>> let the people know. [laughter] good morning, america, for our viewers in the west. on this wednesday morning, the growing confusion over the new mask rules. mask mess. the justice department considering an appeal to that federal judge's strikedown of the travel mask mandate. this morning, the clashing rules causing confusion. plus, better booster? big news from moderna. how their new shots target two variants. russia's next phase. as the eastern onslaught intensifies, ukrainian forces say they have only days or even hours left inside the besieged city of mariupol. exploding wildfire. evacuations under way right now in arizona. the blaze spreading rapidly burning 6,000 acres and the new

red flag warning for five states this morning. also this morning, outrage growing over this video of an 8-year-old boy being put in a police cruiser after being accused of stealing a bag of chips. winning time or retraction time? the star-studded hbo show about the rise of the lakers dynasty now getting major heat from a real los angeles legend. netflix and crash? the streaming giant loses 200,000 subscribers this year. its stock tanks 25%. are their big hits enough to fend off the competition? this morning, what you need to know if you share your password, and could you see ads interrupt your favorite shows? >> the bane of my existence. devin booker, a dynamite bucket, and this adorable baby fist bump. boom. ♪ the last dance ♪ and good-bye-ish. the last dance for the groundbreaking sitcom,

"black-ish," after eight seasons. anthony anderson, tracee ellis ross. >> i'm so proud to say i did this with you. >> now what's possibly next for the johnsons as they take their final bow together. ♪ good morning, america. we are going to miss "black-ish." >> yes, we are. >> last night was the finale, season finale. we have a lot more coming up on that. we begin though with the news, the fallout from a federal judge's decision to strike down that nationwide mask mandates for planes and public transport. >> the justice department now considering an appeal and right now some passengers are faced with making their own choices. our transportation correspondent gio benitez is at newark airport with the latest. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, robin, good morning to you. right now, the majority of the people here are not wearing a mask, but if the cdc says they are necessary and the department of justice gets involved, well, that may have to change.

this morning, so many travelers across the country tossing the masks. >> i think it's wonderful, in fact, i'm ecstatic. >> reporter: but now, the department of justice saying not so fast, confirming it will appeal a federal judge's ruling to strike down the mask mandate if the cdc believes that mandate is still necessary. the cdc saying overnight that it recommends masks during travel and that it will assess the need for a mask requirement. ♪ wear your mask ♪ >> reporter: in the meantime, passengers left to weigh the risks. >> are you going to wear a mask on the plane or are you going to keep it off? >> i'm probably going to keep it off but just kind of check things out. if someone is coughing, maybe i'll put it on. >> so it's situational for you? >> right. >> reporter: major confusion especially in new york. you can fly without a mask in and out of new york's laguardia

and kennedy airports, but you'll need to put it on while walking through the airport. they're two of only three airports in the country requiring masks, including philadelphia. uber and lyft also lifting that mask mandate and some parents whose children aren't eligible for a vaccine also concerned. >> my wife is pregnant and my 4-year-old daughter who is not yet old enough to be vaccinated flew out to california thinking that the mask mandates would be in effect on both legs of our trips and halfway through it's going to be a different situation. >> reporter: and now, infection rates climbing across 33 states and territories. driven by the new omicron subvariant ba.2.12.1, which could be about 25% more contagious than ba.2, but even with the confusion and concern, excitement is high for the spring and summer travel season. airline stocks soaring upon news of the mandate being lifted. so this morning, the question, what if that mask mandate is reinstated? well, i can tell you just

looking around here, a lot of people are very happy taking that mask off. so i bet it's very possible that enforcement would be a lot harder than the first time around, george. >> okay, gio. let's get more on this now from our senior white house correspondent mary bruce, and mary, the president's strategy basically stand by the cdc? >> reporter: that's right, george. look, the ball this morning is in the cdc's court and we are told the cdc is still assessing whether or not travelers need to continue to wear the masks. the justice department, it is clear, they stand ready to appeal the decision but only if the cdc decides that it's in the public health interest that travelers still mask up and that is a very big if right now. the cdc had just given themselves until may 3rd to make a decision on masks as they study this latest uptick in cases and that wouldn't leave them with a lot of time to launch an appeal. if they don't appeal this, there is very real concern about the precedent it could set, and what it could mean if we see a future dangerous spike in cases. now, in the meantime, the cdc is recommending that all travelers still wear masks, but it is very clear the white house was caught off guard by this as yesterday if people should still

wear them on planes, president biden said it's up to them, and the president himself was spotted himself boarding air force one both with and without amask, michael. >> mary, thank you. now to promising news from moderna, saying its new and improved booster works better than the original vaccine and it could change how we get boosters in the future. whit johnson has more for us. good morning, whit. >> reporter: michael, good morning to you. while this new booster shot is not available to the public, it's an important step as moderna works to create a stronger booster in the future that can stand up to multiple variants. they claim this works better than the original. it targets two different variants. in this case, the shot was specifically designed against the original and beta variants. the lab study showed promising results across multiple variants of concern, including omicron, with a twofold increase

in antibodies compared to the original shot, and those antibodies stayed high for several months. moderna is also working on an omicron-specific booster, studies results are expected some time this summer. but experts are hoping a booster of this kind could be ready to roll out to the general public by fall. robin? >> encouraging. all right, whit, thank you. we're going to have the latest now on the war in ukraine and russian forces ramping up that major offensive in the eastern part of that country as the besieged city of mariupol tries to hang on. our foreign correspondent james longman is there in ukraine for us. good morning, james. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, robin. the fight for control of the city of mariupol is still raging this morning. and this as we understand there might be civilians in the basement of the steel plant where ukrainian fighters are mounting their last stand. this morning, a new plea from inside the besieged city of mariupol. the commander of ukrainian forces there releasing a video saying they have only days or even hours left, telling "the

washington post," we will not lay down our weapons. ukrainian forces are dug in at the azovstal steel plant and the city council said that thousands of civilians are also taking refuge. a far-right paramilitary group shared these images saying civilians are sheltering in the plant. russia says civilians aren't there. but this woman says we lost our home, we lost our livelihood. the video couldn't be independently verified by abc news. russian-backed forces attempted to storm the plant, they've so far been unable to dislodge their entrenched opponents. president zelenskyy in an address to the country -- saying the russian army will forever inscribe itself in world history as perhaps the most barbaric and inhuman army in the world. russia's offensive intensifying across eastern ukraine. moscow says this is part of its next phase of the war. a senior u.s. defense official saying the fall of mariupol and the donbas are not inevitable and that military aid from the u.s. and others is making its

way east, making it into the hands of ukrainian fighters and they're protecting this. the villages just miles away from the front line where people are now seeing war on their doorstep. this is right where a missile landed from russia, right next to people's homes. what is the military objective of hitting a place like this? we need to continue living, this woman says, what else can we do? in the village we witnessed evidence of a potential incendiary attack, those are missile strikes that create massive fires which when used on civilian areas constitute war crimes. resistance here takes many forms. this man's farm is close to the russian front and he farms on. why are you still here? "we're fighting on the second front line of supplying our country with food, even when the shells come, i will still be working because that is my duty." now, russia has yet again called on those fighters in mariupol to lay down their weapons but the fight for that city has been so bitter because control of mariupol would give russia a major advantage going into the second phase of this war. george.

