right now on "america this morning," president trump's sobering new message about the coronavirus, warning things will get worse before they get better. the daily death toll surpassing 1,000 for the first time since may. the new action being taken to stop the virus and the suspected chinese hackers accused of trying to steal vaccine research. plus, we hear from the pro football player who tested positive along with his wife and four kids. and will americans get another stimulus check? what we're learning. breaking overnight, gunfire erupts at this funeral home in chicago. 14 people are shot as big city violence approaches record levels. in one case a woman is shot while pushing a baby stroller. should more federal agents be deployed to fight crime? what the head of homeland security is saying.

president trump in the spotlight once again for what he allegedly requested from an ambassador. the allegation that he tried to get the british open golf tournament relocated to his own golf resort. a big announcement from walmart. the retailer doing something it hasn't done in 30 years. caught on video, flames engulf this boat. a good samaritan jumps into action. and our exclusive with three nba superstars on life inside the nba bubble and their new collaboration in the fight for racial justice. good wednesday morning, everyone. we begin with president trump acknowledging the health crisis in this country will get worse before it gets better. >> the daily coronavirus death even areas are rpass 100 for seeing infections level off, some hot spots are on the brink facing a shortage of icu beds.

>> in california, hair salons have been allowed to open outside even as the state overtakes new york with the most infections. >> testing remains a challenge. some people are now waiting up to two weeks to get their test results. >> and this image is a sign of the times. it shows an american tourist boat at niagara falls at the top of the screen limited to 50% capacity under new york state rules and on the bottom a canadian tourist boat limited to only six passengers because of stricter guidelines in canada. we begin our coverage with the covid-19 hot spots here on this side of the border. this morning, california now has the most confirmed cases of coronavirus in the u.s. reporting more than 400,000 infections surpassing the number of cases in new york. the surge coming as california eases some restrictions allowing barber shops and salons to operate outdoors. >> we have hand sanitizer. we wash the robes. everything is -- after every client, everything is washed. >> reporter: among the state's infected residents nfl player andrew whitworth.

>> we were social distancing and keeping our distance from people and really staying at home. >> reporter: the los angeles ram says he tested positive along with his wife, four children, their live-in nanny and his wife's parents. across the countryth ste in florida another 9,000 cases reported in one day. one nurse in miami says only one icu bed is left in her hospital. >> it's exhausting. every day we feel like we're in a race, a marathon. we thought we were kind of getting towards the end, right? we were trying to move back towards normal or a new normal, and every day it's coming into more patients, and they're very sick. >> reporter: but the governor striking an optimistic tone. >> the big picture item is this morning's census is that statewide 24% of the hospital beds in the state of florida are empty. that's over 14,000 hospital beds. i think we are on the right course. i think we will continue to see

improvements. >> reporter: as cases rise, miami now canceling summer camps while parents and teachers sue the governor to stop schools from re-opening. >> i mean, we know that, you know, teachers in florida don't get paid that much anyway. teachers in general across the country don't, but to say, to make that statement just lets us know that he is not in touch with what's happening. >> reporter: in the washington, d.c. suburbs, some of the biggest school districts are now planning all virtual learning this fall. it comes as the cdc warns the number of people who have been infected with covid-19 nationwide could be ten times higher than previously thought. at his first coronavirus briefing since april, president trump last night shared a warning about the days ahead while also changing his tune on face coverings. >> it will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better. whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. they'll have an effect, and we need everything we can get. >> reporter: trump has been reluctant to wear a mask even seen at this fund-raiser monday night without one. the white house defended him

saying he's tested multiple times a day, but trump saying this when pressed by our jonathan karl. >> your press secretary said today that you sometimes take more than one test a day. why is that, and how often? >> well, i don't know about more than one. i do take probably on average a test every two days, three days, and i don't know of any time i've taken two tests in one day, but i could see that happening. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci says he was not invited to trump's briefing and hasn't spoken to the president since last week. the top infectious disease expert in the nation also brushed off the president's recent remarks when he called fauci an alarmist. >> i consider myself more a realist than an alarmist. >> one major hot spot is in south texas where hidalgo county has issued a new stay-at-home order. 49 more deaths from this virus were reported there yesterday, a new high. the fbi now claims china directed two men to hack into american drug companies to steal coronavirus vaccine research. the suspected hackers are accused of trying to steal u.s. trade secrets over the past decade.

but the fbi says the men were recently directed to change their mission to hack into u.s. drug companies. one-third of small businesses in new york city closed during the coronavirus pandemic may never re-open. that's a prediction from the chamber of commerce. most of the businesses have less than three months of cash reserves. republican lawmakers say they will support a second round of economic stimulus checks, but they're still trying to hammer out just how much it will be and who would qualify. meanwhile, lawmakers are torn about extending the $600 unemployment benefit, which expires next week. talks are ongoing. now to the breaking news in chicago where 14 people have been shot during a funeral. the violence coming as the trump administration plans to send more federal agents into the city. abc's andrew dymburt has the latest. overnight violence erupting on the streets of chicago as the debate rages over sending federal agents to fight crime in the city. police say 14 people were shot after an exchange of gunfire at a funeral. community activists saying it was likely gang related.

chicago is one of the big cities where the white house is deploying additional federal force. >> we welcome actual partnership, but we do not welcome dictatorship. we do not welcome authoritarianism. >> reporter: meanwhile, months of tensions have boiled over in portland, oregon, between federal agents and protesters. early tuesday a crowd tried to break into the federal courthouse. abc's kayna whitworth was there. >> things are still going. there's so much tear gas in the air that my eyes are burning. >> reporter: this morning, federal officials say those security agents are within their rights to protect the courthouse. >> the long established federal practice, it's well within the authority of the federal government. >> reporter: also drawing criticism, what's being described as a militarized crackdown by unidentified officers. but this morning, homeland security officials are pushing back insisting the officers are identifying themselves and calling their actions appropriate.

>> we will not retreat. they're only targeting and arresting those who have been identified as committing criminal acts like any other law enforcement agency does across the country every single day of the week. >> reporter: the surge in violence in several big cities is approaching record levels. atlanta seeing an 86% increase in murders. kansas city now on pace for its deadliest year ever. just this week, a woman was shot and killed while pushing a baby in a stroller. but the mayors of those cities are now being joined by 13 others and signing a letter to the trump administration condemning the use of federal force on their streets. >> the reason that i signed on and the other mayors signed on was because we've had grave concerns. if you look at what's happening in portland, i think the federal involvement is pouring fuel on the fire. >> reporter: attorney general william barr recently said that missouri's governor did request federal help in kansas city, and as for that shooting in chicago

last night, all of the victims reportedly in serious or critical condition. police say they've interviewed at least one person of interest. kenneth, mona. >> andrew, thank you. and we are learning more about the man accused in a deadly attack on the family of a federal judge in new jersey. authorities are now looking into whether roy den hollander, an anti-feminist, was also targeting a new york judge. her name was found in the car where hollander is believed to have taken his own life. sources say hollander is also being investigated in the killing of an anti-feminist lawyer in california. one theory being explored is that the victim recently won a case that made hollander jealous. reports say hollander had terminal cancer. time now for a look at your wednesday morning weather. wildfire warnings are posted in the west today because of lightning that could spark new fires from colorado to california. meanwhile, storms hit washington, d.c. setting off lightning over capitol hill last night. a storm system in the northeast today could spawn tornadoes in upstate new york.

more humidity returns to that region today, which will make temperatures in the 90s feel like the triple digits. elsewhere today los angeles and seattle will reach 75 and very warm across the middle of this country. coming up, how amazon is changing the way it delivers your packages. but first flames engulf this pleasure boat in california. the good samaritan who came to the rescue. and a woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her ex-husband, the website she allegedly used to carry out her plan.

