right now on "america this morning," covid comes to washington, from house speaker to nancy pelosi to two u.s. senators, more government officials test positive. pelosi's interactions with president biden now in the spotlight. what the white house is saying as the ba.2 variant fuels a rise in cases and the new court ruling on a federal vaccine mandate. new radio intercepts from the war in ukraine. what russian troops could reportedly be heard saying and why ukraine says a looming attack from russia will remind us all of world war ii. plus, for the first time since nearly losing his life in ukraine, a reporter describes losing half his leg, but he's still smiling from his hospital bed. a new twist in the scandal at the secret service. several agents including one on the first lady's protection detail allegedly duped by two men pretending to be federal

officers. what we're learning about the suspects and their alleged ties to pakistan. a shocking crash on the runway. this jet split in half. the man accused of shooting lady gaga's dog-walker is mistakenly released from jail. and from a bear that escaped from this suv through the windshield to some tourists who could not escape as a great white shark came crashing into their cage, it's friday, april 8th. good friday morning, everyone. we begin with a wave of covid infections hitting the highest level of the federal government. >> it's raising questions about the safety of large events including those recently attended by president biden. it comes as these 21 states report a substantial uptick in covid cases. the omicron subvariant ba.2 now the dominant strain. >> and now a court is weighing in on president biden's controversial covid vaccine

mandate. abc's andrea fujii has the latest details. >> reporter: this morning with covid infections on the rise, a federal appeals court has now upheld president biden's requirement that all federal employees be vaccinated. a lower court had issued an injunction on the initial requirement back in september. it comes as a wave of covid cases hits washington. house speaker nancy pelosi testing positive one day after she was with president biden speaking with him unmasked, but the white house says due to the brief encounter, this is not deemed a close contact as defined by the cdc. >> well, he is tested regularly. as you know, he was tested yesterday. he will be tested again soon. >> reporter: at least nine members of the house have tested positive in the last week along with two senators, susan collins and raphael warnock, both seen thursday voting for judge ketanji brown jackson's supreme court nomination. collins attended washington's

gridiron club last saturday. dozens of people at that event have now tested positive including attorney general merrick garland. this morning 11 states and washington, d.c. are seen seeing significant upticks in covid hospital admissions. the more contagious omicron subvariant ba.2 is the likely cause. >> i think the ba.2 wave is serious. it's going to really test us in the coming weeks. >> reporter: experts are urging people to get their booster shots for protection. >> if you're eligible, if you're over 50, if you're at risk, i would get vaccinated now, get boosted again. >> reporter: new york city already seeing the effects of rising cases with broadway shows canceling performances due to stars including sarah jessica parkermatthew broderick and daniel craig testing positive. city health officials now recommending people wear masks indoors again. the good news is overall cases remain low with high levels of immunity across the country and warmer weather should help slow the spread. there's also no indication that ba.2 causes more severe illness.

mona, andrew. >> andrea, thank you. now to the war in ukraine, a new radio intercept shedding light on russian soldiers and their potential war crimes. meanwhile, there is breaking news, more than 30 people have reportedly been killed in a rocket attack on a train station in eastern ukraine today. these images are circulating online and have been verified by abc news. the attack came as local civilians were evacuating the area. local reports say more than 100 people are injured. abc's alex presha joins us with the new intelligence from the war zone. alex. >> reporter: russian troops discussing the indiscriminate killing of civilians. "the washington post" reports in two separate communications soldiers described questioning ukrainian soldiers and then shooting them. the recordings are not linked to a specific location in ukraine but the civilian death toll is rising in towns near kyiv retaken by ukrainian forces. officials say hundreds of people

have been found dead in bucha. and last night ukrainian president zelenskyy said the situation is much worse in neighboring borodyanka where investigators say they found 26 bodies buried in the rubble on thursday. zelenskyy also accuses russia of using hunger as a weapon by blocking food supplies. after failing to take kyiv, the pentagon believes russian forces are now regrouping focusing on capturing a region of eastern ukraine known as the donbas. ukrainian officials warned the impending attack could look like world war ii. >> i regret to say it but this is true, the battle for donbas will remind you of second world war with large operations, maneuvers, involvement of thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, planes, artillery. >> reporter: and now ukrainian officials are vowing to investigate a video that has emerged purportedly showing ukrainian fighters shooting to death a captive russian soldier. it's not clear if the fighters

are official ukrainian military. meanwhile, this morning a fox news correspondent injured last month in a blast near kyiv shared an update on his condition. benjamin hall seen smiling from his hospital bed tweeted that he lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other. one hand is being put together. one eye is no longer working and my hearing is pretty blown, but all in all i feel pretty damn lucky to be here. now, hall gave credit to the people who have taken care of him saying the people who got me here are amazing. mona. >> alex, thank you for that update. the suspect in a deadly terror attack in tel aviv has been killed in a shootout with police. hundreds of officers joined the manhunt after they say the palestinian gunman opened fire at a crowded bar killing two people and injuring ten others. it's the fourth deadly rampage in israel in less than a month. isis claimed responsibility for at least one attack. president biden is hosting a white house event today to celebrate the historic confirmation of ketanji brown jackson to the supreme court.

three republicans joined democrats and independents voting to send jackson to the high court. cheers erupted inside the chamber while judge jackson watched the vote with president biden. >> all right! okay. >> hear that emotional moment. jackson will become the first black woman on the court. she'll assume her position this summer after justice stephen breyer steps down. jackson clerked for breyer back in 1999. a new twist in a growing scandal. two men accused of pretending to be federal officers and duping secret service agents face a hearing today to determine if they'll be held in custody and we're now learning of their alleged ties to pakistan. here's abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: growing national security concerns after the arrest of two men for allegedly impersonating federal homeland security agents and the suspension of four secret service agents after accusations

they accepted extravagant gifts and housing from the men including an agent assigned to protect the first family. investigators say arian taherzadeh and haider ali operated out of this d.c. apartment building. federal prosecutors today reporting a search of their residences and cars uncovered weapons, ammunition, body armor, gas masks, a drone and a binder with a list of every resident in the apartment complex. the government says haider ali claimed to have a connection to the isi, the pakistani intelligence service and that agents found visas showing a history of travel to pakistan and iran. for more than two years, the men allegedly lavished the secret service agents with expensive gifts like free apartments worth $3,000 a month, iphones, a flat screen tv, surveillance systems and a drone.

taherzadeh is accused of offering to buy a $2,000 assault rifle for a member of the first lady's protective detail. the suspects allegedly posed as special police agents and were equipped with tactical gear, official looking badges and weapons. >> what's more concerning to me is where did these individuals obtain all this gear, identification, where did they get all this stuff to be able to create this false persona? >> reporter: motive remains the big mystery. this was clearly well funded despite the fact the men said they couldn't afford an attorney. one saying that he had no money. so we don't know yet whether someone else or some other country was behind this, nor do we know what they may have been after. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >> all right, still more questions. thanks, martha. turning to the weather, a georgia family is describing how they survived after their home was hit by a tornado. the twister packing winds up to

165 miles per hour roared through their neighborhood near savannah. the family says the home came off its foundation and flipped over three times. >> we felt the home lift up and my wife started screaming, we're flipping, we're flipping. we all walked out with bumps, bruises. i had messed up my shoulder pretty bad, but it's okay and other than that we were blessed. >> unfortunately, their 66-year-old neighbor was killed in the storm. more than 40 tornadoes have been confirmed this week from texas to south carolina. and with that it's time to look at your friday forecast. plumes of smoke are rising in oklahoma as several large wildfires burn, drought conditions and high winds are fueling the flames. so far no major damage is reported. on the radar this morning snow around the great lakes with rain elsewhere in the midwest and a new storm system moves into the pacific northwest with rain and snow. checking today's high temperatures, one more day of possible record highs in california before some relief

this weekend. meanwhile, unseasonably chilly across the midwest. coming up, the man accused of shooting lady gaga's dog-walker is accidentally released from jail. but first the dramatic crash off a runway splitting a cargo jet in half. and a carjacker steals a car with a boy all alone still inside. how his mother turned to technology to get her son back.

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back now with the dhl cargo plane suffering a hard landing at this airport in costa rica. the pilot had radioed ahead warning of a possible failure with the hydraulic system.

so emergency crews were ready. they pulled the two-man crew to safety. an oklahoma woman who went inside while her car was warming up returned to find two men driving off with it. so she did the unthinkable. she through herself on to the hood of the war trying to stop them. she hung on until they slammed on the brake, throwing her on to the street. police later found the car, but the two men got away. now to another dramatic moment on the road. this time a carjacking with a young boy alone in the car. but his mother did not panic. she turned to technology to get her son back. this body camera video shows police officers in atlanta chasing down a man accused of carjacking a vehicle with a 9-year-old boy still inside. >> and the car itself gordon. >> reporter: the boy's mother said she pulled into a parking lot, leaving her keys and her son inside. the suspect then jumped in and drove off. >> check the area south gordon. >> reporter: but the boy's mother was able to watch their

