right now on "america this morning," more money going less far than it used to. the new report on inflation that one expert describes as ugly. what it means for your family budget in the months ahead. and president biden set to make a new move to try to bring down gas prices. developing right now, a disturbing new report from the war zone. did russia use a drone to drop a chemical weapon on ukrainians? what the pentagon is saying this morning. breaking overnight, severe storms slamming parts of the south including an air force omex tmiesa and now rang f record d ne.l bzzar> t so fasar puld er

still stuck in the mud. the new plan to free a massive cargo ship stuck in the chesapeake bay for four weeks. and the baseball player who is red hot at the plate in a very different way. good tuesday morning, everyone. we begin with your money and the growing concern about the toll that inflation is taking on the u.s. economy. >> a report out this morning is expected to show that inflation has hit a new high, the worst since 1981. >> and there's word this morning that president biden is about to take new action on one big concern, the price of gas. economists are sounding the alarm about today's report on inflation. >> it's going to be pretty ugly. >> the labor department is expected to report that inflation just hit its highest level since 1981 rising at an annual rate of 8.4% in march, up from 7.9% in february. >> wages are closer to 6%, so

inflation is faster than wage growth. that's not good. that means people's purchasing power is declining. they're not able to buy as much as they did a year ago. >> reporter: the white house says previous inflation reports did not factor in the jump in oil prices brought on partly by the war in ukraine. >> we expect march cpa -- cpi headline inflation to be extraordinarily elevated due to putin's price hike. >> reporter: many economists warn we could see a recession by the end of next year due to the rising cost of goods and the federal reserve raising key interest rates in the coming months. >> it's in this kind of environment, high inflation, high interest rates when things kind of go off the rails and recessions can occur. consumers in business, people are already pretty nervous, but if they lose faith and run for the bunker and stop spending, stop hiring, stop doing what they typically do, that would be a recession. >> reporter: surging food and energy costs are the driving forces behind the record inflation. today president biden is visiting iowa where he is

expected to focus on gas prices. the president is announcing a plan to allow the year round sale of gasoline made with 15% ethanol, a less expensive blend usually banned due to the summer due to pollution concerns. the move could lower prices at the pump by as much as 10 cents but few gas stations actually sell that blend. only about 2% of stations nationwide, most of them in the midwest. there is some good news, gas prices have dropped eight cents in the last week after the u.s. and other countries tapped into emergency oil reserves. and when it comes to inflation, many experts predict the inflation rate will peak by summer. and breaking overnight, severe storms causing damage near little rock, arkansas. at least one tornado was confirmed. damage to buildings, trees and power lines left thousands of people in the dark. a tornado emergency was declared for little rock air force base but no major damage was reported in that area. large hail also battered that area, though. more severe storms are expected today from texas all the way to minnesota.

we'll have the forecast for you in about five minutes. a disturbing report from the war in ukraine. a new allegation that russia may have used a chemical weapon against civilians. we're told up to 20,000 people may have died in the city of mariupol since the invasion began, and now we're learning more about the toll this war is taking on children. abc's ike ejiochi is here now with the very latest starting with that new allegation. ike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, andrew. if the use of chemical weapons in ukraine is confirmed, it can represent a major escalation in this war. the pentagon is closely monitoring unconfirmed reports of russian troops using chemical weapons in ukraine. a paramilitary group incorporated into ukraine's national guard accuses russian forces of using a drone to drop a poisonous substance in the city of mariupol. a pentagon spokesperson writing in a statement, these reports, if true, are deeply concerning. last month nato's secretary-general said the use

of chemical weapons would totally change the nature of this conflict. >> it would be a blatant violation of international law and will have far-reaching consequences. >> reporter: as many as 20,000 people have been killed in mariupol according to the mayor. it comes as military experts warn russia now plans to launch massive attacks on other cities in the southeast to create a land bridge with crimea, which the russians annexed in 2014. meanwhile, outside the capital kyiv, ukrainian authorities are now focused on clearing mines. [ speaking foreign language ] president zelenskyy says before they withdrew, russian soldiers set armed traps throughout the region. abc's james longman saw the danger firsthand. >> we've been warned time and again about the possibility of mines and booby traps in this part of ukraine. well, we've come across what looks like could be a trap on the other side of this door. now, this was a school that was being used by russian troops.