>> james longman, thanks. let's bring in our senior national correspondent terry moran just back from ukraine. and, terry, nearly two months in, more than two months in, a critical moment in this war. >> reporter: it really is, george. the battle that is going to begin in the eastern part of ukraine is shaping up to be the decisive battle in the war. u.s. officials say that russian forces will likely attempt a brutal frontal assault along the long front lines where ukrainian troops are defending in that region and these officials will also say it looks like russia might try a pincer movement with some troops coming down from the north and up from the south, aiming to encircle those ukrainian defenders, but it's not going to be a cakewalk. ukraine preparing with u.s. military assistance and training for years to defend against this kind of attack in that region. etensive trenches, anti-armor traps, ambush locations and now, the biden administration is preparing to announce another major weapons shipment to ukraine.

that package is going to include, tailored for this kind of fighting, 18 howitzers systems, 200 m113 armored personnel carriers in addition to more drones and stinger anti-aircraft missiles and some nato allies, they are sending desperately needed tanks, a few soviet-era leftovers. so right now, with this big russian push beginning, it's a race to get these heavy weapons into ukraine and on the battlefield in time to make a difference and top the russian advance. michael? >> time is of the essence. thank you so much, terry. now to that devastating flood in south africa. harrowing images emerging as the rescue work moves -- as the rescue work continues. hundreds dead. 40,000 homeless. maggie rulli is on the scene and joins us live from durban, south africa, with more. good morning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning. yeah, just to give you an idea of how powerful these floodwaters were, i want to show you what they did to these cars. you can see it just tossed dozens of them around and then look up on this hillside. this entire area used to be

filled with homes, but when the rains hit, a massive mudslide took out everything in its path. that pile of debris is actually a pile of people's homes. we've seen things like furniture and couches and right now on top of the debris there is a search and rescue team, heard them using chainsaws to cut through metal. it's been almost a week but no one is giving up. this morning, recovery efforts are ramping up in south africa as rescue workers take advantage of a break in the rain to access hard-hit areas desperately searching for the dozens still missing. powerful rushing waters, ripping apart roads, carrying away structures, crushing cars. since last week, the death toll in the kwazulu-natal province has climbed to 448. nearly 4,000 homes destroyed and more than 40,000 displaced. >> that's the road that collapsed. >> reporter: a mudslide wiped out this informal settlement. this local leader says this is the damage she wants to show us. how many people are living here now? she brings us up the road to the

community school where more than 100 people who lost their homes now find shelter. that little boy's mom and his little sister lost everything when the floods hit. >> every house just collapsed with the rain, and we just lost everything. >> reporter: their home now in that pile of rubble. your home is a river now. >> it is. >> reporter: the south african ary sending in 10,000 troops, but for many, help can't come soon enough. and this town says they need help right now. you can see vital infrastructure. it's been destroyed. live wires still hanging in the air. the only drinking water they can get here, stuff they can carry in the buckets. one leader said, yes, the floods are dangerous but often the aftermath can be just as dangerous. robin. >> as you said, maggie, help can't come soon enough. thank you for your reporting.

now, we have new developments in the investigation into the murder of a mother of two in queens, new york. police now searching for a man whose number was found in the woman's phone. eva pilgrim has the latest. >> reporter: this morning, new details emerging in the murder of a new york mother. police are looking at several potential clues from orsolya gaal's cell phone saying she had the numbers of three men investigators want to talk to one of them. >> you want to see what his relationship was with the victim. you want to fine-tune that and find out exactly when is the last time they spoke, and when they were together. >> reporter: authorities say the man who police aren't calling a person of interest or suspect at this time is familiar with gaal's home and may have had a way to get in. gaal was stabbed dozens of times in her basement late friday night dying from those injuries while her younger teenage son was reportedly upstairs. messages from heartbroken friends and acquaintances pouring in on social media. her neighborhood on edge. >> it's just in your backyard. it's just so close to, you know, where i live. >> reporter: police think this

image from a surveillance camera early saturday morning shows someone wheeling a large duffel bag down the street with the body of the 51-year-old inside. gaal's body was found in what appears to be that same bag dumped on the side of the road near a park. >> most importantly in this case with such rage, you want to see exactly what the relationship was. >> reporter: in the hours before her murder, police sources say the mother of two went out with female friends in manhattan before going to a restaurant near her home alone. police think she either met her killer as she was leaving or when she got home. and crimestoppers is now offering a $3,500 reward for information leading to an arrest, guys. >> all right, eva, thank you. we're going to turn now to that report from netflix saying it's lost subscribers for the first time in a decade, 200,000 so far this year. the news sent netflix stocks

tumbling more than 25% in after-hours trading and could lead to big changes. will reeve has the story. good morning, will. >> reporter: good morning, george. for years now netflix has been the bully on the streaming playground taking up the most space and dictating terms, but with competition intensifying, and so many people feeling financially squeezed, netflix is a luxury that right now doesn't have the luxury it's enjoyed for so long, and experts say the company may need to change how it plays the game. this morning, netflix and sell? the streaming giant down 25% on wall street in after-hours trading after announcing its first quarterly subscriber loss in over a decade. netflix saying more than 200,000 subscribers left the service in the first three months of the year. >> the expectation was that netflix was going to have a bad quarter in terms of subscriber growth, but it was even worse than what anyone was expecting. >> reporter: netflix is home to shows like "squid game," "bridgerton" -- >> you are the bane of my existence. and the object of all my desires. >> reporter: -- and the upcoming

penultimate season of "stranger things." >> what's inside? >> on the other side. >> reporter: but even these hits may not be enough to fend off stiff competition from other streaming services. >> there are just so many players out there right now and before this netflix was really the primary player. it had the biggest reach globally but, of course, that is being threatened right now. >> reporter: and now, observers are asking if viewers will have to binge-watch their favorite netflix show with ads in between. it's something ceo reed hastings hasn't ruled out. >> allowing consumers who would like to have a lower price and are advertising tolerant get what they want makes a lot of sense so that's something we're looking at now. >> reporter: netflix also indicated it's serious this time about cracking down on password sharing. the company estimates 30 million households in north america use shared accounts. that's hundreds of millions of dollars per month in lost revenue and experts warn customers in the u.s. and canada sharing accounts could soon pay

a premium to do so, guys. >> wow. going to upset a lot of people with that news. >> a lot of people in my my family, probably yours. >> don't throw my family under the bus, will. we're good. >> sorry. okay, you guys are on the up and up, everyone in my world is stealing my account. >> thank you, man. we appreciate that. coming up, we have the outrage over this video. an 8-year-old being put in the back of a police car. overnight, we spoke with the man who recorded the incident. and the real-life lakers legend demanding a retraction over how he's portrayed in the hbo show "winning time." but first, we say good morning to ginger. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. the tunnel fire is where i want to begin nap's in flagstaff, arizona, more than 6,000 acres burned. at least a couple of dozen structures that have already taken out. people have mandatory evacuations and it's a stressful situation because of the high winds at 60 miles per hour, and the high winds will be a problem

again tomorrow in arizona. they get a little bit of a reprieve today, but there are high wind alerts from nebraska all the way to texas. let's get a check now a little closer to home.

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at live doppler seven, along with satellite tracking our next storm moving into northern california here. you can see that front just being and move into eureka. this whole thing will slide south throughout the rest of the bay area later on today, so outside we go live look at sfo. partly cloudy skies over the airport right now. rain first arrives in the north bay later today. hangs there throughout the afternoon, and those showers will spread south across the rest of the region later on this evening at the one on the storm, impact scale stays unsettled with on and off showers through friday morning, so there you can see we'll track those breezy conditions. we do have a strong north westerly swell along our coast so beach hazard statement will go into effect tomorrow for strong rip currents on thursday. and there's even a chance of some thunder by thursday afternoon,

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my parents job is to look after them, and it's my job to test the product. try new almond breeze extra creamy, our creamiest almondmilk ever. okay, guys, this house meant a lot to everyone, but i think it's time we move on. ♪ ♪ welcome back to "gma." don't worry, no one died on "black-ish." they were just saying good-bye to their house and a sweet good-bye to their fans as "black-ish" ends after eight stellar seasons. we have the reaction and the tributes that have been coming in for the groundbreaking comedy. that is coming up later. >> i don't want to be a spoiler alert. it was -- it was a fitting, fitting ending. it really was.

