stage with us tomorrow. we'll see you then. ♪♪ captioned by los angeles distribution and broadcasting, inc. rail. the dramatic moments and what's next for the president's son. >> one of the most powerful men in washington freezes mid-sentence during a news conference and a string of a.

what senator mitch mcconnell is now saying amid concerns about his health. we talk to an expert on the crane collapse in new york city. >> the structure plunging 45 stories down to the street below . what we're learning about the crane operator on your money this morning. >> interest rates now rising to a 22 year high. what it means for car loans, credit cards and mortgages. how much more borrowers will be paying the impact on inflation, fighting back overnight, the us women's soccer team trailing at half time in a world cup match for the first time in more than a decade. >> we'll take you to new zealand for the nail biting finish. >> and later, from climbing the stairs at his senior living community to scaling yosemite half dome with his granddaughter , 193 year old's remarkable story of determination. news in new york. >> this is america this morning

. >> good thursday morning, everyone. >> i'm andrew dymburt and i'm rhiannon ally. we want to begin with new details overnight about hunter biden's plea deal. >> the president's son is now in legal limbo. his plea deal unraveled during a dramatic day in court where the judge questioned whether biden can receive future immunity from prosecution. >> so what happens next? abc's justin finch is here with the details on that. justin, good morning. >> rhiannon good morning. the judge in the hunter biden case is now questioning whether part of the biden's plea deal is even constitutional. reporters in the courtroom described a collective gasp when it was announced the deal that hunter biden reached to avoid prison time was null and void. >> the judge smelled something, wasn't right and decided to stop this plea from going forward. >> biden had agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges set secretly. federal authorities agreed not to prosecute him for the more serious charge of lying about his drug use when he purchased a

gun in 2018. as long as biden remains drug free for two years. but the judge appointed by former president trump questioned both biden's legal team and prosecutors about that arrangement, calling it not straightforward, atypical while saying she would not give the deal a rubber stamp and asking is this even constitute personal? the judge also questioned and whether the gun charge deal gives biden blanket immunity from future federal prosecution, including in his business dealings in other countries. when the judge yesterday asked prosecutors if there was still an ongoing investigation into biden, they responded. there is there's multiple criminal conduct acts like there may be with hunter biden. >> you got to spell out what those acts are, that they're basically immunizing him from. and from future prosecution. i don't think they did that. >> several republicans have criticized the plea deal, though . it was negotiated by a trump appointed us attorney for

delaware. and last week, two irs agents testified biden got special treatment from prosecutors, a claim they deny. >> for this to turn into a 3.5 hour interrogation by the judge , both the defendant and the prosecution is somewhat rare. and it points to the fact that the judge was not comfortable with what the deal was. >> after the hearing, biden changed his plea from guilty to not guilty, and the judge ordered both sides to talk and return in about 30 days, adding, i'm not going to say i'm going to accept the agreement. i'm not going to say i'll deny it. >> there's going to be a lot of horse trading. i'm in the next couple of days and next couple of weeks. but i venture to guess either there will be a plea or there will be a formal charge brought in the next couple of weeks. >> and the white house declined to comment, directing questions to hunter biden's legal team. andrew do. >> all right, justin, thank you. the other big story this morning, health concerns for one

of the most powerful men in washington. but senator mitch mcconnell insists he's fine. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell made light of the frightening moment yesterday when he was seemingly unable to speak to reporters as he joked last night that he was sandbagged, referring to president biden's recent fall over a sand bag at a graduation ceremony. >> well, the president called to check on me. i told him i got sandbagged. >> oh, nice. how are you feeling now, sir? how are you feeling now? i'm fine. >> have you seen a doctor or are you going to any idea what happened? >> well, any idea what happened? >> i'm fine. >> that's dehydrated. >> got to watch those sand bags. >> house speaker kevin mccarthy says he met with mcconnell after the incident at there was no concerns about his health in their meeting. the 81 year old republican leader appeared to freeze mid-sentence during wednesday's news conference and cooperate ocean and a string of .

standing silent for more than 20s before he was led away. mcconnell's colleagues, including senator john barrasso, who is a doctor, were clearly worried. >> do you want to say anything else to the press? go back to. >> go ahead, john. >> aides say mcconnell felt lightheaded. he returned to the podium minutes later to say he was fine. >> i can't make a diagnosis on the basis of a video alone. but i think what we can say is it seems as though a neurologic event of some kind has happened here. >> doctor lee kroll, a neurologist who has not treated mcconnell, says his concussion four months ago, and yesterday's incident could be related. we think about things like low blood pressure, dehydration, medication, side effects, but we also worry about seizure. >> tia, which stands for transient ischemic attack. that's a mini stroke or even a minor stroke. those are some of the conditions we would consider. mcconnell's office declined to say whether he saw a

