got a couple of those lizards blowing around down here in south florida. you bet, all shapes and sizes. the raindrops from tropical storm fred. back up to you. >> not edible, rob, just for the record. >> i am hungry. that's a good point. i'll stay away. >> yeah. thank you, rob. we'll come back to you later in the show after whatever -- anyway on "gma," dozens of breakthrough covid cases on board a carnival cruise ship. how they were handled on board. >>> and the premiere of laliga on espn, star player and shakira's partner, gerard pique, live on "gma" to give you a sneak peek. we finally found the perfect house. yeah, we couldn't believe the deal we got. just lucky i guess. (sfx: airplane flying overhead) we're a little closer to the airport than we thought... (sfx: airplane grounded outside the house) at least geico makes bundling our home and car insurance easy. saving us so much money. -hi. -how was your flight? -good. -good. morning, ted. for bundling made easy, go to geico.com. the tops of mountains. a li wl lived should continue at home. with home in

florida leading the country in hospitalizations. the state reporting an alarming new case record -- more than 134,000 infections over the last week. health-care workers pushed to the brink. two hospitals expanding to handle the flood of admissions. >>> the wildfire devastation in the west. in california, several people unaccounted for, and the third largest wildfire in state history. the flames now threatening more than 10,000 homes and other buildings. zohreen shah is on the front lines tonight. >>> also tonight, new york governor andrew cuomo facing possible charges. the albany county sheriff providing new details today on the criminal complaint from one of the governor's 11 accusers. the woman saying cuomo groped her at the governor's mansion. what we're learning tonight. >>> breaking out of washington late today, the massive trillion-dollar infrastructure bill clearing a significant hurdle. details from the rare session, and votes this weekend on capitol hill. >>> the warning, americans urged to evacuate afghanistan immediately.

this as the virus ravages florida. but the govern's controversial ban on mask mandates sparking fierce debate. here's abc's victor oquendo. >> repoter: this back-to-school season, it's the question parents across the country are facing. mask or no mask? >> okay, shar, we have to wear masks at school. you have to wear it all day because that's the way we stay the safest, okay? >> okay. >> reporter: for 5-year-old charlotte in florida, it's not just lunch and a backpack she's taking as she heads to kindergarten. but even with added protection her dad is worried. >> first week back. and feeling much trepidation. much trepidation about this current climate right now we face. >> reporter: despite the availability of vaccines, the nation is grappling with a fourth surge of covid-19 spurred by the delta variant, once again leading to a fierce debate over how states can best protect communities. the.s now averaging more than 110,000 new covid cases a day. hospitals now admitting about 9,300 new patients on a daily basis. the m

. >>> and from a splash landing in florida to a fast food chain upgrading its french fries to the wedding guest who received an invoice in the mail, all the trending stories for your friday morning. >>> good friday morning, everyone. i'm mona kosar abdi. >> and i'm phil lipof. andrew is off today. we begin with the chaos after the bombings outside kabul's airport. the deadliest attack on u.s. forces in afghanistan in a decade. >> at least 13 u.s. service members were killed, 18 were wounded, but the death toll among afghan citizens is expected to rise with reports now saying up to 90 afghans have died. >> here at home flags are being flown at half-staff as the race to evacuate americans grows even more frantic. >> flights resumed overnight, and we begin our coverage with abc's faith abubey. faith, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you guys. as we learn more about those attacks in kabul yesterday, a new report says the u.s. military actually gave the taliban a list of americans who need to be evacuated. this morning, the u.s. military is bracing for more potential attacks in

victor, we know the situation in florida. we are also hearing tonight, as i mentioned off the top, austin, texas, with those six icu beds left. that's a city of more than 2 million. and another eye-opening number tonight, from the entire state of arkansas when it comes to icu beds? >> reporter: david, arkansas's governor says they just saw their largest single day increase in hospitalizations, now down to just eight icu beds in a state of 3 million people. governor hutchinson calling it an error to sign a law banning those mask mandates. david? >> all right, victor oquendo leading us off here on a monday night. victor, thank you. >>> the spike in cases, of course, is alarming, particularly what we're now seeing in children. we know many of you at home have questions about all of this. so, let's get right back to dr. ashish jha. dean of the brown university of public health. dr. jha, great to have you with us to start off a new week. we're witnesses the huge spikes across the country. particularly across the south. many author

