luke walton denies the accusations kelli tennant revealed publicly for the first time last night. here is will carr. >> reporter: high-profile nba coach luke walton on defense after an allegation of sexual assault. in a civil lawsuit obtained by abc news sports broadcaster kelli tennant is accusing walton of assaulting her inside a santa monica hotel while he was an assistant coach for the golden state warriors. tenant, who asked walton to write the foreword for her book, says she was giving a copy to walton when he allegedly invited her into his hotel room. >> he got on top of me and pinned me to the bed. he kissed my neck, my face, my chest. as i kept asking him to please stop and to get off, he laughed at me. i thought he was going to rape me. >> reporter: an allegation walton's attorney flatly denies calling tennant an opportunist, not a victim, saying her claim is not credible. the date of the alleged encounter is unclear. police tell abc news the alleged assault was never reported to them. walton seen here with his wife in this tmz sports video just parted ways with the lakers to coach the sacramento kings. >> on a date with my wife, i'm not talking about basketball tonight. >> reporter: the warriors and the kings say they're looking into the allegations. in los angeles, will carr, abc news. >> our thanks to will carr there. >>> coming up in our next half hour, the growing concern for britney spears forcing the pop star to speak out in a new video. >>> but first, he is on a roll. "jeopardy!'s" new superstar crossing the million-dollar mark. that's next on "world news now." ♪ ♪ >>> oh, you know that music. the only trivia question we've been asking around here is how much money will james holzhauer win on "jeopardy!" tonight? >> the trivia champ hitting another major milestone on tuesday's "jeopardy!" and will ganss is here to tell us all about it. >> yeah, good morning, guys. he may be the reigning "jeopardy!" champ but this morning seems like jeopardy james is playing a different game. who wants to be a millionaire? >> unless you've been living under a rock for the past two weeks you know about our current champion james. >> reporter: "jeopardy!" champ james holzhauer scoring his 14th consecutive win last night and crossing the million-dollar mark. >> what is oxidized. who is c.s. lewis. >> reporter: making the $100,000 pyramid look like pocket change. >> the guy is amazing. >> reporter: the 34-year-old sports gambler from las vegas is playing chess, while the rest of us are used to checkers. the method to his madness? wagering big and going for the high-value clues first. >> all of the chips please. >> you can risk up to $1,000. >> house limit, please. >> reporter: then there's that buzzer, james revealing to espn how he's so quick on the draw. >> try not to have any extra motion in your pressing. you know, try to look at -- they have signal lights on the board to tell you to buzz in. it's not rocket science, just some of us are better at it than others. >> reporter: jeopardy james is quite good. the average winner takes home around $20,000 a night. former phenom ken jennings $34,000 per victory. james averaging $76,000 a night. with winnings like that the price is right. he'll go for his 15th win on "jeopardy!" a little later tonight. are you ready for the question that earned him over $1 million? it's going to be american history. may 1st, 1869, these two men met at the white house four years and three weeks after a more historic meeting between them. >> lewis and clark. >> no. >> what is lewisnd crk on kno >> 1861? >>obt e. leendlysses s. gr >> i'm a historian, i'm from the south, i should have really known that. >> just by living in the virginia dmv area you should have known that. >> next time you can phone a friend. dmv area you should have known that. >> next time you can phone a friend. sun care is self care. i used to not love wearing an spf just because i felt like it was so oily and greasy and that it was going to clog my pores. but what i love about olay regenerist whip with spf 25 is that it's lightweight, it's barely there. and then i can put makeup on over it if i want or if i'm not working, you know, just roll. it's perfect for me. i'm busy philipps, and i'm fearless to face anything. >>> time for "the mix." and i believe the children are our future. and in medford, massachusetts, they're really proving that and they are smart. they've come up with a way to protect other schoolkids and themselves at crosswalks by going to the city and pushing out this plan and bringing this plan to them. and so on monday the city unveiled a newly painted three-dimensional crosswalk at one of its elementary schools. as you see it there it looks like it's an actual barrier, something, a speed bump. it's not, it's three dimensional and it gets drivers to slow down. they took this to the highest levels at city hall. and it worked. and now the city may actually put more of these optical illusions, 3d crosswalks there. >> none of that california roll, you've got to stop for three seconds. >> slow down for our children. that's pretty cool. good job, kids. >>> you've heard of bad bunny? ♪ ba ba ba >> this is good bunny. >> an update to something we had yesterday. >> so the easter bunny, we're hearing from the easter bunny himself. his name is antoine mcdonald and he says he was the one in that costume pulling a man off of a woman in a fight that he was involved in. mcdonald said he didn't know the man or woman involved, but he said he couldn't let that go on without stepping in. he says he's not even one to fight, but he had to