gio benitez in cape canaveral with what's next for this mission to space. oo >>> the new exposure warning. officials concerned about protesters failing to heed social distancing guidelines. as authorities in missouri confirm a case of covid-19 tied to those alarming memorial day images. the packed pool parties in the lake of the ozarks in full swing. an infected partygoer in that crowd as the global cases now top 6 million. >>> the dramatic highway rescue. a woman telling the 911 operator her brakes won't work. weaving in and out of traffic on the highway. and what the 911 operator told her to do that may have saved her life. >>> you okay? >> and "america strong." the little girl involved in a frightening accident, and the moment she found exactly who she needed. >>> good evening. thanks for joining us on this saturday. we begin tonight with a nation already on edge in the coronavirus pandemic. as protests turn violent across america. the arrest of a former minneapolis police officer for the murder of george floyd failing to stop another night of rage in th

here's abc's gio benitez. >> it's been probably over a month since i've been out flying just due to allhe cancellations last minute that have happened. definitely packing a little different than i normally do. three decades of this and this is the first time i'm picking things like masks and extra wipes and hand sanitizer. >> reporter: it's captain dennis tager's first day on the job since march. >> pretty empty no doubt. >> reporter: he's traveling from chicago to miami then landing in houston, documenting his trip on the way. >> a little bit harder to find food than i thought. >> reporter: giving us a firsthand account of his new reality. >> in your 30-plus years have you ever seen anything affect the industry quite like covid-19? >> not this long and deep. i flew 9/11 and the after in new york. that was a shock on many levels and horror on a level i don't think any of us ever imagined. this is a different shock to us. it's invisible. >> reporter: over the past two months striking scenes from vacant airports across the country. no long passenger lines, eerily empty flights, and row af

let's get right to gio benitez. >> reporter: tonight, worries that the weather will delay this historic mission to space, as nasa and spacex prepare to launch. u.s. astronauts from american soil for the first time in nearly a decade. this time lapse video shows the launchpad here in cape canaveral, intense showers rolling in. the launch pad disappears. rain, dense clouds, and possible lightning threatening wednesday's launch. right now, there's a 40% chance this rocket lifts off. >> for this one it's either going to go at 4:33 or it's not. it's -- the weather has to be just right at that time. >> reporter: if successful, this would be the first commercial crewed mission, leading the way for everyday people to someday go to space. the astronauts are veterans bob behnken and doug hurley. doug's wife karen, also an astronaut, posting this photo of her son, writing, "arriving in florida with a flyby of your dad's spaceship on the launch pad, priceless." >> the ultimate goal for us as astronauts and test pilots is just to go up there and prove out the mission, and to bring the vehicle home s

abc's gio benitez leads us off from new york's rockaway beach. >> reporter: tonight, a memorial day weekend like no other, as all 50 states relax restrictions and the nation's coronavirus death toll crosses 95,000. in new york, a tragic start to the holiday in rockaway beach. one man dead, pulled from the water. swimming is banned in all new york city beaches due to the pandemic. >> there are no life guards. the beaches remain closed. >> reporter: and you can see those two red flags. they mean no swimming. walking on the beach is allowed. the nypd on patrol, urging people to keep a safe distance. >> if you just want to take in the simple beauty of the beach, it's there for you. but with a lot of good, watchful eyes from the parks department and the police department. >> reporter: some beaches in the state will keep gates open until capacity reaches 50%. but concession stands won't be open to avoid lines. >> we expect people to be getting out, going to parks, beaches, et cetera. we understand that. but we have to remain vigilant at the same time. >> reporter: thousands along the east coast h

abc's gio benitez has more. >> reporter: it was known as the epicenter, new york's elmhurst hospital,eating the most coronavirus patients in the country. but friday a celebration. here's how it started. these medical workers thought they were going to their weekly staff meeting, but on the screen not their bosses but the presidents of american airlines and hyatt. >> the caring with every patient, the compassion is just so inspiring. >> the entire staff demonstrated so much care for so many people that it's our turn to care for you. >> reporter: and to this audience a much needed message. >> what could be better than a free vacation. >> reporter: and it's not just the workers in this room getting a vacation. it's every worker at the hospital, more than 4,000 people getting round trip flights and a three-night stay. they get to choose the destination. >> we got a vacation, a free vacation. it's just -- it's beyond deeply meaningful to me. a, we haven't had any time off in a very, very long time. >> everybody cannot be more thankful. it's just quite an amazing -- beyond amazing thing the

