with reckless homicide. now this new incident is raising even more concerns about children's safety and questions about why it happened. and a full incident report from the sheriff's office is expected early this morning so we'll find out a little more about what happened here. >> thanks, diane. >> thank you so much, diane. and now to that surprise turn of events in the case of that teen who pleaded guilty to pushing her friend off a bridge, the judge unexpectedly sentenced her to two days behind bars and now we're hearing exclusively from her family. gio benitez has the story. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning. there was already a plea bargain in place for 60 days of house arrest so the teen was supposed to walk free but the judge switched gears after the victim's mother asked him to

send taylor to jail. this morning the girl who pushed her friend more than 50 feet off this bridge is now behind bars. >> i think that you need to do some jail time. you could have easily killed her. >> reporter: in a surprising turn of events, 19-year-old tay'lor smith who pleaded guilty and was expected to avoid jail time was sentenced to 48 hours behind bars and an additional 38-day work crew. her former friend, jordan holgerson, looking on from the courtroom stone-faced as tay'lor is taken out in cuffs. jordan suffering broken ribs and punctured lung and she spoke out from her hospital room. >> i was like, i'm not ready, and then she pushed me. >> reporter: tay'lor appearing on "gma" just months ago as she awaited her fate. >> it's scary. i accept whatever the prosecutor thinks is best for me considering i caused not only bodily harm but emotional trauma as well. >> reporter: and pleading for leniency from the judge on

wednesday. >> although it may seem like my intent was to harm, this is false. jordan has passed through my thoughts repetitively since the incident. >> reporter: the victim's mother not buying it, standing up to counter tay'lor's statement. >> i don't believe she's shown any remorse. >> reporter: tay'lor's grandmother says this hurt her worse. >> they made her look like a monster. if you knew tay'lor, she's just not. she's got a heart of gold. she's a kid. >> reporter: and again, tay'lor will spend two days behind bars. her grandmother telling abc news that she's not saying tay'lor doesn't deserve some kind of consequence for her actions but that she didn't deserve what she called lies in that courtroom. >> when she was here before when i interviewed her i asked, do you think you can ever be friends again. did you get an answer to that? >> she said she loves that girl and hopes so one day. we'll see now after all of this. >> all right, gio, thank you so much.

now to that massive weed killer verdict. a jury awarding $80 million to a man who says roundup weed killer caused his cancer. abc's linsey davis is here with those details. good morning, linsey. >> reporter: good morning. i imagine anyone who is a homeowner with property that may have the potential to having weeds is going to be very interested in this story. the jury in california sided with 70-year-old edwin hardeman who says that roundup was a major factor in his non-hodgkins lymphoma. the jury awarding him that $80 million. now, bayer, the parent company of monsanto and roundup, says the killer has been proven safe for decades. the company sent abc news a statement, saying, they stand behind their products and they vow to appeal. this is one of thousands of lawsuits across the country. less than one year ago a man was ultimately awarded $78 million. >> you mentioned homeowners with weeds and i would be among them. i love gardening. i have those products in my house and i'm buying them every year so what are the options for

homeowners who are concerned when they hear a verdict like this and a jury sided with this man? >> i imagine that so many people are wondering, what do you do with this information today? well, this particular lawsuit focused around the safety of roundup's main ingredient glyphosate. now the epa says that products with the ingredient can be safe when you follow the directions. however, a division of the world health organization classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic. there are weed killers on the market that do not have this particular ingredient. >> you can also just hire your kids like i do to pull the weeds. it's really effective. >> the old-fashioned way. >> keeps them busy and they can earn some money. >> exactly. >> thanks, linsey. >> keeps them humble. coming up, was she an heiress or a scam artist? the woman accused of pretending to be wealthy, living a life of luxury in manhattan. did she steal hundreds of thousands of dollars, though? come on back. f luxury in manhattan. did she steal hundreds of thousands of dollars, though, come on back? mom?

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we're back with that woman accused of being a fake heiress pretending to be wealthy living a life of luxury here in manhattan but really stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars. she's now facing a judge. paula faris is here with those details. >> stealing from her friends albeit. good morning, robin. she fooled those in her elite circle for several years saying, among the many mistruths, that her father was a millionaire magnate when in reality he was a truck driver. from the outside, anna delvey appeared to live a life of glamour.

the globe-trotting german heiress sporting designer clothes, staying in fancy new york hotels and rubbing shoulders with the who's who of the manhattan social scene. but prosecutors say that delvey whose real name is anna sorokin is a scam artist who stands accused of stealing $275,000 from banks, hotels and friends, all part of an elaborate scheme to keep up her illusion of grandeur, claims sorokin. denies. >> i think that there is a lack of intent for any of the crimes in the indictment. what she did do is take advantage of a system that basically opened their arms and doors to anyone who had the appearance of being rich. >> reporter: prosecutors allege among other things sorokin told banks she was a german heiress in an attempt to secure $22 million loan to open a private club. she stiffed a friend with a $62,000 bill after inviting her on an all-expenses paid trip to morocco and never paid for a

