right now on "america this morning," yet another new mutation of the coronavirus found by researchers and already spreading in the nation's biggest city. what we're learning. plus, the new message from the cdc to anyone heading to the gym this morning. no water for 11 days and counting. the deepening disaster in the south, getting to the bottom of the power crisis in texas and those sky high electric bills. just how much more customers are paying. new details in the tiger woods car crash. what happened just moments earlier, plus the powerful tributes pouring in. careful what you tweet. the bitter battle over one of president biden's cabinet nominees and what she had to say about republicans. the value of cooking and cleaning. a divorce court finally assigns a value to housework.

and from this grandma stackling a pursenatcher to the best carpool dummy we've ever seen to the sheep in need of a shave, all the trending stories for your thursday morning. good thursday morning, everyone. i'm kenneth moton. >> i'm deidre bolton. mona is off. we begin with the pandemic and a new variant of the coronavirus. >> it's been found in the new york city area just as we learn that another mutation in california could be to antibodies. >> the news about the vaccines is encouraging especially the latest from johnson & johnson. meanwhile, anyone who is going to the gym these days needs to hear a warning from the cdc. >> abc's ike ejiochi has all the details from washington. ike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kenneth. good morning, deidre. the reports about johnson & johnson's one-shot vaccine are very promising. 100% effective against

hospitalizations and deaths. that's big, especially at a time when a new variant is found in new york city. this morning, the u.s. nearing 505,000 deaths from covid-19 with new reports of yet another variant circling around new york city. researchers at columbia and caltech say they've spotted 80 cases of the new strain spread across the tri-state area yet they're not sure if it's more transmissible. as it multiple lies so do the efforts to fight. a new 62-page report says johnson & johnson's new single dose shot vaccine is safe and illness with 100% eventing effectivs. the repoo highlights the >> preliminary analysis suggests that the vaccine provides a 74% protection against asymptomatic

disease. it's important because if you can prevent asymptomatic disease, then you will also reduce transmission. >> reporter: if emergency authorization happens this week, the company says it could have 3 million to 4 million doses sent out by next week. but add that to pfizer and moderna's promise of enough doses for all americans by the end of july and the u.s. could have enough doses for 400 million people by midsummer. >> i think it's going to make an enormous difference. >> reporter: new megasites popping up across the country. the latest in brooklyn opening wednesday. the governor says it's the largest in the state and can handle 21,000 shots a week. >> it was horrific. horrific watching your neighbors die. i thank god that today we're able to get our vaccines. >> reporter: now, there's a new report from the cdc stressing the need to wear masks inside the gym. it points to a couple of cases where the virus has had a high attack rate in gyms where people simply just don't wear masks. so the cdc are asking gym owners to please ensure social

distancing inside your gym, make sure classes are reduced inside and, of course, mandate those masks. make sure they're worn. ike ejiochi, abc news, washington. >> ike, good information there. thank you. we turn now to the water and power disaster in the south. it is not just texas coping with the crisis nearly two weeks after the extreme winter weather, hundreds of thousands of people still do not have basic necessities. abc's andrea fujii has more. >> reporter: this morning, more than 1 million people remain without water after that massive winter storm rolled through the south 11 days ago. >> it's still dirty. >> reporter: in houston this morning says she's been boiling water since last monday. and when she turns on her faucet, mud drips out. >> i just need the city to come out here and really do what we should do for us, seniors, and

not even only seniors, everybody that pay tax. >> reporter: in mississippi, a similar crisis. water giveaways are now a lifeline. >> i was going down to the river and dipping the water out of the water. >> reporter: mississippi's governor now dispatching the national guard to the capital of jackson where the deep freeze crippled water pipes for 160,000 people. officials hope to restore service by tomorrow. but it's not just water, in texas the power is still out for thousands. governor greg abbott in a statewide address last night acknowledged the power grid operator ercot failed. >> many of you are angry, and you have a right to be, at a time when essential services were needed the most, the system broke. >> reporter: an investigation is now under way into those sky high electric bills people are getting because of variable rates. power sales in texas last week reportedly topped $50 billion compared to only 4 billion the week before. critics slamming those numbers as the result of deregulation.

