erica this morning breaking news overnight senate minority leader mitch mcconnell in the hospital what we're learning about the 81 year olds condition, also breaking overnight. ukraine under attack video just coming in missile attacks in several cities, including the capital and a nuclear plant reportedly damaged no charges. the boy who brought a gun to an elementary school and shot his first grade teacher, will not face charges that virginia prosecutor explains his decision and what comes next. the debate over tiktok and whether it should be banned in the u. s student national security concerns. top senator is now saying later what host jimmy kimmel is revealing about this sunday's oscars discussing everything from tom cruise to last year's oscar slap , plus the changes this year and

it's being called sushi terrorism. this shocking pranks in japan and now police making arrests. from abc news in york. this is america this morning. good thursday morning, everyone i'm andrew denberg. i'm liz nagy in for ryan, and we begin with breaking news out of washington. senate republican leader mitch mcconnell is in the hospital after suffering a fall . a spokesperson says mcconnell tripped during a private dinner at a d. c hotel, but there's no word yet on the extent of his injuries. mcconnell who is 81 years old, also fell in 2019 and fractured his shoulder. if he's not able to return to work right away, he'd be the third senator out right now, with health issues 89 year old california democrat dianne feinstein is home recovering. from shingles after being hospitalized last week, and pennsylvania democrat john fetterman is out indefinitely as he undergoes treatment for depression. those absences would bring the current make up of the senate to 49 democrats and 49 republicans. vice president kamala harris

would cast any tie breaking votes. also breaking right now a new wave of attacks across ukraine missile strikes have been reported in several cities . president zelinsky says russia has fired at least 81 missiles today in a nuclear plant was damaged. it's now working on diesel generators. abc s lindsey watts is following all the developments. lindsey andrew. good morning. right now. officials in ukraine say at least five people have been killed and others injured in a massive missile attack the sun rising over a smoke filled sky in keep this morning overnight, ukrainian officials reported multiple explosions from russian missile attacks in cities across the country. this woman saying they are destroying our city. i go to bed and don't know if i will wake up the next day. several people were killed and many others wounded in this latest round of russian attacks . it comes as the fight for the city of bach mood continues, but ukrainian forces are holding on this drone operator takes cover

from bombardment right outside his window, but still holds up his ipad to try and keep the signal connection. abc s james longman is there. there are rumors of the ukrainian retreat from back mood. but this is the road that leads to the city. it's been very active all day, and it doesn't feel like they want to get it up anytime soon. washington director of us national intelligence avril haines told the senate wednesday . she doesn't believe russia will make major territorial gains in ukraine this year because it's suffering such high casualty rates. but she said putin is playing the long game. putin most likely calculates the time works in his favor and that prolonged in the war, including with potential pauses in the fighting. maybe his best remaining pathway to eventually securing russia's strategic interests in ukraine, even if it takes years, haynes says the russian military is taking heavy casualties. and dealing with personnel and ammunition, shortages, exhaustion and morale , challenges and on the battlefield. there is currently

a grinding attritional war in which neither side has a definitive military advantage. and also this morning. poland says it's ready to provide mig 29 fighter jets to ukraine, liz z. thank you now to a major weather threat and you cross country storm in first up california, already buried under feet of snow there now bracing for flooding rains. this morning. parts of california are bracing for another round of severe weather. up to eight inches of rain is now possible along california's northern coast. monterey county officials are warning residents stuck up at least two weeks worth of essential supplies. storms in january triggered landslides in big sur, closing off a major highway. in the sierra nevada mountains, where they're still digging out from up to 15 ft. of snow. forecasters expect heavy rain and more snow in higher elevations, this time with 100 mile per hour wind gusts. officials near lake tahoe have

this special announcement warning residents to shovel off their roofs before the next storm moves in everybody's super worried that all this weight of the snow what's the water hits it. a lot of these groups are going to start collapsing, the other big concerned the combination of rain and snowmelt , unleashing extreme flooding. this storm coming in is going to be much warmer than the storms we've seen hit california past month arise in northern california, then slides of southern california flooding rains in southern california the san bernardino sheriff's office says at least 12 people have now died since the recent snowstorms cut off mountain communities. some people have now been stranded for weeks after back to back storms dumped seven ft of snow in some areas this morning. we're also tracking snow for the midwest up to six inches in the chicago area by tomorrow will have your forecast in just a few minutes. scathing new report on the louisville kentucky police department three years after the shooting of rihanna taylor, the justice department says it found a pattern of misconduct and

