>> jobina already wants an upgrade. that's not good enough. >> "gma" starts now. good morning, america. triple threat. a new storm taking shape. the hard-hit south bracing for more. heavy snow, ice and possible tornadoes. at least 37 states on alert for dangerous winter weather from dallas to new york city. impacting the deliveries of those covid vaccines and the record-breaking deep freeze turning deadly. the bitter cold paralyzing parts of texas. >> people have made some life-and-death choices because they were trying to keep themselves warm. >> as millions try to stay warm after losing power, we're tracking the very latest across the country. race against time. the new coronavirus concern for parents this morning. hospitals seeing an uptick across the country of a rare inflammatory syndrome linked to

covid found in children, which can lead to inflammation in the heart, lungs, brain and other vital organs. this as the white house announces a jump in the number of vaccines available to states. president biden pushing for that massive covid relief bill. what he's saying now about reopening schools and when every american can expect to get their shot. desperate manhunt. after the murder of a 26-year-old yale graduate student, the search intensifying for the former m.i.t. student considered armed and dangerous. u.s. marshals upping the reward for information to $10,000. what the victim's family is saying this morning. terrifying tiger attack. >> i just had to scream and scream and just hope someone would hear me. >> the 18-year-old who nearly lost her arm speaking out about the incident with this tiger, eeyore, at an animal sanctuary in tennessee. the new body cam footage capturing the moments after the frightening ordeal. and ashley judd's grueling

55-hour odyssey. overnight, the actress revealing her life-threatening catastrophic accident in the jungle, shattering her leg. raced through the rain forest first in a hammock, then on a motorbike and finally making it to the icu. the remarkable images from the rescue this morning. oh, my, those images of ashley judd. thankfully she is doing well. good morning, america. good to be with you on this busy wednesday morning. we want to get right to our top story, yes, that relentless winter blast slamming much of the country, george. >> that's a look at oklahoma city right now. the snow is coming down. just 11 degrees there. oklahoma just 1 of 22 states where the storm is impacting the vaccine rollout. at least 22 states have delayed or canceled covid vaccinations as more than 3.3 million people are waking up without power this

morning across at least eight states. michael? >> texas with the majority of those power outages. just look at most of houston in the dark. we're going to go to marcus moore with the latest from dallas this morning. good morning, marcus. >> reporter: michael, good morning. another round of snow and ice hitting an area already paralyzed by the first storm and this morning snow and ice covering the region as many families sit in the dark. this morning, arctic air power grids failing and millions left to cope with the bitter cold. amarillo, texas getting pummeled with snow overnight. cars and trucks sliding off the road. tow trucks out rescuing drivers as temperatures drop near zero part of lone star state hitting record low temperatures not seen in a century and people are cranking up the heat which is taxing the state's electrical system leading to cascading power outages and rolling blackouts. this morning, more than 3 million waking up without power. >> this is tragic. haven't had power since 5:00 a.m. yesterday. >> reporter: the cold and loss of power turning deadly. at least 20 people have died

including an 8-year-old girl and a woman dying from carbon monoxide poisoning after a car was left running in a garage to help create heat. in houston, hospitals treating at least 140 patients, including a mother and child in critical condition after using charcoal indoors to stay warm. outrage over images like this, skyscrapers lit up in houston while surrounding neighbors were left in the dark. >> what is going on is completely unacceptable. >> reporter: greg abbott speaking to ktrk. >> we are going to have to restructure to make sure that situations like this never occur again. >> reporter: while houston's mayor was at home also speaking to ktrk they were plunged into darkness. >> people have made some life-and-death choices because they were trying to keep themselves warm. oh, no, we just lost power. >> reporter: but for the millions bundled up with no electricity this has been life for days. >> in this room in our house, it is 33 degrees.

>> reporter: in austin andrew leahy and his wife fiendinding to keep warm. >> you'll see a blanket here and blue scotch tape doing anything possible to keep the heat in. >> reporter: energy providers have been able to restore power to some of the homes and businesses here, but it's only a fraction compared to the millions who have been without power for days and, michael, it likely won't be restored to any significant degree until the temperatures here get back above freezing. >> we hope that's soon, marcus, thank you so much. george? the storm is complicating the effort to ship and administer vaccines. our transportation correspondent gio benitez has the latest on that. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning. yeah, it turns out the two biggest hubs for u.p.s. and an fedex both saw some major delays. we're talking about hubs in memphis and louisville. fedex says this, it experienced substantial disruption, u.p.s. saying it took the unusual step of suspending its world port operations monday night. they say vaccines were not scheduled on those flights. but still health officials are concerned because, again, at least 22 states canceling or

delaying vaccinations. they're hoping to get more today because u.p.s. and fedex, they are back on the move, but, remember, there is another storm on the way. now keep this in mind, these delays will be seen even in areas where you are not getting the direct weather experience there, george. >> gio, what's been the impact on gas prices with all this weather? >> reporter: yeah, you know, this is really interesting, george, we're seeing those refineries shut down in texas, and they are already warning there about gas shortages. so experts are saying, you know what, we could see those gas prices spike by about 20 cents per gallon, george. >> a lot of ripple effects. thanks very much. now to that aftermath of the powerful tornado touchdown in north carolina killing three people, reducing so many homes to rubble. victor oquendo is in brunswick county, north carolina with the latest for us. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, robin. from right outside the seaside christian fellowship church this roof, it should be high above my

head, but this is what an ef-3 tornado with winds of up to 160 miles per hour can do. not only did it send it crashing to the ground but blew it several feet away from where it should be standing. thankfully nobody inside was hurt. let's take you less than a hundred yards away. looking here at a warehouse where part of the walls and roof were just peeled right away and the damage in the neighborhood right behind us, it only gets worse there. some 50 homes were either damaged or destroyed. three people were killed and at least ten were injured. i had a chance to speak with the pastor here. he tells me this is a very loving community, and they know how to work together. they'll have to do that now as they work to rebuild, robin. >> we're thinking of them. we know there are other regions impacted by tornadoes as well. >> reporter: yeah, robin. this was just one of five reported tornadoes from that same powerful went storm that's hitting texas right now. another one, at least an ef-2 touching down in southwest

georgia. that damaged or destroyed homes there as well and unfortunately for the region we're bracing for even more severe weather. robin? >> that does appear to be the case. thank you are, victor. so ginger will join us now with when and where the next threat will hit. good morning, ginger. >> reporter: good morning, robin. unfortunately, it is a repeat storm that's going to hit a lot of the same areas. so let me bring you through this. we had all-time cold records from new orleans to nebraska, down into texas, and look at the map again. these are brand-new warnings. winter storm warnings stretching through arkansas clipping through mississippi, northwestern alabama and tennessee and then up into the northeast. so let me time it out for you. oklahoma city, by the way, they are closing in on their snowiest season ever. they'll get a little more. as this moves on though, there's ice for northern mississippi and alabama, and then there's nashville snow. by tonight and into tomorrow it moves into the mid-atlantic and northeast. around here we'll start in the late morning and start to see that snow at least on the southern end transition to ice like for washington, d.c. it looks like it'll stay snow. it'll be a coastal event. there are going to be strips that end up with close to a half

foot or more. i'll have so much more coming up on this and more behind this, robin. >> we know that you will. thank you, ginger. michael? >> thank you, robin. now to the covid emergency and the race to vaccinate america. fema now planning to open a total of seven mass vaccination sites by next week. so far nearly 40 million americans have received at least one dose. that is 12% of the population. but this morning, there are new concerns for parents over a rare condition linked to covid. stephanie ramos is tracking it all at a vaccination site here in new york city. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: michael, good morning. we are here at one of new york's megavaccination sites. this area is where people will check in for the vaccine today and you can see soldiers also behind me ready to do temperature checks. thousands of people expected to get their vaccine here today. it's one of the reasons we're seeing those encouraging drops in covid cases and hospitalizations nationwide, but we are seeing a concerning uptick in cases of that rare covid-linked condition in children.

