matt gutman, abc news, los angeles. >> matt. thank you. once popular fashion retailer forever 21 is closing 200 u.s. stores amid reports it is close to its second bankruptcy declaration in five years. forever 21 was once a staple of shopping malls, but has since lost ground to online retailers. if a buyer for its u.s. operations can't be found forever, 21 will reportedly close all its stores for good. >> coming up, the giant thank you gift from one new york met to another. >> but first, the new technology that's already being tried out by major league baseball for spring training. you're represents mesothelioma victims and their families. do you have questions about paying medical bills, getting the best medical treatment, finding a specialist, or getting the compensation you deserve? if so, we've been offering free information about mesothelioma to victims and their families for over ten years. mesothelioma is really all we do. call us now for this free book. >> call us at 851 one 5400 or go to book.com. >> i love my work caring for peopl

>> david: matt gutman, thank you. >>> when we come back here, this showdown on the ice. the u.s. versus canada tonight, amid this political tension already. and the tensions already before the big game. >>> and then look at this tonight. a dramatic scene on the highway. a mother driving an suv, slammed by that cement truck, the suv bursting into flames. really an extraordinary effort to save the mother, in a moment. n that's smart now... i'm 65. and really smart later i'm 70-ish. consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan from unitedhealthcare. with this type of plan, you'll know upfront about how much your care costs. which makes planning your financial future easier. so call unitedhealthcare today to learn more about the only plans of their kind with the aarp name. and set yourself and your future self up with an aarp medicare supplement plan from unitedhealthcare. pronamel clinical enamel strength can help us to keep our enamel for a lifetime. it's backed by science it is clinically proven to strengthen our teeth. i would recommend this toothpaste to everybody. it's r

>> david: matt gutman interviewing the new d.a. late today for us. >>> also from los angeles tonight, the major firing. it comes after the horrific and deadly california wildfires. tonight, the los angeles mayor has removed the l.a. fire chief. what the mayor now claims about what the fire chief failed to do with the fire danger so high. here's kayna whitworth. >> reporter: they were the largest and most destructive wildfires to ever rage in southern california. the eaton and palisades fires burning more than 16,000 homes and businesses and killing at least 27 people. and tonight, l.a. mayor karen bass facing criticisms for the city's response announcing she's removing l.a. city fire chief kristin crowley, effective immediately. >> thousands firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke were instead sent home on chief crowley's watch. these actions required her removal. >> reporter: the mayor claiming crowley decided against deploying about 1,000 available firefighters and dozens of water trucks in advanc

matt gutman live in california. thanks, matt. >>> now to the u.s. economy tonight. the new report showing inflation rising in this country. families paying more for groceries, used cars, and medical bills. president trump tonight blaming president biden. these new numbers show this inflation challenge will be front and center for this president, too. here's our chief economics correspondent rebecca jarvis. >> reporter: tonight, inflation going up. american families spending more at the grocery store. >> it's so expensive. >> reporter: it comes after president trump campaigned on lowering prices and ending inflation on day one. >> starting on day one, we will end inflation. we will end inflation and we will make america affordable again. >> reporter: today, the president blaming january's inflation on his predecessor, writing, "biden inflation up." the new rate now 3% shows lowering prices won't be an easy task. americans are paying more for food, energy, medical bills, car insurance, and repairs. >> food and gas, it all comes out of the same pocket. >> i have to cut

here's abc's matt gutman. >> tonight, in an extraordinary move, the menendez brothers calling into an podcast with harvey levin and mark geragos. their defense attorney, erik menendez, describing the terror behind bars. >> i faced a lot of bullying and trauma. there was a it was a dangerous environment. >> what happened to you? >> i was picked on, bullied violently, and it was traumatic. and it was continual. and, you know, there's the things that a lot of inmates in prison go through. and when they're not part of a gang structure. >> and erik says he didn't fight back. >> i'm not going to fight back. i'm not going to, you know, engage. and i had no one to really to turn to for help. >> the brothers served 21 years of their sentence in separate prisons. erik, describing how he felt when he says he learned his brother lyle had been violently attacked. >> i was told lyle just got assaulted and got his jaw broken. and it was, i'm thinking, he's over there, i'm going through this over here. and at least we could protect each other. maybe if we were together. >> next month, the brothers f

