"g fried goodness and sugar. good morning, america.r. president biden announcing the u.s. is purchasing another 100 million doses of the johnson & johnson single-shot vaccine. >> there is light at the end of this dark tunnel of the past year, but we cannot let our guard down now. >> promising the u.s. will soon go from shortage to surplus. >> oh, my god! >> as more with their grandchildren. as more states ease restrictions and prepare for a flood of shots next month, this morning, dr. fauci joins us live. massive deal. congress passes president biden's nearly $2 trillion covid relief bill. the president set to sign it tomorrow. it's having an immediate impact starting this morning. also this morning, an aide

to new york governor andrew cuomo with the most startling accusation yet alleging he groped her when she was summoned to his executive mansion. cuomo denying the accusations and referring to the new report as, quote, gut wrenching. palace under fire. breaking this morning, prince william responds to that bombshell interview as meghan's close friends rush to her defense saying their emails and texts to support her claims that her mental health struggles were not addressed. this as the ripple effects of harry and meghan's explosive interview spreads far and wide. uber altercation. a driver berated by a maskless belligerent passenger. >> you're not going to let us out in the middle of nowhere. >> ripping his mask off, coughing on him and taunting him about his race. the outrage this morning and what he's saying about the dramatic incident under

investigation. crazy collapse. a wall crashes down on an espn broadcaster in colombia. how he walked away from the accident saying he's fine after the crushing blow that stunned his co-hosts. >> keep on hanging. a 12-year-old boy dangling from the side of a ski lift high above the mountain for almost two minutes. how his strength finally got him to safety. >> good job, buddy. good job. >> what he's saying this morning. >> what's your message to the snowboarders out there? >> keep the bar down there. cartoon canceled. the controversy looney toons in a jam. why pepe le pew was cut from the new lebron james blockbusters. the actors now rushing to the character's defense. and good morning, america. we hope you are doing well this morning. it was one year ago that this pandemic hit home, changed life as we know it. on march 11, 2020 the world health organization declared covid a pandemic. then president trump suspended travel from europe. the nba became the first u.s.

sports league to suspend its season. what a year this has been, robin. >> it really has been. when you look at where we've been in the past year this gives us hope, this scene, this live look at vaccine sites in miami, new york. more than 62 million americans receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. that's nearly one in four adults here in the u.s. and later today, president biden is going to mark the one-year anniversary with his first prime time speech since taking office, michael. >> dr. anthony fauci is also standing by, robin, to talk to us about all of this and more on the pandemic. but first whit johnson is at a mass vaccination center at jones beach, new york with all the latest. good morning, whit. >> reporter: michael, good morning to you. this mass vaccination site here is averaging 1,500 shots per day. take a look from above and our drone camera overlooking the operation here. new york state is now expanding eligibility to people 60 years old and older and we're seeing similar trends across the country as states brace for a boost in supply. this morning, the u.s. marching

towards a vaccine surplus. the white house purchasing another 100 million doses of the johnson & johnson single-shot vaccine. most won't be delivered until later in the year, but could be held for children if approved or possible booster shots. >> i'm doing this because in this wartime effort we need maximum flexibility. there is always a chance that we'll encounter unexpected challenges. >> reporter: president biden already promising to have enough vaccine for american adults by the end of may. many states told to expect a flood in supply by april when experts say up to 24 million vaccines could be distributed weekly nationwide compared to 18.5 million this week. states now working to scale up use of available vaccine sites. >> only a fraction of those providers that have been enrolled are actually being used today. as more and more vaccine become available, we're able to turn on more of those sites whether it be more pharmacies, your primary care providers, doctors' offices, urgent care clinics.

>> reporter: the vaccine rollout ramping up with eligibility expanding. alaska becoming the first state to offer vaccinations to anyone 16 and up. vermont taking a similar step but only for those with high-risk conditions. now alaskans who thought they'd have to wait months to get a vaccine already signing up for their first shot. >> we figured we'd have to wait until at least may before we were eligible for a vaccine. so hearing that that suddenly changed is very exciting. >> just excited to continue moving forward. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: in oklahoma, aidan ashwood hugged by his newly vaccinated grandparents for the first time in a year. this as the list of states easing restrictions keeps growing. new york, new jersey and maryland planning to relax rules on restaurants and businesses. wyoming now the latest state dropping its mask mandate. we're back now with another look from above and our drone camera overlooking this mass

vaccination site. but it's important to point out health officials are still very worried about new variants and new york city, for example, just two variants now make up 51% of new cases. george? >> okay, whit, thanks very much. let's bring in chief medical adviser to president biden, dr. anthony fauci. dr. fauci, thanks for joining us again this morning. what's the most important message for president biden to deliver tonight? >> well, i think the important message is that we've come a very long way over this past year. it's been extraordinary, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. you just mentioned that in your piece. the fact that more and more as every day goes by, more and more people get vaccinated. that is absolutely critical. that is going to be the answer to get us back to normality. a combination of a very, very aggressive implementation of the vaccine program which you are actually seeing in realtime together with a continuation of public health measures and a gradual pulling back as opposed

to a just turning a light switch on and off. we've got to gradually and prudently pull back as we get closer and closer to normal. >> are we going too fast? >> well, the concern i have, george, is that, if you look historically in the past when we have had baselines that have been pretty high -- we're now having about 50,000 to 60,000 new infections a day. that's a pretty high baseline. when you have that and want to start pulling back towards normality, which we should be doing, it is much better to do that gradually and prudently instead of saying all bets are off. do what you want to do. you got to be careful you might trigger another surge because that has happened in the past, at least a couple of times over the past year. >> we should have enough vaccines for every adult american by may. what's the biggest obstacle to actually getting those vaccines

administered? >> well, you know, one of them is vaccine hesitancy. we want to make sure people who have concern about it that we articulate to them why it's so important for them, their families and the community in general to get vaccinated. because you want to get the overwhelming majority of people vaccinated. the logistics of getting it into people's arms are being addressed quite adequately with the community vaccine center, with increased doses in pharmacies, with the mobile units that are going out, with the mobilization of vaccinators, people, for example, like retired physicians and nurses and health care providers that are being mobilized to get out there and get it into people's arms. so that is improving rapidly. >> could we get -- could we encourage more people to get the vaccine if we emphasized the positive side? i mean there's been some criticism of the cdc for not allowing people who had the vaccine to travel. >> right. you have a good point there,

george. and what the cdc will be doing, what they came out with when they were talking about in the home a vaccinated person with a vaccinated person or a vaccinated person in an unvaccinated well nonrisk person, that's the first in the installment of a number of recommendations which will be rolling out really quite imminently one after the other. so you will be seeing now guidelines from the cdc talking about just the things that you mentioned. >> variants are the big wild card right now. are they turning out to be less dangerous than we feared? >> well, you know, you always got to take them seriously. one of the positive aspects of it, george, is that, for example, the 1.1.7, the one that was predominant in england that's now becoming more and more dominant in the united states, the vaccines that we're distributing right now do quite well against them. there are others that not so good but they're not the dominant ones. we want to keep our eye on them, take them seriously but i don't think they necessarily have to be a showstopper.