>> yeah, it was. following a lot of headlines this morning, including the confusion over masks. and overnight, the cdc said it still recommends masks during travel. right now, jfk, laguardia, and philadelphia airports are the only airports in the nation still requiring masks right now. those are local. the russian offensive is intensifying. moscow is calling this the next phase of the war and comes as the commander of ukrainian leader in the besieged city of mariupol released a video saying they have only days or hours left. right now, two big moves by the u.s. department of education for millions with student loan debt. debt for about 40,000 people will be eligible for discharge. and take a look at this. the phoenix suns devin booker was on fire, dan patrick would say en fuego. 31 points in the first half in their playoff game against the pelicans, but here's the real moment. he makes the bucket, okay.

tumbles, and gets an adorable baby fist bump right there. baby fist pump. i don't mean to be a wah, wah, but he later had to leave the game with a hamstring injury and the pelicans have now tied up the series. >> he was carrying the team. >> that's right. we got a lot more ahead including simon cowell revealing that his injuries from his e-bike accident were much more severe than people thought. that is coming up, michael. robin, now to growing outrage over the video of a police officer in syracuse, new york, putting a crying 8-year-old boy into the back of his cruiser after the boy was reportedly accused of stealing a bag of chips. t.j. holmes joins us with this story. t.j., this is a big issue. >> it is, but here's the story. the child was not handcuffed. he was not arrested. police actually drove him home to his father. he's not facing any charges, it seems like that could and should be the end of the story, but this story comes with video. what is now a bona fide viral video in which you see and hear

a screaming 8-year-old being handled by police, a video that has now conjured up too familiar emotions and sparked an all too familiar debate. millions of people online have seen -- >> what is y'all doing? >> reporter: and are reacting to have video of an 8-year-old child stopped by syracuse police. >> stealing stuff. if he breaks into your house and steals something -- >> a bag of chips? >> reporter: the boy screaming and sobbing while being placed in the back of a police cruiser by three officers after they say he stole a bag of chips from a local store. >> what is y'all doing? he like a baby to me. >> that's what i'm doing. >> i don'tnoou i just see you snatch him. so what's going on then? if he stole some chips, i'll pay for them. i'll pay for them. you don't even know where he lives. >> reporter: kenneth jackson recorded the incident and spoke with "gma" overnight.

>> i had to, because at that moment i'm looking around and there's no one out there besides myself at the time. more audience was starting to gather but no one was intervening. >> reporter: it was his video that prompted a passionate online debate. >> what are you doing to that young boy? >> reporter: about what the appropriate course of action should be in this situation. >> hey, i'll walk him home. how about that? we'll walk him home. >> we have a policing problem when it comes to police in the community and clearly as the world can see, there's a big, big, big disconnect. >> reporter: in a statement the syracuse mayor says the body camera footage demonstrates no handcuffs were used by officers at any time. goes on to say what occurred demonstrates the continuing need for the city to provide support to our children and families and to invest in alternative response options to assist our officers. >> call y'all sergeant. call y'all sergeant, man. >> reporter: the officers later dropped him off to his father who said the officers were friendly but after seeing the video wants to file a complaint with police. syracuse police say it is under investigation and they cannot comment. the mayor said in a statement that the officer knew the child

from previous interactions but didn't go into further detail and you also see the officers at the end take the time and put the kid's bike in the back and take him home, but it's a longer video. the guy taking the video says i'm taking this video to help to make sure you all don't kill him because that's what you all do. now, a video like this, it's impossible to seem as isolated incidents. we have to -- it's impossible not to see it in the prim of recent incidents and history and trauma, that a lot in this country have gone through when you see something like that. >> but in this case. >> in this case, look, it's always worthy to scrutinize and say what could be done better but it's also possible that the officers didn't do anything wrong but could have done something better. >> but no handcuffs. they took the boy home and took care of his bike. >> sounds like the best case -- like what else do you want? but still again given recent history when people view things like this and say it's an 8-year-old child screaming, could you just talk to him? there's something better that could have been done, not necessarily saying the officer did something wrong. but that's the debate we will always have, cameras are

everywhere and this is -- it's happening once again. the officers do remain on duty, i want to say as well. >> thank you, t.j. now to the star-studded show about the rise of the los angeles lakers dynasty, it's called "winning time," but now real-life lakers legend jerry west is demanding a retraction over how he's portrayed in the show. kaylee hartung has the story, good morning, kaylee. >> reporter: hey, good morning, george. so the high-flying drama of this show has been a slam-dunk with a lot of fans, but jerry west and several other players depicted are taking serious issue in a strongly worded letter from west's lawyers, they are calling the series fiction pretending to be fact and claiming that hbo knowingly demeaned west for shock value. >> no coach worth his salt will come in as a temp so you'll have to make elgin guaranteed. >> reporter: jerry west believes he's been wronged and wants it made right. the nba icon, and l.a. lakers former executive and his legal team sending a letter to hbo and "winning time's" producer adam mckay demanding a retraction and

an apology for what west is calling a baseless and malicious assault on his character in the tv series depicting the lakers' rise in the 1980s. in the letter obtained by espn, west's lawyers allege that "winning time" falsely and cruelly portrays mr. west as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic saying it bears no resemblance to the real man and the show goes out of its way to denigrate him despite his accomplishments as an executive. >> i made a promise to this franchise not to leave it hanging, to leave it on its feet. >> reporter: portrayed by jason clarke in the series, stars the likes of john c. reilly as jerry buss, a majority owner of the lakers at the time. >> i wanted to meet because i'm asking for your help. i'm trying to build something out here. >> reporter: according to espn, the letter includes statements from former players, such as kareem abdul-jabbar, michael cooper and jamal wilks, as well as lakers employees who worked

with west. instead of exploring his issues with compassion as a way to better understand the man they turn him into a wile e. coyote cartoon. to be laughed at. he never broke golf clubs. he didn't throw his trophy through the window. sure, those actions make dramatic moments but they reek of facile exploitation of the man rather than exploration of character. west's lawyers also say many do not appear in jeff pearlman's book in which the show is based off. and west's lawyers say hbo's disclaimer that the series is a dramatization does not insulate the network from liability here. hbo did not immediately respond to espn and is not commenting on west's letter. guys. >> all right, kaylee, thank you so much. i recently spoke with another lakers legend, magic johnson, that interview is tomorrow. he has a docu-series coming out as well. >> all right. >> he had some thoughts about it. coming up -- >> tease. coming up later, the new fda warning about prenatal screening