thanks to gio benitez for that. no more group boarding? >> i will say that's what people wanted.when it comes to boarding the plane. put people in the back. i get to go through first class and see all those people with their snacks and their drinks while i'm going to economy? >> basic economy. and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan, available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock, so your rate can never go up f

gio benitez, abc news, at the kennedy space center in cape canaveral. >> our thanks to gio. abc news and "abc news live" are partnering with national geographic to provide live coverage of the launch set for wednesday. it starts at 3:00 p.m. eastern with liftoff at 4:33 on the nose. >> and of course spacex is part of elon musk's company, so it is a private company, so that in itself is also historic. you already saw in gio's live shot that the weather, yeah, it's disrupting a lot of things right now, but hopefully it will hold out and we'll see this historic launch. >>> coming up, the young nurse new to the front lines of the fight against covid-19. >> the painful loss she and her family are dealing with that's serving as a personal call to action. action. dust mite droppings! eeeeeww! dead skin cells! gross! so now, i grab my swiffer sweeper and heavy-duty dusters. duster extends to three feet to get all that gross stuff gotcha! and for that nasty dust on my floors, my sweeper's on it. the textured cloths grab and hold dirt and hair no matter where dust bunnies hide. no mor

gio benitez, abc news, new york. >> mona. >> yes? >> if it was safe. >> hm?day two. i would have been like, oppression! and jumped off. i cannot. i feel for them. right now "the guardian" is reporting over 100,000 crew workers are still trapped on cruise ships. for weeks. weeks. >> i definitely couldn't do it. couldn't do it. >> i can't. >> god bless them. >>> when we come back, the big revelation from anderson cooper. >>> and the new struggle oprah is having in the bedroom. you guys, it involves linens, you nasty. "the skinny" is next. "the skinny" is next. ♪ skinny just gimme the skinny >>> time now for your friday "skinny." we are starting with some big, big news. some big baby news, i'm just going to say it. >> spoiler alert. >> a very good friend of "world news now." >> i brought out the tissues, you're going to need it. he first appeared in this very room back in 1999. that's right, we're talking about anderson cooper anchoring there alongside juju chang. >> he's certainly come a long way. i think he's doing okay for himself anchoring his own show on cn

gio benitez on what they're planning now. >> reporter: tonight, with bad weather bearing down, it was touch and go right up until the last few moments before that historic launch. >> unfortunately, we are not going to launch today. >> reporter: but still, moments we've never seen before in america. veteran nasa astnautrl g iniresg their wives, who are also decorated astronauts, and their children, giving them air hugs, wishing them the best of luck. the crew taking teslas for the traditional ride up to the launchpad. the emotional moment with their families, putting their hands on the windows. the astronauts arriving on launch pad 39-"a," the same one that sent people to the moon and launched the space shuttle program. behnken and hurley boarding spacex's crew dragon atop the falcon 9 rocket. spacex created by elon musk, looking to become the first private u.s. company to put astronauts into orbit. >> there they are. no doubt he's looking at the window. >> reporter: president trump flying by, getting a spectacular view. with less than 20 minutes to go, launch aborted. the next time th

>>curbside pickup curbside ballet but ron benitez who own san francisco's assembly hall says clothing stores like his. now have additional challenges because customers cannot brows touch or try anything on the whole point of a small boutique like ours to showcase. these unique pieces that you can't find anywhere else state can't find a larger retailers and things like that as a result assembly hall will be turning to social media platforms like instagram to help fill the gap with videos. now it's almost like a virtual sales meeting our presentations and then you know something that i would do in a fitting room, but now i'm doing with a mannequin. and so utilizing these videos and these kind of touch points to now and access our consumer in a different way when these covered up windows are open again, you'll also see different types of displays we're going to utilize our windows to showcase product that you don't have to necessarily try on the earrings bow ties neck ties hats beanies and things like that. so you can kind of look at it i think those kind of things customers are pretty c

