hurston, as many of you might know, was reared in florida, but she was born here in alabama. not far from tuskegee. she went to school at howard university. she acquired her associate degree, then she transferred to barnard college where she majored in english. she also, during a matriculation, studied anthropology. she started with gladis ripert, and came to the attention of the father of american anthropology. so at that point in time, she learned as much about anthropology as she did about writing and tlitture. -- litliterature. she goes into the field on their behalf, as i said, and what her responsibilities were, what her tasks were, were to collect folklore on behalf of franz, do research on behalf of carter g. woodson, the father of black history month, right? february is -- we k loo edlooke to thank him for february as black history month. he started it as black history week, and it grew into black history month. we have carter g. woodson to thank for that. carter g. woodson was also the founder of the association for the study of negro history and negro life and hist

zoran yo herston, as many of you might know, was reared in eatonville, florida. but she was born here in alabama. not very far from tuskegee. and she -- she went to school at howard university. she applied her associate degree. then she transferred to barnard college where she majored in english. then she also, during matriculation studied courses in anthropology. she started with ruth benedict, gladys reichert and came to the attention of -- who is considered the father of american anthropology. so at that point in time she learned as much about anthropology as she did about writing and literature. and as -- as amentee of voiers, she goes into the field on their behalf, as i said. what her responsibilities were, what her tasks were, were to collect folklore on behalf of france voyeur, do archival research on behalf of carnegie woodson, carnegie woodson we know is the father of black history. so february is -- we look to him to thank him for february as black history mont. it started as black history week and grew into black history month. we have woodson to than

plant resides in tampa, florida and continues her research in writing as an independent scholar. direct descendants family and friends of africa town please join me in extending this special africatown. welcome to our kindred spirit dr. deborah plan. one of the things i like to do whenever i talk about barricoon. is to invite the spirits of zornell hurston and oluwale causalai to be with me as i do the best i can to represent them and express what i think they would like for us to know and to understand. and so i also invite i would like to invite you to. evoke those answers to ancestral spirits who would be with us today during this event and throughout the festival. so that we would have there guidance as well as their inspiration and how things unfold. so barricle is the story of oluwale kosala? and zorna, hurston was able to capture his story. when she when on out into the field back in 1927 on behalf of franz boaz and carter g woodson zorno, hurston as many of you might know was reared in eatonville, florida, but she was born here in alabama and noticeable. not very far from

next on american history tv it is time for lectures in history and this week university of central florida professor teaches a class about people who challenge the u.s. are true industry status quo from the post world war ii era to the present day and then the case of the nodaway tribe describes the indigenous societies during the colonial era and the role of the native women today. later on reel america 1970s film president nixon's november

enter museum again, from all over the world from greensboro, good morning in new jersey, brighton beach florida, san francisco, international and glad to have you with us watching from brazil, cairo egypt, good morning to you and el salvador, peru, and in stockholm sweden. again i will ask you to please post your comments so they can answer them. ask damien, danny has given us a sense of how it played out for couple college students who could relate on a very personal level as juice. how did african-american athletes grapple with the question whether to compete or boycott? >> that is a difficult question. for african americans, the olympics and sports had been a primary vehicle through which african americans sought to fight against racial discrimination. by embodying the idea of the amateur athletes. they saw this challenging notion of race and racial oppression. some of them were also concerned whether they would face discrimination in germany. they have legitimate concerns and worries. folks know many saw this as an opportunity to compete at the highest levels of the sport. and then to use t

good morning to you in new jersey in boynton beach, florida, harrisburg, pennsylvania, san francisco and internationally. we're glad to have you with us watching from sao paulo brazil cairo egypt. good morning to you in el salvador, peru and in stockholm in sweden. again, i'll ask you to please post your questions in the comments section. so that damian and danny can answer them. so damian danny's given us a sense of how it played out for a couple of college students who could relate on a very personal level as --. how did african-american athletes grapple with the question of whether to compete or boycott? was a difficult question because for african-american's the olympics and sports had been a primary vehicle through which african-american said sought to fight against racial discrimination by by embodying the ideas of the amateur athlete they saw themselves as challenging notions race and racial oppression. some of the more also concerned about whether they would face discrimination in germany, and so they they had legitimate concerns and worries, but ultimately many of them saw t