parents and doctors almost a year later still puzzled by the syndrome. this morning, cases of that rare multisystem inflammatory syndrome known as mis-c found in children after they were exposed to covid are on the rise in some communities. in massachusetts, the moran family grateful their 5-year-old little girl vera is back home recovering from mis-c after spending eight days in the hospital. just a few weeks earlier vera and her family overcoming covid. >> it felt like kind of two steps forward, one step back every day. it was incredibly scary. >> reporter: vera started showing mis-c symptoms, high fever and rash. >> we were scared to death of every new thing that arose and everything they were telling us. >> reporter: children who are diagnosed with the syndrome can experience inflammation in their heart, lungs, brain and other vital organs. hospitals across the country are seeing an uptick in these cases.

l.a. county alone seeing a more than 35% increase in mis-c cases in the last two weeks. since may, more than 2,000 cases have been reported, and 30 children have died. doctors stress, however, the syndrome is rare. >> around 3 million kids have been confirmed to have covid-19 in the united states and only a little over 2,000 kids have had this mysterious inflammatory syndrome. >> reporter: as for vera, she is on the mend. doctors regularly checking her heart and inflammation in her body. >> we've had to take everything day by day. how long are we going to monitor her? we don't necessarily have the answers to that right now because we haven't gotten that far. >> reporter: so many families left wondering how this syndrome will affect their child in the long term. doctors advising parents to be on the lookout for those symptoms. the high fever, the rash and the shortness of breath. take your child to the doctor immediately if you see any of those symptoms, especially if

they've had covid. michael? >> stephanie, you know, the white house said they want to boost the vaccine rollout even further by sending out even more doses. >> reporter: exactly. the white house says they plan on increasing those covid vaccine doses to states to 13.5 million. that is up from 11 million last week. they also say that they're planning on doubling the supply of weekly doses to pharmacies up to 2 million. michael? >> all right, stephanie, thank you. george? we go to the white house and president biden's push for covid relief. he hit the road on his first official trip in office taking questions at a town hall in wisconsin. our chief white house correspondent cecilia vega has the latest. good morning, cecilia. >> reporter: hi, george, good morning to you. this was a chance for the president to talk to those americans in one of those hard hit states about trying to pass his nearly $2 trillion covid relief plan. but, look, the headline was when he was asked point blank when every american who wants a vaccine will be able to get one, and he said we're looking at more than 600 million doses of these vaccines available by july.

the end of july. that's enough to vaccinate every american who wants one. he said as for when life will return to normal, a strong chance we could reach herd immunity by christmas, and he also warned that a year from now, we'll still need to be socially distant and wearing masks. the big question for parents, this morning schools on so many minds. the president did say, good news for parents, not so much for kids, we will likely be looking at summer school this summer. as for when children will return to school i want to get this right, he said a majority of k through 8 schools could be open five days a week by the end of april. this is a bit of a walk-back from what his press secretary said. the president said he is cleaning that up, george. >> they thought they would be able to get all of them done. meantime, he said he didn't want to talk about president trump last night, but we are hearing from president trump. at least a written statement blasting mitchell mcconnell. >> reporter: blasting, vindictive and remarkable from a former president.

this, of course, after the senate minority leader spoke out after the impeachment hearing blasting the president himself. take a look at what president trump said. he said, quote, the republican party can never again be respected or strong with political leaders like senator leader mitch mcconnell at its helm. then came a string of insults. he called him dour, sullen, and an unsmiling political hack saying he has a lack of political insight, wisdom, skill and personality. george, this former president effectively declaring war on members of his own party who dare to speak out against him. >> the division continues, cecilia vega, thanks very much. robin? george, now to that ivy league manhunt. u.s. marshals doubling the reward money for information leading to that m.i.t. student, a person of interest in the murder of a yale student and warning he is considered armed and dangerous. janai norman joins us now with more. good morning, janai. >> reporter: robin, good morning. authorities have not named the 29-year-old as the suspected shooter but as you said they say he should be considered armed and dangerous. police in connecticut issuing a warrant for his arrest for

charges including interstate theft of a vehicle. they want him extradited back to the state of connecticut to be questioned about the death of that yale grad student. the manhunt intensifying for a person of interest in the murder of a yale grad student. u.s. marshals now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of 29-year-old qinxuan pan. the former m.i.t. student was last seen near atlanta carrying a backpack and according to family members acting strange. police say they are confident he is still in the state of georgia. >> mr. pan should be considered armed and dangerous. extreme caution should be used if you come in contact with this individual. >> reporter: 26-year-old kevin jiang was shot and killed in new haven near the yale campus 11 days ago. he was found lying near his car shot multiple times, later dying at the scene. the environmental science student laid to rest by fellow members of the national guard and remembered by loved ones including his mother who says she was in disbelief after learning her only son was murdered.

>> kevin was my beloved only child. last saturday evening when the police told me he was shot, my first reaction was, this cannot be real. >> reporter: jiang's fiancee said she and the yale grad student met at a church retreat. jiang posting the moment he proposed on facebook. >> oh, yes, yes. >> reporter: the couple had been engaged just one week before he was killed. >> i believe kevin is worshipping with the angels and all the saints that have gone before him. >> reporter: at this point authorities are only calling pan a person of interest, not a suspect. new haven police believe he was in the area at the time that jiang was shot and killed and authorities are investigating whether there is any connection between pan, who had been enrolled at m.i.t. and jiang's fiancee who recently graduated from the school. robin? >> janai, thank you. thank you so much. michael? all right, robin. let's turn it around here and go to a businessman with a heart of

gold. he is a houston legend. he's warming up houston -- helping everybody stuck in the bitter cold. jim mackenville, aka mattress mack is coming to rescue texans once again turning his furniture store into temporary shelters just like he did during hurricane harvey. he said the need to tremendous and anyone can drop in for two hours or two days, they have free food and blankets. his 10-year-old granddaughter is helping him. he says, quote, i'm trying to teach her that the essence of living is giving. that's what we do. he is more than generous all the time. >> he lives it. >> he is the real deal. >> he is the real deal. >> he has the best commercials in houston for his furniture store. great job. we have a lot more coming up on "gma" including ashley judd. she is revealing the harrowing details of her 55-hour rescue after she shattered her leg in the rain forest. also, new body cam video showing an 18-year-old young woman's encounter with a tiger. she is speaking about that terrifying moment.

plus, we have the covid school battle. one mother asked her district to re-open, but the school sent her social media photos of her own kids playing without masks with classmates. but first, let's go back to ginger. hey, ginger. >> reporter: michael, destin, florida, back to new orleans including pascagoula, mississippi, in the severe storm forecast. damaging tornadoes possible and tomorrow it slides east from apalachicola to nearly charleston needs to be on the lookout. let's get those sunny cities sponsored by audible.

good morning. i'm meteorologist mike nicco. a brighter, milder afternoon is on the way after cooler temperatures this morning and a little bit of fog. now we'll be unsettled. a couple of storms coming in and we're off to warmer weather. even some 70s early next week. today, mid to upper 50s along the coast. 60 to 66 for the rest of us. tonight mid-30s to mid-40s. my stay right there. we'll be right back. stay right there. rénergie lift multi-action ultra cream. with linseed extract containing peptides. the efficacy is clinically tested. skin feels firmer after one jar. wrinkle appearance is reduced, and in 4 weeks, dark spots are less visible.