the governor, meantime, is vowing to prioritize the winterization of the power grid. >> for those of you still hurting, i want you to know the state is using every possible resource to fix this problem. >> reporter: texas lawmakers are expected to begin hearings on the power crisis today. meanwhile, a moratorium on power disconnections due to nonpayment will continue. kenneth, deidre. >> andrea, thank you. the growing divide in the gop is on display as leaders disagree on the role former president trump should play. trump is speaking sunday at cpac in florida. questions about his appearance at the conservative conference led to this awkward moment on capitol hill yesterday. >> do you believe president trump should be speaking or former president trump should be speaking at cpac this weekend? >> yes, he should. >> congresswoman cheney. >> that's up to cpac. i've been clear on my views on president trump and the extent to which following

january 6th i don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party of our country. >> on that high note -- [ laughter ] >> reporter: congresswoman um chaney was amongblicmpch another battle growing in washington this time over president biden's pick for budget director and her tweets attacking republicans. this morning, president biden on the brink of facing his first cabinet nomination defeat. two senate panels are delay agent vote on his pick to head the office of budget and management, neera tanden. one of her tweets compared mitch mcconnell to voldemort. >> you wrote susan collins is, quote, the worst, that tom cotton is a fraud, that vampires have more heart than ted cruz. you called leader mcconnell

moscow mitch and voldemort. how did you plan to mend fences and build relationships with members of congress? >> i deeply regret and apologize for my language. >> reporter: in a tweet from 2017, she slammed senator lisa murkowski cow city for supporting then president trump's tax cuts. tanden retweeted murkowski with this, no offense but this sounds like you're high on your own supply. murkowski who said she is undecided about tanden's tweet only learned about it yesterday. >> high on my own supply. should i ask her my own supply of what? >> reporter: this morning tanden's supporters point to republicans who gave former president trump a pass for his tweets. for now the white house is sticking by tanden. >> neera tanden would be one of the most outstanding budget directors we've had. she knows policy. she knows all the -- how to get something done in washington. >> reporter: but republican senator john kennedy painting a bleak picture when it comes to tanden's prospects.

>> i'm not saying she is a smoked turkey, but the smoker's warming up. >> susan collins, a key republican senator, said tanden's decision to delete tweets before her confirmation process raises concerns about her transparency. tragedy on a lake in ohio. a 16-year-old girl and her brother fell through the ice. the girl managed to save her brother but did not survive and later an officer who helped with the rescue died after a medical emergency. colder temperatures are making a comeback in many areas today. here's your thursday forecast. the worst ice jams on the missouri river since the early 1980s are finally breaking up. they're likely to keep flowinge. a major new storm system moves into the pacific northwest today bringing heavy rain to the coast and up to three feet of snow from the cascades to the northern rockies. thunderstorms are possible from texas to alabama. some areas could see damaging r

its rmt day chsts. coming up, a waterfall of fire. a dazzling display in yosemite national park. but first new details on tiger woods' car crash. what happened moments earlier. plus, the dramatic rescue as a car burst into flames.

back now with this wild crash, a car driving through this bakery in upstate new york, the owner says the driver hit the gas instead of the brake. the eight people inside were not injured. dramatic video after a fiery crash near atlanta. police officers in fayetteville risking their lives to rescue two people from the car, which

burst into flames after hitting a tree. they pulled the passenger to safety with his clothes on fire. we turn to questions surrounding tiger woods' crash. some questions could be answered by the technology in his suv. this morning, new details on what happened before and after the crash that seriously injured tiger woods. the l.a. county sheriff says woods had no recollection of the wreck when he was questioned at the hospital. and before the crash, tmz reports woods seemed agitated and impatient in the parking lot of his hotel. a witness telling tmz woods' suv was blocked by another car unloading luggage. the witness added, once the delay was over, woods took off fast. investigators say woods was not under the influence. >> a reckless driving charge has a lot of elements into it. this is purely an accident. >> reporter: but the investigation is far from over. authorities indicated speed may have been a factor. they expect to learn more about the vehicle prior to the crash because it's equipped with a data recorder similar to a black

box on a plane, which should reveal how fast the suv was traveling. the focus also turning to the stretch of road where the crash happened. l.a. county will now conduct a safety review of that road described as dangerous because of its downward curve. >> if you're not paying attention, you can see what happens, so this is very important to know. >> reporter: records show 13 accidents there since last year, 4 with injuries. >> thank god no one else was hurt. i mean, considering he hopped the median and went through the other side, it's a miracle. >> reporter: woods suffered significant injuries to his right leg, doctors placed a met metal rod in his tibia below his knee and screws and pins attached to broken bones in his fast and ankle. the sports world now left to wonder if the golf great will ever play again. >> all that really matters here right now is his well-being, his recovery, his family. the golf world will rally around him. the sporting world has rallied around him. the world will rally around him. that's how special he is. >> and doctors say it could be

months before tiger woods walks again. meanwhile, tributes are pouring in including this mural at st. andrew's golf club. it reads, thoughts and prayers. caught on camera, a grandmother fighting back against a thief. watch the sidewalk. a suspect is running away with the grandma's purse but she chases him, tackles him, grabs the purse before the man takes off. >> don't mess with granny. a treat for visitors to yosemite national park, every year around this time a firefall lights up el capitan. it's when sunlight hits the waterfall at the right angle, it lights up as if it's hot lava. >> so cool. >> beautiful. coming up, the billion dollar drug bust. one of the biggest in history. also ahead, one city's fight over whether or not to honor rush limbaugh. if your dry eye symptoms keep coming back, inflammation in your eye might be to blame. looks like a great day for achy, burning eyes over-the-counter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief.

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back now with the biggest cocaine bust in european history. 23 tons were seized in germany and the netherlands. it arrived from south america. the street value, several billion dollars. new york governor andrew cuomo is facing accusations that he sexually harassed a former staffer. the former aide claims cuomo kissed her on the learns without con sent and asked her to play strip poker. the governor denies the claims. officials in palm beach county, florida, have decided not to follow the governor's order to lower flags in honor of rush limbaugh.

the radio host who died last week lived in palm beach. the governor is criticizing the decision to ignore his order as petty politics but one county commissioner cited limbaugh's history of controversial remarks. she said, quote, the lowering of flags should be a unifying gesture during solemn occasions. although rush limbaugh was a significant public figure, he was also an incredibly divisive one who hurt many people with his words and action. back to the coronavirus. there's new evidence that people are suffering with covid symptoms for nine months or longer. also a new variant has been found in new york. earlier i spoke with dr. ryan ribeiro. let's begin with the breaking news overnight, a new variant of the coronavirus has been found in new york and the northeast. what are you hearing? >> the new york variant has a lot of similarities to those that we're seeing in south africa and brazil and, unfortunately, those variants do have some resistance to our immune system and some resistance to our vaccines, though the effect is pretty minimal. so i don't think it's something that we need to get too concerned about right now. >> johnson & johnson's single dose vaccine, if it gets

emergency approval tomorrow, what do people need to know about the differences between the three available vaccines? >> yeah, you know, i think it is very likely it will get approval tomorrow. that's very exciting. this is not an mrna vaccine. that means it doesn't need to be stored at super low temperatures and also it's only one dose so this vaccine will be a lot easier to transport and to store and to administer, and going to translate to more vaccines available for those who need them. >> more researches on long haulers, people are feeling long-term symptoms nine months after getting covid. even people who had only mild cases are suffering months later. what's the takeaway here? >> we're finding about a third of people with covid are having some long-term symptoms. that's often tiredness, sleep difficulty, some persistent difficulty with breathing that can go on for weeks or months. there's a lot we still don't know about this proces is causing these symptoms, and that makes it very hard to treat. so the first important step here is research, and that's what was

announced, over a billion dollars in research dedicated to studying some of the long-term effects so we know how to help people get through these symptoms. >> our thanks to dr. ribeiro there. of a sve. ith higher stroke risk due to... afib not caused by a heart valve problem. i want that. eliquis. eliquis reduces stroke risk better than warfarin. and has less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis has both. don't stop taking eliquis without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking, you may bruise more easily... or take longer for bleeding to stop. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, or unusual bruising. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner.

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hd 4 ♪ time to check "the pulse." we begin with the unusual divorce settlement placing a value on housework. >> yeah, all that time dusting and vacuuming, it adds up, kenneth. there is a divorce court in china ordering a man to pay $7,700 to his ex-wife for domestic services during their marriage. a new chinese law requires the top earning ex-spouse to pay for the years spent by their partner cooking and cleaning up.

next up the california driver's attempt to fool police in the carpool lane. >> okay, look in the passenger seat here where this very life-like dummy was along for the ride. >> police say it's one of the best dummies they have ever seen. look at that guy. he's even wearing a mask. next a man named pigeon with a pigeon problem. >> yeah, he works for the government of northern ireland on a zoom call with lawmakers. his cat caught a pigeon and he had to go rescue it. >> the man's name is collin pigeon. >> it's too much. it's too much. >> his colleagues got a kick out of it. >> collin, collin, go and put the pigeon out, outside. we'll skip that question. you just go and put the pigeon outside. >> the pigeon and mr. pigeon are okay. from birds to sheep this guy was feeling extra sheepish. >> rescuers found a wild sheep carrying 78 pounds of wool.

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figuring out how to fight the new k0e67bd variants. pfizer's plan of action plus the new vaccine that could be authorized as as soon as sorm. a healthcare provider in trouble of vaccine distribution. what one is saying about giving shots to patients who were not eligible. >> who runs this district? >> it is a complete joke. parents expressing major frustration over one local school district's learning plan. >> and part of the disney land resort getting ready to open for the first time in a year. >> >> good morning everybody, it is thursday february 25th. i know you are excited about that mike. disney reopening. >> yes. right behind reggie. >> thank you for honoring me. >> all right. let's talk about what's going to be. good news. while most of us are sleeping the wind advisory expired for most of our neighborhoods