. >> howard finds a boat for them to buy in florida. so he and anna go to pick it up. their friends brigitte and king eric will help them drive it back to the bahamas. >> so anna nicole smith leaves the bahamas with a whole entourage -- howard k. stern, her bodyguard, and dr. eroshevich. they leave the baby with the nanny. >> before she leaves the bahamas, anna gets a shot of hgh and b-12 on her left side. she's been doing this for a while to maintain her weight. >> on the plane, her left side starts to hurt. by the time she gets to the hotel, she's starting to feel really sick. she has a fever of 105. >> 105 fever for an adult is deadly. everyone in the entourage, they're all telling her she should go to the hospital. and anna says no, she's not going to the hospital. and here's the thing -- they actually listen to her. >> the fact that someone didn't take her to the hospital was really no surprise to me because she was scared the press would find out she was there and then turn it into some big headline and she didn't want any of that. >> over the next three days, an

. >> what she doesn't know is that across the country in florida, in a trailer park, a 34-year-old man named robert o'ryan is becoming focused, obsessed with her and her performances. so he decides to leave florida and to drive across the country and to confront/meet johnson on the set of the show. o'ryan is stopped by cops in alabama on his way across the country and tells cops as they question him that he's on his way to california to meet shawn johnson. >> i know this sounds a little bit crazy, but my intuition tells me that we're gonna have a beautiful relationship together. >> police who encounter him have no legal reason to stop and hold robert o'ryan. so he continues on his way to california. >> march 25, 2009, was just like every other day at the beginning. just feeling normal. i mean, there was nothing crazy that i saw going on. i was just giddy and on cloud nine being able to be there for another dance and another week. >> robert o'ryan's obsession with johnson reaches a head and explodes on the lot at cbs, where he is stopped by security guards as he's attempting to meet her

. >> ted bundy is charged with the murder of two florida state university coeds and is suspected in 19 other murders in western states. >> he wants to know why they're not recognizing that he is among the elite serial killers. >> he sent a letter to kake tv, which was an abc affiliate here in wichita. >> this morning, kake tv was contacted by the person who police say they believe murdered four members of the joseph otero family. >> the letter in '78 to kake tv came in through the mail. just as a normal letter from a viewer, it appeared. and once it was opened, we knew we had something unusual. >> btk began today's letter with a question -- how many do i have to kill before i get a name in the paper or some national attention? >> the letter indicated on no uncertain terms, when was he going to get some national attention, that there were seven in the ground, there were many more to go. >> he says he is compelled to kill by what he calls factor x. >> in this letter he describes a factor x. and he describes it as what drives him. he lets them know that he can't stop, that the factor x ma

it was supposed to be a 20-day cruise, from florida to italy. bob and sue anderson were travelling to visit family in europe. those early days in march, you know, covid was starting. but you made a decision that you were going to go on a cruise. >> bob anderson: we wanted to travel to see our granddaughter. we didn't really worry about it. >> sue anderson: and it wasn't until we got on the ship and two or three days into the cruise where everything then blew up. >> alfonsi: at what point did you start feeling sick? >> bob anderson: oh, probably a week into the trip. it was fatigue. i just didn't feel like doingan. and then i got a tightness in the chest, lost my sense of taste, my sense of smell. >> sue anderson: i told bob, i said, i feel like i'm in the petri dish of the covid. >> alfonsi: kelly edge had been travelling with her husband woody. he had been sick in bed for five days when everyone on board was ordered to quarantine in their cabins. >> kelly edge: we are captive. >> alfonsi: captive. >> edge: you can't come in with a helicopter. w

forces in the middle east, monitored the attack from his headquarters at tampa, florida, ducking into this small room off his main operations center where he could talk directly to the only two people above him in the chain of command. >> mckenzie: they bring in the secretary of defense, and then a little bit later, they brought in the president to this conversation. we're listening to the reports of the missiles flying. >> martin: you ever been on one like this? >> mckenzie: i've never been on one like this where real missiles being fired at our forces and where i thought the risks were so high. >> martin: the iranian attack on al asad was in retaliation for a stunning u.s. operation president trump ordered six nights earlier: a drone strike which killed iran's most powerful general, quasem soleimani. >> mckenzie: the blood of many americans is on the hands of quasem soleimani. he was as close to an indispensable man as you could find inside iran. where he went, violence and death followed. >> martin: during the american occupation of iraq, soleimani had orchestrated attacks which ki