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arrived. both are okay. the boat sank just moments after crews put out that fire. president trump reportedly tried to get the british open moved to his golf resort in scotland. "the new york times" reports the president asked woody johnson, the american ambassador to the uk, to help steer the tournament to his resort. "the times" reports johnson raised the idea with scotland's secretary of state even though his deputy had warned him against it saying it would be unethical. we turn now to the woman arrested in a brazen murder for hire plot. police say she tried to use a website called rentahitman.com to have her ex-husband killed. abc's andrea fujii reports. >> reporter: this morning a michigan woman is now behind bars after police say she used a fictitious website to try to have her ex-husband murdered. >> i'm very surprised that somebody thought that this website was a true website that you could do this. >> reporter: investigators say 51-year-old wendy wayne contacted rentahitman.com and completed a request form, but

instead of a call back, police say the owner of the site called them. police say wendy met with an undercover officer and told them she was willing to pay $5,000 plus out-of-state travel expenses to get the job done where her ex-husband now lives. >> we used a state trooper posing as the hit man, and there was a conversation, and she provided some funds for travels, and at that time an arrest was made. >> reporter: now arrested and charged for solicitation to commit murder. police say the owner of the site claims he's helped stop more than 130 murders. >> i most definitely think that a life was saved, and doing a news story on this, i'm pretty sure that when this news story gets out, that some other lives might be saved by this. >> reporter: this isn't the first time something like this has happened. in northern california the owner of a tech website called rentahitman.com says they also received many requests to have people killed. kenneth, mona. >> all right, andrea, thank you.

and coming up, a disturbing find at a busy u.s. airport. also ahead, a new request from accused sex trafficker ghislaine maxwell's lawyers. maxwell's lawyers. with certain inflammatory conditions. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz. the first and only pill of its kind that treats moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or moderate to severe ulcerative colitis when other medicines have not helped enough. 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. needles. fine for some. but for you, there's a pill that may provide symptom relief.

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[maria] don't want to go through that! [theresa] hija. [camera man] talk to your doctor or pharmacist about getting vaccinated. back now with a weapons arrest at one of the busiest airports in this back now with a weapons arrest at one of the busiest airports in this country. the tsa says a woman concealed an assault rifle inside her luggage at newark airport hiding it behind the lining of her suitcase. they also recovered ammo and three magazines, one loaded. attorneys for jeffrey epstein's alleged co-conspirator ghislaine maxwell have requested a gag order in her case. they're asking the judge to ban prosecutors, federal agents and lawyers for alleged victims from making out-of-court statements about the case. maxwell is being held without bail accused of recruiting and grooming young girls for epstein to abuse. president trump was among epstein's many famous associates. he had kind words for maxwell yesterday. >> do you feel that she's going to turn in powerful men? how do you see that working out? >> i don't know.

i haven't really been following it too much. i just wish her well, frankly. i've met her numerous times over the years, especially since i lived in palm beach, and i guess they lived in palm beach, but i wish her well. whatever it is, i don't know the situation with prince andrew. just don't know. not aware of it. >> epstein died by suicide in jail. trump has said they had a, quote, falling out and had not spoken in 15 years. let's turn back now to the coronavirus. it seems more people than ever are dining outdoors because of restrictions placed on restaurants. earlier we spoke with dr. laleh gharahbaghian. i asked her about the safety risk, but we started by discussing new data showing the number of covid-19 infections could be ten times higher than we thought. dr. gharahbaghian, as we reported, the cdc is saying now there could be ten times more coronavirus infections across this country than reported. in some areas that number could be 20 times more. what does this say about the spread of this virus, and does this mean the death rate is actually lower than we thought? >> it's not surprising,

actually, that the number of cases are actually more than what is reported for a variety of reasons. we had changing testing algorithms that used to be more strict. now it's more broad. we continue to have challenges in testing capacity, and the virus likely was here a few months before we actually had broader testing criteria, so although that particular study needs validation just like every research does, it isn't surprising, and if true and if validated, then it does mean that the death rate likely was lower than what we expected it to be now. we reported this week on some encouraging news in the race for a vaccine but a lot of people are wondering are we moving too quickly? should we be worried about the safety of the first vaccine because of this rush to production? >> we should definitely not worry about the safety of the vaccine. scientists will never jeopardize the health and safety of the population in developing this vaccine, and thanks to research directed towards this vaccine and all resources put towards

its development, it's no surprise that we're getting a vaccine sooner than anticipated. it generally takes about 18 months for a vaccine to develop, and that includes months where distribution, equipment and supplies by the company is needed, and i understand that many of those companies are putting financial risk and putting that into play now such that when a vaccine is ready, then it can be distributed to all in a quicker fashion. >> across the country we've been seeing more people dining al fresco as more restaurants set up seating outside. are there risks there when it comes to eating outside at a restaurant during this pandemic? >> i for one will only feel comfortable going tostaurantf s six fe if theest doestsuelie course, enngore frequent and anki of sharaning with hh >> our thanks to dr. gharahbaghian there. and coming up, the woman

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of its six-wheeled delivery robot. it's being tested in four locations including georgia and tennessee. >> amazon says scouts navigate on their own but are accompanied by a human. they're making deliveries monday through friday during daylight hours. >> don't kidnap scout. >> don't do it. >> don't do it. attention, walmart shoppers, you have to find a new store this thanksgiving. >> for the first time in 30 years, the company is closing its doors on the holiday. walmart's ceo wants workers to be with loved ones after a challenging year. >> staffers can also expect bonuses of up to $300 next month as a thank you. >> no black friday videos for us. and finally it is a big day for a little prince. >> yes, prince george of cambridge, william and kate's eldest child, turns 7 today. where has the time gone? mom and dad released two new pictures of the young man who is third in line to the british throne. >> he is expected to enjoy a private birthday party with his younger sister and brother. who knows, maybe even prince

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align digestive de-stress. from the pros in digestive health. now at 4:27, pli police refn oakland, an intense meeting ended with mayor schaaf casting a tie-breaking vote. the impact on the police department. >> put me on facebook, i don't care. all my friends and family know how i feel. >> confrontation over mask wearing at an a walmart goes viral and a health expert is weighing in. plus more chances to dine outside in san jose, the new street closure taking effect today so restaurants can spread out outdoors. good morning, everybody. it is wednesday, july 22. there has been a major earthquake this morning and it has triggered a tsunami warning.

jobina fortson has more on this. >> good morning. yes, the u.s. geological survey is telling us that this is a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, very powerful off the alaska peninsula this morning, it struck around 11:12 last night pacific time. sirens blared and a helicopter flew over a sparsely populated area after a tsunami warning was issued. residents evacuated as a precaution. the warning has since been canceled. the epicenter was more than 500 miles southwest of anchorage, there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but we'll keep monitoring those developments throughout the morning. after a marathon meeting overnight, the city of oakland will begin -- oh. >> yeah, let's talk more about what to expect -- hey, friend.

let's go to the magnitude real quick. 24 this near the 8 we only get about one of those a year. and look at the energy equivalent, 1 billion pounds of explosive to 33 billion pounds of explosive. that is why anytime something that strong hits, a tsunami warning will be issued immediately just in case. but good news that they did cancel that. there have been about four after shocks around that area over 9 last couple of hours or so. so we'll keep an eye on that. let's bring it back here at home and talking to some of my friends that have had to commute this morning, talked about using their windshield wipers with a little mist in the air. so there is not as much fog out there, but you can see that it looks fuzzy there on the bay bridge. you may need to use your windshield wipers this morning. a brighter afternoon is on the way with temperatures below

average from 60s at the coast to mid-80s inland. after a marathon meeting overnight, the city of oakland will begin cutting millions from its police budget, this is after calls to defund the police. issues around race and social justice are just one of the areas we're focusing on here at abc 7 as we work to build a better bay area. julian glover is live with the details on this. >> reporter: yeah, it was a marathon meeting. oakland city council last night in that deadlocked vote voting against making any additional cuts to the oakland police department budget. four were in favor of reallocating an $11 million from oakland police budget on top of the $14 million in cuts made to the department a month ago where the overall city budget was passed.