♪♪ captioned by los angeles distribution and broadcasting, inc. right now in america. this morning, congress takes the first step toward a passing a bill that could potentially ban tiktok in the u.s. what happens next? and would a ban actually protect u.s. national security? the expert who says no americans desperate to evacuate from haiti

as the country plunges into chaos. >> and now the plan being considered to handle a possible surge of haitian migrants trying to flee to the u.s. >> the father of the michigan school shooter on trial, accused of enabling his son to carry out the deadly attack. the jury now getting the case. why crumbley's lawyer says he should not be held responsible for his son's actions. >> breaking overnight severe storms, slamming the middle of the country and the largest snowstorm of the season in parts of the west. what to expect today. >> tragedy at the beach. the parents who lost their daughter, who was crushed in a sand hole. explain the terrifying moments and how it quickly unfolded. >> later, senator katie britt defends her state of the union rebuttal speech and what she's saying about scarlett johansson's portrayal on snl. >> plus, something that could dramatically change your morning coffee in the near future. from

abc news in new york. >> this is america this morning. >> good thursday morning, everyone. i'm ryan and ali, and i'm lionel moise. >> andrew is on assignment. we begin with the big question this morning. could tiktok, which is owned by a chinese company, eventually be banned in the u.s? >> house, lawmakers have approved a bill that could potentially lead to a ban. members of both parties supporting the proposal cracking down on tiktok, which faces far more restrictions in china, where it's largely an educational app for kids. so what's next here in the u.s? >> abc's em nguyen has been covering the story. you have some answers for us. good morning. >> that's right. good morning. lionel. although the bill that could potentially ban tiktok is moving forward, the app won't be disappearing from phones anytime soon. this morning, social media users in the u.s. are left wondering if tiktok's days are numbered. the bill is passed after the house overwhelmingly passed a bill that would force tiktok's chinese parent company to sell the app or have it banned in the u.s.

>> we are in a cold war with china and some of my colleagues want to ignore this fact. >> every u.s. national security agency says tiktok poses a national security threat, claiming its owner, bytedance, is beholden to the chinese government, which could demand access to the data of tiktok's 170 million american users. but critics of the bill say legitimate concerns about the chinese communist party, or ccp, could set the u.s. government down a dangerous path. the answer to ccp style propaganda is not ccp style oppression. >> let us slow down before we blunder down this very steep and slippery slope. >> their cure is worse than the diseases. >> republican thomas massie argued. the bill fails to address the us's overall reliance on china. >> you know, we're sitting here with phones made in china. we're wearing suits made in china. we drove cars here with chips that are made in china, and there are

foreign adversaries. and by golly, we're going to do something about it. where are we going to do? you're going to tell americans they can't put a piece of software on their computer. >> tiktok says the bill violates constitutional rights of its users, many of whom earn a living running businesses on the app. and tiktok ceo has argued the company stores its american data in the u.s. not china. >> this will help ensure the integrity of the code that powers what americans see on our app. we will further provide access to researchers which helps them study and monitor our content ecosystem. now, we believe we are the only the only company that offers this level of transparency. >> experts also question the impact of a potential ban. india, the world's largest democracy, banned tiktok in 2020, but bytedance still reportedly has access to the data of indian citizens who use the app. and here in the u.s. other social media platforms sell users data, potentially

posing the same kind of security risk, one expert tells abc news. banning tiktok is like patching one hole in a very leaky boat, adding it's a nice symbolic bill, but it doesn't actually make us safer. as for what's next, the bill heads to the senate, where its fate is unclear. senate majority leader chuck schumer is not yet saying whether he'll take up the bill. president biden has said if congress passes this bill, he will sign it a risky position in this election year. but the president is struggling to win over younger voters. rhiannon >> all right. we'll see what happens. and thank you. the other big story this morning is the crisis in haiti. sources say the u.s. may use guantanamo bay to process haitian migrants. if there is a mass exodus. as gangs overrun haiti, people caught trying to flee to florida by sea could be taken to the u.s. base. in cuba, efforts are underway to evacuate more americans after some u.s. citizens were airlifted to safety, including best selling author mitch albom, whose charity runs an orphanage

in haiti. >> when we were in the helicopter, all crunched up on top of one another and one of the pilots said, you've now cleared haitian airspace. you're you're, you know, in the dominican republic airspace. there was like some applause by some of the people who were inside. but for my wife and i, it was kind of a gut punch because we realized that our our kids are still there. >> haiti's acting prime minister resigned this week, setting off a scramble to form a new government. >> 16 members of a southern california swat team have been injured after an explosion during a training exercise. the team was working with a bomb squad in orange county. most escaped with minor injuries. one officer, though, will need leg surgery. >> jury deliberations resumed today at the trial of james crumbley, the father of the michigan boy who shot and killed four students at his high school in 2021. the jury is deciding whether crumbley should face the same punishment as his wife for allegedly enabling their son's attack. here's abc's andrea

fujii. >> this morning. verdict watch in the trial of james crumbley, the father of convicted michigan school shooter ethan crumbley, facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter. his wife, jennifer, was convicted of the same charges last month, the first parent in the u.s. ever convicted for their child's role in a mass school shooting. in closing arguments, the prosecutor claimed james crumbley could have prevented the attack but did nothing. >> there was one parent who suspected their son was the school shooter, and it was james crumbley. you know what that's called? it's called foreseeability. >> prosecutors say crumbley bought his son the gun and failed to properly secure it, and met with the school about his son's mental struggles. on the day of the shooting and decided not to take him home. >> didn't take him to get this care that a counselor is telling you he needs. didn't say we bought him a gun four days ago as an early christmas present and didn't tell the school.

>> the defense argued crumbley had no way of knowing what the teen was plotting. despite this video showing him previously taking ethan to a gun range multiple times, james crumbley had no idea what his son was capable of. >> he had no idea what his son was planning. >> the defense also arguing school officials did not consider ethan a threat, unlike his wife, who testified in her defense. james crumbley did not take the stand. his only witness was his sister. do you recall having conversations with your brother where he expressed anything concerning to you about his son? >> no. >> jury deliberations began late yesterday and will resume this morning. if convicted, james crumbley could face up to 60 years in prison, the same fate his wife faces when she's sentenced next month. rhiannon lionel. >> all right, andrea, thank you. now to an exclusive interview with the parents who lost their daughter in a tragic accident at a florida beach. you may remember last month, seven year old sloane and her nine year old

brother, maddox, were digging a hole at the beach in fort lauderdale when the sand suddenly caved in. sloane was buried and did not survive. their parents spoke to abc's erielle reshef about the 20 minutes it took to dig their kids out of that hole. >> what would you say to those people who were on the beach who jumped in. >> i'm sorry. i'm so sorry. you witnessed, pure horror. and thank you. how do you want precious sloane to be remembered as a beam of light, joy, joy. >> she just lived life. she would come out in the morning and she would fist pump she right out of bed, come out and just. she'd always be so happy. just heartbreaking. >> they say they were watching their kids closely, but it all happened so fast later on good morning america. how they're trying to raise awareness about beach safety. >> really tragic. thank you for that, lionel. turning to the weather now, severe storms are taking aim at the middle of the

country. multiple tornadoes have touched down in northeast kansas, and denver is facing its biggest snowstorm of the year. let's check your thursday forecast. >> good morning. as storm bringing significant snow. the most snow denver seen for the season. and it will quickly get higher as you get southwest of town. quick cut off though for colorado springs. so watch those snowfall totals in inches and even feet in some areas. meanwhile, as you push your way out into the plains, thunderstorms erupt this afternoon into this evening, some of which will be strong to severe. we're looking at the threat for damaging winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes, especially across northwest arkansas. for accuweather, i'm melissa konstanzer >> coming up, why the chocolate industry could be facing a crisis. >> but first, why nearly $1,000 stores are closing in. the impact it could have. >> and breaking her silence with

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we're gonna tell you and reveal a new song only on gma. >> we are back now with discount store chain family dollar closing nearly 1000 stores, 600 of them will close this year. family dollar was bought by dollar tree back in 2015. analysts say that expansion may have been too quick. inflation and retail theft also hurt the company. advocates fear the closures will increase food insecurity in rural areas and get ready to pay more for chocolate. years of extreme weather in africa's cocoa producing countries have sent bean prices so high that some producers are no longer buying it. so the result? yeah chocolate prices rising nearly three times faster than overall inflation. >> we turn now to the suspected gilgo beach serial killer charged with killing several women on long island, new york.

months after his arrest, his wife is now breaking her silence . the estranged wife of rex herman is speaking out. herman is accused of killing four women whose remains were found near gilgo beach on new york's long island in 2010. but his wife asa is now questioning whether he could have committed the murders. >> like anybody with their spouse, you don't want to believe they're capable of this. he's accused of some heinous crimes and she wants to see and hear the evidence in the courtroom, not the media or the podcast. >> in a statement released by her attorneys yesterday, eller said, i will listen to all of the evidence and withhold judgment until the end of the trial, her lawyers adding that she visits herman weekly and still maintains that rex is not capable of the crimes he is accused of. eller filed for divorce in july after her husband was arrested, but remained at their long island home. she and her adult children seen here in these dailymail.com photos, reportedly slept on mats after investigators tore apart

the house, slicing open bathtubs and digging up the yard during their search. eller also reportedly signed a seven figure deal to participate in a documentary following the family during herman's trial. asked why she's speaking out now, her lawyer told abc news she has visited rex several times since the last indictment and wanted to reiterate she doesn't believe he's capable of this. rex herman has pleaded not guilty. a trial date has not been scheduled. >> coming up, actress olivia munn shares her breast cancer diagnosis. how a test you can take online may have saved her life. >> also ahead, senator katie britt, defending her state of britt, defending her state of the [dog whimpers] [thinking] why always the couch? does he need to go to puppy school? get his little puppy diploma? how much have i been spending on this little guy? when your questions about life turn into questions about money...

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with clearer skin movie night, is a groovy night (♪) live in the moment. ask your doctor about otezla. doctor about otezla. >> we're back with dramatic video just released from a volcanic eruption in iceland. it shows lava setting homes on fire back in january. scientists say increased seismic activity in the area could trigger more eruptions soon. >> a new blood test is showing some promise in detecting colon cancer. a recent study found the test caught 83% of colon cancers . it's meant for people with average risk and is available now, but it's not covered by insurance pending fda approval. actress olivia munn says she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer last april, and she's had four surgeries, including a double mastectomy. she says her doctor saved her life by using a breast cancer risk assessment tool. it calculates your risk by

factoring in your medical, reproductive and family history. >> the risk assessment can be done by anyone. it's a simple tool that you could do online even. however, this doesn't mean that all breast cancers will be caught, and it's very important that we utilize self awareness with our breast exams and going to the doctor and getting your screening test. >> munn says a genetic test for cancer genes and a mammogram showed no cancer, but the risk assessment tool showed a 37% risk, prompting more evaluation. >> as we turn now to senator katie britt fighting back after criticism of her rebuttal to the state of the union address. this morning, alabama senator katie britt says the backlash she has faced since her speech last week has been politically motivated. she spoke on senator ted cruz's podcast yesterday. >> the liberal media isn't interested in the truth. >> in her speech while discussing the border crisis, britt implied that the violent sex trafficking of a 12 year old happened during the biden administration. >> we wouldn't be okay with this

happening in a third world country. president biden's border policies are a disgrace, but that case dates from when george w bush was president. >> brit, yesterday did not directly address accusations that she was misleading. >> my crime was like putting too much passion, too much heart and soul behind the issues that i genuinely care about and they slaughtered me. across the airwaves. >> that passion facing scrutiny on saturday night live. >> but tonight i'll be auditioning for the part of scary mom. >> but britt says she was thrilled to be portrayed by scarlett johansson. >> how awesome is that? i actually was pretty pumped about that. i'll be honest with you, a bingo card of 2024 for katie britt. i did not have this on it. >> she also defended speaking from her kitchen, saying she wanted to focus on everyday issues and britt mentioned another infamous state of the union rebuttal moment back in

2013. which helped senator marco rubio raise money by selling water bottles. >> well, we're going to have to figure out what i can sell. that's amazing. >> britt acknowledged there is a learning curve to giving a speech on live tv. >> all right, still ahead, the future of your morning coffee. >> plus one burrito for 22 bucks. a restaurant owner bucks. a restaurant owner explains the rsv can severely affect the lungs and lower airways. but i'm protected with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. rsv can be serious for those over 60, including those with asthma, diabetes, copd, and certain other conditions. but i'm protected. arexvy is proven to be over 82% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease from rsv and over 94% effective in those with these health conditions. arexvy does not protect

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of the ingredients. for example, he says he now spends $6,000 more per month on beef. >> well, it looks tasty. all right. next, a faster way to get your fast food. chick fil a is opening a location strictly for grab and go orders. >> the mobile pickup restaurant in new york city is just 400ft■. there are no seats, no cashiers, customers have to place their orders through a mobile app, and then a digital board tells you when it's ready. >> some news for coffee lovers keurig is going green, testing a new line of environmentally friendly pods for its single serve coffee makers. they are 100% compostable, but they won't work on your old keurig. you'll need to buy a new one, of course, when the pods hit the market next year. next. if you came face to face with a leopard, what would you do? >> i don't want to find out, but a boy was inside an office building in india when a leopard walked in just inches away from him. the boy kept his cool. he quietly stood up, walked outside and then shut the leopard inside. the big cat was later tranquilized and removed. here's another animal encounter, this time a turkey versus a police officer. >> a feisty turkey that is interrupted. this traffic stop

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my french toast sticks are back starting at $2.50. now with a sweet new twist - cinnamon sugar churro. dunk, bite and savor them any time of day. or all day! it's totally up to you. only for a limited time. welcome to jack in the box! a bill that could lead to a ban on tiktok is now just a vote away from the president's desk. after easily clearing the house in a rare bipartisan vote. now, at five, what it could mean if the senate also decides to approve the legislation. waymo expanding outside of san francisco service is starting in both la and austin today. >> the effort to keep the self-driving service from expanding here in the bay area, choosing a police chief in the south bay. >> the city now extending an invite to the public to help that search. plus, the massive