gio benitez, abc news, here at the kennedy space center in cape canaveral. >> our thanks to gio there know i was. i was staring at my phone. had to run an errand but i still had it on my phone, the abc news app, where i was trying to see this thing lift off. it didn't happen. i covered a little bit of the end of the space shuttle program more than a decade ago down there in central florida, and i know about that window. everything has to be perfect, perfectly lined up when it comes to lifting off from cape canaveral right there. >> i could just feel the anxiety, the anticipation surrounding that, the moment where the families are putting their hands on the teslas -- i don't know how they're going to do it again, because whoo! >> guess what, abc will have live coverage partnering with our nat geo partners there to bring it all to you, hopefully on saturday. >>> when we come back, who ate the banana bread at oprah's house? >>> and a brand-new song from dolly parton. "the skinny" is next. >>> when we come back, who ate the banana bread at oprah's house? >>> and a brand-new song from doll

gio benitez covers aviation. >> reporter: tonight, a first look at what delta says is the future of flying. as air travel picks up, delta bringing us on board, showing us how it hopes to reassure travelers. before every single flight, electrostatic spraying. the disinfectant clings to surfaces to kill viruses and bacteria. then comes a full wipedown. and an inspection by the on-flight crew. when it's time to board, passengers are asked to keep their distance with the back of the plane boarding first. >> we will board from the rear of the aircraft. >> reporter: and not every seat will be filled. delta tonight promising that each flight will be capped at 60% or they'll call in a bigger plane. >> what we have done today lays the foundation for where we're going to go in the future. >> reporter: david, we may see even more changes. tonight, delta not ruling out the possibility of eventually redesigning the inside of an airplane. >> gio, thank you. >>> when we come back, the deathbed confession from the woman at the center of the landmark roe versus wade decision. to severe rheumatoid arthritis

here's gio benitez. >> reporter: starting monday, if you're planning to fly, chances are you'll havewear a mask. southwest tonight joining american, united, delta, and jetblue requiring them for all passengers in the next two weeks. some airlines also blocking some or all middle seats. a study finding those seated near a sick passenger are most at risk, with an 80% to 100% chance of infection. but that the rest of the plane has a less than 1% chance of picking up those germs. the number of people flying in the u.s. is down 93% from last year, but the numbers are slowly increasing. >> travel is not going to get easier. it's going get harder. >> reporter: and the new normal could include on-site testing. emirates has become the first airline in the world to conduct a rapid covid-19 test for passengers in dubai. it's a blood test that reportedly returns results in ten minutes. and david, all u.s. airlines tell us they're expanding their cleaning procedures and some are giving passengers face covers. >> that rapid test is really interesting, gio. i know you'll stay on that. >>> when we c

here's gio benitez. >> reporter: tonight, a viral tweet sparking concern. a doctor shocked to board a packed united flight home after volunteering to treat covid-19 patients in new york. dr. ethan weiss worried about the flight just two days earlier and before that receiving an email from united saying it would automatically block middle seats. >> i'm probably more likely to get infected there than i would be in the icu. >> reporter: united flying weiss and two dozen other health care volunteers for free, saying the flight was 85% full. the airline saying it is "limiting advanced seat selection," but "cannot guarantee that all customers will be seated next to an unoccupied seat." as people slowly return to the skies, friday before mother's day saw the most passengers since late march. and you can see it on planes. this flight today. the head of the largest flight attendants' union now calling for federal action. >> we need social distancing policies. we need deep cleaning policies. we need these face covering policies. and it needs to be directed and coordi

gio benitez covers aviation. >> reporter: passengers all over the country are sharing photos of flights they believe are too crowded during a pandemic. the number of domestic flights down nearly 70%, but more people are beginning to fly. now tonight, calls for federal action on social distancing. airlines have imposed their own policies, but they're not all the same. american airlines says it is blocking half of all middle seats. united says it is trying to keep a seat open beside every passenger, but doesn't guarantee it. and delta says it is only booking half of first class, and 60% of the main cabin. senator richard blumenthal says the government should step in. do you think this is something that congress would take up? >> if the department of transportation fails to do its job, congress should do it for them. >> reporter: every major airline says if you don't feel comfortable, they will refund your flight. >> thank you. >>> when we come back, severe storms tonight and tomorrow. >>> and matt damon with news on his oldest daughter tonight. but. that's why we're a fiduciary, obligated