$35,000 plane that she chartered to omaha. authorities also say she deposited bad checks and transferred the money before they bounced to help foot the $30,000 bill she racked up at the hotel she was living in. the 28-year-old seen here in this new exclusive video obtained by dailymail.com appearing in court for the opening statements of her trial on wednesday where her defense attorney argued she never intended to commit a larceny, saying, she came to the u.s. and was just buying time so that she could launch her own business and was planning on repaying her debts. >> there was no way that she could have committed this crime. the banks did no due diligence. they didn't look into anything. because if they did, they would know these were inaccurate documents. >> the defense that she didn't intend to steal it and she had every intention of repaying is not a compelling defense at all. >> reporter: sorokin's story first made headlines in this

bombshell "new york" magazine article last year. it caught the eye of both shonda rhimes and lena dunham who were both reportedly producing tv shows centered on her. now, regardless of how this trial ends, she is expected to be deported because according to authorities she's overstayed her visa, but those that ran in her circles didn't see red flags because when she had money she was doling it out generously, tips to drivers, tips to servers and when she didn't, she just said, i'm having problems moving my assets from europe. so it sounded legit but her attorney says she just exploited a system that was seduced by glitz and glamour. >> sounds like she overstayed her welcome. >> exactly. good one, amy. i think you just dropped the mike right there. she did. how do you follow that up? you know how you follow it up, with our "play of the day." that's coming up. our "play of the day." that's coming up.

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the star of this incredible video is pawel jankowski from poland who has 3,000 jumps and many, many b.a.s.e. jumps as well, so to sum it up, he didn't just throw caution to the wind. >> that was a good one. yeah, i still think there is a lot of caution involved with something like that. >> a little bit. how about we take a family trip and -- >> i bet ginger would do it. ginger would do it. >> i'll record you. >> no thank you. >> that's how it goes. coming up, how these high school girls took a stand after the boys did a hot or not list rating the girls' looks. we're going to talk to those young women coming up here on "gma." there they are. and it's the debate dividing the internet and our staff. what's the right way to slice a bagel, we ask. >> it's interesting. >> that's coming up. resting. >> that's coming up. signed by a record label. s band was a record deal? unbelievable. whenever we're about to get on a stage for a huge audience, i always give my dad, like, a facetime kinda moment.

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♪ ♪ mmm, exactly!ug liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. nice! but uh, what's up with your partner? oh! we just spend all day telling everyone how we customize car insurance because no two people are alike, so... limu gets a little confused when he sees another bird that looks exactly like him. ya... he'll figure it out. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ welcome back to "good morning america." welcome back to "good morning america." i want to take you to northern michigan so that's just between the u.p. and the lower peninsula and this is the straits of mackinac filled with ice and had a cargo ship on sunday that was stuck for more than 24 hours. they had to bring in an icebreaker to cut it out and get it going again so you know it's been a frozen end to the winter. everybody ready for some spring and we're about to get it.

check out this picture. this is from memphis from the botanic gardens there. obviously in full bloom. a lot of placing like new york city here, we're almost a week late when it comes to bloom but we're seeing it. oh. i do think allergies when i look at that picture too but the warmth is coming and it will be inspiring here. temperatures will head into the 60s for this weekend. this segment has been sponsored by adp. and coming up, how a group of high school girls were fighting back over a list rating their looks. they are speaking out on "gma." plus, what actress marcia cross is saying about her courageous cancer fight. and the worldwide "game of thrones" scavenger hunt. you still have t

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good morning, south bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is "abc7 mornings." good morning. i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings." and metrologist mike nicco has our forecast. >> hit-and-miss showers today. some small hail. we got a little bit of light rain along 237 and a little bit of sunshine breaking through the clouds. just be prepared, sunglasses and an umbrella today. here's a look at my accuweather seven-day forecast, spring warmth this weekend but more showers and cooler weather next week. >> not too much has changed in the last 30 minutes. we still have the rollover crash on southbound 17. they're working on getting tow trucks there now. and not sure if this is due to

roadwork, but westbound 580 we got a 30 minute delay. >> how some high school girls fought back after boys created a list rating them on their looks. stay tuned for that. we'll have tto harrison, the wine tcollection.. grace, you get the beach house,

just don't leave the lights on, okay? to mateo, my favorite chair. to chris, the family recipes. to craig, this rock. to jamie, well, let's just say, enjoy the ride. the redwoods to the redheads. the rainbows to the proud. the almonds to walter. the beaches to the bums. and the fog to, who else, karl. i leave these things to my heirs, all 39 million of you, on one condition. that you do everything in your power to preserve and protect them. with love, california.

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i just want to get it right now. call today. comcast business. beyond fast. good morning, america. it's 8:00. the new twist in the jussie smollett case overnight. the actor spotted leaving chicago as the fbi now reviews why prosecutors dropped those charges against the "empire" star. did his family use their heavyweight political connections? the latest this morning. the strong new storm brewing in the west packing heavy rain and snow. on a path from the west coast right into the middle of the country. ginger, of course, tracking the latest. taking a stand. the high school girls who confronted their male classmates over a list ranking the girls on their looks. how they banded together to deman action and a reckoning to

change their toxic high school culture. this morning, the girls in their own words about how they're changing high school for so many. marcia cross' cancer fight, speaking out about her health battle, sharing her story, saying she wants to end the stigma around her diagnosis and encouraging other patients to speak out about their own health battles. ♪ what you want aretha franklin like you've rarely seen her. a first look at the brand-new "amazing grace," interviews with those closest to her and the moment you see mick jagger dancing as aretha sings. ♪ living in america and the great bagel debate that has the internet in overdrive. this photo and tweet showing bagels bread sliced. it's pitting colleague against colleague, state against state. which way do you slice? and it's "veep" week on "gma." two of your favorite cast members here live this morning. >> and they're here to say -- >> good morning, america.

