asting, inc. >> right now on america this morning, a delta flight forced to land without its landing gear . just the latest chaotic scene at major airports. people waiting eight hours or longer just to rebook flights. >> others told it would be days before they get home. the growing debate over who's to blame and what can be done as airports brace for record crowds this weekend. >> breaking overnight, what's been found on that chinese spy balloon that was shot down over

south carolina earlier this year for the first time, we're seeing what's left of that sub that imploded in the north atlantic on its way to the titanic. >> what investigators are saying about what they found inside and what comes next. >> madonna's medical emergency rushed to the intensive care unit. what we're learning about her condition later. >> a bribery scheme involving chicken tenders sold to school lunch programs and the health risk. >> and major league perfection in there it is perfection. the rare achievement by the yankees last night, the record set and the inspiring story behind it. from abc news in new york this is america this morning. good thursday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. good morning. >> i'm morgan norwood in for rhiannon. we begin with more travel chaos. all of this as the holiday weekend approaches. >> some say the airlines are at fault. some say the government is at fault. we have both sides

of the debate, but first we start with a frightening scene at the airport in charlotte, north carolina, for the dramatic landing at one of the busiest airports in the country is only adding to this week's travel chaos. >> a delta jets landing gear malfunctioned, forcing the pilots to land in charlotte on the plane's nose after passengers were told to brace for impact. they erupted into cheers when the plane came to a screeching halt. >> within seconds of seeing a smell of the smoke, we were all kind of applauding the landing. >> but the closure of that runway is a major concern at such a crucial airport. you can't go from three runways to two at a major hub here without seeing that impact. >> flight operations, storms and staffing shortages have plagued air travelers nationwide this week, with more than 38,000 flights canceled or delayed since saturday and record crowds expected to fly this weekend for july 4th.

>> one passenger says he waited in line for eight hours at denver's airport just to rebook a flight often people will say, i'm standing at the airport, it's sunny and it's sunny in my destination and there's no weather in between. >> why is my flight canceled? well, perhaps that plane may be coming from a place where there was weather. >> these passengers in new york facing a 14 hour delay. we're told they could get a $12 voucher. united has been hardest hit. the airline has been offering flight attendants triple pay to pick up shifts. federal officials say they're investigating whether the airlines are overscheduling. transportation secretary pete buttigieg denies that a shortage of air traffic controllers is the main issue. >> united airlines seems to have some issues that are specific to their airline statistics make clear that faa availability issues are not even close to being the number one cause of delays and cancellations. >> but experts say the faa needs to recruit more young people to

take over for the retiring air traffic controllers. an industry group is also demanding congress better fund the faa to handle the post-pandemic surge in travel, saying us airlines have hired more than 55,000 new workers since 2020 to help stave off delays. yet we need an act of congress and faa policy changes just to hire 1800 air traffic controllers per year. and as for united, the airline says it plans to be back on track by this weekend. >> new details overnight about the chinese spy balloon that was shot down over south carolina in february. the wall street journal reports the balloon was loaded with american technology to collect photos and other information. and some of that technology is available online. preliminary findings reportedly support the conclusion that the balloon was intended for spying, but officials say it did not appear to send data back to china. crews recovering the wreckage of the sub that imploded in the north atlantic have found what are believed to be human remains. the evidence is being pulled from the ocean

floor near the titanic. the first debris was hoisted to shore and will undergo testing as investigators try to determine exactly what went wrong before all five crew members were killed. >> it's going to take months anyway to go through all these bits and pieces and thoroughly analyze all of the failures, looking at how the hatch separated, where did the first leak happen and that these kind of pressures when things go bad, everything's over very, very quickly. >> so the investigation is expected to focus largely on the carbon composite construction experts had warned that the material could weaken with each dive. >> well, now to the supreme court and some major rulings do as soon as today. one of them involves student loan debt relief. some borrowers are now speaking out, saying that they refuse to pay back their loans no matter what the court decides. abc's justin finch is here to explain. justin, good morning. >> morgan good morning. we are awaiting some blockbuster decision this morning, including rulings on student loans and

affirmative action. the supreme court is expected to hand down a new round of opinion this morning. one decision could determine whether president biden's $400 billion plan to forgive student loan debt is constituted final. the plan would forgive up to $20,000 in debt for people like ashley robinson. >> it's like throwing money out the window and setting it on fire. if the court rules against biden's debt relief, robinson says she may join a growing movement calling for a union of defiant borrowers who will simply stop making payments. i have sworn up and down that i am just not paying on these anymore . >> for robinson says she's paid about $33,000 toward her $50,000 loan balance. but she says when she checked her balance recently, the total she owes remained around 50,000 because of the interest rate. >> trying to make these payments

