good morning, america. the fight for the battleground states with just over two weeks left until election day. the candidates campaigning painting very different pictures of the pandemic. >> we are rounding the turn. >> it's not disappearing, in fact, it's on the rise again. >> how they're making a case for your support plus record voting lines. >> come on out. >> the outrage over a senator's comments and this crowd surfing moment. on the rise. the grim new milestone in coronavirus cases. hospitals really feeling the strain. >> people still don't believe this is a real disease. >> the hot spots across the country. an entire school in quarantine and pfizer's latest update on a vaccine. new video in the alleged plot to kidnap michigan's governor. the evidence reportedly showing the suspects' firepower.

the latest from prosecutors in court and why the defense says the government's got the case all wrong. melania's message. the first lady firing back at the former friend who shared secret recordings of their conversations. >> they are not with the parents. it's sad. but when they come here alone or with coyotes or illegally, you you know, you need to do something. >> how she's hand lynx the fallout and the way she chose to get her message across. nfl setback. the patriots canceling practice after a new positive covid-19 test. how more cases could affect the nfl schedule. will they now be blitzing in the bubble? hey, good morning, everybody. great to be with you for another weekend. let's get straight to our top

story. with t-minus 17 days until the election, president trump and former vice president joe biden are hitting the campaign trail hard focusing on key battlegrounds. >> president trump holding rallies overnight in florida and georgia while biden was mobilizing voters in michigan. the candidates painting very different pictures about where we are in this coronavirus pandemic. >> and as the candidates were out stumping for votes, early voting opened up in louisiana leading to long lines in some places like we've seen in other parts of the country and for the first time ever voters will be casting ballots at the famed fenway park in boston to give people a big open air space to vote. abc's rachel scott is in washington, d.c., one of several cities nationwide where the women's march will be focusing on getting out the vote as well. rachel, good morning. >> reporter: whit, good morning. thousands are expected at that march here in washington. it's one of 400 events happening all across the country with just 17 days to go. both sides trying to frame the race around the pandemic. the president insisting that we are rounding the corner as his

rival joe biden warns that with the rise in cases under the president's leadership it's only getting worse. overnight, president trump behind in the polls hitting the campaign trail in states he carried four years ago. in georgia, a republican stronghold even contemplating a scenario where he would lose the election. >> could you imagine if i lose? my whole life, what am i going to do? i'm going to say i lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics. i'm not going to feel so good. maybe i'll have to leave the country, i don't know. >> reporter: and in florida, speaking directly to seniors trying to win back that critical voting bloc his rival is now showing strength with. >> seniors will be the first in line for the vaccine and we will soon be ending the pandemic. the light at the end of the tunnel is near. we are rounding the turn. >> reporter: on that same day the president made those remarks, the u.s. hit a grim milestone -- 8 million

coronavirus cases. hours later georgia state representative vernon jones seen crowd surfing at the president's rally without a mask passed around by supporters who weren't wearing one either. joe biden in michigan taking on the president claiming trump is in deep denial and americans are dying because of it. >> "turn the corner." my lord. it's not disappearing, in fact, it's on the rise again. it's getting worse as predicted. >> reporter: a new pew research poll showing the vice president leading nationally by 30 points with latino, a key voting demographic. the biden campaign sitting down virtually with celebrity couple jennifer lopez and alex rodriguez. >> my kind of hope and quest for the latino community is that they start understanding their power. they understand -- >> exactly right. >> what they mean to the

country, that their vote counts. >> reporter: more than 22 million americans have already cast their ballots. from new orleans to chicago, early voters rushing to the polls. charles gill said he would wait in line for as long as it takes. >> the people before me that stood in line for me to give me this opportunity to stand here, i'm pretty sure they went through much more than i had to do. >> reporter: with just 17 days to go, former president barack obama will be hitting the campaign trail too, for the first time in person. at a democratic fund-raiser saying winning in november is a necessity. >> a lot of times people used to call me no drama obama. well, it's true. i tend to be pretty steady. i don't engage in a lot of hyperbole, but this one really is the most important election that i can think of because our country is at a castroads. >> reporter: but the battle for the white house has already shaped up to be a bitter and ugly fight. senator david perdue under fire for these comments he made about his colleague and biden's running mate, senator kamala harris, at the president's rally in georgia. >> kamala or kamala, mala, mala,