>>curbside pickup curbside ballet but ron benitez who own san francisco's assembly hall. >>says clothing stores like his. now have additional challenges because customers cannot brows touch or try anything on the whole point of a small boutique like ours is to showcase these unique pieces that you can't find anywhere else state can't find a larger retailers and things like that as a result assembly hall will be turning to social media platforms like instagram to help fill the gap with videos. now it's almost like a virtual sales meeting or presentation sedan you know something that i would do in a fitting room, but now i'm doing with a mannequin. and so utilizing these videos and these kind of touch points to now access our consumer in a different way when these covered up windows are open again, you'll also see different types of displays we're going to utilize our windows to showcase product that you don't have to necessarily try on the earrings bow ties neck ties hats beanies and things like that. so you can kind of look at it i think those kind of things customers are

gio benitez is in cape canaveral, florida and mother nature just got in the way on this one. >> reporter: it sure did, whit. good morning to you. listen, you have that space ship right there. it's still on the launch pad. you've got that countdown clock now off. you know, this launch was scrubbed with just less than 20 minutes to go till liftoff there. overnight astronauts bob behnken and doug hurley sent out tweets thanking nasa and spacex saying they made the right decision. now, president trump and vice president pence were here. in fact, air force one flew right by that launchpad and you can see that right there. that's air force one. now the president says in a tweet that he's going to return on saturday. and that's because that's the next time that they can try to launch this. saturday at exactly 3:22 p.m. but i got to tell you, whit, the weather is not looking great. at least the forecast isn't looking great. we're looking at 40% chance right now of the weather being good enough for a launch, whit. >> 40% chance. and so, gio, if the launch doesn't go on saturday, when can we expec

>> all right, gio benitez for us.n american soil. >>> now to your kids and summer camp. millions of kids were slated to head to day camps and sleep-away camps this summer. now so many camps cancelled or going virtual. deborah roberts has more. >> all right, i think we got ourselves a new camp champ. >> reporter: for decades summer camp has been at the core of hit movies. >> all right, girls, shake hands. come on, girls. >> reporter: but in this new world of social distancing and coronavirus fears, many will feel a lot different. >> there's so much about camp that is irreplaceable, that virtually we'll never be able to, you know, really quite keep the magic of camp but i think camps will do everything they can to keep their kids connected. >> reporter: georgia, minnesota and connecticut have already cancelled sleep-away camps. the boy scouts of america now organizing a computerized scout-fest. and a new york based stem camp is breaking down into morning and afternoon sessions. >> the students will do an hour-long codin

gio benitez at a gas station in cliffside park, new jersey, with the latest.ood morning, gio. >> reporter: good morning. in some states you can find gas for $1.50 a gallon. here in cliffside park we're seeing $1.89. the national average, $1.94. now, while traffic is down dramatically cell phone data is showing more people are moving around over the past couple of weeks as states re-open and they are traveling farther from home. apple maps also showing that requests for driving directions are actually going back up. but, remember, emptier roads eoof led ts dree a crashinths so several states are issuing new warnings about this weekend and some are already saying they will increase dui enforcement, michael. >> speed has definitely picked up with the open roads. how long do we think these prices will last? >> reporter: well, some experts say that these gas prices are going to be hovering around $1.93, $1.94 for memorial day but they do expect those gas prices to start going up, in fact, gas buddy is telling us we should be seeing a national average go up to about

certain industries and companies that are a debt into this curbside pickup curbside ballet but ron benitez who own sco's assembly hall. >>says clothing stores like his. now have additional challenges because customers cannot brows touch or try anything on the whole point of a small boutique like ours is to showcase. these unique pieces that you can't find anywhere else state can't find a larger retailers and things like that as a result assembly hall will be turning to social media platforms like instagram to help fill the gap with videos. now it's almost like a virtual sales meeting or presentation sedan you know something that i would do in fitting room, but now i'm doing with a mannequin. so utilizing these videos and these kind of touch points to now access our consumer in a different way when these covered up windows are open again, you'll also see different types of displays we're going to utilize our windows to showcase product that you don't have to necessarily try on the earrings bow ties neck ties hats beanies and things like that. so you can kind of look at it i think those kind

