captioned by los angeles distribution and broadcasting, inc. >> right now on america this morning, safety in the skies. the whistleblower set to testify on capitol hill today over what he claims is a production flaw with a fleet of boeing jets, what he's expected to tell lawmakers and the response from boeing, who insists there is no safety concern.

>> seven jurors now seated in former president trump's hush money trial. what we know about them and trump's reaction as the judge pushes forward with potential opening statements monday. >> new details on israel's plan to respond to that historic direct attack from iran over the weekend. what we're learning. plus, as the war in gaza drags on, the controversy over those pro-palestinian protesters who blocked major highways in the u.s, one senator urging people to forcibly remove the protesters. >> the terrifying moments bullets hit a school bus in florida. how the driver reacted protecting the kids on board. >> new questions being raised about the death of college student riley strain in nashville, what his family is now revealing. >> the circus elephant on the loose, escaping into a us city, and later a smoking ban that would be the strictest yet banning younger generations from ever buying cigarets in their lives clears its

>> from abc news in new york. this is america this morning. >> good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> yeah happy wednesday i'm rhiannon ally. we want to begin with safety in the skies, a whistleblower who's calling for a certain model of boeing airplane to be grounded over quality concerns is set to testify on capitol hill today. >> now, boeing insists the whistleblower's claims are, quote, inaccurate. >> but it comes after a series of safety incidents involving the company, including a door panel that blew off a plane in mid-flight earlier this year. abc's perry russom is here now with more on this. perry. good morning brianna. >> good morning to you. the boeing whistleblowers giving a preview of his testimony, including one that one type of boeing plane he claims could have a fatal flaw, which boeing denies. today, a congressional hearing is putting the safety and quality of boeing's commercial jets in the spotlight. a senate committee will hear from a whistleblower and a panel of experts who've called for significant

improvements at boeing. in a preview of his testimony, the whistleblower sam solapur, a boeing engineer, calls for the 787 dreamliner to be grounded immediately. he claims the wide body jets are not properly fastened and could eventually break apart over time, a claim boeing calls inaccurate. >> the entire flight worldwide, as far as i'm concerned right now, needs an attention. >> solapur has not yet provided any documented evidence, boeing says the issues raised have subject to rigorous engineering examination under faa oversight. this analysis has validated that these issues do not present any safety concerns. boeing on monday invited cameras inside his plane in south carolina defending the quality of the plane. >> it's actually the longest fatigue test of any commercial airplane that's ever been >> boeing has faced years of questions about its commercial jets. in 2019, its 737 max jets were grounded for 20 months after two separate crashes, including the downing of an ethiopian airlines plane which

killed all 157 people on board. the 737 max faced s this january, when a door plug blew off on alaska airlines flight, grounding the planes for three weeks. united now saying the grounding of those jets cost the airline $200 million. today's hearing comes as boeing wheeled out its starliner at cape canaveral yesterday. the reusable rocket will launch two astronauts to the space station as early as next month. and then before today's hearing, boeing again defended its safety procedures and encouraging employees to speak up about any issues, the company says. reports to an internal tip line for quality concerns are up 500% this year. andrew barry, thank you. >> scattered damage has been reported across the plains after dozens of reported tornadoes. funnel clouds formed across kansas, missouri, iowa and in nebraska, where a barn was damaged but no reported injuries. one confirmed tornado with 95 mile per hour winds north of kansas city badly damaged a building and blew over a family's camper. we'll check your full forecast in just a few

moments. >> seven jurors have now been seated for former president trump's. york. seven down, five to go. trump reacting last night as the judge pushes forward fresh from the courtroom in lower manhattan, former president trump visited a new york bodega last night for a campaign stop to highlight crime in the city. an employee at the store was the victim of an unprovoked attack. trump dodged a question on whether he believes the first group of jurors selected for his hush money trial can be him. >> this is not. there was nothing done wrong. this is all politics. >> seven jurors have been seated so far four men and three women, including a teacher who told the court she's not a political person, but added trump speaks his mind. i'd rather that than someone who was in office who you don't know what they're thinking. trump's attorney asked one potential juror about a facebook post in which he wrote

of trump, get him out and lock him up. the judge agreed to dismiss the man. another potential juror told the court, obviously, i know about president trump. i'm a female, adding, i would say some of my friends have strong opinions on him. >> so long as we get those 12 and six individuals who aren't laughing and scoffing or saying they can't be there, trump gets what everyone deserves, and that's to be judged by a fair and impartial jury of his peers. >> at one point, the judge scolded trump, accusing him of gesturing and mumbling in reaction to a potential juror. the former president is charged with falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star stormy daniels to conceal their alleged affair from voters before the 2016 election. he's pleaded not guilty. jury selection resumes tomorrow. >> they still need to pick five more jurors and six alternates, but the judge has indicated opening statements could come as early as monday. >> now to the war in the middle east. a u.s. senator is defending comments he made about