doctor yesterday. >> authorities say three marines who were found dead inside a car in north carolina died from carbon monoxide poisoning. all three were marine lance corporals between the ages of 19 and 23. they were found outside of a convenience store last sunday near camp lejeune, where they were stationed. >> in ohio, police officer who unleashed his police dog on a suspect who was surrendering has now been fired. the suspect was on his knees with his hands up. and a state trooper repeatedly told officer ryan speakman not to release the dog. the police department in circleville, ohio , says speakman did not meet their standards. >> now to the dramatic scene on one of the busiest streets in new york city. a 180 foot long crane catching fire and then collapsing onto a busy neighborhood. and now we are learning how it was possible that nobody was killed. this morning we have learned the owner of this crane that collapsed in new york was involved in two previous deadly disasters. the company has yet

to comment on yesterday's fire, which sent that crane more than a half a football field long crashing down, slicing through a nearby skyscraper. >> it was something out of a movie. you see something out of a movie. it was it was something else. >> the crane, 16 ton load plunging 45 stories down to the street. crane fell as workers inside the building ran for their lives. should we get out? >> i don't know. is it going to keep falling off? >> let's go. as i'm in the building, i could have swore was my last day. >> firefighters rushing to the scene, spraying water from an adjacent rooftop, blocking off roads before the crane fell, saving lives. only 12 non-life-threatening injuries were reported. officials say the fire started in the engine compartment of the crane before the operator was able to escape. >> the cable started burning out and that's when the crane operator realized there was an issue, came out of the cabin and tried to extinguish the situation. but once it lit up to

a point where he couldn't, he needed to exit. >> a preliminary investigation found the fire may have been caused by a hydraulic fluid leak. records show the company's cranes were involved in two deadly collapses in 2008, leading to the resignation of the city's building commissioner and prompting new safety measures. five years later, a crane owned by the company left a massive concrete cube dangling above a busy pedestrian area for hours. as for the crane that crashed yesterday, our new york station reports the operator did have the correct permits and was operating within the law. part of that area remains shut down overnight as the investigation there continues. >> time now for a look at your thursday weather. storms that hit the midwest arrive in the northeast today and the storms could bring damaging winds. and an isolated tornado from washington, d.c. to maine. meanwhile, heat alerts are posted from coast to coast with feel like temperatures

topping 100 degrees this afternoon across the west and from the plains to the east coast. the northeast will see its first official heat wave of the summer beginning today. temperatures in the 90s are expected well into the weekend and could creep all the way up to close to 100. what's next for kevin spacey after the verdict in his sexual assault case? >> also ahead, car loans credit card debt and mortgages. the impact of the new interest rate hike by the fed and what it reveals about the economy. >> and what we've learned about this jet ski rider who drove over a pod of manatees

- did you see that? - whoa, whoa, we scored? - yeah we scored, we're going to the playoffs. - i can't believe i missed that. (bell dings) every time i'm buzzed i spend too much time on my phone. - what? i should take your phone away. - no, no, no, i'll call for a ride. - hey, why does my face look like that? - (laughing) i'm playing with these new face filters. - okay you know what? that's mine. - [buzzed guy] i'm gonna need that back. - [kevin] nope. - [buzzed guy] kevin. america. >> for we are back now with a fedex driver delivering a life

saving rescue, saving a man from this fiery crash on a highway in san diego. >> jonathan rohrbach saw the fire and then dragged the victim who suffered a serious leg injury to safety. rohrbach says he doesn't want to be called a hero. he just did the right thing. unbelievable >> kevin spacey is planning to return to acting after being acquitted on sexual assault charges. the oscar winning actor was in tears as the verdict was read in a london courtroom where prosecutors had called him a sexual bully who preyed on younger men. but the defense said the accusers were only trying to cash in on spacey's fame. >> i'm enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reach their decision. and i am humbled by the outcome. >> spacey has not worked in some six years, but said he expects to work again soon. >> now to your money. the

federal reserve has just raised interest rates for the 11th time in just the last year and a half. abc's andrea fujii looks at what this means for your wallet. this morning, another interest rate hike as the federal reserve tries to slow inflation, putting a strain on borrowers. >> the fed yesterday raising interest rates by a quarter percent to a 22 year high. >> inflation has moderated somewhat since the middle of last year. nonetheless the process of getting inflation back down to 2% has a long way to go. >> bad news for anyone in need of a loan. new car loans are at a 15 year high mortgage rates have nearly doubled since march 2022, meaning potentially hundreds of dollars more in monthly payments and credit card rates are now averaging a record 20, potentially costing users more than $1.7 billion in extra interest charges in the next year. but the rate hike does benefit savers with high yield savings accounts putting more

money in your pocket and more promising news. experts at the fed are no longer forecasting a recession, but their watchful eyes remain focused on inflation in i think it's becoming increasingly clear inflation is headed in the right direction. >> it may take a while to get back to the fed's target, and i think the fed's going to remain, you know, strident in its language and won't need to raise rates after raising them today. >> in the meantime, wall street cheering the news. the dow is on a 13 day winning streak. another key economic indicator will be released today, an estimate on the second quarter gdp growth and expectations are that the economy grew 2, matching the first quarter of this year. rhiannon, andrew andrea, thank you. >> coming up, a new rule about bathrooms on airplanes. we'll tell you what's changing. >> also ahead, the stunning claims during a hearing on claims during a hearing on capitol hill about ufo sightings kayaking is my thing.

