tv America This Morning ABC March 29, 2019 4:00am-4:31am PDT
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making news in america this morning, president trump on the attack. >> the collusion delusion is over. >> taking a victory lap claiming democrats have defrauded the country, even mocking one top democrat as a, quote, pencil neck. this morning, what we're learning about special counsel robert mueller's report. plus, breaking overnight, a judge issues a key ruling in the health care debate. also new this morning, why did prosecutors drop the charges against actor jussie smollett? the original explanation now in doubt. what a court document has now revealed as the actor gets a bill from the city of chicago. the secrets of siegfried & roy.
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a former worker for the two las vegas icons breaks his silence about that tiger mauling on stage. the new claim of a cover-up. plus, parents reacting to a new stroller crackdown at disney world. and from the man who took flight in the wind on this umbrella to this secret party in a hot tub, to these people having a really good time, all the best video to kick off your friday morning. good friday morning, everyone. we'll get to that new court ruling on obamacare in just a moment. but first president trump taking a victory lap claiming the so-called russia hoax is finally dead. >> at his first rally since the mueller report was released, the president declared total vindication and accused democrats of spreading misinformation. in the meantime, democrats are stepping up demands to see all of mueller's report, which we've now learned is more than 300 pages.
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>> abc's mona kosar abdi has the details from washington. mona, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, janai. good morning, kenneth. it took robert mueller 22 months to complete his entire investigation. he then turned over what we've learned were hundreds of pages detailing his findings, so now democrats question, why then was the attorney general's summary only four pages long? a fired up president trump out for vengeance in the battleground state of michigan. >> the russia hoax is finally dead. >> reporter: in his first post-mueller rally, trump ripped into the russia investigation and had some profane words for the democrats who continue to probe him. >> the democrats have to now decide whether they will continue defrauding the public with ridiculous [ bleep ] partisan investigations. >> reporter: trump then said his opponents were on artificial respirators singling out house intelligence chair adam schiff. >> little pencil neck adam schiff.
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>> reporter: ahead of the rally trump and house republicans called on schiff to resign from congress for promoting a collusion theory. but schiff only doubled down insisting mueller's failure to find a criminal conspiracy does not absolve the president. >> my colleagues may think it's okay that the russians offered dirt on a democratic candidate for president. i think it's immoral. i think it's corrupt. >> reporter: the president continues to claim complete exoneration, however, to date no one outside of the justice department has seen mueller's 300-plus-page report. >> show us the report, and we can draw our own conclusions. we don't need you interpreting for us. it was condescending, it was arrogant, and it wasn't the right thing to do. >> reporter: and that was house speaker nancy pelosi there criticizing attorney general william barr's four-page summary of mueller's findings. democrats have already said that they will subpoena barr if he does not turn over the full
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report by april 2nd, but, janai and kenneth, barr has already said that he will not be making that deadline. >> april 2nd just next week. mona, thank you. and the trump administration has suffered another legal setback in its fight to replace obamacare. a federal judge last night rejected a rule that would have made it easier for small businesses to buy cheaper health insurance that doesn't meet coverage rules of obamacare. the judge called it a violation of the federal law. education secretary betsy devos says she's on the same page as president trump when it comes to funding the special olympics. before leaving for michigan, the president abruptly reversed his administration's budget proposal which proposed cutting nearly $18 million from the special olympics. devos had previously defended the proposed cuts despite fierce criticism from both democrats and republicans. >> just to be very clear -- >> let me ask you, did you personally approve the $18
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million cut of the funding for the special olympics? >> no, i didn't personally get involved in that. >> i want to tell you whoever came up with that idea at omb gets a special olympic medal for insensitivity to think we can't spend $18 million to support -- >> the president said he only learned about the proposal yesterday. we're following several developments in the jussie smollett case. the city of chicago is now demanding smollett pay $130,000 for the investigation into the alleged hate crime against him. meanwhile, new doubts are being raised about the explanation prosecutors gave for dropping the charges against him. >> hey, jussie, welcome back to l.a., jussie. >> thank you. >> reporter: this morning, jussie smollett is facing the public. >> what do you want to say to your fans, jussie? >> my fans already know how much i love them. >> reporter: landing in los angeles where the actor may reportedly attend the naacp image awards this weekend. he's nominated for his former role in "empire." ♪ this ain't about you >> reporter: back in chicago backlash is growing after prosecutors dropped all charges against smollett in exchange for