. >> the "uss gerald ford" was subjected to three 40,000 volt bomb blasts just off the coast of florida. >> each of those blasts, called shock trials, were taken closer to the ship's hull. they are to test the ship's ability to sustain operations in a combat environment. i still see the ship there so i think it went well. >> the vessel was passing the test with flying colors. >>> next to a sticky situation across the pond. >> this happened yesterday in london. the famed tower bridge had a hiccup, when the arms were stuck in the up position. through the river thames. >> a technical failure was to blame. vehicles and pedestrians were backed up for hours. >> remember, this is a 127-year-old drawbridge. it opens up about 800 times a year to allow large ships to pass. it's an elaborate operation, that passage requests require at least 24-hour notice. you have to give a heads-up. >> it's a little old. had a little arthritis in its drawbridge. >> you know what, but it works. it's slow, but it works. >>> now, to eastern europe where dozens of couples participated in a true test of team work. >>

and the retirement community of the villages, florida, was the fastest growing metro area. its population growing 40%. >>> it's what she wanted for years. britney spears' father, jamie, says he will step down as her conservator. but that won't happen until certain matters are reserved. christine sloan explains. ♪ i'm the ring leader ♪ ♪ i call the shots ♪ >> reporter: this morning, a major victory for britney spears and her fight to end a conservatorship that's controlled her life for 13 years. her father, jamie spears, has agreed to step down as conservator of his daughter's estate. the decision revealed in new court filings. where an attorney for jamie spears says britney's father has been the target of unjustified attacks. but says that a public battle is nt in his daughter's best interest. but also saying jamie spears will not step aside until matters are resolved. and, quote, mr. spears intends to work with the court and his daughter's new attorney, to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator. one legal expert says jamie spears says he is making s

that storm is heading for florida's panhandle, with gusty winds and flash flooding and possible tornadoes. >>> a massive wildfire in utah has forced people from their homes. the fast-moving blaze erupting in a canyon east of salt lake city. the flames are threatening homes and businesses and power lines. there's about 100 large wildfires burning in more than a dozen states in the west. >>> in the wake of new york governor's andrew cuomo's decision to resign, kathy hochul iski toet hse apa from the former administration's scandals. last week, cuomo agreed to step down after an investigation found that he sexually harassed 11 women. now, hochul is vowing to uphold a zero tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct. during her tenure. and calling his alleged behavior repulsive and unlawful. >>> many districts across the country say they are struggling to hire school bus drivers. reports say many former drivers left their posts over covid safety concerns while others sought out private sector jobs. some school districts have resorted to offering incentives, like signing bonuses and paid traini

. >> this happened on a hot tarmac in florida. a flier waiting for a jet caught this on camera. >> that's an aircraft marshal breaking out some moves. the passenger tweeted the video writing, in a world that you can be anything you want, be like this guy. >> and southwest responded to the tweet, thanking the passenger for sharing this video. he probably has headphones and is just vibing. why not? >>> now, to 101 toilet paper rolls. >> david rush has broken more than 200 guinness records to promote s.t.e.m. education. an now, the idaho man has broken another record. you see it there. a world record, for balancing 101 toilet paper rolls on a single roll, on his forehead. >> not going to lie, during quarantine, this is something i would have tried. it took a few tries before he figured out the best shape for the stack. >> it is a world record. was there a previous record of 100 and he was, like, what? for s.t.e.m. research, i will do 101. >> i want to know more about this. he is not the one stacking this. whoever it is, can you imagi

. >> anybody can come across a roach, because i'm from florida, i assume they fly. >> oh, my god. what is that? >> this is proof of that. >> okay, now. >> look how far this back flip goes. let's get out of this. >> h.r. >>> getting to outer space -- an outer space experience, without leaving the ground. >> wait what? >> the galaxy pod in iceland is offering this out-of-this-world experience, with this spaceship themed accommodations. >> the facilities include communal kitchen, dining area, shower, toilet, and a bar in the lobby area. >> houston, we don't have a problem. prices start at $45 for a stay in a 24-person room. affordable. >>> and finally, to a porcupine visiting the seals. >> "wait, what?" >> it happened in a zoo in oregon. in portland. the porcupine paid a visit to the seal exhibit. >> the video released by the zoo wrote, sea pups meet land urchin. no word on if he dropped by the cafe. but later this year, you know, the portland zoo does zoo lights. they have millions of lights. a cool experience. maybe the porcupine wi after my car accident, wondnder whahatmy c cas. s

