right now on "america this morning," mask mandate backlash. a major u.s. city bucking to pressure now saying it will lift its mandate after fierce backlash but another city now issuing a new mask order. the new confusion this morning. fire emergency. an out-of-control wildfire destroying more homes with conditions getting even more dangerous across the southwest today. the new warning about the historic drought and record levels of air pollution. new video from the war in ukraine claiming to show the shootdown of a russian helicopter. ukraine denying vladimir putin's claim of victory in mariupol. what we found in the war zone, plus president biden's new plan to accept tens of thousands of

ukrainian refugees. "the new york times" revealing evidence it says proves house republican leader kevin mccarthy planned to urge trump to resign after the attack on the u.s. capitol. you'll hear the audio. the daring stunt high in the sky. we hear from two cousins who plan to swap planes in midair this weekend. and later scientists reveal something quite interesting about the brain of teenagers. good friday morning, everyone. we begin with another morning of confusion about mask mandates. >> we learned overnight that philadelphia is now reversing course and lifting its indoor mask mandate because of a fierce backlash. but across the country in los angeles, they are issuing a new order to require masks on all public transit. >> it all comes as covid cases rise in more than 30 states but new figures show the death rate is dropping. abc's faith abubey is here now trying to sort everything out. faith, good morning.

>> reporter: hey, good morning to you, andrew and dion. until the courts weigh in again, there is currently no federal mask mandate on public transportation, only a recommendation, but different local rules are making this a bit more complicated. this morning the nationwide confusion over mask requirements getting worse. public health officials including dr. anthony fauci criticizing a federal judge's decision to strike down the cdc mask mandate on public transportation calling it, disturbing and potentially creating a dangerous precedent. >> this is a public health matter. this is not a judicial matter. >> reporter: the department of justice now appealing the order but has not asked for the mandate to remain in place while the courts decide the case. >> whether that is used now or later or in a future pandemic it's essential that the cdc be able to retain this ability to do things that will keep americans safe. >> reporter: across the country local officials also wrestling with the decision on whether to keep the mask requirements in place or ditch them.

for now l.a. county issuing its own order for everyone 2 years and older to mask up at all transportation hubs and on public transport regardless of vaccination status. boston where new covid infections have increased by 65% in the last two weeks once again urging residents to mask up indoors. but philadelphia which just monday became the first major u.s. city to reinstate its indoor mask mandate now pulling back amid backlash. officials are expected to announce today plans to drop the requirement. >> people are just generally have had enough of this sort of government overreach. >> reporter: while nationwide covid deaths are dropping, hospitalizations are creeping up. new covid cases are also rising in about 30 states. 90 students at a bay area high school have tested positive after attending a mask optional prom. school officials say all the cases are mild. >> overall i think it was worth it. >> andrew, parents eager to

vaccinate their younger kids might have to wait just a little longer. dr. anthony fauci saying federal regulators are waiting to authorize the moderna and pfizer vaccines for kids under the age of 5 at the same time which means possibly in june. andrew. >> faith, thank you. a small plane has crashed outside general mills plant near atlanta. two people on board were killed. the plane hit several empty trucks. no one on the ground was hurt. witnesses say it sounded like the cessna was having engine trouble. now to the fire emergency in the southwest. conditions being described as extreme and critical with heavy winds expected today. and now new reports are warning about the historic drought and record air pollution levels. >> it was chaos to just get in a car and leave as fast as you can. >> reporter: this morning at least a dozen large fires are burning across three states forcing evacuations and destroying homes. >> i was crying very hard. i was sitting in safeway parking lot just watching the flames bow over the top of my roof.

>> reporter: near flagstaff, arizona, the so-called tunnel fire exploding to more than 20,000 acres. dozens of buildings reduced to ashes as the fast-moving fire burns out of control. >> i looked out the back window and i saw the flames kind of rolling through our property and back deck. >> reporter: this family escaping their home just minutes before it was engulfed by flames. >> i was in the car driving away and saw, you know, the house burning. >> reporter: firefighters working round the clock to stop the spread, but erratic winds and tinderbox conditions are fanning the flames. >> the environment is not very friendly. it was blowing 70 miles an hour, rocks were hitting everybody in the face. >> reporter: and now red flag warnings are in effect from texas to nevada and reaching as far north as nebraska. the historic drought in the west is further threatening the firefight. a new report showing record low rainfall totals in california and experts already voicing concern about the upcoming fire season. >> we're almost at the point of

begging the public, do not start fires. they are getting out of control very quickly and we're resource depleted. >> reporter: in colorado investigators say a drone is to blame for this blaze. researchers were studying severe weather impacts when the drone crashed and sparked the grass fire. experts also say climate change is to blame for the droughts and say more wildfires are adding to record levels of air pollution. turning to the devastation in ukraine, a handful of residents who just evacuated from mariupol say their city is gone, but the resistance is not backing down. the ukrainian military shared this video saying it shows paratroopers shooting down a russian helicopter with a stinger. a u.s. defense official says the next few weeks of the war will be a turning point. president biden, meanwhile, has pledged another $1.3 billion in military and economic aid. abc's james longman spoke with one man who made the dangerous journey out of mariupol with his granddaughter. >> look at your face.

