right now on "america this morning," killer tornadoes tear a path of destruction. homes leveled. livelihoods destroyed. >> start cleaning up. that's what i'm going to do. it's going to take a long time. >> this home reduced to rubble. how the woman inside survived and the shocking moment this meteorologist learned on live tv that a tornado was bearing down on his own house. what he said about his wife. also breaking overnight -- >> why are you arresting her? >> a state lawmaker arrested outside the georgia governor's office as a controversial election bill is signed into law imposing new restrictions on voters. the effort overnight to stop it. traffic jam. why it could be weeks before a giant cargo ship stuck in the suez canal can be freed. global shipping in crisis. what it could mean for consumers

including another possible toilet paper shortage. plus, new accusations against new york governor andrew cuomo overnight. the dirty truth about just how busy amazon delivery drivers have been. and the great cookie debate. just how long can they sit on the shelf and still be edible? good friday morning, everyone. new video has been coming in all night from alabama after a string of deadly tornadoes. >> at least five people have been killed. three of those victims were from the same family. a teenager survived the storm but her mother and grandparents did not. >> that same storm system slammed georgia last night. these images are just in from noonan southwest of atlanta where the damage is being described as significant. but we begin with the destruction in alabama. overnight, the extreme weather threat expanding for millions of people.

a powerful line of storms marching through the south causing even more damage after spawning a deadly tornado outbreak. several twisters tearing across alabama. >> we saw clouds that were rotating, and then all of a sudden it got dark, and that's when we knew. it was almost a roar. >> reporter: at the bibb county airport near tuscaloosa, planes were flipped upside down. others tossed into the woods. the mayor calls the airport a total loss. one of the larger tornadoes tore a path through the south side of birmingham. the powerful winds decimating nearly every tree in this forest. one woman survived by taking shelter in her basement with her pts. >> when i came out, i was really shocked to see how bad it was. >> reporter: inside her house the back windows shattered. the walls in her bedroom blown away. >> when i came out of the -- my room in the basement, and i could see all the debris slung up on my basement doors, i was like, okay. >> reporter: abc's ginger zee

arrived in one neighborhood just moments after a tornado damaged nearly three dozen homes there. >> come up the steps with me. this was where a front door was of the home that is collapsed. the couple, mary rose and larry dearmin, were right there under the collapse. they were trapped. their neighbors brought those ladders. they climbed out. two ladders, and you climbed out. >> climbed out. >> reporter: ginger spoke with the couple rescued from that home after they were released from the hospital. >> it was just like a roaring. there was no train. it was a roaring, house started shaking then everything caved in on us. >> reporter: the couple came back to salvage anything they could. even a barbie doll. >> this is one of my old barbie dolls when i was little, and she's in mint condition, and she come out of it perfectly fine. >> reporter: after finding some items of sentimental value, they uncovered more practical belongings. >> that's it. that's the purse. >> oh, you found the purse. oh, no way. here.

>> yes. >> yes. okay. >> we got money. oh, i need that too. >> larry, that's a checkbook. we got to get that. >> that's a checkbook. >> little moments of joy. and we'll take a look at today's forecast in just a few moments. now to the other big story this morning, an election reform bill being signed into law in georgia. critics say it will restrict voting access in a state that's already deeply divided. but supporters say the law will make elections more secure. here's abc's andrea fujii. >> reporter: this morning, georgia's governor has signed a controversial bill rewriting the state's election rules as more than 40 states push for similar overhauls. >> georgia will take another step toward ensuring our elections are secure, accessible and fair. >> reporter: but outside the governor's office tensions high. >> why is the governor trying to sign something in private? >> reporter: state representative park cannon was arrested and forcibly removed from the building as she and others protested the signing. >> why are you arresting her?

>> reporter: democrats argue the new law amounts to voter suppression. it will limit absentee ballots, and early voting and restrict ballot drop boxes and impose new voter i.d. requirements in a state where according to "the atlanta journal-constitution" more than 200,000 voters lack a driver's license or state i.d. number. the law also allows the state government currently controlled by republicans to take over county election boards it deems problematic, and it will make it a crime to give out food or water to voters in line. president biden thursday with a harsh rebuke. >> this makes jim crow look like jim eagle. i mean, this is gigantic, what they're trying to do, and it cannot be sustained. i'll do everything in my power along with my friends in the house and the senate to keep that from becoming the law. >> reporter: but governor kemp argues this is about election integrity and restoring trust among voters. >> i'm proud to stand here today in support of georgians of all political persuasions who can have greater confidence in their vote.

>> reporter: the new law is already facing legal challenges as several georgia voting rights advocacy groups have filed suit. and as for that effort by senators in washington to pass a voting rights bill, well, democrats would likely have to get rid of the filibuster to do it. and dbiendinge sohe border. during his first news conference since taking office, he denied that migrants are flocking into this country because of his friendly immigration policies. abc's faith abubey is here with more on that. faith, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you, mona. for the first time since taking office, president biden set aside time to take questions from reporters about some challenges facing his administration. the main focus of president biden's first formal news conference was not the pandemic, instead it was the migrant surge at the u.s./mexico border. some 16,000 unaccompanied migrant children are now in u.s. custody, and that number is

climbing, but the president insists things will get better. >> they're going to get real -- they're going to get a whole hell of a lot better quicker. we'll hear some people leaving, okay? >> reporter: abc's cecilia vega pressing president biden on the severely overcrowded border facilities. >> the customs and border protection facility in donna, texas, i was there, is at 1556% capacity right now with mostly unaccompanied minors. there are kids that are sleeping on floors. they are packed into these pods. what is your reaction to these images that have come out from that particular facility? is what's happening inside acceptable to you? >> that's a serious question, right? is it acceptable to me? come on. that's why we're going to be moving a thousand of those kids out quickly. it is totally unacceptable. >> reporter: the president pledging to ramp up efforts to move children out of those facilities faster, but he said he will not turn unaccompanied minors away at the border. in the meantime, the president

is making it clear that his next priority is infrastructure announcing a trip to pittsburgh next week where he's expected to unveil a multitrillion dollar plan that includes funding for roads, bridges and green energy projects. the president also made news yesterday when he was asked about u.s. troops in afghanistan. he said it would be difficult to withdraw them by that may 1st deadline agreed to by former president donald trump, however, biden did predict that those troops will be home by next year. mona. >> faith, thank you. turning to the pandemic, covid cases are rising in more parts of the country just as the vaccine is being tested in more children. these 20 states are reporting a significant increase in covid infections. that means an increase of at least 10% in the last week. meanwhile, pfizer is beginning to test its vaccine on younger children. researchers say it's a critical step in reaching herd immunity which will come after roughly 80% of americans are vaccinated. they're going to first start

with kids from 5 to 12, and we should have that data by the fall. and then slowly they're going to now study also kids under the age of 5 all the way down to the age of 6 months. >> also this morning, a new study finds the pfizer and moderna vaccines are safe for pregnant women. new allegations this morning against new york governor andrew cuomo. he's now accused of giving preferential treatment to the head of the pharmaceutical company regeneron. billionaire george yancopoulos and his family requested and received covid tests from the state last march when testing was hard to find. the next month cuomo announced regeneron was creating 500,000 test kits for the state at no cost. the governor's family members were among those who also received special access to testing. overseas the traffic jam in the suez canal is getting more expensive by the hour. a ship the size of the empire state building is blocking the canal costing the global shipping industry nearly $10 billion every day. satellite images show the

container ship after it ran aground. it's wedged against the side of the canal blocking more than 200 ships. trethe ship, but that's proving to be harder than expected. it could take weeks to finally move it. the traffic jam in the suez canal could lead to another toilet paper shortage here in the u.s. a company that produces the wood pulp needed for toilet paper warns the shortage of shipping containers could cause a delay in product shipments. returning to our top story, the severe weather across the south. let's take a closer look at your friday forecast. a line of gusty thunderstorms could greet you at the door on friday morning across the southeast and even some redevelopment of thunderstorms in the afternoon from the carolinas back to the florida gulf coast. but any kind of severe weather we get on friday won't be anything like what we had a day ago. in the northeast is a different story. gusty winds and some thunderstorms and very warm temperatures from new york city back to buffalo, gusts from 40 to 60 miles an hour.

severe weather returns to louisville and huntsville this weekend, spreads east on sunday. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin coskren. >>first what we're sdy o shooti. about the sthder arket and why millions of people are getting a refund on their cable tv bill. you can try to predict the future or you can create it. we're driving it. everywhere. we emit optimism, not exhaust. we plug in our vehicles as naturally as we charge our phones. we. we are generation e. we want smart. clean. and safe. to also be fun, easy and powerful! ultium! a battery that charges fast. runs long. it fits everyone. nobody will be left out. and that, changes everything. ordinary tissues burn when theo blows.

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spt was mostly quiet but hadh a temper. >> we had a thing called a wrestle-off to determine who is on jv versus varsity, and he lost that, and he got extremely upset after that and threw his headgear, pounded the mat real hard. he said, i'm going to kill you guys towards the coach and towards the kid he wrestled. very upset. he was an emotional person, i guess. >> that same friend says the suspect once threw a wrench at another student in class. millions of cable tv customers are getting refunds because of sports events canceled during the pandemic. the new york attorney general's office says seven cable and satellite tv providers will hand out $76 million in rebates to fans who paid for subscriptions to watch live sports events. the money will come from leagues and teams whose events were canceled. a new study this morning on

the effects of caffeine. researchers found pregnant women who consumed even small amounts of coffee tend to have slightly smaller babies. doctors moers should limit caffeine to fewer than 200 milligrams a day. that's about two cups of coffee. coming up, an airline pilot in big trouble. what he was caught saying on a hot mic. also ahead, something you may not want to know about your amazon delivery drivers. to join? those who du more with less asthma. thanks to dupixent. the add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. dupixent isn't for sudden breathing problems. it can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. it's not a steroid but can help reduce or eliminate oral steroids. dupixent can cause serious allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain,

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the people inside that cabin in the smoky mountains say the bear relaxed in the jacuzzi for about 15 minutes. we turn now to one of the largest sexual abuse settlements in history totaling more than a billion dollars involving the alleged victims of a gynecologist at usc. this morning, the university of southern california has agreed to pay $852 million to more than 700 women who accused the school's longtime gynecologist dr. george tyndall of sexual abuse. >> powerful people at powerful institutions can and must be held to account. >> reporter: it's believed to be the largest settlement against a university in u.s. history and adds to an earlier $215 million settlement bringing the total to more than a billion dollars. dr. tyndall was the only full time gynecologist at usc for three decades. attorneys say he treated tens of thousands of women. >> there are literally thousands of women that that man assaulted in that health center and worse. >> reporter: it's taken years to spoke to oneintiff i20

>> you asked him to stop. >> i asked him to stop. >> and did he? >> he didn't. >> reporter: tyndall faces 35 criminal counts of alleged sexual misconduct between 2009 and 2016 at the university's health center. he pleaded not guilty. his alleged victims say this is a major step toward justice being served. >> if not for justice for the victims, at least show future predators and those who would enable them that there is a price to pay. >> dr. tyndall left usc in 2017. he's free on bond awaiting trial. amazon is denying a claim made by some of its delivery drivers. they claim they've been so busy, they had to urinate in water bottles while on the road. internal emails reportedly show the practice was so widespread that company management had to address it. the issue came to light as amazon workers in alabama try to unionize. a southwest airlines pilot is in hot water after he was

caught on a hot mic using foul language to trash the san francisco bay area and its residents. here's part of what he said. >> [ muted ] this place. got liberal weirdos probably driving around in [ muted ] hyundais, [ muted ] roads and [ muted ] that go slow as [ muted ]. you don't have [ muted ] unless you're rolling in coal. >> a lot of expletives in there but you get the gist. southwest says it's dealing with the matter internally. the faa is also investigating and it says pilots below 10,000 feet are not allowed to broadcast anything other than safety related messages. sometimes you don't need words to show that you're angry. this was the reaction from the general manager of the ottawa senators last night after losing in overtime. maybe he was thirsty. > maybe. well, coming up, a debate over cookies and how long they sit on store shelves. but first just doing his job, what the meteorologist at our birmingham station did when he learned a tornado was bearing down on his house. down on his house.

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♪ ted to his j.ama.e s choring li ge o in alabama when he realized that a tornado was bearing down on his own home. his obvious concern was his wife. >> let me check on some folks here, mainly checking on my wife. >> we've got several -- >> she's okay, and she's in the tornado shelter. >> his wife told him a huge tree just missed their house. spann then returned to anchoring storm coverage. next a debate about when the cookie crumbles. >> it took place in the british house of lords. lawmakers were debating the value of sell by dates on food products when one of them made a shocking admission.

listen closely, and remember the british refer to cookies as biscuits. >> i am sure one of the main problems is that sell by dates on products are far, far too cautious, and i remember once eating a biscuit which was 20 years old, and it was perfectly edible. >> whoa. apparently lord palmer believes cookies last forever. he should know, his family started a company that makes them. 'tis the season for peeps and this year pepsi. >> the two are teaming up to compete a limited edition marshmallow flavored cola that comes in yellow, pink and blue can. >> available as part of a contest on social media. do you peep that pepsi? >> i see it. finally something you don't see every day. >> people in detroit were shocked to see a full grown pig trotting down the street running hog wild. his owners say he's usually a good boy. he's been safely returned to home. >> he's running pretty fast there but at least he's not flying. >> this little piggy went to detroit. this little piggy went, wah, wa >> and we'll be checking the top headlines next. wah, all the way

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crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. checking the top stories, georgia's governor has signed a law overhauling the state's elections. it will place new restrictions on absentee and early voting. democrats say it amounts to voter suppression. republicans say it improves election security. former president trump says the rioters who stormed the u.s. capitol in january are being treated unfairly. in a new interview last night, he defended the rioters in that deadly insurrection claiming they did not pose a threat. a big headline when it comes to reopening schools. rutgers has become one of the first universities to require all students to be fully vaccinated before returning in the fall. exemptions will be made for medical or religious reasons. at least five people have been killed after a tornado outbreak in alabama. authority says one twister traveled 100 miles through the t tens of thousands of power outages have been reported. looking at today's weather, the same system is bringing

thunderstorms to georgia and the carolinas. rain is also expected around the great lakes and across the plains. up to a foot of snow is possible in the rockies. and finally from us on this friday morning, remembering actress jessica walter. she's passed away at the age of 80. >> will ganss looks back at her remarkable career. >> plate or platter? >> i don't understand the question, and i won't respond. >> reporter: jessica walter's genius comedic timing might be the only thing more sharp than lucille bluth's tongue. >> you and dad are getting divorced? >> don't worry, sweetie. no one is fighting over you. >> reporter: the ruthlessly critical and permanently martinied matriarch on "arrested development," a fan favorite and a critical hit earning her an emmy award nomination and certainly a celebratory drink or two. >> get me a vodka rocks. >> mom, it's breakfast. >> and a piece of toast. >> this morning her "arrested development" cast members paying tribute. jason bateman writing, i will forever remember my time with her watching her bring lucille bluth to life. she was one of a kind. six decades ago the new york

city native getting her start on stage before making the jump to television. in 1971 she starred alongside clint eastwood in the movie "play misty for me." >> you're nothing! you're not even good in bed. >> reporter: she'd earn a golden globe nod and rave reviews for that unnerving performance. later on both "arrested development" and voiceover work in the show "archer" would introduce her to new generations of fans. just last month she appeared on abc's "american housewife" playing, you guessed it, a sarcastic matriarch. >> i don't remember that conversation, but i trust what you say is true, and all i can say is get the [ bleep ] over it. >> jessica walter was 80 years old. she had one daughter who confirmed that jessica passed peacefully in her sleep on wednesday saying in a statement, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling, both on screen and off. kenneth and mona. >> it has been a rough week. so much loss. we hope you take some time to recharge and remember what's

important. >> have a great weekend. that's what's making news in america this morning. right now on "america this morning," killer tornadoes tear a path of destruction. homes leveled. livelihoods destroyed. >> start cleaning up. that's what i'm going to do. it's going to take a long time. >> this home reduced to rubble. how the woman inside survived and the shocking moment this meteorologist learned on live tv that a tornado was bearing down on his own house. what he said about his wife. also breaking overnight -- >> why are you arresting her? >> a state lawmaker arrested outside the georgia governor's office as a controversial election bill is signed into law imposing new restrictions on voters. e effo oveht to st i traffic jam. why it could be weeks before a giant cargo ship stuck in the suez canal can be freed. global shipping in crisis. what it could mean for consumers

including an