>> definitely, and that's what's making news in america this morning. right now on "america this morning," the derek chauvin trial begins. the former police officer charged with killing george floyd last summer, igniting protests around the world. what we're expecting in court today. the arguments on both sides, and the unprecedented security. we are live in minneapolis. state of emergency. the historic flooding in the south. one man drowning in his car outside of a walmart. the same storm system slamming the northeast, and this morning, the remarkable story of this photo belonging to a woman who lost everything in the alabama tornadoes last week. where that photo just turned up. breaking overnight, major new progress in the battle to dislodge that massive cargo ship blocking the suez canal. the crisis delaying everything from oil and gas shipments to coffee and toilet paper.

what's finally giving crews a , covit a ghghting ccernabt the re contagi >> continues for ucla. >> -- to a controversial pair of nike sneakers, to the woman with the unique musical talent. all the trending stories to jump start your monday. good monday morning, everyone. i'm mona kosar abdi. >> and i'm andrew dymburt.me. we begin with the murder trial of the former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin. >> this case caused the biggest protests since the 1960s. members of george floyd's family

attended a prayer vigil last night along with civil rights leaders demanding justice for floyd. >> abc's ike ejiochi begins with us this morning.'steincera ael phaptured rek chauvin kneeling on george floyd. he died later that night at the hospital, and now 12 jurors right behind me at this government center will have to decide if the former minneapolis police officer should be held accountable. this morning, a city and a nation still reeling. >> our community has endured a great deal of trauma and pain and stress and frustration, and anger. >> reporter: last memorial day, the video from bystanders captured then-minneapolis police officer derek chauvin who is white kneeling on george floyd's neck as the black man lay on the street facedown for more than 9 minutes and 20 seconds according to court documents. on aally for georgnd al sharpton.

>> let us be clear that it is not just chauvin on trial. the united states' ability to deal with police accountability is on trial. >> reporter: floyd's death sparking one of the largest social justice movements in u.s. history. now ten months later, the former police officer will stand trial. chauvin is facing manslaughter, second and third degree murder charges. he's pleaded not guilty to all of them, and this morning, the jury will begin listening to opening statements. >> on both sides, the focus will be on causation, whether or not it's derek chauvin that caused the death of george floyd. >> reporter: covid-19 restrictions making this trial look like no other. plexiglass partitions, jurors sitting 6 feet apart, and 8 of the 14 jurors expected to be seated self-identify as white, and six people of color. once the trial begins, one member of floyd's family will be the family's attorney telling msnbc he's prepared his clients for a difficult experience. >> they're going to see that video over and over again. they're going to hear them assassinate the character of george floyd. >> reporter: now the city's

mayor said this trial should last one month, and all four police officers involved have been fired. andrew? >> ike, thank you. abc news will bring you live coverage of today's opening statements beginning at 10:15 eastern. now to the other big story this morning, the weather. we're getting new video from the historic and deadly flooding in tennessee. among the victims, a 70-year-old man who drowned in his own car near a walmart, and from texas, a new view of the damage caused by tornadoes. more than a dozen twisters have been confirmed across the south since saturday, but we begin in tennessee. >> reporter: nashville's mayor declaring a state of emergency on sunday, and hoping for state and federal resources to help with recovery. severe storms causing severe flooding around the city. at least four people were killed. >> nashville received more than 7 inches of rain over the past 48 hours. now that is the second highest two-day rainfall total in our

history. >> reporter: the water rising as people slept.psome streets turn. other roads severely damaged. this room submerged under several feet of water. this man's apartment totally destroyed. >> then you come back and all your stuff is gone. >> mm-hmm. everything. it looks like someone came in and ransacked. >> reporter: more than 130 people had to be rescued. >> the teams responded bravely to rescue people. >> reporter: in indiana, a 40-year-old man was killed when severe thunderstorms toppled this massive tree. witnesses say he was trying to escape the storm. at least 16 tornadoes were reported across four states. one of them ripping apart these homes in west tennessee. these aerial images show some of the damage left behind in east texas. roofs ripped off, trees snapped. debris scattered throughout neighborhoods. >> i came out in the hallway, and i heard glass, and my roof. i heard the aluminum coming off, and i kept praying. lord, lord, lord. nothing was touched.

>> reporter: that same storm system moving east sunday night, bringing with it, damaging wind gusts and heavy rains. and we'll take a closer look at today's forecast in just a few minutes. a story of hope this morning from the tornadoes that hit alabama last week. a graduation photo belonging to a family whose home was destroyed in jacksonville, alabama has been found 100 miles away in georgia. the man who found it used social media to identify the graduate and return the photo to her. we turn now to the pandemic. today more states are expanding who is eligible for the vaccine. meanwhile, a covid outbreak at a nebraska day care is highlighting the risk posed by the uk variant of the coronavirus. >> reporter: this morning, more americans are becoming eligible for the covid vaccine. in texas, all adults can get the shot beginning today, and in florida, anyone 40 and older is now eligible. >> we're anticipating a rush. we're ready for it, but the best thing to do is plan ahead and come prepared. >> reporter: despite higher vaccination rates, covid

infections are on the rise in nearly half the country. one year after becoming the epicenter of the pandemic, new york and new jersey once again have the highest infection rates. the uptick blamed on a perfect storm of relaxed restrictions, a surge in travel, and the spread of the more contagious variants of the virus including that uk variant. >> we have to understand that there is a higher amount of population density in certain cities alongside the fact that we have some homegrown variants in new york as well, and there's also the fact that in places like texas and florida, there may be something to do with more outdoor spaces and also keep in mind those spring breakers, they will travel back to where they came. >> reporter: in omaha, nebraska a day care voluntarily closed after more than 100 cases were traced back to the facility. a significant number believed to be the uk variant. >> what do you do then, with all these children who of now tested -- have now tested positive and could potentially deal with the ramifications of this for weeks, months on end? >> reporter: in the meantime, former white house coronavirus

task force coordinator, dr. deborah birx is speaking out. in a cnn documentary, dr. birx described a phone call she received from then-president trump in august after she warned rural america about the virus.t posted with the president. i would say it was even more direct than what people had heard. it was very uncomfortable, very direct, and very difficult to hear. >> were you threatened? >> i would say it was a very uncomfortable conversation. >> dr. birx also claimed the vast majority of covid deaths in the u.s. could have been prevented if the trump administration had acted earlier, and one other headline overnight. a new report from the world health organization finds animals were the likely source of covid-19. researchers say the transmission from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario.

they say a leak from a chinese lab was, quote, extremely unlikely. the results were expected. china's government teamed up with the w.h.o. on this study. the surge of migrants at the southern border g we're seeing new images of a crowded border patrol facility in texas showing kids closely packed together under foil blankets. a record 18,000 children who entered the country alone are now in u.s. custody, and officials predict up to 25,000 minors could cross the border in may. >> our objective is to take a different approach from the last administration. we are not going to send children under the age of 18, kids under the age of 18 back on this treacherous journey. >> the latest photos of the border facility were taken last week and released by texas congressman henry cuellar, a democrat. returning to the weather, let's take a look now at your monday forecast. >> well, good morning to you. we're talking about better weather for the mid south after

all of that horrific flooding there throughout tennessee. there goes that frontal boundary now into the ocean we go, but the winds will be whipping into the northeast. so we have wind advisories. we also have high wind warnings for parts of the upstate new york and towards western massachusetts where we put this map into motion, and you can see those winds with those lines. that means some gusty winds, about 20 miles per hour at times and then winding down at night. for accuweather, i'm meteorologist chris nallan. coming up, america prepares for a cicada invasion. but first, the breaking news overseas. what's finally helping crews free that giant ship blocking the suez canal. and the controversy over a pair of nike sneakers. why they're being called satan sh

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back now with breaking news overseas. the full moon has given crews in the suez canal a big lift as they tried to unlodge that massive container ship causing a bottleneck that's affecting everything from oil and gas to coffee and toilet paper. >> reporter: this morning, the sound of tugboats celebrating. after that massive cargo ship blocking the suez canal for nearly one week was partially freed from the banks of the canal overnight. the news coming during high tide with dozens of tugboats working to pull the "ever given" free. while dredgers removed sand clay from beneath the ship's bow. more than 27,000 cubic meters of sand and mud now removed. preparations were also being made overnight to begin offloading some of the 18,000 containers on board to make the ship, which is the size of the empire state building, lighter.

>> 300 empty or something like that, but no one's ever done that. i think it's going to be awhile. >> reporter: the colossal traffic jam is costing the global shipping industry $10 billion a day. about 12% of the global traffic flows through the suez. hundreds of ships have been stranded carrying everything from oil and coffee to furniture, cars and other consumer products. >> as ships back up at each end of the canal, it creates this accordion effect. it could eventually end up in the united states as higher shelves. d fewer goods on - >> reporter: the blockage affecting 10% of global oil supplies. >> at some point this summer, we could see a national average of $3 a gallon. >> reporter: some shipping companies have been forced to redirect traffic thousands of miles around the more dangerous cape of good hope around the southern tip of africa. back in the suez, initial reports blamed heavy winds for the ship shifting sideways and running aground, but now authorities say it may have been human error. crews overnight say the stern of the ship was freed. they're focusing on the bow now.

back here at home, americans are coming out of covid lockdowns just in time to welcome cicadas. scientists say billions of the bugs are set to emerge in 18 states. they're from a group called brood x which has been underground since 2004. hey'll start appearing in six weeks. nike is denying any involvement in the so-called satan shoes. the shoes are being sold in collaboration with rapper lil nas x. they reportedly contain a drop of human blood in the soul. fewer than 700 pairs are being sold and they cost more than $1,000. and coming up, the goalie for the u.s. men's soccer team makes a big mistake. but first, a rare interview. woody allen speaks about the abuse allegations against him. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® works differently than any other diabetes pill to lower blood sugar in all 3 of these ways...

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woody allen is speaking out in a rare interview 30 years after he was accused of molesting his 7-year-old adoptive daughter, dylan farrow. allen continues to deny he ever abused her, but he told cbs he does not think farrow is making it up. he said he believes that farrow believes she is telling the truth. allen says others are to blame for enabling a lie. >> so preposterous, and yet the smear has remained, and they still prefer to cling to if not the notion that i molested dylan, the possibility that i molested her. >> allen has never been charged with a crime. the interview was taped last summer, but was released yesterday. we turn now to a shocking

crime on the street. a carjacking caught on camera. it ended with an uber driver dead and two girls in custody. here's abc's andrea fujii. >> reporter: this morning, two teenage girls face murder charges, accused of carjacking a food delivery driver for uber eats. d.c. police investigating disturbing cell phone video from last week's incident near nationals park. they say the 13 and 15-year-old girls used a taser on the man when they tried to take his car. the video then appears to show him hanging onto the door as the car takes off. eventually crashing, flipping on its side. police say the driver, 66-year-old mohammad anwar died after being thrown from the car. >> it's more than tragic. i don't even know if that word describes what happened. it's senseless. >> reporter: anwar's family issuing a statement saying, mohammad anwar was a father, a

grandfather, a husband, a brother, an uncle beloved by many here in the u.s. and pakistan. he was a hardworking immigrant who came to the u.s. in 2014 to build a better life for himself and his family. carjackings have been on the rise in several big cities during the pandemic, doubling in the d.c. area. in this video from last week, police say three suspects assaulted a driver, stealing the keys before returning later to take the car. local authorities are now forming a task force to combat the problem. those two teen girls have pleaded not involved which is the equivalent of not guilty in juvenile court. meanwhile, an online fund-raising page for the driver who was killed has raised nearly $500,000 for the victim's family. mona, andrew. >> andrea, thank you. one cinderellaea the number 11 seed, ucla upset alabama in overtime. 88-78, they play michigan tomorrow for a chance to advance to the final four. and in soccer, a terrible goalkeeping mistake means the

u.s. men's team will not be competing at this summer's olympics. the loss to honduras means they will miss their third straight olympics. coming up, the famous motel that's going up for sale. also ahead, the debate on the sexiest bald man in the world. ♪ if you have moderate to severe psoriasis... or psoriatic arthritis, little things, can become your big moment. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream... ...it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable... ...with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. for psoriatic arthritis, ...otezla is proven.... to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an... increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts.... ...or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss.

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the asking price just under $1.6 million. next, the world's sexiest bald man has been crowned, but not without controversy. >> the title went to prince william. he topped the pack because his name was searched along with the word sexy more than 17 million times. mike tyson, jason chatham, pitbull and michael jordan rounded out the top five. >> the rock came in ninth place and he demanded a recount saying, how does this happen when larry david clearly has a and forget bald guys because apparently women these days prefer the dad bod. >> get this. according to a new survey on dating.com, 75% of people prefer a softer male body type to the washboard apps. and this woman taking to social media with her unique talent. >> she likes to perform on her mouth trumpet. just take a listen. ♪

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building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news.

a community in mourning as the man accused of taking 10 lives due in court for the first time. we are also talking about the trial for officer derek chauvin and the killing of george floyd. astrazeneca's updated data about the effectiveness of its covid-19 vaccine. the difference between what was released earlier. one local school district ready to send all of its younger students back to the classroom five days a week. wee good morning. it is march 29 al >> it is definitely a monday. let's check in with mike nicco to see what is going on. >> it only gets faster from here, the wind that is. right now, if you're heading out, you