throwback thursday, a little peaches and herb. >> first concert i ever went to, manheim, germany. >> the shoulder shake. thanks for being with us on this thursday morning. we're going to do something exciting. going live from hundreds of feet below the sea. look at that, you're looking at parts of the ocean that no human eyes have ever seen before until now. it's the very first u.s. live remote from the indian ocean and we'll have much more coming up. you're going to want to stay tuned for that. >> they look so calm. >> yeah, i would not be. but first, we're going to go to the very latest on the jussie smollett case. the state's attorney defending the decision to drop charges against the "empire" star as the fbi reviews the case. let's go back to alex perez in chicago with the rest of the story. good morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael, that's right. we're learning the fbi is now reviewing the circumstances that led to that decision to drop the charges against jussie smollett.

now, the cook county state's attorney kim foxx is standing behind her office's decision to dismiss those 16 felony charges against the actor in exchange for two days of community service and the forfeiture of his $10,000 bond. now, president trump is tweeting about this this morning saying, the fbi and doj to review the outrageous case and calling it an embarrassment to our nation. now, foxx says that many nonviolent cases with similar charges end the same way but foxx herself now under fire. the national district attorneys association saying that the decision shows that rich and politically connected people are treated differently. now, smollett's attorneys are firing back in a statement saying, he should be allowed to move on with his life. michael. >> all right, thank you so much, alex. robin. okay, now we turn to a powerful new storm that is sweeping across the country bringing heavy rain, even snow and ginger is here tracking it

all. >> i want to start you out with a look at the storms happening wednesday in florida. look at this. indialantic, so central and eastern along the barrier islands, those winds whipping through and tearing the leaves off trees, enough hail in cocoa to cover the ground so a lot of spring breakers including brooke who sent me this video saw a waterspout on anna maria island. thankfully it did not come on land. i think we're going to see a lot of action but in a different part of the country tomorrow evening. that's why we wanted to bring you this. severe storms forecast from oklahoma city to tulsa tomorrow afternoon. this is a rain-plagued area that is going to get another 1 to 3 inches. you're going to add to the mississippi river which is already doing this in davenport, iowa, that train trying to get through. those images still coming in and will be, because we're still seeing the snow melt as we get into real spring. robin. >> those images are something else, ginger, thank you. coming up, how these teens took a stand after their classmates rated them based on their looks.

and rachael ray is here live cooking up pad thai in 30 minutes starting right now. get started, rachael. you better hurry up. we'll see if she makes it in time. and lara is upstairs. hey, lara. >> i cannot hear you because this is an amazing audience. hi, guys. [ applause ] tory and i -- hello, girlfriend. today it's about royal "deals & steals." we will help you look like a duchess for less and, guys, are you ready? it's going to be a big show. "good morning america" will be right back. [ applause ] what patients don't realize is what they eat and drink is likely acidic and then what's happening is the weakening of enamel. now is the perfect time for a toothpaste like the new pronamel repair. this toothpaste takes it to the next level. it takes minerals and it drives it deep into the tooth surface so that we can actively help repair weakened enamel. i do think dentists are going

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♪ i got a feeling that tonight's going to be a good night ♪ >> nicely done. wow. thank you. welcome back to "gma," everybody. rachael way -- rachael ray, a take-out favorite in 30 minutes or less. more on that coming up. okay, where is nick buffa from wkow? i should have known, you have the mike in your hand. where do you hail from, young man? >> what's that? >> where do you hail from? >> originally chicago, illinois. madison wisconsin. >> wisconsin. >> you do have that television voice. i love that. >> back to you, robin. >> thank you. >> the lottery winner was in wisconsin. >> i know. in the milwaukee area, unfortunately, y. >> didn't you still feel excited it was in your state? >> absolutely. yeah. >> it gives you just a tiny bit of hope. >> it does. it absolutely does.

>> thanks for sending us a tweet saying you're going to hang out with us. >> absolutely. thank you. good morning. [ applause ] >> i like it. >> he could be our roving reporter up here. >> yes. >> into the field now. >> i like the voice. thanks. >> thanks. >> "pop news." lots going on. good morning to my team. good morning to my friends and to you. and we begin with great news for fans of "sex and the city." the landmark series is getting a follow-up. i'm very excited about this. produced by that woman, the one who started it all, bestselling author candace bushnell. this is not a reboot. this one is based on her upcoming novel "is there still sex in the city" and it will look at sex after 50 taking on the very real pressure on women to have careers, maintain their youth, have it all basically. no word yet on possible stars or if any of the fab four from the original will be involved. but we can ask candace all about