. >>> and a huge parting gift for graduates at florida a&m university. fau was the latest historically it became the latest historically black college to pay off outstanding student debt. $16 million of it. the school's president made the announcement to the class of 2020 that was canceled last year because of the pandemic. >> that's a graduation gift. >> that's a huge graduation gift. >>> now, to the scene of extremes in british columbia. >> this man was captured riding a hydrofoil surfboard through thick smoke of a wildfire. that fire is not threatening homes or businesses and the surfer gets relief from the smoke. >> there's so much happening in this video. >> right. >> what? what is it? a hydrofoil surfboard? >> yeah. i think it is one of those that lets you surf on the surface. >> i've seen those before. and then you have the smoke in the background. yeah. a lot of extremes here in british columbia. >> it's a lot. >>> and coming up, the deadly wildfires that are now racing across turkey. >>> here at home, the nhl star that is denying allegations of

i grew up in portsmouth, virginia and jacksonville, florida. so you, like ryan, you guys would already be back in school by now, right?

. >>> first what has been found by the agency investigating the surfside condo collapse in florida. >>> plus the amazing scientific discovery, a four-legged whale. you're watching "world news now." look, i gotta say something. 'said it before and i'll say it again. if i thought a reverse mortgage was just some kind of trick to take your home, i wouldn't even be here. it's just a loan, like any other, with one big difference- and that difference is how you choose to pay it back. find out how reverse mortgage loans really work with aag's free, no-obligation reverse mortgage guide eliminate monthly mortgage payments, pay bills, medical costs, and more. call now! other mortgages are paid back each month, but with a reverse mortgage, you can pay whatever you can, when it works for you, or, you can choose to wait, and pay it off in one lump sum when you leave your home. call today and find out more in aag's free, no-obligation reverse mortgage loan guide. access tax-free cash and stay in the home you love. you've been investing in your home for years... making monthly mortgage payments... d

some spirit airlines customers have been stranded for days as the florida-based budget carrier struggles to restore service. abc's megan tevrizian has more. >> reporter: chaos at airports across the country as hundreds of flights were cancelled monday. leaving passengers stranded. from cleveland -- >> this has been the worst weekend ever. it's been a disaster. >> reporter: to philadelphia -- >> something must have happened with spirit. all hell broke loose. >> reporter: to orlando -- >> we're stuck here. look at the people that are waiting. >> reporter: spirit airlines cancelling nearly 300 flights, hed ights, blaming stfiens cancel flights to get crews and planes in the right places. >> four hours in line. >> in line for four hours? >> just to get our cancellation. >> reporter: frustrated passengers forced to wait in long lines to reschedule. >> the line was out the door, down the road, and three-times, four-times bigger than this. >> reporter: many passengers claiming they received no explanation or warning. in some instances, flights were canceled right before boarding. >> as we were

i've got guys here all the way from raleigh, north carolina all the way from florida that just decided hey, look, we're going to be the go-between, we're going to do what we can do. and that is the u.s. veterans corps's mission. that's what we're going to do. but we've got goliath here. so we're going to go down into the area and start rescuing. we've got about eight boats at trader joe's that we're going to -- or scuba joe's we're going to be going into. and once we've got the eight boats up and running we're going to be headed out and going through the water and doing what we can do to get people to safety. >> yeah. can you tell us about what resources your group plans to bring to help the storm victims? we know that so much of this damage will be seen as the sun rises. >> well, basically, right now it's manpower and goliath. goliath is a truck that sits up on 40-inch tires with an 8-inch lift nd i can drive in as long as the water's below five feet. and then we've got a bunch of boats that are accessible to us. so we can get the other trucks that we've got down close and then we off

. >>> and finally, to florida, where one 93-year-old woman is proving she has more moves than most of us. >> zoomba instructor rena martinez shared this clip of her and her student, rachel, practicing a dance routine. and rachel does not miss a beat. >> at all. and speaking of beats, in honor of our own polka guy, barry mitchell, being honored as 1 of 25 impactful people, a huge honor. in the history of late night tv? come on. let's polka. ♪ politics and foreign wars all the weather ♪ ♪ all the scores that's the "world news" polka ♪ ♪ is this news from tokyo stuff you saw on koppel's show ♪ ♪ that's the "world news" polka ♪ ♪ it's late at night and you're wide awake ♪ ♪ and you're not wearing pants ♪ ♪ grab your "world news now" mug and everybody dance ♪ ♪ have some fun, be a pal ♪ ♪ every anchor, guy and gal do the "world news" polka ♪ >> come on, get up. ♪ ♪ that's the "world news" >>ood. insomniacs only. ♪ ♪ that's the "world news" polka ♪ ♪ who cares what the networks think or the sponsors too ♪ ♪ and if the neighbors call the co

