right now on "america this morning." >> this is scary. we've done all the things that we thought we should do. >> atlanta's mayor, a top contender to be presumptive nominee joe biden's running mate tests positive for coronavirus as dr. anthony fauci reveals the average age of those now getting infected. >> labs warning about longer wait times for test results. hospitalizations hitting new highs in nearly a dozen states. are ers turning patients away? the culture wars ramping up. president trump facing new pushback from one of his closest allies after taking on nascar and its ban on the confederate flag. breaking overnight, tiktok takedown. why one of the most popular social media apps could be soon banned in the u.s. emergency landing.

what caused this damage to the front of a delta plane, and it wasn't a bird. cashing in. the record smashing deal that could give 24-year-old quarterback patrick mahomes the biggest payday in sports history. and the new survey revealing just how much weight americans have gained during the coronavirus lockdown. good tuesday morning, everyone. dr. anthony fauci says we're still knee-deep in the first wave of coronavirus infections. >> the u.s. death toll now tops 130,000. atlanta's mayor who is considered a leading contender to become presumptive democratic nominee joe biden's running mate has tested positive along with one of her children and her husband. she says she's in a state of shock because she thought her family had done everything necessary to stay safe. >> there is growing concern about testing capacity across the u.s. some labs can't keep up with surging demand for tests.

>> and this morning major developments when it comes to students going back to school. florida making a big announcement very different from what harvard just announced. >> abc's andrea fujii begins our coverage. >> reporter: within the first six days of july, a quarter of a million new coronavirus infections nationwide, and dr. anthony fauci not mincing words. >> we are still knee-deep in the first wave of this. >> reporter: and the white house not immune from the virus fears. south dakota's governor joined president trump on air force one just a day after being in close contact with kimberly guilfoyle, who recently tested positive. governor noem has since tested negative. >> they would never put him in a situation that would put him in harm's way. >> reporter: in florida where the number of covid-19 cases doubled in the last two weeks, miami's social scene shutting down again. the mayor reversing course closing restaurants and gyms for a second time. and now new concerns about the surge of new patients flooding hospitals after one florida

family says 70-year-old horten hortensea lawrence died after multiple emergency rooms turned her away. >> my grandmother could have been one of those people that walked out of that hospital without an issue feeling better, but, you know, she was just kind of sent home and just, you know, pushed to the side. >> reporter: the hospital involved says they do not discharge anyone because of overcrowding. 21 is now the average age of florida residents who have contracted the virus, and dr. fauci now saying nationwide the average age of people getting infected is much younger than originally thought. >> the average age of people getting infected now is a decade and a half younger than what it was a few months ago. >> reporter: even as universities like harvard announce they'll go entirely remote in the fall, florida's education commissioner has ordered all schools to open this fall as jacksonville prepares to host the upcoming republican national convention, the mayor taking to twitter begging residents to wear masks. %-p.

nine states are now reporting new records for hospitalizations including georgia, and this morning, atlanta's mayor announcing she, her husband and one of her children tested positive for the virus. >> my husband literally has been asleep since thursday, but i don't have any idea how we were exposed and -- but we've all been very careful. we even -- you know, my kids have been careful, so i'm stunned. >> reporter: in california, the governor deciding to shut down indoor dining and bars in san diego and five other counties and with increasing demand for testing, quest diagnostics now acknowledges it's taking longer to get results, between four to six days for most people. the world health organization is now reviewing a letter from nearly 240 doctors worldwide that says evidence shows covid-19 is airborne, something the w.h.o. has yet to confirm. kenneth, mona. >> andrea, thank you. new details about the death

of a 17-year-old girl from coronavirus in florida. the miami-dade medical examiner says carsyn davis attended a large gathering at a church with 100 other children last month and did not wear a mask. within three days she developed what her family thought was a sinus infection. she died ten days later at the hospital. now to washington and the culture wars ramping up, one of president trump's closest allies is pushing back against new comments about nascar and the confederate flag. the president is claiming that since nascar banned the flag, its ratings have dropped even though they've gone up, and he's accusing the sport's only full time black driver of perpetrating a hoax. abc's andrew dymburt has more. >> reporter: this morning, one of president trump's closest allies is defending nascar driver bubba wallace, a recent target of the president. >> well, i don't think bubba wallace has anything to to apologize for. >> reporter: those records from senator lindsey graham come after the president tweeted has bubba wallace apologized to all