it when she's live right here on "gma" to talk about her new book this summer. [ applause ] loving all the great tv out there. >> mm-hmm. also in "pop news" this morning, march madness under way. we're all so into it. >> we are. >> and we are learning more about one of the top-seeded team's strategy. coach k, he's been leading duke university's basketball team for nearly 40 years, he's widely considered one of the greatest coaches of all time and this morning we're hearing one of the many reasons why. it's beyonce, people. >> what? [ applause ] >> yes. secret ingredient to success. former duke star player quinn cook revealing that during a rough patch in the past season coach k led the team to a dark theater, he sat them down and he made them watch a long video of beyonce rehearsing. he was so impressed with her drive and her determination, he wants his own team to model her tenacity. coach k pointing out her hard work and how she transferred it

to the stage that night. that was the message, hard work at practice equals greatness on the court during games. [ applause ] it's a fun way to learn. >> yeah. >> really they got the message loud and clear. the duke blue devils considered front-runners to win the ncaa tournament. >> wow. very smart. [ applause ] >> yeah, there are lessons all around. >> who would have thought. >> on the giants, did you ever do anything like that? >> we watched "gladiator" with russell crowe. >> what was it about that? >> it's about persevering and going through -- >> fighting till the end. >> till the end, till the end. you don't give up and ended up winning the game. >> it works. >> it worked for you. >> it works. and this is the one we've all been talking about. we know twitter is a forum where people can just be real, debating pretty much anything they want. today it's -- come on in, guys, how to cut a bagel. [ applause ] i can't believe how much attention this is getting.

here's the close-up shot. >> it's not a bagel. >> it's a bagel. >> it's a bagel. alek had no idea he would cause this. he was just trying to do a nice thing, bringing bagels into his office for co-workers and he posted a picture on twitter saying, today i introduced my co-workers to the st. louis secret of ordering bagels bread sliced. well, you can cheer. not everybody was. some are calling it a schmear campaign. >> oh. >> thank you so much. bagel lovers demanding the breakfast bread be cut horizontally against the breakfast bread -- it has gone viral, people weighing in using the #bagelgate. one user said it looked like a bagel crime scene. another said never have carbs been treated so callously. and then people are questioning the whole st. louis style thing. one longtime resident posted a picture of pizza all cut up saying, in all his days he had never heard of this so-called

st. louis style. any way you slice it, guys, audience -- >> we got rachael ray. >> rachael ray, we need to you weigh in. >> i will eat bagels whole. who needs to cut them? [ applause ] i will put it on my arm and just kind of chew around. who cares? it's about if the bagel is good or not, right? [ applause ] >> i got to say, but this guy is smart. >> everything, that's what i want, an everything bagel. >> everything. >> this guy, i think he's smart because if he cuts it like that and takes it to the office he has to buy less bagels because he can serve more people. >> right, because you just get a little one. >> who wants one? >> a bagel chip. >> that's a bagel chip. >> robin, don't judge a bagel by its cut. >> i will not. >> life lessons from lara spencer. >> glad we got that all settled. [ applause ] all right, thank you, lara so much. leave those bagels for a snack

later on. >> but now to our "gma" cover story. it's about a group of teenage girls who are taking a stand after their male classmates created a hot or not list ranking them based on their looks. it's a story we first saw in "the washington post" and abc's erielle reshef sat down with some of the teens and you have the story for us this morning. >> i do. good morning to you, michael. good morning, everyone. those girls tell me they're taking a page from the me too movement saying they're tired of being objectified by their male classmates. now they're using that embarrassing list as a catalyst for change. >> we're finally standing up and saying we've had enough of this. we've had enough of being harassed, objectified and viewed as less than. >> reporter: these young women at bethesda chevy chase high school in maryland speaking out after a group of male students circulated a list ranking girls based on looks. >> how many of you were on the list? >> so how did it make you feel? >> i felt betrayed. i think of these people as friends. >> reporter: a sliding scale from 5 to 10, a number by each of their names.

>> what did you think when you first saw it? >> mine was down to the 100th place and i think that seeing that is seeing all your insecurities put together put into a number. >> it was like a knot formed in my stomach and then i started to obviously question my self-worth and my self-esteem. >> reporter: so they decided to take collective action. >> we designed these presentations in which we would go into underclassmen classes, one girl and one boy, and kind of give this presentation and discussion and talk about, you know, the different transgressions that happen, you know, in each grade level that impact not only girls but boys. >> reporter: but it wasn't punishment they were seeking for the boys. >> we initially spoke with administration and began working with the creators of the list in order to design kind of a school-wide approach to this issue of male toxicity in general. but this is not a story of punishment. it's definitely one of change and we should move on from that. you know, the boys rather than

being uncomfortable in school and fearful of the repercussions of their actions they're now working with us. >> you guys have talked about this culture of toxicity. how do you feel like things will change going forward? >> you know, this culture itself is something that's far bigger than our high school. but, you know, it starts with our generation. it starts with presentations to underclassmen. we have our school newspaper reporting about it, our school television show reporting about it, and we have other students setting up events all geared towards this toxicity. >> reporter: school leaders applauding the girls for banding together to create change. >> what was it like to have that cadre of young women march into your office and say we want something to be dong? >> it was amazing to see the students coming together and to be able to say, you know what, we want to be a part of lending understanding to what happened. we want to be a part of making a difference and making a change. >> reporter: these seniors now hoping their message will resonate far beyond these halls.