the more people we vaccinated, the more quickly we vaccinate them, the less chance you give a variant to take hold. that's another good reason why we should be getting vaccinated. >> finally, dr. fauci, you testified a year ago and warned everyone when you were before congress it would get worse. but did you ever imagine it would get this bad, that 2020 would be the deadliest year in american history? >> no, george, i didn't. it was exactly one year ago this morning that i said things are going to get much worse before they get better, but i did not realize in my mind even anything close to more than 500,000 people having died in this country. >> dr. fauci, thanks for your time and information this morning. robin? >> all right, george. now to washington. the nearly $2 trillion covid relief package heading to president biden's desk after the final vote yesterday in the house. the president expected to sign it tomorrow. stimulus checks rolling out as soon as next week and child tax

credit payments starting in july. our chief white house correspondent cecilia vega has more for us. good morning, cecilia. >> reporter: hi, robin. good morning to you. the democrats say help is on the way. this is one of the largest covid -- largest relief packages since the great depression so it will take a bit to roll out. let me show you what we're talking about for a typical family of four with two young children. each will get one of those $1,400 stimulus checks. that will total $5600. then on top of that getting an additional child tax credit for $2,600 for two of those kids and for a total, listen to this, $8,200 for that family. it's based on income so not everybody who got a check in tat last stimulus round is going to get one this time but about 90% almost of tax filers are expected to receive one of these stimulus checks. it's going to be based off your last tax return. there are some concerns about the potential for a slow rollout on this given that it is tax

season. the white house says if you sign up for direct deposit you'll want to do it because you will get one a lot faster. we're not just talking about families, but we're talking about big businesses like the struggling airline industries. they're getting a $15 billion boost in this stimulus round and american and united airlines because of that boost are announcing they are not going to furlough tens of thousands of workers at least through september. so some good news for a lot of folks and a lot of businesses right now. >> and we know that the president, his first national address tonight. so what can we expect, do you think, cecilia? >> reporter: yeah, robin. first primetime address for him. it will happen at 8:00. we're being told it will run just under 20 minutes. he's really going to talk about on this somber anniversary that we're looking at today how far we have to go and how far we've come, robin. >> as always, cecilia, we thank you. we will have full coverage of president biden's address at 8:00 p.m. eastern on abc. if you'd like to know how much money you could get from the stimulus package, we have a special calculator on our

website. point your phone at that qr code on your screen right now or go to abcnews.com. michael? >> thank you, robin. now to the trial of former police officer -- of the former police officer accused of killing george floyd. this morning the judge set to address a potential third degree murder charge against derek chauvin as jury selection continues. alex perez has the latest. >> reporter: breaking this morning after first striking the charge, judge peter cahill reversing course. reinstating the third degree murder charge against derrick chauvin. the decision is something the prosecutor has been pushing for. chauvin who was seen pushing flood down for more than nine minutes has pleaded not guilty and is charged with second degree murder and second degree manslaughter. floyd's cousin says the family wants to see accountability.

>> what does justice mean for you? >> i really just want to see the criminal justice system work the way that it's supposed to, to have the evidence in this case being heard. >> reporter: both sides questioning seven potential jurors before settling on two. >> only you know yourself well enough to say that i can be fair and impartial. >> reporter: the first black man seated on the jury telling attorneys he has a favorable opinion of both the black lives matter and blue lives matter groups, and that he's familiar with where th incident occurred. >> i also used to live not far from that area before when i first met my wife. so that's why i was like it could have happened to me. >> reporter: also seated a white male in his 30s or 40s who said he's seen that hard to watch video of chauvin on floyd more than once and that he supports black lives matter. >> when you look at the phrase black lives matter, yes, they do matter and i don't know why anyone would be against that movement. >> reporter: a total of five jurors have now been seated.

four men and one woman. the court needs 12 and two alternates. we learned in court that three other former officers charged in connection with george floyd's death will not be testifying at this trial. they'll face their own trial in august. george? >> okay, alex, thanks very much. we'll get the latest now on embattled new york governor andrew cuomo. new details on what could be the most damaging allegation yet. an anonymous aide accuses the governor of groping her when she was summoned to the executive mansion and cuomo is denying the claims and stephanie ramos has the story, good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: george, good mrning. there are new details from the sixth woman accusing new york governor andrew cuomo of inappropriate behavior. detailed by "the times union of albany," the most aggressive allegation. according to the paper a person with direct knowledge to the woman's claims alleges the governor groped her in a sexually charged manner after she had been called to the governor's mansion for work late last year. the unidentified person says the woman was alone in cuomo's

private residence when he closed the door and allegedly reached under her blouse. the paper reports she told the governor to stop. now, the woman who still works for the administration has not filed a formal complaint, but her allegations will be included in the state attorney general's investigation. governor cuomo says in a statement he's never done anything like this, quote, the details of this report are gut wrenching. i am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but i am confident in the result of the attorney general's report and that report could take months. george? >> stephanie ramos, thanks very much. robin? george, now to the traffic jam on the high seas. dozens of ships waiting to unload their cargo at the port of los angeles. a backup leading to massive delays in shipments. transportation correspondent gio benitez is live at the port with the latest for us. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, robin, good morning. yeah, every year millions of cargo containers move through this port. but take a look at this incredible video shot just off the coast here.

right now this morning there are 30 cargo ships out there with your packages just sitting there. they cannot dock. they cannot unload to get the stuff to you or store warehouses. we're talking about shoes, furniture, exercise equipment, hand sanitizer. deliveries are being delayed by two to three weeks. americans are just ordering more products than ever before because of the pandemic and experts believe we'll go through several more months of this. guys, back to you. >> okay, gio, thanks very much. we are following a lot of other headlines including some breaking news oversea, prince william just responded to his brother harry's explosive interview. this comes as meghan's close friends are coming to her defense. caught on camera, uber outrage. a passenger tearing the mask from the driver's face and intentionally coughing on him as well. we'll hear from the driver this morning. but first let's go to ginger. good morning, ginger. >> reporter: good morning, michael. i have to start you out with some really scary pictures out of southern california.

this is silverado canyon, they had a mud slide debris flows because of rain on top of the burn scar from the bond fire. see that truck going down. six to seven homes did have mudflow through them. four trapped for a time that did get rescued. we had 15 inches of snow in the sierras. so you know that's moving on and what it will do next is have that tight difference, we call it a temperature gradient between the warmth -- erie, pennsylvania, had a record of 72 yesterday and that snow and so you'll see severe storm possibilities all the way from dallas up through kentucky right through kind of that midsouth area, so arkansas and some really heavy rain there behind it. a reminder winter is not over. your weather in 30 seconds. first the rainy cities sponsored by subaru.

good morning. we have a chance of showers through about 9:00 then become partly cloudy and a little bit milder this afternoon. frost is possible the next couple of nights and more rain and wintery showers sunday and monday. today, mid to upper 50s. tonight, look at the 30s out there and very few 40s for overnight lows. pretty mild friday, saturday, tuesday and wednesday. in between, rain sunday and monday. we'll be right back on this thankful thursday. happy friday eve, y'all. whoo! ♪ for every idea out there, that gets the love it should ♪ ♪ there are 5 more that don't succeed ♪ ♪ and so are lost for good ♪ ♪ and some of them are pretty flawed ♪