florida with 20% of the cases across the country. in jacksonville, lawrence johnson was hesitant to get the vaccine. after spending 22 days in icu, with covid, he now says he regrets not getting the shot. >> i am a living witness. if i would have gotten the vaccination, i wouldn't be here right now. >> reporter: in louisiana, denise harris who works in the denise harris who works in a baton rouge hospital, finally deciding to get the vaccine. tears rolling down her face, d her first shot, saying she wanted to set an example for her four children. >> if mom hasn't taken the shot, why should they? i have to set the tone for my kids. >> reporter: with the possibility of booster shots still needed this call, emery university with a clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of mixing and matching different vaccines as booster shots. he was vaccinated with the j&j shot. as part of the trial, he has now received a second shot, also of johnson & johnson. >> my hope would be that everybody gets the vaccine. in a small way, if this can hel

the president of florida a&m yesterday telling 2020 class members the university has paid off $16 million of outstanding school debts. the pandemic forced administrators to cancel last year's commencement ceremonies. several other historically black colleges and universities have made similar announcements. >>> and when we come back, a swim instructor who says she's on a mission to smash a racial stereotype. these days you have to keep everything moving and reinvent the wheel. with a hybrid, you can do both. that's why manufacturers are going hybrid with ibm. with watson on a hybrid cloud factories can use ai to automate the little things so they can focus on the next big thing. businesses that want to innovate at scale are going with a smarter hybrid cloud using the technology and expertise of ibm. truthfully, it's frustrating to see how fast dust reappears. but dusting with a cloth is a pain. and dealing with a bulky vacuum.. . is such a hassle. uchhh!!! so now we use our swiffer sweeper and dusters. the fluffy fibers? they pick up dust easily. grabbing it in all those hard-to-reach pla

thousands of students returning to schools in florida and soon in texas. and in both states, some school leaders are defying their own governors, urging parents to have their children wear masks. and the cdc out with a new forecast tonight, hospitalizations could kwa druped by labor day. dr. besser is with us tonight. and abc's victor oquendo with us now. >> this is my child! >> repte aflida, tasn day started a new year in districts where masks are not required. >> we have elementary kids who are not eligible for vaccination coming into our classrooms, possibly exposing us to covid. we're in a national, and may i add, deadly pandemic and the governor is playing politics. >> reporter: there are more children hospitalized with confirmed covid cases in florida than any other state. but the governor has banned mask mandates in schools, even threatening to withhold pay of school boards that require masks. you think your best move is wearing a mask right now? >> wear your mask. >> reporter: it's happening in texas, too. austin and dallas are challenging their go

and abc's victor oquendo from florida now. >> this is my child! >> reporter: across florida, the debate raging over masks in schools as thousands of children today started a new year in districts where masks are not required. >> we have elementary kids who are not eligible for the vaccination, coming into our classrooms, possibly exposing us to covid. we're in a national, and may i add, deadly pandemic and the governor is playing politics. >> reporter: there are more children hospitalized with confirmed covid cases in florida than any other state. but the governor has banned mask mandates in schools, even threatening to withhold pay of school boards that require masks. but a handful of school districts in florida are defying the governor's order and requiring masks anyway. you think your best move right now is keeping your mask on? >> wear your mask, whether you're vaccinated or not. >> reporter: it's happening in texas, too, where the state's biggest school districts in austin and dallas are challenging their governor's ban on mask mandates. the

all of florida will be impacted this weekend. david? >> rob, thank you. >>> we move on now to the fallout, 24 hours after new york governor andrew cuomo's bombshell reveal that he will resign. tonight, lieutenant governor kathy hochul talking for the first time today about all of this. she's set to make history as she becomes governor now. what she declared today, her message to new yorkers. and what she said when asked about governor cuomo. here's abc's erielle reshef tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the first woman poised to be governor of new york making it clear it will be different when she's in office. >> the governor and i have not been close. no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment. >> reporter: lieutenant governor kathy hochul addressing the attorney general's explosive report which found governor andrew cuomo fostered an environment rife with fear and harassment. claims he denies. >> no one is named -- who was named as anything -- doing anything unethical in the report will remain in my administra