our matt gutman was on board with them during a training run tuesday. >> this is coast guard station,it's about 11:00 tuesday morning. and the two boats you see here are part of a tactical team that this morning is going to do a mock interdiction. that far boat is the chase boat. this is the pursuit boat. welcome aboard by sea and by air. >> there's still a lot of water, and it can be very difficult to identify vessels. >> the coast guard is putting its teams through their paces. that means playing out scenarios like this one. how to handle a high speed boat chase. if they were running down smugglers. this is one of the fastest boats that the coast guard has. it goes 40 to 45 knots, and you can feel the power of this thing. over the last several weeks, the u.s. coast guard has found dozens of migrants in small vessels sailing across international waters. >> heads up, hands up. >> and with other parts of the border sealed off, the coast guard expects a so-called balloon effect, with more migrants attempting the migrants attempting the dangerous crossing by sea. mpic®. i got the power o

here's abc's matt gutman. >> hopes crushed, at least for now.menendez brothers road to freedom. >> the court should deny the current habeas petition by the menendez brothers. >> the brothers were claiming that they did not get a fair trial or fair trials back in the 90s, and they've been denied over and over again. he wants them denied again. >> the los angeles district attorney, nathan hochman, says he will not support the brothers attempt for a new trial based on new evidence that they say shows their father sexually abused them. it was one of only three possible paths to the brothers release. >> we believe it's inconceivable, as we've argued in our papers and defies common sense, that if they had evidence that would show that that sexual abuse had been communicated not just six years before the events, but nine months before the 1989 killings, that it would absolutely have come out during one or both of their testimonies. >> the brothers say years of sexual abuse by their father drove them to murder. that question continues to be at the cente

here's abc news reporter matt gutman. >> in this morning's gma first look, naya rivera's former husbandnearly five years after her tragic drowning. >> we only said goodbye. >> naya rivera was a massive presence on the hit glee. a triple threat dancer, actor and singer. >> this girl is on fire. >> and for her ex and the son, they shared the vacuum rivera left behind. five years after her mysterious drowning is just as massive. what made you decide to talk about this now? >> i had a friend who told me she thought i should write a book. and i said, what am i going to write a book about? and she's like, no, i think you could help people, like with bereavement or like dealing with loss. >> and coming up at 7 a.m, dorsey sharing about the moment he learned rivera disappeared and how their son is doing now. with your gma first look i'm matt gutman, abc news, los angeles. >> rapper asap rocky has been acquitted of felony assault charges. >> we, the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, rakim mayers, not guilty of. >> that was raw emotion. that was happiness. you know, there was

. >> robin: matt gutman, the u.s. coast guard and their ramped up efforts. >> michael: kayakers close encounter. >> great white. great white shark. >> michael: chased by a shark for nearly ten minutes. >> robin: the pilot walking away without a scratch. and telling his story after crashing plane. >> george: and the full monty. >> i choose the giant schnauzer! >> george: monty wins best in show. >> i'm so proud of him. >> george: he's here live this morning after his magnificent night. >> announcer: live from times square, it's wednesday "good morning america." >> michael: the magnificent monty. >> michael: good morning america. yeah, monty, the magnificent, is the winner of the westminster dog show. he's here in times square to kick your wednesday morning off. what a beautiful, beautiful dog. >> robin: he is on a roll, i'm telling you. also ahead, if you're whipping up breakfast, we've been talking about the egg shortage. this morning we have some popular egg alternatives. plus coffee and chocolate prices also in jeop