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that's why we offer 24-hour test drives so you can find the perfect fit. the way it should be. >> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. good morning. i'm reggie aqui from "abc7 mornings." this morning, most of the bay area is in the red tier. here's a look at the latest map. you'll see alameda, solano and santa cruz counties advanced this week. sonoma and contra costa counties are still in the purple tier. health officials say they expect to move as soon as next week. this morning, middle and high schools in pleasanton reopened for in-person learning. that's the first school district in alameda county to welcome back older students. parents are going to line the streets heading into the high schools. there will be cheering as kids arrive for their first day in the classroom in just about a

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our low is on the move, but not before bringing us more wintery weather. check out the shot from tam. a little bit of snow falling right now. as it pulls away, it's going to pull the moist with it. still on the peninsula, we have a mixture of light showers and some light snow above 2,500 feet. future radar shows how quickly this is gone by the end of the commute. we'll be partly cloudy this afternoon and a little bit milder. our next chance of rain is sunday into monday. coming up on "gma," more fallout from harry and meghan's interview with oprah. we'll have another abc7 news

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the lincoln family of luxury suvs. ♪ i'm gonna work harder ♪ back here on "gma." >> wearing the green. >> i am. >> the military. >> uh-huh. whoo. kelly rowland, beyonce, michelle williams. come on. >> destiny's child. >> it has been 20 years. >> 20 years. >> since "survivor" came out, yeah. >> wow. >> this morning, kelly rowland is going to join us live. she's got some new music coming up. we'll hear from her and talk to her as well. >> a lot coming up in the show. right now we're following some headlines as well. it was one year ago that everything changed and the world health organization declared the pandemic and sparked lockdowns and travel bans all around the world. one year later there is hope as

the vaccine rollout ramps up, president biden is announcing the purchase of another 100 million doses of the johnson & johnson single-shot vaccine. also to mark that anniversary he will deliver his first primetime address to the nation as he prepares to sign the covid relief bill passed by congress yesterday. the president will talk about what comes next and tell everyone that there is light at the end of this dark tunnel. check this out. this espn reporter in colombia is lucky to be alive. hard to watch after this crazy collapse on live section. a section of the wall crashed down on to him. amazingly somehow he said he's fine. posted a video to twitter telling viewers he walked away with just a couple of bruises, which is good to hear. that is scary to watch. >> we're so glad he is okay. right now to that breaking news this morning. prince william now responded to his brother harry's bombshell interview. this is coming as meghan's friends are coming to her defense. james longman is at buckingham palace with the latest.

good morning, james. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, george. prince william is the first member of the royal family to respond to that bombshell interview striking because royal family members don't usually reply to questions thrown at them in this way. he was out with his wife kate this morning at a school in east london. meanwhile, this fallout continues with the sussex camp sending out its supporters to make the case for meghan and harry. just this morning, prince william speaking out for the first time since that explosive interview with harry and meghan. >> have you spoken to your brother since the interview? >> i haven't spoken yet, but i will be. can >> reporter: while visiting a school with wife kate,kate, asking if the royal family is racist. >> the royal family is not racist. >> reporter: this as her close

friends speak out about her response. >> i'm so thankful they're acknowledging the experience. >> reporte: janina gavankar saying they were aware. >> i went to the institution and said i need to go somewhere to get help. i've never felt this way before and i need to go somewhere and i was told that i couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution. >> i know that the family and the staff were well aware of the extent of it and though their recollections may vary, ours don't because we lived through it with them. there are many emails and texts to support that. >> reporter: the ripple effects of the country's interview spreading far and from barbados to australia, using it to question their allegiance to the crown. malcolm turnbull wanting that relationship to end with queen elizabeth. >> that is the time for to us say do we really want to have whoever happens to be the king or queen of the uk automatically

our head of state. every other position in our constitution and our system of government one way or another we get to choose. >> reporter: canadian prime minister justin trudeau refusing to comment or be dragged into the debate on whether to keep the queen as head of state. she is head of state of 15 countries and also head of the commonwealth, a group of 54 countries united by history, spanning the globe and making up a third of the global population. most of them are former colonies and hold common values. meghan and harry were huge supporters of the commonwealth. one of their royal rules was out reach to its young population. >> if you were too brown that would be a problem, are you saying that? >> i wasn't able to follow up with why but if that's the assumption you're making i think that feels like a pretty safe one which is really hard to understand, right, especially when, look, the commonwealth is

a huge part of the monarchy and i lived in canada which is a commonwealth country for seven years, but it wasn't until harry and i were together that we started to travel through the commonwealth. i would see 60%, 70% of which are people of color. growing up as a woman of color, a little girl of color, i know how important representation is. i know how you want to see someone who looks like you in certain positions. >> reporter: the great disappointment here is that meghan and harry loved the commonwealth. they represented great hope. harry was a youth ambassador to the commonwealth before the couple quit royal life. there was so much promise, but now it just feels like all that had gone away. michael? >> yeah, you're right about that, james, thank you so much. returning to that stunning attack on an uber driver. caught on camera, the frightened driver said the passenger refused to wear a mask, then coughed on him and grabbed his phone. kaylee hartung joins us now with

more. good morning, kaylee. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael. this is the kind of viral video no one wants to see. when you use a ride share app there are rules that you're supposed to follow, like wearing a mask. in this shocking dash cam video you'll see a woman not just refusing to wear a mask, but going so far as to rip her driver's mask off. it's the latest confrontation over wearing a mask. >> you're not going to leave us in the middle of nowhere. >> reporter: watch this disturbing incident. a san francisco uber driver being berated by a belligerent passenger. the driver, subhakar khadka, says when he picked up the three women one wasn't wearing a mask. police say due to this fact, the driver stopped and ended the ride a few minutes later. that's when things took a dramatic turn. >> she started taunting me, cursing me, questioning me about me being a man and they were making fun of my race. >> reporter: the maskless passenger purposefully coughing

on the driver before grabbing his phone and ripping off his mask. >> you don't touch my property. >> it was unbearable. it was threatening. i was scared of my life. >> reporter: according to police the women got out of the car and then one of them returned to the open window and pepper sprayed into the car. >> it was everywhere. literally everywhere. >> reporter: cyan banister was so outraged after seeingthe video on twitter she decided to help by launching a gofundme to cover his living expenses while he can't work and recovers from the altercation. >> i don't understand how anyone can behave the way those three women behaved and i just felt like there had to be something i could do to help him. >> reporter: the campaign more than doubling its goal with over $50,000 raised in a day. both uber and lyft have banned that unmasked woman from using their apps and now the san francisco police department is investigating the incident.

guys? >> glad that they are, kaylee. thank you for bringing that to everyone's attention. and so, wow, just like the woman said, the behavior of some people. >> inexplicable. >> hard to believe. >> glad he's getting a lot of support. coming up next why pepe le pew is being cut out of the new "space jam" movie and how some are handling certain characters from the past. come on back. is skincare from around the world better than olay? olay regenerist faced 131 premium products, from 12 countries, over 10 years.