pro-palestinian protesters who blocked traffic in big cities across the u.s. this week. senator tom cotton denies condoning violence. meanwhile, new details about israel's looming response to that direct attack from iran over the weekend. here's abc's lionel moise. >> this morning, abc news has learned u.s. officials expect a limited response from israel to that historic attack by iran over the weekend. israel's response, according to a senior u.s. official, is not expected in the next 48 hours, as israel faces international pressure not to further escalate the conflict . abc's matt gutman got an up close look at an iranian missile the size of a bus. that was part of the attack late saturday. recovered from the dead sea right around here would have been the engine. >> and this fuselage here is actually the fuel tank. it is over 38ft long, made out of steel. and right around here would have been the warhead capable of carrying 800 pounds of high explosives. israel's war

cabinet meeting again while the war with hamas rages on in gaza. >> the u.n. now saying more than 10,000 women have been killed, leaving behind 19,000 orphans. u.s. aid to israel is now front and center on capitol hill, but house speaker mike johnson, after also proposing a separate measure for ukraine war funding, is now facing criticism from conservatives in his party who oppose ukraine aid. they're threatening to oust him as speaker. >> i am not resigning some democrats now suggesting they may come to johnson's side. >> also on capitol hill, arkansas senator tom cotton, defending statements he made about pro-palestinian protesters who blocked traffic in several big cities this week, including shutting down the golden gate bridge for four hours. cotton telling people to take matters into your own hands to get them out of the way. >> very worried about the diversion of police resources. if something like this happened in arkansas on a bridge, there,

let's just say i think there'd be a lot of very wet criminals that have been tossed overboard, not by law enforcement, but by the people who rode there blocking protesters on the bridge plastered their hands in concrete, making it harder to be arrested. >> this frustrated driver, seen yelling at protesters to get out of the way. >> they glued their hands to a car or the pavement. well, probably pretty painful to have their skin ripped off, but i think that's the way we'd handle in arkansas. >> cotton says he was not advocating for violence, but insisted protesters do not have the right to block traffic back overseas. more fallout from iran's attack. the u.s. is expected to impose new sanctions against iran in the coming days, including on its missile and drone program. rhiannon andrew. >> lionel. thank you. former senator and florida governor bob graham has died. graham was a democrat known for his early opposition to the war in iraq. an outspoken critic of president george w bush, too, while chairing the senate intelligence committee after nine over 11,

graham also ran for president in 2004. he was 87. >> the maui fire department has released its first major report on the wildfires in lahaina that killed more than 100 people last summer. the report identifies more than a dozen challenges faced by the department, including limited equipment, poorly stocked fire engines and a lack of mutual aid agreements between various counties today. hawaii's attorney general is expected to release her office's report on the wildfires. officials have yet to confirm the origin of the fire. >> some wild weather overseas dubai got more than two years worth of rain in just one day. they got over six inches dubai's airport even stopped taking arrivals for two hours because of the heavy flooding closer to home. now let's check your wednesday forecast >> good morning. we are tracking another round of strong to severe thunderstorms in parts of the lower great lakes and ohio valley area this afternoon and evening. ohio southern michigan,

eastern indiana. we're looking at a risk for damaging wind, hail, flash flooding, and even an isolated tornado or two. the storms to watch out for will be these into the afternoon here, looking out into areas around detroit, down into cleveland. they will gradually weaken after crossing into western pennsylvania thursday. another round of storms will break out from the southern plains to the ozarks. i'm accuweather meteorologist jeff cornish. >> coming up one restaurants generous offer to customers willing to put their phones down during their meals. >> also ahead, the buzz about the insect invasion that's about to happen for the first time in two centuries. >> but first, new questions raised about the death of college student riley strain in nashville, what his f

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dollars go further? watch good morning america this morning. >> we're back with a deadline today in the idaho college student murders case. defense attorneys for suspect brian coberger have until today to turn over documents related to koeberg's possible alibi. they've suggested there's evidence proving coberger was at a location other than the murder scene on the night the four university of idaho students were killed in their off campus house. a non guilty plea has been entered for coberger. his next court appearance is scheduled in mid-may. no trial date has yet been set. >> new questions are being raised. in the case of riley strain, the college student who recently was found dead in nashville. police called his death an accident, but his family is now coming forward with doubts. here's abc's andrea fujii this morning we're hearing from the family of riley strain the university of missouri student whose body was found in a nashville river after a night out with fraternity brothers. >> strain had gone to several bars the night of march 8th, later seen stumbling and falling , his mother now telling news

nation she got a text from him, raising concern that one of his drinks may have been spiked. >> he was drinking a rum and coke and it didn't taste good, and i said, well, you probably shouldn't drink it. then he goes, well, it tastes like barbecue. and i go, well, that sounds awful. and he said, well, it sounds good, but it's not. >> strain was missing for two weeks until his body was found in the cumberland river. his death ruled an accident, but his family says they don't believe it. when strain was found, his family says he was missing his wallet, boots and pants. despite wearing a belt. they say a preliminary autopsy also found no water in his lungs, possibly suggesting he may not have been alive when he entered the water. the family now calling for a second autopsy. >> they're still telling us it's an accident. fine. show me the proof that you have that it's an accident. you know i'll accept it. >> the family is still waiting on toxicology results. andrew. rhiannon

>> andrea. thank you. a federal appeals court has ruled that west virginia cannot enforce its transgender sports ban against a 13 year old, allowing her to remain on her middle school track team. the case centers around becky pepper jackson, who's been taking puberty blocking medication and has identified as a girl since grade. the court found the ban violates title nine, which prohibits sex based discrimination in schools, supports of the ban say it's meant to make sure that girls have a fair playing field. >> coming up, the terrifying moment bullets hit a school in florida. how that driver protected the kids who were on board. board. >> also ahead, an elephant on did you know... 80% of women are struggling with hair damage? just like i was. dryness and frizz could be damaged hair that can't retain moisture. new pantene miracle rescue deep conditioner, with first-of-its-kind melting pro-v pearls... locks in moisture to repair 6 months of damage in one wash, without weigh down.

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of a gunfight. one bullet hit the bus's windshield after the gunfire. houston drove to safety and no one was injured. two suspects have been arrested. >> a hero indeed. well, the coast guard has airlifted a pregnant woman from a disney cruise ship. the disney fantasy ship was about 200 miles from puerto rico when officials say the 35 year old was suffering complications that needed to be treated on land. she was later rushed to a hospital in san juan, now to montana, and something you don't see every day or ever at all in butte montana. >> an elephant on the lam, elephant walking down the road, parading through traffic. oh my god. officials say the 58 year old asian elephant named viola escaped from her pen at the jordan world circus after a passing car backfired and spooked her, her handlers in pursuit. >> i looked outside and i got all excited because i seen an elephant walking down harrison and butte, montana, so i acted like a little kid. >> just last year, a similar scene from a little spin, this circus elephant getting loose in

italy. and back in 2014, these elephants escaped from a saint louis circus, damaging cars in the parking lot. back in butte, viola was on the run for fewer than ten minutes. no damage or injuries, just a very unusual tuesday afternoon. >> i thought i was hallucinating and none of the cars were passing them or anything, and then he turned by the casino lot and decided he'd go eat some grass over at elm street apartments. >> now, several years ago, many large circuses stopped using elephants and other large mammals, citing safety and animal welfare concerns. jordan world circus did not immediately comment about yesterday's incident. >> well, the midwest and southeast are bracing for the biggest invasion of cicadas in more than 200 years. scientists are expecting trillions of the noisy insects to emerge soon in 17 states, as two broods overlap. they're already seeing the first signs. they're seeing the holes in the ground. in illinois, cicadas are annoying, but they are pretty much harmless to people. older plants, even dogs. >> for people who like cicadas, you're in luck this year for people who fear cicadas, you might want to take a trip to the

west coast. they don't bite, they don't sting. certainly, this is not something you have to be afraid of. >> they are a little scary looking up close, though, cicadas tend to surface when the soil temperatures hit 64 degrees, they show up midday and then they stay until the end of june. >> i like that advice. go to the west coast. that's what i might do. >> yeah. >> coming up in the pulse, a very controversial smoking ban. >> plus the baby orangutan welcomed into the world in florida. ( ♪ )

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january 2009. if the law passes, kids turning 15 this year will never be allowed to buy cigarets in their lives. >> supporters say it would create the first smoke free generation. opponents say the ban will treat future generations of adults like kids. next, a new gig for one travis kelce. >> the chiefs star better known, of course, as taylor swift's boyfriend, can add tv host to his resume. kelce has officially been named the host of are you smarter than a celebrity? it is a spinoff of are you smarter than a fifth grader? it will stream on amazon prime next. the end of a two year legal battle over a movie trailer. >> it all started when two men rented the movie yesterday after seeing ana de armas in its trailer. then they sued, claiming false advertising because de armas was removed from the final cut. >> a judge initially agreed, but the men ended up owing the studio $126,000 in lawyer fees. they have finally reached a settlement. next, the rare birth in florida, busch gardens tampa bay has welcomed a baby orangutan.

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live. >> some of the protesters arrested for shutting down the golden gate bridge monday morning are out of custody and with no charges. now at five. why san francisco da brooke jenkins is allowing these protesters to go unpunished for now. >> allegations in san francisco now leading to a resignation. the reason a former city political operative is out of a job and under investigation since the end of the dynasty of klay thompson, steph curry and draymond green. >> yeah, it's a sad moment