right now on "america this morning," testifying against one of his own, the highest profile witness so far in the derek chauvin murder trial takes the stand. >> it is not part of our training and it is certainly not part of our ethics or value. >> the impact of the minneapolis police chief's testimony plus the claim that chauvin's knee was on george floyd's shoulder, not neck and what's ahead, the witness who could plead the fifth. a new phase of the pandemic. what icu nurses are now seeing with covid hospitalizations on the rise plus the new warning about school activities in youth sports. what you need to know about soap versus disinfectants. drawing the line. a key democrat in the senate takes aim at president biden's massive infrastructure bill and the new taxes needed to pay for

it. how the white house is responding. plus, another popular food item in short supply these days but what's being done about it. could "godzilla vs. kong" save american movie theaters? the new hope this morning. and national champions. march madness history is made. >> hey, texas, we got a national championship too. >> while one team's pursuit of perfection ends in frustration. the celebrations overnight. good tuesday morning, america. everyone. i'm mona kosar abdi. >> i'm alex presha. kenneth on assign. we begin with the latest witness to weigh in. the jury has now heard from the er doctors who tried to resuscitate floyd and the minneapolis police chief who fired derek chauvin testified that the restraint chauvin used on floyd was in, quote, no way, shape or form part of the department's policy. >> the chief said chauvin used an inappropriate level of force

and failed to de-escalate the situation and did not provide medical aid. >> do you swear or affirm -- >> reporter: the most high-profile witness so far took the stand in the murder trial of derek chauvin. the former minneapolis police officer charged with killing george floyd. chauvin's ex-boss, police chief maderia arredondo testified what he did to floyd violated the policies and values of the department. >> it is contrary to our training to indefinitely place your knee on a prone, handcuffed individual for an indefinite period of time. i vehemently disagree that that was the appropriate use of force for that situation. >> reporter: the chief delivering this blunt assessment of chauvin's conduct. >> was this a trained minneapolis police department defensive technique? >> it is not. i absolutely agree that violates our policy. >> reporter: that sentiment

echoed by inspector katie blackwell, the former commander in chief of staff training for the department. >> is this a trained technique that is by the minneapolis police department when you were overseeing the training of it? >> it is not. >> and how does this differ? >> i don't know what kind of improvised position that is, so it's not what we train. >> reporter: under cross-examination chauvin's attorney showed the police chief pictures and questioned whether his knee was actually on floyd's neck the entire time. >> would you agree that from the perspective of officer king's body camera, it appears that officer chauvin's knee was more on mr. floyd's shoulder blade? >> yes. >> reporter: but the prosecution responding saying that was one specific mment when the ambulance had already arrived. the er doctor who pronounced george floyd dead also testified saying he believes the primary reason for floyd's cardiac arrest was lack of oxygen, not a heart attack or

drug overdose even though the powerful opioid fentanyl was found in floyd's system. >> was your leading theory then for the cause of mr. floyd's cardiac arrest oxygen deficiency? >> that was one of the more likely possibilities. >> and, doctor, is there another name for death by oxygen deficiency? >> asphyxia. >> reporter: next up this morning a court hearing for maurice hall, the man seen in the passenger seat of floyd russ's suv who allegedly sold floyd opioids. he's filed paperwork intending to plead the fifth. hall has filed a motion asking that he not be forced to testify. in florida, new pumps are increasing the amount of polluted water being drained from a reservoir south of tampa. more than 300 homes have been evacuated due to concerns that the reservoir could collapse and unleash a major flood. engineers say the extra pumps could drain 75 million gallons of wastewater a day

into tampa bay reducing pressure on the containment wall which has been leaking but there's growing concern about the impact the wastewater could have on marine life. more children coming down with covid prompting a warning about school activities in sports. this is the fourth consecutive week of rising infections. some icu nurses say things are getting worse and elizabeth schulze has the late. elizabeth, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, alex. health officials are warning that covid cases and hospitalizations are on the rise and this time around, the patients are very different. this morning, doctors are calling this a new phase of the pandemic with younger people fueling the rise in covid infections. cases are increasing in 19 states. and now the cdc says it's seeing an increase in transmission during youth sports practices and games. >> we are learning that many outbreaks are in young people

related to youth sports and extracurricular activities. >> reporter: hospitalizations are up by at least 10% in 16 states. the upper midwest seeing a 23% jump in the past week. doctors say the highly contagious variants of the virus are partly to blame. >> just in the last two weeks in minnesota we've had over 749 schools in our state where kids with b.1.1.7 or covid in general were actually found to be in school. and so what we're having happen right now is kind of a perfect storm. storm, bad bug, lots of opportunity for transmission. >> reporter: michigan has emerged as the new epicenter. more than one-third of cases are in people 20 to 39 years old. >> right now the state of michigan is far and away the most dangerous place to be if you're concerned about getting covid. >> reporter: an icu nurse near detroit says she's seeing more patients now than at any time during the pandemic. >> our age and our children's age and they are very sick. maybe this younger group is getting hit more because they

didn't get vaccinated. i don't know the answer. >> reporter: despite the warning signs, more states are dropping restrictions including indiana where the statewide mask mandate ends today. in arlington, texas, a sellout crowd of 40,000 fans packed the stands at the rangers home opener. and now some cruise lines are asking the cdc for permission to resume sailing in july vowing to require all passengers to be vaccinated. >> remember these ships are crowded and they're small enclosed places so they are notorious for getting all kinds of viruses. but if the capacity of the ship is reduced, the chances of getting an infection, especially if everybody is vaccinated, are very low. so this could be the way to go. >> reporter: there is new guidance when it comes to cleaning your home or office. the cdc says the risk of covid infection from surfaces is extremely low so in most cases simple soap will work to clean that surface instead of disinfectants. alex. >> elizabeth, thank you.

democratic senator joe manchin is rejecting president biden's proposed corporate tax hike designed to pay for his massive infrastructure plan. the president wants to raise the rate from 21% to 28% scaling back the trump tax cut. but manchin says he doesn't want the tax rate to go any higher than 25%. the white house says they're open to ideas. >> some will come forward with different ways to pay for the package, and some may have views it shouldn't be paid for at all so we fully expect that from senator manchin and other members and expect that to be part of the discussion moving forward. now, democrats will likely need support from every senate democrat to pass the infrastructure plan. the biden administration is also pushing for a minimum corporate tax rate around the world. treasury secretary janet yellen says the u.s. could work with other countries to set the minimum rate. breaking overnight, the baylor university bears have won their first march madness title. they built a lead, a big lead in the first half and and went on to spoil gonzaga's

bid for an undefeated season with a dominating 80-76 win. back in waco, texas, thousands of baylor students stormed onto the field of their football stadium to celebrate with no social distancing. the bears coach let his players take all the credit for the win. >> we've been really, really good and they're even better people. four weeks in the bubble, trust me, i'd tell you if they're not. >> baylor finished the season, 28-2. time now for a look at your tuesday weather. red flag fire warnings in place in southern california after a second straight day of brush fires. this one in the angeles national forest burned 60 acres. that was before being contained. no buildings damaged. severe storms are possible today in the middle of the country. kansas could see tornadoes along with hail and heavy snow in the rockies. up to 10 inches possible. checking today's high temperatures around 80 from chicago to the gulf of mexico.

60s in the northwest and 75 in the nation's capital. first it was toilet paper, now there's a new shortage in the wake of the pandemic. this time a food item. also ahead, the price is rising at the supermarket and a new prediction. but first a new battle in america's ongoing culture war over transgender youth. what the governor of arkansas has now decided.

back now with a new lava flow forcing hikers off a volcano in iceland. a crack up to 650 feet long sent molten rock flowing into a nearby valley.

iceland's government has now closed the area to public access. we turn now to a new battle in the culture war over transgender children. arkansas is set to become the first state to ban transgender kids from getting what's called gender affirming care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy but the governor is standing in the way. this morning arkansas is now at the center of a growing debate over medical care for transgender children. governor asa hutchinson has vetoed a bill that would provide doctors from providing hormone therapies to anyone under 18 even if they have a parent's consent. >> if house bill 1570 becomes law, then we are creating new standards of legislative interference with physicians and parents. >> reporter: the bill would make arkansas the first state to ban gender affirming treatment for trans youth. according to "the washington post," republican lawmakers in at least 17 other states have introduced similar bans. governor hutchinson a republican says he met with doctors and transgender people in his state before vetoing the legislation. >> in arkansas, gender

reassignment surgery is not performed on anyone under age 18. if house bill 1570 simply prohibited gender reassignment surgeries, then i would sign the bill. >> reporter: lgbtq rights activists call the bill discriminatory and say it would lead to more severe mental health problems for youth but the bill's sponsor says it's about protecting children before age 18. they say they're shocked the governor vetoed the bill. >> we're interfering in a process we don't need to be and we need to stand up and say, children first. >> the bill still expected to become law because state lawmakers have enough support to override the governor's veto. there's a new shortage being blamed on the pandemic and it's not toilet paper this time. it's ketchup. more restaurants' take-out orders during the lockdown have led to a run on the condiment packets. prices at the supermarket

are up, rising nearly 4% overall in the last year. that amounts to about $500 more per year for the average family. analysts predict prices will go higher this summer as gas prices increase transportation costs. coming up, a big decision by major league baseball amid the controversy over georgia's new voting law. but first a new twist in the search for a missing mother of three from california. want heal. your cat is all about the the flavor. tastefuls has it all...how do you think this is gonna go? (molly) we'll see if he likes the flavor of it. i really want him to eat well but he's just really picky. okay, he seems interested. i think he likes it. real tuna is the first ingredient... this is not something my food has right now. i have a new cat food...tastefuls. one taste is all it takes. this is what i have been looking for.

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wasn't wearing a mask. but spirit says it was the parents who were not complying. declined as a result. o was - now to the search for a missing california woman, the mother of three hasn't been seen since january. we're learning more about her troubled marriage. here's abc's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning, a family near san diego desperate for answers as a search for a missing mother of three intensifies. >> please, bring her home. her kids, they need -- they need their mom. >> reporter: 39-year-old maya millete went missing on january 7th. that same day according to her family she filed for divorce from her husband larry millete. an attorney for maya's family says he noticed warning signs before she went missing. >> all the windows were open. the fans were on full blast other than the fact that he was obviously airing the house out. >> reporter: the attorney billy little also saying a freezer had

gone missing from the garage which was later discovered at the home of larry's relative. and it appeared the lock on the couple's bedroom door had recently been repaired. >> there were holes in the walls and then there was a freshly repaired hole right next to the doorknob. >> reporter: larry acknowledges he and his wife had troubles but adding he has faced false allegations and blatant lies surrounding her disappearance. >> bring maya home. >> reporter: in the meantime, the family continues looking for answers organizing search parties, hanging flyers, even billboards desperate to find maya. >> we are thankful and grateful for everyone. >> reporter: chula vista police say leads are pouring in and they're aware of a reported murder-for-hire plot connected to the case. but they did not elaborate on the alleged plot. alex, mona. >> megan, thank you. major league baseball is relocating the all-star game to denver after pulling it from

atlanta to protest the new voting law. colorado has been at the forefront of voting by mail for years, a practice critics say will be limited by the georgia law. some fans of the atlanta braves angry about the league moving the all-star game are requesting season ticket refunds and in texas, the governor staged a protest by refusing to throw out the first pitch at the rangers game. coming up, the dog who interrupted the reporter on live tv. also ahead, the new hope for movie theaters across america. nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like:

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>> yes. go. kong. >> at one point monday stock in amc theatres rose 15%, a sign of renewed faith in the future of theaters. many americans are ready to return to the movies even with restrictions. one other headline about the film industry, a movie based on peeps candy is in the works. >> the animated film will reportedly follow a group of the marshmallow treats on a trip to pennsylvania where the sweets are produced. and next aaron rodgers on "jeopardy!" getting roasted. >> oh, the packers quarterback is guest hosting this week. a contestant decided to ask him about a bad call during a playoff game. take a listen. >> scott, did you come up with the correct response? who wanted to kick that field goal? [ laughter ] that is a great question.

it should be correct, but unfortunately for this game today that's incorrect, and you're going to lose zero. thank you for that. >> burn. that reference is to the packers' decision to kick a field goal in the championship game instead of going for a touchdown. >> ouch. well, next the federal government has a way to make extra cash, just build a better mask. >> the mask innovation challenge will give away $500,000 to inventors who can make a mask who will help with foggy glasses and maskne. >> check this out from this reporter. [ speaking foreign language ] >> martin, the golden retriever stole the mic during a live report from moscow, but the reporter got it back and had martin back as a guest. >> oh, if i had to tell the story again and it happened to me, i'd be like, okay, so the dog came at me and he was

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now at 5:00, a sign of improvement when it comes to the pandemic. the change expected soon to the state's reopening tiers. how can you trust that some vaccine cards are real? the cross-country effort to keep everyone honest. addressing learning loss. the campaign just addressed in oakland schools. march madness champions. the baylor bears are bringing home the trophy to texas for the first time ever. good morning to you on this tuesday, april 6th. >> yes, we are going to get a check on our forecast with mike nicco, who is back. welcome back, mike. >> thank you. nice to see you and frances and reggie this morning. we've got a great start out there as you can see on live doppler 7. those low clouds will return to the coast. we have a pretty strong onshore