good morning, america. at least 25 reported twisters tearing across six states in the south. >> literally like a tornado. >> homes reduced to rubble. college students in alabama packing into this shelter for cover. this morning, the threat far from over. more than 17 million americans still on alert. as the powerful storm system moves east, ginger and our extreme weather team are live in the storm zone this morning. urgent call. the nation's top doctors plead for all americans who are eligible to get the vaccine. >> we need to have people who want to roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated. >> at least nine states plan to announce to open it up to anyone

over 16. the big concerns over americans refusing to get the shot as dr. fauci and the white house ramp up efforts to build confidence. nih director dr. francis collins joins us live only on "gma" this morning. deadly shooting spree. the suspect in that rampage at spas around atlanta charged with eight counts of murder. the suspect identified by his own parents potentially preventing more carnage. what authorities are saying about a possible motive with the asian-american community on edge. crisis at the border. as the biden administration faces backlash, this morning thousands of teenagers moved to a dallas convention center. the urgent effort to reunite them with their families. we're live on the scene tracking the latest. "the talk" silenced. sharon osbourne under fire after an explosive on-air discussion about meghan and harry. >> and don't try and cry because if anyone should be crying, it should be. >> the long running show now on hiatus as osbourne responds to allegations of racism. what she's saying about her

future on the show. swiping right for safety. tinder offers criminal background checks to help singles feel more safe. when will the app roll out the new feature and the red flags that could pop up before a date. and bringing back the magic. disneyland announcing plans to re-open more than a year after shutting down. the big changes to help keep parkgoers safe as americans get set to hit the road in record numbers. and we do say good morning, america. great to be with you on this thursday morning. we want to get right to our top story, that dangerous weather down south, george. >> right, alabama hit so hard right now. they were under tornado warnings for 6 1/2 hours straight. at least 16 tornadoes reported in that state alone and take a look at the devastation this morning in chilton county. those twisters just ripped through home after home, so many destroyed. >> mississippi is also hit very

hard and ginger starts us off in jackson with the very latest and where the danger is heading. good morning, ginger. >> michael, this giant tree, severing this house, splitting it in two and you can see these huge trunks about a foot and a half in die tam ter, seven of those, took it right through house. thankfully the family inside was able to crawl out the window and escape. they're okay. thank to be okay is how so many folks feel from here through alabama and georgia. >> like a tornado. >> reporter: in an ugly 24 hours nearly two dozen tornadoes ripping across the south. here a drone captures a beastly tornado plucking trees. snapping power lines and torturing the land near silas, alabama. >> oh, boy, heavy damage to a home just now. >> reporter: thomas jr. capturing a tornado from his car. >> it's so crazy going, man. >> reporter: debris filling the air at the mississippi/alabama state line.

in chilton county more than a dozen homes destroyed or damaged. in alabama, the violent winds flipping trucks, sending trees flying, crushing cars, demolishing homes. in billingsly, scattered brick and belongings scattering the landscape. soaked from the relentless rain, up to five inches falling fast and flooding. >> this is a disaster. you can look at trees down. it tore up two cars in the backyard. just have to accept it. >> reporter: a twister tearing through clark county taking a direct shot at this home, the storm catapulting a mother and child out of that house. her brother grateful they survived. >> i'm thankful. >> reporter: in tuscaloosa, alabama university students jam packed in a shelter staying safe for more than 30 minutes as the first line of storms passed. in wayne county, mississippi, this chicken farm obliterated. the land littered with wooden remains and twisted sheet metal.

we have active tornado watches and warnings on the map which i will track in a moment. first, victor is in chilten county, alabama, where some of the worst damage was found. >> reporter: ginger, the front dor of this house behind me here used to be in spot but a tornado picked it up and blew it 25 feet in that direction. it sustained a ton of damage, the furniture is flipped upside down and the roof peeled right off. we come in this direction, this bedroom was attached to the house. it's been blown feet away. the structure has collapsed and beyond that there's a massive debris field. the national weather service has to survey the damage to tell us just how strong this tornado was, but some good news to share, we just heard from chilton county dispatch, they're unaware of any reported injuries. ginger? >> reporter: victor, thank you. we're so glad that so far there have been very few injuries and no deaths. so the tornado drought obviously

done here in mississippi. but there's still a threat this morning. i want to get you straight to those maps, that huge comma you can see the upper level low that's been driving this very powerful system has tornado watches right through central georgia, apalachicola, straight over the bend in florida. so this morning, you're not done yet. and this afternoon, it's going to keep marching east. so i think the southern end, the south carolina from savannah, georgia, on up where some of the damaging wind and even tornado threat but wilmington up through raleigh do not let your guard down. you have to get the radios out. i know for a fact that that is part of why folks here remained safe. so have the radios, lots of ways to get your warnings and watch it through tonight and we'll be done, guys. >> thank you, ginger. as she said, do not let your guard down. we'll get back to her a little later. new details in the deadly shooting spree in georgia. the shooter in that rampage at three spas has been charged with eight counts of murder. as we learn more about how police tracked him down.

steve osunsami is in atlanta with the latest. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. there are a lot of discussions here about potential hate crimes in this case, and whether those possible hate crimes would be against women, asians or both. authorities in georgia this morning say that the accused gunman who killed eight people here is admitting to the shootings. >> some guy came in and shoot the gun, so everybody heard the gunshot. >> reporter: georgia investigators say that 21-year-old robert aaron long, a white man who they've now charged is guilty of the deadliest mass murder since 2019. officers say they were able to track him down thanks to his parents who saw these surveillance pictures and told police that this was him. police were then able to track his cell phone and caught up with him south of atlanta. they believe if they hadn't stopped him he would have continued driving to florida, gunning down more victims.

>> we were contacted by members of the family. indicating that that may be their son. they're very distraught. and they were very helpful in this apprehension. >> reporter: police say he killed eight people at three spas in the atlanta area, six of his eight alleged victims were asian women. >> we need to make sure if we have any asian sfas. we need to be checking on them. >> reporter: investigators say based on their interviews the attack was more about violence against women. >> we are not about to get into victim blaming, victim shaming here. >> reporter: and less about race. they say the spas he attacked were businesses he visited before. >> he apparently has an issue, what he considers a sex addiction and sees these locations as something that allows him to go to these places and it's a temptation for him he wanted to eliminate. >> reporter: police haven't ruled it out as a hate crime. the killings come at a time when

violence against asian-americans is growing thanks in part to racist tropes surrounding the coronavirus. overnight thousands showed up at vigils across the country to mourn this loss of life. it's a show of support from a community that is terrified and doing something about it. also this morning, the spokesperson for the sheriff's office, there are a lot of concerns about this statement, which many feel appears to sympathize with the shooter and not his alleged victims. >> i spoke with investigators that interviewed him and they got that impression that, yes, he understood the gravity of it and he was pretty much fed up, had been at the end of his rope and yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did. >> reporter: a number of the victims who were killed are korean immigrants. this morning the korean consulate said they are working to get their bodies sent back to their families. robin? >> we are continuing to think of those family, but, steve, going