break up this fight. now our bunny, good bunny, is also a bad bunny too. >> oh! >> "the tampa bay times" reports mcdonald is accused of two armed robberies -- accused -- in 2017. and the following year an accomplice and he were caught on camera burglarizing a car. >> oh, no, bunny. peter peter cotton tail. >> his identity was not known because of the fluffy mask. but he came forward monday and provided his version because he wanted you to hear from the bunny's mouth. >> straight from the bunny's mouth. >>> so have you ever fallen asleep on the train down there in d.c., on the metro? >> sure have. >> here in new york city? just want to get a quick little -- will, have you ever fallen asleep on the train? >> more than once. >> ended up in the train yard? >> yep. >> the conductor's waking you up? apparently this man here, he's got a hat that really helps you out that says "wake me up before you go go -- past 34th street." he wants to get off at 34th. wake me up if we're getting close to my stop. >> wouldn't you help him out if you saw him -- >> no, you don't talk to anyone here in new york city. >> what? ♪ wake me up before you go go fun fact, i used to have a keyboard that automatically played that song, tricked a whole neighborhood into thinking i could play it. >> >>> this morning on "world news now," ready >>> this morning on "world news now," ready to run. former vice pr >>> this morning on "world news now," ready to run. former vice president joe biden is set to become the 20th candidate to join the democratic race in 2020. we have all the details on his anticipated announcement. >>> new this morning, a deadly fall at the grand canyon. what we just learned about the latest victim in a string of deaths at the national park in recent weeks. >>> new this half hour, britney spears breaking her silence. >> hear what the pop star says she's going through after checking out of a mental health facility. >>> avengers assemble. the very first reviews are in for "end game" and they're putting the marvel in "marvelous." our own "world news now" avenger will ganss has seen it and he's flying in with his own spoiler-free review this morning. it's wednesday, april 24th. >>> good morning, everyone. we are waiting for the b speaking of premieres, debuts, mona kosar abdi making her debut. on "world news now." how you doing? >> thank you for having me. good, good, it's been really fun. i might never go home. >> really? >> surprise! >> some of us would like to go home. i joke because i have actually -- i came up from d.c. as well a few months ago, and they haven't sent me back yet. >> no, there's missing persons posters everywhere. >> everywhere on the d.c. bureau. mona started when i came up here. so this is our first time really being able to work together. >> right. >> so it's a doozy. >> it's not a catfish, guys. >> all right, well it's great to have you, we appreciate it. >>> we begin with the announcement that everyone saw coming, former vice president joe biden set to formally launch his bid for the white house tomorrow. >> biden has been leading the crowded field of democrats even though he's yet to announce. a new poll in new hampshire has him trailing bernie sanders, and we're learning biden's campaign is kicking off with no money in its war chest. abc's terry moran has more. >> reporter: thursday morning biden will post a video announcement declaring he's a candidate for president once again. he will be the 20th candidate in this crowded democratic field so far. and this is the third time that biden has run for president. the first time way back in 1987. after doing some media here in washington, then biden will hit the campaign trail. his first event is at a local teamsters hall in pittsburgh. and that will emphasize that lunchpail labor union politics he's always championed. this is a long history that he brings to the campaign trail. that can be a plus and a minus as he's already found out with some women coming forward saying he's been a little too touchy on the campaign trail. he's apologized for that, says he's going to try and improve. right now he is the national frontrunner in polls. but this is a very different kind of election than joe biden has faced before. presidential elections are generally about tomorrow. he's got a lot of yesterdays behind him and the question is, can he convince voters first in the democratic party, and at large if in fact he gets the nomination, that he's got the answers for the america of today and the america of tomorrow? but once again, joe biden getting in. not a big surprise, but a big candidate in a crowded field. i'm terry moran in washington. >> thanks to our terry moran. >>> now to the showdown between president trump and congressional democrats demanding to hear from administration officials following the mueller report. >> the president tells "the washington post" he's opposed to having current and former aides testify before congress. the house judiciary committee has subpoenaed former white house counsel don mcgahn. the president said democrats should be satisfied with what mcgahn and other officials already told robert mueller. >>> and president trump said he had a great meeting with twitter ceo jack dorsey. he tweeted this photo of them just hours after accusing the social media site of treating him and other conservatives unfairly. twitter described the meeting as constructive and said it came at the president's request. the company said they discussed its commitment to protecting public conversation ahead of the 2020 election. >>> moving overseas in sri lanka, there are new fears of bombs planted across the grief-stricken nation. isis is claiming responsibility for the easter bombings that killed 359 people, releasing this image of the alleged attackers. >> we're also seeing this chilling surveillance video of one church bombing suspect as he enters the church courtyard with a large backpack, pausing briefly to avoid bumping into a girl and her father. dozens of people have been arrested in connection to the attacks. authorities are on the hunt for more suspects. abc's james longman has the details. >> reporter: soldiers on the streets of sri lanka. new fears of bombs planted in cars and motorcycles. the government now warning more terrorists are on the loose. >> there are a few people on the run, some are on the run. >> reporter: isis now taking responsibility for the easter attacks, posting this picture of men they claim were the suicide bombers. highly sophisticated, coordinated bombings were planned with outside help, perhaps in retaliation for last month's deadly assault on mosques in new zealand where 50 worshippers were killed. investigation as police pore over new surveillance images. these pictures broadcast on sri lankan tv. two men with backpacks in an elevator of the shangri-la hotel. then they walk through its bustling restaurant where american matthew lindsey tells cnn he was meeting his teenage children, daniel and amelie. >> they had went to the buffet for me and got the food for me, filled up my plate. then i wanted a little bit more to drink, i was going to get it. my daughter said, i'll get it. then the bomb went off. >> reporter: the explosions upending chairs, blowing out windows, matthew lindsay's children killed. outside st. sebastian's, cameras capture another suspected bomber approaching the church. he weaves through the crowds and along the pews before detonating his explosive. actually it was here that most of the people died in a single attack. more than 100 people, in fact. just around the corner, a funeral for a mother and her children. the family invites us in. the youngest just 7 years old. the threat is not over here in sri lanka. police are appealing to the public to help find a van, three cars, and six motorcycles all laden with explosives. curfews are still in place. everywhere you go here, security is tight. there is certainly the potential for more attacks. james longman, abc news in sri lanka. >> our thanks to james there. >>> a 70-year-old woman is dead after falling in the grand canyon. the visitor fell about 200 feet over the edge of the south rim. she was not on a trail, but other details are still unclear at this hour. her name and hometown have not been released. it's the third fatal fall at the grand canyon in a month. in all of last year, only one person plunged to his de >>> this story just disturbing. breaking overnight, a driver plows through a group of pedestrians in northern california. at least eight people are hospitalized after the incident in sunnyvale just outside of san jose. the youngest victim is 13 years old. one man is under arrest and investigators say the car showed no signs of trying to stop. >>> actor jussie smollett's attorneys are ridiculing a defamation lawsuit by the two brothers involved in the incident. the osandario brothers say smollett's attorneys continued to smear them after the charges against smollett were dropped. police have said smollett paid the pair to help him stage a january attack in downtown chicago. the lawsuit says smollett's lawyers are still insisting the brothers attacked the actor. >>> new england patriots owner robert kraft has scored a victory in the florida courts. a judge has mporarily sealed a video that allegedly shows kraft during a prostitution sting. it won't be released until a jury is sworn in or the case is resolved. kraft's attorneys argue releasing the video would hurt his chances for a fair trial. meanwhile prosecutors have charged a woman that allegedly was one of the two-day spa workers providing sexual services to kraft. >>> rite aid and walgreens are raising the age to buy tobacco products to 21 years old. the new policy starts on september 1st for walgreens. rite aid's new policy starts in just 90 days. both drugstore chains are facing growing pressure from federal regulators and activists over tobacco sales. cvs stopped selling tobacco products in 2014. >>> a texas high school has come up with a dress code for its parents. >> adults need to leave the curlers, ripped jeans, and pajama pants at home when visiting houston's madison high school. the principal wants moms and dads to model appropriate attire for their kids in order to get them ready for prosperous futures. shower caps and revealing clothing are also out. the rules apply to school events on or off campus. i completely agree with this. i will say early on, my mom was always -- like she would never walk out of the house with rollers in her head. today's parents -- now i'm saying i'm old. today's parents need to learn, you don't walk up on school campus like that. >> i'm on the other side of it which says, nudity aside, let people do what they want. >> okay. >> another thing who is knows if that parent's coming from the third shift and they have to wake up and take their kid to school -- >> let me see the video of your mom in a housecoat -- >> no, no, no -- >> rollers in her head, show up at school. let's see your face as a teenage girl. >> i get it. i get that side of it. also, you know, we don't know what they're coming from. >> no, no, no, no. dress right, folks. >> end of discussion. >>> all right, coming up, america's newest