>> whit: good morning, america. >> whit: good morning, america. trump on trial. opening statements set to begin in donald trump's hush money trial. the makeup of the jury. the last-ditch efforts for a delay, and the shocking scene outside of the courtroom.

>> janai: crucial vote. the test today for a rare bipartisan foreign aid bill. speaker mike johnson relying on votes from the minority party with his job on the line. the new support to oust him. plus, the latest on the effort to ban tiktok. >> gio: unbearable behavior caught on camera. the group yanking two black bear cubs off a tree apparently for the photo-op. >> that's 100% what she's doing. she's taking pictures. >> the outrage from wildlife experts. >> whit: new overnight -- ♪ i love you ♪ ♪ it's ruining my life ♪ -- taylor swift releases the first video from the "the tortured poets department." ♪ and for a fortnight ♪ >> whit: the shocking images as "gma" digs deeper into her surprise double album and possible references to loves past and present. ♪ if you gave me a chance ♪

i'm finn, the baby giraffe. >> janai: and meet finn, the young giraffe reaching new heights in popularity thanks to social media and an oversized attitude. >> the french have a word for that one. >> janai: as we say -- >> good morning, america. ♪ >> janai: the giraffe. good morning, america. >> gio: listen. it's a baby giraffe. >> janai: we love baby animals. >> gio: any time we can plug your show, "oh, baby." >> janai: stick around after this show. >> gio: good morning, america. there's a lot on our plates including that giraffe, of course, but also this, the historic vote by employees at a volkswagen facility in tennessee to join the united auto workers. that's a first in tennessee. >> janai: a big deal, and also this morning we remember mandisa, the contemporary christian singer found dead at her nashville home at just 47 years old. she turned a ninth place finish on "american idol" into a

grammy-winning music career even featuring our very own robin in her hit, "overcomer." >> whit: very sad news. we'll have more on that coming up. but we do begin with the new developments in former president trump's criminal trial on charges of falsifying business records. the jury has been seated, and opening statements are set for the start of next week. abc's aaron katersky is here with more. aaron, good morning. >> reporter: and, whit, good morning to you. those opening statements are going to come after a feverish end of the week that included a last-minute appeal by donald trump and a security scare. this morning, a full 12-person jury and 6 alternates have been sworn in to hear donald trump's landmark criminal trial. trump was seated in court when in the park across the street a man set himself on fire. >> it was so fast that no one could do anything about it. >> reporter: police said 37-year-old max azzarello had arrived in new york earlier in the week from florida. he doused himself with an accelerant after tossing

leaflets into the air. >> the pamphlets seem to be propaganda based almost like a conspiracy theory type of pamphlet. >> reporter: police said they would reassess security around the courthouse with opening statements set to begin monday. even potential jurors feeling the intensity of the trial. one breaking down in tears saying, i feel so nervous and anxious right now. i'm sorry. i thought i could do this. she was excused. those seated as alternate jurors include five women and and one man. they were chosen from a pool of 200. one said, trump brought a lot of value to the economy. another saying he has a fairly negative view of trump based on his negative, divisive rhetoric. trump sought again to halt the trial while he tries to get it out of manhattan where his attorney argued too many people are predisposed not to like trump. an appeals court turned him down, and judge juan merchan said there is nothing else to clarify. there is nothing else to argue. we are going to have opening statements on monday. >> the trial starts on monday. it is long before a lot of

people thought. the judge wants it to go as fast as possible. that's for his reasons, not for my reasons. >> reporter: leaving court at the end of his first week as a criminal defendant, trump said again he plans to testify at trial. today the judge said he would decide how far prosecutors could go in questioning him about his various legal entanglements and a gag order trump violated in a civil case. whit, we should tell you this morning the man who set himself on fire outside of court has died. >> whit: just upsetting news there. we know all this getting started on monday now. do we have a sense of who the first witness could be? >> we really don't because prosecutors refuse to say. they feared if they revealed the name, trump would only go on the verbal attack against that person. the judge said, under the circumstances he understands that response. >> gio: aaron katersky, thank you so much as always. we're going to move on now to our other top story. a vote in the house is expected today on that massive $95 billion foreign aid package. it includes funding for israel, ukraine, taiwan, and a potential ban on tiktok.

abc's jay o'brien joins us now from capitol hill. good morning, jay. and all of this is happening with the speaker's job on the line. >> reporter: that is exactly right, gio. good morning. that foreign aid package is expected to pass the house today, largely with the help of democrats, and it's relying on that support from the other side of the aisle that's putting speaker mike johnson in the fight of his political life. this morning the house of representatives hurtling towards a tense vote in just hours on $95 billion in aid for israel, ukraine, and taiwan, with speaker mike johnson's job potentially on the line. >> at the end of the day, so much more is at stake here than petty partisanship brinksmanship. >> i'm concerned that the speaker's cut a deal with the democrats to fund foreign wars. >> reporter: the speaker's proposal an ambitious package of four bills including more than 60 billion for ukraine, 26 billion for israel, and 8 for indo-pacific allies and a fourth bill with a number of republican policy priorities including

forcing a sale of tiktok. in a rare move, the speaker relying on votes from the minority party, democrats, to clear a key procedural hurdle for this aid. gop hard-liners balking. congressman paul gosar, now the third republican to sign on to marjorie taylor greene's motion to oust the speaker saying, johnson should be focusing on border security despite republicans rejecting a bipartisan border bill from the senate weeks ago after bowing to pressure from donald trump. three potentially a fatal number that could mean johnson may need democratic votes to save his job if greene makes good on her threat to call for a vote to remove him. johnson saying he's not concerned. >> i don't worry. i just do my job. >> reporter: and moderate republicans telling me they're fed up with greene and her allies. >> what's your message to the likes of marjorie taylor greene and others who are threatening johnson? >> look, i think it is idiotic. you don't like a bill, vote no.

>> reporter: and this morning, multiple democratic lawmakers privately tell me that if leadership gives them the okay, they would be willing to bail johnson out and vote with moderate republicans to help him keep his job. janai? >> janai: so much to watch on capitol hill. jay, thank you for that update. turning now to the conflict in the middle east this morning, both iran and israel are trying to turn down the heat in what many had feared could be a major escalation in the region. abc's tom soufi burridge is following developments from israel including late word this morning of a blast at an iranian-backed army base in iraq. tom, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, janai. yeah, an explosion overnight at a base of a pro-iranian militia in iraq reporting casualties. the u.s. military denying any involvement. no comment from the idf. of course, it comes less than 24 hours after that israeli strike on iran. new satellite images showing damage to an iranian military base near the city of isfahan.

a senior u.s. official telling abc news israeli jets fired at least three missiles from outside of iranian airspace at a radar defense system protecting a key iranian nuclear facility, adding the nuclear site was not the target, but underlining that israeli attack designed to be a warning that israel can hit iran's most precious assets. iranian officials playing down the attack. israeli officials not commenting. both sides dialing down the temperature, so this weekend the threat of a direct war between israel and iran, these two regional military powers, subsiding, but israel's battle with iranian proxies in this region will continue. iran's massive aerial assault on israel last weekend precipitated by that israeli strike in syria earlier this month, which killed two iranian generals. this morning no imminent threat to u.s. forces in the region, but a u.s. official saying there remains a risk of retaliatory attacks from iranian proxies. whit?

>> whit: the entire world on edge waiting to see what happens next. tom, thank you. we move to new details we're learning in an alleged school shooting plot. the suspect is an 18-year-old high school student in maryland who police say sketched out the plan in a 129-page document that authorities are calling a manifesto. abc's phil lipof has the details for us. phil, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, whit. on this, the 25th anniversary of that horrific school shooting at columbine high school in colorado, law enforcement in maryland saying they stopped what could have been a violent and a catastrophic repeat of that day. this morning, police say a potential mass shooting prevented and new chilling details about the student now under arrest. maryland high school student andrea ye, who uses male pronouns and goes by alex, is being held without bond after allegedly making plans to carry out a shooting at two schools in montgomery county. >> mr. ye had made significant statements in regards to committing an act of violence of

shooting up not only his high school, wootton high school, but also shooting up an elementary school, his elementary school that he went to. >> reporter: law enforcement say they were alerted to what they are calling a 129-page manifesto ye allegedly authored that included descriptions of shootings at both schools. ye reportedly sharing that document with someone via google doc calling it a fictional story before that person contacted police. >> ye writes about targeting his former elementary school because little kids make easier targets. >> reporter: authorities say ye reportedly struggled to obtain a firearm to carry out his plans. >> maryland has some of the strictest gun laws, and this may be a helpful thing that he found our gun laws an impediment to getting armed. >> reporter: according to court documents, the witness, who alerted law enforcement to ye's troubling document, knew the 18-year-old from when they were

both receiving impatient treatment at a psychiatric care facility. court documents show ye has a recent history of receiving in-patient treatment for apparent mental health issues including openly expressed thoughts of homicidal and suicidal ideation. ye is charged with one count of threat of mass violence. investigators say ye had an obsession with school shooting. the state's attorney for montgomery county reportedly requesting that ye be held without bond for the charge, which is a misdemeanor. the judge in the case pointing out there's been a significant escalation of threats in that community. gio? >> gio: all right. phil, thank you so much for that. and this morning here police in chicago are searching for a suspect who tried to rob a college student at gunpoint. the crime was caught on camera as the suspect and the student wrestled for the gun. abc's ike ejiochi is here now with the details. good morning, ike. >> reporter: good morning, gio. it was a stunning moment. the suspect is seen snatching the victim's phone until she says her fight response kicked in. this morning, a brazen robbery attempt captured on a fraternity

security surveillance in broad daylight on the university of chicago campus. just before 3:00 p.m. wednesday, a student who goes by maddi seen walking down the street. several witnesses around when the suspect approaches her. >> i was walking, and there was a man in a ski mask approaching me. >> reporter: but then watch as the suspect tries to grab maddi's phone. that's when she fights back. >> he flashes the gun at me, and we end up getting into a tussle. >> reporter: minutes later the university of chicago police department responding to two other armed robberies around campus, both involving multiple armed suspects getting out of cars and demanding property. >> this is a very popular block for students on campus for something like this to happen in broad daylight. >> reporter: the string of robberies come as campus crime across the country reverts back to prepandemic levels with criminal offenses up nearly 35% since 2020 according to the department of education. >> that situation probably shouldn't have gone my way, but i'm happy i do have the footage

and kind of get the film out there so that maybe we can catch the perpetrators. >> reporter: back on campus maddi thankful she wasn't hurt. >> i would never advocate for resisting an armed robbery. it's incredibly dangerous, and my instincts just told me in that moment to fight for what was mine. >> reporter: now, the university of chicago police department has increased its presence on campus with more officers patrolling on foot and in cars, even providing safety escorts tore students. university police is also working with city police to catch the suspects. janai? >> janai: so many people wonder what they would do in that situation. we see what she did. ike, thank you. now to the groundbreaking vote overnight, workers at volkswagen in tennessee giving a thumb's up to join the united auto workers, a first for the union outside of detroit. abc's morgan norwood has the details. morgan, this is a big deal. >> yeah, that's right. janai, it's a seismic victory

for the united auto workers union in the south, and for volkswagen workers it could mean better pay, but it's part of a larger push to organize 13 automakers across the country. overnight, employees at volkswagen's factory in tennessee overwhelmingly voting to join the united auto workers union marking the first nonunion factory in the south to organize. >> the people have spoken. [ cheers ] >> reporter: nearly three-quarters of workers voting to join. >> it's the greatest feeling that i've felt like in 13 years. >> reporter: the victory coming after two failed attempts, one in 2019, the other in 2014. >> workers, the people that do the job, build the cars, you know, our voices need to be heard, and we need to be treated fairly. >> reporter: the vote, a successful test of the united auto workers' new push to organize nonunion factories. >> to the other elected officials who are afraid of unions, i just want to say, don't be afraid of people power.

don't be afraid of people coming together to say we should be treated as human beings. that's what a union ensures. >> reporter: uaw's president shawn fain celebrating the win but warning, the battle is far from over. >> the real fight begins now. the real fight is getting your fair share. the real fight is the fight for our union contracts. [ cheers ] >> reporter: last fall uaw workers in detroit launched a series of strikes against the big three automakers. president biden even showing support at the picket line. the strikes ending with generous new contracts for union workers, increasing wages by a third. >> workers are fed up in this country. they're fed up with being left behind, and obviously, you know, with our win in big three bargaining, i think that bargaining, i think that really motivated a lot of workers to realize there's better for them. >> reporter: in a statement volkswagen thanking its workers for voting awaiting certification of the results. workers at mercedes factories in alabama, they're up next and will vote on uaw representation in may. guys? >> gio: yeah, could really make such a difference. all right.

thank you so much, morgan. time now for the weather. somara theodore is here. tornadoes you've got. >> somara: we've got a stormy saturday for some of our neighbors here in the country, but we're looking at a tornado that occurred in bar, illinois. thank you, ryan hays, for this video. it was an active week last week. we saw 30 plus tornadoes confirmed across six states, and today the threat for severe weather continues to loom. so, all day on saturday we see these storms rolling through the state of texas. by this evening, dinnertime headed out to the movies, those storms start to make their way into louisiana, mississippi, and alabama. not only do we have the threat for storms bringing strong winds and even some hail, but in this yellow zone, that's where we have the greatest risk for flash flooding. our friends living in dallas, family out in shreveport, waco, get ready for some heavy rain. two to four >> good saturday morning. what a gorgeous view from vollmer peak.

starting out with the clouds, then a sunny day today and tomorrow. with that spring warmth with us by the middle of next week. we've got a cool down on the way. a pretty dramatic one. by tuesday. highs today around the bay from the upper 60s. san francisco low 70s in oakland, 73, in fremont, upper 70s inland should be a beautiful day. even sunny at the coast tomorrow. a bit warmer >> somara: and that's a look at your local forecast. my friends, back to you. >> janai: you are so smart and so good at weather. >> somara: oh, thank you. >> janai: but i have to say that jumpsuit. [ laughter ] >> somara: we need a minute for the jumpsuit. we need to get the shoe cam back. we need to get the shoe cam back. all the things. >> janai: somara, thank you so much. this morning tributes are pouring in for grammy award winner and "american idol" contestant mandisa. the christian recording artist featured our very own robin in the video to her 2014 hit, "overcomer." abc's zohreen shah is here with

a look back at her life and incredible career. zohreen, good morning. >> reporter: janai, good morning. you know, her lyrics and her voice just carried so much hope for the world, and as you mentioned, we saw it right here on "good morning america" with our own robin roberts, and this morning she's being remembered for her incredible talent and her very big heart. ♪ it's only going to make you stronger ♪ >> reporter: she was a grammy award-winning gospel singer whose career catapulted after impressing judges with her soulful "american idol" audition. ♪ sometimes i love you ♪ >> yes. >> yes. >> welcome to hollywood. >> reporter: placing ninth with her powerful vocals, mandisa lynn hundley stood out during the fifth season of "american idol." ♪ true beauty ♪ >> reporter: her 2007 debut, "true beauty" reaching number one on the christian album chart. ♪ we are here to say ♪ >> reporter: her full name was mandisa lynn hundley. born near sacramento, she grew up singing in the church career. over her 20-year career, she

released five albums. mandisa spoke openly about her love of god, performing, and producing music with christian themes like "overcomer." ♪ you're an overcomer ♪ >> reporter: a song encouraging those facing adversity featuring our own robin roberts. the album by the same name winning the singer a grammy for best christian music album in 2014. fans collectively mourning on social media. christian radio station k-love posting, her kindness was epic. her smile electric. her voice massive, but it was no match for the size of her heart. she spoke openly about her struggles with weight loss and depression speaking to "gma3" in 2022. >> let's be honest, that is not fun stuff to talk about, so i didn't necessarily enjoy it, but i know that i needed it. >> reporter: her representatives confirming she was found in her home deceased with no details yet on the cause of death. mandisa was 47 years old. "american idol" telling abc news her passing has left everyone on

the show heartbroken, and we send our deepest condolences to her families. guys? >> whit: sad news there. she was a friend of "gma". i mean, we even saw her on our programs. very difficult loss for so many people. thank you, zohreen. still ahead here, campaign complication. what donald trump's presidential run will look like when he's required to spend his days in court. >> gio: and caught on camera, selfie seekers and a pair of bear cubs lead to a viral video and an investigation. this is serious here. >> janai: and swift reaction. taylor swift drops her new video for the first single on her album with fans taking a close look at the album's revealing lyrics. stick around. to me, harlem is home. but home is also your body. i asked myself, why doesn't pilates exist in harlem? so i started my own studio. getting a brick and mortar in new york is not easy.

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nothing comes close to this place in the morning. i'm so glad i can still come here. you see, i was diagnosed with obstructive hcm. and there were some days i was so short of breath. i thought i'd have to settle for never stepping foot on this trail again. i became great at making excuses. but i have people who count on me so i talked to my cardiologist. i said there must be more we can do for my symptoms. he told me about a medication called camzyos. he said camzyos works by targeting what's causing my obstructive hcm. so he prescribed it and i'm really glad he did. camzyos is used to treat adults with symptomatic obstructive hcm. camzyos may improve your symptoms and your ability to be active. camzyos may cause serious side effects, including heart failure that can lead to death. a risk that's increased if you develop a serious infection or irregular heartbeat or when taking certain other medicines. so do not stop, start or change medicines or the dose without telling your healthcare provider. you must have echocardiograms before and during treatment. seek help if you experience new or worsening symptoms of heart failure.

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>> always live. abc seven news starts right now. >> good morning, i'm stephanie sierra. today will be the last run for bart's legacy. trains. the cars that have been running since bart first opened its doors to passengers back in 1972. a celebration is being held at macarthur station in oakland with food activities as well as bart merchandise pop ups. the event starts at 1 p.m. today. as for the legacy cars, at least three of them are headed to a museum in suisun city. it will be nice out today. good morning lisa. >> how stephanie? good morning. as we look live outside, kind of an interesting view trying to get that shading right from emeryville. 51, in san francisco, 54 in palo alto. kind of cool on the coast at 48. but the sun is shining here. 46

petaluma 60s at the coast, mid and upper 70s inland. >> lisa, thank you and thank you all for joining us. gma is next.

♪ i love you ♪ ♪ it's ruining my life ♪ >> whit: sorry, i'm playing the air keyboard. >> janai: was that a keyboard? >> gio: you're supposed to be doing the typewriter.

>> whit: typewriter, air keyboard, whichever way you like it. welcome back 24 saturday morning. overnight taylor swift releasing the video for "fortnight" featuring post malone from her album, "the tortured poets department." the track is the first single from -- i'm still getting used to that. >> janai: you got it right. >> whit: first single from the album that is already breaking records. coming up, we'll have more on the new music and who may have inspired it. it's big talk in my house with my daughters. >> gio: oh, i bet. the swifties are going crazy. >> whit: well, "dead poet's society," of course, the film from 1989 with robin williams, i want to say that. i keep getting the names mixed up. >> janai: the best part about the typewriter is when you doo, doo, doo, ching. >> whit: the audience is like, what? >> janai: let's take a look at some of the other big stories we're following on this saturday morning. family, friends, and gun safety advocates gathered in denver to mark the 25th anniversary of the columbine high school shooting. 12 students and a teacher were killed when two students opened fire in the school on april 20, 1999.

since that massacre, the first school shooting that many of us probably think of, 415 people have been killed in u.s. school shootings. >> gio: incredible to think about that. also right now, two united airline pilots suspended for violateing strict faa rules put in place after 9/11. video shows major league hitting coach hensley meulens traveling on a colorado rockies charter to toronto sitting in the captain's chair of that 757, even mimicking pushing down the flight controls. when this video was posted to social media, it triggered an faa investigation. the suspended pilots now facing possible termination. >> whit: and national park week kicks off today. all u.s. national park sites are celebrating the day by waving their fees and giving everyone free entry for the day. before you head out, though, you want to make sure you check and see if you still need a reservation. >> janai: that is cool. all right. also this half hour, we are taking a closer look at the top top political headlines this

week, and joining us are abc white house correspondent maryalice parks and our abc news political director rick klein. thank you so much, both of you, for being here. rick, let's start with you. is this what the campaign is going to look like for donald trump? i mean, he said he had other places to be, but he was in the courtroom. how is his campaign handling this? >> yeah, for the first time in a long time, donald trump is not in control of his campaign messaging. he's in court. so he can come out and talk and he can come out and say what he wants but he's not able to have campaign events during the week. he's trying to make up for that on the weekends. he's going to be in north carolina later today. notably that's a state he's playing defense and actually won that state last time around and needs to keep it in his column, but he is going to change things. the political strategy has been merged for a while, the legal strategy. but, again, trump does not control the narrative. he doesn't control the messaging. happening in court starting monday is what's going to dominate the story lines. >> gio: and one person who did get on the campaign trail, of course, president biden spending a lot of time on the campaign trail this week. he also got endorsements from some members of the kennedy family. so, what does this mean for

rfk's run for -- as an independent? >> i asked democrats whether this was a risky strategy. i mean, having the kennedy family there next to biden, out with biden definitely put rfk's independent run into the national conversation, but they said, look, we're past this. he is a threat. they view him as a threat. democrats have decided their best strategy is to try to take him on head-on. they're running a really public campaign to try to keep him off the ballot. that's going to be a big question, but it was big news this week. he seems to have gotten on the ballot in michigan. obviously a crucial swing state. so, that could make a big difference. democrats spending money trying to define him, talk about his anti-vaccine sort of beliefs and talk about his big maga trump donors, but it was interesting to me, i talked to some of our friends at fivethirtyeight about the polls, whether just democrats should be worried about rfk. they said it's hard to splice the polls this early, but actually there is evidence he draws almost directly evenly, an even split between trump -- potential trump voters at this

point and potential biden voters. >> whit: wow. well, we know, not to get too far off course, we know he has enough support it could sway some of the swing states. >> which is what democrats are worried about. they've been burned by third-party candidates in the past. >> whit: rick, let's switch gears and talk about speaker johnson, you know, pushing forward with these foreign aid packages. i mean, is he going to keep his job this time? we've seen this effort over and over again in the house. >> yeah, whit, he has put it all on the line with these aid packages. he knows the only way they'll pass if you get a bunch of democrats to support them, and there are republicans saying we'll take you out of your job if you do that. so, he decided, look, there's no good win situation. put it forward. let the house work its will, and you've got marjorie taylor greene and a handful of republicans saying, we are going to try to take you down as a result. now, it's a little bit different. first of all, there aren't a lot of republicans that want to go through what they did with kevin mccarthy a couple of months ago. they saw that and didn't like having the chaos, and the other difference is that democrats might bail him out this time.

>> janai: that's what's so fascinating. >> last time democrats did not. no lifeline for mccarthy. it may be different for speaker johnson. it may be practical, six months before the election, you don't want to have that chaos, especially with all of these hot spots across the world. >> janai: it is all so interesting. that's why it's so important to have you guys here. there are so many political headlines. maryalice, major supreme court cases and earth week coming up this week. president biden eager to talk about it. >> yeah, on monday the supreme court hears arguments in a big case about homelessness, whether cities can fine or jail someone who is experiencing homelessness. on wednesday another big abortion case, whether some of those abortion bans are going too far, cutting against federal law that says that hospitals have to provide emergency care when a patient has a life-threatening situation. so, look, if we need any reminder that the supreme court is right in the middle of this election, i mean, these are the kinds of issues that voters are talking about in their families, in their communities, the kinds of issues that impact their

daily lives, and, yeah, monday is earth day, and it's a big deal but especially for this white house. we've seen just a flurry of activity, new environmental protections. this is one of those issues where democrats are worried some young progressives are maybe leaving the party, don't think that the president has done enough, but they think if they can talk about it a lot, draw a big contrast to former president trump on this, maybe they can reel some of them back in, so, yeah, we'll see the president talking a whole lot about climate change this week. >> whit: great to see you as always. maryalice parks and rick klein, thank you. let's get a check of the weather once again with somara theodore. it's spring technically, but a lot of people across the country aren't feeling like it at all. >> somara: no, whit. some of our friends are dealing with wintry weather, especially in the rockies. this is boulder, colorado, where and totals climbing as we're still seeing snow coming down. parts of the mountains saw a foot of snow. that's the latest alerts in the west. and as we move farther east they're dealing with cold in a different form, right? we've got cedar rapids under freeze alerts, austin, omaha,

sioux city. then that cold air transitions farther east as we head into tomorrow, and if you look at these numbers, marquette, sunday morning, 29 degrees, chicago pretty chilly sunday morning as well. minneapolis around 34 to kick off your second day of the weekend, but you can see we do get some warming. chicago in the 50s by tuesday. that's a look at the forecast across the country. let's see wh good morning. waking up to some clouds. that marine layer will fall apart, evaporate and we'll get into some 60s and 70s for most of us this afternoon. but temperatures in the upper 70s >> somara: w >> somara: that's a look at your forecast. my friends, back to you. >> gio: all right, somara, thank you so much. coming up here on "good morning america," caught on camera, the shocking moment this group yanked away bear cubs clinging to a tree. a wildlife expert weighing in this morning. stick around. you're watching "gma" on a saturday morning. this morning. stick around. you're watching "gma" on a saturday morning. hicle.] [car traversing over rocky ground] (vo) we got a subaru forester wilderness

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>> whit: welcome back to "gma" and the disturbing video that had state officials investigating the moment a group of people yanked bear cubs from a tree apparently for a selfie. abc's morgan norwood is back. morgan, wildlife experts and so many people horrified by what they saw. good morning.

>> hey, good morning to you. you see me shaking my head here. just unbelievable. the worst part of it all, whit, those cubs are now separated. not only from their mother, but now each other, and this is just the latest incident of humans getting too close to wildlife, and this morning officials are sounding the alarm. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: this morning alarming video showing the moment a group of people yanked these two black bear cubs from a tree, according to witnesses, all to take a selfie. >> i thought they were being crazy and reckless and dangerous. >> reporter: rachel staudt saw it all unfold. she recorded the incident on her phone happening outside her apartment complex in asheville, north carolina. >> i was trying to get them to stop, but they didn't listen. >> reporter: one of the women squealing with joy while holding the baby bear in her arms. >> she's holding the bear. >> that's 100% what she's doing. she's taking pictures of it. >> yeah, yeah. oh. >> did she just drop it? >> reporter: the cub managing to get away with one of the women

trailing close behind. >> it's dangerous for these cubs to be associated with people in any way. one cub was obviously very stressed. those people are lucky that that mother did not come back at the same time because they would have been in very serious trouble. >> reporter: in a statement state officials say one of the cubs was found later in a retention pond and taken to a licensed cub rehabilitation facility. the other has not been located. this is just the latest in a string of incidents of people getting too close to wild animals. last june this woman narrowly avoided being gored while taking a picture next to a bison in yellowstone. >> when you come across a wild animal in the wild, that's a privilege. you need to keep your distance, look at it with respect, do not approach it. do not make sounds, do not try to get its attention for a photograph. >> all right. such good advice there. let's talk about this north carolina situation. it is illegal to capture and keep black bears in north carolina, however, officials say in this case, the bear cubs were immediately released, therefore, that group won't face any charges, but so disturbing to

see. >> gio: i mean, come on, guys. >> janai: the impacts on the bears that are now separated. >> gio: you saw them running around all scared. >> janai: morgan, thank you for bringing that update. happier news, coming up on "good morning america," could this be taylor swift's most personal album yet? the hints at her relationships, old and new. >> gio: more than hints. ♪ i took the miracle ♪ feeling of finding psoriasis can't filter out the real you. so go ahead, live unfiltered with the one and only sotyktu, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability

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we are back on "gma," and that seismic reaction to taylor swift. what are you doing, whit? >> whit: what are you talking about? >> gio: you're really -- >> whit: i'm into the music. >> gio: taylor swift signing records and rewarding fans with a double album full of personal reflections. abc swiftie jaclyn lee -- this is what he was doing. >> whit: this is what people do when they hear music. >> gio: this is what jaclyn has been doing listening to it and watching that video dropped overnight. good morning, jaclyn. >> good morning. you get so excited. the more you listen to the songs, the more information you find. the pop star's 11th studio album and it's not a scream in your car dance album. it's very emotionally dense. ms. swift at the peak of her artistry as she continues her world dominating "eras" tour. ♪ for a fortnight ♪ >> reporter: in face tattoos chained to a bed in an insane asylum, receiving electroshock therapy, taylor swift dropping her first music video featuring post malone. ♪ now you're at the mailbox ♪ >> swift says that when she was

making the "fortnight" video, she pays tribute to the worlds that were in her mind while she was crafting and writing the 11th "era" album. >> i know, i know. >> i'm screaming. >> reporter: swifties have been decoding easter eggs for months and determined to figure out who each song is about. >> she knows she's like pranking everybody with that baby line. >> reporter: many expecting the album to take hit at joe alwyn who taylor dated for six years. ♪ you swore that you loved me, but where were the clues ♪ ♪ i died on the altar waiting for the proof ♪ >> reporter: swift surprising many fans as most songs appear to be about the 1975 band frontman matty healy who taylor dated after alwyn. ♪ i scratch your head, you fall asleep ♪ ♪ like a tattooed golden retriever ♪ >> reporter: and who fans think she scathingly calls out on the track, "the smallest man whoever lived." ♪ they just ghosted you ♪ ♪ now you know what it feels

like ♪ >> reporter: the pop icon also dropping clues about her connection with kansas city chief star travis kelce in "so high school." ♪ you know how to fall ♪ ♪ i know aristotle ♪ >> reporter: within just 12 hours, it became spotify's most streamed album in a single day. so far neither alewyn nor healy have commented on the album. next month she will pick up the "eras" tour in paris and from there will continue performing in europe. whit, do you have a favorite song from this album? >> whit: i still got to get caught up. i've been working. i'm just glad i didn't formerly date any superstars like taylor. [ laughter ] man, she is putting it all out there. >> gio: yeah, there was a little bit of a giggle when you said they didn't comment. >> janai: whit's waiting for the comments. >> we all are. >> whit: right, exactly. we'll be right back with our "play of the day." ♪ ut her medication caused unintentional movements in her face, hands, and feet called tardive dyskinesia, or td.

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♪ >> janai: we are back now with our "play of the day." and, "oh, baby." oh, a baby giraffe is taking its fame to new heights. finn, who lives at the high point sanctuary in texas has more fans than ever thanks to social media and videos documenting his daily discoveries with a little bit of attitude. take a look. >> i thought this week about going out the other exit of the barn. is there a french word for that one? like, grace and beauty, here it is. >> janai: the animal manager, lorne kimbrough, voices finn's thoughts. finn was born at 138 pounds, 5'9". >> gio: big baby. >> janai: lots of growing to do. his dad is 2,300 pounds, 16 1/2 feet tall. baby giraffes -- >> whit: lead animal manager. >> janai: oh, my gosh. >> gio: i think giraffes are so incredible. >> janai: i do too. they're mystical.

>> always live abc seven news starts right now. good morning, i'm stephanie sierra. >> the sausalito pier is temporarily closed, suspending ferry service to the city. an issue was discovered during a routine inspection which needs immediate attention. as a precaution, it will be closed to golden gate ferry service until repairs can be made. the replacement golden gate transit bus service is available, but there's no estimate on when it will reopen. another heads up for travelers in the north bay this weekend. as of last night, westbound lanes of highway 37 will be closed from vallejo to sears point in sonoma county for roadway repair. caltrans suggests drivers take detours through wine country. that closure will last until early monday morning. all right. let's check on conditions outside. good morning. lisa. hi,

stephanie. >> good morning to you. we have cloud cover, the marine layer and the view from the oakland airport here is pretty nice with 51 in san francisco, 53 in oakland. it is 55 in san jose and emeryville brightening up with temperatures in the mid 40s in petaluma, 49 by the delta, our inland valleys warming up today, but tomorrow we're going to see some 80s arriving this morning. anywhere from 2 to 4 degrees cooler from the north bay to the coast. and then you get into mountain view and san jose, and we're a little milder. so highs today will be warmer 67 with sunshine in the city even at the coast. but it's cool there. 60 half moon bay. look for temperatures in the mid 70s san rafael but upper 70s santa rosa also towards livermore. a beautiful afternoon and then high pressure begins to build for the second half of the weekend. that's a really warm day with highs in the mid 80s. the accuweather seven day forecast mid 70s around the bay. a little milder on sunday at the coast and we keep the warmth

into monday. stephanie. >> lisa thank you and thank you all for joining us. the news

because my life and career were built on them. auditions, headshots, boxed wine... i mean, the least i can do is keep it around. [angelic sound] see, she gets it. ethan! empty, flatten, then recycle. i'm a papertarian, sue me. and you can recycle those papers too. let's go gary! [ struggling ] ok. what, you don't get fan mail? >> whit: good >> whit: good morning, america. it's our second hour. opening statements set to begin monday in donald trump's hush money trial. what we know about the jury and those last-ditch efforts for a delay. plus, the shocking scene outside of the courtroom.