you can't stop smiling. "i'm happy we're here," she says. "my soul is happy for meeting you" says vitaly. my soul is happy for meeting you as well. aww. >> president biden is also working to fast track 100,000 ukrainian refugees coming to the u.s. he wants americans to sponsor them. new revelations now about the hours after the january 6th attack on the u.s. capitol. "the new york times" reports after the riot house republican leader kevin mccarthy told republicans he would urge president trump to resign. mccarthy has denied that claim, but now "the times" released an audio saying he can be heard speaking to fellow republicans. >> and it would be my recommendation he should resign. i mean, that would be my take but i don't think he would take it but i don't know. >> the report also claims mccarthy and mitch mcconnell took part in discussions about possibly removing trump from office. former president obama used a speech at stanford

university thursday to discuss the damaging toll that disinformation is taking on democracy. obama called for more oversight of social media companies accusing them of turbo-charging the problem. >> we just saw a sitting president deny the clear results of an election and help incite a violent insurrection at the nation's capitol. but not only that but a majority of his party including many who occupy some of the highest offices in the land continue to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the last election and are using it to justify laws that restrict the vote. >> obama said with social media our prejudices are not challenged, they're reinforced. a new york man was arraigned overnight charged with murdering a mother of two and stuffing her body into a duffel bag. police say david bonola confessed to killing orsolya gaal. they say he was her former

handyman and they had an affair. early last saturday detectives say the two argued and that's when he allegedly stabbed her at least 55 times. a safety recall. best buy is recalling nearly 800,000 air fryers that could pose a fire hazard. they were made by insignia sold from november 2018 until february of this year. we've posted the model numbers on our website. time now for a look at your friday weather. the storm that dropped up to three feet of snow in california's sierra nevada moves into the rockies. they cia -- say that all of that snow is unlikely to bust california's drought because there was so little snow between january and march. on the radar a line of storms will roll into the plains bringing powerful wind, hail and the threat of tornadoes from texas to minnesota. checking today's high temperatures, nearly 70s in the northeast, 80s from denver to miami. cooler on the west coast. 83 in new orleans.

coming up, the new price increase at the grocery store. also ahead, the heart-stopping moments of an out-of-control tractor trailer as it races towards a school bus full of kids.

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back now with that 8-year-old boy detained by police in syracuse, new york, last weekend after allegedly stealing a bag of chips. police tell our syracuse station that just days later the same boy is now accused of stealing a bike after possibly threatening the victim with a knife. the 8-year-old was issued a juvenile ticket. another price hike at the supermarket. nestle, the biggest food company in the world, says it just raised prices by an average of 8.5% passing higher costs onto

consumers, and the company's ceo suggested more price increases are on the way. airfares, by the way, are also rising thanks to historic demand for travel. analysts say travelers should expect to pay higher fares for years to come. the airlines are struggling to keep up with that demand because of a shortage of pilots. moving on to a frightening close call between a big rig and a school bus. all of it caught on camera. here's abc's andrea fujii. >> reporter: this morning, terrifying video of an ohio school bus that narrowly missed being slammed by a tractor trailer. >> this could have been devastating to our community. >> reporter: tuesday as the medinah school district bus was picking up kids with flashing lights and arm out, a loud horn heard behind them. the horn coming from an 80,000-pound tractor trailer not far behind going nearly 45 miles an hour unable to stop. >> stop. stop! >> reporter: the bus driver stitting in the front seat while training a new driver urging the trainee behind the wheel to take

off. >> hurry up and go. >> reporter: the vehicle behind the bus pulling out of the way. a quick thinking pickup driver backed up hitting the suv behind him. >> i'm just kind of sitting there, next thing i know i hear a horn blaring. ad i look up and i realize there was a tractor trailer heading down my way head-on. >> reporter: that extra space was just enough room for the tractor trailer's driver to maneuver around the bus and avoid hitting anyone. inside the school bus, shock and then relief as the big rig zooms by leaving the kids unharmed. >> oh, my god. >> what was that? >> you don't want to know. >> reporter: the big rig driver managing to stop about a quarter mile down the road later telling police his brakes had gone out. meanwhile, that pickup truck driver now credited with helping save many lives. >> so i had to do what i had to do to protect myself and the kids.

>> reporter: that tractor trailer was inspected and police are waiting on those results to see if the trucking company or the driver could face charges. andrew, dion. >> andrea, thank you. those digital highway signs that display road fatality numbers may actually cause more crashes. it looked at data from texas and found crashes increased by 4% along a stretch of highway after a digital sign possibly because drivers being distracted. well, coming up, a wedding nightmare. the food laced with marijuana. also ahead, what we're learning about the mike tyson airplane brawl.

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clearing fight. the pitcher needed medical assistance. two players were ejected. mike tyson is in hot water once again for getting into a brawl with a fellow passenger on a jetblue fight. >> this morning trouble for mike tyson after this confrontation caught on camera. >> hey, hey, hey, hey. >> video obtained by tmz sports appearing to show the moment mike tyson unleashed his fury on a fellow passenger on a flight to miami. earlier show the same passenger gesturing to his friend who is recording video. >> this is mike tyson, bro. this is crazy, mike tyson. >> what we don't see the moments immediately before fists started flying, friends of the boxer tell tmz the man was intox indi indicated and his t man threw a water bottle at mike tyson. >> jetblue, just got beat up by mike tyson. >> tyson walked off the plane, and police say the victim

refused to cooperate with officers. but tyson could still face charges as the sheriff's department continues its investigation. >> you have to be drunk or stupid to just say anything other than hi to mike tyson. >> tyson boarded the flight just hours after leaving a 4-20 event in san francisco, part of a broader pro cannabis tour. the legendary boxer sells a variety of marijuana products including ear-shaped edibles called mike bites, in reference to where tyson bit off a part of evander holyfield's ear. he served time in prison in 1991. he has also been accused of assaulting a parking teattendan and assaulted someone after a car crash. a florida bride faces felony charges after allegedly drugging her wedding guests. police say danya svoboda and her caterer allegedly laced the food at the wedding with marijuana. some guests had to call an ambulance. >> i started feeling a little

dizzy, kind of like the room was spinning a little bit and things were distorted. and i think people thought they were having heart attacks. >> sounds scary. >> both the bride and caterer deny drugging the food. coming up, scientists reveal something very interesting about teenagers' brains. the countdown to a daring midair s how did olay top expensive creams? like this with hydration that beats the $100 cream in every jar of regenerist retinol24 collagen peptide new vitamin c and the iconic red jar can't top this skin

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♪ time to check "the pulse" and mystery solved. we begin with why teenagers don't listen to us. >> yeah, apparently researchers say teens are wired to tune in less to their mother's voice and tune in more to unfamiliar voices. a study at stanford university used mri scans to show the teen brain no longer finds mom's voice uniquely rewarding. actually a begin to separate from their

parents and become more independent. next the countdown to take off for one daring duo. >> this weekend cousins luke aikins and andy farrington will try to swap planes in midair on live tv. now, the pair is breaking down how they plan to pull off the death-defying stunt. >> they're flying straight at the ground at about 130 miles an hour. >> i'll say, you ready. >> yep, ready to rock. >> okay, speed brake coming down in three, two, one, throttle off, mixture out, diving, we're out the door that second. >> really so simple. they'll only have 40 seconds to make it out of one plane and into the other. much more of their interview later on on "good morning america." you also can watch their stunt live on hulu sunday at 7:00 p.m. eastern. all right, next how about celebrity estate sales for 200. >> the late "jeopardy!" host alex trebek would know the clue. fans lined up for an estate sale outside his home looking to buy a little something belonging to the tv icons.

items for sale included director's chair bearing his name, books, artwork and his own treasured memorabilia. >> his 10,000-foot home was up for grabs. it is already under contract. next a david versus goliath battle in the sky. >> you got to take a look at this. this video from scottsdale, arizona. an eagle landing on a perch where a mockingbird happened to be nearby. at first the eagle unflappable totally repeatedly looking back at the little bird, so pesky, not even bothered though but persistence pays off. the mockingbird was relentless and the eagle finally took off but that fearless bird followed the eagle across a lake to make sure it did not return. >> better luck nest time to that eagle. >> oh, wow. here's an animal that won't be giving up its territory. this gator crashed a game of golf at a country club in estero, florida. it appeared to be going for the ball before strolling by. i think it's a little lost.

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