back to what that officer who described this tragedy as, quote, a bad day for the shooter, many outraged, not only did they feel he was sympathizing with the shooter but empathizing with him, steve. >> reporter: robin, people were hot about this, literally screaming about this at the 24-hour spas last night, you know, it's upset a great deal of police were saying that they were essentially on the side of the alleged shooter and not the victims in this case. police are telling us this morning that couldn't be anything close to what is true. they're saying that what this officer was probably trying to do was to explain what the suspect was telling them, not how police felt that this was really a poor choice of words. there's a lot of people who wish this officer had used different words during that press conference. i will tell you that lawmakers here, asian-american lawmakers are now heading downtown to the state house, meeting with other

lawmakers, to talk about this and to talk about better policing and protection of asian communities here. robin? >> because bad choice of words, no. a lot of people did not feel as you said that that was the case. but glad that people are going to look into that and the outrage that many felt hearing that can only think about what the families were feeling when they heard that. all right, steve. thank you. george? >> robin, thanks. the latest on the covid crisis and the race to vaccinate. close to 74 millions have received one dose, over 28% of the adult population but there are signs of cases on the rise in some 15 state, officials scrambling to convince all americans to get the shot when they can. whit johnson is at a mass vaccination site here in new york. good morning, whit. >> reporter: george, good morning to you. this mass vaccination site here at citi field is operating 24/7 and will continue that way during the mets baseball season. you can see the tables and the stations set up behind me, the vaccinations happening as we speak.

they're averaging about 2,000 shots per day and hoping to expand but health officials are increasingly worried that vaccine hesitancy could slow progress. this morning, the nation's top infectious disease experts pleading with americans. if you're able to get the vaccine, get it now. >> we need to have places where people can get vaccinated and we need to have people who want to roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated. so that is a work that we have ahead. >> reporter: nevada, the latest state to allow everybody 16 and older to get the shot. mississippi doing the same hoping to raise its vaccination rates currently among the lowest in the country. while the national case average is falling, 15 states are seeing at least a 10% increase in the last week raising concerns about re-opening too soon. >> we are still in the middle of a serious outbreak. my concern is that we prematurely pull back and don't give the vaccines time to continue to protect the country.

>> reporter: yet the change remains of convincing people to get the shot. a recent poll finding nearly half of republican men would choose not to get vaccinated. former president trump now encouraging his supporters to get vaccinated. >> it's a great vaccine, it's a safe vaccine and it's something that works. >> reporter: and in congress only 75% of house members are currently vaccinated according to axios. the concern extends far beyond the capitol and the cherokee nation in oklahoma there are plenty of shots but not enough willing people. >> as we opened up, the vaccines to more people, it seems that the uptake is less or the participation rate is less and it's a concern. >> reporter: now back here in queens, this site has already administered more than 22,000 first doses, an effort to reach one of the hardest-hit communities in the country, george? >> okay, whit, thanks very much. we are joined now by one of the world's leading experts in science, medicine and religion,

the director of the national institutes of health dr. francis collins. dr. collins, thanks for joining us this morning. we heard whit talk about so many americans still reluctant to get this vaccine. what is the greatest hurdle? how do you convince them? >> i think people have been confused by a lot of information that you can find on social media that spread various rumors about the vaccines. i would just really urge everyone to step away from those sources and look at the actual evidence that these are remarkably safe and effective and capable of getting us through this terrible pandemic and unless we really all roll up our sleeves when we get the chance to do so, this could go on a very long time. so getting vaccinated is not just about yourself, it's about your family, your community, it's about our nation getting past this. this is a love your neighbor moment and i wish everybody would see it that way. >> we're seeing a lot of reluctance especially among republican men as whit reported, among conservatives. i want to ask a question i asked

president biden. how do you get the politics out of this? >> well, wouldn't that be a good thing, george. unfortunately, politics seems to have gotten into almost everything these days. it is rather stunning, isn't it, that your political party would make a difference in your decision about whether or not to protect yourself against a life-threatening disease and yet somehow in our country that's where we've gotten to. please, everybody, let's step back from that. look at the evidence. it's all out there. it's very public and regardless of what your political leanings are make a decision that's based on the facts which i believe if people look at it wll cause you to say, yes, i want this as soon as i can get it because this is our best hope for getting past a terrible pandemic that has taken more than 535,000 lives in our country alone and it's not over. this is still going on. >> you went to the national cathedral with dr. fauci this week. clergies from 25 different

denominations got vaccinated. who are the best messengers? look at the facts, look at the evidence, look at the science. but who are the best people to deliver that message? >> people who are able to have the trust of their communities are the ones we most i think need to have help us now which is why we organized that effort at the national cathedral. i do think church leaders are in a very strong position to be able to put this information in front of their flocks and ask them to make a wise decision. maybe somebody like me, you know, an old white guy working for the government doesn't quite have the same credibility with people out in the community as their pastor, their doctor, their community leaders, we need all of those folks to come forward and they are doing so and in significant numbers to try to spread the word about what the real information is, that this is safe, this is effective, this is something you want for yourself and your family. >> you are a geneticist, physician, former director of the genome program.

how concerned are you about the variants developing here in new york city and a rise in many states? >> i'm quite concerned. the one in new york has risen quickly to be the dominant strain and it is one that has a variant in it that we're concerned about in terms of reducing its likelihood of responding to some of the treatments, the monoclonal antibodies and likewise california has a variant that's rising quickly that is also of concern and variant that was originally noted in the uk called b.1.1.7 which has become the dominant strain and is more infectious and potentially more serious in many parts of the country. this is the moment, therefore, for us to really push the vaccines forward as fast as we can and also encourage everybody to continue to wear your masks when you're outside, avoid those indoor gatherings. we're on a marathon here. you don't want to give up in the last two miles because then you don't win the race. we can make this happen and i know everyone is fatigued and

tired of the messages but so critical right now. we are close to feeling the end of this coming towards us but we all have to do it together. >> dr. collins, thanks for your time and information this morning. >> nice to be with you. >> okay. we are following a lot of other stories this morning, including sharon osbourne under fire. the host is now responding to allegations of racism. and disneyland has announced big plans to bring back the magic. first to ginger in mississippi. >>

good morning. before you head outside, grab the wet weather gear. light to moderate rain. isolated showers by tomorrow morning's commute spring is coming back this weekend, spring and warm conditions. 56 to 60. tonight we'll hang out in the mid to upper 40s. my accu-weather seven-day forecast, a light pullback in the warming monday but warm, 70s by next week. we are just getting started on this thankful thursday. you winked at me. i like that. happy friday -- this is a happy friday eve.

