can i just say -- can i say thank you to all of you for being so kind to me good morning, america. icy grip. sleet and snow blanketing the northeast. the south in a deep freeze. ice on major interstates shut down with serious accidents. trees and power lines crashing onto cars in louisiana and an all-time record 24-hour snowfall in texas. 12 states declaring a state of emergency with alerts from texas to massachusetts. we are tracking it all this morning. disaster in texas. more than 13 million people facing another crisis after all that cold. the water supply in jeopardy. people being told to boil water to drink. pipes bursting across the state. >> oh, my god. >> firefighters unable to get water from frozen hydrants to battle massive blazes in impossible conditions and

officials now admitting it could have been even worse, the texas grid just minutes away from a catastrophic blackout on sunday. we are live from houston with the latest. cruz under fire. [ crowd chanting ] the texas senator leaving his state in the middle of this emergency to go on vacation in cancun. >> it was obviously a mistake. >> the images going viral showing him with his family boarding a flight. text messages sent by his wife reveal the family invited neighbors to join them at the ritz-carlton because their house was freezing. cruz now speaking out overnight, the fallout this morning. the race to vaccinate. at least 40 states reporting some kind of disruption due to the severe weather. shipments delayed. appointments postponed or canceled and pfizer launches a new vaccine trial. testing the safety of its shot for pregnant women. "bachelor" backlash. tayshia now speaking out opening up about host chris harrison's decision to step aside from the hit show and his apology. >> his words affected a lot of people. you know, myself included.

>> what she's saying this morning. ♪ rocket man ♪ and touchdown on mars. the extraordinary new images coming in from overnight as perseverance begins its search for life on the red planet. america watching that historic landing in awe. ground control celebrating. >> touchdown confirmed. >> this morning, the nasa engineer whose home office is in her laundry room, part of the team that got us to mars, joining us this morning answering your questions. good morning, america. happy to be with you on this friday morning. it's quite an exciting day for the folks there at nasa. >> yeah, just a little bit to talk about. look at these new images overnight from mars. let's see that incredible moment again, because look at that excitement. i love it as perseverance touched down, yes, on the surface of mars. we're going to have so much more on that historic landing coming up. >> a lot of exciting in that

room. but we're going begin with the winter weather emergency across the country right now. texas still dealing with the aftermath of that deep freeze. the power slowly coming back on, but this morning, residents are now facing a dangerous water shortage. >> meanwhile, the icy grip on that -- of that winter storm now moving into the east coast. ginger will have our forecast in a moment, but first, rob marciano is just outside philadelphia with the latest. good morning, rob. >> hey, good morning, michael. snow, then sleet, then a freezing drizzle falling overnight coating the cars, the roadways and some of these sidewalks, it's difficult to walk on with this layer of ice, it's better to walk on the side where you can actually find some snow and it's crusty snow at that. in some cases we've got several inches, ten inches of snow piled up on top of ice on some of these staircases that haven't been cleared. obviously that's not going anywhere. not to mention the car crashes in virginia and just outside of philadelphia and delaware we had a crash on 95 and i-81 in roanoke, virginia.

a major crash there because of the ice and we have over 80,000 people across the virginias that are without power because of the ice. this ice stretches all the way back down to louisiana and texas. trees in louisiana, taking down some power lines there. the roads in philadelphia are just as bad as they are here in suburbs. we here two weeks ago for another snowstorm. it's a winter, amy, that just doesn't want to quit. >> that's right, rob. all right. this morning as we just heard rob say so much of the northeast under a sheet of ice, literally. let's bring in ginger with where that dangerous weather is heading now. ginger. >> amy, top ten snowiest februarys on record here in new york city and on top of all of it, if you can hear me stepping, is that crunchy layer of ice. that is not fun to get around on and it goes all the way back to almost an inch of ice in pocono summit, pennsylvania, so that's

going to be a problem and it's going to stick around today. you can see flurries still flying here. even connecticut, massachusetts by tonight are still dealing with the snow. it's not until tomorrow we can say good-bye to that winter precip. i have to talk about memphis. columbus, mississippi, back to del rio, texas, under a hard freeze warning this morning, that's after del rio had more than 11 inches, the most they've ever seen in 24 hours of snow and they're still so cold this morning. but you know those air temperatures, 19 in shreveport this morning. they have to get better and they will. i will share that forecast coming up in a bit. >> looking forward to good news. thanks. we turn to the latest on that disaster there in texas. more than 150,000 still do not have power. the good news is that is down from the peak of over 4 million. but right now, a water shortage is forcing more than 13 million people to have to boil their water before they can use it. marcus moore is live in houston with the very latest on this. good morning, marcus. >> reporter: cecilia, good morning. another cold morning here if

north texas. the temperatures in the teens, the windchill in the single digits. . the federal aid in the form of food, generators and fuel for hospitals have arrived as people at home face new struggles in the midst of this crisis. this morning, the power is slowly turning back on in parts of texas, but millions are facing yet another crisis. after extended mass power outages led to pipes bursting across the state. this morning, more than 13 million are being told to boil their water if they have any. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: and with no water around 75 firefighters in san antonio left to battle this massive inferno well into thursday night at this apartment complex in impossible conditions. >> our main concern is water supply. all these hydrants out here are frozen and there's no water. >> reporter: firefighters forced to get their water down the street. those unrelenting flames ripping through the building. >> once we make a little bit of advance on the fire we run out of water.

>> reporter: officials say it was between the second and third floors and before long engulfed the building. into the parking lot these cars all catching on fire. embers surround a firefighter as smoke billowed into the sky. governor abbott speaking out overnight. >> all of us agree on the necessity of action, not just the action taken to restore your power, but action to ensure that you never have to endure anything like this ever again. >> reporter: amid statewide damage and devastation we are now learning it was almost much worse. ercot, the agency responsible for managing 90% of the state's electricity, revealing that the texas grid was minutes away from catastrophic failure on sunday. >> it was seconds to minutes given the amount of generation that was coming off the system. >> reporter: while the state avoided the worst case scenario millions of texans still struggling to keep their families safe, warm and dry. this mother was forced to burn her toddler's toys to stay warm while rationing oxygen tanks for her 5-month-old son born with premature lungs. hannah griffin needed to ration

her oxygen supply for days. >> my story did not end in tragedy but it could have. >> reporter: as millions finally turn the lights back on many confronting horrific damage. >> it just sounded like a waterfall hitting. >> reporter: in dallas, this man's apartment destroyed when pipes burst in the building. >> it just kept getting worse. the wall was just splitting up in two. >> reporter: and throughout it all the pandemic rages on. health care workers at medical city health care going above and beyond. >> one of our ceos picked up 54 colleagues to bring to the hospital in the weather so that they could care for our patients. >> reporter: and once they arrived hospitals providing employees with food and a safe place to sleep. >> we have 16 hospitals and hundreds of employees and colleagues that are staying in the hospital overnight to be able to be ready to care for patients day and night. >> reporter: in's a bit of encouraging news this morning. the temperatures are expected to

get back above freezing for the first time this past weekend. michael, that will be a small glimmer of hope after what has been a very long week. >> it's been a tough week, marcus, thank you so much. that severe weather is also having a major impact on the effort to vaccinate americans. this morning, more than 41 million americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but at least 40 states are reporting some sort of disruption because of the storm. eva pilgrim joins us now with more this morning. good morning, eva. >> reporter: good morning, michael. the weather is slowing down vaccinations. here in new york, nearly all of the vaccines that were supposed to arrive this week haven't arrived and it's a problem all across the country thanks to this weather. this morning, mother nature halting the supply of covid-19 vaccines, at least 40 states affected forcing appointment cancellations from coast to coast. across the country people forced to reschedule their vaccinations. new jersey's governor now says his state will shut down mass