you see this string, it leads onto the front door there, and that could very well be a trap on the other side of there, a charge waiting to explode. >> reporter: austria's chancellor is now the first eu leader to meet vladimir putin face-to-face since the invasion began. the chancellor saying he was not particularly optimistic after his talk with putin yesterday. now, this conflict is taking a tremendous toll on children. the u.n. says nearly two-thirds of ukrainian children have fled their homes. faith, andrew. >> ike, thank you. and turning to the pandemic, indoor mask mandates are making a comeback. philadelphia is the first major city to announce it'll reinstate its indoor mask requirement. several colleges and universities are also making that move. 26 states are now reporting a significant increase in covid infections in the last week. still white house officials are encouraged that hospitalizations remain low. >> hospitalizations right now are the lowest they have been in the entire pandemic. i never like to see infections rising. i think we got to be careful,

but i don't think this is a moment where we have to be excessively concerned. >> in the meantime, vaccination numbers in the u.s. have more than doubled in the last week as more people get booster shots. a former virginia police officer who stormed the u.s. capitol with a wooden stick has been convicted. a jury found thomas robertson guilty of all six counts he faced in connection with the january 6th riot including obstruction of congress. a fellow officer who went to the capitol with robertson testified against him. the nra is criticizing president biden's new crackdown on so-called ghost guns. the white house is expanding the definition of a firearm to include gun kits that can be assembled into untraceable weapons. the new rule will also require serial numbers and background checks for those gun sales. the president showed one of the guns to reporters. >> it's not hard to put together, a little drill, a hand drill at home. it doesn't take very long. a felon, a terrorist, a domestic

abuser can go from a gun kit to a gun in as little as 30 minutes. >> the nra says biden's rule change will do little to bring down crime. it says criminals need to be targeted, not guns. other critics suggest a new rule is unconstitutional. it's set to take effect in august. several homes have burned near albuquerque, new mexico, as heavy winds fuel wildfires. officials say they have been chasing fire outbreaks on both sides of the rio grande river. evacuations were ordered including at a nursing home. and, meanwhile, for the first time in 80 years, portland, oregon, saw its first significant april snowfall, and now parts of the northern plains are bracing for a record-breaking april blizzard. >> with that time now for a look at your tuesday forecast. good morning. widespread severe weather across the ozarks into this morning between little rock and memphis up to western kentucky.

tornadoes, large hail and flooding downpours. be careful out there early this morning. meantime, for the next two days and nights, we have widespread severe weather all across the center of the u.s. from the gulf coast to the great lakes. tornadoes will be possible. we also have a spring blizzard on our hands. tuesday into wednesday, the storm comes out into the plains. parts of the dakotas could see feet of snow. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin coskren. and still to come, another benefit of being organized and how it can boost your brain health. but first a man who spent nearly 20 years in prison after a wrongful conviction finally walks free. what he wanted to do first after his release. and the dramatic scene as a student is choking in class, how the teacher responded.

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a missouri man is free this morning 18 years after being convicted of a murder he says he did not commit. keith carnes walked out of prison monday. prosecutors dismissed all charges after missouri's supreme court ruled that evidence was withheld during his trial back in 2003. his family was there as he left prison. carnes says freedom was a long time coming. >> i feel happy. i feel grateful. i feel blessed i just want to thank god, my lord and savior jesus christ for bringing these people into my life to help me. >> i just want to kiss my son. i wanted to touch him. it's been so long since i've been ablt g. after yearsn prison,arsaid thee hugs. he just wanted to hug his family. now to the dramatic scenes playing out at two schools in two different states. in both cases, students started

to panic as they began to choke. and in both cases some quick thinking saved their lives. abc's rhiannon ally shows us. >> reporter: this morning a close call caught on classroom cameras at this school in new jersey. 9-year-old robert tried to get a sip of water but couldn't unscrew the cap. >> then i started it with my teeth, and then i was squeezing it a little, and then the water pushed the cap to my throat. >> reporter: in a panic, the third grader ran, tried to cough it up in the sink, but that didn't work. so he darted to his teacher, miss jenkins. >> he was pointing to his neck, and he's, like, all flustered and he can't talk. so then i just turned him around, and i performed the heimlich maneuver. >> meanwhile in north carolina this school resource officer is being hailed a hero for saving a middle school student choking on

candy. a former combat medic in the army reserves performed the heimlich, saving the child's life. around 5,000 people die each year in the u.s. from choking. since 2012, a group called heimlich heroes.com has trained more than 220,000 people starting in elementary school on how to save lives. first, recognizing the signs of choking. >> they are clutching their throat or signaling with their hands toward their throat or mouth. >> reporter: and then teaching people of all ages how to perform the heimlich just like robert's quick-thinking teacher did. >> once he was okay and i wiped hiss face and made sure there was nothing in his mouth still, i took a second. i breathed. i looked around my classroom, and then i was like, okay. >> reporter: the first thing robert told his relieved teacher -- >> it's out, it's out, it's out. it's out. >> reporter: luckily robert and the child in north carolina are both okay. experts say the key to saving a life in these situations is to

stay calm. faith, andrew. >> rhiannon, thank you. it turns out people who are organized may reap the benefits later in life. n aect your brain as you grow older. a new study found organized and self-disciplined people are better protected against dementia. getting an extra two years before seeing mental drops. extroverts enjoy one additional year of sound cognition. but people who are moody or sad tend to experience cognitive impairment earlier. >> what did you say about organized people? >> you should get organized now. >> not me. coming up, stuck in the mud. the new plan to free a massive ship stuck in the chesapeake bay for weeks now. also, the story of a driverless car pulled over by police and what happened after that. maybe it's another refill at your favorite diner... or waiting for the 7:12 bus... or sunday afternoon in the produce aisle. these moments may not seem remarkable.