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>> we're back with a fire on this cargo ship burning in the north sea off europe. it's carrying nearly 3000 cars, including electric vehicles. one sailor has died. the fire could burn for days. another cargo ship carrying cars caught fire in new jersey this month, killing two firefighters is in florida. >> voters and jet skiers were seen harassing a group of manatees near palm beach. people jumped off boats to touch them. one jet skier even drove right over the manatees just to take a selfie. manatees are protected under federal law. it is illegal to harass them. >> i looked over. i saw jessica driving right towards the manatees. and you can catch him with his phone in his hand, driving right to them to take a picture. the current and the direction of where the manatees were going kind of put him right on top of them. people who violate the protection law face fines and possible jail time. >> we turn now to the issue of ufos in a very interested congressional hearing on capitol hill. a former air force intelligence officer testified yesterday that he believes the

us is concealing unidentified flying objects that crashed and may even be concealing alien life forms. >> i was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi decade uap crash retrieval and reverse engineering program, david grush appeared alongside two former fighter pilots who reported seeing ufos, telling the congressional oversight committee that the us has been aware of these mysterious objects for nearly a century. >> i like to use the term non-human. >> i don't like to denote origin keeps the aperture open. previously in 1930. >> it's the latest in the disclosure surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena or uaps the government's term for ufos. and while the mention of ufos brings to mind images of otherworldly creatures emerging from a futuristic spaceship, those in washington are more concerned that sightings like these from fighter pilots could be tied to america's foreign adversary. but grush claims not all the encounters have been of this earth. >> do you believe we have

crashed? craft it stated earlier. do we have the bodies of the pilots who piloted this craft? >> biologics came with some of these recoveries. yeah >> were they, i guess, human or non-human biologics? non-human >> and that was the assessment of people with direct knowledge on the program. >> i talked to grush did not cite any evidence supporting his allegations. he claims such information is classified. the pentagon denies any cover up. but both republicans and democrats are now pushing for more transparent ac from the military, noting whether they're from earth or not, they could pose a national security risk. grush says he's faced retaliation for making these claims, but he would not elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation while using the restroom on a plane could one day be a much more pleasant experience, since a new rule from the transportation department calls for single aisle planes to have bigger bathrooms to accommodate people with disabilities, including people in wheelchairs. >> but the new rule doesn't take effect until 2033. >> coming up, a supermarket chain tries something controversial in the checkout line. >> but first, team usa biggest

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for fast relief when you need it most. >> good morning, america. >> time to check the pulse. we begin with team usa fighting back overnight against the netherlands, the first time since 2011, the us women trailed at halftime during a world cup match, but they rallied and came from behind to earn a11 draw. >> abc's maggie ruley was watching in wellington new zealand. >> the us dominated on the attack. it seemed like all game long, but they struggled to finish. and after kind of a tough first half they were down one to nothing. they came back. they showed up in the second half and they had an absolutely beautiful goal, a header by lindsey horan off a corner kick and you know, we caught up with her just after the game and you could tell she knew just a gorgeous piece of soccer she had

played. she said that second half she was so proud of the team for the way they rallied. they came back out strong. and she says that's the kind of momentum and the level of play that they hope they can bring into the rest of the world cup and to their next game against portugal. >> maggie, maggie, thanks. their next match is tuesday. from soccer to football. aaron rodgers is taking a big pay cut. >> the jets quarterback has signed a reworked contract. the two year deal will pay him $75 million, down from $110 million. that's a $35 million pay cut. it gives the jets more flexibility to sign other players to try and help rodgers get to a super bowl. speaking of athletes, a california man proves even at 93 years old, you can scale new heights. >> he just climbed to the top of yosemite half dome. everett callen made the 13 hour trek with his son and his granddaughter, and he trained for it by climbing the stairs at a senior living community. >> next, a big change at the grocery store. no cashiers anymore. only self-checkout aisles. a kroger supermarket in franklin, tennessee, is trying the idea out.

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>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. reggie: back to the bargaining table for hunter biden's legal team. now at 5:00, the reason of the deal fell apart in front of the judge. kumasi: moments at capitol captured on camera. mitch mcconnell freezing in front of reporters. and a comment about his health and what he is saying.