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him forfeiting his $10,000 bond and completing two days of community service. smollett had faced 16 felony charges after police say he staged a hate crime on himself to bolster his profile and career. >> this is a whitewash of justice. >> reporter: now mayor rahm emanuel is demanding smollett pay the city more than $130,000 for the cost of the investigation. >> when he does pay the city back, in that memo section he can write, i'm sorry, and i'm accountable for what i've done. >> reporter: smollett's defense team is firing back saying he's paid enough and accusing mayor emanuel of dragging an innocent man's character through mud. meanwhile, the surprising deal to dismiss the multicount indictment against smollett is raising new questions. prosecutors first suggested the charges were being dropped because of a special state program that allows first-time offenders accused of certain nonviolent crimes to have their cases suspended. >> our office handles cases like this, class four felonies, disorderly conducts in this way often. many of them with similar
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outcomes. that is in no way an indication by this office that he's not guilty of the crime that he was accused of. >> reporter: but according to abc chicago station wls, there was no mention of that special program in the transcript of smollett's court appearance, and that program would have required certain conditions including a year of community service and full restitution to the victim, in this case the city of chicago. neither of those conditions were met. president trump is now weighing in slamming the decision to drop the charges. >> that's a terrible situation. that's an embarrassment not only to chicago, that is an embarrassment to our country, what took place there. >> reporter: and this morning, the illinois prosecutors bar association is criticizing cook county prosecutors saying they have fundamentally misled the public on the law and circumstances surrounding the dismissal. the state's attorney and cook county has not yet responded to these latest developments. new details overnight about the deadly boeing 737 crash in ethiopia.
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according to "the wall street journal," a preliminary report says the plane's stall prevention feature activated before the jet crashed. that's the same system that malfunctioned in last year's crash in indonesia. boeing says a proposed software update will make it easier for flights to take control of the system. time now for a look at your weather for this friday morning. this may look like a pile of cut diamonds, but it's shards of ice on the surface of a lake in michigan. the lake froze over the winter and just began melting this week. looking at the radar right now, a storm system is moving into the plains and stretching into the ohio valley. up to three inches of new rain could fall in some areas. looking at today's high temperatures, a lot of 70s on the map, 50s and 60s in the northeast but still in the 40s across much of the midwest today.
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we're back with this terrifying crash at a bar near st. louis. police say a drunk driver fled the scene after crashing into the bar coming right through the wall. three people were hurt, but everyone survived. and watch this tanker roll over in northern virginia. the truck was carrying 8500 gallons of fuel, which crews worked through the night to offload. the driver thankfully is okay.
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new york state is taking aim at the family who is at the center of the opioid crisis. the state has expanded a lawsuit against purdue pharma to include the sackler family, which has controlling interest in the company. new york's attorney general called the sacklers the masterminds behind the crisis claiming the family knew they were selling products that werely addictive and could have prevented deaths. both purdue and the sacklers say they're being unfairly blamed. pickup truck owners are notoriously loyal to their brands, but a new survey shows that might be changing. many owners now say pickups are overpriced and short on quality. nearly 70% now say they would switch truck brands if their favorite company raised prices, and 17% say they probably would not buy another pickup truck. disney is cracking down on oversized strollers. walt disney world and disneyland will no longer allow strollers that are longer than 52 inches and wider than 31 inches.
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disney, our parent company, says it's to reduce congestion. most strollers do not exceed the new regulations including double jogging strollers. but the new policy is still drawing mixed reviews. one person tweeted at disney, you guys are making parents' lives harder by making these unnecessary rules. another person wrote, no more double wide strollers. thank you to the mouse. coming up -- i've been run over by them. coming up, something we never thought we'd see at a tailgating party. also ahead, a big win for people who want to ban plastic grocery bags. but first two men wrongly convicted of murder finally walk free after 42 years behind bars. how they finally got justice next. better things than rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. when considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz xr
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a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis or active psoriatic arthritis for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. it can reduce pain, swelling, and significantly improve physical function. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened. as have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, low blood cell counts, higher liver tests and cholesterol levels. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. your doctor should perform blood tests before and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you've been somewhere fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr you'll make my morning, buty the price ruin my day.ou? complicated relationship with milk? pour on the lactaid, 100% real milk,
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just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good. 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. ♪ before i head ♪ it's what i'm lookin' for ♪ today's the daisy i do ♪ daisy it's true ♪ before i get on the move ♪ i grab my special food ♪ today's the daisy i see ♪ the difference in me ♪ today's the daisy for cottage cheese (cottage cheese) ♪ ♪ today's the daisy for cottage cheese (cottage cheese) ♪ ♪ today's the daisy! we're back with a modern-day version of "gone with the wind."