every move because she was tracking her son's smartphone, equipped with a find my iphone gps feature. police quickly caught up with the car, arresting the suspect and rescuing her son. >> you did a good job. >> excuse me. >> you okay? >> yes. >> reporter: experts say the number of carjackings involving children is increasing nationwide. but more of those incidents are ending with the children safe thanks to technology. >> we are using technology in a way to bring home children faster than ever before. we're all interconnected. we all have these devices in our pockets. >> reporter: the rescues are adding fuel to the debate among parents about whether to track their kids with a phone or device. today the average age of kids getting their first phone is 10 years old. >> they're pretty savvy at that point already because they've been on mom and dad's phone or brother and sister's tablet. it's really up to any parent to make that decision whether they think their child should have a device on them that could help track their location. >> and another tip from experts. give an old phone to your child,

even if there is no data plan attached. the phone can still dial 911. coming up, what to expect as the motion picture academy meets today discussing a punishment for will smith. also ahead, could tiger woods really win the masters? what the oddsmakers are saying now. if you have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure you're a target for chronic kidney disease. you can already have it and not know it. if you have chronic kidney disease your kidney health could depend on what you do today. ♪far-xi-ga♪ farxiga is a pill that works in the kidneys to help slow the progression of chronic kidney disease. farxiga can cause serious side effects including dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections in women and men, and low blood sugar. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may lead to death. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection,

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enjoy the go with charmin. the motion picture academy board is meeting today to decide whether to punish will smith. the punishments include banning him from attending the oscars again. observers say it is unlikely is. >>he been ls of discussionell rst off, that's not happening. there are very few options the academy has for any punishment for will smith. >> smith has already arest signed from the academy. in a search is under way for a man in los angeles accused of shooting lady gaga's dogwalker last year after he was released

from jail by mistake. booking records show all the charges against the suspect were dismissed by mistake. it's unclear how it happened. the singer's dogwalker had taken her french bulldogs out last year when two men attacked him and stole two of the dogs, which were later returned. we turn to tiger woods already beating expectations at the masters. 90 men played round one yesterday. 18 finished the day under par. tiger was one of them. >> tiger woods! >> reporter: a familiar feeling is back at the masters. tiger woods finishing his first round thursday only four strokes off the lead. saying he is right where he needs to be heading into round 2 today. >> i was able to make few putts and end up in the red like i am now. >> reporter: woods' return comes just 14 months after the car crash that shattered his right leg. doctors inserted screws, pins and a metal rod, many wondered whether he would ever walk again, let alone play golf.

>> you have to stop and marvel at this. you have to stop and say oh my goodness, what did we just see? this was absolutely extraordinary. >> reporter: the five-time masters champ walking on the course with only a slight limp visible. he had said navigating the hills at augusta national would pose the toughest challenge. the key to another green jacket could be in woods' icy recovery from round 1. >> so you have an afternoon tee time tomorrow. will what will the next 16, 18 hours look like for you? >> lots of ice. >> sportsbooks at one point had his odds of winning at 25-1 before bouncing back to 33-1. still pretty good odds. tiger tees off again today around 1:40 p.m. eastern. >> hopefully he beats the odds. coming up, why pouring a glass of wine is about to get more expensive. also ahead, a bear makes a shocking escape from an suv. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema or atopic dermatitis under control? hide my skin? not me.

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time to check "the pulse." we begin with new rumors swirling around bennifer. >> okay. reports are speculating that ben affleck and jennifer lopez might be engaged. j. lo was recently spotted wearing a big diamond ring. our sources are saying it's all talk and there is nothing official to report. don't worry. we'll keep you posted. >> of course we will. next, wine lovers, brace yourself. prices are going up once again. >> that's because inflation is driving up the price of glass bottles. some wine makers say they're paying as much as 20% more. >> check around for special sales, at least until prices come down again. >> there is also boxes of wine. i'm just saying. a breakthrough when it comes to solar panels. we rely on them to soak up the sunlight. but new they could again rate electricity at night? >> researchers at stanford have developed a solar cell that

generates power in the dark. it produces electricity by exploiting the temperature difference between the night air and the solar cell itself. video from north carolina shows the bear emerging from the vehicle, breaking through the windshield. the bear got in through an unlocked door and got trapped when the door closed in strong winds. >> and take a look at this. as you can see, the suv's interior was completely destroyed. the insurance company saying it's a total loss. you think? >> what was that show exhibit was on again? and here is another close encounter, this time with a shark off south africa. >> it was "pimp my ride." >> five tourists were inside a cage. one was particularly hungry, crashing into the cage twice. yikes. talk about nightmare fuel. one tourist said he was excited until the shark actually the cag dtly at. then i was t'ne w tn interactive experience. >> another way is to leave wild

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area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. reggie: the crash that isn't surprising for neighbors. kumasi: the earthquake preparedness tool you can get in the east today. reggie: baseball is back. it is opening day for the giants and the a's. drew will have your first forecast. lisa: -- drew. i will. -- drew: i will. reggie: what a nice night. drew: thousand times. today is a bit of a different day. the coast is cooler.