right now on "america this morning," president biden's high-stakes summit with european leaders as the war rages in ukraine. the new deal being announced to help europe reduce its dependence on russian gas. the plan to help ukraine in case vladimir putin launches a chemical attack. what we're learning about this dramatic moment seen in verified video online when ukrainians say they blew up a russian warship. growing questions surrounding the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas and her role in trying to overturn the 2020 election. the text messages she sent to president trump's chief of staff now revealed. the new warnings about a looming food crisis. global shortages due to a lack of wheat, fertilizer and drought conditions. the impact on consumers here at

home. actor dave coulier, best known as uncle joey in "full house" opens up about his very personal struggle and why he posted this picture. some sweet upsets in the sweet 16. all the march madness. later, what doctors are learning about coffee. good friday morning, everyone. we begin with breaking news. president biden is in europe announcing a deal to help the europeans become less dependent on russian energy. >> it comes as the u.s. and its allies announce new sanctions against vladimir putin's government. president biden is calling for russia to be removed from the g20 alliance. in the war zone this morning, ukrainian forces are launching counterattacks against the russians that could change the course of this war. a staggering new number. more than 4 million ukrainian children have been forced from their homes.

that's more than half of all the kids in ukraine. we begin with the latest on president biden's high-stakes summit in europe. before taking off for poland president biden is announcing a plan aimed at helping europe become less reliant on russian oil by sending the europeans more natural gas from the u.s. >> we're going to stand up with a joint task force to implement these changes and drive progress that will be co-chaired with representatives of the house and the president of the european's team, the commission team. it will put us on much stronger footing. >> thursday president biden did not announce any new military shipments of tanks or planes to ukraine. he insisted equipment is flowing into the country. he announced another $1 billion in humanitarian aid for food, shelter and medical supplies. he said the u.s. would respond if vladimir putin uses chemical weapons. >> we would respond. we would respond if he uses it.

the nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use. >> the white house is looking to send chemical detection systems to ukraine. president zelenskyy accuses russia of using fosse to russ bombs. they send a powder into the air. as biden lands in poland this morning, nato forces are conducting military exercises along the polish border with belarus. abc's martha raddatz is there. >> reporter: the troops here are from poland, romania, the uk and croatia and leading the way, the americans. back in ukraine, russia may be edging closer to controlling the key port city of mariupol. dramatic new video on russian state tv shows russian forces firing rocket launchers in the streets. in kharkiv this unexploded rocket landed on the street. the mayor said at the time people were lining up for food and six were killed.

ukraine's navy claiming a victory saying it destroyed this russian warship. verified video circulating online shows the massive fire. days earlier russian tv channels showed the ship arriving on the ukrainian coast to transport military vehicles. the former u.s. ambassador to ukraine offering this assessment of vladimir putin's war so far. >> he's losing on the ground. his economy is headed for tatters. his people are angry at their sons and daughters and fathers and sons coming back dead. president putin has a big problem on his hands. he can -- at that point, when he realizes that, he can turn to negotiations. he's not there yet. >> president biden says he hopes to meet with ukrainian refugees in poland. he promised the u.s. will take 100,000 refugees. new charges this morning in connection with alleged cyberattacks being planned by russia. the justice is charging four russian government employees with hacking schemes that targeted critical infrastructure in dozens of

countries in recent years. officials are offering $10 million in reward money for information leading to those suspects. in north korea new images of kim jong-un celebrating his first long-range missile launch in four years. the so-called monster missile landed just 100 miles from japan and is capable of reaching the east coast of the united states. military experts say the u.s. should consider imposing tougher sanctions on north korea to send kim jong-un a clear warning to stop his escalations. >> everyone thinks north korea has been under tough sanctions for a long time. the sanctions that north korea is under today pale in comparison to what the international community has done in short order to russia. we should look very hard at that. >> analysts say the test is a major escalation aimed at cementing north korea's status as a nuclear power. let's turn to washington and questions surrounding the wife of supreme court justice

clarence thomas. new text messages show virginia thomas was pushing the trump white house to overturn the 2020 election results. abc's alex presha is here with the very latest. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, pand. those text messages show that mrs. thomas was cheering on former president trump as he vowed to overturn the election and take his fight to the supreme court. this morning newly released next messages from the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas show she urged president trump's chief of staff to reverse the results of the 2020 election. the house committee investigating the january 6th riot is examining the messages between virginia thomas and former white house chief of staff mark meadows. she wrote to meadows help this great president stand firm, mark. biden and the left are attempting the greatest heist of our history. thomas told meadows trump should not concede. in another message, meadows wrote the fight continues. i have staked my career on it.

thomas replied, thank you. needed that. this, plus a conversation with my best friend just now. i'll try to keep holding on. it's unclear to whom thomas was referring to when she wrote best friend. >> we'll walk down to the capitol. >> reporter: the text messages were sent as former president trump was promising to take his efforts to overturn the election all the way to the supreme court. virginia thomas didn't respond to requests for comment. in a recent interview she said clarence doesn't discuss his work with me and i don't involve him with my work. justice thomas' office did not respond to questions from abc news as to whether he was aware of his wife's messages to the white house. virginia thomas said she attended the rally before the riot but, quote, got cold feet and left early. she has condemned the violence that happened that day. andrew? >> alex, thank you. former president trump is suing hillary clinton and other democrats accusing them of trying to rig the 2016 election.

trump's complaint alleges racketeering as part of a conspiracy to upend his campaign by falsely linking him to russia. falsely linking him to russia. trump saying he had to spend $24 million to debunk their claims. new details about the deadly car crash in oklahoma. six high school girls in a car designed to hold four people were killed when their chevy was hit by a truck. witnesses say the car rolled through a stop sign before they were hit. the truck driver was not hurt. the six girls range in age from 15 to 17. a close call on this highway in kansas. a state trooper was trying to help a stranded driver when he had to dive off the side of the road to avoid a speeding truck. the trooper was honored for his dedication for helping others. >> close call there. time for a look at your friday weather. new video of the aftermath of two tornados in south carolina, the strongest packing winds up

to 155 miles an hour. see the devastation there. tuesday's twister in new orleans was the strongest ever in that city with winds of 160 miles an hour. one person was killed in the storms. on today's radar a cold front brings rain and snow showers to the midwest and great lakes. it's clear in most other areas. today's high temperatures warm across the southwest and mild along the east coast. coming up, new warnings about a global food crisis and the impact on grocery prices here. first, we're learning about this fire erupting inside an nfl stadium. later, a blind high school basketball player makes the shot of her life.

back now with seats erupting in flames at the home of the denver broncos, nearly an entire section of plastic seats were burning. the fire started in a construction zone. the exact cause is under investigation. fortunately, no one was hurt. more drivers are getting a break at the pump. connecticut is the latest state to suspend its gas tax. the governor approving the plan yesterday, saying drivers will save 25 cents a gallon. maryland and georgia have paused their gas taxes, while california is considering a $400 rebate for car owners. now to another big concern for shoppers. food prices. experts are warning that we're on the verge of a global food crisis. abc's andrea fujii explains why and what can be done about it. >> reporter: this morning, the u.s. and the world bracing for food shortages as the war in ukraine rages on. president biden speaking to nato leaders in brussels thursday said because of sanctions on russia, food shortages are

coming. >> the price of the sanctions is not just imposed upon russia. it's imposed an awful lot of countries as well, including european countries and our country as well. >> reporter: the u.s., canada and europe are major wheat producers, but ukraine and russia produced about 1/3 of the world supply. and less food means higher prices on top of already high inflation rates. groceries are already 8% more expensive than they were last year. and those expenses are not just hurti iing consumers, but food banks like this one in boston. >> we used to be able to buy chickens for 80 cents a pound, somewhere in there. now it's $1.50 a pound. that limits our ability to buy more food and distribute more food to the agencies. >> reporter: in tennessee, the governor is pitching a plan to provide relief to shoppers by suspending the sales tax on groceries for one month. >> let tennesseeans keep some of that hard earned money and do so by suspending the grocery tax for a time.

>> reporter: the u.s. is producing less wheat than it used to. about 44 million tons were harvested last season compared to 50 million three years ago. to help avert a potential worsening crisis, president biden is urging european leaders to end trade limits on shipping food abroad. >> we're in the process of working out with our european friends what it would take to help alleviate the concerns relative to food shortages. >> reporter: as to why the u.s. is producing less wheat, factors include the drought and farmers switching to more profitable crops. mona, andrew? >> andrea, thank you. coming up, big moments overnight from march madness, including the big upset. but first, he is best known as uncle joey from "full house." but now dave coulier is opening up about a very personal struggle. dad, we got this.

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and at that point, i realized wow, i need to fix this. >> you weren't looking at your drinking habits as those of an addict? >> no, i was not. and that was part of the problem was it was hey, let's have fun. and it was very thinly disguised as let's have a great time. but i didn't realize the physical and psychological effects it was having on me. >> later on "good morning america," he explains how he was able to stop drinking, and what was crucial for his healing process. we turn now to a center of survival that few people expected. a rare transplant has saved a man with terminal cancer, and now he is looking forward to years of healthy living. walking out of the hospital is something albert curry was once told he'd never do. just a few months ago, the 54-year-old stage 4 lung cancer patient was days away from death. >> they told me i had couple of weeks. they offered me hospice. >> reporter: medical treatments had been exhausted for curry, a nonsmoker who developed lung

cancer at the beginning of the pandemic. >> literal i will, he was drowning with cancer cells inside his lungs. >> reporter: after performing difficult lung transplants on covid patient, doctors at northwestern medicine in chicago thought to use the same principles on curry, and he became the hospital's first hospital patient to receive a double lung transplant. >> in the surgery he we had to be extremely meticulous not to let the trillions of cancer cells floating in his old lungs to spill into the bloodstream or into the chest cavity. >> reporter: the rare surgery that has been performed only a couple of times elsewhere was a success. >> i woke up again. they told me you got new lungs. you're cancer-free. i was shaking my head. no way. >> reporter: doctors say curry was a good transplant candidate because his cancer had not spread beyond his lungs. he advises other terminal lung cancer patients to stay strong and not give up. >> i'm 54. i got to go enjoy life now. this is the biggest chance i have. >> today marks six months since

the surgery. and because of his successful outcome, northwestern is developing new protocols for lung cancer patients. in sports, coach k has earned another day as march madness resumes. he and his blue devils beat texas tech 78-73 last night, earning his 17th trip to the elite eight. two big upsets last night. houston knocked off arizona. e biggest shocker of thel numbe o overall seed and number one rank team in the country gonzaga was sent home. the bulldogs lost to arkansas, 74-68. the razorbacks will play duke saturday. coming up, a new way to save big money on an iphone. also ahead, what doctors are learning about coffee

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♪ time to check "the pulse." we begin with news about your morning coffee. >> researchers found evidence coffee lowers your risk of heart disease and other ailments. the benefits hold true for people who already have heart disease. >> scientists say two to three cups of coffee per day have proven heart benefits. the last that he said no more than six. >> what does that mean for espresso? >> that definitely gets your heart going. next, forget about coffee. what about soda with breakfast? >> it's not the worst combo. pepsi is teaming up with ihop to bring you maple syrup cola. 2,000 people will win some by posting a photo of pancakes using #showusyourstack. >> we don't hate it.

i could see how the two would compliment each other. i would love to see the nutritional information. next, a new way to get a new iphone. apple could be offering subscription plans. >> you could rent the phone instead of buying it. people reluctant to pay sky high prices could upgrade and spread out the payment. >> no word on what a subscription might cost. bloomberg reporting apple could unveil the plan this year. a heart warming moment on the basketball court. >> watch as jules, who i takes the shot. the crowd goes silent so she can hear the hoop. the 17-year-old said she's proud of herself.

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death prompts a call for change. but his grief stricken family is asking >> for. >>the new push to solve homelessness in two communities. >> how about easing into the weekend with a cold one. it is pliny the younger release day. >> hollywood getting ready for the oscar party. experts -- tips from the experts on how to prove -- on how to throw yours. >> we made it to friday with some friends with us here. good morning. >> let us get a check of the forecast. drew: windshield wipers this morning, especially in the city. we have a drizzle. the marine layer is fully intact , giving us issues in the north bay. visibility down to two or three miles and elsewhere we are doing ok. with the marine layer, numbers are basically in the 40's. 47 in the city without drizzle.

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