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we are back now with a growing controversy surrounding some classic cartoons like pepe le pew. the new "space jam" movie revealing the character has been cut from the film. okay, t.j., enlighten us. >> some folks will hear this and roll their eyes and say this is an example of our so-called cancel culture going too far. yes, a cartoon skunk that was created back in 1945 was a top trending topic on twitter yesterday with some folks arguing, hey, give me a break. other folks arguing that this skunk has to go. when it comes to a new movie that's highly anticipated pepe is gone. ♪ >> reporter: pepe le pew, the playboy skunk who doesn't take no for an answer being cut entirely from the new "space jam" movie produced by and stars lebron james. played prominently in the original 1996 "space jam" film hollywood" the controversial character is being left out of

the reboot. that news breaking just as pepe was being called out in this opinion piece in "the new york times" by charles blow saying the cartoon character added to rape culture. word didn't set well with many including whoopi goldberg who said this on "the view." >> i just heard they were taking pepe le pew out of "space jam" and i think to myself, well, couldn't y'all have just written a couple of lines to say, you know, pepe doesn't do that anymore because he knows it's not okay to jump on other skunks who may not be as interested in him as he's interested. i don't know why you got to erase everything. i don't get it. i don't understand it. >> reporter: the cast called out the skunk's harassing behavior. santo says cutting the scene was a missed opportunity. >> it really teaches the younger generation of boys and girls that that kind of behavior isn't

acceptable and also teaching the older generation. >> reporter: called out by blow in "the new york times," speedy gonzales. te writer saying the character helped popularize the corrosive stereotype of drunk and lethargic mexicans. the actor that voices him wonders if his character could be next. you can't catch me cancel culture. i'm the fastest mouse in all of mexico. >> cancel culture isn't just canceling things. it's things taking accountability for their complicity in sexism, in racism, in xenophobia and rape culture. >> reporter: the "space jam" reboot will debut a total reimagined lola bunny. the director admitting the old lola was not politically correct. this is a kids' movie. why is she in a crop top? it just felt unnecessary. we reworked a lot of things, not

only her look. for us it was let's ground her athletic prowess, her leadership skills and make her as full a character as the other. >> we need to start talking about re-imagining the future. what is happening to ensure that we're creating inclusivity that is not problematic that people can celebrate openly without having to think about the ways in which it actually disempowers them. >> to be clear here, the timing of that opinion piece that everybody is talking about, that just coming out but reportedly they decided to take the character out last year when they changed directors. it was a creative decision so it wasn't timed with this, but it's a part of this entire conversation. "space jam 2" highly anticipated. huge hit with michael jordan. lebron bringing it back. supposed to debut this summer so we'll see. > we'll see who is left. thank you, t.j. >> all right. coming up next, our "play of the day." when you buy this plant at walmart, they can buy more plants from metrolina greenhouses so abe and art can grow more plants.

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♪ born to be wild ♪ back now with our "play of the day" and a sneaky little smile that may say more than you think. check out j.c., the golden retriever welcoming his owner home at the front door. ♪ in whatever comes our way ♪ >> oh, j.c., but that is j.c.'s please forgive me smile. >> ah. >> how could you not? >> how do you know it was him and not the other one? >> j.c. would be pointing. >> i got you.

>> j.c. is very proud of himself. >> see, what had happened was -- [ laughter ] coming up, kelly rowland has new music and a new baby. she's going to join us live in our next hour. come on back. you don't become a 117 year old automaker in this country by refusing to change. the ford motor company does not resist, deny or ignore change. we've pledged to make our most iconic vehicles electric, and to use 100% renewable energy across all global manufacturing plants by 2035, to stand for lower greenhouse gas emissions. to stand with americans, and for the planet. 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. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment

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lower. that's usually where you end up getting the tornado. as we watch this cold front slide across, three days, especially into sunday, some populated areas getting that severe storm activity. coming up, former students of mackenzie scott's new husband pouring praise on him. why they think he is the perfect partner to help with her charity efforts. homework can mean anxiety for parents and children. top tips to take the stress out of schoolwork. don't miss out on the grand opening of floor and decor in pleasant hill! our expansive store is fully equipped with safe distancing guides, so you can browse our wide aisles and be amazed with our even wider selection.

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>> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. good morning. i'm reggie aqui from "abc7 mornings." santa clara county officials say they've stopped scheduling first dose covid vaccination appointments. they found out yesterday they were short nearly 12,000 doses that they expected to get from the state. they say the county notified several thousand patients who had scheduled appointments. kaiser says they're going to be reaching out to the members to reschedule their appointments. going to check in now with meteorologist mike nicco. hi, mike. >> hi, everybody. our showers becoming less numerous, but a nice one stretching over to pacifica. there's going to be some slippery spots. the low is pulling away with us, and as it does, it's going to take all of the showers by 9:00 and that will leave us partly

cloudy this afternoon with upper 50s to low 60s. coming up on "gma," expert advice on taking the stress out of homework and remote learning and how to redefine screen time. we'll have

s good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. big boost, president biden announces the u.s. is purchasing another 100 million doses of the johnson & johnson single-shot vaccine. >> there is light at the end of this dark tunnel of the past year, and we cannot let our guard down now. >> promising we will soon go from shortage to surplus. dr. fauci talks to "gma" this morning. massive deal. congress passes president biden's almost $2 trillion covid relief bill. tomorrow.dent set to sign it - the immediate impact starting this morning. scare on the chairlift. the young boy dangling high above the mountain for almost two minutes. how he got to safety and what he's saying this morning. ♪ bring me a higher love ♪ one of the richest women in the world, the ex-wife of jeff

bezos now newly married to a high school teacher. the reveal that mackenzie scott was behind 25% of all covid-related giving in the u.s. in 2020 and what we're learning about her new husband from his former students. why they say he's one in a billion. ♪ from tragedy to triumph. after the world watched amanda berry escape captivity she's revealing her new mission to help bring other missing children home. ♪ and we're rolling into thursday with kelly rowland. ♪ the superstar bringing us a special performance and her brand-new destiny's child all ahead as we say good morning, america. >> i heard you, michael, rolling. we are very much looking forward to talking to kelly in this hour. >> yes, we are.

we're also looking forward to her performing one of her new singles, black magic. her son noah just born in january. she's been busy. the latest in the pandemic and the race to vaccinate. more than 62 million americans have received at least one dose, that's nearly 25% of adults in the country. want to go back to whit johnson and one of the mass vaccination centers here in new york in jones beach. good morning, whit. >> reporter: george, good morning. this mass vaccination site is now averaging 1,500 shots per day and take a look from above and our drone camera. you can see the line is growing. new york state is now expanding eligibility to people 60 and older. other states are taking similar action as they peep for an -- prepare for an increase in supply. this morning, the vaccine rollout ramping up with eligibility expanding. alaska becoming the first state to offer vaccinations to anyone 16 and up.

vermont taking a similar step, but only for those with high-risk conditions. many alaskans already signing up for their first shot. >> just excited to continue moving forward. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: in oklahoma aidan ashwood hugged by his newly vaccinated grandparents for the first time in a year. the white house purchasing another 100 million doses of the johnson & johnson sing shot -- single-shot vaccine. most won't be delivered till later in the year but could be held for children if approved or possible booster to the shots. >> i'm doing this because in a wartime effort we need maximum flexibility. >> reporter: president biden already promising to have enough vaccine for american adults by the end of may. many states told to expect a flood in supply by april when experts say up to 24 million vaccines could be distributed weekly nationwide compared to 18.5 million this week. george spoke to dr. anthony fauci about the vaccine effort earlier this morning.

>> we should have enough vaccines for every adult american by may. what's the biggest obstacle to actually getting those vaccines administered? >> well, you know, one of them is vaccine hesitancy. we want to make sure people who have concern about it, that we articulate to them why it's so importnt for them, their families and the community in general to get vaccinated because you want to get the overwhelming majority of people vaccinated. >> reporter: we're back now with another look from above and our drone camera over this mass states easing restrictions keeps growing. new york, new jersey, maryland all preparing to relax rules on restaurants and businesses and wyoming is now the latest state to drop its mask mandate despite warnings from health officials. robin. >> all right, whit, thank you. it is something to see that stretch of cars there. thank you. now to that nearly $2 trillion covid relief package heading to president biden's desk.

the president expected to sign it tomorrow. stimulus checks rolling out as soon as next week so let's go back to our chief white house correspondent cecilia vega with those latest details. good morning, again, cecilia. >> reporter: hey, robin. good morning again. so this is a massive undertaking. it's not going to roll out overnight but i do want to show you what the white house says out of the top what it will look like for a family of four. this will impact so many people. we're talking about a family with two young children, each family member will get a $1,400 stimulus checks, that totals $5,600 for a family like this then the additional many child tax credit for $2,600 and brings it to $8,200 for the family. the tax credit will vary depending on the age of your kids. older than 6 up to 17 they'll get a thousand dollars each. all based off your last tax return. there are some concerns about the potential for a slowdown given that it is tax season. but, robin, the white house is telling us if you signed up for direct deposit you'll get them a lot quicker. that is something families are going to want to do very soon.

>> we'll keep that in mind. cecilia, thank you. have a good day. michael. thank you and take a look at this heart-stopping moment caught on camera. a 12-year-old dangling from the ski lift in front of them and they encouraged him shouting to hang on for dear life and did just that holding on for nearly two minutes until he reached the top. here's what he's saying about it this morning. >> i hadn't -- like i crossed my arms and i grabbed on. >> i watched it and i watched it and i watched it and i just got sicker and sicker and i'm like what if you would have fallen? what's your message to the snowboarders up there? >> that keep the bar down. >> keep the bar down. he removed the safety bar too early. his mom says it didn't even faze him. >> good for him. >> boy, how is it to be young and unfazed. >> he did put the bar down the second time.

>> learned his lesson. coming up, mackenzie scott giving 25% of all covid related giving. we're hearing from some of her new husband's former students. how to take the stress out of remote learning. should you or should you not correct your child's mistakes? >> good question. and it's not thursday at "gma" without tory johnson. she has some great "deals & steals" to make your life easier at home. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ancestry...gave us context. this...whole world ...of people ...adventurous people... and survivors. it was interesting to think about their lives... their successes... and...their hardships. i think that's part of what i want my kids to know. they come from people who... were brave. and took risks. big risks. no pressure. [short laugh] bring your family history to life, like never before. get started for free at ancestry.com ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete,

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♪ comfort in the extreme. the lincoln family of luxury suvs. by harnessing california's comfort in the extreme. abundant wind and solar energy, we have the power to take on climate change. use less from 4 to 9 pm to keep california golden. ♪ welcome back to "gma" here in times square. tomorrow big surprise for one "grey's anatomy" superfan after

her child was saved by the heart surgeon she saw on the show. >> do you hear they're contemplating whether this will be the last season of "grey's anatomy"? oh. i can't -- i can't -- >> she can't contemplate. >> i can't contemplate it. more tomorrow. but right now some "pop news" with lara. good morning, lara. good morning, robin. and big news this morning. oscar news, the nominations you might know are four days away will be sharing them with us - all. nick jonas and his beautiful wife priyanka chopra jonas will take the podium for the big morning. the pair sharing the news with their own spin on a popular tiktok trend. take a look. >> tell me we're announcing the oscar nominations without telling me we're announcing the oscar nominations. >> you're supposed to tell me your -- you know, sort of just told everyone we're announcing the oscar nomination. >> oh. >> yeah.

>> well, that's good enough. we're announcing the oscar nominations. whoo. catch us live. >> the power couple so cute, they will be announcing all of the nominations live on monday, march 15th, 8:19 eastern. that means it will happen right here on "gma" and then the oscars take place next month on april 25th. also on abc. and this morning, melissa mccarthy is on the cover of the new "instyle" magazine and she's opening up about the movie that changed her life. the tenth anniversary of "bridesmaids" is here and she says kristen wiig and annie mumolo who wrote the hilarious script, encouraged the cast to, quote, let their weirdness fly. melissa says there was no pressure to be funny because nobody thought the movie would be a game changer. well, joke is on them because that little comedy went on to make almost $300 million worldwide.

wiig and mumolo were nominated for oscars for best original screenplay. melissa was also nominated as we all know for best supporting actress. you can read more about her memories and what's next for her in the april issue of "instyle" magazine available on newsstands and for digital download on march 19th. finally this morning, a dose of love can always -- can sometimes but i say always be the best medicine. new york grandmother evelyn shaw got her second vaccine and two weeks later she received this prescription from her doctor saying she was now due for a hug. well, boy did she follow doctor's orders. evelyn's daughter laura filming the moment between grandmother and granddaughter, first hug evelyn has received in a year and perfect way to celebrate her, quote, liberation day. that's a prescription, i would like a refill of, please, back to you in the studio. >> thank you, lara. that is a great prescription. we move on now to our "gma"

cover story. it's about the chemistry teacher who became an instant billionaire when he married mackenzie scott. we're learned more about dan jewett from many so of his former students and trevor ault has the details. good morning, trevor. >> reporter: good morning, george. two years removed from that split with jeff bezos the most expensive divorce ever, mackenzie scott is already proving to be one of the most substantial philanthropists in modern history, and now joining her in those efforts is an unassuming new husband who we learned has been quietly making an impact of his own in the classroom. this morning, a new report revealing billionairess, mackenzie scott, former wife of amazon's jeff bezos has single-handedly donated $4 billion to fight the pandemic. 25% of the giving effort in the entire united states. the newly remarried scott vowing to donate the majority of her $53 billion fortune and this morning we're learning her new husband science teacher dan jewett may be the perfect partner to continue her pledge. >> i could not think of someone

who i would want more to have access to that kind of wealth. >> reporter: former students are now pouring praise on youth who -- jewett, who teaches science at the private school scott's children attend in seattle. stunts like tatiana seen here in his chemistry class a decade ago in pennsylvania describing him as passionate and caring. >> we were using bunson burners and i actually ended up breaking the beaker with my lab partner and he came over to help and he cut his hand. but he was just laughing the whole time and just was like, this is just fun and games. this is the whole point of playing around and just experimenting. >> reporter: while jewett says he never sought this level of wealth, he is grateful for the exceptional privilege it will be to partner in giving away assets with the potential to do so much good when shared. >> i imagine whatever he and mackenzie scott choose to do with that money, it will only go to benefit people.