>> i don't know what it was inside of us that decided to take a stand but there's no turning back and we're starting a movement. this isn't a moment. >> reporter: they say it's been pivotal to their efforts. together they've initiated a month of programs including lectures and movies to educate younger students and hoping their impact is felt far beyond their graduation. but what's really interesting here is, the girls stress they didn't want punitive action against these boys. there were repercussion and had two-hour conversations with the girls where they had to apologize and fess up and now they're going forward with this productive initiative and really affecting future generation. >> sound like they're very direct in what they want and a great message. not only affects these girls but boys and it's these boys' insecurities that leads them to come up with this list like that in the first place. >> they say this is about everyone. >> a movement, not a moment. thank you, erielle. that's great.

now to actress marcia cross. the "desperate housewives" star is revealing her battle with cancer and she says she's doing it to break a stigma. diane macedo is back with that story. good morning again, diane. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. marcia cross is opening up about her battle with anal cancer. it's something she says even some doctors were uncomfortable talking about. now she's trying to change that and encouraging others to do the same. >> i'm feeling better now. >> reporter: former "desperate housewives" marcia cross is speaking out about her battle with anal cancer. >> as we always say there's no point in preaching to the choir. you have to go out into the world and try to set the youth on a different path. >> reporter: the 57-year-old actress opens up about her diagnosis in an interview with "people" magazine, encouraging other patients to speak out about their battles. >> i had a lot of shame about it and i think i could probably help by making a little dent in that stigma. >> reporter: the "melrose place" star first discovered she had cancer in november 2017 during

an annual checkup with her gynecologist. but despite dealing with radiation and chemotherapy she tried to find the humor along the way. >> she's managed to find the humor in the whole process and even in life now. >> reporter: now nearly a year in remission, and with a low chance of recurrence according to her doctor, cross says she's forever changed. and cross says she's now a million times more loving to herself. she also says she's very grateful for her doctor catching this early and she's encouraging others to get checked, robin, if they feel that something's not right and you can go to people.com for more. >> she'll help a lot by speaking out. thank you. over to ginger now. >> it's time for your "gma" moment, so how about we all have a little fun, a little smile for the day and we go to concord, new hampshire, where there are people who still want to hold on to winter. i promise. it's actually paula's grandson. watch this. one little strip of snow and ice left and you're taking it all in. whoo! it's like a luge. she said she thinks she's got a

future -- [ applause ] she thinks he's got a little bit of a future. i do too. thanks for sending that. you can send your "gma" moments right to my facebook page so we can have a little fun with your family and friends. look, robin and rachael are cooking. i was just saying you are about to cook something up that is one of my like arch-nemesis in food. i can't get it right. i am going to be watching every move. >> pad thai delicious and easy. >> right here. good morning. i'm "abc7 news" metrologist mike nicco. keep the umbrella handy. another day of showers and thunderstorms. a chance tonight with cooler weather and it will be dry through the weekend. it's a one on the storm impact scale. upper 50s to mid-60s today. how to upper 40s tonight. my accuweather seven-day forecast, enjoy the

i need to make that. i was just saying i want that recipe from rachael but right now we want some great deals, right? "deals & steals" time with tory johnson. we're going to make you look and feel like a royal and everything here is 50% off or more starting with luscious locks. >> yes. so these two, every single time we see them they have shiny, bouncy beautiful hair and that is super easy for everybody at home. it's a 10. we have four different collections from it's a 10. the one that i love the most is the silky collection and the keratin collection. if your hair has been abused, this is going to restore it, the silky collection, and this is just going to make it smooth and shiny. these are fabulous. normally $13.50, but all slashed in half and starts at $6.75. they're good ones. >> the jewels. >> next, we'll swing over here. okay, so i am obsessed with following the jewelry that

meghan wears from her -- the little studs we've got that she wore on her wedding night, the ones there, we've got them. these little crawlers that she was seen wearing, very recently, i mean -- >> i like the crawler. >> the crawlers are fabulous. >> i didn't know that's what they're called. >> that's what they are. big assortment from sterling forever in silver and gold normally $48 to $130, slashed up to 79%, starting at $11. yeah, yeah, okay. all right. >> fabulous little bag. >> so i need you to grab this little one over here and let's step over so, if you look at over there, kate's bag there is retailed for over $500. and i was determined when i saw that a few weeks ago to go find an alternative so the alternative lara is holding can be used as a little satchel, a clutch, a crossbody like this here and the price is unbeatable from k. carroll. normally $33. that one, $16.50. >> thanks, tory.

>> deborah lippmann. meghan broke royal protocol by wearing dark polish and she got rave reviews at the british fashion awards for her polish. >> good for her. she's a rebel. >> whether you want to go dark or light she has something for you. we got all of her amazing gel pro collection. $12 to $89, depending what you choose, it's all slashed in half, $6, and free shipping. >> very long lasting. >> okay, so, the first thing you notice when you look at the royals is like, those are eye patches, is their glow. they have a gorgeous glow. that's what wander beauty is all about. a gorgeous glow. their foundations, you have a little illuminator on from them and everything is a multitasker but great for all skin types and all shades. normally these start at $21, not today, everything from wander beauty starts at $10.50 because we slashed it in half. right there. okay, so foster grant. you grab those right there and then you can stand -- stand between the royal couple. so foster grants. who is behind those foster

grants? very, very similar to meghan's style. we have a big assortment for men, women and kids. everything is sturdy, scratch resistant and have the sun protection built right in. normally -- starting at $20 but all of these foster grants are $10 to $24. huge, huge savings. bigger selections than just these online. >> let me tell you -- >> you look good. >> this is a good list. we have partnered with all these companies. get the deals on our website. everyone here is going home with products from it's a 10 and deborah lippmann. [ cheers and applause ] thank you, tory. we will be right back. i wish you could smell it in here. rachael ray in the house and "veep." "good morning america" right back. "veep." "good morning america" right back. deborah lippmann.

