here is abc's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning, mike richards is out as executive producer of "jeopardy!" and "wheel of fortune kwugs ". it comes down as he stepped down as the new kwoeft of the quiz show amid backlash of derogatory comments and sexism remarks including this interview on a podcast several years ago. >> i am asking you a question. have you ever take an nude picture. >> i am not answering that question. >> answer that question. have you? >> no, i haven't. >> sony pictures which produces both shows says it was unaware of richards' previous comments and now in a new memo, a top executive writing, we had hoped that when mike stenned down from the host position at "jeopardy!" it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. that clearly has not happened. >> i think at this point sony had no choice but to let mike richards go. this lass gone too far. it tainted the brand. it threatened to overshadow the new season of "jeopardy!." >> richards was first tapped as executive producer in may of 2020. and was

megan tevrizian, abc news. >>> a new scandal at buckingham palace. one-time aid to prince charles has stepped down amid corruption allegations. michael faucet is accused of arranging for a wealthy donor to receive an order. >>> coming up, supporters of a four-day work week score a big victory. >>> first stanley tucci reveals >>> first stanley tucci reveals his battle with before you go there, ♪ or fist bump there. ♪ or... oh! i can't wait to go there! ♪ or reunite there, ♪ start here. walgreens makes it easy to stay protected wherever you go. schedule your free flu shot and covid-19 vaccine today. finally yasso! a ridiculously creamy, crunchy, chocolatey dipped ice cream experience with 25% less calories because it's made with greek yogurt. so, thanks for everything ice cream, but we'll take it from here. yasso audaciously delicious find your rhythm. your happy place. but we'll take it from here. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. within this hallo

megan tevrizian, abc news. >>> democrats are flying into california from washington in an effort to help governor gavin newsom keep his job. with the recall election just eight days away, the governor and one of his high-profile out-of-state supporters spoke with abc's zohreen shah about what's at stake. >> reporter: with early voting under way in california's recall election, some of the top democrats stumping for governor gavin newsom. >> the consequences of california have impacts all across america. >> reporter: sitting down in an joint interview, saying a recall could mean that democrats lose senate control. >> the leading republican, larry elder, said if he gets a chance, he will replace any democratic california senator with a republican. that means everything. i'm fighting for everything governor newsom is fighting for. >> reporter: the recall effort, bolstered by critics unhappy how the governor handled the pandemic. conservative radio host larry elder telling us in a statement, this has nothing to do with republican or democrat. it's about saving california from the disastrous

as abc's megan tevrizian reports the first two people to sue don't even live in texas. >> reporter: this morning a texas doctor who admits to defying the state's abortion law is facing two lawsuits, the first known challenges under the constitutional law. dr. alan braid opened the door to the lawsuits when he told the "washington post" i acted because i had a duty of care to this patient, as i do for all patients and because she has a fundamental right to receive this care. the two plaintiffs are disbarred attorneys from out of state. and neither claim to be anti-abortion. one was previously convicted of tax fraud in arkansas. >> in some ways, this is a plaintiff who makes perfect sense in light of the way the law is drafted. no connection to the issue, no connection to the parties. no connection as far as we can tell in the complaint to texas at all. and yet, may well have the ability, the way the law's drafted, to go to court and to have the court actually hear his case. >> reporter: the new law bans abortions once a heartbeat can be detected in the embryo, which is typically six weeks

megan tevrizian, abc news. >>> more winds in california, a wildfire threatens sequoia national park. some of the base of the trees are wrapped in burn resistant material. 600 firefighters on the ground. >>> with abortion and immigration putting texas in the national spotlight, there's word that beto o'rourke is expected to run for governor. the former presidential candidate is expected to run next year. greg abbott popularity is slipping. >>> coming up, a big surprise from tom cruise. >>> first, a new image from the historic trip to space. the crew i may have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. or psoriatic arthritis. but we are so much more. we're team players and artists. designers and do-it-yourselfers. parents and friends. if joint pain is getting in the way of who you are, it's time to talk to your doctor about enbrel. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop permanent joint damage. plus enbrel helps skin get clearer in psoriatic arthritis. ask your doctor about enbrel, so you can get back to your true self. play ball! enbrel may lower your ability to fight infection

megan tevrizian has more. >> reporter: this morning a bombshell documentary about britney spears, insidersescribing an intense surveillance system set up during her conservatorship. "controlling britney spears", released by the "new york times," alleges her father jamie hired a security company that bugged her room and tracked her text messages and calls. >> her own private conversations were used so often to control her. >> reporter: alex, a former employee who worked at black box security for nine years, says the company mirrored her phone to keep track of her conversations. the new york times reporting that mirroring text messages without the consent of both parties could be a violation of the law, and that it is unclear if the court knew about or had approved any text message monitoring. ♪ my life has been so overprotected ♪ >> reporter: the 39-year-old pop star is worth an estimated $60 million. after a string of public struggles, her father was appointed conservator in 2008. and this past summer, she testified for the first time in court about what she called her abusive conservators