with your "gma first look" i'm gio benitez. >>> abc7 news is dedicated to covering all issues covering-19. yesterday we held a town hall and a panel of experts focused on how the african-american community is disproportionately affected by the virus. >> if you have someone who is sick with the virus, look into how you can help them, but mostly if they land in the hospital, advocate for them. because the doctors don't have time to keep up. >> this is sydney blanchard, she lost her father to the virus. 56-year-old terry blanchard was the board president of the east oakland youth development center. it was difficult for her father to get tested for covid-19 because his initial symptoms were more like stomach flu symptoms. the new york city health department says black people are twice as likely to die from coronavirus than their white counterparts. in california, black people make up 6% of the population. they account for 6.5% of coronavirus cases and nearly 11% of coronavirus deaths. and the state is still missing 35% of its racial data. a ucsf doctor says access to testing is not the sa

abc7 news reporter gio benitez has the latest. >> in less than 36 hours, veteran astronauts bob banken and doug hurley will board the crew dragon spacecraft at kennedy space center. their destination, the international space station. but now there is concern a storm could delay tomorrow's launch. this time lapse video monday shows the launch pad disappearing as rain moves in. right now there is a 40% chance this rocket lifts off wednesday. >> it's either going to go at 4 4:33 or it's not. the weather has to be just right at that time or we stay and do it another day. >> ignition, liftoff. >> the mission, a collaboration between nasa and elon musk's spacex could set the course for the future of commercial space flight. but with any launch, there is risk. nasa putting the odds at catastrophic failure at 1 in 270. >> we try to have a contingency plan for every scenario we could imagine so if the crew were in danger for some reason, we'd have an answer and be able to get them out of danger and take them to safety. >> and if weather permit, banken and hurley will board wearing suits designe

certain industries and companies that are a debt into this curbside pickup curbside ballet but ron benitez who own san francisco's assembly hall. >>says clothing stores like his. now have additional challenges because customers cannot brows touch or try anything on the whole point of a small boutique like ours is to showcase these unique pieces that you can't find anywhere else state can't find a larger retailers and things like that as a result assembly hall will be turning to social media platforms like instagram to help fill the gap with videos. now it's almost like a virtual sales meeting or presentation sedan you know something that i would do in a fitting room, but now i'm doing with a mannequin. and so utilizing these videos and these kind of touch points to now and access our consumer in a different way when these covered up windows are open again, you'll also see different types of displays we're going to utilize our windows to showcase product that you don't have to necessarily try on the earrings bow ties neck ties hats beanies and things like that. so you can kind of look at it

launch of a crew into space in nine years and abc's gio benitez is at cape canaveral in florida wherestory. gio, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. it was just incredible. already this morning we're hearing from those astronauts in space from inside that "crew dragon." >> three, two, one, zero. ignition. liftoff. >> reporter: bob behnken and doug hurley becoming the first american astronauts to blast off into space from u.s. soil for the first time in nearly a decade. >> today we accomplished the first flight off the florida coast in quite some time. >> reporter: and they're the first humans to orbit earth spaceship created by a private company, spacex. falcon 9 capsule with the crew dragon capsule above it. >> we'd like to welcome you aboard capsule "endeavour." we both had our first flights on shuttle "endeavour." it just meant so much for us to carry on that name. >> reporter: during the launch, many noticing the stuffed dinosaur, next to the astronauts, selected by both of their sons to make the journey to space. >> this dinosaur got the vote to make the journey into

certain industries and companies that are adept into this curbside pickup curbside ballet but ron benitez who own san francisco's assembly hall. >>says clothing stores like his. now have additional challenges because customers cannot brows touch or try anything on the whole point of a small boutique like ours is to showcase these unique pieces that you can't find anywhere else state can't find a larger retailers and things like that as a result assembly hall will be turning to social media platforms like instagram to help fill the gap with videos. now it's almost like a virtual sales meeting or presentation sedan you know something that i would do in a fitting room, but now i'm doing with a mannequin. and so utilizing these videos and these kind of touch points to now access our consumer in a different way when these covered up windows are open again, you'll also see different types of displays we're going to utilize our windows to showcase product that you don't have to necessarily try on the earrings bow ties neck ties hats beanies and things like that. so you can kind of look at it i t