. it's i know i've made at least 100 at this point, but they they haven't gone anywhere. so it literally is like a hamster wheel. you're just spinning your wheels here. you're going absolutely nowhere. >> another decision from the court could affect higher education. the justices could put an end to affirmative action programs in colleges and universities, continue to use race as one factor among many. >> when they admit students. that's been the law of the land for more than 40 years. the supreme court has appeared ready to roll that back. >> the justices could also decide a case involving anti-discrimination laws. at issue, can businesses refuse to serve lgbtq people because of free speech? we could also see a ruling about religious accommodations at work after a man sued over being forced to work on sundays. morgan justin, thank you. >> 16 people were injured when an amtrak train derailed north of los angeles. the seattle

bound train derailed after hitting a water truck that was on the tracks. the truck driver is now being questioned. officials say the crash could have been much worse if the train cars had overturned. and on the other side of the country, a dramatic scene in new jersey. people were trapped in a fast moving river and the rescue effort hit a snag. the dramatic rescue unfolded after first responders in the middle of a rescue had to be rescued themselves. >> we went out there with our boat and in attempt to rescue them, our rescue boat went over the falls with our men in it. >> around 3 p.m, the clifton fire department responded to a call after three contractors cutting trees got stuck in the passaic river. their boat engines stalling out near this dam. two firefighters responded, but the raging waters of the falls pushed their boat over the dam. the boat flipping and becoming partially submerged, stranding the firefighters. the current too strong for responders on the shore. so police called in a helicopter to rescue both groups. the contractors were apparently rescued without incident, but the firefighters rescue was a different story. our new york

station broadcasting live as a rescuer hanging from the helicopter was able to clip onto and pull the first firefighter to safety. >> you can see the person being dropped into the water. then the rescue worker ties them on and then they lift that person up. but increasingly, gusty winds complicated the second rescue. >> that rescuer dangling from the chopper for more than 20 minutes, blowing in the wind as the pilot tried to maneuver him into position. >> just watching. you can see he's dangling. it looks like, about a good 100ft from the bottom of that chopper. >> finally, the prolonged rescue coming to an end. >> finally, they got him and there they go. it looks like there he goes wild there. >> after all that, no one was seriously hurt. >> time now for a look at your thursday weather. >> good morning. poor air quality again in the news today as we look across the great lakes and northeast. and it's not going to get any better for many of these northeastern cities. look at the smoke and

haze in the forecast for today and tomorrow. the great lakes, the northeast could be some delays at the airports with low visibility and the poor air quality making us stay inside. the heat is also making a stay inside as the heat wave shifts its way eastward this week with severe weather likely from chicago to atlanta. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin corcoran. >> coming up, publisher's clearing house accused of deceptive practices the settlement now reached. >> but first july 4th without fireworks. why more cities are ending the tradition and what they're doing instead. and the bribery scheme involving chicken tenders sold to school lunch programs. >> what was found in the chicken

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are saying no to fireworks. >> the reason why could depend on where you live. here's abc's andrea fujii in a summer already plagued by some of the worst air pollution the us has ever seen, more cities are pushing for alternate gives to 4th of july fireworks celebrations. >> it is the most polluted time , so it's becoming worse. >> smoke from the historic canadian wildfires has now spread into the midwest and as far as atlanta and in the west, a new wildfire in arizona this week forced more than 1000 people to evacuate. the western drought and air pollution concerns have prompted the push to replace an american summer tradition. instead of july 4th, fireworks in flagstaff, arizona, and aspen, colorado, are offering laser light shows to reduce the risk of fires as more than 12,000 fires were started by firework works in 2021, including more than 2000 structure fires causing millions

of dollars in damage. also a concern, the metallic particles is released into the air, which can have harmful health consequences. >> know what gives them their color? the blues, the greens, the vibrant reds are essentially metals like copper. copper gives you blue or strontium, which gives you the bright red we see in the fireworks, inhaling the smoke can be dangerous, especially for people with asthma or other respiratory issues. >> you may experience aggravation of symptoms. >> shortness of breath is a common one. sometimes you have a sort of irritation in your eyes. >> another alternative to fireworks drove a recent wine festival in france illustrated just how beautiful drone shows can be. wine appearing to flow from the bottle into that glass in the sky, salt lake city and boulder, colorado, are among the cities replacing fireworks with drone shows this year. city leaders say drone shows are cleaner, quieter and allow for a lot more creativity. the one downside side, they're also a

lot more expensive and drew morgan, publishers clearing house has agreed to pay $18 million to settle allegations that it used deceptive practices during its sweepstakes. >> the ftc accused the company of luring customers into buying products by misleading them into thinking the purchase would increase their odds of winning. publishers clearinghouse also agreed to change its business tactics, but admit no wrongdoing. >> a former new york city school official faces up to 20 years in prison in a case that put chicken tenders in the spotlight. eric goldstein is one of four defendants convicted of bribery and other charges yesterday in a food service scandal. goldstein took bribes from a company that provided meals for students. the trial revealed school kids were being served chicken tenders and other food containing pieces of plastic and even metal. >> well, coming up, the popularity of seltzer water triggering a warning from dentists. >> but first, new details about >> but first, new details about mwhen you really need to sleep. you reach for the really good stuff.