of those great nascar drivers and officials who came to his aid, stood by his side and were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another hoax? >> you saw the best in nascar. when there was a chance that it was a threat against bubba wallace, they all rallied to bubba's side. so i would be looking to celebrate that kind of attitude more than being worried about it being a hoax. >> reporter: authorities say it was no hoax. a noose operating as a garage pull was found in wallace's garage. the fbi determined it had been placed there last year, long before wallace was assigned to that garage. >> why is the president even suggesting that mr. wallace should apologize? >> well, look, the fbi as i noted concluded that this was not a hate crime and he believes it would go a long way if bubba came out and acknowledged that as well. >> reporter: the president ended his tweet on wallace by claiming nascar's decision to ban the confederate flag has caused lowest ratings ever.

>> does he think it was a mistake for nascar to ban it? >> the president said he wasn't making a judgment one way or the other. >> why did he say ratings were down because they banned the flag? that's what he said. >> the president was noting the fact that in aggregate, nascar men and women who have gone and are being demeaned and being called racist and being accused in some venues of committing a hate crime against an individual, those allegations were just dead wrong. >> reporter: nascar ratings are actually up since they banned the confederate flag last month. in response wallace called on people to put love over hate tweeting, even when it's hate from the potus, love wins. this morning, former ohio governor and republican presidential candidate john kasich says the latest tweet shows the president is in a meltdown. >> he's flailing, erin. he's in a meltdown and he looks at his polls and doesn't know to who blame. he blames his advisers. he's even blaming fox news now and he's flailing.

>> reporter: when it comes to the confederate flag, there is a development from the pentagon. word is that the department of defense is considering drafting a policy that would ban the confederate flag from military bases. kenneth, mona. >> andrew, thank you. now to indiana where a car slammed into a group of protesters last night. video shows the vehicle speeding into a crowd in bloomington. two people were hit. at least one was rushed to the hospital. demonstrators were holding a rally in response to reports of an attempted lynching of a county commissioner over the weekend. a surge in deadly gun violence has prompted georgia's governor to declare a state of emergency. up to 1,000 national guard troops are being activated to protect state buildings and help law enforcement. an 8-year-old girl was among those killed by gunfire over the weekend. in new york, 30 shootings left at least ten people dead on sunday alone. the mayor says the effects of the coronavirus are to blame. the city's top cops say recent police reforms have crippled law enforcement. secretary of state mike pompeo says the u.s. is looking

at banning tiktok and other chinese social media apps due to security concerns. tiktok is the second most downloaded app in the world behind zoom. when asked if he would recommend downloading the app, pompeo said, quote, only if you want your private information in the hands of the chinese communist party. an emergency in the sky over new york, a delta jet from florida forced to land at jfk airport after being pounded by hail. look at that. you can see the damages to the front of the plane. the storm damaged the navigation system. no one thankfully was hurt. let's take a look at your tuesday morning weather. this waterspout formed off the coast of north carolina monday. storms are expected in that area once again today. meanwhile, this tornado was spinning along the montana/wyoming state line. more storms are possible there today as well. a grass fire near san francisco forced some people to evacuate. gusty winds will raise the risk for fires in california to

colorado today. checking today's temperatures, 90 in new orleans with heavy rain. the heat extends from kansas city up to detroit. coming up, the unusual sight in the italian alps. pink ice. also ahead, is he really worth half a billion dollars? the record smashing deal for kansas city quarterback patrick mahomes at age 24. and later it's featured every day on hgtv, but is the open concept home now a thing of the past?

back now with pink ice in the italian alps making

scientists worry. they say it's caused by algae increasing the effects of climate change. the algae itself isn't dangerous but researchers say it causes the snow and ice to melt faster by absorbing more heat. we turn now to what's being called the biggest deal in sports history. quarterback patrick mahomes is signing a deal that could be worth more than a half a billion dollars. >> are you kidding me? >> reporter: in the video captioned here to stay super bowl mvp patrick mahomes let his fans know he is not leaving kansas city any time soon. >> oh, how de pull that off? >> reporter: what he didn't mention in the video, the record-breaking contract with the chiefs, which could be worto years. that would be the biggt inpos sty, and mom only 24 years old. >> oh, [ bleep ]. guys, the chiefs and quarterback patrick mahomes just agreed to a ten-year contract. what? >> inside the 10.

still not down. oh, what a run. >> reporter: mahomes led the chiefs to their first super bowl tight until 50 years last season. >> the leaders we have on this team, they have that mind-set that we'll never give up. >> reporter: chiefs fans reacting overnight. >> he earned it. i think he deserves what we're going to be paying him. >> hopefully we're going to keep winning. that's the goal, right? >> rooting for more super bowl rings, i heard maybe two or three. i'm hoping for another ten. >> reporter: other athletes congratulating mahomes on social media. deshon elliott of the baltimore ravens teased the quarterback saying on twitter no wonder pat wasn't at workouts this a.m. he had to visit the bank right when it opened. lebron james writing, congrats, brother, let me borrow $5. >> can i get some too? it includes a no trade clause to ensure he stays right there in k.c. well, nba players begin reporting to the league's so-called bubble in the hopes of restarting the season, 22 teams sequestered at disney world where training camps opened thursday.

players will be able to relax in lounges that follow strict rul rules. >> they're not allowed to play doubles ping-pong and they been asked to dispose of decks between every card game and replaced with new ones in the name of sanitization. >> players will spread out between three hotels and be confined to their rooms when they're not playing or practicing. the season is set to resume july 30th. coming up, keeping the change, american's coin shortage gets even worse. amid growing concern about the coronavirus lingering in the air, can air purifiers protect you? our medical expert weighs in next. i'm a performer. -always have been. -and always will be. never letting anything get in my way. not the doubts, distractions, or voice in my head. and certainly not arthritis. new voltaren provides powerful arthritis pain relief to help me keep moving. and it can help you too.

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a california lawmaker is claiming she got coronavirus after a mask-to-marv infection. earlier i spoke with dr. imran ali about that claim. we also talked about concerns that it could linger in the air and whether air purifiers can help. we discussed a new headline about so-called herd immunity. i want to talk about a new study supporting evidence that so-called herd immunity won't be achievable in fighting the coronavirus because so little of the population has developed antibodies. what are your thoughts on this? >> this comes out of a study from spain where it showed that survivors, only 5% created enough antibodies that could be detected. so to achieve herd immunity you need at least 60% of the population to be immune. this study shows us that we only see 5% of the population creating enough antibodies, so we're not near what we would want to be to get herd immunity and we're still understanding that this is not an ordinary virus. >> a politician in california is

claiming that she tested positive for the virus after a mask-to-mask infection when she was in quarantine. can you explain what that means? >> in public health there is no term mask-to-mask infection. we all know that just because you're wearing a mask doesn't mean you're 100% safe. we still need to keep that social distance of six feet because if somebody is coughing next to you, and you're in that vicinity, you still can get a respiratory droplet because these masks, unless you're wearing the professional health care grade n95 masks, they're not 100% sealed. >> and, dr. ali, as we first mentioned yesterday, more scientists are concerned about the virus lingering in the air indoors instead of quickly falling to the floor. can air purifiers or filtration systems help protect against the virus? >> some of these filters, the hepa filters, the high efficiently hepa filters, can help, especially those with the uvc light, which can destroy the virus, but it's important to remember that even though these

hepa filters can trap the viral particles, it takes a while for these machines to circulate an entire room's air, so it doesn't replace social distancing and common precaution. >> and lastly, new reports are coming out about travelers hiding their coronavirus symptoms so they can board planes and get around temperature checks. they're doing this by taking anti-fever medication. how easy is it to hide these symptoms? >> well, mona, it's very irresponsible for anybody to travel if they're active infected with covid-19, but i do want the viewers to rest assured that if you have a fever and you're actively infected, you're not going to be well enough to travel, and you won't be able to conceal your illness. >> our thanks to dr. ali. so the coronavirus is blamed for a shortage of coins nationwide, and it's getting worse. more stores are asking customers to use exact change or credit e ndic has interrued the owlls and ces, arehaing coins

the b experts say the mint will make more coins as more businesses re-open. well, coming up, packing on the pounds. how much weight americans have gained during the coronavirus lockdown. also ahead, one man who's really flipping out at the beach. these are real people, not actors, who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema, you can show more skin. so roll up those sleeves. and help heal your skin from within with dupixent. dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin, and, had significantly less itch. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes,

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♪ time to check "the pulse." we begin with another drawback of covid-19. >> yes, trigger warning. americans locked in the house for months are putting on the pounds. call it the covid 16. a new study finds 76% of people surveyed have gained up to 16 pounds since the spring. most say they snack on comfort foods because there is nothing else to do. >> nearly half of those polls say they've been only wearing sweat pants or yoga pants, mona,

and some aren't wearing any pants at all. no judgment. next, a new reality for all those shows on hgtv that tear down walls in favor of the open concept design. >> the pandemic is changing what buyers want in a new house. with people working from home, house hunters now want more rooms not less. people want separate rooms for separate functions. and with the family staying home these days, privacy, privacy is key. >> uh-huh. you get it in the bathroom. next to a man really excited to visit the beach. >> he is flipping out. this athlete performed a series of backflips down the dune at a beach in oregon. >> he appeared to reach almost super human speed. another man on the beach recorded him from a different angle and sent him the video. tds explain it all. lego seinfeld. 900 lego pieces will be included in the set to mark the anniversary. >> all those pieces will be used to create the main characters

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building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc7 news. making news at 4:27, flames burn dangerously close to homes and force evacuations. happening right now, hundreds of firefighters monitoring hot spots all across the bay area. indoor dining in san francisco was set to resume on monday, but we might have to wait and put our dining plans on hold. protecting our health is part of building a better bay area. one weapon against covid-19 may not be as powerful as doctors had hoped. good morning, everybody. it is tuesday, july 7th. we'll get to all those stories in a moment, but, first, checking in with meteorologist mike nicco looking at our day ahead. how are you? >> doing well. not bad for a tuesday. how are you? >> so far, so good, friend. >> good. let's keep it that way. next two and a half hours at least. we'll try.

hi, everybody. thanks for joining us the tis morn this morning. i want to talk about the winds and the specific winds with the fires in the next few minutes. 15 at concord, 25 at sfo and everybody else is relatively calm. we still have a pretty stiff sea breeze out there so far this morning. as far as our temperatures as we head into the afternoon hours, pretty close to average. we're going to see right around upper 60s in san francisco and upper 70s around the bay and mid to upper 780s inland. kumasi? >> thank you, mike. after a long weekend, bay area firefighters definitely not getting a break. they had to deal with eight fires in the last week alone. some of those burned dangerously close to homes and forced evacuations. one was in fairfield half a mile off of interstate 80 and dozens of homes had to be evacuated and right now firefighters are watching for hot spots.

amy hollyfield is there with what we know so far. amy? >> hi, kumasi, still very windy out here this morning and a dry hillside and we have firefighters parked at this hillside keeping an eye on it. they're not letting their guard down yet on this one. about 30 homes were evacuated as this fire threatened nelson hill in fairfield. near the pittman road exit on interstate 80. it started late in the afternoon when the winds were really an issue and firefighters say the fire changed directions because of all the wind going up the hill at one point. residents say it was growing fast. they watched it double in size in seconds. firefighters say no one was hurt and the fire did not reach any homes. >> we were very fortunate. this has definitely been an incident we had in the past and definitely an area because of how the hillside is and the proximity to the freeway and that tends to be an often an

issue for us, especially with this hillside. >> the fire did destroy an outbuilding at the top of the hill. it did burn about 60 acres. no word yet on the cause. reporting live in fairfield, amy hollyfield, abc7 news. the largest fire in the state is burning in the south bay. the 5,400 cruz fire north of gilroy destroyed a structure so far and another. fceo evacuate.ing to cal fire. it started sunday just east of highway 1 o1. we just checked, the fire is only 20% contained. in contra costa county, crews are watching for flair ups near rodeo. flames came dangerously close to homes and one man said the smoke started coming into his house. >> right