right now on "america this morning," prices at the pump. president biden taps into the nation's oil reserves, an unprecedented move to control gas prices. so when will drivers notice a difference, and why are some experts calling the move risky? we look at both sides of the issue. plus, the other big economic issue this morning. is the u.s. on the verge of a housing market meltdown? the new warning. breaking news from the war in ukraine. reports that ukrainians have launched an air strike across the border into russia. details just coming in and the new claim about how vladimir putin is punishing his military advisers. abc news exclusive. the producer of the oscars speaking out. what he's revealing about the moments after will smith assaulted chris rock at the oscars and new details on why

will smith got to stay in his seat. plus, a tragic end to the search for a teenager allegedly kidnapped from a walmart parking lot. what police are now revealing. redefining preowed as more americans struggle to find an affordable new car, what one automaker is doing to help. and later, an alligator shows up in a very unlikely location. good friday morning, everyone. we begin with gas prices. president biden says they're about to start dropping. >> he's tapping into the nation's stockpile of oil reserves, but this morning critics are slamming the move claiming it will have little impact and could even cause long-term damage. >> abc's em nguyen explains both sides of the debate. she is live in washington with more. em, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, mona. president biden is making it clear why he thinks gas prices are so low.

the question is, when will americans see relief at the pump. >> putin's war. putin's action. putin's price hike. >> reporter: president biden mentioned vladimir putin nearly a dozen times in his 14-minute speech thursday as he announced he's releasing oil from the strategic petroleum preserve, 1 million barrels per day for the next six months. >> the bottom line is if we want lower gas prices, we need to have more oil supply right now. >> reporter: experts say gas prices currently averaging $4.23 per gallon nationwide could begin dropping within three days but perhaps not as much as americans would like. >> analysts warn that prices might not get much farther below $4 a gallon, that this measure was really intended and will really help to keep prices from getting to that $5 a gallon level. >> reporter: in the meantime, critics worry biden's move could leave the u.s. vulnerable in the future because the reserve stockpile will soon drop to 338 million barrels, the lowest level since 1984.

republicans say instead biden should be boosting u.s. energy production. senator steve daines of montana says tapping into the reserves is a band-aid on a bullet wound and senate minority leader mitch mcconnell calls the move a drop in the bucket. >> i think the administration's anti-fossil fuel views are sort of like a religion. until that policy changes, we're going to have a problem and, you know, things like being opened up for a million barrels is a drop in the bucket. >> reporter: president biden is also going after oil companies, accusing them of allowing 9,000 approved drilling permits to go unused. he's calling on congress to pass a use it or lose it policy that would force oil companies to pay fees on unused leases. the american petroleum institute

already firing back saying the administration once again has a fundamental misunderstanding of how leases work. >> when you buy a federal lease, you have a ten-year contract with the government. it is an option, not an obligation, to drill a well. you apply for a permit and get a permit. you drill a well. you're producing, you get to keep the lease, otherwise, you have to give it back to the federal government, which is say you lose it within that contract period anyway. >> reporter: the white house says it does have a plan to replenish the nation's oil reserves. it says it will use revenue from oil sales to restock the reserves when prices are low. mona. >> em, thank you. prices have also been rising in the real estate market, and now financial experts are warning of a possible housing bubble. the median listing price for a home in the u.s. has jumped to a record $405,000. officials at the federal reserve bank of dallas say home prices are rising much faster than they should, up 27% in two years. they fear the market could reach a tipping point like the bubble of the early 2000s.

authorities in greenville, south carolina, say a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed at his middle school, and the suspect is another 12-year-old. police swarmed the scene just minutes after the gunfire was reported. they say they found the shooter about an hour later hiding under the deck of a nearby home still armed. no word on a motive but officials say the boys knew each other. we're following a major development from the war in ukraine. an urgent evacuation of people from a city described as a hellscape. people have been waiting four hours in line just for bread. they've had no running water and very little hope until now. today in ukraine, russia claims a humanitarian corridor will open from the besieged city of electricity for weeks.mated russian forces have also handed back control of the chernobyl nuclear plant after holding the site since february. according to unconfirmed

reports, russian troops may have suffered radiation sickness after digging trenches in contaminated areas. in other areas of ukraine intense fighting rages on. multiple missiles hit the capital of kyiv thursday. one striking while abc's james longman was on the air. >> we just heard an enormous explosion here towards the north of where we're standing. you can see there a deep dark smoke rising into the sky. now, we're not sure what's been hit. >> reporter: in the country's second largest city kharkiv this verified video shows a fire burning after strikes reported in the area. but with russia suffering so many setbacks, president biden says vladimir putin may have placed some of his advisers under house arrest. >> i'm not saying this with a certainty. he seems to be self-isolating, and there's some indication that he has fired or put under house arrest some of his advisers. >> reporter: meanwhile, more people fleeing ukraine are turning up on america's southern border.