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the reaction behind the scenes, details and the show's lasting legacy. good morning, chris. >> reporter: hey, good morning, robin. yes, with a wistful, sweetly nostalgic finale, "black-ish" ending its acclaimed run after eight triumphant seasons as a cultural force. >> this house meant a lot to everyone, but i think it's time we move on. >> reporter: it's the end of an entertaining and impactful era. ♪ around the sun the earth just keeps revolving ♪ >> reporter: for eight seasons, the johnson family becoming americ's family on the hit sitcom "black-ish. ". >> sometimes i feel like a bit of an oddity. >> reporter: moving into the predominantly white neighborhood of sherman oaks. >> just amazing. >> reporter: anthony anderson playing the father dre johnson setting out to establish a sense of cultural identity for his

family. >> the thing i'm most afraid of is not belonging but most of my life i've gong places that i didn't belong and i found my spot. >> reporter: dre found a sweet spot with viewers as did tracee ellis ross' lovable matriarch, dr. rainbow johnson, and then four, then five children growing up right before our eyes. through the years they've opened their doors to bring audiences laughter. ♪ one, two, t >> reporter: and invited some familiar faces to join their adventures. >> what. >> it's -- who -- >> reporter: such as former first lady michelle obama. mary j. blige and even our mchael. >> what's up, cuz? >> reporter: time and time again its incisive writing bridging the gap between tough, timely issues and comedy. >> police definitely have a place in society, but with almost 1,000 police-related fatalities and billions of dollars in misconduct settlements, there might be some issues. >> boom! that's my boy. ha, ha, i taught him that. >> no, you didn't. >> reporter: stories about black americans being seen as what

they are, american stories. >> by talking and having conversations in a respectful way with context and points of view and different points of view, we were able to have people look at other people that they may have not seen a certain way and see a little bit of themselves in and humanity in that. >> reporter: the cast accessing the show's significance during an after the finale special. >> people who watched our show who didn't look like us said when they saw our family, they saw their family. >> reporter: a peabody award-winning series that's earned more than two dozen naacp image awards. "black-ish" also spawned such spinoffs as "mixed-ish" and the wildly popular "grown-ish" following the eldest johnson child, zoey at college. and beyond. fans taking to social media to get their virtual hugs in. saying their own good-byes. >> i'm so proud to say i did this with you. >> reporter: and it's part of

america's cultural history now. long to be remembered and treasured by viewers for its truth telling as well as its laughter, guys. >> yeah, winning combination. the writing -- thank you, chris, so much. the writing and the acting and keisha, the nod, remember that? people understanding for the first time what we mean by that. >> that's it. though, it makes you realize how >> when you see those clips, though, it makes you realize how much you'll miss it. >> sure do. all right, coming up next, we have our "play of the day." keisha, i think your nod should be the "play of the day." there you go. give it to us. what if smartphones were more than just smart? the all new google pixel 6 truly sees you. not a blurry face. and for things you don't want to see, it removes them instantly with magic eraser. on our most advanced and inclusive smartphone camera yet. live translate speaks your language and hers. it's the phone that understands we're all different. google pixel 6. for all you are.

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jp morgan wealth management. ♪ ♪ back now with our "play of the day" and the military mom who pulled off the surprise of a lifetime. meet tammy norris back from an 11-month tour of duty in iraq and jordan and watch as she walks into her daughter's classroom in dallas, texas. her daughter is first grade teacher samantha norris who is in shock to see her mom because she cannot believe her eyes. then the kids' reactions as they realize it's the army mom they heard so much about. the students were so curious about mom that they got to try on her gear and even better, mom brought doughnuts, cannot go wrong with that. samantha telling "gma," quote, i think seeing a strong woman in the military was a great girl power moment. we can't agree more but the best part of it all captured in her post, 11 months too long without

giving my mom a hug. the best surprise, welcome home. >> what a sweet story. >> very sweet. >> thank you for your service. we'll be right back. your creativity can outshine any bad day. because you are greater than your bipolar i, and you can help take control of your symptoms - and ask about vraylar. some medicines only treat the lows or highs. once-daily vraylar is proven to treat depressive, acute manic, and mixed episodes of bipolar i in adults. full-spectrum relief for all bipolar i symptoms. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles or confusion which may mean a life-threatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be permanent. high cholesterol and weight gain, and high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, may occur. movement dysfunction and restlessness are common side effects. sleepiness and stomach issues are also common.

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building a better bay area moving forward finding solutions . this is abc. seven news. good morning. i'm joe bean afford son from abc. seven mornings here, sue with the look at traffic. hi, sue. on the same mateo bridge, but it was bumper to bumper across the span. just a few minutes ago, we had a much earlier accident over on the same matteo side of things so improving their now we've got a sigalert on the bay bridge. this is in the reverse commute eastbound 80, right by treasure island, left lane blocked with a crash there. give it some time before it clears and you can see westbound is typically very slow. hi sue. we are tracking our next storm on live doppler seven. there, you can see the range is beginning to enter northern california for us. right now. it's partly cloudy skies from our east bay hills camera and the day planner looks like this. the showers arrived in north bay later on today. they stayed there throughout the afternoon. and then those

showers will spread south across the rest of the region later on this evening, so for a lot of us, it's not until 567 pm we see the wet weather on and off showers through friday morning, a chance of thunder tomorrow and just a strong swell along the coast will be enough. thank you drew. if you're streaming with us on the abc seven bay area at abc, seven at seven, co

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[ expletive ] to swerving toward a pole. jesus. watch the bicyclist on the right almost get hit before the driver takes over. sometimes it seems the tesla doesn't want the driver to take over. i'm trying. this driver had to hit the brakes when the tesla didn't understand a detour sign. ok. here it almost hit a truck. obviously, i had to take over. and here it swerves into an oncoming lane. look at that! often, the tesla doesn't know what it wants to do. what is it doing? or just doesn't know how to turn. jesus, oh my god! tesla's full self driving software for drivers and pedestrians, it's unsafe at any speed. tell congress to shut it down.

good morning, america. it's good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. mask mess. the justice department considers an appeal to a federal judge's strike-down of the travel mask mandate. this morning, the clashing rules causing confusion. the new fda warning about prenatal screening tests. dr. ashton joins us with what pregnant women need to know about the test results. simon cowell opening up for the first time about his life-threatening bike accident describing the, quote, agony, and why he says it was worse than people thought. ♪ trash talk. >> i'm turning this stuff into this stuff. >> meet the influencers taking on the zero waste movement sharing easy ways to go green so you can save green. ♪ i can make your hands clap ♪

"pop news" exclusive. what the creator of the hit series "yellowstone" is saying about the show starring kevin costner. ♪ so feel the vibration ♪ we're charged up and ready to go. ginger's electric road trip heads to tennessee. we're answering your questions and busting myths about electric cars. ♪ counting stars ♪ plus, get ready for a star-studded morning in times square with niecy nash, kaley cuoco and alexander skarsgard, all live and look whis saying -- >> good morning, america. ♪ we'll be counting stars ♪ >> that was niecy. good morning, niecy nash, good morning, america. you have to smile whenever you see niecy, she's one of our favorite guests here at "gma." >> she is an absolute delight.

and are you ready for a little trash talk? the average american produces -- i know, you are, michael -- the average american produces more than 1,700 pounds of garbage every year so this morning, top influencers in the zero waste movement show us the simple ways we can reduce our trash and make a true difference. >> good advice right there. we begin with the news and the fallout from a federal judge's decision to strike down the nationwide mask mandates for planes and public transport. the justice department is now considering an appeal and right now, a lot of passengers are faced with making their own decisions. let's go back to our transportation correspondent gio benitez at newark airport. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning again. yeah, the majority of people here at newark are choosing not to wear a mask but, again, as you said, the department of justice says it will appeal that mask mandate decision. that decision to drop the mandate if the cdc says that that mandate is still necessary. signeopled oflhthey tosshe masks but there's still major confusion this morning, especially in cities like new york which have their own rules.