>> reporter: and mackenzie scott is being praised not just for how much she's donating and it is a lot of money, but also for the way that she is giving, no strings attached contributions to charities who can use the money right away and her new husband seems committed to helping her keep that up. >> game changing for so many who weren't expecting it. it was incredible. trevor, thanks very much. let's go to ginger. >> and, george, i have a gorgeous spring snow to share with you in california. this is from los padres. really makes you say, okay. i can do one more if it looks like that. denver is getting it, more than a foot and a half, up to 25 inches and could make it into a top ten if they get 20 plus inches snowfall. but north and west of there you could see up to four feet of snow with this coming storm. al good morning. we have a chance of showers through about 9:00 then become partly cloudy and a little bit

milder this afternoon. frost is possible the next couple of nights and more rain and wintery showers sunday and monday. today, mid to upper 50s. tonight, look at the 30s out there and very few 40s for overnight lows. pretty mild friday, saturday, tuesday and wednesday. in between, rain sunday and monday. as you know so many families are still adjusting to working and learning from home since the pandemic hit the u.s. one year ago. well, this morning to help unravel the anxiety, we're taking a look at a new book by two educational experts taking the stress out of homework. juju chang spoke with the authors and some parents as well. good morning, juju. good to see you. >> reporter: good morning, robin. we all know that pandemic parenting has been rough and i have to confess for my three boys the homework and the online school has become one giant stress ball so it was a real treat to be able to talk to these two tutors, two former teachers who have come up with a

road map on what to do and what not to do when it comes to homework. >> have you started yet? >> reporter: homework, the dreaded daily battleground for families, and now studying plus remote learning equals anxiety for all. what lessons are you learning during the pandemic about the struggles that students are having out there? >> we're seeing real burnout and exhaustion across the board. a whole host of issues surrounding screen time and lack of motivation from students. >> parents feel as though they are less effective in guiding their students through homework and less effective in the workplace. >> reporter: lauren can relate. she sz her daughter molly in eighth grade has been finding it difficult to manage her workload. >> we're coming up on just about a year for being in online school and also refer to it as the longest spring break ever. >> reporter: to help navigate homework stress, we went to the

experts, abby and brian, teachers, tutor, parents and authors of the new become "taking the stress out of homework." first, help them come up with a plan. >> all of us sort of by nature are procrastinators and want to do the thing we're dreading last when we're the most exhausted so it's really important that kids try to tackle the most difficult task they're dreading most first. >> the biggest struggle for parents like me, when to intervene and when not to intervene. >> absolutely. and we find that intervention in the planning stage can be incredibly valuable. where intervention closer to a finished project leads to a lot of antagonism and yelling and screaming and people running out of the room frustrated. >> reporter: then don't correct their mistakes. let them learn from them. >> it's important that kids feel the work is their homework. it's hard to fight the instinct to just take a pencil or eraser and say do that again but kids feel that and then they feel undermined. >> reporter: since both schooling and socializing is done on screens try to redefine screen breaks. and when to allow them.

>> focus not necessarily on the quantity of screen time but on the quality of screen time. >> one thing that we suggest is establishing a family technology parking lot. if it's dinnertime or you're spending five minutes together, everybody in the family, parents included, has to put his or her own device down. >> reporter: through all of the chaos some of the best advice from parents is from lauren herself. >> we have had a lot of really fun times together and good memories together. so it hasn't all been bad. >> reporter: the authors say this is not a cookie cutter approach because let's face it, all kids are different so you got to try a little of this, a little of that. the authors say after years of being exclusive high priced tutors they realize that their tricks could help everybody, so they wrote the book, robin. >> how is it with your boys? i know you said stress ball but how are they doing? >> oh, you're so sweet to ask. they're okay. i mean i think after a year of

this they've started -- gotten into the groove but honestly all of that screen time is what's hard. >> yeah, are they still big yankees fans? i love when you send a card with the yankees. >> absolutely. >> give them my best. the book is out right now. michael? >> thank you, robin. now we go to "deals & steals" and this morning, we're making your life at home a little easier with our home solutions. you can get them by pointing your cell phone camera at that qr code on your screen and tory johnson joins us now with the deals and, tory, one thing that happens to me being tall that's annoying is my feet stick out from the blanket. the rest is warm, but my feet is cold. this is the pedipocket. >> we got to get you one, michael. these are awesome. it's a why didn't i think of that. a cozy blanket that has a brilliantly designed foot pocket at the end of it to keep your toes warm and cozy. we have two different styles, a

variety of patterns for kids and adults. it's a definite comfy addition to any chair, couch or bed, and today, the deal starts at $20. >> why didn't i think of that? next up is for the little ones, what i love about this tory, it helps families in need. >> that's what i love too with bella tunno. for every product they sell they donate a meal to feed a child in america. more than 5 million have been donated so today when you buy any of their products you're not only treating your family but you are helping another family as well. all of their products are made from 100% fda approved food grade silicone. heat resistant, dishwasher safe. we've got their awesome wonder trays which are good for meal time or crafts. their bibs which not only make you smile but save the floor from a lot of food. we've got their teethers and brand-new teething flashcards. a terrific company, well made products, great deal today.

they start at $6. >> we're going to -- we talk about organizing everything but the kitchen sink. we're changing that today. what do we have? >> this is brain stream and you can go from damp to dry with rags, sponges, dishcloths, all those things that wind up sort of sitting in the sink sort of gross, instead these are drip lines that allow it to dry directly in the sink so it keeps everything organized as well as cleaning. two different styles depending on the type of products you use in your sink, and also great, i love their bottle dryer. so if you only have a couple of things to dry and don't want to run the dishwasher, great option, all made from stainless steel and silicone. look sleek as well slashed in half start at $10. >> great smart idea and stay in the kitchen. we got a new twist on towels. what do we have? >> geometry. these are an absolute favorite. we've got 20 vibrant patterns.

it's a waffle weave construction so it's not going to scratch surfaces, ultra absorbent. if you want to ditch or lessen your reliance on paper towels this one is for you. beautiful, they elevate any kitchen and extremely functional. amazing deal. today they are $8. >> and next we have a product that was on "shark tank." the touch up cup. how does this work? >> yeah, so imagine this, michael. you paint a bedroom, you paint the house and you want to be able to save a little paint for the touchup but don't want to save that big gallon sloppy can. this is what the cup is for. save paint for up to ten years. it will keep it fresh. easy to store, it's not going to mess up the paint. you'll have it when you need touch-ups. they came up with food storage containers for muffins, bagels and doughnuts to keep food fresh for up to three days, all of these sets today start at $15 and then, michael, we're ending on a good hair day. sorry this one may not be

perfect for you, but fabulous for the rest of us. ghd, good hair day, eight of their hair tools. one of their best-sellers i must call out the helios hair dryer won best of beauty award. light, fast, helps you dry hair quicker, i love these products. they start at $74.50 and free shipping. >> free shipping. you know i love free shipping. thank you as always. we partnered with these companies on these great deals. you can get them by heading directly to our website. coming up, kelly rowland is going to join us live. we'll be right back.

>> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. good morning, everyone. i'm kumasi aaron from "abc7 mornings." santa clara county leaders resist a plan that will put blue shield in charge of the state's vaccination efforts. this afternoon they will be holding a news conference with health clinic ceos and city council members. it requires them to hand over control of vaccine distribution to blue shield. a county executive says the county wants to use its current appointment system and get supply from the state. he's negotiating and hopes to have an agreement by the end of the week. let's take a look at one of our lone showers to about half moon bay. there's a possibility a little bit of snow is falling out of this and that's one of the last

players in town. you can see on future radar, the absence of green as we wind down the morning commute. maybe a shower or two later today, up in the north bay and along the santa cruz mountains, but that would be no need for a storm impact scale. milder tomorrow and

hey, bay area, "live with kelly and ryan" is coming up. >> we have "the bachelor" finale host, emmanuel acho. plus pets week continues.

>> that's at 9:00 on abc7. ♪ breathe in and let it go ♪ on a thursday morning we're glad to have a very talented guest join us, four-time grammy winner sold more than 40 million record, good morning, kelly rowland. >> good morning. >> oh, i love the hair. oh, wow. looking great. love it. >> congratulations. your son noah born in january. i guess you were on the show last fall and said your older son liked to sing to the baby bump. is he still singing to his baby brother? >> every single day but he has like a natural melody in his voice. he's -- ♪ he's just like singing. >> i wonder where he gets that from, kelly. >> right. >> and when you're nursing, we

understand there's a certain show you like to watch. can you tell us what it is? >> it's dave chappelle. you know what, i read somewhere where if you're nursing and you laugh, like you're laughing, it supposed i less i guess makes more milk so i was like, well, let me put on dave. he makes me laugh literally my head off so i have been doing that and surprisingly it works for me so -- >> also you're happy which is going to make your baby noah happy. he's not even 2 months old yet and already in a music video for your new music video "black magic" so when did you shoot that? >> you know, i shot it on my birthday and it was just -- it really happened like in the spur of the moment. i was shooting a scene in the front of actually our yard and i said let me get the boys in the video. i just feel like they're a part of my black magic and my joy and

i wanted that to come across in the song which, of course, is what the song is about, black joy and strength and perseverance and strength. i really wanted that could om off and my boys are part of my strength. >> we'll hear that song in just a little bit. it's from the new album "k." where did you find the inspiration for that. >> you know what, from everything that i feel like i've gone through, you know, i poured my life into it and i wanted to feel good. from your soul. >> like we said we can't wait. in a little bit you'll be singing for us. i got to ask about your girls. destiny's child. we know that there was a little bit of a reunion. they came over to see baby noah and, kelly, can i just say it's heartwarming to know the bond between y'all is so strong. >> oh, absolutely. you have known us for quite a while and i mean it wasn't just for the cameras. we genuinely love each other and

we talk every other day and those are his aunties. he doesn't have a clue who destiny's child is. he just got here. he just loves them and it's the most beautiful thing. >> we know who destiny's child is and playing it earlier, "survivor," it's been 20 years since it came out. can you believe it? we couldn't either. what is your favorite memory when you look back at that time? >> okay, so specifically on this video it was the coldest day in l.a. and i'll never forget that water that bey is letting brush up over her lovely yellow outfit was cold. freezing. i had a wig on this day because we had to switch looks quick and my wig flew off as soon as the helicopter at the end comes down and we didn't lose a beat.

it was hilarious. >> just looking back at your time with destiny's child, what is the first thing you think of when you think of your time together? >> oh, just rich. rich in love, rich in passion, work ethic and rich in laying out the foundation, i feel like in that time, you know, it's just such a different time in the music industry, you know, we were overseas internationally having 12 and 13-hour workdays and it was just -- i feel like it was laying the foundation as well and that's why i'm still here able to talk to you guys and it's a blessing that destiny's child has given me. i feel rich from it. >> what a strong foundation that you all have bill and we can't wait for the new music. whoo. >> we are so glad to see you doing so well. kelly's new album "k" available right now. we'll hear her perform "black magic" in a few minutes and coming up, the star of "queen sugar." ♪ have to go

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we're back with the story of survival and heroism. the world watched as amanda berry, remember this, when she escaped captivity in 2013, more than a decade after she was well now she is using her voice in a new mission, to help find other missing children and bring them home. i recently spoke with amanda about that and a whole lot more. >> help me, i'm amanda berry. i have been kidnapped and i've been missing for ten years and

i'm here. i'm free now. >> reporter: it was the miraculous moment. amanda berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight broke free in 2013. amanda's family never giving up. >> trying to stay as strong as can be. >> reporter: when amanda and i first met she shared how seeing her own missing persons story on the news inspired her to stay strong. >> that kept me going and said i'm going to make it home to you as long as you fight, i'll fight. >> reporter: amanda's beloved mother passed away in 2006 without ever knowing the truth of her daughter's disappearance. you said you could never forgive him. do you still feel that way? >> i absolutely do feel that way because i never got to see my mom again and i'll never ever ever forget that. >> reporter: now amanda is working to help bring other children home as a missing persons advocate. >> i'm amanda berry and i've

made it my personal mission to help police find missing people. >> reporter: and recently partnering with the u.s. marshal's service. >> i need you to think of every single case as it's your own child. fight as if it's your own child. every single day. >> reporter: as part of an initiative called operation safety net, safely locating 35 endangered children in one month. you have a unique perspective that you can help law enforcement. what do you feel that your perspective, how helpful it's been. >> i definitely hope that they know that miracles can happen. i know it's not always easy to, you know, after year after year some parents have to go through waiting for their child to come home. hopefully they take it more serious that i am involved. i hope that i am a beacon of hope for them. >> we're going to be going back out today. >> reporter: bringing hope and a resolution, thanks to the success of the operation, the u.s. marshal service has now created a permanent squad in northern ohio.

