fourth of july right now on "america this morning," breaking news, a rare late winter tornado outbreak. >> heavy damage to a home just now. >> the damage and destruction and where the storms are headed this morning. one major city already canceling school. breaking overnight, arrests made after this disturbing attack on an asian man at the laundromat as congress today looks into the increase in racially motivated crimes. plus new questions about the shooter's motive after the deadly attack on spas around atlanta. a local sheriff's official under fire accused of sharing an anti-asian message on line. don't come back. a major u.s. companies tells workers, they don't have to come back to the office even after the pandemic and this morning covid's effect on the irs. what you need to know about the

tax filing deadline being delayed. sharon osbourne and her comments about meghan markle, the talk show host now fighting back after being accused of racist remarks. the dirty secrets about fruits and vegetables. which have the most pesticides on them? >> covid concerns took out their entire coaching team. wait till you see how these players responded. good thursday morning, everyone. thank you for joining us. we do begin with that breaking news. millions of americans are facing the threat of extreme weather. >> atlanta has already canceled school today because of severe storms on the move. > it left a trail of destruction after spawning tornadoes across alabama and mississippi. overnight a severe weather outbreak slamming the deep south. >> it's a miracle that everybody is okay. >> reporter: a long stretch of powerful storms producing more than 20 twisters, most across mississippi and alabama.

>> oh, major tornado. major, major. >> reporter: in tuscaloosa authorities reporting dozens of homes are damaged across the area. these university of alabama students took shelter inside a parking garage. this local church is destroyed again. the pastor says it was rebuilt after a tornado in 2011. >> i just think that he has something greater. >> absolutely, absolutely. >> it's not about -- i mean things like this are going to happen and it's how we respond to it. we believe god is going to do something greater. >> reporter: near montgomery the powerful winds picked up this boat carrying it across the air before wrapping it around that tree. >> the town of mountainville, alabama, spent the afternoon recovering from the tornado that stuck while preparing for more severe storms. >> reporter: in mississippi a reported tornado leveled this farm in wayne county. >> it's coming right to us. >> reporter: this morning millions of people remain under the threat of severe weather as the storm now takes aim at georgia and the carolinas. and it's not just a threat of

tornadoes, the same storm system also bringing blizzard conditions to texas dumping several inches of snow in the pandemic. >> much more coming up on "gma." we'll take a closer look at your forecast in just a few minutes. we turn now to the deadly attack on spas around atlanta. officials are trying to determine if it was targeting people of asian descent and congress is holding a hearing on the increasing attacks. overnight we learned three teenagers have been arrested for this attack on an asian man inside a san francisco laundromat. abc's andrew dymburt has the latest including a new report from u.s. intelligence officials. andrew, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. so today house lawmakers are holding a hearing on the recent string of attacks in asian-american communities and while the white house was careful not to attribute the motive in the atlanta attacks, the administration is blaming former president donald trump for his anti-asian rhetoric during the height of the pandemic. new troubling details emerging from the tragedy in atlanta. >> some guy came in and shoot the gun so everybody heard the

gunshot. >> reporter: the man suspected of murdering eight people in three separate shootings at spas in the atlanta metro area has allegedly admitted to the killings. authorities say 21-year-old robert aaron long carried out the killings blaming his, quote, addiction to sex as the motive. six of the women he is accused of killing are asian. police say if they had not caught him he planned carry on at similar businesses in florida. investigators now believe the reasons behind the killings weren't as much about race more about violence against women. authorities say long was returning to punish businesses he used to pay. >> he apparently has an issue. what he considers a sex addiction that he wanted to eliminate. >> reporter: president biden briefed by the fbi on the situation. >> whatever the motivation here, >> i know that asian-americans are very concerned. >> reporter: the murders casting terror and fear throughout asian-american communities.

>> women are disproportionately impacted by anti-asian harassment and violence in the past year, so this is really only intensifying the fears that asian-american people and asian-american women in particular are experiencing. >> reporter: those concerns reaching capitol hill. the house judiciary committee holding a hearing today on the string of violence plaguing asian-american communities amid the covid-19 pandemic. the white house blaming the trump administration for stoking a racial divide. >> calling covid, you know, the wuhan virus has elevated threats against asian-americans and we're seeing that around the country. >> reporter: and now u.s. intelligence agencies say that these sort of domestic violent extremist attacks could be elevated in 2021 and pose a serious threat to homeland security. kenneth, mona. >> andrew, thank you. a sheriff's official in georgia is coming under fire for his comments on the spa shootings. captain jay baker said the shooter, quote, had a bad day and he is being criticized for allegedly sharing an anti-asian post on facebook last year