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good morning. definitely cooler when you step outside. we have mid-30s in our inland valleys and then upper 30s to mid-40s around the bay and out toward the coast. 37 al half moon bay. fog in the napa valley that will be around for the entire morning commute. look at all the sunshine from the south beach. a dry one of the bay bridge. other than the fog, your commute ought to be excellent. tomorrow we'll see increasing clouds and temperatures about the same. rain thursday night through saturday morning. 1, light, on the storm impact scale. and then warm next week. coming up on "gma," the 18-year-old who nearly lost her arm in a tiger attack.

we'll have another update in 30 minutes. you can find us at abc7news. covid's still a threat. and on reopening schools, we know what happens when we don't put safety first. ignore proper ventilation or rates of community spread, and the virus worsens. fail to provide masks or class sizes that allow for social distancing, and classrooms close back down. a successful reopening requires real safety and accountability measures. including prioritizing vaccines for educators.

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♪ welcome back to "gma." can you believe it is the 25th anniversary of adam sandler's "happy gilmore." the star is thanking fans and he is celebrating. we're going to show you how in our "play of the day." you don't like your home? get in your home. we have a lot of headlines right now as well including much of the country still dealing with the deadly blast of winter. millions of people without power this morning. the majority of them in texas. and the dangerous weather is disrupting the covid vaccine effort. shipping companies reporting delays and nearly two dozen states have postponed or canceled vaccinations as president biden is promising enough doses for every american at a town hall in wisconsin last night.

it was his first official trip since taking office. biden is pushing his nearly $2 trillion covid relief bill. bruce springsteen due to face a judge on february 24th on dwi and other charges. the 71-year-old rocker failed a field sobriety test and refused to give a breath sample. we'll continue with actress ashley judd revealing the details of her remarkable rescue. this after shattering her leg in the rain forest. erielle reshef joins us now with so much more on all this. good morning, erielle. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. judd says she shattered her leg during an excursion in the congolese forest. she said her head lamp broke and tripped over a fallen tree and what ensued was 55 hours of agony. ashley judd speaking out overnight about her real-life grueling 55-hour odyssey following what she calls a catastrophic accident. shattering her leg in a fall in remote congolese terrain writing

it was broken in four places and had nerve damage, adding one of her research trackers sat with her as she laid in agony waiting for help. one of them stabilizing her leg without fidgeting or flinching for five hours on the rain forest floor. in an interview with nick kristof of "the new york times" she said she bit a stick because of the excruciating pain. >> so it takes altogether five hours for papa jean to put his hands on me to reset my bones. i'm going into shock. i'm passing out. my teeth are chattering. i'm in a cold sweat. i think i'm going to vomit. >> reporter: judd then carried out in a three-hour trek through the forest before being put on a motorbike. >> i got on the bike. he had to hold my leg, and i had to physically hold the top part of my shattered tibia together, and we did that for six hours. >> reporter: after spending a night in the hut being cared for, she was flown to south africa where she is recovering. judd credits her congolese team for saving her life writing without them my internal

bleeding would have likely killed me and i would have lost my leg. and as you heard there, judd is recovering from that south african hospital and, robin, she says she wakes up weeping with gratitude for those men and women who saved her life. >> i'm sure she does. erielle, thank you. boy, those details, something else. michael? >> all right, robin. thank you. now we turn to the covid battle that is playing out in a new jersey school district. one mother asking the district to re-open the school and school administrators sending her photos of her own kids playing outside without masks with classmates. t.j. holmes has more on what happened. good morning, t.j. >> look, stra, you know as we speak, there are parents right now at home setting up laptops and ipads on the kitchen table. that kitchen table has been their kids' school and office for months. they're at their wit's end. they're frustrated. then this mother let her frustration be known. then the parents got furious and

the assistant superintendent threw her own behavior and her kids back in her face, pictures and all. >> reporter: this photo is at the center of a bitter battle over in-person learning. middlesex, new jersey parents are furious after their school's assistant superintendent used a photo of their maskless children posted on a private social media account to make a point, to show why they wouldn't be returning to in-person class. the picture shows 16 children close together sledding, not wearing masks, their faces blurred by assistant superintendent paul rafalowski. he sent the photos in response to a mother who was pressuring them to re-open classes. in an email writing in her subject line, stop hurting the children, that mother going on to say, the science is saying the children need to be in school. the science is saying school transmission is low, adding, i'm not quite sure how you and the rest of the board can sleep at night knowing how you're harming so many children. he replied with that photo featuring the mother's child and another picture of the mom herself close and maskless with four other adults, which he says were sent to him writing in response to the mom, bottom

line, we will not subject our school community to the potential risk and exposure that results from the blatant failure to follow the same guidelines you are asking us to reference. >> those pictures were not an admonishment of kids sledding. it was a reminder and request to a single parent to help us when it comes to social distancing and mask wearing. >> reporter: roger sanchez whose child was 1 of the 16 in the photo, wants the superintendent and the assistant superintendent removed. >> it felt like we were being bullied. i don't think people who do that should be the leaders of our school and our children. >> we have seen so many battles played out which pits parents against schools oftentimes trying to get the schools open. middlesex borough has been remote all year. starting next week, they are going to be hybrid. >> thank you, t.j. george? we're going to turn now to that "gma" exclusive. we're hearing from the

18-year-old who nearly lost her arm to a tiger in a big cat sanctuary in tennessee as we see police body cam showing the aftermath, you see it right there, of the terrifying incident. will reeve joins us with dramatic footage. good morning, will. >> reporter: good morning, george. when you hear tiger attack, it sounds scary. when you see it, it's on an entirely different level. the girl in the middle of it all lucky to make it out alive now telling "gma" about her harrowing ordeal. >> i just had to scream and scream and just hope someone would hear me. >> reporter: this morning, 18-year-old summer stevens is speaking out after surviving a terrifying tiger attack at an animal sanctuary in tennessee. >> 911, what's going on? >> somebody got grabbed by one of the tigers. >> reporter: stevens who has only working at tiger haven for two months says she tripped over debris when her hand fell through the metal mesh cage and in an instant she says a tiger

named eeyore pounced. >> grabbing my hands, and he pulled my arm into his mouth, and he skipped this section right here and went up to my elbow, i suppose, and worked his way up until he got all the way to my shoulder. >> reporter: stevens screaming for help hoping someone would hear. her fiance and sanctuary worker rushed in distracting the tiger. >> can you hear me, honey? >> yeah. >> okay. >> reporter: this body cam footage capturing the moment responding officers were on scene. her co-workers using a tourniquet to try to stop the bleeding. while the teen says she tripped changing the tiger's water, the sanctuary's owner implying in a body camera interview, that she suspects stevens may have been petting the cat. >> hand-raised cat. he's friendly. >> reporter: stevens denies that. >> what's troubling to us is tiger haven is painting it as if summer caused these injuries herself by trying to pet one of these tigers.