here's abc's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning, a frantic plea for help from the family of a missing woman from long island, new york. >> you can't describe it. it's just everything just hurts, everything sucks. >> she seemed okay. >> reporter: 22-year-old gabrielle petito left home on a cross-country driving adventure with her fiance brian laundrie back in july traveling to various national parks in a white ford van and documenting their trip on youtube. >> we are right outside capitol reef right now. >> reporter: petito was last seen august 24 checking out of hotel with laundrie. her mother spoke to her by phone the next day and told her they were in wyoming heading to yellowstone. >> a few days is one thing when you're out camping, but when it starts to become seven, eight, nine, ten days, that's a problem. >> reporter: authorities found the couple's white van in north port, florida, where the two were living together before they left on their trip. petito's family says laundrie is now back in florida, has hired a lawyer and will not sit down with investigators. >> everyth

here's abc's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: a pivotal day today in britney spears' legal fight.tition to remove her father, jamie spears, as conservator of her estate and could decide whether the pop star will gain freedom over her life and finances. [ crowd chanting ] on the eve of the high stakes hearing, tmz is reporting jamie spears is objecting to the person britney and her legal team have nominated to take over as temporary conservator of her estate. jamie is reportedly claiming his potential replacement, accountant john zabel, has lost $1 million in a fraudulent real estate investment and is not qualified to manage britney's $60 million fortune, but jamie spears has problems of his own. a recent "the new york times" documentary claimed jamie who controlled nearly every aspect of britney's life for 13 years hired a security company that bugged her room and tracked her text messages and calls. >> her phone, her own phone, her own private conversations were used so often to control her, it didn't feel like she was being treated like a human being. >> reporter: in a recent le

here's abc's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning, a deeper look into the negative impact that social media app instagram can have on teenagers' mental health. "the wall street journal" reports research at facebook, instagram's parent company, raised concern about how the app makes some teenagers feel about themselves and their appearance. according to a presentation from march 2020, 32% of teen girls said when they feel bad about their bodies, instagram made them feel worse. another slide saying, teens blame instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression. >> it's just so stressful to take one picture that has to be perfect. >> reporter: "the wall street journal" claims facebook has publicly downplayed the research. >> now you're going down a road where you're looking at somebody's life and you're comparing your body and then you're looking at somebody's home life and comparing your financial situation. >> reporter: teens are an important demographic. 40% of users are age 22 or younger. back in march mark zuckerberg minimized the app's negative impacts. >> the re

here's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning, a texas doctor who admits defying the state's newion law is now facing two lawsuits, which are the first known challenges under the constitutional law. doctor allen grade opened the door to the lawsuits when he told "the washington post," i acted because i had a duty of care to this patient. as i do for all patients and because she is a fundamental right to receive this care. the two plaintiffs are disbarred attorneys from out-of-state and neither claim to be anti-abortion. one was previously convicted of tax fraud in arkansas. >> in some ways, this is a plaintiff who makes perfect sense in the way the law is drafted. no connecion to the issue or the parties, to texas at all. and yet, may well have the ability, the way the law is drafted, to go to court and have the court actually hear his case. >> reporter: the new law bans abortions, once a heartbeat can be detected in the embryo, which is typically six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant. the law calls for private citizens to report anyone who helps a woman get an abor

here's abc's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this authorities cracking down on a new tiktok challenge that kids damaging school property across the country. the viral trend encourages them to damage schools and buildings. it started earlier prompting students to steal soap dispensers and clog toilets. in some cases it's become so destructive schools are shutting down bathrooms for repairs. >> they're still closed because we need to make sure those soap dispensers get reinstalled. >> reporter: more than a dozen teenagers facing criminal charges. >> i am certain beyond belief that the videos will be shown and the parents will be responsible for the damages. >> reporter: tiktok says it's taking steps to stop this trend saying, we are moving this content and redirecting hashtags and search results to our community guidelines to discourage such behavior. but connecticut senator richard blumenthal sent a letter to tiktok tuesday saying its actions are too little too late. >> tiktok knows that there are 94,000 of these videos relating to destruction and theft of school property costing taxpayers.

abc's megan tevrizian has the latest. >> reporter: this morning the urgent search to find a 19-year-old college sophomore from florida missing since friday. >> miya, this message is for you. i know you're alive. i know you're out there. we love you. >> reporter: miya marcano, a student at valencia college, was last seen at this apartment complex in orlando where she lives and works. >> she would never not be in contact with them, would never turn off her phone, obviously never let her phone battery drain completely down. >> reporter: the case took an unexpected turn yesterday when a man police described as a person of interest, armando manuel caballero, was found dead from an apparent suicide. caballero was a maintenance man at the same apartment complex where marcano works. >> he had demonstrated a romantic interest in miya. this was repeatedly rebuffed by miya. >> reporter: authorities say caballero entered marcano's apartment with a maintenance issued key 30 minutes before she finished her shift, and they say he had no work-related reason to enter. >> we're still trying to investigat

megan tevrizian has more. >> reporter: this morning, a bombshell new allegation about britney spears.siders say there was an intense surveillance system set up during her conservatorship. released by "the new york times," jamie bugged her room and tracked her text messages and calls. >> her own phone and own private conversations were used so often to control her. >> reporter: a former employee who worked at black box security for nine years says the company mirrored her phone to keep track of her conversations. "the new york times" reporting that mirroring text messages without the consent of both parties could be a violation of the law, and that it is unclear if the court knew about or had approved any text message monitoring. ♪ >> reporter: the 39-year-old pop star is worth an estimated $60 million. after a string of public struggles, her father was appointed conservator in 2008, and this past summer she testified for the first time in court about what she called her abusive conservatorship. the judge allowing her to hire a new attorney. ♪ stronger than yesterday ♪ >> reporter: tha