good morning, north bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is "abc7 mornings." >> good morning. it's 8:23. a 4-year-old boy is in critical condition this morning after accidentally shooting himself in the head in an oakland home. he was playing when he found the gun under a bed yesterday. police this morning said that a man has been arrested. the boy did not live at the east oakland home where he was shot. we're going to take a look at traffic and alexis smith. >> good morning. we're looking at the bay bridge toll plaza. so we are looking at -- well, our pretty typical volumes. the metering lights have been on since 5:37 this morning. and in san francisco we have a crash involving a pedestrian.

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now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> hit-and-miss showers today. even a chance of a thunderstorm with small hail. one on our storm impact scale. don't let that stop you from going to the opening day at the

coliseum. we got some rain around milpitas right now. >> another update in about 30 minutes. you can find back here on "gma," recently i had the joy of heading to special olympics world games in abu dhabi and seeing the spirit of global competition among those athletes. people of determination, more than 7500 from all over the world competed in dozens of sporters and even though the games were thousands of miles away you can see the best of show right here on abc on saturday at 3:00 p.m. eastern, noon pacific and you can see for yourself the importance of special olympics and the impact that it has here in the u.s. and all around the world. [ applause ] michael and amy. >> it does have a big impact. thank you for bringing that to us. it is "veep" week on "gma" and

all week long we've been talking to the cast of the hit hbo comedy as it heads into its final season. two of the people who made it a hit from the beginning are here, anna chlumsky and reid scott. welcome. [ applause ] and each day the entire week we've had cast members here and we presented them with a question and we presented them with you two in mind. if you had to pick who would be the president and vice president from you who who would it be. gary cole says he wants you, anna, to be the president and you to be the vice president because he wants to see you boss him around. >> yeah. >> it feels right. >> does it feel right? you okay with that? >> i'm okay with that. vice president is like the paid vacation, man. >> that's true. that's true. yeah. do. >> do you like i just referred to you two? i'm supposed to boss you around. is that okay with you? >> i want to call you amy and

dan, huge fan of the show. let's say you did run, what would your characters' campaii n be? >> amy's slogan would be winning. just wants to win. anything. >> and because dan is just so wonderfully vain you know it would be make america handsome again. [ applause ] >> that's perfect. that's perfect. >> and now after seven seasons this is the final season so when you left the set for the final time did you take any souvenirs with you? >> well, i took -- well, actually dan is the only one who has seen amy wear one of these but the pa gentleman -- pajama, university of penn for her underdprad and took one of those and then, yeah, i took some undergarments. [ applause ] you don't want those to be recycled anyway.

>> i took all of my suits. >> really? >> all of them. >> they're stunning. they're stunning suits. >> our wardrobe designer kathleen is an absolute master and she brought knee in on the last day and it was like a retrospective of dan's suits over the past seven season, i was like, oh, hell, yeah, i'll take that one. >> tailored to you and -- >> yeah. >> they're prada often. >> duh. >> take the suit. >> take the suits. >> we're really excited obviously about this final season so who wants to see a sneak peek? [ applause ] >> amy, are you there? we're all ready for you, ma'am. hey, sweat pants, you can't just walk out. this isn't a terrence malick movie. sit. >> quiet, everyone, mommy is reading. okay, the networks have been -- i told them to expect a surprise announcement. >> maybe after the announcement we can finally sit down. still have a lot to talk about. >> we talk plenty, amy. >> not you, ma'am.

i was talking about the -- [ applause ] >> the insults on this show came fast and furious. >> yes. >> it is like -- it's an assault. >> i noticed there was a beep or something missing. i don't think that was a swear. just an interpret tiff gesture. >> keeping in mind that it is morning tv, do you have a favorite insult that's been thrown out there during the show. >> i mean my -- my favorite thing that amy said wasn't even really an insult as much as an observation but once said she felt like her -- like she was on life support and that everybody she worked with kept on unplugging the machine to charge their phones. and i thought -- i thought that was -- yeah, i thought that was gorgeous. >> the jonah character takes the brunt. we love -- doesn't he? [ applause ] and it's just so fun and there was one time in the hallway of

the west wing where dan greets jonah and he says what's up hepatitis j. >> did you keep that going. >> let's catch it on. we'll start it here today. >> hepatitis j is catching? [ laughter ] >> but sara will be here tomorrow. we want to pose that question to you. who would be the president and would would be the vice president and why? >> we've got a good answer. >> we'll -- so if sarah -- this is how -- if sarah is the most wonderful most beautiful human being and so is clea but sarah has this -- i don't know the guilelessness so for president we would all wake up in the beginning of a disney princess film where the birds are singing and we can speak to all of the forest animals and it's just -- and we would have a song and -- >> and clea would be vice president because she would be the dick cheney actually pulling -- >> she would be doing the down and dirty and the in itty gritty

because she can get stuff done. she is a good directer. >> we cannot wait to see what's in store. [ applause ] >> and can you see the final season of "veep" premieres sunday night on hbo. thank you, guys, for stopping by. >> thanks. >> we'll be right back, everybody. ♪ [baby crib musical mobile] millions are still exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke. and some of them can't do anything about it. but you can.

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back on "gma." aretha franklin's incredible career spanned more than half a century. she was the first woman inducted into the rock & roll hall of fame. now we're seeing the queen of soul like never before in a new documentary. juju is here with the exclusive look. i cannot wait to see this. >> it's really fun and, you know, this week would have marked aretha's 77th birthday and her family celebrated with a screening of this never before seen video which has been sitting in the can for nearly half a century. in it a 29-year-old aretha at the height of her powers is about to take us to church. ♪ what you want baby i got it >> reporter: she earned our respect as the queen of soul. ♪ all i'm asking is for a little respect ♪ >> reporter: and made us think. ♪ better think ♪ think about what you're trying to do to me yeah think ♪ ♪ think let your mind be free >> reporter: her voice transcending the times even

bringing president obama to tears at the kennedy center honors. ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪ >> reporter: but it all started with gospel. ♪ and her father the renowned reverend c.l. franklin. >> if you want to know the truth, she has never left the church. >> reporter: now in a new documentary we see aretha like never before. a film nearly 50 years in the making. ♪ amazing grace >> reporter: capturing aretha recording her iconic album "amazing grace." >> sing it. ♪ a wretch like me >> reporter: in an l.a. church. >> she's also making a recording

which is, you know, these are two things that are the holiest of holies to her. ♪ we should believe in each other's dreams ♪ >> reporter: the musical masterpiece finally realized and we sat down with those closest to the queen. the choir reacts. the pastor sobs. mick jagger is swaying in the background. not once during this performance did i feel like she was playing to the cameras. it's almost like she's oblivious to them. >> right. she was there to sing. she was there to perform and in this particular instance it wasn't about the cameras. it was more about, you know, the music and offering herself to the congregation. >> you know, america lost a legend. >> yes. >> you lost a mother. you lost an aunt. what was it like watching this performance? >> i actually welded up. i'm not going to lie. i welded up. the spirit ushered into the room that i was in while watching it. >> what kind of mom was she?

>> very loving. caring, always looking out for my best interests. always had my back no matter if i was right or wrong. >> reporter: aretha's leg is going well beyond music. ♪ r-e-s-p-e-c-t find out what it means to me ♪ >> "respect" became an anthem for women. she wasn't just a diva she was a feminist. >> before the women's rights came along. she was edge powered. all the music she put out just to project how strong she was as a woman and to give other women the sense that they can be strong as well and that they should be and that they should demand respect. ♪ higher ♪ higher >> who doesn't have goose pimples, right? she's among the highest grossing vocalists ten as a master class. this video languished for 46 years mostly because the filmmaker forgot the clapper so

they couldn't sync the video with the audio. they had reels and reels of it. >> that was the reason why? >> absolutely. >> thank god for digital technology. >> i know, i know. it's the perfect title. >> absolutely. >> "amazing grace." it hits theaters april 5th. to the game of hidden thrones. the hit show gearing up for its final season by sending its fans on a global scavenger hunt for six iron thrones hidden all over the world and abc's will reeve is here with more on that. will, good morning. >> good morning, amy. so the show's official twitter account launched this hunt early last week. fans immediately jumped on the challenge. most of these thrones around the world have been discovered but good news for you, there is one still out there. it's just over two weeks until one of the most anticipated season premieres in television history. and "game of thrones" fans are on the hunt for the throne itself all over the world. five of the six already found.

armed with vague clues on social media, and a constant live stream pointed at each throne fans have been on a global scavenger hunt to find them and stake their claim as the rightful ruler of the seven kingdoms. it's a unique marketing ploy for a show known for its extravagance on screen and off. single episodes are known to cost tens of millions to produce as new details emerge on what could be the most significant character of the final season, the night king who doesn't even exist in the george r.r. martin books at least not yet. >> they've always maintained they're focused on telling the best possible story. >> reporter: and that means what could be the most miss storious villain. telling "entertainment weekly" they don't think of him as evil, i think of him as death, adding and that's what he wants for all of us. it's why he was created and that's what he's after. the actor himself, a former

stuntman on the series, revealing just this month that everybody in this story has two sides, a bad side and a good side. the night king only has one side, a bad side. now no word on if the fans get to keep the throne once they find it although i think that if you did find it, it would make a great statement piece in front of your tv for the premiere in april like just sit on there. who do you think? you have an opinion on who is going to take the throne. >> i would really like it to be daenerys khaleesi, mother of dragon, girl power and jon snow could be right by her side. >> she's got dragons. >> i love it. exactly. thanks, will. we're excited because the stars of hit shot will be here all live on "gma" next week. >> we need to borrow one of those thrones. now a "gma" exclusive coming at you here, take a look at the new cover of "entertainment weekly." it's featuring bts. they are so huge they've got a new album on the way.

you can read the cover story now at ew.com. the new issue of "entertainment weekly" hits newsstands tomorrow. i'm just going to say, hi good morning. i'm "abc7 news" metrologist mike nicco. hit and miss showers and thunderstorms possible today with some brief downpopopopopopo >> amy, we are going under the sea. can't wait. >> we are heading to the very bottom of the indian ocean. a part of the planet that no one has ever seen. dr. lucy woodall and pilot randy holt part of the expedition, 418 feet below the surface for their first live broadcast to the u.s. dr. woodall is going to answer our viewers' questions and just a heads-up for you watching there may be a slight delay but i think it will be worth it.

a tweet, what kind of marine life exists down there, dr. woodall? nice to see you. >> hey, everyone. hey, amy. hey, amy, hey, everyone. great to be with you. so down here we can see the most amazing life. i think you've got some images that we've taken before of the sharks and the rays. currently here at this depth there's not much light so i'll show you outsid and what we have is a bunch of corals. they look different to those you might see on the surface. up at the surface those little algae that provide energy for the corals but down here they all live off their filter feeding in the water so they live off energy, little organisms in the water. >> wow. this is such a massive undertaking. i'm still kind of getting my head around the fact we're able to talk to you but talk about why you're going to such great lengths to explore this unchartered terrain.

>> absolutely. it is amazing to be down here. it's such a privilege but also a responsibility. our planet is one ocean, so we need to make sure we need to understand how it is connected. the indian ocean where we are right now is incredibly important to a number of different nations for their food security, so it's really important that we have a look here in the indian ocean. we're currently off the island of aldabra which is a protected site and have an opportunity to look at pristine environments, so that we understand what our ohs really should look like. >> it is so incredible. we appreciate you sharing that with us. dr. woodall and nice piloting there, randy. thank you so much. and we will be right back with rachael ray.

♪ i got a feeling [ applause ] fantastic. back here with my dear friend. we've known each other forever. >> we've known each other. >> we're talking about 30-minute meals. she's been whipping up this delicious pad thai. she dit in our studio in 30 minutes. >> way less. way less. >> i love to order pad thai. you say, lara, get it together. cook it at home. >> make your own take-out. you control the salt, the fat, the quality of ingredients. when you order take-out and you think you're eating healthy food, you know, there's a gallon of oil in it or sugars or things that you don't want in it. >> i know. >> you make your own. >> you're talented. >> no, everyone can do this. >> you have shown that on this show. >> i've been doing this 20 years. if i can cook, anybody can cook. i'm the most accident-prone person in the world.

>> and she really has always encouraged me. now you. this show has been such a hit. it is back. we arary calling it 30-minute meals 2.0. >> yeah. >> such a big show and you guys brought it back and you're doing a month's worth every single day. a 30-minute meal. >> one a day every day at high noon on food network for the entire month of april. you can see a new 30-minute meal and filmed them all literally started the clock, filled every second of that show with only those 30 minutes. >> this is a cool thing about what you did. >> if you watch it -- >> you started rolling and didn't stop the clock and at 30 minutes it was done. >> if you watch it on the food network app you can even see the outtakes. you know what i mean, what happened behind the scenes. every single episode all 30 mens. >> awesome. rach, why did you decide this show, what you've done so many of, should come back? what was the importance. >> a whole new generation and

people still need to eat fast, right? and there's so many basic rules that we all forget. you do your big shop one day of the week. you put everything away clean. you will make more food all week long. there are so many life skills we don't teach in school anymore like home ec. [ applause ] >> so we're going to learn. >> it's hike a home ec for a new generation. >> i highly recommend it. nice little kick. egg in it. i can tell it's so much healthier. >> you can eat it for breakfast because it has eggs. >> check out my friend's rebooted new season, "30 minute meals" premiering on food network. the woman is a machine. >> i got to go to my job. >> yeah. >> we'll be right back on "gma." i love this.

i'm paige, and well the little thing that i like about the grilled chicken sandwich is that it's picture perfect. it's juicy and it just has all the right combinations. i think i could be considered a grilled chicken sandwich influencer. my name is frank and the little thing i like about the grilled chicken sandwich is the first bite. i love how juicy the chicken is but there's also the tomatoes and the lettuce and it's incredible. make sure you get it with waffle fries, because that's my favorite.

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try my $4.99 sourdough patty melt combo. good morning good morning bay area. it's 8:59. i'm reggie aqui. and mike nicco has a look at your forecast. >> one on the storm impact scale. some scattered showers and a chance of a thunderstorm with some small hail. don't let that stop you from going to the a's opener. take the sunglasses you'll need them but also take something to keep you dry. you can see a few showers on live doppler 7. through the weekend, some warm sunshine. >> we got a sig alert in the south bay. it sounds like a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle. we've got three lanes blocked also looking like onlooker delay in the other direction and a 40-minute backup approaching the

richmond-san rafael bridge. >> thank you. time now for "live with kelly and ryan" and we'll see you again at 11:00 a.m. for "midday live." our repor [cheers and applause] >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan." today, "hostile planet" host, bear grylls and star chlumsky. and here for another day of cohosting, katie lowes. and now, here are ryan seacrest and katie lowes. ♪ [cheers and applause] >> ryan: how are you? hey, guys. how are you? hello.