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grab the wet weather gear. we have drizzle. light rain. it's going to increase late. during the evening commute that's when we'll have light to moderate rain, so it's going to be a tough go getting around on this one light storm. non-life-threateningeven it will lighten up. next week is really warm. coming up on gma, the latest shootings and we'll have another update in about 30

minutes. you can find us on our news app. now here's more gma.

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♪ hold on there's a place not too far away ♪ welcome back to "gma." that is the one and only justin bieber performing "hold on" on npr's tiny desk home concert. you won't have to hold on for too much longer because tomorrow on "gma" we'll have the highly anticipated broadcast premiere of his new video. we're keeping that song a secret. >> oh, come on. >> it's called a tease, robin. we're teasing you. you have to watch. you have to watch to hear it and next week, justin is back. he's going to take over "gma" with two songs from his new album titled "justice". >> a deep tease there. >> deep tease. next week. following a lot of headlines this morning as well. those tornadoes ripping across

the south. 25 reported. six states, alabama is getting hit so hard and this morning the threat is far from over. more than 17 million americans are still on alert right now as the powerful storm system moves to the east. also right now the latest on the deadly shooting spree investigation with the asian-american community on edge, the suspect in that rampage at spas around atlanta identified by his own parents charged with eight counts of murder. plus, the latest on the crisis at the border as the biden administration faces backlash, thousands of teenagers have been moved to a dallas convention center part of the urgent effort to reunite them with their families. >> march madness tipping off. they have four play-in games including michael's alma mater, texas southern, taking on mount st. mary's. the winners of each of the four games will join the full 64-team tournament. because of covid protocols the entire tournament is being played in the indianapolis area. that's a 47,000 square foot

bracket. the largest in the world. >> it is good-looking especially if texas southern moves up. >> there you go. >> that's right. come on, tigers, let's go. why not us? that's all i got to say. why not us. >> why not? you're proud. >> i am. we have that controversy we're going to talk about now that involves sharon osbourne. the talk show host facing criticism after an on air confrontation with her co-hosts. deborah roberts has the latest on this. god morning, deb. >> reporter: good morning, robin. for 11 years "the talk" has taken on hot topics and the tackled all kinds of latest issues the latest which proved t be much hotter than anyone could imagine. >> reporter: this morning the long-running cbs show on hiatus. the network conducting an internal review looking into this episode of "the talk" from last week where a moment which appeared to be a pointed discussion exploded. >> i will ask you again, sheryl,

i've been asking you during the break, i am asking you again. >> reporter: the ladies digging into the meghan and harry interview with oprah, longtime host sharon osbourne defending her friend, british firebrand piers morgan who scathingly cast doubt on meghan markle. claims of racism in the royal family. >> because i supported a longtime friend and work colleague of mine for years that everybody goes, if you support him, then you must be racist because he's racist. >> reporter: osbourne too coming under fire and now defending herself telling "e.t." this week said she knew she would be asked about morgan, but felt blind sided by follow-up questions which she says weren't included in her notes but provided to the other host. >> don't try to cry because if anyone should be crying it should be me. >> reporter: 68-year-old osbourne admitting she lost her temper with co-host sheryl underwood and regrets how she spoke to her saying she learned after the fact that the

additional questions came directly from an executive and wants to know exactly which executive was responsible for igniting the blowup. >> 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. >> reporter: cbs saying it's looking into all matters related to that episode and is committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful work place across all of our productions. >> daytime tv is essentially a breeding ground for drama but this was a situation where we clearly saw where things can go too far. >> reporter: osbourne also under fire for alleged racially insensitive comments regarding former co-host julie chen, sara gilbert and leah remini. holly robinson peete who starred on "the talk" in 2010 took to social media with her allegations saying i'm old

enough to remember that sharon complained i was too ghetto for "the talk" then i was gone and claimed she lost her job soon after. as for her future on the show -- >> i wish we could go on and have an adult conversation calmly and work it out, but i don't know whether we can. but i don't know whether i even want to go back. >> reporter: these additional allegations have prompted the network to extend the show's hiatus while it conducts more of an investigation. george. >> deb, thanks very much. we turn to the comeback for travel as more and more americans get vaccinated, hotel, resorts and airlines are starting to see more activity and disneyland will re-open at to california state residents at the end of next month. transportation correspondent gio benitez is tracking it all from newark airport. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning. yeah, you said it. disneyland re-opening to california resident, not encouraging interstate travel and the cdc is still urging

americans not to travel even if you've been vaccinated but already we're seeing millions book and take those trips. this morning, big news about one of the most popular theme parks in the world. disneyland in california re-opening april 30th after shutting down over a year ago when the pandemic began. disney, the parent company of abc, saying it will open to california residents at 15% capacity. according to company's ceo bob chapek. >> we're ready to make magic all over again. we're certainly going to be operating under significant capacity restraints but at the same time it will be the disney experience that everyone comes to expect. >> reporter: most attractions will be open but critical covid protocols will be in place. >> a few things that won't be ready. parades, things like nighttime spectaculars where a lot of people tend to gather, we're not going to do that. mask wearing is going to be essential and critical. >> reporter: still, it's a

hopeful sign of a nation reopening. disney world in orlando reopened nine months ago with limited capacity. the news just as americans begin traveling in record numbers. >> i think that the amount of pent-up demand for travel is unlike anything we've ever seen. >> reporter: scott keys points to soaring flight bookings already this month tsa screening more than 17 million people at u.s. airports. >> if you look at the flight search data, we're hitting new record highs every single day since the pandemic began. and searches to a few of the sort of top vacation spots lke cancun and maui are actually higher today than they were in march 2019. >> reporter: with vaccinations on the rise and airlines asking the white house to consider a standardized digital vaccine passport, the european union announcing wednesday it plans to launch its own vaccine passport in june for all of its citizens and residents, the goal is for

travelers to prove they've been vaccinated. here in the u.s., news that every american will be eligible for a vaccine on may 1st, triggering a slew of summer plans. >> you might not be vaccinated today, but if you said, well, i feel good i'll be able to get vaccinated sometime in the next six weeks, that gives folks confidence to book those summer plans and to get those summer flights. >> reporter: and so many people are booking right now because you can still find some affordable flights, but, george, we're told those prices will start going up very soon. >> i'll bet they are. so many of us had to cancel vacations last year. what about those unused travel credits? >> reporter: so, george, the biggest airlines right now say they have about $10 billion worth of travel credits ready to be used. but you've got to check with your airline because although they've already extended those expiration dates you got to see if you need to use them by this year or next year. >> okay, gio benitez, thanks very much. michael. >> thank you, george.