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>> we're back with the latest on madonna, the pop icon hospitalized with a serious infection requiring a stay in the icu. her eldest daughter reportedly by her bedside side, living for long. this morning, new details about madonna's major medical scare. her management now postponing her world tour after a serious bacterial infection landed her in a hospital intensive care unit for several days. her manager writing on instagram that the 64 year old madonna fell ill from the infection saturday, just weeks before she was due to set off on her 43 city tour. 8090. >> 2004 decades of music. welcome to the party. >> a source telling abc news madonna is now out of the icu. her manager writing her health is improving. she remains under medical care, but a full recovery is expected. >> bacterial infections can become dangerous quickly and if not treated, they can lead to increased risk of complications and even death. >> her manager saying we will

share more details with you as soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows. >> what we know is that madonna is 64 years old and an admission to the icu can be difficult for anyone at any age and often requires some level of rehabilitation and a grueling tour or public performances might have to be put on hold so that madonna and any other person in that situation can receive the appropriate rest and needed rehabilitation. >> in the new york post reports that madonna was intubated in the hospital, but her management did not confirm that. >> a new study finds opioids are no better than a placebo when it comes to treating lower back pain. researchers randomly assigned an opioid or a placebo to about 350 men and women, and they found no difference in the pain levels reported. there was also no difference in physical functioning or quality of life. >> now listen up. dentists are now warning about the dangers of seltzer. now that the drink is becoming more popular than ever, many use the carbonated water as a low sugar replacement for soda. but dentists are warning that seltzer has acids that can

harm or even wipe out tooth enamel. so they recommend rinsing your mouth with regular water between seltzers to wash out that acid or just drink with a straw. coming up, the rare perfect game in baseball last night and the inspiring story behind it. also ahead, speaking of inspiring the ten year old boy, get this, who is already in college as someone living with type 2 diabetes, i want to keep it real and talk about some risks. with type 2 diabetes you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. even at your a1c goal, you're still at risk ...which if ignored could bring you here... ...may put you in one of those... ...or even worse. too much? that's the point. get real about your risks and do something about it. talk to your health care provider about ways to lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. learn more at getrealaboutdiabetes.com your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do.

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throughout the entire game. >> it would have been so happy, you know, he was always someone that really brought a joy to our family and it happened for him to watch it this way from up there. >> by the way, his jersey number is zero. that's how many batters reached base. the yankees now hold the record for most perfect games by a franchise with four. next, a teen, a ten year old making history. he's now a college student. >> yeah, david borgen is southern new hampshire university's youngest student ever. he graduated high school at age nine, and now he's on a full scholarship. he's studying computer science. he also wants to study black holes and supernovas. he says that he loves to learn, even as my mom puts it, my favorite subject is learning new things, whether it's art, math, science, english, social studies. >> i'll be happy to learn something new. >> and no surprise, david is taking a full course load. his mom hesitate, sending him to college so young. but she says

he's now learning based on his capabilities. wow. next some soothing sounds from underground . >> for the first time since the pandemic tryouts were held for singers to perform in the new york subway. so they performed in front of a panel of judges at grand central station. the judges, as she put jodha , jacob. >> oh, god. oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. la la la la la la la la. oh sounding good. >> 47 performers auditioned, but only about half will make it. some of them came as far as la. well on to chicago, where nascar is taking some heat. >> so fans are speaking out about the price of beer at this weekend's street race. science show, a $63 price tag for a six pack of busch light, or michelob ultra. at least the bottled water is only i don't know, $3.95. what? and finally, a bike like you've never seen before. >> an engineer developed this

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announcer: building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. reggie: extreme shortages, outdated tech all contributing to travel issues across the country. now, airlines scrambling to remedy problems as the busiest days of the holiday weekend are here. what you should know before you go out the door. kumasi: cities across the u.s. once again dealing with or air quality and many are considering alternatives to their fireworks show, hoping to not add to it. reggie: fire fighters also's also talking about fire concerns. the recommendations keep your family safe.