>> one of the biggest reasons "operation safety net" was a success is amanda berry. a great example for cleveland, ohio, where you fight and never quit. we're doing it all over the country and try to bring back every single kid that we can together with amanda berry. >> when we last spoke, you told me you were working on finding your voice. you know, that your voice had been taken from you in so many ways for so long. is this another evolution, another step in you finding your voice? >> absolutely. in the beginning i was so scared to do anything. i mean i was really scared to leave the house and, you know, being noticed but now i just feel -- i take it more as a blessing that i am on this side and that i am blessed enough to be able to help and i can finally use my voice for good. >> i remember your mom, she did not give up looking for you. do you carry some of that into the work that you're doing? >> absolutely.

i think i push every day more and more for my mother. she fought so hard for me while i was gone. i think i'm trying to finish kind of what she started for the missing. i'm just glad that i can be here and continue my mom's work. >> you know what, amanda keeps her mother's memory close to her heart. i don't know if you noticed her necklace. it's her mom's name, and it's written in her mom's handwriting. and amanda is a mother herself. her daughter, can you believe this, jocelyn is 14 years old and according to amanda she is a social butterfly doing well and the u.s. marshals service is working overtime across the country. since october of last year, just since that time, 400 children they have brought back home. >> that's incredible. >> that is incredible and they give a lot of credit to amanda berry. it's been a real privilege getting to know her in recent years. >> so strong. >> update. ginger, i got to show you some love.

loving the look. >> thank you so much. that kindness is bubbling up. you feel that, everybody? hopefully kindness can be paired with excitement in this one because we are calling all hockey fans for the first time in 16 years, the nhl is officially coming back to disney and espn so this means no matter who you're rooting for you'll be age to watch all the action on the ice for the stanley cup finals and playoffs right here on abc and espn. and that's not the only goal, see what we did there. espn plus is adding more than 75 exclusive national games, more than 1,000 out of market games in their premiere hockey package all happening this autumn. let's go ahead and get a check a little closer to home. good morning. see that white stuff on the ground, that's some snow on top of mt. tam this morning as showers will continue through 9:00. partly cloudy this afternoon. mid to upper 50s. even warmer

so excited to bring in our so excited to bring in our next guest, kofi siriboe stars in the critically acclaimed series "queen sugar" executive produced by ava duvernay and oprah winfrey. good morning. how are you doing? >> good, man. how are you doing? >> i'm doing great. let's dive right into this season of the show, and it was written before the world shut down last march because of covid actually, but it was all rewritten to include the events of the past year. why was that important? >> ava just gets it. you know, our show has always been an opportunity to talk about real life. you know, talk about what's going on and, you know, what would we be if we make this show, you know, not covid. you know, we stopped filming early march, we had an episode filmed and we were on hiatus for six months and experiencing the pandemic like everybody else and like as soon as we had an opportunity to go back it was like we got to talk about this. you know and i mean we've been

wearing masks and all kinds of stuff during filming and it's just like, wow, i guess this is really the new normal. >> yeah, but it must feel good for everybody to get back together even if you have to wear masks when you're not shooting your scenes but this is -- we'll show a clip. this is something that a lot of people can relate to. your character decides to skip the big wedding and finally get married without the big event so let's take a look. >> i thought you were supposed to be nervous. >> i'm only nervous about things i ain't sure about. >> all right. >> marrying your momma and loving you both, that's probably the only thing i'm absolutely sure about. >> okay. i get you but if you were nervous, i would understand. >> oh, i said i'm not nervous. put them up. we got to be gentlemen. make yourself clean for our momma kill me. come here, boy. i love you. >> yeah, i love watching that man. you know, fans have been watching the love story between your character ralph and darla

for years now. was there pressure to get the wedding just right? >> absolutely. you know, i mean for me personally i was just excited that it happened. you know, after five years i was like, i don't know if we going to see this in the future for you two but thank god the writers, the writers went with a happy ending but as "queen sugar" is good for we don't know how long it's going to stay happy. that's all i'm going to say. >> a little -- don't spoil too much for us. but you took -- >> i ain't saying nothing. >> don't say anything else. you did take a break from "queen sugar" to start doja cat's new video. what was that like? >> that was wild. i mean, it just worked out. i was working on a project recently. can't tell you about it yet but very soon but, you know, her people called and it all just worked out. i didn't know she was from cali too so it was a lot of synergy and the song is fire, you know, people love it so like i love it. >> well, maybe this is something you can tell us about.

we love "girls trip." big fan of "girls trip." there's talk about a sequel. have you heard anything? >> you know, i've heard about the sequel. my suggestion is that they go to africa, you know, if you want to do a sequel, you got to go to africa with it because i mean i just want to see tiff in africa going wild. that's all -- i would pay all my money to see that. yeah, i would love to see that. >> well, i would pay my money to watch that on film for sure, man. kofi, always good to see you. thank you for coming on the show. >> good morning, good morning, america. >> no doubt. and "queen sugar" airs tuesday nights on own. i need to get my voice like that. coming up, we have a special performance by kelly rowland. ♪

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looking forward to that tomorrow. looking forward to this looking forward to that tomorrow. looking forward to this right now because we're back. we've got grammy winning artist kelly rowland performing the new single from her ep "k." here she is. singing "black magic." ♪ >> let's go. ♪ ♪ black magic ♪ ♪ i heart you in stages keep my heartbeat racing ♪

♪ finding us is too uncommon bury love like tutankhamen ♪ ♪ when it all falls down they gon write they books about us ♪ ♪ whoo ♪ ♪ when it all goes down how will they world look without us without us, doubt us ♪ ♪ why would they believe in what they can't see ♪ ♪ like it don't take a cut for you to know i'll bleed ♪ ♪ i'll bleed, i'll bleed, i'll bleed love for you ♪ ♪ i'll bleed love for you black magic baby ♪ ♪ oh, you play my heart since i said i do ♪ ♪ and every time it beats just know that it still beats for you ♪ ♪ drummer boy, boy, boy, boy, boy, it beats for you ♪

♪ you play my heart like guitar ever since i said i do ♪ ♪ you have me in my feelings, yes, you do ♪ ♪ do, re, mi, fa, sol, i sing to you ♪ ♪ black magic some say voodoo ♪ ♪ black magic some say voodoo black magic some say voodoo ♪ ♪ black magic some say voodoo black magic some say voodoo ♪ ♪ ♪ whoo, let's go ♪ ♪ drum ♪

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we're talking to michael, i think he's scaling a mountain. >> no, i'm talking to somebody who's scaling a mountain. >> he's going to live stream it too. >> not myself. don't look out for that.

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>> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc7 news. good morning, everyone. i'm kumasi aaron from "abc7 mornings." researchers at ucsf are looking into whether sleep or age could effect the covid vaccine. this would be the first study to look at covid-19. 500 volunteers are wanted, specifically older participants who may have had a more weakened immune system. here's mike with our forecast. >> thank you, kumasi. the showers we woke up to this morning, they're gone. through there's a slight chance in the north bay and the south bay. future radar shows a rogue shower or two. otherwise we're going to be partly cloudy and a littl bit closer to average, but still cooler than we should be, mainly in the 50s. a little bit warmer friday and saturday before more rain sunday

and monday. now it's time for "live with kelly and ryan." we'll be back at 11:00 for "midday live." see you then. >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, the host of "the bachelor: after the final rose," emmanuel acho. and keeping your animals healthy at home as we continue "live's happy pet's week." plus, we will meet a 911 dispatcher from ohio that came to the aid of the pup in need. all next on "live!" ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ >> ryan: hello. good morning. >> kelly: morning. >> ryan: hello, kelly. >> kelly: who's song is this? i love the song. it's thursday morn