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we're back w we're back with the online dating app tinder rolling out a new safety feature where singles will soon be able to get criminal background checks for potential matches. will reeve has more on the red flags that could pop up before a

date. good morning, will. >> reporter: good morning, michael. here's the deal, online dating is tough. one of the hardest parts is you don't know much about this stranger you're meeting aside from whatever photos and information they share. these dating apps have been criticized for not doing enough to protect their users. tinder's parent company says this step is to change that, but critics say it might be overreach. in an attempt to make online dating a bit safer, tinder's parent company matchgroup announcing its partnership with background check nonprofit garbo. the newest feature anticipated to launch later this year allowing you to vet your date on the app before you meet. >> having newer technology helps singles feel more safe. whether it's the video dating or background check makes the dating process flow quickly and safely. >> reporter: tinder telling abc news that the desire to date since the pandemic has grown with its app hitting a peak of 3.4 billion swipes in january of this year. through this feature, match group says a user will be able

to see public records of potential dates, including convictions orders of protection or restraining orders and legal documents that report abuse, harassment or other violent crimes. >> we get to see all the red flags before. >> i think that having that sense of peace of mind it makes it a lot easier. to be willing to go on a first date. >> reporter: dating sites have long faced criticism for not doing enough to protect customers. according to pew research, 3 in 10 online dating users says someone continued to contact them on dating apps after they said they weren't interested. while the cost of the upcoming feature has yet to be revealed, tinder announcing a give away for 1,000 mail-in covid tests and recently launching the tinder panic button to better protect users if a date turns dangerous. critics say it raises privacy concerns, matchgroup says they aren't giving any data to garbo. they don't receive results of those background checks. they say in a statement, quote, we're providing our users a

resource they can choose to use to help keep them informed about people they may interact with. the feature will start on tinder later this year and then roll out to other apps under the match umbrella as necessary. guys. >> sign of the times. huh? >> times are a-changing. >> safety before love. [ laughter ] >> michael. >> they're calling him up. it's their new slogan. >> good one, george. coming up later, here in the studio, some homes during the pandemic, this morning the simple changes you can make to help you save big on those electricity bills. come on back for our play of the day. day. >> yeah. m running for me. i've always dreamed of seeing the world. but i'm not chasing my dream anymore. i made a financial plan to live it every day.

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♪ don't you know i'm still ♪ don't you know i'm still standing ♪ back with our quick "play of the day." you'll see why. it is incredible how these impressive young women are still standing? wow. >> this is a training session. >> just take a look. >> look at them. >> they are softball players and they are clocking in speeds all over 19 miles per hour. that video getting more than 5 million views and counting and i don't know if you saw this. one of the runners, daphne, she was trending overnight.

twitter users compare her to the terminator racing through "terminator 3." i mean, come on, 19 miles -- could you see them around -- >> i didn't think they could train like that to play baseball or softball. >> you thought it was just football? >> i thought you hit and run a few feet. i didn't know you needed to run 19 miles an hour to do it. >> getting more cards and letters coming in now too. [ laughter ] >> that was some real training. i'm impressed. >> i feel like i'm at a tennis match this morning. boink, boink, boink, boink. speaking of a tough workout, the bodenhamer boys will join us live. how they're staying strong with an awesome garage gym class that you can join this morning from home. come on back. menopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture, now might not be the best time to ask yourself, 'are my bones strong?' life is full of make or break moments. that's why it's so important to help reduce your risk of fracture with prolia®.

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more than reports covered the hail and damage but not the flash flooding. we have seen that, too. more than a half foot of rain reported. you can see that in morgan county, alabama. and back into arkansas. i mean, this covered a lot of states. so you can see in jonesboro where some of the backyards there were just overtaken by water. now this is all moving east. i'm going to keep tracking it

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building a better area for a safe and secure future, this is abc7 news. >> a new cdc report puts california among the worst states for vaccine equity. the report shows california has been vaccinating wealthier residents at higher rates than president most vulnerable. they admitted equity has been a problem. the data was taken between january and february. since then governor newsom has issued a new plan. let's go to meteorologist mike nickco. >> good morning, everybody. grab the umbrella before you head out. maybe you can dodge the drops. it will be a damp cool day. you can see the light to moderate rain increasing from morning into the evening hours. that's it. much warmer than next week,

reggie. >> coming up next on gma, how a full-time dad became part-time pe teacher. he shares the secrets of getting his kids up and active. we'll have another update in 30 minutes you can find us on our news app and abc7news.com. app e for nearly a decade, comcast has been helping students get ready. we've connected 4 million low-income students to low- cost, high-speed xfinity internet. we're working with hundreds of school districts across the country to sponsor free internet and laptops. and parents are seeing an impact. and now we're turning 1,000 community centers into lift zones - wifi enabled safe spaces to study. so more students can be ready for anything. i'm trying to do some homework here.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. tornado outbreak. at least 25 reported twisters tearing across six states in the south. winds flipping trucks, fallen trees crushing cars. college students in alabama packing into the shelter for cover. this morning, the threat far from over. more than 17 million americans still on alert as the powerful storm system moves east. ginger and our extreme weather team live in the storm zone this morning. tax change. the deadline to file shifting by an entire month from april to may. what you need to know this morning. demi lovato "dancing with the devil," the singer's shocking new revelations. about past sexual assaults. >> any time that you suppress a part of yourself, it's going to

overflow. >> what she says her trauma led her to do and why she felt pressure not to come forward. at home power surge. with electricity on overdrive and bills skyrocketing, this morning, the simple switches you can make right away to help you save big. ♪ pump up the jam ♪ staying strong together. >> i love it. >> with three boys under 10 bouncing often the walls when the world shut down how this family kept moving. this morning, get ready for a family fun garage gym class. with the full time dad turned part-time p.e. teacher as we're saying, good morning, america. ♪ make my day ♪ good morning, america. we're glad you're with us on this thursday morning and we are going to meet that dad turned gym teacher coming up but right now, he and his family are doing a workout that you can do with them. >> the qr rating code i should say on the screen will take you to our "gma" instagram where you

can join the live workout and get moving this morning. we've already got a bunch of young'uns doing it with us. you can see the love. >> keep your tv on while doing the workout. we'll give you news starting with the latest on the weather ripping through the south. alabama is getting hit so hard right now. at least 16 tornados reported touchings down in that state alone. mississippi hit heart as well. back to ginger in jackson with the latest where the danger is headed next. that's what ginger will tell us. hey, ginger. >> hey, george, the tornado drought has ended here in mississippi. but look at this. this was straight line winds that took down this giant tree, sliced this home in half. i mean there are at least seven branchs on this that are like a foot and a half in diameter. the family inside that house escaped by crawling out the window. they are okay. unfortunately, the system was not as kind as it moved east. in an ugly 24 hour, nearly two dozen tornadoes ripping across the south.

here a drone captures a beastly tornado plucking trees. snapping power lines and torturing the land near silas, alabama. >> oh, boy, heavy damage to a home just now. >> reporter: tyrone thomas jr. capturing a tornado from his car. >> it's so crazy going to wanesboro, man. >> reporter: debris filling the air at the mississippi/alabama state line. in chilton county more than a dozen homes destroyed or damaged. in alabama, the violent winds flipping trucks, sending trees flying, crushing cars, demolishing homes. in billingsley scattered brick and belongings covering the landscape. >> this is a disaster. you can look at trees down, it tore up two cars in the backyard. we just have to accept it. > reporter: a twister tearing through clark county taking a direct shot at this home, the storm catapulting a mother and child out of that house. her brother grateful they survived. >> i'm thankful.