>> reporter: that tiger, is 1 of more than 260 big cats at the sanctuary in the documentary "the hidden tiger." despite living on the premises, stevens did not anticipate the dangers of the job. >> i mean i definitely never expected anything like this to happen. >> reporter: today summer stevens is recovering after five surgeries, she says she's grateful to all of those who helped her, and that she will remember this moment well forever. george? >> thank goodness she's recovering. will, thanks very much. robin. coming up, dramatic ice rescues caught on camera. people saved after frightening falls through the ice. what you need to know to survive if this happens to you. come on back. but i never invited you in. it's my life and this is my journey. i've found a way to do things differently with ocrevus, an infusion treatment that's 2-times-a-year. for adults with relapsing or primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis,

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save on select new volvo models during our presidents day sales event, now through march 1st. we're back with those dramatic rescues caught on tape of people plunging through the ice in multiple states. we've been telling you freezing temperatures gripping a huge part of the country. alex perez joins us from chicago with more. good morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, robin. yeah, so much of the country suffering through those below freezing temperatures for several days now, and it means the ice in our waterways is growing. now, i want you to take a look behind me near lake michigan. i want you to see it from above. i know it looks like a lot of snow, but there is frozen water underneath and with the growing ice comes the growing risk of falling through the ice, but there are a few things that

could save your life if it happens to you. a terrifying moment where every single second and every move counts. watch closely as this urgent rescue unfolds in realtime. >> somebody is drowning in the river. a woman and a child, please hurry up. >> reporter: a mother and her 2-year-old toddler falling through the ice in a new jersey river. elmwood park police desperate to save them. >> i looked out on the ice and about 125 feet out there was a mother and a child and she was pleading for her life. >> reporter: the chief of police taking that kayak and with his hands clawing through the ice pulling the woman and her daughter out of the water. >> i felt like if i didn't get to them they were going to die. >> reporter: this cell phone video capturing the police pulling them safely to shore earlier this month. on monday another heart-racing ice rescue in new york city's central park. a good samaritan jumping in to help rescue a 14-year-old boy who fell through the ice in the pond. >> playing around right on the

lip on the edge where the ice is the thinnest. he fell in and started screaming for help. >> reporter: that good samaritan got to him before rescuers arrived on the scene. >> he was drenched and he was shaken up. >> reporter: the teen taken to the hospital and treated for hypothermia. experts say falling through the ice is possible. >> as long as you put your arms out on the ice and not sink right away, you can live for half an hour or an hour or even longer. >> reporter: the first step, experts say, is not to panic. >> when you fall in ice water, you have what's called a cold shock response. so you're breathing uncontrollably. that's why you take slow deep breaths to break that cycle. >> reporter: next a key maneuver, kick and pull. >> instead of trying to push yourself straight up. kick your feet so they come up close to the surface so your body is horizontal to the surface then just kick like crazy and pull yourself along the ice. >> reporter: finally, when you are out of the water, don't

stand up. you could risk breaking the ice again. >> roll away from the ice and when you're a good distance from the hole then you can get up and make your way to shore. >> reporter: now, here's another live look at all of that frozen water and snow. now, experts say bystanders should not rush into the water to save someone if they are not trained to do so. they say you should call 911 and the operator can help talk you through it. robin? >> all great advice there, alex. stay warm. thank you. michael? all right, robin, you know what's coming up? >> our "play of the day." >> our "play of the day." >> oh, i said it first. >> you beat me. as always. ♪ wait a minute let me take you there ♪ let me take you there ♪ 5g ultra wideband-- wow! this phone paired with (vo) the new samsung galaxy s21 is here and it's on verizon 5g ultra wideband, the fastest 5g in the world. available in parts of many cities. it's not just a great network. it's ridiculously fast. (vo) stream your favorite shows in ultra hd. i'm so excited about this.

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♪ bang, bang ♪ bang, bang into the room i know you want it ♪ back now with our "play of the day" and adam sandler is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his hilarious "happy gilmore" movie with a bang and sandler's character had a very interesting and powerful golf swing and adam recently hit the links to see if he still got it. take a look. >> okay. it's been 25 years since i've done this. let's see what happens. i'm scared. shooter mcgavin, this is for you. i'm not lying to you, that is smashed.

smashed. and that went pretty well. you're dead, shooter. ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. >> and his nemesis in the film, of course, is shooter mcgavin played by christopher mcdonald who also responded. >> nice drive, gilmore. 25 years, huh? let's see if it's shooter's tour. check it out. money! shooter, still got it. >> yes, he does. >> have you ever tried to hit a golf ball like that? >> i haven't done it. >> you gotta have some fun. i've done it. it's not easy at all. well done. >> haven't tried to do it on purpose. but coming up, you don't want to miss your first look at emma stone as cruella de vil, yes. that's coming up. come on back. as cruella de vil yes. that's coming up. come on back. , mys john's showing up on my turf.

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>> reporter: already this season we've lost 25 lives to avalanches. so in little cottonwood canyon when they got 19 inches of snow recently they set an avalanche. this is what they try to do to create some sort of stability on the mountains. still a lot of avalanche warning out there. please be aware of those. also, have you tried the new app called clubhouse? could it help your career? we're going to get into that and so much more. this has been sponsored by jackson hewitt.

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>> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. good morning. i'm reggie aqui from "abc7 mornings." conserve electricity in the evenings. that's the request for us here in california. because of the winter weather that other parts of the u.s. are experiencing, pg&e is asking customers to limit energy use. millions of people are without power from the great plains to the gulf coast because of downed lines, surging, and rolling blackouts. not the case for us, meteorologist mike nicco. >> no, but we feel their pain, don't we? let's talk about fog. we have it settling in the napa valley and hugging up to the peninsula coast. that will be around throughout the morning commute. as you look east, a lot of sunshine out there and it's going to be a sunny and a little bit warmer day today with mid to upper 50s along the coast. 60 to 66 for the rest of us.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. the new triple threat on the move. the hard hit south bracing for more heavy snow, ice and possible tornadoes. at least 37 states on alert for dangerous winter weather from dallas to new york city. as millions try to stay warm after losing power, we're tracking the latest across the country. tiktok superstar addison rae revealing her mental health struggle and body image issues that come along with having over 75 million followers. this morning, how parents can help their daughters deal with the dark side of social media and the startling studies linking it to negative body perception. ♪ i can make your hands clap ♪ clubhouse connection. could the newest social media phenomenon give your career a boost? how you can connect with the biggest names joining the club.

secret warrior. >> joanne p. mccallie's team wins again. >> former head coach of duke women's basketball, leading her teams to victory over the past 28 years, off the court fighting a private battle with bipolar disorder. coach p.'s story this morning. ♪ bad girls ♪ and, hide your pups. disney's most fashionable villain is heating things up. your first look at emma stone as disney's cruella de vil. all ahead as we say, good morning, america. ♪ she certainly is a bad girl. good morning, america. good to have you with us, and we can't wait to see more of emma stone as cruella. and coming up in our open for business series, we'll meet the couple who brought their

community together with their restaurant's amazing vibe and soul food. this morning, they're going to show us one of their signature dishes. we have a lot of news to get to starting with relentless winter blast slamming so much of the country, more than 3.3 million people waking up without power this morning across at least eight states. texas with the overwhelming majority of those power outages so we want to go back to marcus moore in dallas. good morning, marcus. >> reporter: george, good morning. a fresh coat of snow and ice here as the snow is falling once again, and families sit in the dark. some of them for a third day in a row, with subfreezing temperatures. this morning, arctic air power grids failing and millions left to cope with the bitter cold. amaril amarillo, texas, getting pummeled with snow overnight. cars and trucks sliding off the road. tow trucks out rescuing drivers as temperatures drop near zero. part of the lone star state hitting record lows not seen in a century and people cranking up the heat which is taxing the state's electrical system leading to cascading power outages and rolling blackouts.