here's our chief national correspondent matt gutman. >> reporter: tonight, with the price of eggs skyrocketing from bird flu, shortages are growing from coast to coast. from empty shelves at this bj's wholesale outside new york city, to chino, california, where cars wrapped around city blocks outside a local farm. and many are flocking to local farmers markets. how much would you say demand has gone up? >> super high. >> reporter: times two, times three? >> times five, probably. >> reporter: some chains like costco and trader joe's are limiting the amount of eggs customers can buy. and at stores with eggs on the shelves, sticker shock. >> it's like $10 a carton. i'm like -- what? >> reporter: eggs are now so valuable, they've become a target for thieves. in seattle, a surveillance camera captured suspects entering a shed behind luna park cafe, where police say they stole more than 500 eggs. pete and jerry's organics had to beef up security after thieves stole 100,000 eggs from their farm in pennsylvania. those suspects still at large. bird flu has impacted tens of millions of farm chickens, se

and matt gutman with the dangerous pileups already tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the third storm to race across the country this week already hammering the west coast, unleashing havoc on the highways. >> requesting assistance on an -- pileup. 28. i-84 eastbound. >> reporter: dozens of vehicles piling up on snowpacked interstate 84 outside portland, oregon. multiple crash scenes in the area. thankfully, so far, no reports of fatalities. in northern california, west of lake tahoe, wheels spinning in vain. other drivers stranded. the avalanche danger there growing as some areas could get up to eight feet of snow. that same system now soaking southern california. families battered by devastating wildfires now bracing for mudslides. in l.a. county, more than 45,000 people are now under evacuation warnings or orders. police officers going door-to-door, warning families whose homes survived the eaton fire that their homes now could be demolished by mud. these fires don't just burn the vegetation, they actually cook the soil, making it water repellant. as a result, if there's enough rain a

matt gutman with the images already coming in tonight. >> reporter: tonight, that powerful winter storm now sweeping east after unleashing flooding rain, devastating mudslides, even a tornado on southern california. multiple mudslides hitting the same communities ravaged by the deadly wildfires. this wall of muddy water blast blasting through malibu, trapping a firefighter inside his vehicle, sweeping it off the road and into the ocean. >> you all right? >> get out, get out. >> was he in the vehicle? >> reporter: you can see he makes it out with only minor injuries. >> are you okay? >> reporter: in hard-hit altadena, torrents of water and debris shutting down streets. this is a neighborhood that survived the eaton fire, but that mud flow just ripped through here. that mailbox over there this, that means we're standing in about three or four feet of muds. within minutes, ray tindale's home is besieged by floods. >> from the fires to the did you anticipate this kind of whiplash? >> no. we've been through -- i've been here almost 40 years, and we've had like three fires. nothing like this.

here's our chief national affairs correspondent matt gutman. >> reporter: tonight, this is the moment a navy jet falls out of the sky off the coast of california. narrowly missing a rez residential neighborhood. watch again, as this video captures the jet barrelling towards the water. around 10:15 a.m., the navy's ea-18 growler was close to landing at the naval base when the plane started to go down. >> advise that it did land in the water. there's navy boats searching the water. >> shift commander is requesting a dive team response. >> reporter: the coast guard, the navy, and customs and border protection dispatching boats to look for the crew, but it was a local fishing vessel that rescued the pilots, who were in the water for only about a minute. >> you could hear it, when it went over the motel and then it was kind of quiet and then it kicked up again, and all of a sudden, a few seconds later, just -- i just saw the plane just straight down into the water. >> reporter: the pilots transported to a hospital. they're in stable condition. the cause of the crash is now under investigat

matt gutman has the latest on the egg hunt. y there, matt. >> reporter: i like what you did there, robin, with that. it is not looking good for consumers. eggs are so expensive they've become a hot item for theft. and why prices are likely going to continue to rise about 20% more this year. coming right up. >> george: okay, matt. we also hear from two american women bitten by a shark in the bahamas as the incident raises concerns ahead of spring break. >> michael: new at 7:30 a father facing charges after shoving two teen refs on the ice during a kid's hockey game. but first back to ginger. >> ginger: stay with us. your local weather in 30 seconds. >> michael: stay right there. we'll be right back. >> jalen hurts, you and the philadelphia eagles just won the super bowl. what are you gonna do next? >> i'm going to disney world! almond breeze has 50% more calcium than dairy milk, with zero grams of sugar and fewer calories. i wish every choice was this obvious. (ambient woodland noises) (horse neighs) that way. more calcium, less

matt gutman is on the ground for us. but i'm going to track those other storms and the severe weather threat across the nation. also, the hero bus driver who kept his cool after being hit with a piece of flying metal while driving on the highway. also, we're going big this valentine's day. a live proposal right here in times square, you say? come on, i've seen that before. oh, we're also throwing them a wedding today. within hou iberogast indigestion iberogast bloating iberogast thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast. ohhh, it's mesmerizing. i can't look away. cleaning that greasy mess... and not even scrubbing. well, fluff my feathers. dawn platinum is ba-ringing it. you know it! it cuts through the grease better than their old dish soap. keep quackin'. platinum breaks down the slimy stuff it would leave behind, removing 99% of grease and food residue. that's why only dawn is trusted to save w

chief national correspondent matt gutman has the latest. rning, george. it was the most detailed description we heard from the brothers about their decades behind bars. while their personal conduct in prison has been described as exemplary, what they say they endure, including difficulty, is hard to hear about. one of the hardest parts they said was being separated for decades. this morning the menendez brothers are opening up about the terror they say they faced through their 35 years in prison. >> i was picked on, bullied violently. and it was traumatic and it was continual. >> reporter: in a phone interview with two angry men, erik, who is now 54, recalls his adjustment from a spoiled beverly hills high school student to inmate. >> prison can be hard. there's a lot of suffering. so, and i wasn't, i wasn't, you know, i'm not gonna fight back. i'm not going to engage. and i had no one really to turn to for help. and i was separated from lyle. >> reporter: in 1996 the brothers were found guilty of killing their parents jose an kitty at their

matt gutman sat down with actor ryan dorsey. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning.because he was trying to raise their son. he was just 4 years old when she drowned. now he's opening up about the drowning, the grief, and moving forward. naya rivera was a massive presence on the hit "glee." a triple threat dancer, actor and singer. ♪ this girl is on fire ♪ >> reporter: and for her ex and the son they shared the hole she leaves behind after her drowning is just as massive. what made you decide to talk about this now? >> i have a friend who told me she thought i should write a book. i said, what am i going to write a book about? she said, i think you can help people with bereavement, dealing with loss. >> reporter: actor ryan dorsey, breaking his silence for the first type since naya slipped beneath the waves in a california lake in 2020 leaving her son josie alone on a small fishing boat. he was just 4 years old. what did they tell you at first that happened? >> just said naya took josie on a boat fishing. josie is okay but they can't fine naya. i just collapsed. i wa

chief national correspondent matt gutman is in los angeles with the latest for us. od morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, michael. this is the pacific coast highway. it is closed to the public because of the threat of debris flow. this is mud oozing down from the mountains. they put out the sandbags. the national weather service predicting up to 3 inches of rain along these burn scars. as ginger mentioned, it's the rate of the rainfall that's the biggest concern for mud slides. vegetation cooks in this fire and the soil making it water repellant. that's how that mud can come down 35 miles an hour carrying trees and truck size boulders with them. these areas are at this point under evacuation warning. officials say it could very quickly turn into evacuation order zones. they understand everybody has emergency fatigue, but they are pleading with the pub lib to stay on high alert, at least for today and the next 24 hours. rebecca? >> rebecca: a really tough 24 hours ahead. please heed those warnings. matt, thank you. we turn now to president trump speaking with ru

chief national correspondent matt gutman is in los angeles with the latest for us. ng, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael. this neighborhood survived the eaton fire which burned just on those foothills. that mud came ripping through there. i want to give you a sense of what it looks like. i'm standing on about three or four feet of mud. you can' that mailbox, that truck completely swamped. you can see how soupy it is. those trash bins under water as well. scenes like this across los angeles and it begins to dig out from those mud slides. overnight heavy rain pounding the west coast unleashing a swarm of mud slides in los angeles. thunderstorms and the most powerful rain system in a year slamming the burn scars from the palisades fire, sending cascades of mud across the pacific coast highway, forcing parts of it to close. a scary moment for a member of the l.a. fire department. mud an huge pieces of debris sweeping his car off the road, onto the beach and then out into the ocean. are you okay? the officer was able to escape and climb to safety. he suffered