more than 600 are waiting at this holding area in tijuana, mexico, hoping to cross the border. this woman and her kids drawing ukrainian flags. they've been waiting since tuesday to enter the u.s. >> how hard has this been on you? [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: "emotionally, it was hard. oh, we haven't been bathing. it's a very hard situation." a difficult situation, indeed. meanwhile, today russia claims ukrainian forces have attacked a fuel depot across the border inside russia. if confirmed it would be the first sump attack in russia since the war started. former president trump's son-in-law jared kushner appeared before the january 6th committee for more than six hours thursday. a member of the committee describes the interview as helpful and valuable. kushner was traveling from overseas during the capitol riot and did not visit the white house after he landed. the committee also wants to hear from his wife ivanka trump who was at the white house with her

father as the attack unfolded. former vice president mike pence has unveiled what he calls his freedom agenda for republicans in the midterm elections and for his possible white house run in 2024. he is focusing on traditional republican goals like cutting taxes and hot button issues like doing away with planned parenthood. the grief stricken family of a 18-year-old nevada woman who went missing nearly three weeks ago is speaking out after her body was found. police now confirmed that naomi irion was murdered after allegedly being abducted from a walmart parking lot around 5:00 a.m. while waiting for a ride to work. a man was seen approaching naomi's car before driving off with her. police found her body in a remote area of east of reno. >> my husband is like, please don't beat around the bush. just tell us. and they just told us, and it was -- it was the worst thing in my life. >> reporter: 41-year-old troy

driver was arrested last week on a kidnapping charge. he's due back in court next week. police have not yet released the cause of irion's death. there's storm damage up and down the east coast this morning after a deadly storm system that made its way across the country. powerful winds damaged a building in durham, north carolina. pfizer employees were inside. but no injuries were reported. storms near washington, d.c. also left thousands without power and a suspected tornado is blamed for two deaths in the florida panhandle. meanwhile, a wildfire in eastern tennessee has forced the evacuation of about 10,000 homes. the fire has already damaged or destroyed at least 100 buildings. officials say it's about half contained. so far no injuries. with that let's take a look at your friday weather forecast. good morning. after another day and night of severe weather thursday into thursday night you see all these storm reports, we're finally going to quiet things down, folks. we've had wind damage, we've had hail and flooding but look at your forecast for friday across

the southeast, whether in the carolinas, virginia, all the way down to the gulf coast, the weather looks beautiful. sunny and comfortably cool. there will be thunderstorms though in florida. also this weekend storms in florida, warm in the south and the weekend shows some rain and snow showers in the north. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin coskren. and coming up, a major recall affecting a popular brand of peanut butter. also ahead, the abc news exclusive, what the producer of the oscars is now revealing about the moments after will smith slapped chris rock. and later, a sticky punishment for the man behind the great canadian maple syrup heist.

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back now with a consumer alert about skippy peanut

butter. 81 tons of the peanut butter are being recalled because they could contain fragments of stainless steel. the containers have use by dates of early may 2023. they were sold in 18 states. the full list is on our website. in washington, the house has passed a bill to limit the cost of insulin to $35 per month. the bill would significantly reduce expenses for millions of americans with diabetes. the measure now heads to the senate for approval. now to an abc news exclusive. we are learning more about the moments after will smith assaulted chris rock at the oscars. the producer of the show is speaking out. this morning oscars producer will packer who led the show's first all-black production, speaking exclusively to abc news, describing what happened behind the scenes in the moments after will smith slapped chris rock. packer tells abc's t.j. holmes the l.a.p.d. came to his office and spoke with rock. >> they were saying, you know, this is battery was the word they used in that moment.

they said, we will go get him. we are prepared. we're prepared to get him right now. you can press charges. we can arrest him. they were laying out the options. and as they were talking, chris was -- he was being very dismissive of those options. he was like, no, i'm fine. he was like, no, no, no. and even to the point where i said, rock, let them finish. the l.a.p.d. officers finished laying out what his options were, and they said, you know, would you like us to take any action? and he said, no. he said, no. >> reporter: packer said he like so many others thought the slap was part of a planned skit. he did not speak to will on the night of the oscars. the academy of motion pictures arts and sciences this week was asked to leave the ceremony and refused. but variety reports people with knowledge of the incident say, while some academy members expressed that they wanted smith removed, the actor was never

formally or explicitly asked to leave. one source says academy president david ruben and c.e.o. donna hudson asked for smith to leave the show through an on-site representative. variety also reports ruben and hudson met with will smith via zoom on tuesday to discuss the assault and smith again apologized and expressed awareness that there would be consequences for his actions. that could include expulsion from the academy or other sanctions. also according to variety. one witness said after the slap and after will packer had spoken to chris rock, packer wanted chris to stay the rest of the show. packer will address that later on "good morning america." coming up, a show of support for bruce willis after news of his brain disorder. also ahead, how law also ahead, how law enforcement officials are taking right now, every day seems to get more and more expensive. that's why walmart has every day low prices. so you can trust we're helping you save money on everything you buy. because every day, meals get made.