in the country are in florida. it is also a fact that the governor has taken steps that are counter to public health recommendations. >> reporter: late today, the president asked about the florida governor. >> governor who? >> desantis? >> reporter: in ft. lauderdale, 17-year-old david espino, a high school football player, hospitalized for ten days with covid, developing pneumonia. he's now at broward health. >> it's been pretty scary, actually. i wasn't actually able to go to the bathroom without shortness of breath a couple of days ago. it can get to anyone. it can get you if you're 10, it can get you if you're 60, it doesn't matter how old you are. >> reporter: it comes amid growing concern for the young. the number of children admitted to hospitals with covid now 3 1/2 times higher than it was a month ago. david and his mother regret not getting him vaccinated. >> i would definitely encourage them to get their kids vaccinated if they're eligible. because now with school starting and, you know, we're here, and

plus the dire situation from florida to texas. one hospital official saying they're "beyond disaster." >>> severe storms. nine inches of rain falling in just six hours. lightning striking a beach, sending six people to the hospital. more than a million power outages overnight. what to expect today. >>> plus, britney spears scores a big win in the legal battle with her father. but her fight is far from over. >>> they built it and they came. the major league field of draemds game lives up to the hype. >>> and from the famous piece of cake seg for big bucks to the big news for "home alone" fans to the video of one overly protective pooch. all your trending stories for your friday. >> announcer: from abc news in new york, this is "america this morning." >>> good friday morning, everyone. we begin with the breaking news. the very real possibility of afghanistan soon collapsing into the hands of the taliban. >> the pentagon is now urgently sending thousands of troops back into the country to help evacuate u.s. citizens in kabul. one top

it comes as florida requests 300 ventilators from the federal government to keep up with the surge in cases threatening to overwhelm hospitals. in arkansas, which just saw the largest daily increase in hospitalizations, only eight icu beds are available in the entire state, and mississippi reports zero icu beds in top level hospitals with 200 patients waiting for a room. one hospital official pleading with the public to only visit the er if you're critically ill. >> we are battling the most infectious version of covid. i'm extremely concerned with our ability to handle the continual wave of new patients. >> new cte data shows just how effective the vaccine is. it shows 99.99% of vaccinated people who have been infected with covid did not need to be hospitalized. >>> breaking overnight, residents of a condo building in miami have been told to get out because the building has been deemed unsafe. the eight-story condo has nearly 140 units. city officials claim the building's columns are structurally inefficient and say management failed to complete a 40-year reversion. residents are bein

this weekend southern florida gets the impact. and the florida panhandle further north gets a land fall early next week. >> coming up the white house tries to tackle rising gas prices. >> what we're learning about the california father accused of killing his children. all because of a conspiracy theory. >> wild ride at 147 miles per hour. we're at our best when we stand together. that's when we make the impossible possible. that's what stand up to cancer has done. because you stood up. because of you, survivors are out there. we're making the impossible... possible. we're committed to making every cancer patient... a survivor. this is the moment we double our efforts. together... we stand up to cancer. tune in saturday august 21st at 8/7 central >>> police in maryland say this is what can happen when drivers ignore street closure signs. plunging into a water filled sink hole created by a water main break. >> biden administration says it's taking new action to protect consumers from rising gas prices. the president is asking the fe

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

the governor is playing politics. >> the delta surge in florida getting worse. with 1,200 more hospitalizations. the state leading the nation with hospitalized children. hospitals reporting pediatric cases that are severe. >> something we have never seen before is pediatric intensive care units overwhelmed. that is really frightening. >> florida governor continues to threaten school districts efb teachers pay for those who impose the ban. the white house looking into using federal dollars to pay a portion of the teach rs salary. in texas, local leaders continue to reject governor's ban on mask mandates. three regions report having no icu beds available. one houston nurse says her staff is being pushed to the breaking point. >> i feel like we have lost this fight. there's trama. there's anger. frustration. they are fighting covid. what is everybody else doing? >> thank you. cdc adviser expected to meet friday fo discuss the safety of vaccine booster shots. considering whether to authorize boosters for certain vulnerable groups. cdc says more than 1 million americ

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

the governor of florida has been fighting vaccine mandates. vaccine -- norwegian argued vaccination is required to safely resume operations. reggie: governor andrew cuomo has resigned as the governor faces a possible impeachment amid sexual assault allegations. the committee that would handle and impeachment meets today. >> and this morning's gma first look, new york governor andrew cuomo and the looming threat of impeachment, now facing a potential misdemeanor charge over allegations he groped his former executive assistant. >> she filed a complaint alleging criminalducty the governor that was sexual in nature. >> details from a report released by the state attorney general saying cuomo allegedly harassed 11 women and cuomo denies any misconduct or inappropriate advances, his lawyer striking back against the claims. >> he did not grope her. there was evidence provided by several individuals to the attorney general about the potential motives for her to have made that claim. >> coming up at 7:00 a.m., legal analyst dan abrams ways and live wit

: the florida hospital association warning six in ten florida hospitals are expecting a critical staffing shortage within the next week. in texas, frontline workers are drowning in the cascade of new covid cases. in harris county officials raising its threat level to red this week. >> our icu population is increasing at a rate we had seen or we had not seen since the worst part of the worst wave we've had in this community. >> reporter: in houston, the ceo of harris health system calling it crisis mode. in the city where one hospital had to transfer stephanie lopez's 11-month-old daughter ava. >> it's something that i wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. it's nothing i wouldn't want any other mother to go through. >> reporter: stephanie telling me she felt heartbroken and helpless as her infant was airlifted to a hospital 150 miles away alone because there were no available pediatric icu beds in houston. >> was there a point when you were thinking the worst? >> yeah, there was -- like whenever i got out the car and she wasn't responding to me, she was just unconscious. she wasn't breathing, m

the governor of florida has been fighting vaccine mandates. the cruise is set to depart from miami on august 15 and it will be the region's first voyage in -- >> the committee discussing the impeachment robe of new york governor andrew cuomo set to meet this morning as the new york attorney general reported cuomo sexually halal -- harassed 11 women. one of his accusers is publicly accusing him of groping her and filed a criminal complaint. brittany is his former executive assistant and spoke to cbs about what happened. >> he touched me not only once but twice. i don't think that had happened to any of the other women, the touching. >> the albany county sheriff says his office is conducting a thorough investigation. dan abrams talked about what it would take for prosecutors to get a conviction. >> you have to go through that various defenses from the governor to say, does this pose questions as to when this could have happened and the details as to what happened. >> overnight cuomo's top aide announced she is resigning. cuomo has denied any sex

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

victor oquendo is in gainesville, florida, with the latest. good morning, again, victor. >> reporter: good morning, michael. our team went inside the hospital here in gainesville where the medical director told us that this current surge is bigger than anything they've seen before. this morning, abc news confirming the fda is expected to authorize a third booster shot for immunocompromised people today. the cdc advisory panel then set to meet friday. director walensky could green light the shots soon after. the news coming after the cdc confirms more than a million people getting a third shot, even without authorization. it comes as the delta variant surges across the country. hospitalizations now at their highest level in six months. more than 17,000 icu beds in use across the country. amy spoke with dr. anthony fauci about who will be eligible for a booster shot earlier this morning. >> we know now that the fda is expected to authorize those booster shots for people who have compromised immune systems. do we know exactly who is eligible for

>> 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

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

battle against florida's law would likely prevail. michael? >> gio, thank you for that. >>> now we're going to turn to our abc news exclusive. frank del rio, president and chief executive officer of norwegian cruise line holdings. mr. del rio, thank you for joining us. we see governor desantis' office, they said they will appeal the judge's ruling arguing that your policy amounts to discrimination. so what is your response to that? >> well, good morning, michael, and thank you for having me. we're very pleased with the judge's order. we think it's the right thing to do, given that there's a pandemic going on and, as gio mentioned, the challenges to the cruise industry has had with the pandemic and we want to do everything we can to keep covid off our ships and the science tells us the best way to do that is to have a vaccinated population. back in the spring, before it was popular to do so, we said we will not sail unless there is 100% vaccinated population, that means all crew, all guests. on top of that, primarily because of the del

he is in florida. hey, rob, how are you doing? >> i'm doing great, eva. just a little bit of wind here from fred as it emerges into the florida straits and eventually the gulf of mexico. but let's give you a little western weather covering the fires, of course, the monument fire in california, over 70,000 acres burned with this one here, there you see the crowning of some of the trees, just 5% contained, so that's yet another fire that they've got to try to get their hands around with more in the way of extreme heat today, especially across northern california and western parts of oregon and washington. will be a record challenging stuff. 95 degrees in portland measured in the shade and then we'll also have maybe some dry lightning with some erratic winds there. lisa: good saturday morning. i am lisa argen. you can see the clouds in san francisco. we have air quality advisor today and tomorrow as hazy conditions will prevail in the inland valley. wildfireelevhe hea coend th98 today, 88 in san jos6 santa rosa -- temperatures over 100 degrees. very littl >>

this weekend southern florida gets the impact. and the florida panhandle further north gets a land fall early next week. >> coming up the white house tries to tackle rising gas prices. >> what we're learning about the california father accused of killing his children. all because of a conspiracy theory. >> wild ride at 147 miles per hour. what can i du with less asthma? with dupixent i can du more... yardwork... teamwork... long walks.... that's how you du more, with dupixent, which helps prevent asthma attacks. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on-treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. and can reduce, or even eliminate, oral steroids. and here's something important. dupixent can cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection, and don't change o

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 fred is targeting florida. it's scheduled to reach the gulf as early as this afternoon. >> let's take a closer look at your morning weather. heavy rain pummelled austin, texas. the downpours led to flooding inside the state capitol. on the radar you can see fred swirling off florida's west coast. there's rain in parts of arizona. a flash flood watch in phoenix. it's dry in the northeast. 80 in new york. 89 from dallas to miami. triple digits in phoenix. >>> also, coming up, the vaccine mandate going into effect today in one city. >>> the booming black market for fake vaccine cards. the warnings. >>> the massive school bus >>> the massive school bus driver shortage across si've ms with my mental health. so when i started having unintentional body movements called tardive dyskinesia... ... i ignored them. but when the movements in my hands and feet started throwing me off at work... i finally had to say, 'it's not ok.' it was time to talk to my doctor about austedo. she said that austedo helps reduce td movements

states including florida, louisiana and texas. if florida were its own country, it would be in the top five in the world for infections right now. larry: kristen: -- kristen: looking at california, it seems we are doing better. in the bay area. a lot of people are wondering if we plan toed here -- plateaued here. >> i think the numbers are reassuring. i believe we went below 200. i did see reassuring news from dr. colfax about how this may represent a plateau. we also have a responsible crowd. after seeing headlines and worried sis -- statistics, i am glad people have noticed are wearing masks. it can be a function of that as well. i do not know if we can say delta has peaked, or behavior has influenced it. kristen: i have a lot more questions, but in the spirit have feuding viewer -- of putting bureaus first, let's get the questions. kevin wants no well those who are immune compromised to receive the shots still needing a booster past their journal -- past their supplementals, he wants no. >> if i understood correctly, the questi

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

tropical storm fred is targeting florida. it's scheduled to reach the gulf as early as this afternoon. >> let's take a closer look at your morning weather. heavy rain pummelled austin, texas. the downpours led to flooding inside the state capitol. on the radar you can see fred swirling off florida's west coast. there's rain in parts of arizona. a flash flood watch in phoenix. it's dry in the northeast. 80 in new york. 89 from dallas to miami. triple digits in phoenix. >>, vcine mandate going into effect today in one city. >>> the booming black market for fake vaccine cards. the warnings. >>> the massive school bus driver shortage across the country. why the shortage and what's we're at our best when we stand together. that's when we make the impossible possible. that's what stand up to cancer has done. because you stood up. because of you, survivors are out there. we're making the impossible... possible. we're committed to making every cancer patient... a survivor. this is the moment we double our efforts. together... we stan

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

when we are seeing above 140 kids hospitalized in the state of florida, that is alarming. over the past year, people have almost downplayed seeing positive cases. they say, yeah, my child is positive, but children do fine. they are immune or a symptomatically. when we now know that if you have more children getting infected, you will inevitably cause more spread of the virus. kristen: going back to immunocompromised and what it means with the fda on a -- on the verge of approving boosters, our type one diabetics considered immunocompromised? dr. patel: type one diabetics as is are not. but i will say that anyone who has autoimmune disease, and this is -- i'm expanding beyond type 1 diabetes. . people who have autoimmune disease may want to talk to their doctor if they are on certain medications. when in doubt, chat with your doctor. anyone with type 1 diabetes is at an increased risk. anyone has a condition who has not been vaccinated, please do so. kristen: probably heard breaking news as well. los angeles moved toward requiring vaccine proved to get into indoor places li

florida and texas now accounting for nearly 40% of new hospital admissions. dr. richard besser is live. tropical storm warning, fred on the move taking aim at florida and dangerous heat waves. millions of americans on both coasts on alert as severe storms sweep the country bringing flooding and damaging winds. rob has the timing and the tracks. >>> britney free? a breakthrough for spears as her father steps down as conservator of her estate. a major victory in her fight for freedom. what's next for the superstar? >>> the return of the murder hornet. the first live sighting in the u.s. this year found in washington state. what experts are warning this morning. >>> covid and the classroom. with the debate over masks in schools raging, a new look at how the virus can spread. in a room of unmasked students,r and experts' concern about those plexiglass barriers. ♪ dream on, dream on ♪ >>> plus, they built it, and they came. kevin costner helping bring "field of dreams" to life. off in the cornfield. to the wa white sox win it. >> going the distance with a hollywoo

we're also learning about changes to the water supply in florida, all related to the crisis that hospitals face there. faith, good morning. >> good morning to you, andrew. in some hospitals the situation is so dire they're running out of life-saving equipment. this morning, more hospitals are in need of ventilators as the number of covid patients across the country hits a seven-month high. >> it's a very different beast, this covid. >> reporter: hospitals in georgia and texas now receiving hundreds of ventilators from the u.s. stockpile. in galveston, this covid ward at this hospital is full. nearly all covid patients in the ic rurks on ventilators and all but one are unvaccinated. >> i say everyday, i wish those people could take a walk through these units and see what these patients are going through. >> reporter: in florida hospitals are running low on liquid oxygen needed to operate ventilators and a key kpaent in purifying water. residents in tampa now being asked to conserve water and they're being warned of a slight change in the taste and color of the tap water because the city is

it comes as the number of people in the hospital hits a new pandemic high in florida. the white house says florida and six other states are fueling the current surge in cases. >> more hospitals are reporting staff shortages and infections among children are spiamong chi. abc's alex presha is here with the very late effort. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as covid cases climb across the country, two events are fueling concerns about superspreader even this morning, massive crowds at sturgis, south dakota, where 700,000 people are expected for an annual motorcycle rally. in wisconsin, the state fair now under way with few masks in the crowd despite recommendations. >> it feels good. i got my shot, so i'm okay, i hope. >> reporter: on thursday, the fair's opening day, health officials announce covid cases in wisconsin reached the highest level since january, and now as the delta variant fuels the latest surge, the fda is expected to recommend a plan for vaccine booster shots for people with weaker immune systems. that plan expected in the coming weeks. >> w

. >>> 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

reggie: norwegian cruise line plans to sail out of florida again on sunday. it will depart from miami after a federal judge ruled cruise lines can require passengers to require proof of vaccination for they get on. >> a federal judge saying norwegian cruise line can now require florida passengers to provide proof of vaccination before boarding, going directly against governor ron desantis' orders. >> this is a victory for the cruise industry, at least for now. >> days ago, colonel, -- carnival and princess announced masks mandatory regardless of vaccination status . this morning, nearly all of the companies say they are trying to figure out how the new ruling applies to them. >> a number of cruise lines returning to florida in the fall and will continue to watch and see how it plays out. >> coming up, and abc news exclusive. we will talk to the president and ceo of norwegian cruise lines. kumasi: the pentagon says it will seek the president's approval to require 1.4 million active military members to get the covid-19 vaccine. the pentagon could move the pet -

we learned overnight about new precautions being taken from florida to oregon. the cdc reports a troubling spike in covid deaths in just the last week. this morning, frustrated health care workers making a desperate anfagu >> the nurses are exhausted mentally, physically, emotionally. >> reporter: in oklahoma city this nurse says hospitals are overwhelmed with unvaccinated patients. >> i want oklahomans to know if they saw what we see every day, they would be in line for the vaccination. >> reporter: in kentucky more than 20 hospitals report critical staffing shortages. in mississippi, emergency management officials are deploying 1,000 health care workers to assist dozens of struggling hospitals. covid deaths are up 23% nationwide in the last week and when it comes to hospitalizations, the cdc says unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people. the good news is vaccinations are at a six-week high. the bad news is the delta variant is taking a toll. vaccine effectiveness at preventing infection dropped from 91% before the

in florida several waterspouts were seen off the coast of the panhandle. this is from the laguna beach area. checking the radar the system that soaked chicago is aching its way across michigan. most of the country is under clear skies. looking at today's highs, 80s and 90s along much of the east coast and across the southeast but cooler along the far west coast. >>> coming up, an 11-year-old's close encounter with a shark at the beach. >>> also ahead, the desperate 911 calls after that deadly flood in tennessee. a wall of water forcing people>s dramatic scene. a train going off a cliff on purpose. is olay better than your clean beauty? olay has 99% pure niacinamide. it's derm-tested. and now, it's cleanest formula with hydration that beats the $400 cream. tried. tested. never bested. shop at olay.com people today... they could spend half their lives over 50. i could get used to this. so that's good. make sure your happiness lives as long as you do. that's why the younger you are, the more you need aarp. join today. [swords clashing] - had enough? - no... a

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

we are seeing more hospitalizations of kids in a state like florida not even mentioning that kids can have long hauler symptoms. we go through a and c,, a is true. people that i've had covid in the past and i have natural immunity and am okay. natural immunity plus vaccine acquired immunity keeps you safer. and the variance of interest r because it could turn into concern like alpha, beta, and delta. there plenty out there and covid-19 wants nothing more than to replicate and try to create more dangerous mutations. >> my fear is that we will run out of the alphabet letters soon. we will have to go with the japanese alphabet or something different. >>> let's hope that doesn't happen. i learned so much from the last round. let's another one. >> i like coming off the top of two rounds of this. now everybody knows the drill. tried to stop us. try to stump me. which one is not true, six states have enacted nine laws with probations on vaccine mandates. or is it b, the fda will review hundreds of thousands of documents during the full approval process for the covid- 19 vaccine. or is it mic

with the pandemic going on, there are no machines available in florida. >> in central florida, they are running out of places to put bodies. >> this is not being exaggerated or blown out of proportion. this is real. >> some hospitals are now using refrigerated trucks to store the dead. it comes as florida's ban on mass mandates returns to court. in i i reinstating mask requirements. >> hospital staff are becoming overwhelmed. people are dying who do not have to die. >> one school in the chicago area faces a massive outbreak. at least 50 students and staff testing positive. >> developing news, the supreme court has ruled evictions can resume across the u.s. that is blocking the biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban put in place to help renters during the pandemic. roughly 3.5 million people say they face eviction in the next two months. the high court said the cdc lacked the authority to impose that moratorium. california has its own moratorium on evictions that will end september 30. located near the fruitvale t station, it will provide more than 180 units of affordable ho

but florida's governor rejecting calls for restrictions. how he's going after president biden. >>> and raging wildfires exploding in the west. dangerous heat and