>> that classic comma we see on the satellite and radar is moving across so we're not done. tornado watches just extended. we've seen warnings, the florida panhandle and in georgia, so in where from the bend and ach latch cola and central georgia, you're on watch through early afternoon. it's not going to stop there. the cold front will push not just damaging wind but also tornado threat from raleigh through wilmington right to charleston and savannah. robin, the only other good news in jackson, mississippi, on a cool morning after the storm passed, they got rid of their boil water notices finally after a month of rough water. >> that is great news. thank you for sharing that, ginger. appreciate that. let's go now back to victor oquendo there in alabama, the state was under tornado warnings for 6 1/2 hours. >> reporter: robin, good r.- morning. 16 reported tornadoes here in alabama alone and now with daylight a better sense of the damage. you can see the massive debris field behind me, here to my left

this was a bedroom. you can see the bed right there, there's a dresser behind me. this structure, it came crashing down and it was attached to the house but it was separated. blown feet away. the house sustaining a good amount of damage as well. the windows blown out. the furniture inside flipped upside down. the roof peeled right off. despite all the devastation around us here, though, we did hear from the chilton county dispatch and they tell us they are unaware of any reported injuries so that is some good news this morning. robin. >> good news, indeed, victor, thank you. michael. >> thank you, robin. now to that welcome news from the irs. giving you an extra month to file your taxes. but we're also getting new details on a huge backlog in processing returns and delays in sending out stimulus checks. our congressional correspondent rachel scott has the very latest this morning, good morning, rachel. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning. yeah, for weeks lawmakers have been pushing the irs to extend that deadline to give americans more breathing room and flexibility during the pandemic. so the new deadline now for

federal tax returns may 17th giving americans that extra month, but the irs is still encouraging people to get it done quickly. do not procrastinate here. we are also learning that the irs is still playing catch-up, sources tell me they are still waiting to process 24 million tax returns since the 2019 tax year. we know the irs has been busy trying to get out that latest round of stimulus checks, so far 90 million have been sent out. but i'm also told that you have millions of americans who are still waiting for stimulus checks from the previous covid-19 relief packages so the bottom line here, the irs says the quickest way to get your stimulus check to get your tax refund is to file your tax returns online and to set up direct deposit directly with them. they say that if you do that and you file those tax returns online you should get your refund in about three weeks, michael. >> all right, rachel. thank you so much for that. appreciate it. coming up, demi lovato

opening up about some painful parts of her past and why she's sharing so much right now. also this morning, as some families are getting hit with sky high electric bills, the easy insider tips and tricks to save you some energy and more importantly some money there at home. we've got a "gma" family workout. it's happening right now. scan the qr code to join in. we'll talk to this dad about how he got his kids up and moving during the pandemic and we'll be right back. ♪ i like to move it, move it, ♪ ♪ i like to move it, move it ♪ my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant™ with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. tremfya® is also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections

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turned at home physical education teacher. scan the qr code on your screen. jump in and join in on all the fun. >> get a good workout in. and tomorrow, sting will join us with a special performance from his new record. >> looking forward to that. now we go to our "gma" cover story. demi lovato is getting deeply personal in her new docu-series, the singer saying she was a victim of sexual assault once in her teens and then again the night of her overdose. kaylee hartung joins us with more. good morning, kaylee. >> reporter: good morning, michael. demi lovato's been applauded for years for being really open and honest about her struggles with depression and with addiction but now for the first time we're learning about the teenage trauma that led her down a dark path and the encounter that almost killed her. ♪ it's just a little red wine ♪ >> reporter: demi lovato's getting more candid than ever before. in her new docu-series, demi lovato: dancing with the devil"

debuting next week. ♪ i'm a warrior i'm stronger than i've ever been ♪ >> reporter: saying she was sexually assaulted by her drug dealer when she overdosed in 2018 and was left for dead. >> any time you suppress a part of yourself it's going to overflow. >> reporter: that wasn't the first time she says she was violated. she describes how she lost her virginity in a rape when she was just 15 but says she felt pressure not to go public because of her wholesome image and feared she wouldn't be believed. >> for many, sharing their story can be incredibly cathartic and give them a sense of regaining agency over their experience. >> reporter: according to her, even though she privately told an adult what happened, her alleged assaulter never got in trouble and said it led to her eating disorder. >> when you think back of demi with "camp rock" you see this happy go-lucky young girl so no one had any idea she had been

sexually assaulted. >> we have seen the power of survivors like demi lovato sharing their stories. these critical situations really let other survivors know they're not alone and you can't put a price on that. ♪ i'm so sorry i'm not sober anymore ♪ >> reporter: lovato says she turned to drugs and alcohol as coping mechanisms and openly addressed her struggles with addiction and depression over the years. >> kind of just made me a role model. >> reporter: the 28-year-old admitting she now chooses to use marijuana and drink in moderation. why is demi sharing so much now? >> this is part of her healing journey and she's also helping support other people. i think that helps her too to remain strong and remain on the right path. >> as a result of that near fatal overdose, demi lovato says she now suffers from lingering effects of brain damage and also blind spots in her vision but she says she's grateful to have to deal with those repercussions because they remind mer of what could happen if she goes down

that dark path again. michael? >> she's an amazing young woman. we're happy she's sharing her story. it's going to help so many. thank you so much. robin. >> well said, michael. continuing to wish her all the best. many of us, many of us are spending more time at home using much more energy than normal. the energy information administration estimating that we're using 10% more electricity than this time last year. this morning, becky worley, she is back and she has some simple changes you can make right away to help you save big. great to see you, becky. good morning. >> reporter: great to see you, robin. you are so right. our homes right now are where we live, we work, we go to school, so electricity costs are really through the roof. we are talking about lights on, power strips for laptops and don't even think about that heating bill yet. so we have some great ideas to bring your electricity costs down. school, work and play, it's all happening at home these days

which means your electricity meter is on overdrive. >> people are using more energy at home because home is now work as well as home and much less energy in office buildings. wjtsd this family from new york is one of the families seeing a big increase. they're stuck at home and both their 20-something-year-old children have returned to what was an empty nest. more cooking, more laundry, more heating. more electricity. >> exactly. >> more of everything. >> yes. >> reporter: to get insider tips on cutting the cost, we went to their power source, new york energy company con edson. >> is the tv on most of the time? >> maybe in the kitchen, the dog likes to watch tv. >> reporter: the energy efficiency group completes an energy audit asking a series of questions to assess their power usage. >> we do recommend turning your thermostats down as much as is comfortable. >> reporter: armed with tips they make several improvements like switching from incandescent