right now, jfk, laguardia, philadelphia airports are the only airports in the nation still requiring masks because of local mandates, this as infection rates are climbing across 33 states and territories driven by the new omicron subvariant ba.2.12.1. now, the cdc saying overnight that it still recommends masks for travel and watching that rise in cases closely to see what happens next. robin. >> all right, gio, we thank you for that. now to that new fda warning about some noninvasive prenatal screening tests. the agency warning that pregnant women should consult a genetic counselor or health care provider beforehand, and dr. jen ashton is here with more. tell us about it. >> robin, this really is a story about the difference between a screening test and a diagnostic test so what we're talking about and what the fda put the alert out about is a noninvasive blood test. it's pretty standard in prenatal care in this country so over 4 million women get this test

around ten weeks of pregnancy, usually they combine the results with an ultrasound looking at the fetus, and what they're trying to screen for are chromosomal abnormalities like down syndrome. the issue is that this is a screening test, so it is not 100% accurate and that's why the fda is putting out this alert. >> can you give us more about the why the fda is concerned here. >> it is about 97% to 99% accurate, but then if it flags an increased risk for a woman that that fetus may have a problem with its chromosomes, the standard of care is an amniocentesis or a test called cvs, which is a diagnostic test. that looks at the dna and what the fda is worried about is that women may make incorrect decisions about continuing their pregnancy based on this result. >> you still see patients? >> yep. >> if they come in asking questions about this test what are you going to tell them? >> it is recommended by akog to do early first trimester

screening of this nature, however, a perfect example, anyone can do a test. it's using the results of that test which requires medical credentials and judgment and experience that matters, so a woman should talk to their midwife, their obstetrician about what to do with the results of this test. >> i know you'll have a lot more to discuss on "gma3" later today. all right, jen, as always, thank you. michael. all right, robin, coming up, simon cowell now revealing that his injuries from the e-bike accident were life-threatening thisor she's answering io. a comi u wt e n behind the hit show "yellowstone" is saying about his future, and lara has more on that. but right now, she's with some very special guests. >> get ready for hour two, kaley cuoco, niecy nash, alexander skarsgard all with us live on "good morning america." how lucky are we? uh-oh. >> we're so lucky. >> you are lucky. look at this. >> oh, my lord. guests.

>> get ready for hour two, kaley cuoco, niecy nash, alexander skarsgard all with us live on "good morning america." how lucky are we? uh-oh. >> we're so lucky. >> you are lucky. look at this. >> oh, my lord. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin

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welcome back to "gma." tomorrow we'll have fun. jason bateman will be live with us in times square. >> it will be fun. now to our "gma" cover story, simon cowell opening up for the first time about his life-threatening bike crash saying it was, quote, worse than people thought and that he was lucky to be alive or to survive. kaylee hartung is back with the details for us. good morning, again, kaylee. >> reporter: hey, good morning, again, michael. so electric bikes usually top out at about 28 miles per hour, but simon cowell can attest that is fast enough to put your life in jeopardy. when he crashed his e-bike in malibu nearly two years ago, he came this close to never walking again or worse. >> is this going anywhere? >> reporter: "america's got talent" judge simon cowell said he was lucky to survive a six-hour back surgery after a near-fatal bike crash landed him in a california hospital in 2020. telling "ok!" magazine, i didn't talk about it too much at the time.

it was a lot worse than people thought. i had a lot of long-term nerve damage as well. with his back broken in multiple places doctors putting a metal rod in his spine to stabilize it, abc news learning at the time that the impact missed his spinal cord by about a centimeter. >> usually after this type of surgery the majority of the recovery happens around three-month mark, but it can take up to a year to fully recover and be fully active. >> reporter: after months of physical therapy he says he tried to kick a football and it was agony, and with the covid lockdown shutting down tv production, cowell says it gave him more time to recover. i was able to walk a lot and strengthen my legs. the 62-year-old then suffering another setback getting back on an e-bike in london earlier this year and crashing again. this time breaking his arm. nearly three months later he's still wearing a wrist brace telling "ok!," i have to wear it to protect myself from people knocking into me.

>> he is lucky to move his arms and legs. that can compress the spinal cord and you can lose function of your arms and legs which obviously makes it more difficult to do what he does. >> reporter: now, back to work on his other show, "britain's got talent." >> it's one of the most incredible audition moments i've ever experienced. i'm speechless. >> reporter: cowell says it's been a long haul, adding, i'm almost healed and i'm being very careful about what i do. but at least now i can actually play football with eric. cowell says he'll be wearing that wrist brace another three weeks and still he will keep riding those e-bikes. he said if you're going to ride a bike, then you'll fall off at some point. it does come with the territory, guys. >> we do wish him well. kaylee, thanks so much. we're going to turn now to our countdown to earth day, get ready for some trash talk with the social media influencers taking on the zero waste movement. the u.s. produces more trash than any other nation and these influencers are sharing simple tips we can all use to cut down on waste.

>> three ways to use banana peels. >> reporter: from food. >> one of my favorite food waste tips is to create an eat first box. >> reporter: to fashion. >> hey, it's me, daniel. i'm turning this stuff into this stuff. >> reporter: and everyday items. >> my favorite zero waste kitchen item. >> reporter: these are some of the social media influencers taking on the zero waste movement encouraging their followers to rethink their trash, the hashtag hitting over 2 billion views on tiktok. >> here is what i got from last night's trash walk. >> reporter: the average american discarding up to 4.9 pounds of trash per day. >> when we generate all this waste and it accumulates in landfills, that trash decomposes and it produces gases like methane gas, which is a very potent greenhouse gas. >> consumer culture really tells us there is one way to live, it's buying so much, buying single use, not making trash in the first place, not making anything that needs to be recovered or landfilled should be the goal.

>> reporter: environmental activist lauren singer suggests a trash audit. >> one of the biggest things that you'll see in your trash most likely is food waste. composting is one of the most important and biggest steps that an individual can take. besides that you'll see items like textiles, personal and beauty care items. >> reporter: since 2017, lauren offering more sustainable options for everyday goods at her package-free shop. >> i try to go one day without using plastic and i failed. >> reporter: in 2019, ashley renee went from travel influencer to environmental content creator. >> compost it. >> reporter: and says a zero waste lifestyle doesn't have to impact your wallet. >> long before the modern zero waste movement started many cultures around the world had no choice but to live sustainable lifestyles. it's taking a very big shift in our mindsets to kind of unlearn all of these wasteful habits. >> reporter: ashley helping her followers shift from a disposable mindset to a reusable one.

>> this aluminum can right here is from an old can of beans. when you use what you already have at home that is the most sustainable thing you can do. >> reporter: daniel silverstein designing a solution through his fashion business turning trash into treasure. >> we take these scraps and leftovers from other designers, piece them together to make new pieces and then we take the scraps of our scraps and start again. >> sustainability is for everyone and in order for us to make change on a global scale, we all have to do our part. >> reporter: and so any effort, any effort you can do to reduce your impact is a great first step and it can be something as simple as reusing what you already have in your house like swapping paper towels for a dish rag. as one zero waste influencer said we don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. we need millions of people doing it imperfectly and that's really good advice because everyone is like, oh, i'm not perfect. no, you don't have to. just a little something. >> yep.