blaming asians for the coronavirus. a texas man arrested outside the official residence of vice president kamala harris. police say he had a rifle and ammunition in his car. sources say the man was picked up by the secret service after his mother called police saying her son has mental health issues. harris has not moved into the residence yet due to renovations. government officials in mexico are stepping up efforts to address the crisis at the southern border. they're sending security forces to the border with guatemala to stop the flow of migrants coming from central america heading to the u.s. record numbers of migrant children are now being detained in texas. the governor is demanding the biden administration give state officials access to those children so they can investigate human trafficking. >> the biden administration to get those answers should interview every unaccompanied child coming across the border. they should determine if any child has been harmed in any way or victimized by human traffickers. >> reporter: the secretary of homeland security told congress

yesterday that the border situation is difficult but he stopped short of calling it a crisis. now to the pandemic and growing concern about a spring resurgence. covid cases are rising in many states, and doctors believe they know why. this morning, more of america planning to re-open. disneyland now set to open its gates to california residents at reduced capacity april 30th. >> we're ready to make magic all over again. >> reporter: but as more states lift coronavirus restrictions, health officials are warning about the weeks ahead. these 15 states are reporting a significant increase in infections over the last week as the more contagious variants of the virus spread. michigan seeing a 56% increase. minnesota, a similar problem. much of the spread traced to kids. >> younger individuals, grade school and high school are transmitting the virus amongst themselves and then spilling over into the rest of the community. >> reporter: how to fight the surge, get vaccinated as soon as possible. more states are expanding vaccine eligibility. nevada is the latest to open

vaccines to everyone over the age of 16 early next month. but in parts of the country surveys show up to 40% of the population is unwilling to get the shot. in mississippi where vaccination rates are among the lowest, reports now of a surplus of shots. >> unfortunately, we've had a lot of people out there who have been willing to allow skepticism to grow around the vaccine and around masking and social distancing and things like that so i think we need clear unambiguous messages from representatives, from governors and from others that the vaccine is safe. >> reporter: in the push to re-open classrooms, the biden administration is setting $10 billion to ramp up testing for coronavirus in schools. the funded part of the federal covid relief package funding $1400 stimulus payments. about 90 million payments have been sent so far. and now americans are getting a reprieve on their taxes. the irs backlogged trying to process all those stimulus payments is now extending the tax filing deadline from april

15th to may 17th. the extension applies only to federal taxes. state deadlines may vary. meanwhile, fema will begin reimbursing families of covid victims for funeral expenses. that money was also part of the covid relief package. more americans will not be returning to the office even after the pandemic. ford is telling 30,000 employees they can work from home permanently. the plan is expected to take effect this summer although some meetings at the office will be required. back now to our top story, the extreme weather slamming the south. let's take a closer look at your thursday forecast. the threat for severe weather shifts east on thursday and all modes of severe weather are possible, wind, hail, flooding and tornadoes. let's take a look at future radar into thursday morning, you could wake up to severe thunderstorms in atlanta down to the florida panhandle. by thursday afternoon the threat shifts into the carolinas and north florida and by the time we get to thursday night, this storm system moves out to sea

and, get this, on the last day of winter in the northeast on friday, snow in new york city. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin coskren. coming up, two brave children called 911 as fire spreads through their home. you hear the dramatic call that saved their lives. also ahead, the new study on which fruits and vegetables are the dirtiest when it comes to pesticides and other chemicals. and later the man arrested for trafficking sharks, that's right, sharks from his home i

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we are back with a high speed crash near chicago. a driver speeding through a red light slamming into a police car seriously injuring the officer before taking off. police now have a person of interest in custody. police in southern california say the massive fireworks explosion that killed a man and his nephew could have

been a whole lot worse. investigators found 60 containers of unexploded fireworks at the house. dozens of neighbors are still living in hotels. it could be several days before they're allowed home. in north carolina, two children are being praised for keeping their cool and calling 911 as a fire spread through their home. abc's andrea fujii has the dramatic call. >> reporter: this morning u. the frantic 911 call as two kids were trapped in their burning apartment. >> what's going on? >> the house is on fire, help. >> reporter: 11-year-old tyshala and 6-year-old brother hampton were home alone, their mother at work, when their north carolina apartment caught fire and huddled together in tyshala's bedroom and called for help. >> is everybody out of the apartment? >> no, we're inside of it. >> okay, and the apartment is on fire? >> yeah, help. >> reporter: the dispatcher reassuring her that help was on the way, but tyshala telling him the flames were closing in. >> is the fire in the room with

you, or is it outside the room? >> no, it's in a different room but it's getting closer. >> okay, we've got fire companies coming out there. i need you to stay on the phone with me. >> please hurry up. >> reporter: it took fire crews only minutes to arrive but the smoke was beginning to overwhelm them. >> there's smoke in your room? >> yeah, a lot. >> help, help, help us. >> hey, can you put something on your face, put like a blanket on your face? >> reporter: the dispatcher on the phone with the kids till the very end as firefighters used a ladder to safely rescue them through a second floor window. later the charlotte fire department posting this picture, tyshala giving the thumbs up and hampton hugging one of his rescuers. tyshala's mother says she's proud of her daughter and thankful for the firefighters. no one was seriously hurt, but six people were displaced from their home. investigators say the cause was unattended cooking. kenneth, mona.