to l.e.d. light bulb, opting out of the dish washer's heated dry cycle instead opening the door to let the dishes air dry and eliminate phantom power, items plugged in that aren't in use with the help of products like wi-fi connected power strips and lightbulbs. they use a simple app to create on/off schedules for individual plugs. now, another way to save money is prevent heat loss and the way do you that is with one of these, it's a thermal gun. you point it at the ceiling, the walls, even doors to see where you might need weather stripping or replace insulation or even patch up cracks. we tracked their progress through con ed's app and many major energy companies allow to you track your realtime usage and after four days they see some real progress. con ed estimates just switching to l.e.d.s could save them at least 100 bucks a year and those smart power strips roughly 40 bucks a year. even something small like taking the heated dry cycle off the dishwasher can save them $20 a

year, those three small changes will save them $800 over five years. >> a lot of little things will add up to big savings over months and then over the year. >> reporter: when it comes to cutting the dog's power consuming tv habit, did you keep that going during this energy savings experiment? >> yes. it's quality of life. >> he likes watching "good morning america." of course. >> well, then let's just keep the tv on. that's my new favorite dog. for all our canine viewers, hi, out there. now, another place where you can waste energy and therefore spend more on your electricity bills is your old refrigerator. there is a trick to see if it's leaking air. take a dollar bill and you put it right into that edge, if it sticks it's not leaking air, but if it falls down, well, then it's time to replace this

gasket. it's like throwing money onto the ground if it is, robin, but, yeah. >> wood one. >> does your dog watch our show? >> absolutely. little man lukas, big fan of riva. not me, of riva. we did notice that electric company, they're vested in trying to help customers conserve power so what are they recommending? >> it's amazing the tools they have available for us now. i went to the california electricity company here and they have an online audit. it took five minutes to take and they came up with a bunch of different suggestions to save money on my electricity bill. some of them i knew but a couple were smart that i hadn't thought of, turn the temperature down on the water heater. it's just a few degrees but makes a big difference on your bill and also because electricity is so expensive at night, that's our peak time, we're doing our dishes in the early morning hours on the timer and we do all our laundry during the day now. so lots of smart ideas to save money. >> some great ideas, becky,

thank you so much. and, michael, what did you see online, teddy pendergrass. >> oh, yeah. parents see the light bill and look at their kids. one of his songs -- ♪ turn off the lights ♪ a lot of candles saves you money. >> that's it. anything will help at this point. thank you, michael. let's get back to ginger in jackson, mississippi. >> yes, robin, when we see damage like this and saw tornado images like we did, you know the atmosphere is dynamic. there was an upper level low driving some of this and on the back end of it, so cold that you had blizzard conditions in amarillo more than eight inches of snow was reported there so, yes, it was not just the dynamic front side but the back too. now as we move this east, i think it's important especially for you in the northeast to know you've got a shot at seeing that heavy rain moving through, that's tonight and then by tomorrow morning, enough cold air that you could even see a changeover to snowflakes.

good morning. grabbed the wet weather gear. it'll be breezy light to moderate rain through the overnight hours where it tapers to just isolated showers. spring is coming back this weekend. sunshine and warmer conditions. 56 to 60, a little cooler than average. tonight we will hang out in the mid to upper 40s. slight pullback in the wa ♪ walking on sunshine ♪wa ♪ walking on sunshine ♪ "deals & steals" time. you can link to the deals by pointing your cell phone camera at that qr code on your screen right now. you know, one year ago we started profiling small businesses who were facing some trouble. you answered the call to help. the first business we profiled was glory haus. they want to say thank you. >> we just wanted to say thank you. we were on the show one year ago and we count it a

the sales from this show kept our company alive during a very difficult time during covid, during the nationwide shutdown and was able to keep our employees employed no layoffs, and able to pay our bills and survive. >> tory johnson joins us with deals. so great to see them still in business after a tough year. >> absolutely, george. that's because they made really great products that people have embraced. i'm glad to have them back now. we've got a big assortment of two of their best-sellers, their tea towel collection as well as their pillows. instant upgrades for any kitchen, living room. wherever you just need a pop of sunshine, inspiration, that's what their products are all about. i'm delighted with this assortment. it's 50% off and today it starts at $11. >> not bad. you know, so many of us struggle with pet hair, we have a couple of dogs at home. how does this roller from chomchom work and differ from all the others? >> okay, so i think we're going out of order here then to do chomchom and if we are, this is an easy awesome way to be able

to clean up pet hair because it has no batteries, there's nothing that's like fancy about it in terms of needing to charge it, plug it in or replace it. you simply roll -- it's got a little static that it creates, that grabs the cat or dog hair and it's the easiest way to use it. i kind of fell in love with this and today it's $12.50. >> you are right, tory, that was my mistake. i jumped over the comfy sheets that are supposed to keep you cool. >> that's okay. that's okay. we got -- you haven't done "deals & steals," george, in years, so i forgive you on that. i forgive you. so peach skin sheets are pretty awesome and what's great about these is that it is a lightweight fabric, it is breathable, moisture wicking, temperature regulating, it kind of checks off every single box and what i also love about this is they come in a slew of colors, it's one of those lines that comes in so many colors and another cool part about this

particular company is that no matter the size that you choose they make them in every size, every set today is $42.50 an unbeatable deal. >> great new way to grow plants. >> yes, backyard safari, what's great about this is that you don't need any particular skill level. it's awesome for family fun. everything comes in a little egg carton, everything that you need to get started and then in a few weeks once your plants start to grow you can transfer them into a bigger pot. you can grow herbs, flowers, so many different options to choose from, today all of them are 6.50. >> you've got a whole bunch of skin care products there. >> this skin care is pretty awesome. it's from elemis and all of it is clinically proven to deliver results. it's feel good on your skin and also you can feel good about the ingredients that you are putting on your body. we have a huge assortment, two of my particular favorites that we have today, we've got a

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deals. you can get them by heading directly to our website. tory johnson, thanks very much. the at home workout helping one family stay strong and stay together. we'll be right back with that. k.

less than a week after its reopening, the church of aid wheels in san francisco has been forced to close its doors. the city sent the skating rink a letter stating it was in violation of the stay-at-home order. they have plastic barriers for workers and have purchased surgical level sanitizing systems. the rink will have to stay closed until the city enters the yellow tier. speaking of sliding around, look at this. your commute will get a little dicey, especially around the evening. the morning commute will not be quite as wet. you can see the

green and yellow, light to moderate rain increasing as we head through the morning. isolated showers tonight and building starting saturday. reggie? >> thanks, mike. we will be back right after this break. ah, the first apartment. minimum decor. maximum entertainment. they've got a flex 4k streaming box included with their internet. and with disney plus on the way, they'll get the best of the best. where'd you guys get this couch? found it on the street. oh... with xfinity flex, your entertainment starts at free. get started with xfinity internet for $19.99 a month for 12 months and get a flex 4k streaming box included for free. click, call, or visit a store today.