this morning more than 3 million waking up without power. >> this is tragic. >> reporter: the cold and loss of power turning deadly. at least 20 people have died. in houston, hospitals treating at least 140 patients including a mother and child in critical condition after using charcoals indoors to stay warm. and outrage over images like this, skyscrapers lit up in houston while surrounding neighborhoods were left in the dark. >> what is going on right now is completely unacceptable. >> reporter: texas governor greg abbott speaking to our abc station ktrk. >> we are going to have to restructure to make sure that situations like this never occur again. >> reporter: and while houston's mayor was at home also speaking to ktrk they were plunged into darkness. >> people have made some life-and-death choices because they were trying to keep themselves warm. oh, no. we just lost power. >> reporter: families doing whatever they can to stay warm. seemingly with no end in sight at least until these temperatures get back above

freezing later this week, george. >> marcus, thanks very much. and george, we go now to ginger who is tracking the latest threats for us right now. good morning again, ginger. >> robin, let me move this storm forward to show you who gets it next. so you're going to see northern louisiana. that includes shreveport with that ice going into arkansas, and then look. nashville is getting the snow, and there's ice that clips northwestern alabama, and it gets into the mid-atlantic. early tomorrow, washington, d.c., you start with that precipitation on the frozen end and may transition it to at least a mix, if not some range. it looks like it remains close enough to the coast to stay snow for a lot of the tri-state so on top of what you saw we could see four inches to a foot. why? why has this happened? why hasn't it budged? those two highs are really sandwiching the jet stream, and that's keeping all that polar air so far south. now those will release, and we will see some milder air start to sneak in by the end of the

weekend. boy, that cannot come soon enough, especially for those folks from iowa to texas without power. >> we agree with that, ginger. thank you so much. coming up, tiktok superstar addison rae revealing her health struggles and body image issues that come with having over 70 million followers. also this morning, how entrepreneurs are using the new app clubhouse to build their careers. our open for business series, going to meet a family who will cook incredible food for us. we'll be right back. ♪

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♪ ♪ get♪it? ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ welcome back to "gma." hope you're having a good wednesday, at least the beginning of wednesday. also want to let you know about an abc news documentary called

"trump: the reckoning" streaming exclusively on hulu. let's go to lara who has "pop news." good morning, lara. >> hey, robin, how are you? we're going to begin with something you guys have been talking about, cruella de vil, emma stone taking on the classic character for the upcoming disney prequel to the 1961 animated chlassic. the new trailer showing her playing an edgy edgy edgy edgy y becoming the villain we love to hate. take a look. >> but a new day brings new opportunities. ♪ who's sorry now ♪ >> and i was ready to make a statement. how does the saying go, i am woman, hear me roar.

>> ooh. "cruella" starring glenn close and emma thompson. you can watch the full trailer. it is so good on goodmorningamerica.com or wait for the movie. it's set to debut may 28th. love that, emma stone. in sports this morning, serena williams is powering through the australian open giving fans what many are calling the best performances they've seen in years from serena as she defeated number two ranked simona halep, and setting a record at the same time. tying roger federer for the most grand slam match victories, and she did it in style sporting that pink, red and black asymmetrical one-piece. gave her luck in rounds one and two. she's been wearing a diamond necklace that reads queen and her husband sporting some serena style. posting about, oh, his shirt there says greatest female athlete, female crossed out, love that and a picture of

serena on it. she posted the smile says it all. momma, moving on and baby's got a nice swing. look at little olympia. practicing with serena's coach. look at her. she's a natural. serena will need his attention though today as she prepares to take on number three-ranked naomi osaka in the semifinals tonight. robin, i know you and i will be watching. and saving the best for last, a note about our queen, robin roberts. featured in a very special edition of "people" magazine celebrating black history month. queen latifah gracing the cover, and inside black athletes, musicians, actors, authors and anchors, legends who have helped pave the way for their own success. robin is featured as a, quote, baller and broadcaster, i love that. honored by wnba star candace parker who said she watched

robin on "sportscenter" growing up and says robin, is, quote, strong, insuranpirationalinspird has opened up so many doors. she goes on to say, quote, thank you, robin, for what you do but most importantly for who you are. because of you, i dreamed. because of you, i am me. because of you, my daughter can be anything. to read more about robin and all of these moving tributes please, everyone, pick up the new issue of "people" magazine on newsstands this friday. robin, congratulations, so very well deserved. >> so sweet and candace is a sweetheart. when you're picked as a legend -- >> the price of love, robin. >> those photos they put up and the old videos. >> that was fantastic. >> why did you start laughing when she said a baller and a broadcaster. >> i had something in my throat. candace is awesome telling the absolute truth. as you know, and i told you, you did the same thing for me, but it really is something, but i

want to applaud whoever picked that footage of you back in your "sportscenter" days. >> that was a look. >> it was a look. >> it was a look. i'm not saying it was a good look. >> pulling off the look, whatever the time frame is. >> i want to thank candace parker. that was very -- i did not know that she did that. thank you. thank you, candace. >> you deserve it. >> thank you. now to our "gma" cover story, tiktok star addison rae opening up about her mental health struggles and how having 75 million followers has affected her body image and self-worth. zohreen shah has the story. good morning, zohreen. >> reporter: good morning, michael. addison rae's tiktok fame got her brand deals, makeup line and a movie role. despite that, she confesses she still deals with the same frustrations many young people struggle with, online hate and social media drama. ♪ this morning, addison rae is opening up about the mental health toll she has suffered as she's become one of tiktok's biggest stars with more than 75 million followers.

the 20-year-old on the cover of the latest digital finish of "glamour uk" admitting with mounting fame she's had to contend with an onslaught of trolls saying, i dealt a lot with online hate and social media drama, with people who are very opinionated and don't want people to be happy. the tiktoker adding a lot of it has to do with body image. it's a really hard thing to deal with when you're a girl especially going through your teens. i am 20 and my body is constantly changing. >> she's saying that self-worth is the best gift you can ever give to yourself, and that's the ultimate accomplishment, really. >> reporter: recent studies show that young girls on social media have a negative body perception with 1 in 7 girls reporting being unhappy with the way they look at the end of elementary school, and that number almost doubling to nearly 1 in 3 by age 14. researchers citing heavy social media use as a reason for negatively impacting young

people's well-being and self-esteem, regardless of their existing state of mental health. ♪ now addison attributing therapy to helping her stay grounded and reclaiming her self-worth. the star sharing that she's learned to focus on her own journey saying, there's so many times that i've been, like, this a lot. maybe it's mentally challenging, and then wanting to give up. but then i remember that i got to where i am today and that i should take every opportunity i can to just accomplish everything that i've dreamed of. parents can also help by understanding how kids use social media. for addison her parents are influencers too. her dad has 5 million tiktok followers. mom with over 13 million. glamour uk's digital issue is out now. >> wow, parents got a lot of followers. joined by author of "enough as she is" rachel simmons. thanks for joining us.

how important is it for young women to be honest about their mental health struggles and ask for help? >> it's so important, michael. because often when we think we're the only one, it makesese so difficult to be resilient. you feel alone. you feel ashamed. and what i think addison has done she's said it's okay to not be okay and removing the stigma around mental health. it's a great gift to everyone. >> this generation of girls grew up differently than most because they've grown up on social media so what impact can this have on their self-worth? >> well, first of all we want to remember there is a lot of value to social media but there are ways that girls feel pressured to project the most perfect parts of their lives and when all you see is everybody's best side it's so hard not to feel like you're not enough as you are. the other thing is that there are numbers attached. how many likes do you get. how many views do you get and so it's so easy to judge yourself

and think, i'm defined by if number, and that's dangerous. we don't want our girls to think that. >> extremely dangerous, and everyone doesn't have parents like addison who are on social media, so they understand how it works for those parents. for those who aren't, how do they help their daughters combat the darker side of social media and how do they have difficult conversations about therapy and mental health? >> you know, it's so important that parents do not demonize social media. it is the quickest way to have your kids stop talking with you about it so make sure you find the good in it. ask them what they like about it. invite them to talk to you. also ask them about the apps that are used to modify appearance and get their opinion. finally, get help if your child needs it. this is the moment. there is nothing wrong as a parent with needing some help right now. it takes a village so if you can get your child help and she needs it, please do it. it can be the really the gift they need right now. >> absolutely, rachel, thank you so much. and your book "enough as she is," a good read. thank you so much.