powerball multimillionaire, and he's just 24. >>> but first, britney spears issues a new statement because of what she called out-of-control rumors about her health. >>> taylor swift takes the stage in new york during a big week for her and her fans. at least we think it's a big week. details in "the skinny." you're watching "world news now." now." cake in the conference room! showing 'em you're ready to be your own boss. that's the beauty of your smile. bring out the best in it with crest 3d white. crest removes 95% of surface stains... in just three days. >>> hi, guys. just checking in with all of you who are concerned about me. all is well. my family has been going through a lot of stress and anxiety lately, so i just needed time to deal. but don't worry, i'll be back very soon. >> that is britney spears checking in with fans on instagram. >> yeah, the singer was responding to a #freebritney that worried fans started on twitter. they were reacting to reports saying spears entered a mental health treatment facility this month. spears said she wanted to speak out because things had gotten out of control. last month she said she was taking some, quote, me time. >>> now to the stunning rescue of an alabama mom missing for five days. >> she was found alive after being trapped in her crushed car. no one noticing as they drove right by her. abc's steve osunsami on how she was found. >> reporter: this was the moment when 49-year-old robin fanter was rescued from a ditch in the woods. she'd been missing since last week wednesday. her family worried she'd been kidnapped and called the police who put out this missing persons report. but the entire time, she was right here, trapped in her crushed car that flew off this county road. for days cars passed her by until someone noticed the crashed mitsubishi deep in the brush and called the sheriff in dothan, alabama. even first responders had trouble finding the car. >> the main challenge is going to be where the car was, where the victim was pinned against the driver's door. it was off the road. it was difficult to get the car to pull around her. >> reporter: police say when they found her she was awake and was pinned to the door in such a way that she couldn't get out on her own. she was on her way to the post office. investigators say they don't think weather had anything to do with the crash. >> i think it is miraculous that she survived. and i'm thankful she survived. i didn't want to go through life without a mom. >> reporter: police tell us she is in stable condition. she suffered multiple injuries in the crash, but her family says they of course are happy she's alive. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >>> all right, this next story you've got to hear. a suspected burglar was probably never so happy to see someone in uniform. >> fire crews pulled keenan holmes out of a chimney for an auto center in tulsa. the alleged bad santa had been stuck there for nine hours. workers said they thought the noise they'd been hearing was a pigeon. police say he likely wasn't getting out if firefighters didn't show up. >>> when we come back, will has seen "avengers: end game." and i'm really jealous. he joins us for an exclusive review. >> we promise no spoilers. "the skinny" is next. "the skinny" is next. skinny" is next. ♪ skinny just gimme the skinny ♪ skinny just gimme the skinny >>> mona's first "skinny" time at the desk. ♪ skinny just gimme the skinny >>> mona's first "skinny" time at the desk. we've got a big one. we're beginning with hulk-size news out of hollywood this morning. the avengers assembling for one of tinseltown's greatest honors. >> the original avengers, mark ruffalo, chris hemsworth, chris evans, scarlett johansson, robert downey jr., and jeremy renner gathered at the tcl chinese theater for their legendary handprint ceremony. >> but that's not all. the avengers are celebrating this morning. the first reviews are in for the movie that opens tomorrow and may earn $1 billion this weekend. our own avenger, will ganss. >> huh! >> huh! >> you saw it. >> huh! can't you tell? i'm not sitting, i'm just floating off the ground. >> three hours. >> floating off the ground right now. yeah. thanos is one thing but the avengers needed to take on film critics who were walking into theaters this week with expectations at an all-time high, and so far, so good. brian truett from "usa today" says if the marvel superhero movies on the whole are your favorite band's individual albums, "avengers: end game" is the triple disk, greatest hits package with the really awesome cover and the slew of familiar comforting gems inside. tasha robinson says, it's certainly a triumph, it's ambitious, towering, above all, daring in its difference. but as you just said, now i've seen this movie too. i've got the infinity stones right here in my heart. okay? i'm ready to give you guys my own review. drumroll! >> oh! >> don't worry, i won't spoil "the end game" with this review. but what i will say is this, you guys. "avengers: end game" is probably the most fun moviegoing experience i've ever spent in a theater, all three hours of it. those three hours flew by. what the russo brothers have given fans is an epic conclusion worthy of a decade of marvel movies, 21 films total, a satisfying story arc for these characters we've literally grown up with. while the plot twists were plenty, what i was more surprised with was the tone of the film. "end game" seamlessly weaving in the gravity and darkness of its prequel "infinity war" with heart and humor. you will laugh a lot in this newest installment. and while