discrimination against the city's black residents, including excessive force, invalid warrants and name calling. attorney general merrick garland called the conduct unacceptable and heartbreaking. the goal now is for the city to agree to a set of changes that could then be enforced by a federal judge. we turn now to virginia and a decision not to prosecute a school shooter who targeted a first grade teacher, the shooter just six years old. here's a b cs andrea fuji. this morning. there will be no charges for the virginia six year old accused of shooting and wounding his first grade teacher, the newport news prosecutor saying he and other experts do not believe a child that young can form the required criminal intent. we don't believe the law supports charging a six year old with the criminal offenses serious as this one. i think it's problematical to assume that a six year old understands the criminal justice system enough to be competent to stand trial shooting january 6th left teacher abby's werner with a gunshot wound to the chest police saying she was

intentionally hit even after she was injured. she is credited with helping to safely evacuate the other students in the class instantly. my heart dropped because i'm thinking of the age of these children and what they possibly were going through at that time warner, now recovering from her injuries, is suing the school district, claiming the boy had a history of violent behavior and claiming school administrators failed to act despite being warned that he had a gun and was threatening people. the boy's family says he suffers from an acute disability . they claimed the legally purchased gun he took to school had been locked away. the family is saying, we have been cooperating with local and federal law enforcement to understand how this could have happened. the prosecutor says he's still going through the evidence to determine any other potential charges. the law supports charging persons with criminal offenses that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt being those persons will be charged. the school's principal , resigned in late january, and last month, the school board

voted to relieve the superintendent of his position. andrew liz, andrea, thank you. rail safety will be the focus today when the ceo of norfolk southern testifies on capitol hill. alan shaw will apologize for the toxic derailment in east palestine, ohio and will detail the safety changes now being made. the company is also building a facility in ohio to improve the training of first responders. meanwhile officials in west virginia say no hazardous materials were involved when 22 cars from this csx train derailed yesterday, some diesel fuel did leak into a river. the cars derailed after hitting a rock slide war of words in the debate over the origins of covid 19, a former cdc director, taking aim at dr anthony fauci. it was one subject during a hearing on u. s national security threats. another big topic. with social media. two subjects dominated a senate hearing on the top global threats to america, covid, 19 and tiktok. to me, it screams out with national security concerns. senator marco rubio question fbi director

christopher wray on whether tiktok, which is owned by a chinese company could censor videos to shape us public opinion. could they use it to control the software on millions of devices? given the opportunity to do so, yes. could they use it to drive narratives ? uh like to divide americans against each other. for example , let's say china wants to invade taiwan to make sure the americans are seeing videos, arguing why taiwan belongs to china while the u. s should not intervene. yes tiktok ceo has insisted the company would never provide americans data to the chinese government. but here's what senator john thune told abc's trevor ault. have you seen something concrete showing that tiktok has maybe taken americans data and given it to china? or is that simply hypothetical that you were concerned could happen. no there's evidence to that effect. another hot topic at the hearing the origins of covid 19 and the two leading theories, either the virus evolved naturally or it leaked accidentally from a lab in wuhan, china. dr robert redfield

, the cdc director undr president trump testified he was excluded from discussions about the origin of the virus by dr anthony fauci and other scientists because he believed the lab leak theory warranted investigation. i was told to me that they wanted a single narrative and that i obviously had a different point of view. dr fauci, calling that accusation completely untrue and saying no one excluded anyone. the director of national intelligence, says china's lack of cooperation in the covid investigation creates a critical gap in understanding time now for a look at your forecast. good morning. here we go again in california, another atmospheric river event over the next two days. we're going to see heavy rain with flooding in the valleys and the foothills and heavy snow in those mountains. the mountain passes will be dangerous. several feet of snow above 7500 ft. meantime over the next couple of days, a big storm is moving through our nation's midsection with snow

from minneapolis to buffalo and heavy rain down south. the snow will spread through chicago through friday morning. the interior northeast through saturday morning. accuweather meteorologist kevin costner. coming up the news about allergy season and it's not good, but first armed men tried to pull off a heist at the airport as tens of millions of dollars in cash is delivered, and a new move by florida governor ron de santis to get a tennis star into the u. s, even though he's not