vaccination sites because they just don't have the supply. >> because of the nationwide weather situation, less because of what's going on in new jersey right now, we know there are going to be supply chain issues. >> reporter: much of new jersey's vaccines stranded in the midwest and south where massive snow has pummeled shipping routes. the shipping delay now postponing appointments even in states like arizona that aren't seeing the winter weather. >> they said it was due to the weather, that the shipment was so delayed, but we have not had any bad weather here and just happens that the rest of the country affected our shipments. >> reporter: in massachusetts, the governor looking at sending the national guard to bring vaccines to his state. >> we're currently talking to the national guard about -- and they will do this -- about going down to kentucky and tennessee, which is where this stuff is currently located and bringing it back. >> reporter: in chicago, city officials were also forced to close megavaccination sites in

recent days, but demand is soaring for those smaller locations that remained open, there were almost no cancellations. >> i've really been wanting to get this vaccine, so if i had to walk, i would have walked the hour over here. i wouldn't have missed this appointment. >> reporter: and after promising that every american will have access to a vaccine by the end of july, the white house is pushing to get back on track. dr. fauci saying, once this weather clears, we will have to work double time to make up for it. michael. >> and in the meantime, eva, there has been a positive development involving that pfizer vaccine. >> reporter: that's right, michael. pfizer is now launching clinical trials in pregnant women and they will also be studying the newborns to see if those mothers pass on the antibodies to those babies. the recommendation for now, though, from the cdc, if you're pregnant, talk to your doctor about what's best for you and your baby. michael. >> all right, eva, thank you. we'll have much more on that new vaccine trial for pregnant women

in our next hour. cecilia. michael, we go to washington now where president biden heads to michigan today to tour a vaccine manufacturing plant. the latest in his push to pass that nearly $2 trillion relief package. senior white house correspondent mary bruce joins us with the latest. mary, good morning. house democrats, they're close to voting on this one. >> reporter: yeah, they are plowing ahead here in washington as the president this morning is hitting the road again as you mentioned. he'll be visiting a pfizer vaccine manufacturing plant in kalamazoo, michigan, meeting with workers there and continuing to try to make the case for this nearly $2 trillion covid relief bill. he's been trying to sell this bill across the country and drum up support. the president, you know, often notes that the majority according to latest polls, the majority of americans do support these proposals including more than a third of republican voters, but back here in washington as you know, republicans still are not on board. they say the price tag is just too steep. democrats say with or without them they are forging ahead. they want this to be done in the house by the end of next week and for the president to be able to sign this before those key unemployment benefits expire in the middle of next month, cecilia.

>> that deadline coming up. mary, the president is also on the world stage virtually anyway. he will be pushing for a nearly $4 billion boost to the global vaccine supply. >> reporter: yeah, president today participating in a high-profile virtual international summits as he try to reshape america's image abroad and dramatically shift foreign policy. we're told he's going to focus on three key areas, the pandemic, economic crisis and climate change, and biden will come with a big announcement that the u.s. is donating $4 billion to begin to try to deliver vaccines some of the poorest countries in the world. another big milestone today, the u.s. is officially back in the paris climate accord. cecilia. >> amy, over to you. thanks, cecilia. now to the headline on the u.s. and iran. the biden administration formally offering to restart nuclear talks. let's get right to our chief global affairs correspondent,

martha raddatz, what have you learned? >> reporter: amy, news this morning directly from iran, iran's foreign minister saying that the u.s. must lift all sanctions before iran will make any moves to dial back its nuclear program. it was donald trump who withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with iran and other world powers, and imposed heavy sanctions. president biden campaigned on reviving that nuclear deal with additional restrictions, and that will be the tricky part, but it is significant that the u.s. has signaled they would like talks to begin, and it would be hard for iran not to take part, michael. >> that is going to be tricky. thank you so much, martha. now to the historic mission to mars. new images coming in overnight as nasa's rover, perseverance, touches down and begins its search for life on the red planet. gio benitez is bringing us the very latest. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning. yeah, the rover perseverance which they like to call percy around here at nasa, already

sending back those images from the red planet. what percy finds on mars may finally help us answer what or who is out there. overnight, the rover perseverance feeding back its first images from mars as it searches for signs of life after a landing that turned mission control into a celebration. >> perseverance safely on the surface of mars. >> reporter: perseverance tweeting, hello, world. my first look at my forever home. the rover traveling 300 million miles for seven months successfully getting through the seven minutes of terror, a fiery and dangerous entry into the mars atmosphere that the rover had to do entirely on its own landing in jezero crater, an ancient dried up lake about the size of lake tahoe. >> nine successful landings on mars. the only nation that's been able to do that. just incredible. >> reporter: president biden watching the landing from the white house and we were there as he called the acting nasa

administrator. >> hello, mr. president. i will. i will tell percy you said hello, sir. >> what did he say? >> he said, congratulations. he said, congratulations, man. and he said that, you know, he is just so excited for the team and so excited for what this demonstrates, you know, to the country and the world that we can still do incredible things. >> reporter: and nasa hopes percy will collect enough samples to answer once and for all, was there ever life on mars? now, that landing was very dramatic, but this is just the beginning for perseverance because now there's a lot of work ahead and in the next few months it's going to be collecting those samples to send back to earth, michael. >> all right, gio, thank you so much for that. that mars landing, it captured the country's attention all day. twitter blowing up with reactions and memes after those first images made it back to earth.

this user writing, is that matt damon from "the martian." and this one, it must be cold up there. bernie sanders has his mittens on, always prepared. >> so many creative people out there and so many memes we can't even show you. >> yes. coming up in our next hour, we're going to speak live to one of the people behind that historic mission. she's going to be answering your questions. >> looking forward to that. but we are following a lot of other headlines, including outrage at ted cruz, the texas senator going to cancun while his state is in crisis. people without water, without power. what he is saying now about the trip and the fallout this morning. and we have the latest on that "bachelor" backlash. what bachelorette tayshia is saying about chris harrison's apology and his decision to step aside. first let's go to ginger. good morning, ginger. >> michael, this video is from the border of mexico. 11.2 inches of snow in del rio, texas, that's the most they've ever seen in 24 hours. they're waking up to a hard

freeze but, of course, things as i promised are going to get better. some of the numbers to offer you go into the 60s finally by the end of the weekend. all right, let's get that weekend forecast, speaking of it, brought to you by progressive insurance. good morning, and welcome to a wet friday morning. the commute's going to be slippery. by the evening hours, the rain is over. just in time for another round of wet weather tonight. i promise you warmer sunshine this weekend. today, 56 to 62 with, you know,

being dry this afternoon, but not a lot of sunshine. tonight, quick-moving storm. we'll wake up mainly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 30s to mid 40s. my accu-weather seven-day forecast, wawawawawawawawawawawa and now coming up next, the waitress who lost her job because she wasn't comfortable getting the covid vaccine saying that she had concerns about fertility and wanted to know more. we are going to tell you what she's saying this morning and we'll be right back.

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good morning. california lawmakers have reached a $6.5 billion deal to reopen schools this spring. the safe and open schools plan gives schools financial incentives to open by april 15th. $2 billion is allocated to help reopen schools, and $4 billion would be dedicated to in-person learning loss. the plan does not have the blessing of governor gavin newsom who says it doesn't go far or fast enough. this morning a dgsz by students and parents in san francisco. students are holding a series of zoom-in mornings where they gather in front of their locked school sites or at nearby parks for their online classes. this one was near clarendon elementary yesterday. organizers say it sends the message they are ready to learn at school together.