i don't know, whatever. >> reporter: harris' spokesperson firing back, calling the remarks incredibly racist. and in this final stretch, some republicans now creating distance between themselves and the president. two republican governors -- two republican governors, charlie baker in massachusetts and larry hogan in maryland now saying they will not be voting for president trump and senator ben sasse of nebraska warning that if president trump does lose the white house, it could bring the senate down with him. eva. >> it is going to be an interesting couple of weeks, rachel. thank you so much. now to this pandemic. cases surging across the country. the covid tracking project reporting that the latest daily case count, now more than 68,000, is the highest the country has seen since july 30th, and according to an internal department of health and human services memo obtained by abc news, 24% of hospitals across the country have more than 80% of their icu beds filled. that is a critical marker. abc's trevor ault is outside a

hospital here in new york city with the latest. good morning to you, trevor. >> reporter: well, eva, good morning. the u.s. has now hit 8 million confirmed cases of covid-19 but even more concerning than the magnitude of that number is that once again the spread of this virus appears to be intensifying across huge sections of the united states. this morning, america's healthcare workers sounding the alarm as coronavirus cases surge across the u.s. >> there's a huge disconnect i think with what the community thinks is happening and what we see happening in the hospital. >> reporter: this week, 11 states hit new record high case totals, 13 hit record hospitalizations. two hit record deaths. in wisconsin, now averaging more than 3,000 cases a day broke records in all three categories. >> particularly in our rural areas in northeast wisconsin, there's a very huge anti-mask sentiment and people still don't believe this is a real disease and we're seeing some dramatic, very dangerous situations

occurring in our community. >> reporter: in new mexico, hospitalizations have jumped 70% this month. the governor tweeting, we are past the point of prevention, more new mexicans will die. texas now sending backup medical personnel to the panhandle, as amarillo and lubbock weather a surge. el paso seeing record high cases and the mayor with a warning? >> we're more than statistics. we're people. this pandemic is not going to go away until we have a vaccine. >> reporter: as the entire country waits for a vaccine, pfizer says it hopes to apply for emergency authorization for its drug assuming it hits the necessary safety milestones by the third week of november, as dr. anthony fauci says he's concerned that politics have eroded the public's trust in science. >> we're already seeing expression of reluctance in not trusting the scientific establishment to free themselves of political influence about whether a vaccine is safe or effective.

>> reporter: and schools still wrestling with how to safely manage in-person learning. one atlanta district is now going remote until the new year as an entire mississippi high school, 600 students, goes into quarantine. an unfortunate return aboard "uss theodore roosevelt," where more than a thousand sailors tested positive months ago, now two positive tests popping up once again. and as we wait for a vaccine, the trump administration has announced a deal with cvs and walgreens to get a vaccine administered to nursing home patients and staff for free. drug companies say it is going to take quite some time to manufacture enough doses for the entire country. dan. >> so important, though, to protect the people in nursing homes and the people who work there. trevor, thank you very much. important also to note that we here in the u.s. are not the only ones seeing a spike in cases. they're also rising over in europe and governments there are cracking down. abc's julia macfarlane is on the story from london. julia, good morning to you.

>> reporter: good morning, dan. that's right. europe really thought it had beaten the worst of coronavirus but cases are once again soaring as testing has increased and also, don't forget, as winter and flu season draws closer, the hospitals are really starting to fill up. they're at pains to stave off the worst of this looming crisis while trying to avoid full national lockdowns. here in london, 9 million people have been ordered not to socialize indoors with people not living in their households. prime minister boris johnson last night warning that the spread of covid-19 in north of england is grave and that time is of the essence. elsewhere in europe, france recording its highest number of daily cases and today imposing a curfew on the capital of paris and eight other areas. the finance minister there warning that all of these closures are going to cost the state more than a billion dollars. meanwhile, germany and the czech republic, they have also recorded record rates of infections in recent days with more testing taking place.

and in madrid, take a look at this hotel converted into a hospital to try to treat coronavirus patients who can't self-isolate at home including two mothers who very recently gave birth. whit. >> drastic measures to keep people safe. julia macfarlane, thank you. joining us now from los angeles is abc news medical contributor dr. darien sutton whose specialty is emergency medicine. dr. sutton, thanks so much for joining us. we always appreciate it. i want to jump to this. you are an e.r. doctor and seen the impact of this virus firsthand. with the troubling increases in cases and hospitalizations across the country, what trends are most concerning you and is there a difference between what's happening in our hospitals now and the first outbreaks we saw in the spring? >> good morning. so these trends are really concerning because as was stated earlier, when this pandemic started to pick up its pace in march and april that was during the spring and most importantly, that was during the tail end of the then-current flu season. now we're marching into this flu

season with more cases than we had at that time, at that time it was approximately 30,000 cases, and now we're seeing approximately 60,000 cases. so it's incredibly concerning and we have to remain very cautious to prevent battling simultaneous effects of the covid-19 virus as well as the influenza virus. >> and speaking of the flu season, flu activity so far has been low, of course it's early in the season, and maybe because in some part people are social distancing, staying home, wearing masks, but what are your recommendations on when to get the flu vaccine and could we see a shortage this year? >> so, hopeful that we're not going to see a shortage. i know that there is likely an increase in demand due to public health education. in terms of the flu vaccine and when to get it, my recommendation is to get it as soon as possible. if you can get it, get it today, because it's never been more important. >> and a new cdc study highlights how minority and ethnic groups are disproportionately impacted by this virus.

some numbers here that we wanted to put up on the screen -- from may to august, 51% of those who died from covid were white, 24% hispanic or latino and nearly 19% were black. what are the implications of those findings? >> so, unfortunately, this data and this evidence does not -- makes us aware of a problem that we're all very well aware of h whicis that black and latinx communities are at increased rates of infection and at risk of death from covid-19. and we're also seeing these numbers in american indian and alaskan native populations. a part of the reason why this continues to be is because the country is not doing the best job at handling this problem. most specifically data. we're at shortage of data. as most states are not reporting test results as per -- by race and ethnicity, and this makes it exceptionally more and more difficult to identify vulnerable communities, where we can enact different changes in policy, care and supplies, so we need to focus on the data and make sure that we advocate for this data, because it's never been more important until this time.

>> one of the disturbing trends, one of the many disturbing trends throughout the pandemic. dr. sutton, thanks for your time. we truly appreciate it. >> thank you. >> eva, over to you. now to the alleged plot to kidnap michigan's governor, newly released video shows the suspects armed with weapons and allegedly conducting surveillance of governor gretchen whitmer's home as the judge in the case rules there is enough evidence to present to a grand jury. now, we have to warn you, some of these images may be disturbing. this morning, we're getting our first look at these newly released images, this one allegedly showing one of the suspects surveilling michigan governor gretchen whitmer's vacation home and part of a plot to kidnap her. and in this video authorities say one of the suspects shows off a cache of weapons, so far, 14 alleged members of the group have been arrested with the fbi and prosecutors arguing in court that the men should not be released pending trial because

they're too dangerous. abc affiliate wxyz obtaining this police dash cam video showing one suspect being pulled over last month during a routine traffic stop. shortly afterwards, the fbi says caserta sent texts to the group saying he wished to kill the officers who pulled him over writing, they work night shift. i could easily tap 'em and dip and no one would know a thing. in this video posted on social media, caserta endorses violence against the government. >> i'm an anarchist. defensive force is legitimate. >> reporter: but defense attorneys claim it was all big talk. >> we're talking about guys who want to run around in the woods with guns and say bad things about the government. so what we're talking about is a first amendment right to assembly, a first amendment right to speech. >> reporter: and prosecutors say the suspects got caught because

they're amateurs but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. all five michigan men are being held without bond. dan. meanwhile, this morning, the white house is now reversing course granting california's request for disaster relief after what has been the state's worst fire season on record. the white house says president trump's denial of the original claim for victims of the devastating fires that have been burning since early september including the creek fire, the largest fire in state history, saying the state had not provided, quote/unquote, relevant data. after an outcry and a call from governor newsom the president approved the aid. speaking of fires, several alerts are in effect across colorado this morning as well following record fires there. rob is joining us from connecticut with a look at how the weather could impact the fires burning in the west. rob, good morning to you. good morning, whit. fire weather not necessarily improving there. california, colorado, the two cs really getting hit hard this