robert downey jr this morning. good morning america. back now, with a $32 million attempted robbery at an airport in south america. the cash had been flown in from miami to santiago, chile , when heavily armed men stormed the runway at the airport. that's where brinks workers were transferring the money from a plane to an armored truck shoot out erupted, killing a security

officer and one of the would be robbers. the others fled empty handed. we turn now to a new battle over the covid vaccine requirement. this one involves a tennis superstar and the governor of florida who's thought to be eyeing the white house. this morning, governor ron de santis is floating a new offer to bring tennis star novak djokovic into the country to play in florida tournament. i would run a boat from the bahamas here for him, i would do that 100% djokovic never got the covid vaccine and is therefore barred from entering the us to santis wrote to president biden this week asking for a waiver to allow djokovic to play at the miami open this month, saying the time has come to give up the fiction that the covid vaccines remain unnecessary tool to promote public health to santa's , a potential 2024 presidential candidate acknowledges the boat lift idea may not work, but i think his people are looking at it, and i'm not sure that's the way they want to come into the into the country, which i

understand. i think it would be a great moment. but you know, and the cdc website confirms the vaccine requirement applies to travelers by sea as well as by air. we expect everyone to abide by our country's role, whether as a participant or expect ator. the world's number one tennis player missed last year's australian open due to his vaccination status. he has said he'd rather skip major tournaments, then get vaccinated . are you prepared to forego the chance to be the greatest player that ever picked up a racket statistically because you feel so strongly about this jab, yes. florida's republican senators are joining two santas and asking for a waiver for djokovic . it comes just two months before may 11th when the u. s covid emergency declaration will be lifted that will end the vaccine requirements for travelers. coming up new legal trouble for tiger woods what his ex girlfriend is now claiming also ahead. two boys come to also ahead. two boys come to their mothers rescue on th ugh covid-19?

and being overweight makes it more risky. i'm calling my doctor. if it's covid, paxlovid. authorized for emergency use, paxlovid is an oral treatment for people 12 and up... who have mild-to-moderate covid-19 and have a high-risk factor for it becoming severe. my symptoms are mild now, but i'm not waiting. if it's covid, paxlovid. having even one risk factor, like being over 50, diabetes, or smoking increases your chances of severe covid. taken within five days of symptoms, paxlovid reduced the risk of developing severe covid-19 by 86%. paxlovid may strengthen or weaken other medicines. taking it with certain medicines may cause life threatening side effects or affect how paxlovid works. so it's critical to tell your doctor about all medicines you take including herbal supplements, because lab tests or changing the dose of your medicines may be needed. tell your doctor if you have any serious illnesses, allergies, liver or kidney disease, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, are breastfeeding, or use birth control. paxlovid may affect how your birth control works.

don't take paxlovid if you're allergic to nirmatrelvir, ritonavir, or any of its ingredients. serious side effects can include allergic reactions, liver problems, and issues with hiv medicines. other side effects include altered taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure, muscle aches, abdominal pain, nausea, and feeling unwell. with my asthma, i knew it could be riskier. if it's covid, paxlovid. ask your doctor or pharmacist if paxlovid is right for you. i never get tired of this. making angel soft... ...strong... ...and... ...soft! it's like magic. every time. angel soft. soft and strong. simple. unless you treat dandruff regularly, it will keep coming back. every time. try head & shoulders. it contains zinc pyrithione which fights the germ that causes dandruff, and when used regularly, helps prevent it from coming back. for up to 100% dandruff protection, use head & shoulders. coming back for up to 100% dander, protection, use head and shoulders. tiger woods, ex

girlfriend is suing the golf legend trying to nullify a nondisclosure agreement. erica herman says woods forced her to sign the agreement in 2017 when they first started dating. but now she's citing a federal law known as the speak out act, which nullifies indus in cases of quote, sexual assault disputes and harassment disputes. herman did not specify any accusations against woods, but she's already filed a lawsuit seeking $30 million after claiming woods tricked her into leaving the home they shared and then locked her out. now to the story of two quick thinking boys who came to the rescue in ohio. the twins being honored for the response when they noticed their mom was not feeling right. this morning. 11 year old twins in ohio are credited with saving their mom's life after she suffered a medical emergency while driving you guys are okay. one of the boys safely steered their suv off the highway just trying to beat you over the grab the wheel have this wish over to the real