tonight, inside this icu in gainesville, florida, they're overwhelmed. teams trying to make room for a crush of new covid cases while trying to keep the patients they already have alive. what does that mean? >> that's a code. >> reporter: so what's happening now? >> that's a patient who is unstable right now, either no blood pressure or oxygenation is bad or heart rate just went to zero. >> reporter: how often does that happen per day? >> almost every day. >> reporter: this hospital is seeing younger patients getting sicker faster. nearly all unvaccinated. >> this is the second major surge. this surge is actually much bigger than anything that we've seen before. >> reporter: 38-year-old ian woods has been in the hospital with covid for more than a week and says he was waiting to get vaccinated. any message you might have to people who like you were on the fence about getting the vaccine? >> i would say don't be afraid to get it. just go ahead and get it. it's worth it. i mean, i wish i'd gotten it. otherwise, i probably wouldn't have wound up in the hosp

and this evening you can see the track right there in florida. a tropical storm watch just issued for parts of that state. so, let's get right to rob marciano, live in miami tonight, tracking all of this for us. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. the severe storms have damaging wind but dangerous lightning. six people hospitalized in the bronx from being struck by lightning. here's where the storms are and the watches from new york all the way back through ohio and another cluster near st. louis. the heat, humidity certainly antagonizing this and we'll have another day of it tomorrow in the central u.s. and and here's tropical storm watches now posted for south florida and maybe making landfall across the panh david? >> rob marciano with us again tonight. thanks, rob. >>> when we come back here what the new census reveals about america. >>> and the late headline tonight on britney spears. what her father has just done. ♪ t) (upbeat pop music in background throughout) i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried

tropical storm warnings up in florida at this hour. the system closing in on the keys, and headed up the gulf coast of florida. but other areas could be hit with this. rob marciano is with us. the track has shifted a bit? >> reporter: yeah, it's taken a big shift to the west. that will give it more time over the gulf of mexico to strengthen. it's a mess over cuba. but it gets back into the water tomorrow, and then over the keys and stays over the gulf of mexico, gets closer to hurricane watches up for virginia, d.c., and baltimore. a rough next couple of hours. and excessive heat across the west. and another storm behind fred will be on our doorstep by midweek. >> rob, thank you. >>> we're going to move on to the major headline involving new york governor andrew cuomo. tonight, we've learned the new york state assembly will suspend its impeachment investigation. what does this mean? let's go right to erielle reshef. >> reporter: the speaker says the state does not allow law makes to impeachment after he leaves office. but other evidenc

tropical storm warnings now up in florida. and take a look. the system heading up the gulf coast of florida and the keys. but there are other areas that could get hit with this. rob marciano is live in miami tonight. rob, this track has shifted a bit. >> reporter: yes, to the west. and that will give it more time over the gulf of mexico to strengthen. let's take a look at it now. it's a mess over cuba. very disorganized, but it gets back into the water tomorrow and will help it strengthen and will go over the keys as you mentioned and stays over the gulf of mexico, gets closer to hurricane strength, making landfall somewhere during the day on monday. and some tornadoes possibly as well. storms across the northeast, the last day of the heat wave fueling these storms and watches up for virginia, d.c. and baltimore that will usher in some cooler air but a rough next couple of hours. portland, excessive heat across there and the northwest. and another storm behind fred will be here in midweek. >> rob, thank you. >>> we're going to move on to the m

tropical storm warnings posted in florida at this hour. rob marciano timing it all out. >>> and the deadly summer covid surge pushing hospitals to the brink. the u.s. recording more than 140,000 new cases for two days in a row now. hospitals under siege from the relentless delta variant. and heartbreaking scenes like this unfolding across the country. a doctor sharing footage from inside an overwhelmed covid ward in arkansas and what dr. anthony fauci just said about the possibility of booster shots in the future. >>> good evening, everyone. thanks so much for joining us on this very busy sunday. i'm linsey davis. there are several breaking news stories as we come on the air. the urgent rescue efforts in haiti after that devastating earthquake there and hospitals here at home are on the brink of failure as the covid crisis intensifies. more on all of that in just a moment, but we begin with afghanistan and the dramatic fall of the capital. just today president biden sending more troops, a total of 6,000 now to speed up the emergency evacua

the major tropical storm slamming into florida today. torm hitting haitierngthquake wel you the sne i. ahe i the u strengthening all day before making landfall. mid-atlantic. let's go to rob marciano tracking it all tonight. rob? >> reporter: david, i can tell you, certainly felt like a hurricane coming ashore just a few hours ago. still a formidable storm to our north and east where damaging winds and tornadoes are a possibility over the next couple of hours. the watches remain up until 8:00 and the tropical rains, all of it, will be drifting north. the flood watches now into north carolina. this rain will get all the way up into the northeast. grace just south of haiti now. the next 12 hours will be difficult with flooding rains, potentially mudslides. into the gulf of mexico and mexico this weekend. david? >> rob marciano, thank you. >>> and as rob just said, tropical depression grace now bearing down on haiti at this hour. more misery there after that 7.2 magnitude earthquake. thousands are now homeless. more than 1,400 are dead. hun