>> i'm ready to create a family challenge. that was very motivating. >> great. >> thank you. >> give it a shot. maybe i'll record it. but right now, i have lots to tell you. "pop news" time. thank you, "variety," so happy to get this news on "yellowstone." who here watching "yellowstone"? here. >> everybody? this show is so good. its creator taylor sheridan on the cover of the new issue of "variety" inside sharing secrets. we're giving you them first right here. if you haven't seen it yet, kevin costner is the patriarch of a ranching dynasty in montana described as "succession" set in the west. it was just renewed for a fifth season. sheridan says he knows how it will end, not telling us, but he isn't exactly sure how long it will take to get there. there are more details on this in the article. costner says in the article he knew that the script would make a great show because of the writing, but to have it blow up like it has, well, you just cannot predict that. you can read more on the making of the runaway hit "yellowstone"

in this week's issue of "variety." such a good show. >> ratings are huge. >> ratings are huge, the writing is great. scenery is spectacular. >> all of it. >> and the acting. >> it can be a bit jarring, warning. >> a little bit. we do have gossip from lady whistledown. "bridgerton." that noise makes you laugh. i love saying lady whistledown to robin. season two focusing on a love triangle with the sharma sisters. it's officially surpassed viewership of season 1. hard to imagine the show could get any hotter, but netflix says season 2 has now over 627 million hours of streaming under its corset, if you will. 2 million more hours than season 1 and counting. this is their first series to hold the number one and two spots on their most popular list and it's already been renewed for seasons 3 and 4, and you know you've made it when you're on the cover of "elle" magazine. check this out. that's this season's leading

lady simone ashley and she certainly is just that. it's a fun show. i'm like ready to go watch both of those shows. but we do have more to talk about. hollywood's biggest bromance coming back to the big screen. according to "the hollywood reporter," ben affleck and matt damon are doing it again. this time i love this, the story of former nike executive sonny vaccaro's longtime effort of signing michael jordan. >> this is great. >> right? the endorsement deal that would become the most significant relationship between a brand and athlete in history and launch the global multibillion-dollar sneaker industry that we know today. damon plays vaccaro, nike co-founder phil knight will be played by affleck. the friends will write it, they'll produce it and ben will direct it. >> oh, wow. >> great. >> you know what, i like dem apples. >> that was a good one. >> thank you. finally, i wanted to share

with you this yesterday, we ran out of time. hopefully we won't today. moms are used to being the bad guy, right, for having to say no and help our kids stay safe, all those horrible crimes we commit, but one mom was really in the doghouse and her infraction was this. yeah, her little boy, i don't know if you can read it, ran away because she wouldn't let him have candy for breakfast. how dare he. there he is running away. she posted it. if you're wondering if he came back, yep, mom posted a follow-up video that she was able to take about 30 seconds later. when she unpacked his little suitcase, she found a family photo, a spider-man costume and some graham crackers. he was ready. >> ready for the long haul. >> precious. >> that's "pop news," everyone. >> thank you, lara. to ginger. hey, there, you know, coming up, we're talking about the truths and myths behind electric vehicles. one of the biggest questions that you all have had is about

the battery which lies at the heart underneath kind of the length of the car, the heart of the chassis, most automakers are guaranteeing at least eight years on that battery with 100,000 miles being the other qualifier and they're recycling with companies like redwood materials. that's the b here now, actress extraordinaire, author, comedienne, niecy nash, guest starring in the two-part event of "the rookie" playing the oldest trainee in the fbi academy. so great to see you. >> it's great to be here.

>> i love how you and lara are about to exchange numbers. >> i love my lara. i love all you guys. >> well, we love you. last time you were here, newlywed, you and jessica. >> yes. >> so how is married life treating you? >> oh, baby. that thing is good. >> oh! what is your -- what goals -- i don't want to say goals, what tips do you have for newlyweds? when we see you all on social media you all are living your best lives. >> indeed we are. now, that's a fact. tips i would have, um, you know, we celebrate everything. and i think it just -- it keeps it super fun, you know, so we celebrate everything and we stay in therapy together so we can make sure we can keep celebrating everything. >> okay, okay, and it's reciprocal. everybody always wants -- it's got to be reciprocal. >> it has to be. and that was one of the things i said going into it, baby, reciprocity is what i'm signing

up for. >> well, what we're signing for is a rookie right now. >> "the rookie." >> tell people -- oh, she's ready. your character. >> let me tell you something, simone clark, she is so spicy and she's fun. there are two ways of doing things. there is the fbi way and then there's the simone clark way and they are not the same. she's so much fun to play. i just -- she's a fish out of water. late in life starting this new career. >> now, it's her time. >> now it's her time. >> all right -- um, i'm smelling a little spin-off here. sorry, no. >> fingers crossed. >> okay, we'll see, but let's take a look. >> i was just the oldest rookie in the lapd. >> what? that's funny because i'm the oldest trainee at the academy. so why did you change course and sign up? >> found myself in the middle of a bank robbery helping the people on the inside made me want to do more of it. what about yourself? >> i've always wanted to be an

fbi agent, but i ended up on the off-ramp when i found out i was pregnant with the twins. they in college now so time for momma to finish what she started. >> and that is where your character takes off, nathan, he is wonderful. first time y'all are working together. >> first time we worked together but he was absolutely lively. he sent me a beautiful message before i got to set and he made sure i had a lovely gift in my trailer when i got there and he's just -- he really is a joy to work with and to watch, you know. >> yeah, he's the whole deal. >> he is. he is the whole deal. >> okay, and now this is a little bit different because last time we saw you on with the series, of course, it was "claw." >> oh, yes. >> so, do you miss a little of that? >> you know what, for almost five seasons, four seasons i was in the tight clothes and the high heels and all of the things and i'm going to tell you that part i do not miss.

>> no? >> i literally went to set and i was like, oh, my god, i don't have on spanx. what's going on? you know what i mean. i have to wear flat shoes to run around and chase people. it's a very, very different, different thing but i'm leaning in. >> but isn't it great with this character on "the rookie" to show a strong woman who is, you know, the oldest at the academy and knowing that time hasn't passed her by. that's really good to have that kind of representation on tv. >> i love it, because i think it speaks to so many women who could be at a place in life when they're like, oh, you know, maybe it's a little too late for me. i remember wanting a beauty salon at 25. i'm so old now. i think i waited too late, but that's what i said at 25. i thought i was too old to open a beauty salon, so you know what i mean? and now i'm doing things in my 50s that i've never done before. >> and we are so glad that you are doing that and keep it going on, niecy nash.

do you love the variety of what you are offered to do? >> i love -- i do, because i get to taste all of the disciplines and i love that. i love that i get to move around and do different things and keep reinventing myself. i definitely did it in love. i reinvented that thing, didn't i? >> you did. but you all have broken the internet a time or two. >> a time or two, yes, with our wedding, with the cover of "essence." we did it a couple of times. >> it's so great to see you happy. >> thank you. thank you, i so appreciate that. happiness does look good on me. i'm not giving it back. >> and you can see "the rookie" two-part event, it begins 10:00 p.m. this sunday here on abc. coming up, kaley cuoco is going to join us live right here in times square. an embarrassment of riches, all the folks we have here with us. love you, niecy, thank you. >> love you.

>> good morning. let us look at traffic. >> we are going live over colma where we have a road closure, there is a police investigation. please avoid the area if you can. we have alerts in san francisco, at an accident blocking lanes up into brisbane and a car carrier and a big rig got into it near poplar. >>

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>> coming up, the rookies and cleaning tips, we will see you soon on live. >> our next storm moving into northern california will bring what weather later on today and through the day tomorrow. rain arrives first in the north bay later today and this evening , showers spread across the rest of the region.

a level one on the impact scale. >> we will have another update in 30 minutes. who ♪ welcome back to "gma," everybody. we are very happy to have our next guest here in studio with us. she is the star and one of the executive purchases of the show "the flight attendant," which is nominated for nine emmys in its first season, and thankfully for all of us fans the show is back for season 2 and kaley cuoco here with us. how great it is to have somebody in the flesh. >> i have not done this in so long. i am so happy to be here. thank you for having me in person. feels good. >> we're glad you're here. we heard that you have a mug collection.