robin. michael, we turn to the invite only social app that is exploding in popularity. yep, i'm talking about clubhouse. the all audio app connecting people with shared interests from tech to entertainment and, rebecca, users are turning to the app to expand their businesses or even find a gig, rebecca? >> reporter: yeah, it's very interesting, robin. it is entertaining like you said but a lot of people are now using clubhouse the way you might use linkedin or even a job application. networking, getting to know new businesses, learning new skills, even landing a new job. here's how. >> clubhouse is an amazing, new app that is literally so freakin' cool. >> reporter: clubhouse, everyone seems to be talking about it. >> the audio only app. so no videos, no images, no texts. audio only. >> reporter: this isn't your

average social media app. just scrolling through photos. and laughing at memes. many users are on it to network and build their businesses. >> my name is michael mccaul. i go by artist name blink. >> reporter: mike uses clubhouse to market himself. >> it's not just your entire friend group on facebook and all your followers on twitter, you know, you're joining rooms where it's top executives, culture shifters, you know, influencers in their own spaces. >> reporter: some big names, joining the club, real estate mogul barbara corcoran, and drake, and tiffany haddish, and celebs aren't the only ones using their voices on clubhouse. web developer charlene brown owner of brooklyn custom designs is using the app to expand her business and help others. >> i try to answer as many questions as possible from a lot of the different people that float in and out of the room.

i can see that what i'm saying and how i'm helping is actually benefiting people immediately. >> reporter: filmmaker and community activist etienne maurice says he's been able to curate a space for black creatives, building the largest film and entertainment club on the app called filming while black. >> cloubhou >> clubhouse has helped me find my voice, and to be able to, you know, build my community of black creatives is really a beautiful experience. >> reporter: we love that and so here are some best practices if you're thinking of how to use clubhouse to expand your business or even land that new job. first of all, do set a time limit. be deliberate. don't fall down the rabbit hole. it is an entertaining app but you're using it for specific and second of all, do start smaller with smaller rooms and learn the technical aspects of the app so that once

you enter into one of these larger higher stakes rooms maybe with some celebrity, you're ready to go. the don'ts. do not invite just anyone onto the app. you have invitations once you become a member. think about these as job recommendations. would you recommend this job for a job? if you put that invitation out there your name will always show up next to theirs inside the app and finally, don't just follow any topics or any people because once you start following people, the app delivers back to you various conversations that you can get involved in and as a result of that, robin, you really want to tailor them to your objective. the good news, you don't need a backdrop like this. it's audio only to make it work for you. >> i was going to say a do is go to boca raton. that looks really nice where you are right now and you deserve it. enjoy. as always. >> reporter: thank you. >> safe travels back home. let's go back now to ginger. ginger. and i got to go to st. louis, missouri, with all of you because bobby bennett is getting creative making a little path for the dogs and said, know

what, that would take a half hour shoveling, so instead, i'll use a blowtorch, and it'll take five minutes. i don't know that this is advisable for everyone but thought it was entertaining and might be necessary for some folks as the snow approaches for tomorrow in the northeast and new england, look at that, some spots are going to get six to ten inches. good morning. i'm meteorologist mike nicco. a brighter, milder afternoon is on the way after cooler temperatures this morning and a little bit of fog. now we'll be unsettled. a couple of storms coming in and we're off to warmer weather. even some 70s early next week. today, mid to upper 50s along the coast. 60 to 66 for the rest of us. tonight mid-30s to mid-40s. my we're we're going to go to paris and rare look inside notre dame cathedral nearly two years after the devastating fire that

reduced much of it to rubble. james longman went behind the scenes with the restoration effort. he joins us now. good morning, james. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, george. it's extraordinary to think it's been almost two years since that extraordinary fire that ripped through notre dame. i was almost exactly here watching firefighters put out those dying embers. now an up close look. i was right up there on that roof to see this heroic restoration project. spring 2019, the world watched as the iconic notre dame cathedral burned. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: its spire crumbling in the flames. this morning, abc news with a rare look at the huge renovation project delayed by the pandemic back in full swing. the majesty of this extraordinary place, though, hasn't dimmed. stained glass windows intact, jesus on the cross still here. we're about 40 meters up here. up on the roof, this enormous

hole. that's where the spire crumbled. take a look. you can see the charred ends of what was once the oak vault that kept this part of the roof in place. workers hanging precariously to secure the structure. and away from the restoration we get to see how one of christianity's greatest treasures was saved. when the fire broke out there was immediate concern for all the irreplaceable treasures of notre dame. not least, the crown of thorns that christians believe jesus wore on the cross as he died. well, it was here in the sacristy. a church official took it with him and to get out of the church. notre dame will eventually welcome back the sacred artifacts as well as worshippers and visitors but the road ahead is long. the plan is to have the roof on at least by 2024.

that's when paris is due to host the olympics, but the clock is certainly ticking. george. >> it sure is. james, thanks very much. coming up the family behind an incredible atlanta restaurant will cook up one of their signature dishes for us. we'll be right back. back.

>> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. good morning, everyone. i'm kumasi aaron from "abc7 mornings." new developments in the efforts to reopen schools in san francisco. a group is looking into recalling members of the school board. the examiner reports that the campaign for better public schools is exploring changes to the school district. tht includes these recall efforts as well as other options like a ballot measure that would make the positions mayoral appointees. the city sued the district in an effort to speed up reopenings. mid-30s to mid-40s. temperatures haven't budged yet, but they will thanks to all the sunshine we're dealing with. we have a few areas of fog. visibility, a couple hundred feet there. along the coast, it's not too

bad also. that's the biggest issue with your commute is the fog this morning. enjoy sunshine today, increasing clouds, wet thursday night through saturday morning. even w want to save hundreds on your wireless bill? with xfinity mobile you can. how about saving hundreds on the new samsung galaxy s21 ultra 5g? you can do that too. all on the most reliable network. sure thing! and with fast nationwide 5g included at no extra cost. we've got you covered. so join the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfaction.