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abc7.com. the news continues now with good morning america. ♪ come on baby ♪ ♪ pump it, louder ♪ welcome back to "gma." if you can only hear what they say in our ears. we have been working out with the bodenhamers and when the pandemic hit the california family realized like so many others their three young boys needed a way to burn off energy, it was dad to the rescue and the family joining us live in a moment. let's take a look at their story. when the world shut down, the bodenhamers didn't like the idea of standing still. instead they headed to the garage and the beach. >> the boys were bouncing off the walls and so i started basically in the mornings

7:00 a.m. every day we'd start with p.e. in the garage. >> reporter: jeremy bodenhamer going from full time dad to part-time gym teacher for his boys all aged under 10. >> we made fridays adventure run days so we'd always go on a different place and run on the beach or run in a park or something like that. and then in the afternoons right when school was done we would start our workouts and we'd do one, two or three workouts. >> reporter: they helped the bodenhamer boys do more than stay in shape. it's made them closer as a family. >> when i do workouts, the only thing that makes me keep doing them is my brothers and my mom and dad and i really look forward to having to do more workouts and getting stronger inside and out. >> i love that. we've got the bodenhamer family with us this morning. mom, bethany, dad, jeerny, titus, solomon and jeremiah. thanks for joining us. jeremy, i want to start with you. you're not just a fitness professional, you're a dad, of

course, and now you're a p.e. teacher. you just realized your kids needed a physical outlet during zoom school. what is your advice for other kids who want to get their kids moving? >> two things, first the kids watch us as parents so what we do they're going to do. they're going to want to work out if we do so we have to get moving and number two is just start small. we didn't start with big, hard workouts. we started with little things starting with five rep, maybe the next is ten and you'll be surprised at how fast you see progress. >> i think that's smart. start small so it doesn't seem so jeff whelming. boys, what is the best thing about working out with your family? >> the best thing is like i look forward to every morning waking up and either doing p.e. in the garage or going through my runs with him. what's the workout going to be today i think about and race home from school and do my homework and can't wait to get into the garage.

>> i like about working out is i can get stronger and spend time with my family at the same time. >> when i work out with my family is that i can get home from school and do my reading and piano and homework and sprint into the garage and do workouts with my family. >> wow. you know, you guys, you've got a couple moves. you're going to tell them to us right now. >> yeah. >> these are moves that anybody can do at home and we've even got some kids on zoom who are following along with you guys right now so, solomon, what you got? >> this is how you do a squat. with your knees out and chest up. and you want your knees out the whole time. >> knees out. >> that's how you do a squat, right? >> that's very nice. jeremiah, i hear you have a workout that anybody can do with a pillow. what is that? >> so i'm going to show you how to do a pillow -- you get a

pillow and then you do a squat technically but go parallel over the pillow. >> there we go. >> there you go. >> you made it. >> can anyone do it? >> anybody can do it if they just have a pillow. >> anybody with a pillow can do that if bye? we appreciate you all joining us this morning working out with us all morning. you inspired so many people who joined us on zoom as well to work out and bodenhamer family, you are an inspiration to all of us. i started working out with my dad as well when i was a young man and this warms my heart because it takes me back to so many great memories, congratulations to the bodenhamers and thank them for joining us and inspiring us and coming up, tony, emmy and grammy winner, cynthia erivo, joins us live.

some climate experts say, time is running out to prevent disaster unless we seriously change our habits. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ small decisions make a world of difference. ikea.

♪ a little respect ♪ you're in for a treat, tony, emmy, grammy winner and an oscar nominee, our next guest and now playing the queen of soul in the national geographic anthology series, "genius," aretha. cynthia erivo. thank you so much for joining us. looking fab as always now. >> thank you. >> i got to tell you, i cannot wait to see you play aretha franklin and i hear that you

landed the part by just singing a few bars on the red carpet. you got to tell us about that. >> yes, i was going to the tonys and mark from "variety" asked me to sing my favorite song and it happens to be be be be and made it way back to everyone at national grow gafk and got a call a couple days after from my agent who said they had seen the tape and were doing this series and it was going to be aretha and wanted me to come on board. >> okay. you know a lot of stars now are going to be singing and doing a lot of things on the red carpet because they can have it lead to great things. i hear you had a chance to meet the aretha franklin and she saw you perform? >> yes, she came to one of my shows and afterwards i met her.

as i was walking towards her she 1i7ks the last line of the song i usually sing, i'm here and she was just fun and sweet and that look on my face is how i felt inside. elated and amazed that she was there. >> i'm sure that's a memory you cherish. all right. we'll show everybody a little clip here because in the first episode, this is aretha, you know, her first album and she's going through a very challenging relationship. let's take a look. >> yes. ♪ i would leave you if i could ♪ ♪ yes, i'm uptight that i'm stuck like glue ♪ ♪ because i ain't never, i ain't never, i ain't never, no, no ♪ ♪ loved a man the way that i, i love you ♪

>> cynthia, can't see it but across the studio michael strahan is singing, he's waving his hands, he's into it. he's into it as we all are. understand that you are releasing your own album and you did much of the recording during the pandemic. the playing someone like aretha franklin, did that influence your music at all? >> yes, and more than just recording in the pandemic i was recording it whilst recording "aretha." and, yeah, i think learning about the intricacies of that music, the choices she would make in music sort of influenced the way i was making my voice and hear it and hear the music on her songs and the digs i would make for the songs on the album, yeah. >> okay. we can't wait for that as well.

also, what is this about you playing the blue fairy in the "pinocchio" live animation movie? can you share anything about that? >> i'm really excited and i start filming in the next month or so and one of my friends who happens to be a newly oscar nominated actor, his daughter is my co-star which makes me a real fairy godmother. >> we're pleased to have you here with us as always. so beautiful. beautiful soul. beautiful in every aspect. all the best to you. look at those nails. girl, come on now. whoo. you are a fairy godmother. all the best to you, cynthia. all the best to you. >> thank you. have a wonderful day. >> i will. you do the same. "genius: aretha" premieres on national geographic with double

stacked episodes across four consecutive nights beginning sunday at 9:00, 8:00 central. the premiere episodes available the next day on hulu. now back to ginger in jackson. ginger. >> robin, i am so happy to report that even though the drought has ended in mississippi we haven't had a deadly tornado this year. and when you see the video, that we saw from that drone, it is amazing that we did not have that, thankfully a lot of people were taking precautions and had the warnings. you can see all of that. wow, you see the power flashes there as the power lines got ripped. we have another storm coming into the west. this one not only going to give the mountain west some snow, denver too but we could see more strong storms next week good news meteorologist mike nicco.