>> i do. >> so we wanted to give you a little gift to add. >> oh, my goodness. >> the coveted "gma" mug. >> you know how happy this makes me. i collect coffee mugs. oh, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> that's a hot item. >> i have like 200 of them. thank you. i really do. >> not to worry. >> you also like to give mugs. >> i do. >> as gifts and we hear, word on the street you gave one to sharon stone who plays your mother in season 2 and is it true she reached out to you and said i want to be a part of this show. >> yes, she did. we were casting my mom and she actually reached out to casting, and she had loved season 1 and loved -- she was a fan and she was like, i'm really interested in playing this and she got in contact with me and we started texting. guys, if sharon stone wants to do the show, you say yes. just move on. let's go because i kept thinking it was a joke. i'm like this can't be real but

she loved the show and she joined the show and was amazing and before i met her i made her a coffee mug where both of our heads were on like mother and daughter like at the mall. yeah, like the mall photos you take, but i hadn't met her. i hope she thinks it's funny. i think it's funny. >> not creepy at all. not creepy at all. very creepy. >> zosia mamet, who plays your best friend in season 2, you two have become really close off screen. so close, in fact, that you both got your second matching tattoo. >> we did. >> this one says what, boop? >> b-o-o-p. when we met -- i had to spell it. it's in bold. when i met zosia, she came in to test for the show and we did a chemistry read a couple of years ago, and we were kind of playing and improving together and went boop on her nose and she swatted my hand away and she's like, what are you doing and we kept doing this thing so when she left, oh, my god, you guys are obviously best friends. so cute.

we've never met. so we -- from here on out, we kept booping each other. she's actually booping my phone and so we got it on our arms because we're insane and so we put boop on there. we are so close and this year was really heavy and we just wanted to mark it because she really got me through a lot and i love her. >> i don't think there's a boop on this clip, but let's take a look. >> i'm doing this whole trying to be a good person thing. it's hard. >> wow. good for you. good luck with that. i'm grace. i'm not a good person but i really respect your journey. >> thanks. >> actually i'm doing a bar night in berlin. you should definitely come. >> thank you for the invite but i have to work when i get there. >> cool. you have work in germany. >> yeah, it's like a computer thing, a little side gig, every penny counts. >> you say there are a lot of different words to describe your character. give us a few. >> oh, my gosh. well, this season i play five cassies. it's as insane as it sounds,

yes, it's a lot of cuoco to go around. maybe one too many. i don't want to work with me ever again, let me tell you. i'm done. okay? [ laughter ] just about took me under. a lot of me and, yeah, it was wild. we actually -- we talked to the team behind orphan black and it was very similar shooting situation so that's literally i had a bunch of body doubles, there were a lot of blond kaleys walking around warner brothers. they're like i saw you got coffee. no, that wasn't me. no, you were at the commissary. no, that was not me again. just all of us around the studio so it was a wild experience. very wild and very different. yeah. >> we hear and i can so see this, you're going to play doris day in a limited series. she loved animals. you love animals. >> there are a lot of similarities. yeah, when i got the call to see if i was interested in that it

was like a dream come true. we're in development on that right now. i'm excited. she really was the sunshine. she was america's sweetheart but had a lot of stuff going behind the scenes, so -- >> perfect for you to play her. >> thank you. i'm really excited about it. >> you're perfect in "the flight attendant." >> well, thank you. >> yeah. cannot wait to see season 2. it debuts tomorrow on hbo max. make sure you check it out, everybody. and coming up, alexander skarsgard is live in times square. we'll be right back with more "gma." back with more "gma."

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welcome back to "gma." you know our next guest from his roles on hit tv shows like "big little lies," "true blood" and now, alexander skarsgard is starring as a viking extraordinaire alongside nicole kidman on the big screen in "the northman." welcome, so happy to see you. >> thank you, good morning. >> we were just reminiscing and i want to take it way back because i can't believe this, "zoolander" just turned -- >> oh, way back. >> going way back. that was your first u.s. movie? >> yeah. >> what a way to start. >> yeah, i wasn't even -- i was -- i -- barely was an actor at the time. i was here in l.a. and my dad is an actor and i was visiting him and so we were on vacation. i was -- did not have representation out here and his manager sent me out to this audition. i had no idea what it was and it ended up being for "zoolander" and two weeks later

i was driving down broadway with ben stiller and -- >> it's unbelievable. >> in a jeep. yeah, yeah. >> and then suddenly you're meekus. can you still do the stare? >> the blue steel? >> yeah. >> it's very early in the morning. >> yeah, it is early. commercial break. commercial break, everyone. we'll work on that, but do you have a great memory from that time with ben from that movie because it is so iconic -- and beloved. >> it was very surreal. again, i did not have representation. i did not have any -- not even a dream of becoming an actor out here so he was absolutely wonderful and that gasoline fight scene was the pinnacle of my career to this day. >> yeah. >> it was amazing. >> and you've had quite a career which i hope i have time to get to, but i want to talk about "the northman" and such a grueling role. vampires, models or now vikings. what's your favorite to play?

>> my goal, my next project will be a merge -- like a hybrid of the three, a vampire model viking. >> i want to be that for halloween. can we make that happen? i want to let everybody take a look at you in action in "the northman." check this out. >> i am ominous. son of the king and i am it. >> wow. this is -- >> apologies to everyone at home. that's a rough way to start the morning. so sorry. >> let me tell you, there's no like soft and fluffy scene. >> it gets lighter and funnier towards the end. >> oh, yeah, it's a real rom-com. >> it is a rom-com.

you picked a very weird scene. >> nicole kidman plays your mom. speaking of rom-coms you might want to consider one next. >> please, after this darkness and then "big little lies" a couple of years ago, we need a musical or a light rom-com or something. >> what was it like working with her again in this different fashion? >> it was incredible. we, again, "big little lies" was very tough. it's just the nature of that relationship is so dark so we became very close. we demanded a lot of trust between the two of us in order to kind of go into that darkness and so to be reunited was -- kind of hit the ground running when we started working on this because we had that intense experience together and i love her to death. she's the best and, again, it's a very dark dysfunctional relationship. this time we're not husband and wife, we're mother/son. but it -- some of the greatest scenes i've ever worked on were

in "the northman" with nicole. >> yeah, it's really quite beautiful. it's got a bit of a -- i mean it's shot in iceland. it's really beautiful in a very, very dark way and you're all incredibly -- >> angry, angry. >> like the physical transformation is unbelievable. >> my character is a berserker. his name is amleth, old north for bear wolf so, yeah, i had to do my best to try to look a bit more bear-like. >> it worked. >> thank you. >> we're so happy to see you again. so many great films. >> thank you. thank you. >> so many great roles. please come back and see us again. >> i really appreciate it. >> do check out "the northman." it's in theaters on friday. it's really great. >> thank you so much. we'll go to ginger now. >> thank you, lara. down here in chattanooga and we

are at the world's first leed platinum certified we'll stay with ginger for "charged up," she's traveling the country in an electric car to help us learn about the benefits and challenges of going electric. since we saw ginger yesterday she's driven from detroit to chattanooga, tennessee, home of the volkswagen plant. hey, ginger. >> reporter: hey, there, george. we traveled more than 600 miles yesterday alone. now, that took four charges, average charge time, 30 minutes, average price, 10 bucks, so we spent less than 40 and in a gas counterpart it would have been more than 70. the savings has begun and all

of that driving brought us here, to tennessee, where they have invested big sometime in the electric vehicle. they're almost a hub and they've added more than 10,000 jobs just from evs in the last five years. so volkswagen is part of that and we are right inside here. we're about to show you their id.4. this vehicle is a family vehicle. crossover suv. you can see the folks putting the finishing touches on in the light tunnel making sure that there's no defects, that there are no scratches, and then they think that it is a good idea to allow me to get inside their vehicles and give them a test track ride on the rattle track. i mean they said they wanted me to so until then how about we get some truths and myths behind the ev. for some, evs are about the entertainment. for others they seem too futuristic and unrealistic. >> i just don't think the tech isreet f evsybe soon but n now. >> reporter: as our electric vehicle trip rolls on, the questions from our viewers have been rolling in.

>> what's happened is gas prices are high, and they're staying high. now, the new version is something electric. >> reporter: we brought in the experts to help find some answers. marilyn switzer on facebook says charging stations are nonexistent in rural areas. >> we have found that tesla still is beating everyone else. tesla has already announced that the supercharger stations are going to be available to non-tesla vehicles. >> reporter: the charging infrastructure is certainly not everywhere yet. there are more than 46,000 ev charging stations across the country compared to more than 150,000 gas stations. and they become harder to find in the middle of the country. but that's changing. apps like plugshare, chargepoint, blink and others make finding the closest charging station easier on a road trip. still, drivers worry about what happens if you need a charge and you aren't near a charging station. >> it's one of the reasons we tell people an ev is a great second car. there are companies out there

that are working on ways to give you a charge out remotely, whether it's a van with a generator on it, or big battery packs, the best thing you can do is just be aware of your range. >> reporter: with vehicle ranges averaging 250 miles on a full charge running out of power shouldn't be a major concern for most people. more than half of households drive less than 50 miles a day which is just 20% of the average ev range. another myth we're seeing, all evs are expensive. one person saying, what good are they if we can't buy them? >> it ends up being a pretty affordable vehicle and drive it for many years if you have a short distance to drive on a daily basis. >> reporter: evs typically run about $10,000 more than their gas-reliant counterparts. cars like the nissan leaf, though, start at just over 25,000 and that could get you into the market. all right, so you ready to take this rattle test track with me. i am inside this id.4.

it's all electric and we're about to feel the bumps as if you are on a road, they do this to make sure thatho shaking within the car that isn't supposed to be happening. i feel a lot like some of the roads we were on in michigan, my home state, to be honest, but now i've hit the pothole part. anybody who lives in the city knows what that feels like and they want to make sure their id.4 is going to roll through and now the potholes, it's spring, better be tested. whoo, i think it did well. this id.4. they're marketing it as a family vehicle, spacious like many of these new crossover suvs for the ev market and they're starting their price point in the low 40,000s before the tax incentives. ah, i've made it to the cobblestone and they're also -- this is what makes it fascinating -- they are offering three years of free charging unlimited with electrify america which is part of, you know, the incentive rolling.

i have to tell you, all of these vehicles are so smart and so beautiful, george, it's hard to -- so far i feel like i'm testing all of them. yeah, i like this one, no, i want this one. it's exciting to see the changes. >> it certainly is. i hope the next leg of your trip is a little more smooth than what you've just been on. ginger, thanks very much. ginger will continue her trip south to georgia. you can follow the adventure with her tiktok takeover on "good morning america's" tiktok and coming up, a special performance by the legendary bonnie raitt only on "gma." ♪ let's give them something to talk about ♪ ♪ a little mystery to figure (music throughout)

♪ ♪ [ bird chirps ] springfest is back! [ sprinkler & birds chirping ] these are the mowers i was telling you about. and right now, you'll find everything your lawn and home needs this season. [ food sizzling and happy family chatter ] at great prices for the season. stop by lowe's now, for your happiest spring. stopking at me lara.

we have a special performance from rock 'n' roll royalty. bonnie raitt is set to release her 21st album "just like that." "forbes" calls her at her best, an eclectic mix of songs that reminds why she is a musical institution, so off the new album out on friday, here's bonnie raitt performing "made up mind." ♪

♪ it starts out slow with go ahead and go ♪ ♪ pretty soon the melody is like a rainstorm tin roof symphony ♪ ♪ but it starts out slow it goes on and on ♪ ♪ for way too long it always ends on a bad note ♪ ♪ if you could dance at all you'd dance alone ♪ ♪ it goes on and on ♪ wot e quiet behind a slamming d ♪ getaway wheels in a straight

line, serenade of a made up mind ♪ ♪ ♪ there ain't no rhyme just wasted time ♪ ♪ moonlight spotlight shining down on ♪ ♪ a made up mind and a love gone wrong, there ain't no rhyme ♪ ♪ the quiet behind a slamming door, the break of a heart that won't break no more ♪ ♪ getaway wheels in a straight line ♪ ♪ serenade of a made up mind ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ the quiet behind a slamming door, the break of a heart that won't break no more ♪

>> announcer: "gma" tomorrow, say good morning to jason bateman live. >> good morning, america. >> announcer: and it's showtime. >> just amazing. >> announcer: with magic johnson and robin roberts. >> i loved every minute of it. >> announcer: then friday nicole kidman starts your weekend off early on -- >> good morning, america. "good morning america" is sponsored by freshpet. real pet food fresh from the fridge. >> we're just commenting our guests were in a great mood this morning. really sets the tone and thank you, bonnie raitt, for that beautiful performance. >> have a great day. ♪ serenade ♪ ♪ serenade ♪

i'm dan o'dowd and i approved this message. you are watching actual videos of the tesla full self driving technology as recorded by the drivers. from turning too tightly and hitting a pylon... [ expletive ]

to swerving toward a pole. jesus. watch the bicyclist on the right almost get hit before the driver takes over. sometimes it seems the tesla doesn't want the driver to take over. tea didn't. he understand a detour sign. ok. here it almost hit a truck. obviously, i had to take over. and here it swerves into an oncoming lane. look at that! often, the tesla doesn't know what it wants to do. what is it doing? or just doesn't know how to turn. jesus, oh my god! tesla's full self driving software for drivers and pedestrians, it's unsafe at any speed. tell congress to shut it down.

>> building a better barrier, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc7 news. kumasi: good morning, i'm kumasi aaron. here is sue with traffic. sue: we have a problem on the san francisco side of the bay bridge. that has been cleared. bay bridge westbound, it is jammed eastbound, and early accident now cleared. traffic backed up all the way to brisbane. sig alert southbound 101 near popular, backed up to sfo. try 280. drew: our next storm approaching ukiah this morning. showers will spread south. outside, partly cloudy the golden gate bridge camera. showers in the north bay later today, and then in the evening the showers become more widespread. level 1 on the storm impact scale.

showers on andhrou frid morng. o tayodkumasi: time for "live wih kelly and ryan." back at 11:00 with "midday live >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, film, television, and stage star, rosie perez. plus, from the crime drama, "the rookie," niecy nash. and tips for cleaning your home the natural way as we continue "live's go green week." all next on "live!" [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ >> ryan: morning! >> kelly: hey, deja. what? what? what? thanks. >> ryan: thank you for the performance. [cheers and applause] on this wednesday.