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at ross. yes for less. some good news in the south bay, at least where 101 and 880 connect, no rain yet. you see in the distance, that definitely looks like rain is falling across the south bay. a wet commute for just about all of us stretching into north bay. look at that -- the bay bridge not faring as well as possible the south bay. very wet there. as we look at the next six hours or so, you see steady, light rain and drizzle through the morning hours, at least 9:00. turning over to scattered showers through lunch. it will be mostly cloudy this afternoon with temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s. another chance of wet weather tonight, and then warm sunshine next week. >> thank you. another update in 30 minutes. you can always find us on our news app or abcnews.com. we'll see you again in a few.

until then, here's more ""gma."

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and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. ♪ don't go wasting your emotion ♪ welcome back to "gma." amy is swaying in her chair. that is amanda seyfried singing "lay all your love on me" in "mamma mia!" 13 years since the first movie came out and followed up with a sequel in 2018. the actress will join us getting oscar buzz for her starring role in "mank," and what she's saying about those rumors, will make you happy, amy, a third "mamma mia!" >> well, it will make my daughters happy. that is played on repeat in my house, so we're very excited about that news potentially. first the top headlines we're following. the latest on the winter weather across the country. 12 states declaring a state of emergency. alerts from texas to massachusetts, the icy grip of

that storm now moving into the northeast. we're tracking it all this morning, and then crisis in texas as the state deals with the fallout of that deep freeze, more than 13 million people under orders to boil their water. the water supply in jeopardy. pipes bursting as power slowly returns to residents across that state. and this morning, an announcement from buckingham palace saying prince harry and meghan will not return as working members of the royal family after conversations between harry and the queen. the statement saying, quote, while all are saddened by their decision, the duke and duchess remain much loved members of the family. we'll have a lot more on that. plus, take a look at this. lebron james scores another record with that shot right there becoming the youngest nba player ever to score 35,000 points, just the third to do it in all of nba history joining the all-time greats kareem abdul-jabbar and karl malone. also fair to say lebron had a good day all around. he was also named to the all-star team.

>> wow. >> really? he made the all-star team? that's a surprise. we are going to begin with ted cruz under fire right now. the texas senator speaking out overnight after facing outrage for taking his family on that vacation to cancun while millions in his home state are living in those deadly conditions. trevor ault is in houston with the very latest on this story. good morning, trevor. >> reporter: good morning, cecilia. you know, in this political climate, it's not often you hear citizens from both parties vocally upset with a single politician. but every texan that i talked to was unhappy with senator cruz jetting off to mexico and now we are hearing especially from people who spent the past few days waiting out in 30 or 40-degree temperatures inside their homes. following swift backlash overnight, senator ted cruz saying, it was a mistake to leave texas in the midst of an unprecedented crisis to take his family to mexico. >> it was obviously a mistake. in hindsight, i wouldn't have done it. i was trying to be a dad.

>> reporter: cruz says the ill-timed vacation was planned on a whim after the power went out in his family's houston home. >> we had spent two days without power, and my girls wanted to take a trip with their friends and, frankly, get somewhere where it was warmer. i flew them down last night, and then i just flew back today. >> reporter: text messages obtained by "the new york times" allegedly sent by cruz's wife heidi reveal the family invited friends to join them in cancun and stay at the ritz-carlton because their house was freezing. while cruz originally seemed to indicate he was simply dropping off his daughters and returning thursday, he now admits to planning on staying in mexico through the weekend and working remotely before changing his mind. >> i started having second thoughts almost the moment i sat down on the plane, so i changed my return flight and flew back on the first available flight i could take. >> reporter: on wednesday, photos showing the cruz family

at houston's airport and aboard that flight bound for cancun quickly went viral. the trip prompting fierce backlash as millions in texas went without power and water. houston's democratic mayor unleashing harsh criticism. >> it is certainly much warmer where he's going. >> reporter: and while the republican governor declined to comment -- >> candidly i haven't been following people's vacation plans. we have been working literally all night. >> reporter: fox news host calling out the senator. >> this is day one stuff if you're a politician. if there's a weather disaster in your state, you don't go on a tropical vacation. >> reporter: and even late-night comics taking aim at cruz. >> while his fellow texans are freezing with the power out, ted cruz did what any great leader would do when a state needs leadership most. he booked a flight to mexico and said, adios, amigos. >> reporter: on thursday afternoon, cameras caught the senator pulling a suitcase through cancun international airport heading home.

[ crowd chanting ] where protesters were gathered outside demanding cruz resign. >> to go fly to warmer weather when people are freezing in their homes shows exactly how out of touch he is. people are dying. >> reporter: cruz then sitting down for an interview with our houston station ktrk. >> i don't like this being used as a distraction from the real issues. >> but it wouldn't be a distraction if you had stayed here and said these same things and gotten out in the streets. >> i agree. the angry haters screaming resign, i think that is a sad sign of where we are. i don't do that to other people. >> reporter: but cruz's past criticism of democratic rivals is now back in the spotlight. in one december tweet attacking austin mayor steve adler and other democrats for traveling while telling constituents to stay home, cruz called them hypocrites, complete and utter hypocrites. and this morning, there are some

republicans criticizing senator cruz not for taking this trip to cancun, but for saying they think he shouldn't have apologized. amy. >> much more to come on this. trevor ault, thanks so much. we'll stay in texas where americans are looking for ways to help the struggling people there. google searches for the term "donate to help texas" are up an incredible 3,800% over just the past day. one person stepping up in a very big way, nfl veteran pierre desir is donating 10,000 meals to the houston food bank for victims of the storm triggered power outage saying he feels it is just the right thing to do. plus, beyonce's foundation, be good, stepping up as well. the texas native teaming up with adidas and houston disaster relief organization bread of life providing grants of up to $1,000 to those affected by the storm. nice to see everybody looking to find ways to help, michael. >> and desir has nothing to do with houston. he just thought it was the right thing to do. great young man right there and

thank you to beyonce, as well. now we go to the latest on that "bachelor" backlash. tayshia is speaking out about host chris harrison's decision to step aside from the hit show for a period of time. t.j. holmes has all the details. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning to you, sir. we have to remember this is the season of the first-ever black bachelor. but so many of the headlines right now are still about the past racist actions of one of the final four women he has to choose from, and also the host who came to that woman's defense. well, tayshia adams, the second ever black bachelorette is letting us know what she thinks about it. another bachelorette speaking out this morning about longtime "bachelor" host chris harrison. >> his words affected a lot of people, you know, myself included. >> reporter: tayshia adams, the franchise's second ever black bachelorette, speaking with bachelor nation talking about harrison's decision to step aside from the show for, quote, a period of time. >> i think that by him taking ownership and just not just

saying -- issuing an apology and just going back to work the next day, like nothing happened, speaks volumes on his behalf. >> reporter: harrison's apology coming after criticism for defending one of this season's front-runners, rachael kirkconnell. >> rachael, will you accept this rose? >> reporter: kirkconnell is at the center of a controversy after these pictures of attending a plantation-themed college party surfaced. also coming to light, she's shared qanon conspiracy theories and liked a photo of the confederate flag. harrison defended her actions to to rachel lindsay, the first-ever black bachelorette. >> it's not a good look. >> no, it's not -- rachel, is it a good look in 2018 or not a good look in 2021? >> it's not a good look ever because she's celebrating the old south. if i went to that party, what would i represent at that party? >> reporter: after backlash from that interview, harrison issued an apology, something tayshia says meant a lot to her. >> i think after reading his

apology, there's a few things that stuck out to me that i -- it hit my heart a little bit more to know that he like actually meant what he was saying. he said by excusing historical racism i defended it. which is the absolute truth and the fact that he called that out and owned up to that and he acknowledges that means a lot to me. >> reporter: now, kirkconnell has issued an apology, a long apology, guys, and in that she acknowledged herself, her past actions were racist but she says she wants a chance to prove herself. tayshia adams to her credit, in her statement, she also said people should get a chance to prove themselves as well, talking about chris harrison. so he will be in the rest of the season because it was already shot so you'll see the show go on. >> all right, keep our eye on it. >> thanks. coming up, can your employer require you to get the covid vaccine? we're going to hear from a waitress who says that she was fired because she was uncomfortable getting the shot. we'll tell you what she's saying this morning. we'll be right back. future or y. we're driving it.