epilepsy and suffered a seizure while taking them to their grandma's house. boys said that i started having a seizure and my hands fell off the wheel and i fell against the window. quick thinking jermell grabbed the steering wheel irish over and grabbed it, and i turned it. all the way to the grassy part. and we were safe and everything he steered off the ramp into a grassy area. jordan's then turned off the car and dialed 911. i didn't exactly know where i was at because i was like so scared. i just told him that my mom had a seizure. the twins were honored this week by police and the mayor. mom was there to counting our blessings. i will say very much thankful for my fiance who taught them how to drive a tractor and my dad who has taught them how to ride go carts, so that's always a plus, it was instinct. i never knew i could do that. it was like i never dropped. i never drove a car before all our members i will always stick together. the twins are credited with not only

saving their mom's life, but possibly other drivers as well. coming up sunny d a drink from your childhood is all grown up. we'll explain what jimmy kimmel is revealing about sunday is revealing about sunday night's oscars. dancing is everything. soccer is the best. but her moderate to severe eczema could make it hard for her. my skin was so itchy. and my outfit was uncomfortable. now, my skin's not as itchy. now we're staying ahead of her eczema. there's a power inside all of us, to live our passion. and dupixent works on the inside, to help heal your skin from within. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. so they can have clearer skin and less itch. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor.

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how could you? wake up to a new you. with mucinex nightshift, it's not cold and flu season. it's always comeback season. , plus robert downey jr. morning. good morning america. time to check the pulse, and we begin with a big change at the oscars for the first time since 1961 the set the red carpet at sunday's show won't be read host jimmy kimmel was there to roll out the champagne colored carpet . the academy did not explain the change. kimball joked that no blood will be shed a reference to will smith slapping chris rock at last year's show, and kimmel tells good morning america's lara spencer. they have something fun planned with tom cruise this year, maybe two people will come up staging and head maybe in the future will be

34. and it'll just be eventually be everyone rushing the stage and slapping whoever's on and of course, tom cruise will be there. so you know, i mean, let's talk about the cruise factor. i gotta imagine you'll have a little fun with tom. i will, for sure. i always have fun with tom and fun will be had with tom on sunday night. later on. good morning america. kimmel explains why he will address last year slapped during sunday ceremony. next a possible link between allergy season and climate change study looked at how warmer temperatures have affected allergy season in the u. s. since 1970. it says that over that time, the growing season for plants when they release pollen is now on average two weeks longer, so western states are suffering. the most. they're growing season is 27 days longer. for example, reno, nevada is up to 99 days. the cbc says 24 million people in the us suffer from poland induced allergies is a whole lot of sneezing. alright next sunny d the drink of your childhood. it's all grown up. the orange flavored drink is moving into

the liquor aisle is coming out with a vodka. seltzer claims to contain real fruit juice. zero g of sugar and just 95 calories. four packs will sell for about $10 at select walmart, obviously , not for kids. next three people are under arrest with connection to a viral plank in japan. they're accused of sushi terrorism. pranksters have been targeting chain restaurants that serve sushi on conveyor belts. they lick their fingers, touch the sushi and put it back. rest follow public outrage in the suspects could face jail time. and finally which city in the us is most generous when it comes to leaving tips. it's not on the east coast or the west coast study found. the biggest tippers are in cleveland, where people leave an average of 20.6% tip for their servers and the least generous tippers that is going to be on the west coast. they are in san fran. francisco. ah well, you always got a cleveland for being generated out to cleveland shout out to ohio and hey, san your

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panera.

>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> what happened on new year's

eve, that was the first time, and now we are hearing it again. reggie: not 5:00, a storm closing in on northern california. with all the damage the past three months, people are bracing for what the storm will bring. >> i think everyone feels the worst is over, but now it looks like it will start all over again. jobina: business owners and homeowners loading up on sandbags, hoping to avoid more flooding. rain here means more snow in the sierra, adding to the dire situation for the mountain communities. some are warned to stock up at least two weeks worth of essentials ahead of the storm. reggie: so there is that good morning this thursday, march 9. jobina: let's check on the forecast. >> the action ramps up later this afternoon and evening, so flooding will be a concern with a lot of rain coming our way with this atmospheric