Good morning, America. Monster storm.
More than 50 million Americans in the
path of a powerful nor easter. Forecasts
for up to 2 feet of snow and blizzard
warnings from major east coast cities.
Team coverage of this powerful storm as
it tracks up the east coast. The travel
troubles on the roads and in the skies.
Plus, how the government shutdown is
adding to those air travel headaches.
What to know before you head out.
>> Message to the nation. President Trump
set to deliver his State of the Union
address following his Supreme Court
defeat on tariffs. Now doubling down on
his response with new taxes on foreign
goods. Plus, our ABC News poll on
Trump's approval rate. All eyes on Iran.
Tensions mounting as President Trump
considers limited strikes to force
Tyrron to agree to a nuclear deal. The
massive US buildup in the region.
Murder charges for a former American
Idol contestant, claiming his wife was
shot in a break-in.
>> My wife, she got two shots to her head.
Just blood everywhere. Oh my god. Oh my
god.
>> Why police say they're not buying his
story.
>> The ABCs of ALS. What to know about the
disease that took the life of actor Eric
Dayne at just 53 years old. Dr. Darien
Sutton joins us to break down the
symptoms, progression, and treatment
options.
>> Candy complaints. the grandson of the
man who invented Reese's Peanut Butter
Cups, taking Hershey's to task over some
other Reese's products.
>> I took a couple bitefuls
and I was like, "No sugar coating here."
>> And glory at the games. The US making
history, racking up the gold medal count
and those hockey hopes. Team USA facing
off against Canada for the gold on the
anniversary of the miracle on ice.
Live from ABC News headquarters in New
York City. It's Sunday. Good morning,
America.
>> We're blinded by the lights and we're
about to be blinded by all that snow.
Good morning, America. It is good to see
you. Whit is on assignment. We're so
happy to have Rachel Scott with us this
morning. Good to be here.
>> Absolutely. And of course, it's the
final day of the Winter Games and the
big event today, the men's hockey gold
medal game, the US taking on Canada.
This is a rematch of the 2002 and 2010
finals. We're going to go live to Milan
for the latest.
>> Yes, looking forward to that. But we've
got a lot of news to cover this morning,
including air travelers caught in the
middle of the government shutdown, DHS
suspending TSA pre-check, and Global
Entry. The latest details as we enter
day nine of the shutdown. Also, we'll go
live to Arizona for an update on the
search for Nancy Guthrie as the
investigation there enters its fourth
week.
>> But we do want to begin with the major
storm hitting the Northeast today. Some
areas expecting more than a foot of snow
plus coastal flooding and powerful winds
with blizzard conditions not seen in a
decade. We do have team coverage this
morning on the impacts from air travel
to coastal flooding. But we do begin
with the storm's track and timing.
Britney Bell from our New York station
WBC is following it all. Good morning,
Britney.
>> And good morning to you, too. So, I want
to get right to it. The brunt of the
worst part of this storm will hit later
this evening through early Monday
morning. And check out these winter
weather alerts. All of New Jersey under
a blizzard warning. It stretches from
the Delm Marva to New York all the way
to Boston for up to a foot of snow or
higher snow and gusty winds this evening
into early Monday morning. I want to go
right to the travel impacts. The snow
starts early this morning as scattered
showers across the Mid-Atlantic and then
slowly intensifying across the rest of
the I95 corridor later this afternoon
through early tomorrow morning. This is
the time frame Sunday evening into
Monday morning. You want to be inside
off the roads and that's because travel
could become dangerous and almost
impossible due to winds gusting up to 50
to 60 miles per hour. We're talking
about white out conditions possible
early tomorrow. Still heavy snow across
I95 corridor New York and also Philly.
But the intense snow continues across
portions of New England and also the
Mid-Atlantic. The latest snow forecast
showing 12 to 18 inches across New York
and Philly. Also, the best chance for 18
to 24 inches of snow possible
highlighted across New York and Boston.
We'll have more on the timing coming up.
Jana,
>> glad to have you here, Britney, tracking
that all out for us. And the powerful
winds blowing in from the Atlantic are
bringing the threat of coastal flooding
up and down the coast. ABC's Morgan
Norwood is in Atlantic City, New Jersey
this morning. Good morning to you,
Morgan.
Hey, good morning to you, Rachel. We're
starting to get on a few light drops,
the occasional gust of wind, but
certainly the calm that we're seeing
here won't last as this powerful
blizzard uh bears down on the Jersey
shore. In fact, the entire state of New
Jersey under a state of emergency this
morning with blizzard warnings along the
shore and up the I95 corridor with
officials urging people to stay off the
roads, especially as these conditions
start to deteriorate later this
afternoon. Uh and here in Atlantic City
declared snow emergency with parking
restrictions now in place so that plows
and emergency vehicles can get through.
In fact, the mayor is calling this quote
a battle and warning residents to
prepare for disruptions. We're looking
at a similar situation across state
lines over in Philadelphia. It's snow
emergency there going to going into
effect at 400 p.m. with the school
district already cancelling schools uh
and declaring a remote day for Monday.
The storm is expected to bring between
12 to 24 ines of snow. We're looking at
strong wind gusts, the possibility of
coastal flooding up to 3 f feet. And
that's a combination that could lead to
white out conditions and scattered power
outages, but officials are really urging
residents to stay close to the local
alerts as the storm roars ashore today.
>> Yeah, and officials warning to take
these warnings seriously. All right,
Morgan, thank you. The whole I95
corridor from Maryland to New England is
on alert as this storm threatens to
bring heavy snow and wide out
conditions. ABC's Olivia Rubin has more.
Good morning, Olivia.
>> Rachel, good morning. We are just
starting to feel those drops moments ago
and here it is all hands on deck.
Preparations of course already underway.
Case in point for that. Take a look
behind me at this shed. It is filled to
the brim of salt. You can see it peeking
over at the top right there. And the New
York City mayor says they have 700 salt
spreaders ready to go to get that
distributed all around the city. And
that's in addition to 1,000 emergency
snow shovelers who are ready to hit the
streets tonight on top of 200 2,000 snow
plows too. Uh so the critical equipment
is there, but remember there is also a
risk of flooding ahead of the storm.
Officials are anticipating some flooding
in parts of the city and they are asking
those who live on basement level to have
go bags packed and to be ready to get to
higher ground and remember to always
charge those devices to prepare for
possible power outages. Bottom line, the
mayor says the city is ready. But even
with all of that preparation, they say
that travel is still going to be
difficult, if not impossible. So the
main message, stay home if you can. Gio,
>> that's right. Travel will be difficult.
Olivia, thanks so much. much. And that's
exactly where we go now. This storm is
set to cause major air travel trouble in
the east and beyond. Thousands of
flights canled today and tomorrow. The
major airlines already waving change
fees so travelers can change those
flights. And ABC's Mola Langi is at
Reagan National Airport right now near
DC where those cancellations, Mhola,
they just keep rising. Good morning.
>> Yeah, good morning Gio. Major
disruptions to airlines and airports
across the country ahead of this massive
winter storm. ripple effects could be
felt through Wednesday. As of this
morning, airlines have canceled more
than 6,000 flights and counting.
Thousands more delayed, and that's
expected to jump significantly over the
next 24 hours. American Airlines in
particular, suspending all operations at
several major airports in the Northeast,
New York's LaGuardia Airport, JFK, as
well as Philadelphia beginning this
afternoon, lasting through the day on
Monday. Also in Boston, starting this
evening and running through all of
Monday. Of course, all of these time
frames are fluid. They are subject to
change based on the conditions. Now,
throughout the affected region, major
airlines tell us they're also preparing
by moving planes out of the storm's
path. So, those planes are ready to go
once the airports reopen. Also, most
airlines waving those change fees as you
mentioned for passengers who are
available uh and willing and open to
make changes ahead of that storm. So, if
you're planning on traveling, flying the
next couple of days, you might want to
contact your airline uh and do just
that. That's right. And use that airline
app on your phone. And mola, while we
have you new this morning, we're in day
nine of this partial government
shutdown. And we learned overnight that
it will have an impact on TSA security
lines.
>> Yeah, this one came as a surprise to the
airlines and to TSA agents working at
these airports. DHS confirms uh the
temporarily suspending the TSA pre-check
as well as Global Entry due to those
funding shortages uh expected to take
effect at some point today. Again, the
timing is fluid on this and as you can
imagine, that'll likely compound the
delays, the long lines, the
frustrations, and just the overall
headaches over the next few days for
travelers. Gio,
>> yeah, that is a major change. Let's hope
they get to a resolution very soon.
Moleni, thank you so much, Jana.
>> All right, Gio, turning to other news.
On Tuesday, President Trump will deliver
his State of the Union address to
Congress just 4 days after the Supreme
Court rejected the sweeping tariffs that
are the centerpiece of his economic
agenda. ABC News senior White House
correspondent Selena Wang joins us with
more. Good morning, Selena.
>> Yeah, Jana, good morning. And this is a
big moment for the president. A chance
for him to make his case directly to the
American people and try to set the tone
heading into the midterms, but Trump is
doing this at a time when he's facing
some serious headwinds. So, let's just
start with immigration. As we were just
discussing with Mhola, the government is
partially shut down and there's no end
in sight because of this ongoing
standoff over immigration enforcement.
Democrats are demanding changes after
the killing of Alex Prey and Renee Good
by federal agents in Minneapolis. Then
there's the economy. The president, of
course, wants to tout his economic
agenda, but the Supreme Court just
struck at the heart of that strategy
with its major ruling on tariffs. The
president has since then been lashing
out at the justices, calling them
unpatriotic and disloyal. Well, those
very same justices are expected to be
seated right in front of the president.
Trump, for his part, says he couldn't
care less if they show up for his
address. And then on health care, those
Affordable Care Act subsidies expired
earlier this year with no alternative
plan, leaving millions of Americans
facing sharply higher premiums. To
protest the president's agenda, guys,
dozens of Democrats are expected to skip
the speech altogether.
>> All right, Selena, thank you so much.
And I want to bring in Rachel now as our
senior political correspondent. Rachel,
because we have a new ABC News,
Washington Post Ipsos poll, but it shows
some real challenges for President
Trump.
>> Yeah, and of course, all of this coming
ahead of Tuesday's State of the Union
address. Our new poll out today shows
the president's approval rating stands
at just 39%. That means 60% of Americans
disapprove of the president's job
currently in office right now. His
approval ratings have not been this low
since after the January 6th capital
riot. And fueling all of this, of
course, is how Americans are feeling on
key issues. So, when asked if Americans
approve or disapprove of the way the
president is handling certain topics,
only 41% approving of his handling of
the economy, a key issue that he ran on,
and about 40% of Americans say they
support the president on immigration,
but the majority of Americans saying
that his deportation campaign has gone
too far.
>> 60% disapproval rating. But Rachel, this
doesn't necessarily mean good news for
Democrats. Yeah, I mean I think if
Democrats are looking at this, they're
hoping here for maybe some good news,
not so much. In fact, our poll shows
that the majority of Americans don't
trust Democrats either on these key
issues. So, what is clear, this is a
deeply divided America.
>> Yes, and we will see what happens on
Tuesday. Thanks, Rachel.
>> All right, Rachel, thank you. Let's
bring in chief global affairs anchor
Martha Ratits, who's going to be hosting
this week here on ABC later today.
Martha, it is good to see you. How
significant is this tariff decision by
the Supreme Court? Could it impact the
president's economic agenda?
>> It it certainly could, Gio. This is a
massive blow to President Trump's
agenda. This was his signature policy.
We've heard him again and again say
tariffs. That's his favorite word. He
tariff, tariff, tariff. He used this as
a negotiating tool whenever he could
with China, with Canada. And he had the
right back then to raise and lower these
tariffs anytime he wanted and keep them
in place for as long as he wanted. So
this is really a major blow, Gio. And
espe especially as you look at the
economy. How does he change? What does
he do? How does he incorporate this
going forward? Because you just heard
Rachel say those economy numbers are not
great.
>> Yeah. And Martha, we heard the president
say that he has other options here. So
given this decision by the Supreme
Court, what options does he
realistically have?
>> He he has a couple of options already.
He's uh raised uh the tariffs 15% across
the board. He gets to do that but only
for 150 days and then he has to try
again. It is a very complicated process.
There are other sections of the law
where he can do things about national
security, whether the trade agreements
are what they're called unreasonable or
unjustifiable, but it's all incredibly
complicated and definitely not as easy
as what he had in placed before. Gio,
>> so clearly not an end to this issue.
Martha Ratitz, thank you so much. And
tune in to this week later. Martha
speaks with US Trade Representative
Jameson Greer. Plus, Martha sits down
with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro
for a wide-ranging interview on tariffs,
immigration, and the Democratic Party.
Rachel.
>> All right, Gio. Now to the US buildup in
the Middle East as President Trump
considers limited strikes against Iran.
Our chief foreign correspondent Ian
Panel is in Tel Aviv. Good morning, Ian.
>> Yeah, good morning Rachel. As tensions
mount over a possible US strike on Iran,
there've been renewed protests in the
country. A few hundred protesters were
seen in the capital, Tehran, after a
bloody crackdown that left thousands
dead just weeks ago. The demonstrations
erupting as President Trump confirms he
is considering a limited strike on Iran
to try to force it to agree to a nuclear
deal. But Iran remains defiant while
insisting it wants a peaceful
resolution. It's also warning it will
retaliate against US bases and assets in
the region if it's attacked. President
Trump has given Iran an ultimatum to
agree to some kind of nuclear deal
within the next two weeks, warning,
quote, "Really bad things will happen if
it doesn't." A massive US military force
now deployed in the region. Satellite
images show the USS Gerald Ford sailing
into the Mediterranean. It's going to
join another US aircraft carrier. More
than a 100 cargo planes, refueling
tankers, and fighter jets that have been
sent there. All told, there are now
around 35,000 US troops in the region.
The US demanding an end to Iran's
nuclear program, a curb on its ballistic
missiles, and an end to Iran support for
proxy groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon.
For now though, the diplomatic track is
still technically on, but there are
really growing concerns that unless Iran
makes major concessions on its nuclear
program, then an attack by the US might
become unavoidable. Jana,
>> the region certainly on edge, Ian panel,
our thanks to you. Turning back now to
news at home and the former American
Idol contestant accused of killing his
wife in a staged burglary as their two
young daughters slept down the hall.
ABC's Iika Jachi has those details
>> this morning. Former American Idol
contestant Caleb Flynn accused of
murdering his wife, 37year-old teacher,
and mother of two, Ashley Flynn. Flynn
charged with one count of murder, two
counts of felonious assault, and two
counts of tampering with evidence. The
39-year-old pleading not guilty.
Investigators say officers first rushed
to the couple's Tip City home around
2:30 in the morning last Monday after a
911 call from Caleb reporting what he
claimed was a home invasion.
>> Somebody broke into my home. Somebody
broke in my home and shot my wife.
>> When police got there, they found Ashley
shot twice in the head, pronounced dead
at the scene while the couple's two
young daughters were asleep inside the
house. In the newly released call, Caleb
repeatedly describes his wife's wounds
and his panic inside the bedroom.
>> My wife is she got two shots to her
head, spin blood everywhere. Oh my god.
Oh my god. Oh my god.
>> But after what they call a complex
week-long investigation, Tip City Police
now say the crime scene was staged and
that it was Caleb who shot and killed
his wife with a 9mm handgun.
>> We don't believe that it was anything
random. It was more of a targeted
isolated incident to that one house.
>> In an American Idol Road to Hollywood
interview from 2013, Caleb said music is
all I know and that he'd been encouraged
to audition by his wife.
>> I love my wife more than anything. She
is very, very pretty. Just I love her.
>> In a statement, Ashley's family says,
"Our hearts are shattered. Ashley
brought endless light to our world. Our
family believes this arrest was made
carefully and not without serious
consideration. Now, the family is asking
for privacy as they cling to their faith
and they're urging anyone with
information to contact Tip City Police
as this case moves through the courts.
Meanwhile, Caleb Flynn remains behind
bars awaiting his next court date and
the judge has set his bond at $2
million.
>> Wow.
>> And really heartbreaking. The two
daughters were there in the house. Just
awful. All right. Thank you so much,
Mike. We turn now to the winter games
and the big finale for men's hockey as
the US goes for the gold. ABC's Marcus
Moore is in Milan. Good morning, Marcus.
>> Hey, Rachel. You know, it re really has
been an incredible 16 days of
excitement, fierce competition, and
history making achievements. And of
course, you know, that's what these
winter games are all about. And as we
are in the final day, there is still
more action to come. This morning, a
historic matchup is underway. A heated
rivalry coming to a head on the ice in
Milan. Team USA versus Canada in a fight
for the gold. Their first matchup for a
gold medal since 2010 when Canada won.
Team USA closing out a record-breaking
winter games. Making history with its
11th gold medal of these Olympics. In
freestyle skiing mixed team aerials, the
most gold medals the US has ever won in
a single winter games. It's been a
weekend of podium finishes from snow to
ice. Bobsled star Kaye Humphre winning
her sixth career Olympic medal, taking
home the bronze in the two women bobsled
event alongside Jasmine Jones. It is the
first for the Olympic rookie. And in
another first, the US medaling and speed
skating mass start thanks to a stellar
finish by Florida native Mia Manganelo
who brought home the bronze in her final
Olympic race of her career.
>> It was yeah a blessing to close it out
with a medal. The competitive portion of
figure skating may have wrapped up, but
the stars of team USA hitting the rink
again Saturday for an exhibition skate
gayla. Among them, quad god Ilia Malanin
after his devastating eighth place
finish in the men's singles. The
21-year-old delivering a powerful
performance to the song fear. And after
gliding her way to gold in the women's
individual, Alisa Leu dazzling on the
ice to stateside. Now, after a thrilling
16 days at the 2026 Milano Cortina
Winter Games, all eyes on the Verona
Arena as the closing ceremony is just
hours away. The parade of athletes will
march again wearing Ralph Lauren, Evan
Bates, and Hillary Knight carrying the
flag for Team USA, the torch will be
extinguished, and the flag passed on as
we look ahead to the French Alps in
2030.
2030. Of course, the the closing
ceremony is next and it's going to be
extra special for Team USA as they
celebrate breaking a record for US gold
medals during a winter games. The
surpassed the record set back in 2002 in
Salt Lake City. And guys, uh you know,
really going to miss looking at this
this amazing cathedral back here in
Milan. What a trip. Uh what a games it
has been.
>> Absolutely, Marcus. Hopefully you get to
go to that game tonight. But we were all
saying we haven't seen you smile that
big.
>> Yep. I don't know, ever on TV. Marcus,
it looks good on you.
>> Thank you so much, my friend.
>> A lot to smile about here. Thanks.
>> Still ahead here on GMA, a new setback
for NASA's attempt to return humans to
the moon.
>> Plus, what you need to know about the
disease that took the life of actor Eric
Day
>> and the grandson of the inventor of the
Reese's Candy sparks controversy. We'll
be right back.
I spent the last 3 years in an
underground bunker.
>> Wow. So, it's real.
>> Yeah, it's real.
>> What's it like?
>> It's like before, only creepier.
>> The longer we were down there, the more
>> Okay, welcome back to GMA. Paradise is
back with the premiere of season 2.
Tomorrow, the mystery starring Sterling
K. Brown returns with post-apocalyptic
thrills and secrets that start to
unravel. We'll have more from Sterling
on this exciting new season tomorrow on
GMA. We've been waiting.
>> This show is so good.
>> Amazing. Cannot wait for that. Let's
take a look at some of the other stories
that we're following on this Sunday
morning. Breaking overnight, a series of
deadly blasts reportedly firing off in
western Ukraine overnight. Police say
homemade explosive devices were
detonated in Lviv. A police officer was
killed, 24 others injured. President
Zullinsky says one person is in custody
this morning
>> and NASA is once again delaying its
Artemis 2 moon mission to send humans
around the moon. The agency says all was
fine at a recent test, but now they've
discovered a new problem with the flow
of helium to the rocket. Helium flow is
required for launch. So, the rocket will
be rolled back to the vehicle assembly
building for troubleshooting, almost
certainly taking March off the table for
a launch.
>> Wow. and hundreds of college students
dancing around the clock, but for a good
cause. Thawn 2026 is underway at Penn
State. Look at these images. For 46
hours straight, students will be on
their feet at the heart of it all,
raising money for a children's hospital
in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Last year,
these students raised more than $17
million, but that is a long time to be
on your feet dancing. They're not
wearing heels, let me tell you.
>> Good for them, though. Good for It's
amazing.
>> All right, we are going to start this
half hour here with the search for Nancy
Guthrie going into week four and now
it's turning international. ABC's
Melissa Adon is in Tucson with the
latest. And Melissa, you actually went
to the US Mexico border overnight. Good
morning,
>> Gio. Good morning. We did cross the
border as the FBI is now working with
Mexican officials. But look, it is just
one avenue that investigators are
looking into because this is now the
fourth week of this investigation and
there's still no signs of Nancy Guthrie
or no known suspects. this as detectives
and agents are once again canvasing this
neighborhood. In fact, they recently
found a pair of gloves, then some other
gloves that they've sent out for DNA
evidence testing. They're looking into
that. All of this as the Pima County
Sheriff's Department is also searching
evidence from the home and the search
warrant scenes. They're processing all
of that. They've also put up barricades
along the street to accommodate
residents. And look, we've seen
billboards with signs looking for the 84
year old in neighboring states like
Texas and now even across the border.
There's a group of mothers who search
for missing people in Mexico putting up
these posters of Nancy in Ngales. We
actually traveled to that border city
and met with a concerned mother whose
own son is missing and she told me she
understands the pain that the Guthrie
family is experiencing. Well, right now
the biggest evidence is this doorbell
surveillance camera video. And
authorities say that masked man may have
an accomplice. And all of this happening
while hundreds of thousands of tips have
come in, but even investigators say some
of their leads are running empty. Jana,
>> just a mind-boggling story and still no
answers. Melissa, thank you for your
reporting there. We're going to take a
closer look now at the devastating
disease that took the life of Eric
Dayne. The popular actor died last week,
nearly a year after his ALS diagnosis.
The tragedy sparking renewed focus on
the disease and the symptoms leading to
a rapid decline in health. ABC medical
correspondent Dr. Jiren Sutton is here
to shed light on this devastating
condition. I think everyone has been
thinking about Eric Dayne and his family
and this disease. But Dr. Sutton, what
happens to the body when someone
develops ALS and why does it progress so
quickly?
>> Yeah, a common question for a difficult
diagnosis. So ALS stands for amotrophic
lateral sclerosis. It's commonly called
lugeric disease. Now, Jana, this is a
rare condition, but there are nearly
5,000 new cases each and every year. And
the reason why the symptoms develop is
because it's due to something called
progressive motor neuron disease, which
means that you slowly lose control of
your muscles. That can include for some
walking and speaking difficulties. For
others, that can include other symptoms,
but ultimately it leads to severe muscle
weakness, paralysis, and eventually
death as there is no cure at this
moment.
>> But you said 5,000 new cases a year. So,
what does the science tell us about what
triggers this type of rare disease?
Yeah, you know that's still being
understood overall we can see that up to
90 to 95% of these cases are completely
sporadic and 5 to 10% we see a genetic
correlation but just to underscore the
majority of these events are completely
random. For an example if you were to
have someone in your immediate family
that had this diagnosis your risk
personally still remains relatively very
low and as far as environmental factors
research is ongoing. In some studies,
they show an association between those
who are exposed to pesticides, for
example. In others, we see higher rates
of ALS among military veterans as likely
a consequence of some type of
environmental exposure during their
service.
>> And he was so young, 53 years old. What
What about the research? Are we any
closer to finding anything, any sort of
cure or at least slowing down the
disease?
>> You know, there is treatment available
to slow down the progression of the
disease, but unfortunately we're we're
probably quite some time until we find a
cure. And you're right, he was young.
The typical age of onset is around the
age of 60 and he was in his early 50s.
Also to understand Eric Dayne's work.
You know, in his last years, he was not
quiet. He spent that time using his
platform to increase contributions,
funding to research because he
understood, like many, that a cure might
be distant, but treatment to help make
this disease manageable and chronic
instead of fatal is closer than we
think.
>> It's an important conversation. We're
really happy that you're here to have it
with us, Dr. Darien. Thank you.
>> All right. Major League Baseball. It is
kicking off here with the start of
spring training games. Never mind any
Blizzard forecast, right? Veteran ESPN
Sunday Night Baseball playbyplay
commentator Carl Ravage is here with the
teams and the players to watch. Uh Carl,
it is so good to see you. Uh so let's
look at the LA Dodgers, huh? Because
they're obviously the World Series
champs. Is there a team built to
challenge the Dodgers this season?
>> Well, good morning everybody. Uh the
Dodgers are predicted to win a 100
games. There's nobody else that's
predicted to win more than 90. That's
how dominant they are. But it's
baseball. Things happen, slumps,
injuries, etc. up. The number one team I
think is the Seattle Mariners. And the
reason being they added Brendan Donovan.
Donovan was an all-star last year. He's
a leadoff hitter. He's going to play
third base. They hit the ball over the
wall. That's for sure. And Donovan is a
guy that's going to be able to get on
base in front of the guys that hit the
ball over the wall. The other reason you
get a full season of the guy that played
first base, his name is Josh Naylor. He
was really good. They didn't get a lot
of production from first base. When he
showed up, that changed dramatically.
He's right here. And he's kind of the
leader of this team, both on and off the
field. Those two things combined mean
that that's the team I think to compete
with the Dodgers.
>> All right. If you think so, we agree,
Carl. Uh several stars, they're dealing
with uh early wrist injuries. So, how
big of a concern is that for players
like Francisco Lindor and Corbin
Carroll?
>> Yeah, I wouldn't say huge. I mean, the
hammock boat is a tiny little thing, but
in baseball, because you swing the bat,
it always is being impacted. Um, guys
like you just mentioned are already back
on the field in head surgery. He's
running around the bases. I would say on
a scale of 1 to 10 with the concern
meter, I put it around four. The problem
is it's surgery and there are some
unknowns, but the majority of players,
80% of them come out of their surgery
much much better than when they went
into it. All
right, I want to talk about some of the
young talent out there. Who are some
surprise young prospects that fans
should be keeping an eye on this season?
>> All right, I'll give you two, one in
each league. Of course, home is New York
for you guys. And the New York Mets have
one of them. And we actually saw him
last year. He's a pitcher. His name is
Nolan Mlan. Burst onto the scene at the
end of last year. Ended up uh as the
hottest pitcher in baseball for the New
York Mets. He had a batting average
against of like 200 which is really
good. He also won a bunch of games and
he finishes two innings shy of losing
rookie status. So he's got experience.
He's not really a rookie anymore. That's
the National League on the American
League side. I'll go with a kid named
Kevin McGonagal of the Detroit Tigers.
Tigers have a lot of optimism coming in.
He killed the Arizona Fall League.
That's where you try to prove yourself.
19 RBI's 19 games. You'll see a lot of
him at shortstop. And of course they
have TK school in what is the go for it
year for the Tigers.
>> It's Dylan Mlan and Kevin McGonicle.
>> Uh hey Carl, what what city are you in
right now?
>> I'm in North Naples, Florida.
>> Ah, well, see that's why you had a
little smirk about the blizzard early
on. Yeah, I noticed that. I caught it.
Hey, can you tell us about the uh new
ball strike challenge?
>> Yeah, the the ball strike challenge. I
mean, if you can get used to seeing
people do this, that's the ball strike
challenge. So, this is something
baseball's been experimenting with at
the minor leagues. We're all used to
replays now in sports. In this case,
you're at the plate. The umpire calls
the pitch a ball. Uh the pitcher thinks
it's a strike. So, he will do this right
away. They will go to and we've all
watched US Open tennis where that replay
comes in. You see the ball on the line.
In this case, as soon as the hitter or
pitcher or catcher, those are the only
three that can make this call, uh,
challenge a baller strike, you see it on
the video board, you'll see it on your
TV, and you'll know right away, uh, the
umpire missed that one. They overturn
it, they move on. Takes about 10
seconds, and we carry on. But there's no
looking at the dugout to confirm like,
did they miss that? Should I do this? It
has to be immediate. And it's again the
pitcher, the catcher, and the hitter,
guys.
>> All right. Well, we'll look out for that
on ESPN. All right, Carl Ravage, thank
you so much. Enjoy Naples, Florida
during the blizzard. All right, thank
you. Coming up here on Good Morning
America, what's got the grandson of the
man who invented Reese's Peanut Butter
Cups so upset? Stick around.
And back here on GMA, and Reese's is
known for combining two great tastes,
but the grandson of the Candies Inventor
is accusing Hershey's of changing the
recipe on some products. ABC's Will Gans
is here with the details with a bag of
candy in hand, of course.
>> That's right. And don't think I'm not
going to circle back to you calling it
Reese's, by the way, but that's a WHOLE
OTHER PIECE. We'll get to that when we
get to it. Back in the day, Reese's
products contain two main ingredients,
peanut butter and milk chocolate. But
after some very laborious boots on the
ground snack investigations, I can
confirm the two ingredients on some
Reese's products are chocolate candy and
peanut butter creme, which has some
people in a candy conundrum.
Call it a milk chocolate meltdown.
>> Hey, hey, you got your chocolate in my
peanut butter.
>> Peanut butter and my chocolate.
>> It was disgusting. Brad Ree, the
grandson of the inventor of Reese's
Peanut Butter Cups, finding ingredient
changes in some Hershey's Reese's
products and igniting an online
firestorm.
>> We're making a big change to Reese's
Peanut Butter Cups.
>> It all started when Brad says his
Valentine's Reese's Mini Hearts
Unwrapped tasted off.
>> I took a couple bitefuls
and I was like, "Ew."
>> Brad says he was shocked to find the
ingredients listed. chocolate candy and
peanut butter creme as opposed to the
original recipes milk chocolate and
peanut butter.
>> I've been around Reese's my whole life.
My grandfather invented them. I never
thought I had to look at the package to
see what I was getting.
>> Brad sharing an open letter to Hershey's
leadership, writing in part, "My
grandfather built Reese's on a simple,
enduring architecture. Milk chocolate
and peanut butter. A real tangible
product identity that consumers have
trusted for a century.
>> Real milk chocolate. Old-fashioned
peanut butter. says peanut butter cup.
>> Experts say recipe changes aren't
uncommon across the candy industry as
cocoa prices have fluctuated in recent
years. Hershey saying in a statement in
part, "As we've grown and expanded the
Reese's product line, we make product
recipe adjustments while always
protecting the essence of what makes
Reese's unique and special, the perfect
combination of chocolate and peanut
butter." Brad says that's not enough.
>> What my grandfather did, I have much
respect for him. This is a mission that
I feel it's almost like I prepared my
whole life for it. You don't mess with
Reese's.
>> So Brad says he has no issue with the
employees at Hershey. He says this is
about company leadership and he hopes
that the board at Hershey's will make
some tough decisions to get all Reese's
products back to his grandfather's
original recipe. But at the very least,
he's g he's glad his Reese's ruckus has
people talking about what they're
putting into their mouths. Yeah. The
ingredients that they're consuming. We
need to talk about how to pronounce it,
but we can do that in the break.
>> Will
back.
>> We've decided it's a regional
difference. Reese's Reese's. Thank you
for starting your day with us. Thank you
for being here, Rachel. again.