>> rob marciano with us from florida tonight. rob, thank you. >>> and as rob just said, tropical depression grace now bearing down on haiti at this hour. more misery there after that 7.2 magnitude earthquake. thousands are now homeless. more than 1,400 are dead. hundreds more missing tonight. families desperately searching the rubble for survivors with little government help. foreign aid has begun to arrive, but it's just the beginning. the u.s. coast guard flying the critically injured out, but the need tonight is staggering. abc's matt gutman is near the epicenter in haiti tonight. >> reporter: in day here >> reporter: in haiti tonight, dimming hope in those mounds of pulverized concrete and increasingly scenes of anguish. hotels and churches crumbled. so many are dead here that caskets are being driven out on mopeds. the earthquake tore this voodoo temple right off the mountain. now, these firefighters have been working here for two days now. they believe there are more bodies in the rubble and this goes on for house after hou

and right now, headed west at 10 miles per hour, it is east of florida by a lot but you can see that area that's all the shower and storms in the southeast, that is going to pick up henri. it's a little trough and it's going to drive it north and north toward new england and that's who i think really needs to be on the lookout. i want everybody from the outer banks up through the jersey shore to watch this weekend for high surf and rip currents, but for actual impacts from the storm, we're going to be watching it. the spaghetti plots are still a little bit wide there. sunday night into monday, certainly watch as the cone becomes more narrow. david? >> ginger, thank you. >>> when we come back here in new york, the dangerous moment on the subway. >>> and the major airline announcement tonight on not serving alcohol on the plane. so then i said to him, you oughta customize your car insurance with liberty mutual, so you only pay for what you need. hot dog or... chicken? only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ make fitness routine with pure protein. high pr

florida right behind. long lines developing for testing in miami. more covid hospitalizations there than ever before, even in 2020. and amid the conflicting rules about masks, cases in children are also on the rise. parents with strong feelings on both sides of the debate. the cdc's dr. rochelle walensky stressing once again, this remains a pandemic of the unvaccinated. all the vaccines strongly protect against severe illness and death. and tonight, the nation finally reaching that goal president biden set for the fourth of july, now a month late. 70% of everyone 18 years and older with at least one dose. and tonight, the new warning about covid and pregnant women. and after israel and the uk decided to offer booster shots, will the u.s. soon do the same? dr. jha weighing in in just a moment. but we begin tonight with abc's janai norman in hard-hit louisiana. >> reporter: tonight, faced with the highest covid infection rate in the country, hospitals in louisiana starting to run out of beds. some reporting seeing a new covid patient every hour. >> th

tonight from florida to mississippi to oregon, what they're now seeing. >>> the accident on the tarmac -- two passenger planes clipping their wings. >>> and the new jeopardy host stepping down just nine days after getting the job. >>> good evening, and it's great to have you with us as we near the end of another week together here. we will get to those hurricane warnings and watches in the northeast at this hour in just a moment. rob marciano with the new track. and when it hits this weekend. >>> but we are going to begin tonight with that news coming in from afghanistan right now, the evacuation efforts under way, both at the airport, and tonight the a.p. is now reporting that u.s. military helicopters have begun flying into taliban held kabul to air lift evacweiss to the airport. abc news has not independently confirmed this, but if so, it would be another major step in these urgent evacuations. president biden meanwhile, before the american people today and taking questions on the chaotic images being watched by the world. growing reports tonight, the taliban is blocking some people

tonight from florida to mississippi to oregon, what they're now seeing. >>> the accident on the tarmac, two passenger planes clipping >>> and the new "jeopardy!" host stepping down just nine days after getting the job. >>> good evening. as we come on the air in the west we begin with breaking news on several fronts. those hurricane warnings and watches right now in the east set to hit this weekend. but we do begin tonight with that news coming in from afghanistan right now. the evacuation efforts under way, both at the airport and we have just learned now that u.s. military helicopters have also picked up 169 americans at a hotel outside the airport in kabul. this is all part of an urgent effort under way. president biden before the american people today and taking questions on the chaotic images being watched by the world. growing reports tonight the taliban is blocking some people from getting to the airport. reports the taliban has showed up at the doors of afghans who helped the u.s. the president today promising americans in afghanistan we will get you home and when pressed saying

and in florida, officials are now threatening to withhold state funds to school districts in miami-dade if they continue to enforce masks. this as breakthrough cases continue. civil rights leader reverend jesse jackson and his wife are hospitalized in chicago for covid after both being fully vaccinated. the couple's son saying doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both. the 79-year-old received his first dose of the pfizer shot in january, seven months ago. linsey, that pfizer fda approval is potentially hours away, and the u.s. surgeon general tells abc news that he anticipates that it will help convince those americans who are on the fence to finally get a shot. linsey. >> marcus, thank you. >>> there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this sunday. >>> tracking tropical storm henri. we'll go back to rob marciano who is standing by and the wildfire emergency in northern california. the fire destroying hundreds of buildings. what authorities are now saying. all the time in the world. it's just a saying. but today, for women living with hr+, her2- metastatic bre

florida just saw its deadliest week. >> a lot them actually that are coming here and before we intubate them almost their last words are begging us for a vaccine. but unfortunately, by that time, it's already too late. >> reporter: in palm beach, doctors gathering in solidarity before dawn to beg members of the community to get the shot. >> the science is there. we must stop denying the data, so please get vaccinated. >> reporter: and tonight, the number of children infected with covid is skyrocketing. more than 180,000 cases last week, nearly five times more than just a month ago. 14-year-old preston timmins has autism and was hospitalized in arizona for days with covid. >> it's terrifying. he doesn't like, you know, them poking him and prodding him. he has to be on oxygen because he can't breathe well on his own. it was hard. >> reporter: preston is finally home recovering. his mom now plans to get him vaccinated as soon as he's better. >> and eva pilgrim with us tonight. and eva, we should point out that with this full approval of the pfizer vaccine, the fda still warning that the va

florida hitting an all-time high in covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths. texas nearing a record today, too. and tonight, the federal authorities who are once again warning of the danger after some americans have used a medication meant for horses and co medeca ungt to fight covid. a drug touted on some cable news. then the calls to poison control. the urgent warning again tonight from the fda to stop using this. >>> the massive caldor fire in california forcing new evacuations tonight. flames destroying more than 600 homes and buildings and worsening air quality across several states. >>> and tonight here, we could a powerful new hurricane headed for the u.s. rob marciano standing by with the timing and the track. >>> good evening and it's great to have you with us here on this thursday night and we begin tonight with the difficult news out of afghanistan. a suicide bomb attack outside the airport killing 13 u.s. service members, several marines and a navy medic and injuring 15 others. tonight, the a.p. is reporting at least 60 afghan civilians were killed

in orlando, florida, tonight, 14 portable morgues now being brought in. and a judge in that state now saying schools can mandate masks in florida. and the other major headline tonight -- what the u.s. intelligence community revealed late today about the origins of covid-19. >>> the fires in the west tonight closing in on lake tahoe. thousands of firefighters and air quality in some areas 50 times worse than what is already considered unhealthy. >>> and the breaking headline as we come on air tonight. sirhan sirhan granted parole 50 years after the assassination of robert kennedy. two of his sons speakig in favor of his release. >>> good evening. and it's great to have you with us here as we near the end of this very heavy week, and we will have more on what could be a category 4 hurricane now hitting the u.s. the new track skrjust in tonigh. but we are going to begin with the unfolding situation tonight. president biden's security team warning another attack is likely in these final days of the mission, set to end on tuesday. of course that warning comes

in central florida, 14 portable morgues like this one, set to arrive as early as today. >> this is our unvaccinated population is who's dying. >> reporter: lisa steadman says she and her husband were holding off on getting the vaccine when they both caught the virus. lisa coming home from the hospital this week, only to find her husband had died from complications due to covid-19. >> remember, you are not promised tomorrow, so you better make sure you tell your loved ones you love them. >> reporter: whit, a study out of the uk estimates that highly contagious delta variant doubles the risk of hospitalization. whit? >> another concern with that delta variant. elwyn, thank you. >>> tonight, thousands marching through the streets of washington, d.c., on the 58th anniversary of martin luther king jr.'s historic "i have a dream" speech, now with an urgent call for congress to act on voting legislation. >> the torch is being passed to us, and it's time for our generation to wake up the world so we can stop talking about the dream and start living the dream! >> reporter: tonight, a new genera