and get a new samsung galaxy starting at $17 a month. learn more at xfinitymobile.com or visit your local xfinity store today. they said it couldn't be done... but you managed to pack a record 1.1 trillion transistors into this chip. whoo! yeah! oh, hi. i invested in invesco qqq. a fund that invests in the innovators of the nasdaq 100, like you. you don't have to be circuit design engineer to help push progress forward. can i hold the chip? become an agent of innovation with invesco qqq. ♪ hey, bay area, "live with kelly and ryan" is coming up. >> we have lauren cohan from "the walking dead," plus baker vallery lomas. >> that's at 9:00 on abc7. we'll have appoint abc7 news update in 30 minutes. you can find the latest on our

app and at abc7news.com. the news continues now ♪ it's time for our open for business series. as we celebrate black history month we're highlighting the family behind virgil's gullah kitchen and bar in atlanta. >> i'm ready. >> you ready to go. the couple who brought their community together with their restaurant, amazing energy and incredible soul food. they'll join us in a moment. first let's take a look at how they got started. >> three, two -- >> reporter: when virgil's gullah kitchen opened in 2019, it was the spot to be in college park. the mix of community, family and that famous gullah-geechee cuisine. >> the oldest black culture in

america, whered you get the best soul food other than the first black culture in america? >> reporter: full of soul, love and intention, inspired by gee's father who tog him the importance of the gullah-geechee culture. >> in our culture we believe in the power of our ancestors and spiritual guide. i know he's been a spiritual guide for a chance meeting bringing me and my husband together. >> reporter: his husband juan naming the restaurant virgil after the man who inspired it all. >> then less than a year in -- after our opening the pandemic hit. and we had to quickly shift and pivot and change the entire business model actually. we've never done take-out prior to that. it was coming but how do we prepare this food that looks so great on a plate and now pivot to take it to people's homes? >> reporter: the community rallying around their new gullah-geechee family and

virgil's weathered the storm. >> it's just been really, really a blessing. really a blessing. >> reporter: that blessing allowing them every day to spread love, happiness and gullah-geechee. i'm going to join you two in a minute where i don't have to talk. you're will go going at it. joined by the owners of virgil's in atlanta, gregory gee and juan smalls along with his son gregory little gee smalls. thanks for joining us. juan, we'll start with you. we saw how passionate you are about keeping the gullah culture alive and creating a safe space for the lgbtq plus community, and the black lgbtq plus community, is just as important to you as the food is. so how have they been able to express their appreciation for the restaurant? >> absolutely, black folks in the lgbtq community have really poured out their love and support for us. this is a home away from home. they are appreciated and affirmed and loved and accepted rather than just tolerated like

some other places in the city. and what's also special and near and dear to my heart we serve as an inspiration to others to pursue their dreams, and pursue their passions. anything is possible if you just do the work. >> amen to everything you just said there, and i know that gee -- gee is about to prepare one of the signature dishes. i want little gee to get in on this. now little gee, how does it feel to be helping out the family business during the pandemic? >> well, i'm a barber by trade so having to step down from my own business to help the family business has been stressful but it's been fun -- it's been fun and stressful but definitely worth it. >> pretty cool, right? >> yeah. >> keep the legacy going. >> and this shrimp and grits is pretty great with crab gravy. they've given us portions enough to last us a week. tell us how it's made, gee. >> yes, sir, so the first thing you want to do, got to find the

ugliest pots in your kitchen. if they have not been used they're not good. right now i started it off with some bacon and getting real crispy right now. if you don't like bacon, don't want pork, side eye, you can use butter instead, some -- i'm adding some onions and pepper and white onion. we let that saute a bit. before we drop our shrimp and our crab, now, i'll tell you, crab is in addition to the shrimp and grits. i just like to add that as a little more flavor but what a lot of people don't know is that shrimp and grits was actually originated in charleston. gullah-geechee culture and one thing that's special about that is if it ain't got brown gravy, it ain't right. >> no red gravy? >> no red gravy. no cream gravy. >> no tomato. >> those are good, but the brown gravy is what makes it

authentic. we'll let the crab and shrimp and i also have a little secret here which is crab base. if you can't find crab base, just use seafood stock, crab stock or shrimp stock. gee, let me get you -- >> we know -- >> let the grits cook while we do this part. >> so you got the crabmeat and you have the shrimp, gee is on the grits. these grits are perfect. >> gee is on the grits. >> what's the secret to making perfect grits? >> really good. >> so, i'll tell you, first off i like to use stone ground grits. it takes a little longer to cook, but it's more tasty, and the texture is better. i also use a little chicken base, which a lot of people don't know, but if you want that flavor, make that busting like we say in charleston, shoutout to my folks. make that thing busting and put chicken base in there and, of course, cheddar cheese. cheddar make it better. i grew up on cheddar. i ain't about the gouda, goat cheese, cheddar cheese. so now this is going over here.

i'm just going to add flour, water and a little browning sauce. and that's going to get a little thick. >> this is so good. this is really good. >> my seasonings in there. >> it smells so good. it smells so good. this is one of my favorites too. >> yes, sir. >> it's those little things -- i've had shrimp and grits but never had the crab with the shrimp and -- sorry with the shrimp and grits. >> so what you want to do is -- yes, go ahead. put some grits on that plate. oh, man. look at that. >> two scoops. two scoops. >> make it clean, now. >> come on, gee. >> i'm the type of person, ain't pretty but it tastes good. my boo right here knows how to make it pretty. >> scallions and -- parsley. >> yes, sir. >> here you go. >> shrimp and grits. shrimp and grits. >> it's great what you guys do down there and keep it up but what i love the most seen as a

family work together, have fun together and make incredible food, and i wasn't going to eat much because i thought i would get back in shape, but i'm giving in today, and will eat this whole plate. >> i know you trying to stay off the carbs, mike. >> you can afford it. can you afford it. >> today i will. i'm going to tear this up. thank you all. appreciate you and everybody at home. you can find the recipe on our website, goodmorningamerica.com. do yourself a favor, really, it's worth it. coming up, we have the top women's basketball coach sharing the secret she has kept for 25 years. why coach p. is opening up right now. ♪ ♪ ♪

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just had to apologize to our audio person. that shrimp and grits is right there. it was worth it. back here on "gma" this is worth it as well. for decades joanne p. mccallie, also known as coach p. was a fixture in women's college basketball. helping her teams rise to the top as she experienced so much success on the court. she is now revealing her valiant fight off the court. it's her new book "secret warrior." she's known as coach p. on the court. leading her teams to victory over the past 28 years, most recently as head coach of duke women's basketball. >> joanne p. mccallie's team wins again. >> reporter: but off the court joanne mccallie was fighting a private battle, a bipolar

diagnosis at the age of 30 which at the time turned the new mom's life upside down. bipolar disorder is a complex and chronic brain disorder that causes dramatic and unpredictable mood swings between manic highs and depressive lows and affects an estimated 2.8% of adults in the u.s. >> a lot of the time females when they start to enter into motherhood can experience a new diagnosis and new symptoms of mental disorders because there's a chemical imbalance and an environmental shift. >> reporter: coach p. documenting her marathon approach to finding balance once again in her new book "secret warrior." and coach p. is joining us right now from north carolina. it is so good as my momma would say to lay my eyes on you, coach p. thank you for reaching out to me and letting me know about your book.

let people know, what was happening in your life that you knew something was not right. >> well, mostly it was the people around me that knew something was not right. i was in denial. i felt great. it was a manic episode and quite frankly i thought i could do no wrong. i was productive and happy and how dare anyone say to me, something is wrong and that was the first realization that i had a problem. >> and that's when you were 30 years old. you were in your beloved home state of maine coaching the university of maine, had just become a mother. why now, coach p.? why are you revealing all of this now? >> because it's the only way to do it fairly, it would have been terrible for my teams to bring a huge distraction and to bring it publicly and to be quite frank, i don't think i was ready either. i think it takes some time and maturity to be able to tell your

story, and to tell it in a heartfelt manner, with truth behind it, no denial. that's for sure. >> yes, no denial, and part of it also, coach p., is stigma, and you called it a stigma virus. especially when we can talk about other aspects of our health, but mental health, everybody backs off. what is it that you want to say and help people to understand that this needs to stop? >> yeah, this does need to stop and stories need to be the critical part over any stigmas, it's so important for people out there to know they're not what lone and speaking from a coacher perspective to build your team. you've got to have a team of people behind you, people that know your truth, that love you for who you are and that, in fact, can reach out and make a difference in your life and i know those women that i coach made a huge difference in my life. i miss them dearly, but i'm