here's abc's gio benitez. >> reporter: as we head toward memorial day weekend, an urgent new warning. with more and more dangerous scenes like these, watch as cars speed through red lights, causing crash after crash. concerns that street racing is also up in parts of the country. just this weekend, police in atlanta making 44 arrests. >> people should not be taking to the roads and thinking that it's a time to go on joyrides and driving 100 miles an hour. >> reporter: we hit the roads with connecticut state police. to see just how fast drivers are going. within minutes, trooper curt booker is pulling someone over. >> hello, folks, the reason i stopped you, got you at 93. is there any justification for your speed today? >> reporter: this particular car was going 93 miles per hour. the speed limit, 65. trooper durell says traffic here has gone down by 50%, but accident deaths are going up. >> fatal motor vehicle accidents have gone up about 40% or so. >> 40%? >> correct, 40%. >> that's pretty shocking. >> it definitely is. >> our thanks to gio there. i guess i'm not surprised that fewer

gio benitez spoke to some of the american crew members desperate to get home. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning to you. yeah, we've been reporting on this issue for weeks now and still tens of thousands of workers are stranded and desperation is setting in. this morning, thousands of cruise ship workers are stuck at sea speaking to us from their isolated cabins. >> i spend 21 hours a day in my cabin. 21 hours a day. >> reporter: melinda mann has been stuck on a holland america cruise ship with no passengers for 48 days. >> here's video from inside the ship. it's a ghost town. >> reporter: her ship tried to dock in l.a. earlier this week, but the crew was denied permission to disembark. >> i literally could spit on land and i would have been there. >> reporter: the cdc telling abc news the cruise executives refuse to attest to safe disembarkation conditions. melinda making banners to hang on her balcony. >> i can't live my life being afraid and can't live on this ship forever. >> reporter: there are more than 80,000 crew members on 120 s

and gio benitez is in cape canaveral, florida. how are things looking this morning?we are starting to get a little rain here but the good news is the forecast is looking better. take a look behind me. we've got that countdown clock rolling and right there, that is launchpad 39a where so much history has been made and nasa hopes to do it again. this morning, the countdown is on. less than ten hours from now the first astronauts to launch into space from u.s. soil in nearly a decade are set to lift off, bob behnken and doug hurley. but before history is made, there is a wild card, the weather. this launch not without risk. spacex has had several incidents with the falcon 9 rocket. here it failed launching cargo, and here it exploded on the launchpad during a test, but nasa and spacex say it is now ready for prime time. carol scott managing the rocket's launch. >> i already feel the butterflies and can feel it happening right now, right? that's the good thing. it's jut like any kind of performer that goes out on stage, you know how you have the butterflies ahead of time

build passenger confidence and safety during this pandemic, and our transportation correspondent gio benitez >> reporter: hey, george, good morning to you. we're here on the ramp in atlanta. it is getting busier. in fact, this airplane is just about to take off in a few minutes. now as we head into memorial day weekend, one airline tells us it is making some big changes. it may look like a video game but this morning, delta calls this the future of flight. before every flight delta using electrostatic spray to kill viruses and bacteria, crews then wiping the plane down, flight attendants checking their list, and if something isn't clean enough, they said they'll send the cleaning crew back in. >> sometimes as a flight attendant we might be on the airplane or in an airport more than we're at home. so as flight attendants we share the same concerns customers have. can see the difference immediately. from the moment you walk through those doors, you see things are different. please allow for extra space. you have your hand sanitizer right here and look at the floor. you've got those social dist

our transportation correspondent gio benitez has the latest. >> reporter: as we head toward memorial day weekend an urgent new warning. with more and more dangerous scenes like these, watch as cars speed through red lights causing crash after crash. concerns that street racing is also up in parts of the country. just this weekend police in atlanta making 44 arrests. >> people should not be taking to the roads and thinking it's a time to go on joyrides and diving 100 miles an hour. >> reporter: we hit the roads with connecticut state police to see just how fast drivers are going. within minutes trooper kurt booker is pulling someone over. >> good morning, folks. i'm trooper booker with the state police. the reason i stopped you, i got you at 93. any justification for your speed today? >> reporter: this car was going 93 miles per hour, the speed limit, 65. the trooper says traffic has gone down by 50%, but accident deaths are going up. >> fatal motor vehicle accidents have gone up about 40% or so. >> 40%? >> correct, 40%. >> that's pretty shocking. >> it definitely is. >> reporter: and