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given to adults through age 45 that can help protect against certain diseases caused by hpv. including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, and certain head and neck cancers, such as throat and back of mouth cancers, and genital warts. gardasil 9 doesn't protect everyone and does not treat cancer or hpv infection. your doctor may recommend screening for certain hpv-related cancers. women still need routine cervical cancer screenings. you shouldn't get gardasil 9 if you've had an allergic reaction to the vaccine, its ingredients, or are allergic to yeast. tell your doctor if you have a weakened immune system, are pregnant, or plan to be. the most common side effects include injection site reactions, headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sore throat. fainting can also happen. help protect what counts. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about gardasil 9. back now with the coast guard showing a major haul of illegal drugs worth more than $200 million. they recovered 11,000 pounds of cocaine and two tons of

marijuana off the coast of san diego. actor bruce willis's daughters say they are in shock at the amount of support they received for their dad after they revealed he's suffering from the brain disorder aphasia. scott willis says the family is overwhelmed by people reaching out. she describes the last few days as surreal. she said, i truly never could have anticipated the depth and breadth of the love we've received as a family, how much love, energy and prayers humbling me. we turn to a new safety push on social media. law enforcement officials from across the country are calling on two of the most popular apps to do more to protect kids by giving parents more control. here's abc's andrea fujii >>. >> reporter: 23 states and washington, d.c. are asking tiktok and snapchat to beef up their security to keep kids safe, saying in a new letter, your companies are not taking appropriate steps to allow parents to protect their kids. they acknowledge tiktok and snapchat do provide some

protections, just not enough, claiming some of your internal parental control settings can be changed or bypassed. back in february, tiktok said it would take new steps to enforce limits on what young people could see on the platform, including information about eating disorders, violence, suicide, and sexual exploitation. >> it is very important for social media platforms to continually reevaluate their community guidelines because life is ever changing. threats are ever changing. >> reporter: the attorneys general are now pushing tiktok and snapchat to conform with what they describe as industry practices, and collaborate with parental control apps, which they say would allow parents to limit communication to a certain network of people, monitor private messages, and provide alerts to messages that can be dangerous. just last month, instagram implemented new safeguards for parents to monitor teens' activity, including time limits and notifications on what kids share and follow. >> it's really important for us to be proactive, to know what

our kids are experiencing, what kind of information is being thrown at them, what kind of information they are putting out in the world because sometimes they don't make the right choices and it's our job to help them make the right choice. >> reporter: there's no indication yet that snapchat or tiktok have responded to that letter from the attorneys general. mona, andrew? >> andrea, thank you. the mastermind of a decade old maple syrup heist in canada has run out of legal options. he was convicted of stealing $18 million worth of syrup from the canadian government's syrup reserve. part of his sentence was a $9 million fine which was reed deuced to $1 million on appeal. canada supreme court has reinstated the $9 million penalty. he has a decade to pay. well, coming up why ikea is paying for old furniture. also ahead, an alligator shows up in a very unlikely place. (johnny cash) ♪ i've traveled every road in this here land! ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪

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hello? hello? well, it's time to check the pulse. the weather man paused his live report to play dad. >> doug kammerer saw a tornado heading to his house. he called his kids and told them to get in the basement. >> get down there. get down in the bedroom down there and just kind of wait for ten minutes, okay? do it now. thanks, buddy. all right, so, that was just, you know, got to warn my kids because i know what my kids are doing right now. they're probably online gaming and not seeing this. >> oh, my gosh. doug said his kids were home alone. he retweeted they are all safe. >> dad first, meteorologist second. >> exactly. ikea is offering to pay you for your old furniture. >> the company is making its buyback program permanent in 37

states after a test run last summer. customers can now return certain gently used ikea products and they will resell them at a discount. part of an effort to promote sustainable living. predefining a pre-owned car. they are expanding the program for pre-owned vehicles. >> ten years old can be certified preowned. that means they've undergone a rigorous inspection. it has been reserved for newer cars with low mileage, but with prices skyrocketing, this is a new option. and next, a squatter found inside a brand-new home in florida. >> it was an alligator found roaming the house just as the family was about to move in. three experts had to wrangle the 12-foot gator out of the bedroom. he just wanted to welcome them to the neighborhood. >> it was only a matter of time before houses started coming with gators. all right. finally another step toward normalcy after the pandemic. >> you'll soon be able to hug mickey mouse again. mickey mouse again. our parent company says meet and

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reggie: driving down gas prices. kumasi: a crime that crippled traffic, a carjacking on the bay bridge. the victim sharing his story with abc7. reggie: the mess that plagued drivers for years is finally over, but at what price? kumasi: the oscars producer opening up about the slap, an exclusive interview. reggie:reggie: good morning, it is friday, april 1. rent is due. kumasi: [laughter] it is ok today, it is due. reggie: no joke. julian:. we have a nice-looking day. a a lot of sunshine. the cloudless eastern pacific here. that is high-pressure that will build in. we will see clouds