making news in america this morning, the battle over masks heating up amid a record number of new cases in the past day. more states making face coverings mandatory as one governor takes a city to court over virus restrictions. the group doctors say are causing the current surge. vaccine spies. the new accusations against russian hackers allegedly hacking medical research in hopes of stealing information and becoming the first country to release a vaccine. what the nsa is saying about that incident this morning. harassment claims. the bombshell accusations rattling the nfl. more than a dozen former employees claiming sexual harassment and hostility at the hands of staffers on washington's team. plus, mask impostors. the new efforts to stop companies from peddling fake

n95s. catch me if you can. how this kangaroo was able to hop off unnoticed. and sing us a song. how trash day turned into a surprise concert from the piano man. and good friday morning, everyone. we begin with shocking new details about the spread of the coronavirus. >> july now has more new infections than any month since this pandemic began, and july 31st is still two weeks away. this as the debate over masks grows. georgia governor brian kemp is suing the city of atlanta arguing keisha lance bottoms has overstepped her authority by ordering people to wear masks in public. and manhattan beach, california, are now ticketing people who do not wear masks. abc's megan tevrizian has more. >> reporter: this morning, covid-19 cases exploding around the country. a record number reported thursday. 71,000 new cases in just 24

hours. despite the drastic rise in numbers from utah -- >> i think it's a political hoax. >> reporter: -- to oklahoma. >> my rights are civil rights. >> reporter: to wisconsin. >> it's an outrageous infringement on our fourth amendment liberty. >> reporter: the debate over masks is raging. >> don't be stupid. >> just trying to save my grandma's life. >> since when do we have a constitutional right to put other people's lives in danger? >> reporter: in georgia where hitting record levels governor brian kemp is suing city council and mayor keisha lance bottoms to stop the city from requiring masks just one day after he blocked local officials from issuing mask mandates. that decision sparking outrage in nearly a dozen cities. >> it's my belief that the city of atlanta still has the appropriate standing to mandate masks, especially as it relates to buildings and places that we own and operate. >> reporter: but the governors of colorado and arkansas who both previously opposed

statewide mask orders are now reversing course. meanwhile in california, the city of manhattan beach will now fine people up to $350 for refusing to wear a mask. miami-dade county enacting a similar rule overnight threatening a $100 fine for violating mask and distancing rules. more than 50 of florida's icus overwhelmed by covid patients. the miami convention center is now being transformed into a field hospital to treat coronavirus victims. amidst the increase in cases, the white house continues to push for in-person classes in the fall. the press secretary making this bold statement. >> the science should not stand in the way of this. >> reporter: kayleigh mcenany, then claiming -- >> the science is on our side here. >> reporter: but dr. anthony fauci says it's not that simple for parents. >> this is not an infection to take lightly, even with young people. >> reporter: it comes as an

internal fema memo obtained by abc news shows more young people are becoming infected in the u.s. in june, 18 to 49-year-olds made up nearly 36% of hospitalizations and 30% of those in the icu. >> your getting infected is not just you in a vacuum. you're propagating a pandemic. >> reporter: even some of the country's most physically fit falling victim to the virus. the nfl revealing that at least 72 players in the league have tested positive for the virus raising questions about the safety of team training camps set to start at the end of the month. but this morning, a glimmer of good news in arizona. the daily number of new covid-19 cases have flattened. the state projecting a possible decline in the coming days. more retailers are now mandating masks at stores around the country. cvs and walgreens are two of the latest stores requiring face coverings joining companies like walmart, kohl's and starbucks.

kenneth, mona. >> megan, thank you. and now to the coronavirus outbreak forcing republicans and democrats to scale back convention plans. republicans are limiting the number of people permitted to attend. >> and democrats are now urging lawmakers to stay home as president trump steps up his attacks against joe biden. abc's ines de la cuetara has more. >> reporter: this morning, both parties announcing changes to their national conventions next month amid the pandemic. organizers for the democratic national convention informed members of congress and party delegates overnight not to travel to milwaukee for the gathering, and the republican national committee announcing it's scaling back its convention in florida where covid-19 cases are exploding. at the white house on thursday, president trump warned of a dismal future if democrats win the presidential election in november. >> the american dream would be snuffed out so quickly and replaced with a socialist disaster. >> reporter: it comes as the president's administration faces criticism for its handling of

the pandemic. maryland's republican governor larry hogan writing in a "washington post" op-ed, it was hopeless waiting around for him. governors were being told that we were on our own. it was sink or swim. >> it's really striking, his comments, especially when you compare them to his past comments. this is revisionist history by governor hogan. >> reporter: governor hogan responding to the white house last night. >> i can tell you, i've always been right up front. when the president and his team are doing something right, i praise them, and when they're doing something wrong, i'm not afraid to say so. >> reporter: the president is facing blowback for his administration's attacks on dr. anthony fauci. the white house saying president trump and dr. fauci spoke this week for the first time since june. >> i have concluded that he is like the man who refuses to ask for directions. >> reporter: but the president making this dire prediction of what will happen if he loses re-election. >> people have worked all their lives to get into a community and now they're going to watch

it go to hell. not going to happen. not while i'm here. >> reporter: the president's response to covid-19 contributing to his steep decline in the polls. the latest survey from quinnipiac has him down 15 points to joe biden. kenneth and mo > washington, d.c.'s nfl team is facing a sexual harassment scandal. 15 former female employees and two print reporters tell "the washington post" they were victims of inappropriate comments, touching and unwanted advances by three former and one current team executive. one woman told the paper's that staffers were urged to flirt with clients to close deals. the franchise issued a statement saying it takes employee conduct issues seriously. the city of oakland, california, will pay nearly $33 million to settle lawsuits over the deadliest fire in its history. flames tore through an illegally converted warehouse in 2016 trapping and killing 36 people who were attending a concert. the main tenant of the building is facing trial on 36 charges of manslaughter.

the head of the u.s. navy is heading to san diego today where he'll inspect the "uss bonhomme richard." the goal is to salvage the heavily damaged vessel after it was rocked by an explosion sunday. crews are still looking for hot spots to make sure all fires are out. the cause is still under investigation. time now for a look at your weather for this friday morning. scattered storms across the northeast today but not as powerful as the storms in western new york thursday when tornado warnings were posted. strong winds brought down trees and power lines, and there was flash flooding in some areas. checking today's temperatures, a heat advisory will continue for the south from oklahoma to alabama. pleasant in the northeast but a heat wave is expected to start tomorrow. 90s from detroit to denver. triple digits for salt lake city and phoenix. 70s along the west coast.

coming up, the major decision about cruise ships and whether they can sail again. also ahead, russian hackers accused of trying to steal coronavirus vaccine data. why being first to develop a vaccine has such huge stakes. plus, chaos inside one country's parliament. lawmakers throwing fists. chairs and a whole lot more. what caused the melee.

-hi, america. -hey, there, america. -hi, america. -hi, america. during this crisis... over 37 million people... don't have access... to nutritious foods.

but there is a way we can all help. with feeding america. their network of 200 food banks are up and running. distributing food to people and communities they serve. across the country. please visit feedingamerica.org... to locate a food bank in your community. -together... -together... -together... -let's feed the love. ♪ take a look at the massive fire and apartment complex under construction near seattle. the flames so hot two fire trucks were damaged when their windows blew out. at least one firefighter suffered a minor injury. now to the deadly scaffolding collapse here in new york city. authorities say the rigging platform gave way as workers were doing repairs on a roof level of the 11-story building.

one worker died at the scene, and three others were pulled to safety and hospitalized. no word yet on what caused the collapse, but an investigation is under way. and the u.s. is making new spying accusations against russia. this time in connection with research surrounding a coronavirus vaccine. and the alleged culprit is a kremlin backed group we heard about during the mueller probe into the 2016 election. as the world races to find a coronavirus vaccine, a russian group is being accused. >> they are accused of trying to steal intellectual property. >> reporter: the nsa claims the espionage group known as cozy bear tried to hack pharmaceutical companies and other researchers working on the vaccine. the same group was believed to be behind the hacking of the democratic party servers during the 2016 election and is suspected of having ties to russian intelligence. the kremlin denies it's behind the incident. >> russia has neither the technological advancement,

capacity or money to spend on developing vaccines, and so they're looking to steal their way to first place. >> reporter: this morning, there are more than 100 different vaccines being tested at research facilities around the world. 14 of them here in the u.s. and experts say whoever may be behind this attempted hack, the motive is likely about more than saving lives. >> the race to develop a vaccine has huge stakes because the first country is going to have first priority on being able to give its citizens the vaccine and that that economy will be the first one to recover. >> and monday oxford is expected to release its data from early stage human trials of its vaccine. some violent scenes in taiwan's parliament overnight. lawmakers from the main political party squared off throwing punches, chairs and even water balloons at each other. the fighting broke out when taiwan's president nominated a coming up,letr updating his fans on his fight against cancer. also ahead, the new concern about counterfeit n95 masks. how to spot a fake coming up.

...to soccer practices... ...and new adventures. you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past... they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. let's help protect them together. because missing menb vaccination could mean missing out on a whole lot more. ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. introducing colorsnap colorid from sherwin-williams. color palettes curated just for you.

mornings were made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. when considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz a pill for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis when methotrexate has not helped enough. xeljanz can reduce pain, swelling, and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections like tb and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor about the pill first prescribed for ra more than seven years ago. xeljanz.

i've been continuing my treatment, and it is paying off, though it does fatigue me a great deal. my numbers are good. i'm feeling great. >> that is longtime "jeopardy" host alex trebek providing an update on his battle against pancreatic cancer. trebek also said he's looking forward to recording new episodes of "jeopardy" in september, and he revealed that four weeks of classic "jeopardy" episodes will begin airing on monday. the cdc is extending its ban on cruise ship travel. the agency says that ban will stay in place until the end of september. the no sail order involves ships withes capacity to carry 250 passengers. now to the global crackdown on companies selling counterfeit masks. one of the world's top makers of n95 masks found 4,000 reports of counterfeiting and price gouging and more than 7,000 websites with fraudulent products have been removed. the company is working with

several law enforcement agencies including homeland security. dhs has also seized thousands of overpriced n95 face masks. >> what we're seeing is bad actors seeking to capitalize on the situation, exploit the ability to offer products that either don't exist or at exorbitant prices, so what we've tried to do is really make information available to our customers and to the public that will help them spot fraudulent offers, spot price gouging and avoid it. company has filed at least 18 federal lawsuits in north america. experts say the differences between the authentic and . the writing on the mask will look different on a fake and look for misspellings. homeland security extended the border closure between u.s. and canada as america struggles with contact tracing.

i asked dr. ryan ribeiro about what's needed to get us up to speed and his thoughts on the debate over sending kids back to school. the white house says science should not stand in the way of schools re-opening. you are in california where the governor is expected to announce later today that the school year will begin online. what does the latest science say? will children spread the virus if they go back to school? >> science should absolutely guide tease types of decisions but admittedly the science can be a bit confusing when it comes to kids and covid, so i think it's widely known now that kids rarely die from covid. we've only had a handful of covid-19 related deaths of them in the united states but that doesn't mean they can't get it. all that said it's not just about the health of the children themselves. i think the larger concern actually is the potential for spread in the community by gathering hundreds or sometimes thousands of kids together. >> a new study just out says rapid test results within a day are needed for contact tracing to be effective, but some people are being tested today and are waiting more than two weeks for their results. how big a problem is testing right now? >> it's an enormous problem.

so many other countries have successfully flattened the curve and they've done it in largely the same way, which is to establish a base of very available, very quick testing and to build upon that a robust program for contact tracing. we have the formula. we just got to do it and it all starts with testing. >> this time of year is mosquito season but many health departments are focused on the virus and not mosquitos. how concerned are you about an uptick in mosquito-borne diseases? >> well, i'll say it's an interesting question and i know that covid has definitely sucked up all the attention of the general public but i'd say local public health departments are still cranking away and still doing their job and still focusing on all areas of public health. >> as of this morning july is the worst month for the virus in the united states. that means hospitals like yours have been battling this for five long months. what are the biggest things that you've learned about the virus or about caring for covid-19 patients? >> we really learned how important the data is. having easily accessible local data around infection rates,

hospitalization rates, icu bed availability, these are the metrics that let local public health officials make informed decisions about what is safe for their community. >> our thanks to dr. ryan ribeiro. coming up, tiger woods like you've never seen him. also ahead, who is the mystery musician playing a discarded piano? simplifies protection. ticks and fleas? see ya! heartworm disease? no way! simparica trio is the first chewable that delivers all this protection. and simparica trio is demonstrated safe for puppies. it's simple: go with simparica trio. this drug class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions, including seizures; use with caution in dogs with a history of these disorders. protect him with all your heart. simparica trio. [mother giving birth] ♪ from the firstloving touch.

everything that touches your baby should be this comforting. that's why pampers, the #1 pediatrician recommended brand, wraps your baby in breathable softness to help keep their skin dry & healthy. so every touch is as comforting as the first. pampers. the #1 pediatrician recommended brand. people are surprising themselves the moment realize they can du more with less asthma. thanks to dupixent, the add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. dupixent isn't for sudden breathing problems. it can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. it's not a steroid but can help reduce stoids. 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 or stop your asthma treatments, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. du more with less asthma. talk to your doctor today about dupixent. if your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help. ♪ time to check "the pulse," and we start with billy joel proving that one man's trash is another man's treasure. >> so he's known as the piano man, we know, and now we know he's known as that for a reason. usually when we see joel he's playing the piano at one of his legendary concerts. >> and i think he's doing it pretty well when we see him doing it, but this is something

entirely different. it happened while joel was riding his motorcycle on long island, new york, and came across a piano being thrown away. ♪ >> i do the same thing when i'm walking outside and find a piano. i get right into it, tickle the keys. a rep for billy joel has reportedly confirmed that was joel playing the ragtime tune there. he called it a perfectly piano that just needed some tuning. why? why would you throw it away? i wonder if he just hauled it off as well. a catch me if you can situation in ft. lauderdale. >> a kangaroo was on the loose. the animal seen near the city's downtown. >> cops were able to get a leash around its neck and put it in the back of a squad car. the kangaroo is reportedly a resident's pet. it was brought to a wildlife center. his name is jack and the owner apparently said, i'll never let you go, jack. >> isn't there a fast food place called -- >> jack in the box.

>> there it is. tiger woods made a quiet return to the pga tour. >> his first tee shot at the memorial in ohio was greeted with coronavirus-induced silence as opposed to the normal golf clap. >> here's what it sounded like followed by what it usually sounds like. >> whoo. [ applause ] >> quite a difference. the pga isn't allowing fans at its events because of the pandemic. woods described it as a silent and different world. >> we could all describe our worlds as that as well. finally here's something tiger woods did not do during his round. >> most golfers lose balls on the course. this guy went further. at a course in california his ball was stuck in a tree. >> so he tried to dislodge it by throwing a club into the tree. someone else's ball fell to the ground and the club got stuck in the branches. it seemed like a bright idea when he was on the ground. >> that looks like my game, yeah. >> for the birds. >> we'll check the top

headlines. quent heartburn before it begins? heartburn happens when stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus. prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release formula that helps it pass through the tough stomach acid. it then works to turn down acid production, blocking heartburn at the source. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection. prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. when why are we alwaysiful hair, shown the same thing? where's my bounce? my glamour? my fire? all hair is beautiful. these dove shampoo and conditioners are custom formulated for different hair types. find the right dove care for your hair. in making tea, is saying no. in our real brewed iced tea, we say no to artificial flavors and sweeteners. which means, no settling. unless it is into a comfy chair. pure leaf. no is beautiful

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, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. so help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. if your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help.

making news right now at 4: 4:27, just hours from the big decision, the fate of schools in the fall. what will governor newsom announce? and plus new traffic trends for your morning commute. where are the gridlocks getting worse or better, and why. and facebook's brand new political policy, why you will be seeing a different type of political post from now on. good morning, everybody. it is july 17, but more importantly, it is friday. happy to be with you this morning. and happy to see my friend meteorologist mike nicco with a look at our friday forecast y, mike. >> hey kumasi, how are you doing this friday morning? >> fabulous. how are you? >> i think i'm doing pretty well. looking forward to a nice

weekend, one that won't be too hot and one in a won't be too cool. i think that we'll try to make it nice for everybody. thanks for joining us on this friday. let's take a look at what is going on. this is live doppler 7 and you can see a little bit of cloud cover out there. it is almost as extensive as it was yesterday. here is a look from our exploratorium, you can see that it is hanging low once again. but so far visibilities are fine. so we have mid-60s along the coast into san francisco, 69 in richmond, mid-70s to near 80 around the bay. upper 70s to low 80s in the north bay. and the south bay, mid-80s. in the east bay, upper 80s to near 90 for our warmest spots. we'll take a look at that warmer weekend and cooler weather coming next week. the napa valley unified school district is approving online only start to the 2020/2021 school year. the school board came to a

unanimous decision right around midnight. the school year will start august 20. and napa's decision comes as m on how schools will operate. and we'll bring you that at noon here on abc 7 and abc7news.com. we know decisions about how schools will operate are really important for parents. and that is why education is one of the five key things we're focused on as we work to build a better bay area during this crisis. here is a quick look at why many districts are opting for online only starts to the year. now more than 39,000 people have been diagnosed with covid-19 in the bay area. the average of new cases is shown by this yellow line and you can see it continues to set record highs. amy hollyfield was the first to find out about the governor's big announcement and she is joining us live with more. >> reporter: good morning, yeah,

this issue is an emotional and complicated one. and many are wishing, hoping, that the governor will take this decision off the plate of local officials and issue a state mandate. now, the san ramon valley school district did take a vote last night and officials changed their mind, they first had voted on a hybrid method that would have students in class a couple days a week, but last night they switched course and voted on an all distance learning model for now. the superintendent did not say whether this was because the governor is planning to require this or recommend it. >> i'll let the governor describe that tomorrow. i have some insight and some understanding of what this will look like, but it will be nearly impossible for schools in counties like contra costa to