moderate rain will increase throughout the day. temperatures in the time now for our "gma" march book club pick, "klara and the sun" by kazuo ishiguro, an instinct "the new york times" best-seller. a provocative and moving story about the nature of love and what it means to be human in this time of great change. i spoke with kazuo about the novel and what i he is one of the most celebrated authors of his generation. in a career spanning four decades kazuo ishiguro has brought readers such works as "the remains of the day." >> just a senty mental -- >> and "never let me go ♪ >> that's so not true. >> both adapted for the big screen. "klara and the sun," his first novel since being awarded the know pell prize in 2017, tells the story of klara, a solar powered af or artificial friend bought as a companion for 14-year-old josie. it's clearly about a mother's

love and devotion to her children but also the dangers and the sadness of treating your children as projects. >> that's very insightful. that is probably something that we have to all guard against. there's a part of us that i suppose sees children as an extension of ourselves and they inevitably become part of our egos and our, as you say, they become part of our project. >> reporter: the story set in an unspecified future where robots help lonely children and parents trying to enhance their children's intelligence via genetic engineering is the norm. >> so fascinating as you read and watch klara try to figure out this world with her, you know, huge intelligence but also start to in some ways develop feelings and gets to the question of what it means to be a human. >> a questio i could never settle in my mind when i was writing the novel whether klara had feelings in the sense of, you know, that you and i would have feelings. she certainly learns about

feelings. she starts to understand more and more how they work. but i think in this book what i'm asking is what it does to our feelings, to human feelings if we live in the world where artificial intelligence, these things are very much part of our everyday lives. >> the novel explores themes of love, loyalty and letting go. >> by the end of the book i wanted the sense that she was like an elderly person, the very people who needed her so much no longer need her. >> and she has the wisdom of an elderly person in the end when she simply wants to stay in the corner with her memories. >> she accepts that. you know, she accepts that and, you know, the book is dedicated to the memory of my mother who passed away just as i was finishing the novel. what i observed perhaps with some guilt about my mother's life in her final years that is inevitable, parents who do their job well, they work themselves

out of that job and there's a sadness to it but there's a deep satisfaction to it. >> i read she said that she always knew you would win the nobel. is that true? >> in a time of dangerously increasing division, we must listen, good writing and good reading will break down barriers. [ applause ] >> well, that's why she said when i phoned her that morning she didn't seem that surprised. she said, yeah, i always thought you would win it sooner or later but i'm glad you've won it while i'm still here. i thought that was a very nice thing to say but it's typical of a mother to think that, you know, her son is destined to be a nobel prize winner because i never thought that. >> what a lovely man and what a wise writer. "klara and the sun" is already set to head to the big screen, the writer behind "mad men" will adapt the masterpiece. be sure to keep reading with us on our instagram @gmabookclub. when we come back vaccine

helpers, the kids using their computer skills to get seniors vaccine appointments. ♪ oh i need some of ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ receive a chargepoint home flex charger or a $500 pulic charging credit. see your volvo retailer for details.

♪ good morning, good morning ♪ back now with our series good morning, sunshine. celebrating people doing their all to brighten the days of others. this morning, we teamed up with our friends at abc to tell you about two kids who made it their mission to help seniors get vaccination appointments. steve osunsami is back with this inspiring story. hey, steve. >> reporter: good morning to you, michael. you know, i know this personally how difficult it is to book an appointment for a vaccine. you go to the websites, you find the appointment, the website stalls, you hit the button, you keep hitting it again, the appointment disappears, it's like "the hunger games" trying to find an appointment. these two young people who you are about to meet decided to try

to take all of the difficulty out of this for seniors who need the vaccine the most. they're the teenagers who aren't even old enough to vote or drive but note their way around the internet using computer skills to book thousands of covid vaccine appointments for seniors who can't do it for themselves. >> you are officially vaccinated. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: this morning they're saying -- >> good morning, sunshine. >> good morning, sunshine. >> 12-year-old sam is a seventh grader. what started three months ago as a project for his bar mitzvah led to 2500 people getting vaccinated. he realized that the grandparents of america who may not have the fastest internet or strongest computer skills would have a tough time booking their >> got one. es online.- >> so he created a website and put together a small digital army to grab appointments for seniors in his new york neighborhood. >> got another one.

>> i do some before my school starts then after school, i get a couple appointments, do my homework then i get to more appointments. one side is studying and the other refreshing and getting appointments. >> reporter: one of them was for caprice adler. >> you have time to do everything? >> yes. >> reporter: an 867-year-old holocaust survivor now vaccinated due to sam hen his i'm. >> some people, they feel very helpless. something bad is happening and don't think they can do anything about it. what can one person do? one person can do a lot. >> reporter: teenagers with laptops are coming to the rescue in chicago too. at this clinic on the north side 15-year-old benjamin and the crutches after hurting his ankle is their big hero. >> so nice to meet you. >> on just this one day the high school freshman helped 100 seniors, health care workers and cancer survivor get their shot. >> i don't know how you do it. oh, my gosh. we love you. >> reporter: about a month ago he and the 50 people he found on

facebook started finding vaccine appointments for people who qualify. they're called the chicago vaccine angels and they've now booked more than 1500 appointments. >> this technology is just not built for people that are 65 plus. my grandfather doesn't have a cell phone. we're all they have. if you know someone that's eligible for a vaccine that is struggling, reach out. that help that you're giving them is possibly saving their lives. >> being able to help people in this way is just such an incredible gift. >> i'm just so grateful. i can't even believe it. >> you're an angel. >> thank you. benjamin, all your help. >> god bless you. >> reporter: so to you the young americans with the fast keystrokes helping people get past their technical difficulties of getting protected you're our good morning, sunshine. >> it is super, super inspiring to see these young people and facebook groups come together to

help people navigate a complicated process and sam tells us he wants everyone to know that he still has time for his video games. michael. >> that's always important. video games but it's so good to see younger generation figure out a way to help other people. because it's very difficul. >> yes, it is. >> easy for them, difficult for us but makes a difference. >> 1500 appointments. >> amazing. >> 1500. that's something. >> really is something. >> really is something. wei'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 or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with... just 2 medicines... in 1 pill,... dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed... and get to and stay undetectable...

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building a better bay area, this is abc7 news. good morning. i am reggie aqui. high school students in san francisco will be able to participate in sports this spring. only outdoor sports are allowed and activities have to comply with state health guidelines. and now here is mike nicco with your forecast. >> speaking of being outside, it will be a damp as we look at future radar, you can see the green and yellow moving north to south as we head into the evening and overnight hours. we will clear out friday afternoon. 70s next week. reggie? time now for live with kelly and ryan. we will see you later this afternoon.

>> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, from "the masked singer," jenny mccarthy. and everyone loves a good deal. exclusively for our viewers, check out these bargains under $20. plus, the story of a grandmother, a mother, and a baby surviving a rocky year as we continue our "pandemic look back." all next on "live!" ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: