right now on "america this morning, testy testimony. things turn combative at the derek chauvin trial. what this firefighter is revealing about that fateful moment on the street as george floyd lay dying. the latest from court and what's ahead today. bombshell accusation. a rising star in the republican party responding to the allegation that he had a relationship with a teenager. the possible sex trafficking investigation against congressman matt gaetz and the claims of an extortion plot. hate on the street. >> they said to her, eff you. you don't belong here. my response is, yes, you do. >> police announce an arrest after the brutal beating of what is happening to t wo do no

plus, breaki oveight, e riot at th capital. >> a man gets out of the grocery store to find 15,000 bees in his car. what happened next? and later the mafi fugitive captured thanks to what showed up on a cooking show. good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm mona kosar abdi. >> i'm andrew dymburt. kenneth is on assignment. we'll get to that congressman accused of having a relationship with a teenager in just a moment, but first the latest from the derek chauvin trial. >> things got testy on the stand late yesterday as a firefighter testified she offered george floyd medical attention on the street but police would not allow her. the judge later warned her some of her answers became combative. >> outside the courthouse a local teacher chaining herself to a fence to advocate for police reform.

abc's ike ejiochi continues our coverage of the trial. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. on day two one of the more striking moments came when an off-duty firefighter took the stand and spoke about how police officers prevented her from jumping into action. this morning, in day two of the derek chauvin trial the eyes and ears of bystanders on the stand. >> he cried for his mom. he was in pain. >> reporter: darnella who filmed those harrowing last minutes of george floyd's life taking the stand. >> it seemed like he knew -- it seemed like he knew it was over for him. >> reporter: the day featured testimony from several bystanders at the scene. first donald williams, the mixed martial artist telling jurors he felt he just witnessed a murder. throughout day two, several minors offering testimony. >> at one point i saw him put more and more weight onto him. >> reporter: the biggest moment of the day, minneapolis firefighter genevieve hansen off duty at the time of the incident. >> i literally watched police

officers not take a pulse and not do anything to save a man, and i am a first responder myself. >> reporter: her testimony became argumentative after defense attorney eric nelson pressed her if she would have been fighting a fire herself if a crowd showed up. suggesting chauvin was distracted. >> and would you describe other people's demeanors as upset or angry? >> it's -- it's -- i don't know if you've seen anybody be killed but it's upsetting. >> you will not argue with counsel. they have the right to ask questions. your job is to answer them. >> i was finishing my answer. >> i will determine when your 46 answer is done, and so do not argue with the court. do not argue with counsel. answer the questions, do not volunteer information that is not requested. >> reporter: now the judge ended the day halfway through hansen's testimony and she'll be back in court today. andrew, mona. >> ike, thank you. breaking overnight two u.s.

capitol police officers are suing former president trump in connection with the january riot. their civil lawsuit claims the officers suffered physical injuries and emotional trauma as a result of violent confront takes inside the capitol. the officers cite several of trump's treats and statements for inviting violence. they're demanding $375,000 each along with other damages. no response yet from the former president. also breaking overnight a bombshell allegation against a rising star in the republican party. matt gaetz is accused to having a relationship with an underage girl. this morning, congressman matt gaetz is denying that he had a relationship with a minor. >> it is a horrible allegation and it is a lie. >> reporter: abc news has confirmed the florida lawmaker is under investigation by the justice department for an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. investigators are examining whether gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws by allegedly paying for the girl to

travel with him. the investigation was first reported in "the new york times." >> so this is a serious investigation that was serious enough that even the highest levels of the justice department incle attorney general bill barr said that continue. >> reporter: guaido is a rising star and staunch ally of former president trump. >> seems to me that impeachment is an itch that doesn't go away with just one scratch. >> reporter: gaetz has not been charged with a crime. on fox news last night he claimed the allegations were part of an extortion plot by a former justice department official. >> on march 16th my father got a text message demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away. our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local fbi and the fbi and department of justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of congress they asked my dad to wear a wire which he did with the former department of

justice official. >> what congressman gaetz is say something that somebody then found out about it and used that information to try to get money out of his family. >> reporter: in an interview with "the washington post" the former justice department official denies the extortion claim. a source tells abc news federal investigators started looking into gaetz's alleged relationship last summer. in the meantime, gaetz is reportedly preparing to leave congress to take a job with the conservative news network newsmax. new york city police arrested the man they say brutally beat an asian woman on the street. the 65-year-old victim suffered a head injury. it happened in front of an apartment building, but the doorman lay on the door as she lay on the ground. >> closed the door on a woman lying on the sidewalk, isn't that perfect symbolism of what is happening right now. they said to her, eff you.

you don't belong here. my response is [ bleep ] you. yes, i do. >> president biden is addressing it with an anti-asian crime initiative. to the coronavirus and new evidence a fourth wave is looming as major league ballparks prepare for opening day. here's abc's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning, covid cases are now rising in 26 states with infections up 15% nationwide in the past two tough ruggle. r ve looming, offs are warning americans to continue taking precautions. in florida, where cases were steadily dropping for weeks, there's now a 13% uptick. just days after those rowdy spring break crowds flooded the streets. in michigan hospitals are seeing younger unvaccinated patients. >> my biggest concern is that this increase will outpace the rate that we're able to vaccinate individuals. many of the same states seeing

these moderate spikes with the same states lagging behind in vaccinations. >> reporter: eligibility for the vaccine set to expand to all americans 16 and older by may 1st. more than one-third of all adults have now received at least one dose. >> not even april and the shot is in my arm. it feels great. >> reporter: as more venues start requiring so-called vaccination passports, the world health organization is warning about scammers trying to sell fake vaccination certificates online. in the meantime, glimmers of normalcy. ♪ as boston's fenway park prepares for baseball's opening day, safety precautions include zip tying empty seats for social distancing and hand sanitizing stations. there's even a moderna sign in the outfield. >> we're confident the fans are going to be compliant. everybody is dying to come out and watch a baseball game and don't think a lot of people are looking for trouble. >> reporter: more encouraging news in football.

the nfl announcing plans to open its stadiums at full capacity in the fall. as for the vaccines a new study suggests all three of them used in the u.s. will likely stand up against variants of the coronavirus. those variants including the uk variant are fueling this potential fourth wave of infections. andrew, mona. >> megan, thank you. later on "good morning america" some important new research on children and the covid vaccines. >> all right, time now for a look at your wednesday weather. more strong storms like the kind that spawned this reported tornado in hattiesburg, mississippi, tuesday are expected along the gulf coast today. there were no reports of damage or injuries from yesterday's storm. the same system will move toward the northeast today bringing showers and storms and the potential for more flash flooding to tennessee. below normal temperatures will follow that storm front. looking at today's highs, 45 in chicago, 60s from washington to boston. and warm across the southwest.

62 in dallas. coming up, the shocking moment during march madness basketball when a referee collapsed on court. also ahead, a new caravan of migrants, one of the biggest so far, leaves central america for the u.s. the new images from the border. and later, breaking her silence, what britney spears is saying about that explosive documentary on her life. documentary on her life. ♪ come on, come on...yes! hey ava, how's my bracket looking? um, i'm trying to find a nicer word for dumpster fire. um, you're not ava. yeah, this is gary, i invested in invesco qqq. a fund that invests in the innovations of the nasdaq-100. like this artificially intelligent home system. you don't have to be an ai voice architect to help dictate the future. any other questions? yes, when will you be leaving? become an agent of innovation with invesco qqq. ♪ want to brain better? become an agent of innovation with invesco qqq. unlike ordinary memory supplements— neuriva has clinically

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central america. >> this morning 500 unaccompanied boys arrived at this facility housing mai dprants in texas. hours after a camera was for the first time allowed inside this overcrowded facility in texas. rows of kids packed shoulder to shoulder. lying on matts. the children are separated into pods of 600 in each. with no room to move. one girl was seen wiping tears from her eyes. this facility is only meant to hold 250 people. it's home to more than 4,100. and most of them are minors. >> our facilities were never designed to hold people for longer than a couple days. much less eight or nine days. which we have seen. >> border authorities are finding 400 children crossing each day. and now, another migrant caravan is leaving. several hundred people now making the dangerous trek they hope will end in the u.s.

they say the fleeing crime and natural disaster. and have devastated their economy. >> this man saying we have to fight otherwise we'll live in poverty for the rest of our lives the corrupt government also in the spotlight this morning. after the president's own brother was sentenced to life in prison in new york tuesday. for what prosecutors describe as state sponsor drug trafficking running cocaine into the u.s. ordered to forfeit $140 million. >> the biden administration says it is reaching ou to the central american government to tackle the issue. vice president kamala harris has agreed to visit the country. >> water gate master mind has died. he spent four years in prison for his role in the famous break in that led to nixons resignation. he later became a talk radio host. he was 90 the. he was 90 the. >> reality tv star under arrest

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and came out and there was this massive swarm of bees in his window. >> he collected them in about five minutes. a reality tv und under arrest. >> she's known for living >> in this town i'm queen bee and mvp. >> reporter: and in charge. >> but that's why you work. that's why you work. >> reporter: but this morning questions about how jen shah was making that money. >> get the [ bleep ]. >> reporter: the reality star arrested and charged with a telemarketing scheme defrauding hundreds of people. >> my middle name means child of heaven because i'm a child from heaven. >> reporter: both shah and her assistant stewart smith which she calls stu chains

charged with wire fraud and money laundering. >> normally stuart and i would be on conference call meetings, staff meetings, doing our planning, forecasting. >> reporter: an hsi agent saying shah and smith both built their opulent lifestyle at the expense of other elderly people. her audition tape suggests otherwise. >> i had to n last monday's reunion episode andy cohen pressing on what shah marketing does. >> what do you do because specifically people are wondering like how did you get so rich? >> my background is direct response marketing for about 20 years, so our company does, you know, advertising. we have a platform that helps people acquire customers. >> reporter: representatives for both shah and smith have declined to comment, but jen is due in court virtually again this afternoon. andrew, mona. >> will, thank you.

britney spears is breaking her silence about that recent documentary about her life. the singer posted on instagram saying she was, quote, embarrassed by the light they put me in and said she cried for two weeks after seeing part of the documentary, which detailed the struggle with her father and her finances. the star also wrote, i'm not here to be perfect. perfect is boring. in sports the final four is set in college basketball. ucla stunned michigan, 51-49. it'll be the bruins' first final four since 2008, and they'll play gonzaga saturday. the unbeaten bulldogs advance with an 85-66 win over usc. meanwhile in the women's tournament, south carolina beat texas and stanford beat louisville. coming up, the alleged mobster on the run arrested thanks to a cooking show. also ahead, the nasty dispute between neighbors involving blowup dolls. an ugly fender bender. versus if i can eke out a win, it's going to be a miracle, baby! uh, mr. vitale? it wouldn't be a miracle because geico gives you a team of experts

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♪ time to check "the pulse," and we begin with an alleged mobster busted because of a cooking show. >> he had been on the run fron italian authorities for seven years. and during that time, police say he showed off his cooking skills in videos on youtube. now, he never showed his face but forgot to conceal his tattoos. >> yikes. authorities picked up the clues and tracked him down in the dominican republic and he faces drug trafficking charges. next to the brouhaha over blowup dolls. people in a neighborhood near denver not happy with one man's new lawn decoration. he hung up four blowup dolls in his front yard along with a employeeup lamb la following disputes over the property line. >> neighbors want the dolls to come down now. >> my grandson the other day pointed it out to me, and i went, you know, you just don't like to have to explain this thing. >> the homeowner says it's perfectly within his rights to

keep the dolls up, and guess what, police agree. there's no violation here. next a prank by volkswagen and we fell for it. >> we sure did. yesterday we reported the car company was potentially rebranding itself in america as voltswagen to emphasize electric vehicles. well, guess atas an rlapril fosk >> okay, and we're not the only ones not laughing. the federal government could get involved here since the fake news about the name change actually caused voltswagen's stock to jump 5%. >> they'll look into that one. finally does michael strahan have a new look. >> the "gma" anchor was trending visit to the dentist that has millions of view. >> can his gap really gone or just an april fools' joke? now, we haven't seen him yet, but we will let you know. >> you might want to stay tuned for "good morning america" to find out goss the gap stay, does the gap go or just an april fools' joke? >> we'll see.

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president biden travels to pittsburgh today to unveil a massive $2 trillion plan to rebuild the nation's roads, rails and bridges. the white house says the plan could create more than 2 million jobs by 2024. biden says he'll raise taxes on large corporations and the wealthy to cover the cost, but republicans are promising to fight any tax hikes, and some democrats are also concerned about the cost. florida congressman matt gaetz is being investigated by the justice department for an alleged relationship with a 17-year-old girl. the investigation focuses on whether gaetz violated sex trafficking laws. gaetz claims the allegation is part of an extortion plot. newly revealed lawsuit claims jeffrey epstein threatened to feed one of his victims to alligators if she complained about his abuse. the suit also accuses epstein and his former associate ghislaine maxwell of sex trafficking. a new report on the gender pay gap finds at this rate women

in the u.s. won't reach pay equality with men for another 60 years. the report from the world economic forum found the coronavirus pandemic widened the pay gap as more women left the workforce. today's weather, rain for the eastern third of the nation, and strong storms across the southeast. a cold blast in the midwest. mostly clear skies from the great lakes to the west coast. finally, the social media stars using their influence to show teenagers that, hey, books are cool too. >> and when these sisters talk about a book, sales go through the roof. >> i have some interesting news to show you. >> reporter: 15-year-old mireille lee has a simple mission, to get other teenagers to read. >> the enjoyment i get from reading a book. >> reporter: she says she rediscovered reading while in lockdown during the pandemic. then she urged her younger sister to pick up a book. >> i was really into gaming. so reading was not really in my mind. >> reporter: the british sisters took to tiktok early and have been making videos for

years, but recently they became book talkers who share reaction to books in 15-second videos using sound effects and music. the sisters' account took off gaining more than 210,000 followers in just a couple of months. one of their videos for the book, "we were liars," has been viewed more than 5.5 million times. boosting sales six years after it was released and earning thanks from its grateful author. publishers are now sending the girls lots of free books. the sisters want other young people to know that reading is cool. >> i show people a book visually online. people just immediately connect with it. ♪ they feel the beat of the music. they see the photos and go, wow, i need to read that now. >> and it's a great balance because obviously we're all glued to our phones, our devices. clearly they're on tiktok but do they take a break to read a physical book. > a social media trend i can get behind.

>> that's what's making news in america th right now on "america this morning, testy testimony. things turn combative at the derek chauvin trial. what this firefighter is revealing about that fateful moment on the street as george floyd lay dying. the latest from court and what's ahead today. bombshell accusation. a rising star in the republican party responding to the allegation that he had a relationship with a teenager. the possible sex trafficking investigation against congressman matt gaetz and the claims of an extortion plot. hate on the street. >> they said to her, eff you. you don't belong here. my response is, yes, you do. >> police announce an arrest after the brutal beating of 65-year-old asian woman and what is happening to the men who

pe