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three men in turkey tried to stop this weighted umbrella from blowing away. >> one of them and the umbrella flew ten feet into the air. well, you can't see it. he jumped off right away and wasn't hurt but went for quite a little ride. >> yes, he did. did he pay for that? it's like a disney ride. we turn now to the two men set free after being wrongfully convicted of murder 42 years ago. >> one of them even faced the death penalty, but thanks to newly discovered evidence, they're tasting freedom for the first time since 1976. this morning, finally free. >> praise the lord. >> reporter: nathan myers and his uncle clifford williams walked out of prison and kissed the ground. a recent review found the two men from jacksonville were wrongly convicted of murder 42 years ago. >> i'm nervous, you know, because i feel like i'm still locked up. >> reporter: myers and williams have maintained their innocence since they were charged in the 1976 death of jeanette williams
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and the shooting of her roommate. in 2017 myers wrote a letter to the state's attorney hoping the newly formed innocence project would look at the case. >> his letter sat for a year because at that time the conviction integrity unit was still just an idea. >> reporter: the team reviewed the case and found a witness account contradicted the evidence. it turns out witnesses who could have provided the men with an alibi were never called to testify, and even more shocking, their defense attorneys at the time never entered any evidence to support their case. the innocence projects concluded the men were not only wrongfully convicted but likely innocent. it's the first time in florida's history that a conviction reversal has been initiated by prosecutors. >> we would only devote our resources to those cases where petitioners had pled claims that could be substantiated, claims of actual innocence. >> reporter: the case all the more disturbing because williams who is now 76 was initially
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facing the electric chair. >> my mother, she died while i was on death row, and i just wanted to get out and be with -- >> wrongfully convicted people are eligible for compensation from the state, but reports say williams isn't eligible because of his prior felonies. an animal trainer who worked with siegfried & roy now says the real cause of the near fatal tiger attack that shut down the pair's las vegas show was covered up. when roy horn was mauled by a tiger in 2003, the explanation was that he suffered a stroke and the tiger reacted to protect him. but chris lawrence, who was on stage at the time, now claims roy is to blame because he wasn't following the correct procedure and confused the tiger. lawrence tells "the hollywood reporter" he's had ptsd since the attack. new york state is set to join california in banning plastic bags.
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a proposal to ban single use plastic bags for retail sales is included as part of a state budget plan. new yorkers use an estimated 23 billion plastic bags each year. to march madness, part two of the sweet 16 plays out tonight. part one last night saw two of the number one seeds moving on including virginia. the cavaliers beat oregon by four points. but the best game of the night ran into o.t. purdue faced the extra session and then went on to beat tennessee by five points. that game was meaningful for another reason. it destroyed the last perfect bracket in the world. gregg nigl was 49-49 until that game. in baseball, the dodgers set an opening day record hitting eight home runs in their win over arizona, but the real highlight from opening day came from the texas rangers game. listen to the walk-up song one player chose.
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♪ baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo ♪ ♪ baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo ♪ ♪ baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo ♪ ♪ baby shark >> oh, my gosh. >> that's elvis andrus who picked "baby shark" as his walk-up song. we're guessing it's his son's favorite tune. and there was one other big highlight from baseball's opening day. we take you to milwaukee and reporter hillary mintz. >> reporter: brewers' tailgate opening day, you expect to have all the classics, the grill, the food, the beer, but you've never seen anything like this. come with me. check out what's inside this truck. that's a hot tub tailgate. >> cheers. >> the hot tub was inflatable and fit perfectly inside that u-haul. >> pretty cool or pretty hot. up next in "the pulse," the famous man still using a flip phone. also ahead, an explanation for why those garfield phones keep washing up on the beach. and which show is better, "the big bang theory" or "cheers"?
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the new milestone in tv history. he big bang theory" or "cheers"? the new milestone in tv history. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ walgreens... battle beautifully so you don't have to stash antacids here....tc and take control of heartburn. walgreens... here... or here. kick your antacid habit with prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. air wick take in fragrance inspired by nature with air wick essential mist. it transforms natural essential oils into mist; filling the room with fragrance, pausing when it's just right.
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♪ 8675309, 8675309 ♪ 309 time to check "the pulse" starting with billionaire warren buffett pouring his money into apple stock, but he's not quite ready to spring for an iphone. >> buffett is still old school and as happy as ever using his $20 flip phone, and it's a samsung. >> he joked that alexander graham bell gave it to him. >> was he joking? >> that's why he's a billionaire. next to a big mystery involving a cartoon cat. >> for 30 years telephones shaped like garfield have been washing ashore in a coastal town in france. no one knew why until now. it turns out a shipping container carrying the phones was lost in a storm back in the
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1980s. >> the container was recently found in a nearby cave. >> oh. >> makes sense. next a tv milestone involving "the big bang theory." >> the show began shooting its 276th episode this week. that makes it the longest running multicamera sitcom ever passing "cheers." >> the show is currently in its 12th and final season. >> wow, maybe all they wanted to do was pass "cheers." >> and now they can end. >> yep, we did it. >> done. finally we've heard of synchronized swimming, but how about synchronized cycling? check out these young ladies from switzerland. >> whoa. >> whoa, okay. >> yeah. >> let's just say they're wheelie, wheelie good at what they do. their choreography is probably as good as any ballet troupe. >> that's incredible. >> i mean, you can barely ride a bike. >> i was just going to say that you could barely -- ah. >> i beat her to it.
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>> yeah. >> they are good. that's fancy and -- >> we could ride a tandem bike. >> that would be -- let's do it. >> do it. >> just like. it was here. i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers. my doctor and i chose xarelto®. to help keep me protected from a stroke. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner... significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. in a clinical study, over 96% of people taking xarelto® remained stroke-free. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily or take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines.
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did you really need the caps lock? get tough on cold and flu symptoms. mucinex cold and flu all-in-one. good morning bay area. this is abc 7 mornings. it is lyft's big day. the company is leading the charge of bay area companies going public. presidential candidate brings his campaign to the bay area. his husband gives us a lesson in pronouncing the last name. sparkling like a jewel in this live shot from the exploratorium camera. goodbye rain and hello sunshine. we're ready for the weekend. it's friday, march 29th. >> we've made it. meteorologist mike nicco is here with good news, question mark. >> somewhat. there could be a few leftover showers in the north bay today. there you go. they're moving off to the east and they're very light.
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that's the only game in town. it is cooler this morning. most of us in the 40s. we have mountain view at 50. san francisco at 51. danville, one of the cool spots at 40 degrees. here's a look at the highs. 60 to 65 degrees. 58 at half moon bay. there's still a chance across the north bay of a random shower or two. for the rest of us, get the sunglasses out and put the umbrellas away for a few days. more on the chances of rain next week. here's alexis. >> good morning, mike. a brob lem in the east bay. a collision involving a big rig and sedan on 238 past of 580 merge. we have a backup through the castro valley area. initially, it was off on the right shoulder. sounds like it's blocking lanes 2 and 3. not sure about injuries yet. they are call for a tow truck. i'm staying on top of that one. bay bridge toll plaza looking good with the exception of the cash lanes. no issues if you're using fastrak. we'll see what time the metering
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lights get flipped on. spring break for some folks and it's friday. maybe a few extra minutes before they're turned on. >> thank you, alexis. developing news in the east bay as concern over measles is spreading. >> the alameda health department is warning people who visited a barbecue restaurant they may have been exposed. amy hollyfield is live for us in livermore. amy? >> reporter: reggie, tay is important. you have six days to get the medication and today is the sixth day. if you were here at this restaurant, sauced, in livermore on saturday night and you think you were exposed and you have not been vaccinated for measles, you have six days to get medication. today is that sixth day. according to the health physicians, measles is an air important virus and can be spread by just talking. there are certain people at risk and need to be aware. >> pregnant women, families with
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infants who are under 12 months of age that were at the restaurant, people with compromised immune systems. >> reporter: saucedish uds this statement saying we have contacted all of our staff and there's currently no risk at our restaurant. we don't want to hurt sauced business. we want to make people aware if you were here saturday night, you need to pay attention to this story. health officials say the measles is very contagious. that's why the warning was put out. they want to can contain. they don't want it to spread. amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. thank you for the warning, amy. the case in alameda county is one of several reported in the bay area. international tourists with measles visited more than a half a dozen cities in the south bay. a person ate at several restaurants and went into several stores between march 16th and march 22nd. to find out more information
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