special effects and fight sequences are major players in "end game," the human cast does a phenomenal job acting their way through this three-hour masterpiece. robert downey jr., chris hemsworth, mark ruffalo, scarlett johansson, paul rudd remind you they're worthy of their hollywood renown and this film is worthy of the anticipation and excitement surrounding it. get to the theater to see this movie, guys. for what could be the last time ever, it was an honor to watch these avengers assemble. >> boy, that was a monologue right there, will. >> i meant every word of it. >> and you didn't have popcorn. >> i cannot wait to see this one. we talk about the avengers. i feel like there's something we always say. >> oh yeah. >> what is it? >> disney is the parent company of abc -- >> wait, is she here? >> janai? >> janai? >> yes, that's janai, "disney is the parent company of abc," and we can't get rid of her. yeah. that is incredible. i can't wait to see it. thank you, will, for that incredible review. >> got it. walk, don't run, people. >> i will torture you later -- no, i won't, because i don't want any spoilers. all right. >>> from the avengers assembling on the big screen to another impressive group gathering here in new york city, the annual "time" 100 gala, honoring 2019's list of most influential people center along with the "game of thrones" star emilia clarke and richard madden, plus glenn close, sandra oh, and rami malek. >> less than two days away from her big announcement, taylor swift walking the carpet in her signature pastel colors. taylor played her hit song "love story" on the piano, and of course our own gayle king was there as well. big congrats to her for this big honor. big fan of the show. good morning, gayle. >>> coming up, america's newest millionaire. >> that's right, meet the 24-year-old who has claimed one of the largest lottery jackpots and he's had that lucky feeling. >> you're watching "world news now." rld news now." sun care is self care. i used to not love wearing an spf just because i felt like it was so oily and greasy. but with olay regenerist whip spf 25, it's so lightweight. i love it. i'm busy philipps, and i'm fearless to face anything. ♪ when you have nausea, ♪ heartburn, ♪ indigestion, ♪ upset stomach, ♪ diarrhea... girl, pepto ultra coating will treat your stomach right. ♪nausea, heartburn, ♪ indigestion, upset stomach, ♪ diarrhea... try pepto with ultra coating. ♪ i'm gonna win the lottery and live my life in style ♪ ♪ i'm gonna win the lottery and live my life in style ♪ ♪ i'll take a trip to europe and then head off for maui awhile ♪ >>> a wisconsin resident did just that, claimed last month's $768 million powerball jackpot, the third-largest u.s. jackpot ever. >> did we mention he's 24? from the moment he bought the tickets, manuel franco said he had that lucky feeling. abc's will reeve has all the details. >> if moolah would bring me the big check -- >> reporter: jackpot in dairy country. 24-year-old manuel franco from west alice, wisconsin, in front of cameras to claim his massive powerball prize. >> it was amazing. my heart started racing, blood pumping, my blood felt warm. i screamed for five or ten minutes. >> reporter: $768.4 million. the cash option after taxes $477 million. the winning ticket sold at a speedway gas station in new berlin. that station taking home $100,000 for its role in the life-changing drawing. >> it's a dream to be able to give a big check away. but it's also a dream come true for our winner. >> reporter: it's the third-largest jackpot in lottery history. in october, a single ticket won $1.5 billion. not far behind the biggest prize ever, nearly $1.6 billion, split three ways back in 2016. franco says he had a feeling when he bought that ticket. >> i purchased $10 worth of individual powerball tickets. and i honestly felt so lucky that i did look up at the camera, and i really wanted to wink at it because i just had that lucky feeling. >> reporter: franco said he wanted to take the annuity, but someone convinced him to take that $477 million lump sum. wisconsin, known for its cheese. if he wanted to, franco could buy nearly 89 million pounds of cheddar at current market prices with his winnings. will reeve, abc news, new york. >> that's a lot of cheddar. in wisconsin there. >> cheese bread. >> for the folks in wisconsin. he couldn't remain anonymous because of state law. this is the most interesting fact to me. so he says the winning ticket came from a batch that he bought on his own, not a batch that he bought with his girlfriend. >> i didn't see a girlfriend, did you? >> i did not see a girlfriend sitting next to him, anybody else? >> oh-oh, bye, felicia. >> how'd you know her name was felicia? conveniently, yes, that was the batch, hmm. >> i didn't see her. oh, she's probably at home crying right now. >> probably. have a great day. >>> making news in america this morning, president trump discussing the mueller report in a new interview. why he's against white house aides testifying in front of congress. plus, what else staffers are being told to boycott. >>> alarming claims against the boy scouts of america. >> they're protecting the pedophiles among their ranks. >> thousands of scout leaders accused of sexual abuse in the alleged system of cover-ups within the organization dating back eight decades. >>> new this morning, the woman accusing an nba coach of sexual assault breaking her silence. >> i kept begging him to please let go and to please stop, and he continued to laugh in my ear. >> the response this morning from lukeed why she's coming forward now.