year with record numbers and this is the cameron peak fire. want to show you this, starting backfires trying to control it in any way they can. it's already the largest fire in colorado history with over 170,000 acres burned. they do have 50% containment but it's just huge and look at the smoke plumes coming out. this is loveland, colorado, and the winds today will be such the red flag warnings will remain posted. that's not the only fire burning across the inner mountain west. smoky go across the high country of colorado. winds could gust over 20, 30 miles an hour in steamboat, that's close to one of the fires, and the smoke in denver is bad and air quality is horrific there. much like what we saw in california just a week or so ago and some of that smoke is going to be pushed off towards the east, so a lot of people east of the rockies have seen some of this haze and smoke and bad air quality as this record-setting wildfire season continues. we'll talk more about what's going on in california. this cold morning in just a

ducks, the gulls are all squawking here in westport. it's cold for them too. chilly morning across the east. first time this year you can see my breath. it's coming, guys. get ready. >> we can see your breath. we can't see your face because of the beard but i will say actually seeing you against that new england backdrop with the beard reminds me of when you were in that movie "the perfect storm." it's like -- it's bringing me back. >> fond memories of that. you know, it's the real deal. me and george.

of course. >> salty sea captain. >> goodness gracious you guys making fun of him with the beard. it looks good, rob. >> it's never going to end until he shaves and it won't end there either to be honest. moving on now, a child prodigy is getting a special reward for his hard work. tv host steve harvey stepping in to foot the bill for the tuition at the 12-year-old's dream college. abc's elwyn lopez joins us from georgia tech with the details. good morning, elwyn. >> reporter: good morning, eva. georgia tech is looking at a potential new student but unlike most of its recruits this one might be on and off campus before he's able to get his driver's license. >> my name is caleb anderson and i am a 12-year-old and i am in college. >> reporter: this morning, tv host steve harvey and his foundation are offering to foot the bill for one gifted preteen. harvey giving the opportunity of a lifetime to caleb anderson. >> they offered to not only pay

the remaining semester at chattahoochee tech but also at georgia tech to cover all fees, books, everything, so we are extremely grateful for that that we do not have to pay that out of pocket. >> reporter: he's just 12 and already a college sophomore. >> ever since i was born i've had a different life than other kids and it was always different for me. >> reporter: before he took his first step. he was reading the constitution of the united states. >> by 6-month-old he was already reading. by 9-month-old he was already signing and reading and then by 11 months old he was reading words he's never seen before. >> reporter: by the age of 10, as most kids his age were preparing for middle school, he was ready for college. >> it wasn't really challenging for me. it was slow. it was boring. i went to college. i was able to challenge myself.

>> reporter: at 11, he enrolled as a freshman at chattahoochee technical college in marietta, georgia. now caleb wants to continue his aerospace engineering studies at another college, georgia tech, and with harvey's help he'll be able to do just that. >> so it's just thank you, thank you, uncle harvey. that's what we call him now, uncle harvey. >> reporter: here at georgia tech, they say they were happy to meet with caleb and his family and they're always excited when young bright minds want to join them, dan. >> we were saying caleb for president. that kid is amazing. elwyn, thank you very much. speaking of the presidency, the first lady is fighting back this morning. what melania trump is now saying about a former friend who released secret audio recordings of her comments and published a tell-all book. plus, new coronavirus problems for the nfl. will the league be able to make it through the season and is a bubble in its future? and we're sharing tips on how to talk to your kids about politics to help them get involved and engaged.

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bilgds a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. happy saturday to you, i'm julian glover, pg&e restored red power. pg&e inspection crews report finding 30 instances of weather

damage, which the if they had not shut off the power. the spokesperson says the company was able to restore power 50% faster this time thanks to a larger fleet of helicopters doing inspections. now we want to get a check of that weekend forecast now, here's lisa argen. >> julian, good morning to you, it is still dry and breezy in the upper el vagus but here in santa cruz, at 60 degrees, 85 today, cooler than yesterday, but still warm, 61 in san jose. 66 downtown. no wind here but we're watching the upper elevation wind where we have that red flag warning through the next hour or

but i can't say i expected this. because it was easy. to fight these fires, we need funding - plain and simple. for this crisis, and for the next one. prop 15 closes tax loopholes so rich corporations pay their fair share of taxes. so firefighters like me, have what we need to do the job, and to do it right. the big corporations want to keep their tax loopholes. it's what they do. well, i do what i do. if you'ld like to help, join me and vote yes on prop 15.

the runners will go. there they go. and a high fly ball to left. back at the wall it is gone. >> there we go. we got a sports story for dan harris this morning. that's a touchdown there, dan. >> yes. yes. >> this is -- this was the battle of the will smiths in game five of the nlcs. the dodgers' will smith hitting that three-run homer off of the braves' will smith keeping the dodgers alive. >> another will smith reference. >> that's right. >> lot of will smiths. >> they come in threes. >> very confusing, right? now to some the other headlines we're following. happening right now, a grim milestone as the u.s. surpasses 8 million confirmed cases of covid-19. this week, 11 states hit new record-high case totals. 13 states hit record hospitalizations and two hit record deaths.

wisconsin is averaging more than 3,000 cases a day breaking records in all three of those categories. also right now, a federal grand jury has indicted a former official with the l.a. angels in the overdose death of pitcher tyler skaggs. former communications director eric kay is charged with distributing a controlled substance that resulted in skaggs' death and for possessing with the intent to distribute opio opioid fentanyl. 27-year-old tyler skaggs was found dead in a south lake, texas, hotel room on july 1st, 2019. and an arrest in the case of the stolen lemur. this was taken from the san francisco zoo on wednesday. police say 30-year-old cory mcgilloway will face charges of grand theft of an animal and vandalism. maki, the lemur, was found wandering in a playground thursday and is now safely back home at the zoo which is definitely good news. this morning, melania trump is taking aim at a former friend

who revealed secret recordings of the first lady and released a tell-all book about her. abc's janai norman joins us with more. good morning, janai. >> reporter: hey, eva, good morning. this is melania trump's former friend who's known her for nearly two decades. their bitter falling out playing out in public. the first lady slamming her friend and the media as she's heard swearing and praising the living conditions at detention centers of migrant children separated from their parents. this morning, the first lady firing back at the former friend and adviser who shared secret recordings with cnn earlier this month of melania saying, these kind of people only care about their personal agenda. the first lady is heard speaking about the controversial policy of separating children from their parents after crossing the u.s./mexico border. >> they are not with parents. it's sad, but when they come here alone or with coyotes or

illegally, you know, you need to do something. >> reporter: in another recording her complaints about decorating for christmas at the white house. >> i'm working my [ bleep ] off at christmas stuff that, you know, who gives a [ bleep ] about christmas stuff and decoration? but i need to do it, right? >> yeah, but -- 100% you have no choice. >> correct? okay, and then i do it, and i say that i'm working on christmas, planning for the christmas, and they said, oh, what about the children that they were separated? give me a [ bleep ] break. >> reporter: the recordings released just before news broke that president trump and melania tested positive for the coronavirus. the first lady now responding writing in a letter posted on the white house website, writing this is woman who secretly recorded our phone calls, releasing portions from me -- going on to say, to push forward a personal agenda that attempts to defame my office and the efforts of my team only takes away from our

work to help children. the response just days after the department of justice filed a civil lawsuit against wilkoff accusing her of breaching a nondisclosure agreement. >> the lawsuit has so many claims in it that are false that weren't covered by the nda. >> reporter: in august, wilkoff telling our linsey davis that melania has changed over the years. >> she was my friend. she was different than donald was. she was different than the other trump children. >> and now? >> oh, a trump is a trump is a trump. >> reporter: and the first lady not disputing any of those comments, only saying that they were taken out of context. meanwhile, wilkoff's publisher responding to the doj civil lawsuit saying it's a means of using intimidation against authors. let's switch gears. it's football weather. that's for sure. let's check in with rob marciano, outside in the chilly weather this morning. >> yeah, you're right about that. it feels like we should playing football in all of its glory. but sun coming up here in

westport. you see the foilage being splashed with sunlight. it's chilly. but not as cold as minneapolis. look at this snowfall coming down in minneapolis, st. paul, yesterday, got two tenths of an inch of rain. winter is on the way. lot of the cold has infiltrated much of the east. the great lakes and the ohio and tennessee valleys, temperatures this morning feeling like the 20s in south bend, go irish, 33 in knoxville, frost and freeze advisories coupled up against red flag warnings because we've got windy conditions, the windy conditions are extending into iowa and it ill and missouri today. be careful there. high fire damage.

this weather report sponsored by the u.s. postal service. great weather for them to deliver here in the northeast today. guys, back over to you. >> all right, thanks, rob. coming up on "good morning america" -- a new covid positive test in the patriots camp, is the nfl heading toward a bubble as the season heads toward the halfway mark. and how to talk to your kids about politics and make them lifelong voters. that's ahead. life long voters. that's ahead. we live in uncertain times. however, there is one thing you can be certain of. the men and woman of the united states postal service. we are here to deliver your cards, packages and prescriptions. and also deliver the peace of mind knowing that what's important to you-like your ballot-is on its way. every day, all across america, we deliver for you. and we always will.

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we do want to start with the latest coronavirus case hitting the nfl right now. word of a positive test for the patriots, a player there as the league struggles to keep its players healthy. abc's alex presha joins us from fedex field in landover, maryland, with more on that. alex, good morning. >> reporter: whit, good morning to you. at least here in maryland, the governor says things are moving in the right direct, key health metrics are slow and stable and they will start allowing fans in the stadium here and in baltimore where the ravens play. 10% capacity, all wearing masks. it's a win, but the key is, can the rest of the league keep this momentum going?

this morning, the coronavirus is threatening a delay of game for the nfl. in new england, the patriots forced to cancel their friday practice after another positive test. the pats were slated to play the denver broncos sunday, a game already rescheduled twice after star qb cam newton and others tested positive for the virus earlier this month. >> we learn things every day and we continue to try to take steps to put everybody's safety at the very top of the list. zbler the jacksonville jaguars, the atlanta falcons and tennessee titans have also reported positive cases frustrating players and coaches. teams now calling audibles scheduling makeup games during bye weeks. the jets and colts shut down facilities after positive tests, only to resume normal operations after a second round of tests came back negative. but these unwanted time-outs have some worried about the future of the season. some experts say you have to look at the big picture. >> overall, considering that we

are in week six in the nfl, there haven't been a significant amount of positive tests considering how many players, how many members of these organizations are getting tested every single day. >> reporter: still the league is taking more action, implementing new isolation protocols, sending players home if they don't feel well. the case for browns star wide receiver odell beckham jr. even though he tested negative for covid and now discussion of a playoff bubble like the nba and mlb, but whether this game happens will be a good gauge for the rest of the season. both teams have already used their bye weeks. any further delay could put the remaining 12-week schedule in serious jeopardy. >> i believe the nfl will go the full season and we will see the super bowl played in tampa as scheduled. >> reporter: today, the nfl is starting a testing protocol process for newly acquired players, so free agents and also players traded to new teams will

have the clock start on a six-day covid entry process the day they arrive with their new team. whit. >> so we'll see what happens there. but alex, i do want to ask you about college football now, the ncaa has postponed or canceled dozens of games for virus-related reasons since late august. what can you tell us about two teams that are slated to hit the field today and a very big high-profile positive result. >> reporter: well, so, whit, nick saban, the head coach of the perennial powerhouse alabama tested positive for the virus earlier this week. now he has since tested negative on thursday and per s.e.c. guidelines, if saban posts two negative tests before -- that are 24 hours apart before tonight's game he could be on the sideline for their bout this evening with number three-ranked georgia. whit. >> all right, that will be a big development. alex presha for us, thank you so much. coming up here on "good morning america," it's been a

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♪ as we all process the daily toxicity and tumult of the 2020 election, there is one huge question for parents, how do we

discuss this with our kids? recently i spoke with erin geiger smith, author of "thank you for voting: the maddening, enlightening, inspiring truth about voting in america." erin, good morning. so we know that kids are sponges. i have a 5-year-old and i hear him talking about various candidates all the time. we know they're picking up messages from the environment surrounding them, especially during a really contentious election year, so what should we be telling them about everything that's going on? >> well, i think that we don't want to let a contentious election keep us from talking about the importance of participating in the political process and elections really are our best opportunity to talk to kids about voting and why we do it, so even when things are a little dicey, i think it's a great opportunity to talk about what the job is, what presidents do, what mayors do, what governors do, and then use that as a way to talk about why we're seeing them all the time and

that they're asking for our vote. so even when it's contentious, there's a way to make it positive and to talk about the roles that we can play. >> when it comes to stressing the importance of voting any suggestions for doing that? >> talking to them about the logistics that you have to register, that you have to find out where and how you're going to vote is actually really important, so taking your kids to vote with you or letting them fill out that ballot with you is really an excellent way to teach kids to vote and voting is a learned behavior, so, if you show someone how to do it, they're likely to do it as soon as they can when they turn 18 which is really important. >> what is the best way to watch the debates with your kids? is that even advisable? >> you know, i will be honest and say that i'm happy that my 6-year-old's bedtime is before the debates start. i think you have to really make an age-appropriate call on that. i think maybe watching some other debates first, some famous

moments from prior presidential debates might be a good idea to show how it's worked in the past and what is different now and how we might hope it will be in the future. i think you just have to be really honest about that this election is really contentious, but we shouldn't let worries about that keep us from participating. >> great information, erin geiger smith, really appreciate your time. thank you. thanks again to erin and we'll be right back with our "play of the day." day." we'll be right back with our "play of the day." d like to formally extend my gratitude for the russell rate on my insurance. do you mean surprisingly great rates from state farm? i don't believe in accepting help. but i'll make an exception. here's the deal russell, there's no special rate. these prices are for everyone. with the oak and the eagle as witness, consider us square. i made that from memory, i know your face that well. when you want the real deal... like a good neighbor, state farm is there.

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because let's see how your workout compares to these guys, first, check out how they take push-ups to like a whole new level. their energy off the charts as they bound right up and then like change places and then do it again. as if that's not enough they really start to show off by performing those flips in between and it seems that's just for starters. >> okay, come on now. >> this is ridiculous. >> the routine gets harder and harder. >> i feel like i got my cardio for the day by just watching this. >> you could do this, no. >> you and rob, right. >> you know, like whit, i've got some bursitis issues so -- >> i would be afraid someone would land on me when they were flipping like that. >> ice up, dan, we'll hit the gym. >> yeah, let's see what that video looks like. >> but if we do we'll record it. by the way, "gma" is now two hours on saturday. coming up, the president campaigning in the final stretch, 17 days to go, how

trump and biden are focusing their time and their message in this final stretch. and the expert we haven't heard from on remote learning, a kid doing it all himself. stay with us. good morning, i'm julian glover, the u.s. has officially reached a new milestone in the coronavirus pandemic, 8 million people infected with the virus. while many of those have recovered covid-19 as killed nearly 219,000 americans. health experts say a recent surge in cases could stem from

students returning to cools and colleges in many parts of the country. every city has reported more cases in the past four weeks than the month prior. happening today women across the country are expected to take part in the annual women's march. most of the events are virtual because of the pandemic. here's some video of last year's women's march in san francisco. today's rally supports the black lives matter movement. virtual events play in several bay area cities, including san francisco, pat loma and brentwood. pg&e restored power to 41,000 customers who had their electricity shut off wednesday. inspection crews report finding 30 instances of weather damage which the utility claims could have caused wildfires. it was able to restore power 50% faster this time thanks to a larger fleet of helicopters helping with those inspections. now we get a check of the bay area forecast now with meteorologist lisa argen. >> julian, good morning to you, we're watching the winds in the upper elevations, they're

slowing down a bit. 20 mile an hour wind gusts. mt. diablo, 27 mount saint helena. off shore to the north and relative humidity low, about 19% mt. diablo. look at the beach, in the 60s, at 60 in san jose today, slightly cooler but above average, roof camera, 50 in nevada. 70s at the coast. mid-90s inland. julian. >> thank you, lisa. up next, new developments on this brush fire on the peninsula, what we've learned about the cause. >>

building a better bay area, this is abc 7 news. several wildfires ignited in the bay area as dangerous fire conditions and crippling heat hang on but with signs of relief on the horizon, pg&e wraps up its preventative power shutoff, restoring electricity to thousands. good news there. it's saturday, october 17th. thank you for joining us. i'm julian glover, we are joining you instead of "good morning america" right now because we're bringing college football at 9:00 a.m. let's get the weekend started off the right way. we have a look at the forecast right now with lisa argen. no fog to speak of. it is going to come back overnight tonight in the view from mt. tam. looks beautiful. it is