breaking news in america this morning, an up close view of violent storms tearing across the south. a disaster declared overnight. the death toll rising. the new images coming in and where the storms are heading next. the battle to re-open. president trump for the first time saying he disagrees with georgia's decision to re-open barber shops, gyms and bowling alleys. the fallout this morning. plus, the new statement from senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. his message to states facing financial ruin because of the virus. a bombshell accusation from the official in charge of finding a coronavirus vaccine. why he claims he lost his job for defending science. and what his supervisors are now saying. plus, the growing debate over whether schools really need to be closed through the summer.

our medical expert weighs in. a force for good. how a 6-year-old has inspired a movement thanks to the savings in her piggy bank. and from the beatles to the boss to bon jovi and tony bennett, how the biggest names in music are trying to cheer us up during the coronavirus lockdown. good thursday morning, everyone. we do begin with breaking news. authorities declaring a disaster after severe storms overnight. >> dramatic video from oklahoma shows one of several reported tornadoes. the storms also causing major destruction in texas. >> across both states at least five people have been killed and dozens injured. >> oh, my god. >> right above j & i. >> reporter: this morning a massive tornado caught on camera roaring through southern oklahoma slamming into a sheet metal business. the twister sending shrapnel hundreds of feet into the air.

>> golly. it's huge. >> reporter: witnesses say several vehicles were thrown into trees and this semi truck blown over. >> but look at that. that thing is getting larger and larger and larger. that thing is violent. that is a violent tornado. >> reporter: overnight officials in oklahoma confirming at least two people were killed from the storms. >> here comes the rain. >> reporter: farther south in tornado touching down in polk county injuring at least ten people. local authorities declaring a disaster reporting significant damage to homes and public infrastructure. pictures of the damage showing homes destroyed and trees splintered. jessica willey of our houston station was there. >> you see huge trees were uprooted. you can see power lines are down. >> reporter: new drone video showing one neighborhood devastated. despite the destruction, nature's beauty also on display. this rainbow clearly visible with the passing storm in the backdrop. at least one death is also reported in louisiana, and a

tornado has been confirmed on the ground southeast of jackson, mississippi. we'll have a closer look at the forecast in just a few moments. but we do now turn to coronavirus emergency and several developments overnight. >> president trump says he disagrees with georgia re-opening some businesses tomorrow. scientists warn the state could still be days away from the peak of the crisis. >> meanwhile, we've learned about a potential game changer in treating severely ill patients. the red cross will soon begin offering antibody tests for people who think they've had the virus and want to donate plasma. >> the pace of testing has been a major frustration but some good news from los angeles. the mayor says beginning today, testing will be available to all essential workers in the city. >> many states are desperate for federal aid to overcome the financial toll of this crisis but senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says not so fast. he says states looking for a bailout from congress may need to use the bankruptcy code instead. we begin our coverage with the debate over re-opening stores. abc's megan tevrizian has the

latest. >> reporter: this morning, tensions mounting over when to lift the coronavirus lockdowns. in georgia, the governor has called to re-open gyms, bowling alleys and barber shops tomorrow is facing pushback from city leaders across the state. >> there is nothing essential about going to a bowling alley in the middle of a pandemic. >> reporter: and now even president trump and dr. anthony fauci are voicing their opposition to the governor's plan. >> i want him to do what he thinks is right, but i disagree with him on what he's doing. >> there are certain checkpoints before you can even think about going into a phase one. >> reporter: a source familiar with the phone call between president trump and georgia governor brian kemp says the conversation was amicable but the president asked the governor if he could limit the businesses re-opening until may 1st. overnight kemp defending his plan on twitter saying he appreciates the president's leadership but adding, our next measured step is driven by data and guided by state public health officials.

we will continue with this approach to protect the lives and livelihoods of all georgians. models show virus deaths in georgia aren't expected to peak until this sunday. this map from the university of washington shows when each state should begin lifting restrictions. the green states suggesting sometime in may. but the data shows georgia should not lift restrictions until june 8th or later. small business owners now facing tough choices as they wait for the federal government to roll out the second loan relief program, and that may still not be enough. former starbucks ceo howard schultz predicts businesses will likely need $1 trillion in relief. >> i estimate, and this could be conservative, that at least 30% of america's small businesses and independent restaurants will permanently close as a result of not having an economic bridge to a vaccine. that is the issue. >> reporter: john douglas, the owner of this barber shop in atlanta, says despite the urgent

need to get back to business, opening tomorrow is too risky. >> i was excited, but then i had to just sit back, calm down, relax and just realize that it's probably not the right time. >> reporter: in las vegas, the mayor is more optimistic pushing to re-open casinos but without a specific plan. >> why as mayor of a city that you are responsible for the people's safety are you calling for something that you have no plan for how it would be done safely? >> i am not a private owner. that's the competition in this country. for a restaurant to be open or a small boutique to be open, they better figure it out. that's their job. that's not the mayor's job. >> so let me ask you -- >> reporter: in the meantime, the director of the cdc is clarifying what he said about a second wave of the virus possibly being worse later this year saying he was misquoted. the president downplaying the risk of a major resurgence during flu season, but then he was seemingly contradicted by

dr. fauci moments later. >> he's talking about a worst case scenario where you have a big flu and you have some corona. if it does come back it's not going to come back and i've spoken to ten different people, not going to be like it was. >> we will have coronavirus in the fall. i am convinced of that. >> reporter: as for when to re-open, a pullout this morning finds 80% of americans think these strict shelter in place measures are worth it to protect against the virus and 80% of the people surveyed said they can handle staying at home for another month. kenneth, mona. >> all right, megan, thank you. this morning, new accusations about china's role in spreading disinformation about the virus here in the u.s. intelligence officials say agents working for china helped spread rumors last month about a nationwide quarantine. the national security council had to issue a rare statement saying the reports were false. doctors in new york are trying to get the word out about a disturbing trend. sudden strokes in young adults with covid-19. the virus appears to cause blood clots, even for otherwise

healthy people in their 30s and 40s and most of them were quarantined at home with mild symptoms or none at all. doctors say some people have delayed calling 911 but quick treatment is vital. >> it may be an anomaly, time will tell. we think it's significant. it's a sevenfold increase in the rate, and it now circles our professional circles in the stroke community. there is a lot of talk about the increasing number of strokes occurring. >> doctors say they're now treating as many patients as they can with blood thinners even if there is no evidence of clotting. hypertension is also proving to be a big factor with the virus. a new study found 57% of sick patients had already been struggling with high blood pressure. more than 50 food processing plants in the midwest have shut down because of the coronavirus. the list now includes one of the biggest pork plants in the country owned by tyson foods in iowa. meanwhile, the demand at food bank is only growing. pittsburgh's airport was turned into a food distribution center yesterday.

more than 800 cars lined up. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. the radar shows heavy storm activity in the southeast with tornadoes possible today in alabama, georgia and florida and stretching into the carolinas. sunny and dry conditions expected in texas and oklahoma in the wake of the deadly tornadoes late yesterday. looking at today's high temperatures, expect 80s in dallas and new orleans, readings in the 50s for the northeast but only 45 degrees in detroit. 60s from denver to portland, oregon and a toasty 98 in phoenix. coming up, why president trump's interest in buying greenland is back in the news. also ahead, a big story developing overnight. the man in charge of developing a vaccine for the coronavirus claims he's been forced out of his job because he defended science. what his bosses are saying.

and for the first time pet cats test positive for the coronavirus.

babies aren't fully developed until at least 39 weeks. a healthy baby is worth the wait. -hi, america. -hey, there, america. -hi, america. -hi, america. during this crisis... over 37 million people... don't have access... to nutritious foods. but there is a way we can all help. with feeding america. their network of 200 food banks are up and running. distributing food to people and communities they serve. across the country. please visit feedingamerica.org... to locate a food bank

in your community. -together... -together... -together... -let's feed the love. ♪ back now with the u.s. expanding its diplomatic presence in greenland eight months after president trump expressed interest in buying the island. the trump administration is expected to announce an economic aid package for greenland, which technically belongs to denmark. the aid package is aimed at countering russian and chinese influence in the arctic ocean but a government official in denmark says the u.s. offer, quote, crosses the line when it comes to influence. we turn now to accusation by the man who was overseeing a possible vaccine for the coronavirus.

he claims he lost his job for purely political reasons because he opposed using a drug touted by president trump. abc's alex presha has the new details this morning. >> reporter: this morning the doctor who led the key federal agency that's developing a vaccine to fight the coronavirus is suddenly out of his job. dr. rick bright says he was removed from his post this week because he claims he insisted on rigorous science based vetting of hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug that's been embraced by president trump. >> i think it could be something really incredible. we're having some very good things happening with it. >> reporter: dr. bright in a statement he released after being transferred to another agency declared, i am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science, not politics or cronyism, has to lead the way. bright says he defied directives to push the malaria drug saying it was being promoted by the administration as a panacea but clearly lacks scientific merit. hours later during the white house briefing president trump says he doesn't know dr. bright. >> he has been pushed out of his job because he raised questions

about hydroxychloroquine and some of your directives on that. was he pushed out that have job? >> i never heard of him. if a guy says he was pushed out of a job, maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. i don't know who is. >> reporter: the veterans administration tried the drug on covid-19 patients who had underlying conditions and researchers found it could lead to a higher death rate. but in a new statement overnight, responding to dr. bright's claims, the department of health and human services says it was bright's decision to acquire the drug, writing, as it relates to chloroquine, it was dr. bright who requested an emergency use authorization. we haven't heard the end of this story. there is at least one democratic senator now calling for an investigation into dr. bright's removal, kenneth and mona. >> alex presha, thank you. two cats in new york are now the first pets in the u.s. to be diagnosed with coronavirus. doctors say both likely got the virus from their owners. the cats showed symptoms similar to those experienced by humans. >> the cat presented with symptoms of upper respiratory infection, so sneezing, coughing, watery nose, nasal

discharge and eye discharge and lethargy. the cats that i have been dealing with is completely back to normal health and was just sick with some mild symptoms for a few days. >> and seven larger cats including lions and tigers have tested positive at the bronx zoo. coming up, a new concern when it comes to restaurants re-opening. could the air-conditioning spread coronavirus? also ahead, the debate over whether schools really need to stay closed through the summer.

(vo) thank you to all the front line heroes for leading this fight. for early mornings, late nights, double shifts, and overnights, for calloused hands and skin scrubbed raw. and for being brave enough to go to work today. thank you, from all of us cheering you on. [overlapping applause and cheers] back now with a major headline from california. we're learning more about two deaths from the coronavirus as early as february 6th. >> that's weeks before the previously known first death in the u.s. earlier i asked dr. alok patel about the significance of these cases. >> everything we know right now about the person who passed away

in the beginning of february there wasn't a clear travel history to any coronavirus hot spot. now, she did work in a company where some people were traveling around, but it's more likely that she spread it within the community. >> so is this saying something about how california has been impacted by the coronavirus crisis and also about herd immunity? >> the reason i don't think it's likely is as far as every estimate we know, we need about 60% of people to be immune to coronavirus to build up herd immunity. now, recent estimates from antibody surveillance studies are showing us that in a perfect scenario in these studies, that maybe 4% of people in southern california, northern california could have been exposed to coronavirus. 4% is way far out from 60%. >> more states are canceling school for the rest of the academic year. health officials have said there's potential for this virus to really come roaring back this fall. so what should parents consider when it comes to sending their children back to school? should there be a staggered approach letting certain age groups back first? >> in order to move to the next

phase when we start talking about re-opening schools, preschools, day cares, universities, et cetera, we not only want to make sure we're seeing that kind of decrease for at least 14 days, we've got to make sure we have the testing and make sure we have a good amount of contact tracing. once we have that in place, i would expect schools to take some type of different approach to maintain physical distancing, social hygiene and to keep everyone protected. now that might mean that preschools create a staggered schedule where different groups are coming at different times. it might mean classrooms will be set up differently. >> dr. patel, a new study in china found several people were infected in a restaurant apparently by the air-conditioning system. we know this could have an impact when and how they re-open and how customers feel and how comfortable they are dining in. >> what scientists are suspecting before the droplet spread we know that happens and the fact it can't hang out in the air, add in the fact you're

in an enclosed space, you have recirculating ventilated air and then you have a mechanism to move that air around, and that is a setup to get people sick. you know, when we're eating food you're not wearing a mask. you're also talking. there are shared surfaces, all these things we have to take into account. i think this model is important when people start talking about re-opening restaurants, bars, you know, any type of business where you have multiple people. we might have to see some changes. t months ahead. again our thanks to dr. patel. coming up, the big news from the beatles, plus a 6-year-old inspires america with her piggy bank. that's next. thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed

disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can lead to death. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough, or chest pain. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance. be in your moment. you want a fresh-smelling home, but some air fresheners use heavy, overwhelming scents. try febreze one; a range of innovative air fresheners with no heavy perfumes that you can feel good about using in your home

to deliver a light, natural-smelling freshness. febreze one neutralizes stale, stuffy odors and releases a subtle hint of fragrance like bamboo or lavender & eucalyptus. to eliminate odors with no heavy perfumes, try febreze one. brand power. helping you buy better. saturpain happens. aleve it. aleve is proven stronger and longer on pain than tylenol. when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong. those of you missing singing together, i've got good news. >> that right there is ringo starr announcing the beating

will stream their 1968 animated film "yellow submarine" as a singalong on youtube saturday. mark it on your calendar. it's the first rebroadcast of the film in two years. meanwhile, a couple of good old jersey boys led a concert to raise upon for coronavirus relief. >> new jersey has been hit hard by the virus. the boss kicked off the concert last night. ♪ nothing matters in this whole wide world ♪ ♪ when you're in love with a jersey girl ♪ ♪ we got to hold on ready or not we live for the fight ♪ ♪ the truth is this that i've never seen ♪ >> halsey also representing jersey. all of the money raised goes to

organizations providing assistance on the front lines. >> good to see those. our friend from abc whoopi goldberg from "the view" also taking part in that, kelly ripa too. now to pennsylvania where a little girl is inspiring people to dig deep to help fight the coronavirus. >> her name, 6-year-old sofia meyers. i can't wait to introduce you to her. she saved $14.70 from her unicorn piggy bank to a local hospital. the video appeared on facebook and it inspired others to give. within two weeks the hospital received more than $60,000 in donations. sofia says it feels good to do good. >> i know not a lot of people are giving money so i was like, okay, i can give some money to get this process started so this coronavirus can be done. >> a couple of us cried. it meant that much to know that a little girl is thinking about us in a really difficult time.

>> because sophia is classy, she sent a thank you note to the hospital staff. >> we need to be more like sophia. at chick-fil-a, we know a little thing like staying in can make a big difference. that's why it's our pleasure to come to you. with delivery right to your door. order through the chick-fil-a app where possible, or our delivery partners, doordash, uber eats and grubhub. we can't wait to serve you. now, more than ever, the little things make a big difference. like contactless payment through the chick-fil-a app. place a mobile order and pay ahead of your visit. then pick up in the drive-thru or curbside where available. in the meantime, let's all take good care of each other.

stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... ...with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill... ...can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some-rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief. with ra, your overactive immune system... ...attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred... ...as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. tell your doctor about any infections...and if you are naor may become nt while taking rinvoq. take on ra talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. rinvoq. make it your mission. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help.

people may have started dying further back than we thought. corners are digging deeper into their records. a local nurse on her way to work gets a flat tire and towing companies leave her stranded by the side of the road. the nfl draft is on tonight, but without all this that we're used to seeing. the dreams of college players are about to come true. it is thursday, april 23rd, happy you're waking up with us this morning. meteorologist mike nicco has a look at our day ahead. >> good morning, kumasi. hi, everybody. welcome to friday eve, friday light. it's thursday. we're trying to put a good spin on it. i want to take you to where some fog is this morning half moon

bay and up the peninsula coast and visibility down to a mile. pretty thick here throughout the morning commute. a little of cloud cover along the east bay shore and into the south bay, but low clouds and not really fog. the breezes from yesterday are gone for now, except for right around sfo. they'll be back, again. pretty much what i'm saying is if you liked yesterday, you're really going to like today. 68 in san francisco and about 72 to 76 around the bay. upper 70s to near 80s in the south bay and 80s in the north bay and also the east bay valleys. we'll take a look at the weekend forecast and show a little bit of a cooling trend as the sea breeze kicks up after this particular warm spell climaxes tomorrow and i'm looking at 90 degrees temperature and i'll wrap all that up in our seven-day forare forecast. let's get back to kumasi. learning more about the bay area woman now believed to be

the first person to die from covid-19 in the u.s. julian glover is live with what her family are saying. julian. >> abc7 news spoke to the family of patricia dowd and she is to be the first coronavirus related death, not just here in the bay area, but the entire country. what turned out to be those flu-like symptoms she was having was now we know the coronavirus. let's walk you through what we know about her. 57 years old and she died on february 6th and her death initially ruled a heart attack according to "l.a. times." family members tell abc7 news she traveled often to europe for work and you had to have known travel to the wuhan region of china. they sent samples for coronavirus testing in mid-march and results make the 57-year-old woman the first known u.s.

coronavirus death. >> we had not yet identified our first case of community transmission. that didn't happen until february 28th. what these deaths tell us is that we had community transmission probably to a significant degree far earlier than we had known. so, that is the headline there spread much earlier than we had known. that was santa clara county health officer acnologying another death in february linked to coronavirus. a 69-year-old man who passed away on february 17th at his home. now, both of those deaths moving up the u.s. timeline of coronavirus-related deaths by several weeks. we now know that corners here in santa clara county and across the bay area, they're going to continue to investigate more deaths and expect to find more related cases. we're live this morning, i'm julian glover, abc7 news. >> thank you, julian. in the south bay, san jose police are investigating a