one of our producers is finally back after weeks of working through plans and gio benitez joins us with morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning. the state department says nearly 10,000 americans are still trying to find their way home. our producer did and "gma" is along for the ride. this morning, a firsthand look at the long journey home after being stranded in a foreign ths. daisha riley is a producer at "gma." she and her now fiance tyrone went on a caribbean vacation in early march. >> first we went to st. maarten and got here around march 5th and was supposed to leave around march 17th. >> reporter: but that didn't happen. daisha and tyrone say they were stuck after canceled flights and closed international borders like thousands of others around the world. >> we have a life at home and you're stuck in a foreign country with no idea when you can come home. it's the scariest thing you can imagine. >> reporter: and during their ordeal a relative and family friend lost their life to covid-19. >> to be here and not be able to help or reach out and families have passed awa

gio benitez joins us from cape canaveral with more., they have storms in florida lately so weather a big concern there. >> reporter: yeah, it is, michael. good morning to you. you can see the skies are gray here. it has been raining for three days straight. if this forecast sticks, history could be on hold. in less than 36 hours veteran astronauts bob behnken and doug hurley will board the crew dragon spacecraft at kennedy space center. their destination, the international space station, but now there's concern a storm could delay tomorrow's launch. this time lapse video shows the launchpad disappearing as rain moves in. right now there's a 40% chance this rocket lifts off wednesday. >> it's either going to go at 4:33 or it's not. the weather has to be just right at that time or we stay and we do it another day. >> ignition. lift off. >> reporter: the mission a collaboration between nasa and elon musk's spacex could set the course for the future of commercial spaceflight. but with any launch there is risk. nasa putting the odds of cata

executive standing by "more myself" on what passengers can expect but let's check in first with gio benitezia airport. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning. how we fly is changing dramatically as u.s. airlines ground more than 3,000 planes. this morning, passengers boarding most planes in america must wear a face mask. united, delta and jetblue requiring masks for all passengers today. american and southwest next monday. and most major u.s. airlines now blocking some or all middle seats for social distancing. one analysis of passenger behavior found if a sick person is seated here, those seated in the row in front, behind and two seats are most at risk with an 80% to 100% chance of infection, but that the rest of the plane has a less than 1% chance of picking up those germs. a flight this weekend. >> most people are separated. flight attendants wearing masks. more empty now than usual. >> reporter: even though the number of people flying is slowly increasing, passenger loads in the u.s. are down 93% from last year. warren buffett telling shareholders he sold all of his

our transportation correspondent gio benitez has the latest. >> reporter: this morning, major cruise lines signaling a potential return to service for some of their ships this summer. norwegian cruise line telling abc news overnight it plans to relaunch cruise operations with embarkations beginning july 1st. and carnival cruise line announcing what it called a phased-in approach which could return eight ships to service as early as august 1st, but adds nothing is final and that it's working with government officials on a potential return to service. >> it is interesting, though, they can't get me off the ship and yet in a few months they can get guests on ships and start sailing again. >> reporter: ryan driscoll -- ♪ this is the life >> reporter: -- works aboard the "seabourn odyssey" owned by carnival which says it is committed to getting crew members safely home. >> i'm a citizen of this country. i don't have the virus. i've been stuck on this ship for 50 days, let us off, let us go home. then, let's talk about getting cruises started again. >> reporter: more than 70,000 cruise wor

gio benitez brings us the details from newark airport. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, george. good morning. yeah, that doctor was praising united for flying volunteers for free. but he says once he got on that plane, they were shocked. this doctor's tweet going viral after boarding a united flight from newark to san francisco that was 85% full saturday afternoon. dr. ethan weiss posting this tweet, i guess united is relaxing their social distancing policy nowadays. sarah nelson heads up the largest flight attendants union. >> what did you think when you saw that photo? >> the first thing i thought is that d.o.t. needs to take action here. this really has to be directed from the government. >> reporter: united says there were 22 empty seats on the plane, that most flights are less than 50% full, and that it is limiting advanced seat selection but cannot guarantee that all customers will be seated next to an unoccupied seat. and on friday tsa screened the most passengers since late march. so starting today all u.s. airlines require passengers to wear a face mask. robin? >> every