hoping to coach maybe at a wider level or more people. >> oh, and i love how you say stories over stigma. stories over stigma. we all have a story to tell and the fact that you are telling yours right now and we know in the throes of the pandemic and you wrote about this, there's -- we're seeing an uptick in people who are having mental health issues and who are suffering in silence. what is your specific message to them? >> that it's too hard, don't go alone. don't ever try to manage your brain health alone. there's so many people out there that can help. again, if you can form your team, you have to understand you have to be honest with yourself. you have to self-analyze. you have to understand the power of the brain and do all the little things, exercise, eat right, get your good sleep, do what you need to do to be in the best health possible. >> you really and people who are going through this should read your book because there are different medications. we don't want to talk about that because it's different for everyone, and don't want to say

what someone should do. >> yes. >> but you talk about the medication. you talk about your husband john, your daughter, your son, the team that you have around, and you're also a recent cancer thriver and talk about how your faith in addition to everything we just mentioned, has really been a bedrock for you, hasn't it? >> yes, it really has. the whole concept of faith over fear, it's an amazing concept when you feel that hope and you feel it with god and you understand that there is a higher power, because all of us get to that point where we really do wonder if there is a higher love there to take care of us and i'm very fortunate to have a great faith and lots of people around me that taught me about my faith. >> you're walking that. you are walking that. you are a blessing. thank you, coach p. as you now say, be good to you. be good to you. and that's what we have to remember. >> thank you so much, robin. >> all right, all right, and you're a warrior. i don't know about the secret anymore but you are definitely a warrior and "secret warrior," it's a marvelously written book,

"secret warrior" is available right now. let's go now to ginger. ginger. thank you, robin. how about we go to east lansing, michigan. you got the dad that's doing the snowblower and the kid who is trying to shovel the porch. oops. hits him. they're above average now by a couple of inches. they were below and grand rapids still below, kentucky taking advantage of the snow. kayaking in the streets. that's the big picture. let's get a check a good morning. i'm abc7 news meteorologist mike nicco. a colder start and a little bit of fog, but mostly sunny conditions this afternoon. get ready for wet w w w w w w ww coming or wet w w w w w w ww coming up, director lee daniels joins us live to tell us all about his new billie holiday movie. you don't want to miss it.

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we're back and we've got a brilliant filmmaker joining us right now. he created the hit series "empire" and is an oscar nominated director and producer. his new film is called "the united states vs. billie holiday," lee daniels, good morning to you, our friend and, lee, first of all we want to start out by saying thank you for giving "gma" some love in "the wall street journal," must haves. we really appreciate you watching the show. >> good morning, my little choca-lattes. how you doing? >> thank you for that. >> i love y'all. i love y'all. >> right back at you. and this one, i got to tell you, i thought i knew billie. i thought i knew but i had no idea about the civil rights movement. her role in that. i want to ask you, our friend, when did you know this aspect of her life? >> you know, the movie that got me actually to become a director was "lady sings the blues" and that movie inspired me into -- i

think that is the reason i'm directing. i had never seen black people so beautiful, diana ross and billy dee williams and richard pryor and the realness of what that movie meant in harlem and such but it wasn't the true story and didn't find out until years later through suzan-lori parks' incredible script, "the united states vs. billie holiday" that she was really dogged by the government for singing "strange fruit," and they really, really -- they came for her. so to me, she kicked off the civil rights movement as we know it to be and i had to do it. i had to tell her story. >> and we have to let everybody see a little bit of a clip right now. here it is. >> i cut strange fruit. >> no, joe, i want to sing the damn song. the club advertised it. people pay good money to sing it. >> people in high places don't

want you singing that song. >> and i've asked you over a hundred types what people, joe? what you looking at him for? i'm the one that pays you. >> the government. >> oh, wow. and that is andra day, the singer andra day playing billie already getting oscar buzz. at first, lee, you didn't think she was right for the role. what finally convinced you she was the one? >> well, i didn't think she was right for the role until i met her and she had me -- she didn't think she was right for the role. she -- she's like, are you sure i can play billie holiday and i found myself at the end of the meeting, talking an actor into -- who i didn't want for the role into playing the role, and i said, she was so -- you know, she -- i could tell that she cared for billie's legacy so %-p

no way i could deny her the opportunity to audition and when she auditioned it was over with. it was a slam dunk. i had never seen -- i have never worked with anyone like this before in my career. >> she is really talented and that's saying a lot because you work with a lot of great talent, she's going to be on our show tomorrow so what should we ask her about? >> ask her about the crowd surfing scene. there's a -- she -- that's her favorite scene but she did not anticipate crowd surfing. you know, i like to change it up on you at the last minute so she was singing, pick from the bottle of beer and all those extras were out in the audience, i say, crowd surf. she said crowd surf. i said, crowd surf. she said, billie holiday didn't crowd surf. i said our billie holiday is going to crowd surf so we went out and crowd surfed and thank god nobody dropped her. >> that's true. we'll ask her about that. one final question. what is it about the reboot, "wonder years" reboot that

you're doing for abc? >> it's black. i'm doing it for you guys, i'm doing a black verse of that. i'm so excited. i'm nervous because i want to get the tone right. we're auditioning actors right now, be you i want to get the tone right, and i think -- we got fred savage directing it. >> ah. >> yes, and sala dean is writing it. so i'm excited about it, but it's needed right now. it's a needed comedy, dramedy that is -- that i think america is going to love and embrace. >> well, you bring it to us, we know we will. >> lee, we love your work without a doubt. >> thank you. >> thank you for joining us this morning. "the united states vs. billie holiday" premieres february 26th on hulu. we'll be right back, everybody. like, seeing my mom. it's unthinkable to me

that i can't see her and i can't hug her. not being able to hug is just like somebody has to tie me down. touching someone to say i love you, to hug you... those are the things that i miss. ♪ ♪

oh, you think this is just a community center? no. it's way more than that. cause when you hook our community up with the internet... boom! look at ariana, crushing virtual class. jamol, chasing that college dream. michael, doing something crazy. this is the place where we can show the world what we can do. comcast is partnering with 1000 community centers to create wifi-enabled lift zones, so students from low-income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. oh we're ready. ♪ ♪

before we go tune i before we go tune in tonight for new show hosted by gio benitez called "i survived a crime," 10:00 p.m. on a&e. surv >> have a great day, everybody. a&e.

covid's still a threat. and on reopening schools, we know what happens when we don't put safety first. ignore proper ventilation or rates of community spread, and the virus worsens. fail to provide masks or class sizes that allow for social distancing, and classrooms close back down. a successful reopening requires real safety and accountability measures. including prioritizing vaccines for educators. parents and educators agree: reopen schools. putting safety first.

reopen schools. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. good morning, everyone. i'm kumasi aaron. ride share and delivery drivers are holding a clean-in protest today. drivers from uber, lyft say there's a lack of safety and sanitation supplies provided by companies. the drivers plan to turn off their apps for two hours to take part in the socially distanced protest starting at 11:00 this morning. here's mike with our forecast. >> look at that, visibility, a couple of hundred feet. that will start fading away in the next hour or so and it's going to leave total sunshine, as you can see, a great day for outdoor temperatures. 60 to 66. we have some rain thursday night

through saturday morning. then spring warmth. now it's t >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, from "the walking dead," lauren cohan. plus, join us in the "live" kitchen for a simple and savory jambalaya. plus, a fifth grader is our "good news story of the day." all next on "live!" ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: hi. >> ryan: good morning. hi, there. >> kelly: it is wednesday, february 17, 2021. although the cue cards make it look like it is 2024. >> ryan: we should know the year by heart. >> kelly: i still sign 1989 to my