>> wow, andrea, thank you for bringing us that. all right, we've always been told to eat our fruits and veggies but some are cleaner than others apparently. a new study finds strawberries are the dirtiest fruit when it comes to pesticide levels. as for veggies, spinach and kale are the dirtiest. experts recommend washing them carefully with water and no soap. >> some great advice. coming up, the star quarterback facing a exual assault lawsuit. the controversy rounding sharon osbourne. her comments about meghan markle and how she's responding now. sp.

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back now with a wild scene in siberia. yep. this beer which escaped from a private zoo appeared to he was on his phone. the man quickly ran away. the bear chased him. the animal injured but recovering. a new york man has been convicted of illegally trafficking for selling live sharks. that's right. investigators say he was transporting sandbar sharks from out of state keeping them alive in a pool at his home before selling them. new details about the controversy surrounding sharon osbourne. her show pulled off the air after allegations that she made racist comments. this morning, sharon osbourne is defending herself claiming she was set up before a heated exchange on her show "the talk." >> how dare you all do this to me. i'm your sacrificial lamb. >> reporter: last week osborne and her co-hosts

were discussing the prince harry, meghan markle interview. >> i think we should stop this [ bleep ]. >> reporter: osbourne defended her friend piers morgan who cast doubt on meghan's claims of racism in the royal family. >> i will ask you again, sheryl. i've been asking during the break. i am asking you again, and don't try and cry because if anyone should be crying, it should be. >> reporter: cbs has placed "the talk" on hiatus as the network conducts an internal review. osborne admitted to e.t. she lost her cool with her co-host sheryl underwood. >> i got too personal with sheryl. i should never have said about her tears. i should never have dismissed her feelings. >> osborne also says she knew she was going to be asked about piers morgan on the show but felt blindsided by the follow-up questions, which she says were not included in her show notes. >> i was so angry. i cannot begin to tell you, not with sheryl, not with elaine, not with anybody but a company

that i've worked at for 11 years. >> cbs says it's looking into all matters related to the episode and is committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace. "the talk" is on hiatus until next week. osbourne says she's not sure whether she'll return. in sports, houston quarterback deshaun watson is denying sexual assault claims. two women say he acted inappropriately during massages. watson says the women's attorney made a settlement before -- settlement demand before suing. a stunning game in the nhl. the rangers beat the flyers, 9-0. their biggest win since 1986. they did it without any of their coaches the entire regular coaching staff was benched because of a possible exposure to covid. coming up, the controversial new rules for roller coasters. also ahead, the story about two neighbors and their sign offering free beer. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪

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♪ time to check "the pulse" beginning with the return of whoo, roller coaster rides. >> at least in california where theme parks re-open next month but there is a new rule. people are being asked not to scream because that could increase the risk of transmitting coronavirus. >> i just screamed. i already violated the rules. >> you're out. meanwhile, the pandemic has changed how we communicate. >> a new study finds talking people through a mask is making us more honest. that's because we're being forced to make eye contact since the rest of our faces are covered and surveys show people feel more pressured to tell the truth when looking into someone's eyes. next a florida couple's unique idea to meet neighbors. >> two words, free beer. thomas and amanda evans just moved to a new home near ft. myers, and they were having trouble making friends. >> so they posted flyers inviting everyone to their driveway for a free cold one. >> it's always funny to see a sign on the table that says free

beer just to get people to stop and turn their head if they were driving by saying, what did that sign just say? >> it worked. they have several new friends but i'm pretty sure some are like, do you have any ipas, dark beer, light beer? a stroke of luck almost turned into a nightmare in tennessee. >> nick slotten hit a lottery jackpot, more than a million dollars but lost the winning power ball ticket -- was it a powerball ticket? it fell out of his pocket while he was running errands. >> but he carefully retraced steps and guess what, found the ticket on the ground in the parking lot outside a store. >> jackpot. finally a very pricey piece of porcelain. >> we told you earlier about a bowl someone bought at a yard sale in connecticut for $35. it turned out to be from the 15th century china. >> and best part it just sold at auction for $721,000. talk about a return on investment. >> i'm going to go raid my grandma's china cabinet. see what she's got in there. we'll check the top headlines next. has. top headlines are next.

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that deadly shooting spree sending fear through the asian community. investigators revealing more about a possible motive. tornado outbreak. millions facing the threat of extreme weather. the path of destruction across the deep south. and here at home more people are heading inside for dining with one county now back in the orange. it may not look like this everywhere. the county that may be stricter than the state. the happiest place on earth reopening. what we can expect at disney after more than a year long closure. >> it's thursday, march 13th. we will get to all that. first we talk to mike. it's wet on the roads. >> it is. we have one on the the scale. our commute today will be slippery if not even where is. the drizzle becomes light to moderate rain this afternoon. through midmorning