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we are back now with the brooklyn waitress who says she lost her job after expressing reservations about getting the covid-19 vaccine. this is now raising the quest question, can refusing to get the shot? erielle reshef has the story. good morning, erielle. >> reporter: good morning to you, cecilia. so many people are talking about this. bonnie jacobson says she is not an anti-vaxxer. she just wanted more time to do research on the vaccine's possible effects on fertility. >> i was shocked.

i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: this morning, new york city waitress bonnie jacobson speaking out days after losing her job. >> the events of the last few days, it's been a roller coaster. >> reporter: the 34-year-old says she was fired after telling her employer she and her husband are considering starting a family and she had hesitations about getting the covid-19 vaccine. >> what's your biggest reservation about getting the vaccine? >> i just need more time. i need more research to come out and i have my reservations about fertility. >> reporter: jacobson says the restaurant red hook tavern sent out an e-mail requiring all staff to get vaccinated now that they're eligible in new york. when she pushed back, she said she received an e-mail terminating her employment. do you think it's fair for a workplace to be able to determine whether or not its employees should be vaccinated? >> i don't, i don't. you know, especially in a situation like mine, i asked for a little more time for a very legitimate reason. i clearly was given no time. i want to make it very clear,

you know, i'm not an anti-vaxxer. >> reporter: in a statement red hook tavern telling abc news we made a decision that we thought would best protect everyone adding, we now realize that we need to update our policies so it's clear to our team how the process works and what we can do to support them. as vaccines become more widely available, businesses are facing a major dilemma. should they make the vaccine a requirement. >> i think we're going to see endless litigation over this issue and, again, everything covid related is messy and i think that this is the very first we're hearing about this but i think it will go on for years. >> reporter: some companies like trader joe's and instacart offering financial incentives to employees to get vaccinated while others like red hook tavern are mandating it. let experts say that's an employer's right. >> under the americans with disabilities act as long as they're not requesting information from an employee it's legal to require the vaccine. >> reporter: and pfizer has

launched its clinical trial in pregnant women and the organization for fertility doctors says that it does recommend the vaccine for pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant. cecilia. >> okay, erielle, i think so many people will have real questions about this. what is the bottom line advice from legal experts that you're talking to? >> reporter: so legal experts say, of course, this is a very thorny issue. there can be exemptions for medical reasons, possibly for religious reasons, as well, but as you heard there in the piece, cecilia, legal experts say there is legal ground for employers to require the vaccine. cecilia. >> okay, erielle, thanks so much. michael. coming up, our "play of the day." the day." hey rodgers! look, i'm you! jake from state farm, you couldn't find a stand-in that looked anything like me? have you seen mine? like looking in a mirror, right? now that one makes sense. look guys, i don't even have a stand-in. of course, you do.

hold on, is that drake?? that's right. drake from state farm. (in unison) like a good neighbor (in unison again) like a good neighbor hey, stand-ins don't have lines. oh, okay. like a good neighbor, state farm is there dear ms, from day one you've tried to define me. 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, ocrevus is proven effective in reducing relapses in rms and slowing disability progression in rms and ppms. don't take ocrevus if you've had a life-threatening allergic reaction to it, or have hepatitis b. tell your doctor about vaccinations

or if you've had hep b, as it could come back. a common side effect of ocrevus is infusion reactions, and some may require hospitalization. it can increase your risk of infections, which can be serious, and may decrease certain types of immunoglobulins. while pml was not reported in clinical trials, it could happen. an increased risk of cancer, including breast cancer, may exist. sorry, ms. you don't get to control every part of me ms can't own us. ask your doctor about two-times-a-year ocrevus. many people are having personal and financial challenges during this difficult time. ocrevus connects is a program designed to help you pay for ocrevus, navigate insurance coverage and get infusion support find out how we can help you. no matter what sometimes keeps you up, nature made helps you win the night. our extended release melatonin helps you fall asleep and stay asleep. nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand.

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♪ how you like me now ♪ ♪ how you like me now ♪ we are back now, got a little ahead of myself, with the "play of the day" and a perfect golf shot in an unlikely place in allentown, pennsylvania. this guy misses the warm weather so much he spray paints a golf green right in the backyard in the snow, yes, he did. now we want you to watch his attempt at a chip shot. that's right. he got a hole in one. >> whoa! >> oh, wow. >> that's impressive. >> anywhere you hit it in that green will go in because it's on the snow. >> we'll put one out in times square. >> i'm good. >> we'll be right back, everybody. in times

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♪ and as the covid vaccine rolls out, we'll be ready to administer it. (dad vo) i saw them out of the corner of my eye. ♪ just a blur when they jumped the median.nister it. there was nothing i could do. (daughter) daddy! (dad vo) she's safe because of our first outback. and our new one's even safer. (vo) welcome to the 2020 subaru outback. an iihs top safety pick+. the highest level of safety you can earn. (vo) get 0% for 63 months on select new 2021 models. now through march 1st. i feel bad for kicking your seat on purpose i'm sorry for mansplaining. that's when a man... i know what it is. we should have just told you it's a boy. i wish you didn't have to hear all that.

sorry i called you karen. but, that's my name sorry your name is karen. i promise i will not eat any more of your friends. really? k, it might happen one more time. coming up, we are going inside that brand-new vaccine trial happening right now. the thousands of pregnant women that are getting the pfizer covid vaccine. and could lunch, not breakfast, be the most important meal of the day? we're going to blow your mind. we have healthy filling recipes fo

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and good morning from 7 7 7 mornings. they're going to be administering shots for second doses. the city was forced to temporarily close vaccination sites at muscony center and city college because of a lack of supply this week. the muscony location is expected to reopen next week. let's check in with meteorologist mike nicco about that rain. all right. thank you very much. hi, everybody. let's go outside from our roof camera. you see the steady, light rain falling. .2 inch of rain, most of that in the last couple of hours. your activity planner revolves around trying to stay dry at least until 1:00. here's the commute also. you see it is wet just about everywhere with rain becoming more scattered as we head toward

the lunch hour. and then another chance tonight, reggie? >> thank you. another abc7 news update in about 30 minutes. finally moved in. it's a great old house. good bones, wraparound porch. the pipes are... making strange noises. ♪bagpipes♪ ♪bagpipes♪ ♪bagpipes♪ even the plumbers couldn't help us. nope. at least geico makes bundling our home and car insurance easy. which saves us a ton. for bundling made easy, go to geico.com.

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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.

good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. icy grip. sleet and snow blanketing the northeast. the south in a deep freeze. an all-time 24-hour record snowfall in texas. 12 states declaring a state of emergency with alerts from texas to massachusetts. disaster in texas. more than 13 million people facing another crisis after all that cold. the water supply now in jeopardy. people being told to boil water to drink. pipes bursting across the state and officials now admitting it could have been even worse, the texas grid just minutes away from a catastrophic blackout on sunday. new this morning, buckingham palace says prince harry and meghan will not return as working members of the royal family after conversations between harry and the queen. "gma" health alert. pregnancy and the covid vaccine.

inside the new trial enrolling and vaccinating expectant moms right now. kendall jenner under fire. why some are accusing the supermodel of cultural appropriation after she launched a new tequila brand. is she being unfairly criticized? ♪ larger than life ♪ and touchdown on mars. a top nasa engineer whose home office is in her laundry room part of the team that got us to mars joining us after those new images from perseverance came in overnight. she's joining us live. ♪ bad to the bone ♪ it's tyga time. >> tyga is my right-hand guy. >> our pet of the week isn't just his human's best friend, he's her life line. their incredible story and more as we say, good morning, america. good morning, america. so glad you could join us on this friday. >> that's right, and this

morning, it's the great lunch debate in case you didn't know. should your afternoon meal be the biggest of the day? we're going to answer that question and we're going to take a look at some of the creative lunch recipes taking over tiktok coming up. >> they say we're getting food? >> i hope. >> i hope so too. first, we have a lot of news to get to starting with that winter weather moving across the country. sleet and snow blanketing the country, and ginger is tracking it all. good morning, ginger. >> good morning, cecilia. slushy and crusty is what we'll call it this morning. right here on the sidewalk to the ice that covered the fresh snow. we're now almost 20 inches above average in new york city, but this is nothing compared to the danger in the south. look at these images from louisiana. close to a half inch of freezing rain that glazed onto the power lines, onto the roads there. super difficult for them and they are waking up in hard freeze warnings. we're still dealing with this storm that will be pulling away by tomorrow. so connecticut, massachusetts, you're still going to have a day ahead with some considerable snow. remember, that's going to stay especially coastal so not so much into new england but hard

freeze warnings, the windchill advisories that stretch to memphis, look at del rio, texas, as we showed you earlier. they had close to a foot of snow just yesterday, the most they had seen in 24 hours and this morning the wake-up temperatures are in the teens or single digits even in some place, michael, things do get better. my goodness, everybody ready for this warm-up. >> yes, we are, ginger. you stay warm out there. thank you. we're going to turn to the latest on that disaster in texas and the aftermath of that deep freeze. a water shortage now forcing more than 13 million people to boil their water before using it. let's go back to marcus moore in houston with the latest. >> reporter: michael, good morning. this winter storm still has a firm grip on the region. temperatures in the teens, the single digits for the windchill and people at home facing new struggles in the midst of a crisis. after extended mass power outages led to pipes bursting across the state, this morning, more than 13 million are being told to boil their water if they

have it. and with no water, around 75 firefighters in san antonio left to battle this massive inferno well into thursday night at this apartment complex in impossible conditions. >> our main concern is water supply. all these hydrants are frozen and there's no water. >> reporter: firefighters forced to get their water down the street. those unrelenting flames ripping through the building. governor abbott speaking out overnight. >> all of us agree on the necessity to ensure that you never have to endure anything like this ever again. >> reporter: amid statewide damage and devastation, we are now learning it was almost much worse. ercot, the agency responsible for managing 90% of the state's electricity, revealing that the texas grid was minutes away from catastrophic failure on sunday. >> it was seconds to minutes given the amount of generation coming off the system. >> reporter: as millions finally turn their lights back on, many confronting horrific damage. >> it just sounded like a waterfall hitting. >> reporter: in dallas this man's apartment destroyed when pipes burst in the building. >> just kept getting worse.

the wall was just splitting up in two. >> reporter: amy, back to that glimmer of hope, though, the temperatures later today here in north texas expected to get back above freezing for the first time in six days. >> wow, that certainly is some good news there, marcus moore, thank you. now to that breaking announcement from buckingham palace this morning saying prince harry and meghan will not return as working members of the royal family after conversations between harry and the queen. maggie rulli is at buckingham palace with all of those details for us, good morning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, amy. good morning. yeah, we've been waiting for an announcement. it was just 12 months ago when the news first broke that the couple was stepping back from their official royal duties, but it was always subject to a 12-month review, well, now, amy a month earlier than planned it is official. the queen confirms the two are no longer working members of the royal family and perhaps what's most significant here is that prince harry will lose his honorary military appointments and both of them will lose all their formal royal patronages.

the sussexes said they'll continue to work for organizations and causes that are important to them regardless of their official role. now we have to remember this is coming at what's already an emotional time for the royal family with prince philip, harry's grandfather, currently still in the hospital. but we do know that the queen spoke with harry about this decision and she also said in her statement that the duke and duchess remain much loved members of the family. amy. >> an important final note there. all right, maggie rulli, thank you. coming up, supermodel kendall jenner faces backlash for her new tequila brand. why some online are accusing her of cultural appropriation. plus inside the new vaccine trial happening right now. the thousands of pregnant women getting the pfizer covid vaccine testing its safety on expectant moms. and after that historic landing, the nasa engineer helping run the mars mission is here answering your questions, we'll be right back.

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the state, but while needless to say it quickly passed, dolly thinks there are more pressing matters at hand, and took to social media to kindly decline the honor writing, in part, given all that's going on in the world i don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time. dolly did say she hopes they will consider putting a statue of her up maybe after she's gone but in the meantime, she promised to continue doing the work to make tennessee proud. we will always love dolly. also this morning, jon bon jovi dropped a new music video for his single "story of love," and he gets a little personal this time. take a look. ♪ fathers love daughters like mothers love sons ♪ ♪ they've been writing our story before there was one from the day you arrived till you walk till you run ♪ ♪ there is nothing but pride there is nothing but love ♪ >> so cute. the video shows never before seen family photos and some home video from jon bon jovi's family life with his wife, dorothea and

four kids, as well as scenes from his own childhood. he says he hopes when people listen to the song and watch the video it makes them think about their own families and the love they share. you can watch the story of love, the music video on youtube. it is very, very sweet. also this morning, matthew mcconaughey in the news setting the record straight on rob lowe's podcast saying he did read what kate winslet decades of rumors though he wants to set this straight. he did not turn down leo dicaprio's role in "titanic." here you go, everyone. >> that sort of gossip over the years i had heard and which had written about me i had the role of "titanic" and turned it down. negative. not factual. i did not get offered that role because i've always said for awhile i was thinking, who was -- i got to find that agent. they're in trouble. no way if i got -- well i did never get the offer. i did go have a screen test,

thought i got the role, but did not get the role. so yeah, i was in contention. >> well, there you have it. we have set the record straight. thank you, matthew. negatory as he says. it was leo who sailed straight into that role and, of course, into movie history. very important on this friday that we set that straight. and finally, michael bolton, game show host. think about that because, yeah, it is happening. right here on abc. the network bringing back "the dating game" with a celebrity twist. bolton will host alongside zooey deschanel. i love this casting. every episode they'll ask a celebrity to choose a day from a hidden panel of three bachelors or bachelorettes in the new version of the classic. what could go wrong here? it original aired in 1965 to '73. no word on whether they'll bring back the psychedelic set or skinny mics but we sure hope so. some great casting. very excited for that update on this friday, and with that i'll send it back to you in the studio. >> thank you so much, lara.

we turn to our cover story. kendall jenner facing backlash, some accusing her of cultural appropriation after her announcement that she is launching her own tequila brand. juju chang has all of those details. good morning, juju. >> reporter: good morning, amy. well, we all know that kendall jenner and the entire kardashian clan use social media brilliantly to help build their empire but it's something of a love/hate relationship and this latest controversy has people wondering, is it pc culture gone too far or an opportunity for all of us to stop and think? this morning, supermodel kendall jenner taking heat after announcing her new tequila line that she says took years to develop. named 818 after the california area code that helped put her family on the map. critics on social media now calling out the 25-year-old,

claiming she is appropriating mexican culture. one twitter user writing, the idea of white celebrities taking from local mexican artisans and profiting off our traditions and agricultural business, quote, rubs me the wrong way. reaction swift on tiktok as well. >> she calls it 818 tequila as if it was growing in calabasas. >> reporter: in what way is tequila cultural appropriation? >> cultural appropriation is who is taking credit for the creation of that and benefits from that. that's when it becomes cultural appropriation, particularly if the person who is benefiting from it is not necessarily one who produces it. >> reporter: but some defending jenner, pointing to other celebrities like george clooney, justin timberlake, the rock, even rita ora and bethanny frankel have introduced their own tequila-based lines seemingly without similar

backlash, but it's not the first time the kardashian/jenner clan brought about cultural appropriation. kimono was criticized and kendall has been called out before like for this 2017 pepsi commercial. ♪ >> it became this thing because one of the jenners, you know, decided that she was going to braid her hair into cornrows and call it something new and people had to remind people that black people had been doing cornrows for centuries before. so it is not just about this moment, it's about the whole enterprise. >> reporter: for jenner, who landed on covers and the catwalk, controversy comes with the territory. when i spoke to her as her modeling career was just taking off, she said she wanted to do the work to succeed on her own terms. >> that's what a lot of people i think like to say about me, they're like, oh, you just got this because of your family but in reality it was almost the opposite. it made me work harder. it made me feel like i had to

prove it's what i want to do. >> what about the argument isn't she just being a good entrepreneur. >> on the one hand, one has to give credit to entrepreneurship and the spirit because women are not always in these spaces. it would be nice for her to sort of let us know what does she know about the culture, to have some humility and a little empathy. >> reporter: critics say that empathy is a simple as understanding there are so many small mexican tequila producers who are displaced each and every time a celebrity comes in with wealth and with fame and profits from a proud mexican tradition but ultimately, amy, it's up to consumers to decide whether or not that matters. >> all right, juju chang, we appreciate it. cecilia. we turn to that just launched covid-19 vaccine trial by pfizer testing the safety and effectiveness of its shot for pregnant women. adrienne bankert has this story. good morning, adrienne. >> reporter: good morning to you, too, cecilia. yes, imagine the joy and the anxiety of being pregnant and catching the coronavirus.

this trial so important because pregnant women have been shown to have more serious symptoms. they are among the most vulnerable to the coronavirus. this morning, pfizer announcing that it is starting trials of its covid-19 vaccine on pregnant women. the pharmaceutical giant along with its german partner biontech administering the vaccine to the first participants in a large study with hopes the vaccine is proven safe and effective for expectant moms and babies. >> well, we're hoping that it's going to show a significant immunologic response in the mom as well as infant so that both individuals will benefit. >> reporter: until now there's been very little data on the covid vaccine safety in pregnant women since they were initially left out of the clinical trials. >> so they get the vaccine, they're not part of the study so they don't have any antibody levels measured so we don't know exactly what the antibody

levels are in pregnant women, nor do we know what it is in infants. >> reporter: the trial will include about 4,000 healthy pregnant women around the world within 24 to 34 weeks of pregnancy. here in the u.s., the study involves 21 different locations. >> i would say we're probably looking at three to four month, somewhere in that range where we should have some useful data. >> reporter: according to the cdc, women who are expecting are at greater risk of developing severe illness from covid-19. dr. fauci said 20,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated with no red flags. the cdc says for those expecting, the vaccine is a personal choice, but the world health organization says that due to a lack of information, it does not recommend the vaccination of pregnant women at this time. experts agree that further studies are vitally needed. and, you know, there are still a lot of questions but could provide peace of mind for moms. the women will be studied for

seven to ten months then their babies once born will be monitored over the next six months of life. cecilia. >> we're definitely going to stay on top of this, adrienne, thanks so much. we head over to ginger again. cecilia, there have been so many winter weather headlines, we haven't even had a chance to get to this but it's big. little cottonwood canyon were doing a mitigation with an avalanche and then a natural avalanche came in and took out the cars there. now, we know that already we've lost at least 28 lives in this country to avalanches, we've had high avalanche danger this week going into the weekend back country looks like it's a little better, but more snow is on the way. so little cottonwood canyon, they had to add to it, and in good morning, and welcome to a wet friday morning. the commute's going to be slippery. by the evening hours, the rain is over. just in time for another round of wet weather tonight. i promise you warmer sunshine

this weekend. today, 56 to 62 with, you know, being dry this afternoon, but not a lot of sunshine. tonight, quick-moving storm. we'll wake up mainly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 30s to mid 40s. my accu-weather seven-day forecast, now to that out of this world story we've been following this morning. perseverance making its way to mars after a seven-month journey into space. sending back the first images, jennifer trosper is joining us right now. jennifer, thank you so much for joining us. we watched the team celebrate. we celebrated as prosper landed and you were at mission control for it but your home office where you helped plan the mission, it isn't your typical office space. what is it? >> that's right. well, just like everybody else, we had to figure out how to work remotely and so i actually worked from my laundry room.

i have a little desk in there and most of the work i did remotely since the covid pandemic started was right from my laundry room. >> well, that's interesting to hear. we know you've worked on all five rover missions, but during this landing, there was a seven-minute blackout from the rover. what was going through your mind during those seven minutes, and what did it mean to you when it finally touched down? >> yeah, i have to admit that after four successful rovers being on the fifth one i was just nervous that they couldn't all possibly work and so i was worried and we actually were getting some data and got good data then we got some confusing data and so i think there's just so much riding on those seven minutes, the whole science mission, the years that we've put into it and so, yeah, i was a little nauseous and at the end i was ecstatic and kind of still feel like i'm dreaming.

>> and you're not the only one who is ecstatic. our viewers were as well and they sent in a lot of questions so we'll get started with maria who asks, i know the rover is searching for signs of life on mars. how does it do that and when will it bring samples back to earth? >> yeah, well, the rover actually is -- we're searching for signs of life on mars just like we do on earth when we're looking for ancient microbial life, and we've actually landed in an ancient lake and river delta, and we go to areas like outcrops, the edges of the river delta where we would see signs of microbial life on earth and that's where we'll take our samples from on mars. then after a few years, we will deposit those in a place on the surface of mars, and eventually those will come back to earth in the early 2030s. >> early 2030, wow. that's talking about patience.

>> or a little earlier. >> or a little earlier. and we have another question, stephanie tweeted, my son would like to know if the rover decides where to drive or are you controlling it from earth? what's the answer to that? >> we do both. actually early on we take some baby steps so we'll get the images down here on earth and we will tell the rover exactly where we want it to drive. but after it gets a little bit more confident, we will give it a location we want it to drive to and then it will use its cameras and its algorithms to figure out the safest way to get there all by itself. >> we appreciate you answering our questions this morning and congratulations to you and your team and amazing you were able to do a lot of this from the laundry room. well, have a great day. >> thank you. great to be with you. >> great to be with you. thank you. coming up, "mank" star amanda seyfried joins us live. we'll be right back. star amanda seyfried joins us live. we'll be right back.

good morning from abc7 mornings. richmond police are holding a news conference with the family of a missing richmond teenager, antwan whitley. the 17-year-old disappeared nine days ago after a ride-share driver dropped him off on the richmond san rafael bridge. a friend who was talking with whitley while he was on the bridge said that whitley believed he was being followed and then the phone disconnected. the news conference is happening at 10:00 this morning. mike? >> thank you. check out this soupy commute on the bay bridge. already a quarter of an inch in san francisco. it's going to be that way through 9:00, and then it will become more scattered as we head up until 1:00 when it ends.

south bay, not much happening at 101 and 880. there's a possibility of light rain and drizzle and then scattered showers again tonight. >> all

hey, bay area, "live with kelly and ryan" coming up. >> we'll talk about the new tom and jerry movie. >> that's at 9:00 on abc7. we'll have another abc7 news update in about 30 minutes. you can always find the latest on our app and at abc7news.com.

the news continues now with "good morning america." be safe out there. ♪ i sing a song for the hustlers ♪ welcome back, everybody. and we are so excited to have amanda seyfried joining us this morning. she's getting oscar buzz for her role in "mank," the film scoring six golden globe nominations including best supporting actress for amanda. in fact, "the new york times" says she, quote, walks away with the movie. amanda, good morning to you. congratulations on the nominations and are you excited about all the award buzz you're getting? >> thanks. yeah, yeah, it feels like i already won. it feels like i won for the both of us, myself and for the character, marion davies that i play. it's been amazing to help restore her legacy. she was such a wonderful woman.

>> well, we want to ask you a little bit more about her, amanda so the film is about the filming of "citizen kane." you play marion davies, who, of course was the queen of the screen. what was it like to take on a role portraying such a historic amazing actress? >> it was a dream that i didn't know i had. a dream come true really. i think, you know, it was -- it was an honor, really a great honor but also a great responsibility because not enough is known about this woman. i mean, she was so funny and so smart and so earnest and charismatic and her contributions as an artist and her career have been like largely overshadowed because of the character that was inspired by marion, the character of susan alexander kane in "citizen kane" and the fact she was the mistress of william randolph hearst. you know, her true self was kind of lost so i mean it was just -- this whole journey has been

really amazing, eye opening, but also it just feels really good to kind of get back that chance to restore that legacy. >> yeah, for those who can't wait to see you in action, they have to wait no longer. we have a sneak peek. we actually have a clip where marion is meeting mank for the first time and you ininstantly see their chemistry. take a look. >> i need a favor but you're going to have to promise you won't laugh. >> given the state of the world it's a tall order. >> you're gong that. i just know you are. >> i have got such a hangover right now there's just a fighting chance i won't. >> i'm being burned at the stake and i'm dying for a ciggy-boo. god is punishing you. watch those stairs, they're treacherous. >> every moment of my life is treacherous. >> and that is gary oldman as mank. you said your off the screen relationship and real-life relationship is similar to your on screen relationship. you posted this photo and said,

he gets me. what is it about this relationship? >> i think when you see the movie you see the spark, this honesty, this need for truth between two people. it just makes life worth living and easier and i think gary and i have a very similar bond. we're very honest. there's nothing precious about us. there's tons of humility and want to find the fun in things. when you work with something like that it elevates you professionally and personally. >> the costumes in this movie. i want everyone to see, look at these. these are the original sketches that your costumes were based on. so cool. so, amanda, i hear your 3-year-old got to come with you to some of the fittings. what was her reaction? >> she at that point was just about 3 when we were doing the fittings and she'd say, oh, she'd be like, you look beautiful, momma. you look beautiful and i know

she's watching right now and it's so amazing how she says the word beautiful but that dressing up and looking glamorous and that sparkle that you get when you put on a ereally beautiful dress, she gets it already. >> amanda, this is pretty amazing so you had your second baby in quarantine. congratulations. but you found out you were pregnant with baby number two while you were filming this film. what was that like? >> well, i was very surprised. and i also -- i was terrified because the anticipation of getting to set every day especially when waking up at 3:00 a.m. which is the earliest i've ever gotten up for a job knowing i'll have morning sickness, knowing how horrible i feel physiologically was a challenge just getting mind over matter, getting to set and then, of course, when i was on set everything disappeared and we'd roll the cameras and i'd forget i was pregnant for a second but that challenging part in the beginning of a pregnancy that i really thought was going to ruin

my experience but i mean it was better, even better because i had this little man in me. >> well, you absolutely crushed that challenge. it has been 13 years since "mamma mia!." will there be a third? everybody is hanging on to your answer right now. >> you heard it here first, folks that i have no idea. [ laughter ] i'd be there in a heartbeat. i'd be on a plane tomorrow. i don't even care which character i play. i just want to be a part of it. >> amanda, we want to thank you for joining us and congratulations on your nomination. >> thank you. thanks. this is awesome. thanks. >> it is awesome and "mank," it is on netflix right now. make sure you check it out and coming up we have a new look at lunch, recipes that make your afternoon meal the biggest one of the day. we'll be right back with more

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.

♪ don't worry be happy now ♪ because we're talking about food. that's why we're happy. welcome back. we have all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but it turns out lunch might be just as essential. nutritionists are recommending eating a bigger meal in the middle of the day and if you're already thinking about what you're going to make this afternoon, you are not alone. ♪ the latest trend taking over instagram and tiktok, it's what's for lunch. users across social media

chronicling their new pandemic obsession, cooking creative, healthy lunches from home. >> now since i've had time i've gotten all these cookbooks and spices, so it's kind of like, okay, like a mad scientist, what can i create today? >> reporter: amy lee-miller is one of thousands taking their lunch game to another level. >> it's more a mind-set and based on what you like to eat so if you like to eat eggs or soup a lot, you can kind of create variations just on that riff and keep going. >> it's important to start to look at cooking and specifically lunch as a useful and enjoyable part of our day rather than an obstacle in the way. >> reporter: experts say eating a bigger lunch versus dinner is also healthier in the long run. >> when we eat a larger meal later in the evening and then we go to bed soon after, that can lead to common symptoms that we can experience like acid reflux, indigestion, gas and bloating

and can disrupt our sleep. >> reporter: if your schedule is crazy and can't have a hearty lunch every day don't panic. >> try to move up your eating time so you have several hours before you go to sleep at least two or three, but soups are a great way to get in that nutrition but also to give you the satisfaction and to feel filled. >> we've got registered dietitian and nutritionist maya feller joining us with healthy ways to upgrade our lunches. hey, maya, good to have you here. you got us talking. that's for sure. let's go with number one right here. we've got a salad and you're going to give us healthy ways to kind of bump this up a little bit so it's not just nutrition, it's also satisfying. >> exactly. so i don't know about you but when i have a salad sometimes i'm looking for more because i'm not satiated so i have leveled up this salad by adding grilled t tempe to the top.

plant-based protein and carbohydrates and top it with a little bit of quinoa. now, if that's not for you top it with animal protein of your choice. >> this looks good. you're making me hungry. up next, you have sweet potatoes here. what are you adding to it to give it more nutrition? >> so this bowl in front of me i want to eat it right now. it looks so delicious. i've added a little bit of ground meat with summer squash, garlic and onion and topped it with red pepper flakes so it's really delicious. some chives and a little bit of spice. now if you're a veg tear yoon and don't want the ground meat you can use black beans or something that's plant based as your source of protein and fiber. >> i love that. okay, last but not least, well, not last but you've got another option here which is pad thai and you have a healthy twist to this one. >> yes, i love pad thai and so many of my patients do as well. this one is made with kelp. it is so quick and easy to make.

you literally rinse the kelp. it is a great source of iodine. i topped it with a little bit of carrot, red bell pepper and this gorgeous ginger miso dressing and it looks so good and delicious and eli fast to put together. if you want to add protein to this it would be great with a hard or soft boiled egg. >> is it okay to eat lunch before 9:00 a.m.? you've got one final tip. we've all got stuff in our pantry in the kitchen that we can use to upgrade lunch. >> yeah, so when you're thinking about upgrading lunch it's about that balance. what is the protein? what is the fat? i love things like eggs, grilled chicken, i have a little avocado and feta, black pepper and olive oil, canned fish, whatever you have in your cabinet. all of those options add a little bit of protein as well as the heart healthy fats and keep

you satiated. >> we are officially hungry. thanks so much. we'll head over to ginger now. >> thank you, cecilia. and how about we get sunshine. i think everybody could use some sunny news from our friends at walt disney world resort in florida. they are gearing up for a special anniversary, 50 magical years and this morning we have an exclusive first look at the world's most magical celebration. there's so much fun that's coming to walt disney world. get ready for it starting october 1st and over the following 18 months it all begins with a transformation for cinderella castle. it will it be decorated with ornaments, embellishment, all of it just for the occasion, plus you've got attractions like hollywood studio's tower of terror, animal kingdom's tree of life. love that and epcot's spaceship earth are getting a new look for the celebration and this morning, we have some very special guests joining us from walt disney world. yep, there's mickey and minnie live in front of cinderella castle showing off their new

sparkling custom-made looks featuring special irguess sent fabric and embroidery of cinderella's castle. join the cast members when the world's most magical celebration kicks off on october 1st. good morning, and welcome to a wet friday. we've got a chance of light rain in drizzle through 9:00. scattered showers through lunch, then partly sunny and cooler conditions this afternoon with temperatures in the 50s by 4:00h we are turning now to our february "gma" book club pick, "how the one-armed sister sweeps her house" by cherie jones taking us to the sandy beaches of barbados through the eyes of locals and janai norman sat down with the author. i know you have a very special connection to this book. >> reporter: hey, amy. good morning. yeah, i actually got married in

barbados so the island is quite near and dear to my heart but also the setting for cherie jones' first novel that explores race and class, murder and inconsolable grief all against the backdrop of wealthy british tourists and working class.clas. breakout author cherie jones is taking readers on a journey to the other side of a seemingly peaceful paradise ain "how the one-armed sister sweeps her house." cherie, congratulations on your novel. when many travel to barbados they head straight to their beautiful vacation destination but in this novel you're shifting the perspective, peeling back the layers of what the locals experience. >> i think that it's important as a barbadian to acknowledge that we are that beautiful picture perfect paradise that everybody sees on the postcards and for some of these characters, yes, there is the beautiful beach, but there are also the problems that people in

any other country in the world would experience. >> reporter: the book based in barbados where jones is from and currently lives tells the story of 18-year-old lala torn between two worlds, already making waves as devastating good, transporting and unforgettable. you are a practicing attorney in barbados. >> yes. >> how does writing, how is it influenced by your other career essentially. >> it has developed certain skills, one of those skills for me is the ability to ask good questions and i like to say that the characters who tend to be very willing to talk to me don't always tell the whole truth. >> talk to me about the process of writing the book. how did this all even come about? >> okay, so i was working in the uk and traveling home on the bus. the last stage of my commute

home. it was very cold and basically this character popped into my head and started speaking to me and telling me bits of her story. by the end of the bus ride i was convinced that, you know, this was a story that i needed to write. >> reporter: the novel diving into the complex daily lives of a family of women, their associates and lovers as they navigate the harsh reality of abusive relationships. you don't shy away from really tough topics, domestic violence, sexual assaults. was that tough for you to write? >> yes, at certain points of the novel i actually had to put it down but it was something that was also almost a compulsion like i have to finish it. >> reporter: a survivor of domestic abuse herself, jones says telling lala's story was therapeutic and through her own words she found healing. >> she's women are doing the best that they can based on what they know based on what they've

experienced. to me the connection between this sense of disempowerment and oppression is very much like losing a voice and i thought that that was a very good way creatively to portray the trauma that some of these women face. i do hope that in reading this story perhaps there's at least one person who finds some value. >> what would you say to someone hoe is maybe struggling? >> share. share the experience, share the trauma, share the difficulty, because it's only in speaking up and out that transformation is possible. >> so cherie says she wrote the first draft of this novel longhand filling a notebook from back to front as you can

imagine, she says it took a long time but helped her get our ideas out. continue reading along with us @gmabookclub. that fellow native rihanna or viola davis would be her top picks to record the audio book. i know you're interest listening to books while running? >> i'm doing it. thank you so much for that. coming up, we have tyga the hero, our very special pet of the week. ♪ who let the dogs

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. ♪ ♪

♪ that brings back memories, that song does. >> do tell. >> no, i didn't mean that way. it is friday morning and one of our favorite segments. it is our pet of the week segment and lara has that story for us. hey, lara. >> hi there. i've got my pets to help me and so many of you have introduced

your favorite family members to us like churro from california, remember him? benson from kansas, lilly from new york. we want to you use the qr code that you can see there on your screen to send us your pet stories and they may end up as our pet of the week like this guy that we'll tell you about now who is not only his human's best friend but also a lifeline. take a look. for elaine, her pup tyga is more than just her best friend. >> i'll get a little emotional just talking about him because he saved my life. that's when i'll get emotional. >> reporter: elaine met tyga by chance stopping at an animal rescue ranch where he picked her. >> licking my ankle. leaned on my legs and looked up at me and i said, oh, my gosh, this dog has to come with me. >> reporter: tyga and elaine fell in love. but months later elaine fell ill experiencing fits of unexplained abdominal pain. >> it felt like nobody was

listening and that was my struggle for years. >> but someone was listening. tyga. as many service dogs are trained to do, tyga seemed intuitively to sense his human's oncoming bouts and give her a warning. >> come on, tyga. >> reporter: elaine's persistent pain led her to doctors that realized she needed major surgery which ultimately gave her relief. >> all the hoops i went through and my dog knew before the doctor. >> reporter: now elaine is feeling better and everyone joining her time with her guardian pup. >> i'm grateful for him. i really love this dog. i love this dog. >> ah, we love him too. if you have a medical condition please do rely on properly trained service dogs. we'll be right back. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato.

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♪ "good morning america" is sponsored by jardiance. >> have a great weekend, everybody. >> bye.

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good morning, everyone. governor newsom is expected in the bay area today to give an update on the pandemic and vaccinations. the governor has been touring vaccination sites across the state including san francisco's muscony center a week ago. the event starts in a few minutes. here's mike with our forecast. >> thank you, kumasi. good morning. now that we're nearing 9:00, our steady, light rain and drizzle's going to become more scattered, but it's going to hang around until noon, maybe 1:00. be prepared if you have outdoor activities. having a hard time getting into the south bay, but there's a potential for light rain. a one on the storm impact scale. we'll have another one tonight through tomorrow morning, and then warm sunshine starting sunday. kumasi? >> thank you, mike. it's time for "live with kelly and ryan." we'll be back at 11:00 and hope you will join us then.

in the meantime, let's take a live look at zephyr cove out at lake tahoe. lake tahoe. we'll be right back. announcer: it's live with kelly and ryan. today from the new film tom and jerry, chloe grace moretz, plus questions and answers about the covid-19 vaccines, and plug in your blender. we're making healthy and delicious smoothies. all next on live. ♪ oh, my god, baby... ♪ and now here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest. ryan: good morning. good morning, guys. hello, hello, hello. hi. it's friday, february 19, 2021. i got a fig, because there's-- you came from so far away. i was wondering what was-- i think we're doing a food segment today. smoothies. oh, we're making smoothies. you took a fig from the smoothie segment. oh, so this is for the sugar. this is for the sweetness, right? well, go ahead. enjoy yourself. get comfortable. i'm gonna have a fig. i'm gonna have it. - uh-huh. - i'm doing it. we were talking yesterday about gen z's-- remember the-- the laughing emoji