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stuck in the mud. tomorrow marks one month since the ship carrying 5,000 containers got stuck off the coast of maryland. crews are now taking five or four to five containers off the ship each hour to raise it out of the mud. they hope to take off about 500 containers and that will be enough to get the job done but stay tuned. >> there's new support for wnba star brittney griner who remains detained in russia. she was arrested at a moscow airport in february after cannabis oil was allegedly found in her bag. tomorrow marks three weeks since a u.s. official visited griner. the state department is now pushing for regular access. she was in mind last night during the wnba draft. >> i want to take a moment to reiterate the wnba support for phoenix mercury star brittney griner. please know that getting her home safely continues to be our top priority. >> the commissioner also announced a new initiative to support griner's charity projects. former u.s. marine trevor

reed goes before an appeals court in moscow today as u.s. officials express concern about his health. the state department is calling on russia to provide adequate medical care. reed has been in prison since 2019 accused of assaulting a police officer. and we turn now to showg a lf-drivingizarre r tweeg being ver bye francio. it ts crazyhe w pleer without headlights on. at first it looks like an ordinary traffic stop. an officer gets out of his car to speak to the driver only to discover. >> ain't nobody in it. >> reporter: and then the car speeds away from the officers passing through an intersection. before pulling over again. multiple officers then approach to inspect the car. cruise, the company that operates the car and is majority owned by general motors tweeted,

our autonomous vehicle yielded to the police vehicle then pulled over to the nearest safe location. cruise won approval to operate its driverless taxis in part of the city. another company waymo is also offering driverless rides in san francisco. >> the reason there are so few of these companies and vehicles on the road is because this technology has a lot going on and so controlling for the environment is just one thing and then controlling for just the other roadway users is a whole other game. >> reporter: and cruise says has li officers to calwhen lewis in this recent case a maintenance team from the company responded and took control of that vehicle. all right, coming up, the big news about britney spears. also ahead, one baseball player who is really on fire. if your moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms are stopping you in your tracks choose stelara® from the start

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♪ my loneliness is killing me ♪ hit me, baby, one more time. time to check "the pulse," and we begin with britney spears dropping a baby bombshell. >> yeah, she's doing it. the singer is apparently pregnant. she posted a message on instagram including the phrase, i'm having a baby. it comes less than five months after her conservatorship ended. >> her 28-year-old fiance seemed to confirm the news. he posted artwork of a lion family with the message fatherhood is something i have always looked forward to. next a florida teen with lots of options, plenty of options. jonathan walker applied to 27 top colleges. >> and he was accepted to all of them including harvard, yale and mit. he also received more than $4 million in scholarship offers. jonathan is on the football team, he was homecoming king and he invented a device to help the deaf and the blind.

>> i would just say that i've been blessed with god with a lot of ability and so i mean i just want to take the time and use it to the fullest extent and affect others positively and thankful for the positions i've been put in and just being in such a great opportunity surrounded by amazing people, i can't help but feel fueled. >> jonathan hasn't picked a school just yet. next fewer options for kmart shoppers. >> the retailer will see its store count shrink this weekend when the kmart in new jersey shuts down. there will only be three remaining, one in new jersey, one in new york and one in florida. and finally a hot time at the ballpark, and we mean flaming hot. >> yeah, so one player's bat was literally on fire. take a look. when he headed to the plate, the flame burned out by the time he used that bat for a base hit. >> talk about heating up. all part of the high jinks during a game featuring the famous savannah bananas baseball

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don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. announcer: building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. reggie: rising covid cases

pushing a major u.s. city to reinstate its indoor mask mandate. california scientists are weighing in on the concern. kumasi: economists sounding the alarm about inflation. the possible time on for the next recession. reggie: ghost gun crack down. president biden's announcement and the impact of the illegal weapons in our communities today. kumasi: dolly parton proving she is really just like us. you definitely can relate to this one. reggie: she has been on my mind the last couple of days. kumasi: what have you been thinking about? reggie: i just assumed that sheehan i had a cosmic connection -- that she and i had a cosmic connection. kumasi: good morning, everybody. drew: