rning america." have a great monday. right now on "america this morning" several developing stories in the race for president. a second covid outbreak hits the white house, this time in the vice president's office. what we're learning. democrats turning to red state texas. could the lone star state be up for grabs? plus the federal investigation into this moment. a ballot box set on fire and fights erupting at a jews for trump raid. what police are saying. covid outbreak. >> we're at a crisis stage. >> hospitals struggle to keep up with covid patients. some preparing to ration care. this morning why one group of parents is trying to prevent

their kids from getting tested. and should santa be able to get the vaccine early? the debate in d.c. halloween warning. the new crackdown on trick-or-treating. the guidance from the cdc and options for parent. wild win. a sunday night football thriller with a surprise ending. plus, the lucky mistake that had one lottery winner seeing double. and one special reunion 1,200 miles in the making. good monday morning. i'm mona kosar abdi. >> i'm andrew dymburt. kenneth is off. we begin with the race for the white house just eight days before election day. >> a new covid outbreak has hit the white house. at least five people in mike pence's circle have tested positive. >> with polls showing a tight race, we learned that kamala harris will travel to texas this week. some ugly moments in new

york as people threw objects and hurled insults at a group called jew j jews for trump. we begin with the vice president on the campaign trail. despite a small slip while coming off air force two, and a covid outbreak in his inner circle, vice president mike pence shows no signs of slowing down holding a rally in north carolina last night. >> we're all standing out here in the rain for one reason only. that is that north carolina and america need four more years of president donald trump in the white house. >> reporter: at least five people close to the vice president tested positive for covid-19. marty obst testing positive wednesday. the white house then revealing pence's chief of staff, marc short, also tested positive. short was seen here with the vice president friday. sources say president trump's

chief of staff wanted to keep the outbreak private. >> we don't give out that kind of information. obviously marc short and a couple of key staff around the vice president have come down with the coronavirus. >> reporter: meadows admitting this. >> we're not going to control the pandemic. we are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics. >> why aren't we going to get control of the pandemic? >> it's a contagious virus like the flu. >> why not make efforts to contain it? >> we are. >> by running all over the country, not wearing a mask? that's what the vice president is doing. >> reporter: the white house says the vice president and the second lady tested negative sunday and says pence will maintain his schedule in accordance with cdc guidelines. democratic vice presidential nominee kamala harris who suspended campaigning when a member of her staff tested positive took aim at her opponent. >> we have modelled the right and good behavior. they should take our lead.

>> reporter: president trump at the white house last night handing out candy to children of health care workers and military families. the trump team released this new ad marking joe biden as a zombie. >> exhibits aggressive behaviors and moans and growns. with your help we can prevent the zombie uprising. >> reporter: a new abc/ipsos poll shows the favorability of both candidates remains relatively unchanged since the summer. 58 million ballots have already been cast. lines stretched for blocks on the first day of voting in new york city. >> i feel it's our most fundamental right to vote. >> reporter: a new push to secure ballots. surveillance video captured someone setting a drop off box on fire. 87 ballots were able to be salvaged and processed. >> i sent an urgent directive

this afternoon to secure ballot drop boxes if at all possible to keep them inside. >> at least eight ballots in the box were destroyed. the fbi is investigating. the senate is set to confirm abe amy coney barrett, adding to the court's conservative majority. sources say plans are in the works for a swearing in at the white house. now to the pandemic and infections surging in parts of the country, including a record number of new cases as the covid death toll tops 225,000. another big city is now imposing a cure view. some hospitals are preparing to ration care. abc's elizabeth schulze has more on the new hot spots. good morning. >> reporter: the crisis is escalating so quickly in part of texas. some hospitals say they may need to air lift critically ill patients to other cities. this morning an explosion of new

cases crippling some cities. >> we're at a danger tipping point. >> we're at a point where the health care system is overloaded. >> we think we'll need another 200 plus hospital rooms. >> reporter: el paso seeing patients triple in who weeks. medical workers setting up outdoor tents to house patients. >> we're at a crisis stage. all area hospitals have reached capacity. all intensive care units are at 100% capacity. >> reporter: el paso county now under curfew. nonessential travel banned after 10:00 p.m. violating face a $500 fine. >> this should alert all of us as to the importance of what's taking place. >> reporter: the country is seeing the highest number of daily infections ever. >> what's the toughest part? >> breathing. >> reporter: in illinois a top doctor getting emotional. >> we're reporting a total of

364,033 since the start of the pandemic. excuse me. >> reporter: in utah some parents are pledging not to get their kids tested. >> if there's a quarantine, they're encouraging each other not to have their children tested. >> reporter: it's called the mom code, a growing effort to keep schools open and sports teams running regardless of covid outbreaks. parents in the group claim testing is unnecessary. >> frequent testing allows rapid identification of children with covid. this containment reduces the rapid spread. >> reporter: meanwhile a push to offer santa performers early access to a covid vaccine is being canceled. "the wall street journal" says the priority were offered to the performers as essential workers. the idea was scrapped. now health secretary alex azar said he didn't know about the

reported santa pr plan which is now under review. andrew? >> elizabeth, thank you. overseas the crew of an oil tanker off the british coast is safe after what was initially called a suspected hijacks. british military forces boarded the ship. seven people were taken into custody. the tanker left nigeria thr weeks ago carrying oil. tropical storm zeta appears to have new orleans in its sights and could soon become a hurricane. the system is moving through the gulf off the eastern coast. the system is on track to reach louisiana wednesday. it's expected to gain strength and become a category 1 hurricane. time for a look at your monday forecast. the strongest santa ana winds of the season are raising fire fears in california. concerns have forced pacific gas and electric to cut power to about 1 million people.

wildfire conditions in colorado have given way to snow. take a look at that. more than a foot fell in locations north of denver. windchills are below zero. checking today's high temperatures. only the mid teens in the denver area today. mid 70s in southern california today. coming up the breakfast wars heating up. dunkin' puts itself up for sale. also ahead, from stores like home depot to your local car dealership the products in short supply because of the pandemic. new cdc

back now with the unusual lights seen in the sky over hawaii this weekend.

spacex tweeted it deployed satellites saturday. astronomers believe it was actually debris from a rocket re-entering the atmosphere. dunkin' donuts is looking to go private. "the new york times" says dunkin' is in talks to sell itself in a deal worth $9 billion. a deal could come today. from washer machines to gallons of paint, stores are reporting supply chain disruptions. this is affecting appliance makers as more people complete home improvement projects. car dealers are struggling to keep vehicles in stock because more americans are avoiding mass transit. grocery stores are stockpiling essential items including soap and cleaning wipes. many parents are asking what will be safe for kids this

halloween. abc's megan tevrizian has some guidance. >> reporter: cities in at least 37 states are changing some of their halloween plans, most canceling community events. some banning trick-or-treating altogether. others are restricting giving candy, treats or toys to anyone outside your household. cdc is warning people to avoid indoor costume parties or haunted houses, fall festivals and hay rides with anyone you don't live with. >> we're trying to reduce the number of interactions, keep social distancing and mask wearing. >> reporter: cdc encouraging people to use candy tubes, to having ghosts do the dirty work. what else is considered low risk? carving or decorating pumpkins outside at a safe distance with friends, a virtual costume contest or a scavenger hunt for

candy with members of your own house old. >> we're going to set up like an easter egg hunt for halloween. we'll hide candy in the backyard and have them search for it. >> reporter: most importantly if you plan to wear a costume, don't forget you still need a mask. the cdc is nixing so-called trunk or treating where kids get their candy fix from cars rather than going to a house itself. even that experts say has a high transmission risk. andrew, mona? >> megan thank you. coming up, we clear up confusion about the flu shot. a big step forward in a fight against the so-called murder hornet, but what's next? ext? uncthat can last.kin in fact, tremfya® was proven superior to humira® in providing significantly clearer skin. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms

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it's the first and only approved chemo-free combination of two immunotherapies that works together in different ways to harness the power of the immune system. opdivo plus yervoy equals a chance for more days. more nights. more beautiful weekends. more ugly sweaters. more big hugs. more small outings. opdivo and yervoy can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in your body and affect how they work. this may happen during or after treatment has ended and can become serious and lead to death. some of these problems may happen more often when opdivo is used with yervoy. see your doctor right away if you have a new or worse cough; chest pain; shortness of breath; diarrhea; severe stomach pain; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; fainting; extreme tiredness; weight changes; constipation; excessive thirst; changes in urine or eyesight; rash; itching; confusion; memory problems; muscle pain or weakness; joint pain; flushing; fever; or tingling in hands and feet. these are not all the possible side effects. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions including immune system problems, or if you've had an organ transplant

or lung, breathing, or liver problems. here's to a chance for more together time. a chance to live longer. ask your doctor about opdivo plus yervoy. thank you to all involved in our clinical trials. back now with rodents causing problems on the vegas strip. rats are being blamed for knocking out power at the paris hotel thursday. people had to be rescued from elevators. rodents have become a bigger problem since the pandemic as they look for more food sources. scientists who destroyed the first nest of so-called murder hornets are concerned it's not the only one. workers vacuumed out more than 100 of the insects from a tree north of seattle. the hornets kill about 50 people a year in japan. scientists found the nest after applying dental floss with a tracking device to a hornet. >> i took a step back and realized we were standing right under the nest.

we tracked her straight back to where she came from. we were pretty happy about that. >> experts say there's a good chance there are more nests. turning back to the pandemic, there's confusion this year about the flu shot. also this morning an at-home saliva test for covid is available. earlier i spoke to dr. patel about the headlines. let's begin with the flu shot. we've been told it's so important this year. what are you hearing about shortages of flu shots and the challenges of getting kids vaccinated? >> we're not hearing anything about shortages. we're hearing as discrepancies about whether or not children as young as 3 can get vaccinated. there's misconceptions that it's not safe to go into doctor's offices to get flu shots. it's absolutely important to get kids ages 6 months above vaccinated against in ffluenzai.

not only kids, but yourself as well. >> even though deaths are dropping, we're seeing some of the worst case numbers since the pandemic began. where do you see this going? >> as of right now what we saw with 85,000 cases on friday, it's not going in a good direction. we're seeing cases sky rocket. the death rate is dropping. that's because we're better at our therapies. it doesn't necessarily mean if you don't die you walk out of the clinic without any symptoms. there's long-term issues. we really hope we get it together this winter. we can. it's in our hands. >> new york's governor said the targeted strategy used in the new york city has worked in controlling clusters of the virus. how did that strategy work? can it work or be duplicated elsewhere? >> remember, this is an early intervention strategy. it's not going to work if you have widespread cases in a city.

i think this is a strategy that a lot of cities should look at trying to adopt so they can better control early outbreaks before they spread. >> at-home saliva testing is now available for covid-19. what are your thoughts on this kind of testing? >> costco came out with a saliva test you can by online. it's a little cost prohibitive at about $129. hopefully there will be more competition to drive the cost down. what some people are speculating is we may see an at-home covid test similar to a pregnancy one that anyone can buy and take at home. >> thanks to dr. patel. the dodgers are one win away from the world series title. they beat the rays 4-2 last night. game six is tomorrow. the dodgers are trying to end a 32-year title drought. on sunday football the play of the year last night. seattle's d.k. metcalfe saves a sure touchdown by an interception return.

metcalfe was clocked at 22 miles an hour. arizona came back to win 37-34 in overtime. the play of the year, maybe even the game of the year. >> i agree. coming up a very lucky mistake for one man playing the lottery. also the perfect halloween costume for 2020. the perfect halloween costume for 2020. and my favorite thing about the chick-fil-a nuggets is how easy you can share them with your friends. they taste fresh, they're crispy, you can taste that every single one is unique. the top tier, best chicken nuggets ever. you guys should put that in the commercial.

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next victim. next, a careless mistake that was worth the consequences. >> a michigan man tried to buy a lottery ticket through an app. he mistakenly purchased two. he said he was bummed he wasted two bucks until he realized he hit the jackpot. >> he just claimed a $2 million prize. $1 million for each ticket. news from mcdonald's customers. being surprised about the ice cream machine not working is a thing of the past. >> a german software maker created the program. a bot is used to check the status of every ice cream maker in the united states. reunited. >> one man got his best friend back. check out the reaction from blue. blue has been missing from six months when his owner pat had to move to texas for work. >> pat's friend saw blue in a video the shelter posted online. >> that's the video we needed to see this monday morning. we'll check the top headlines when we come back. ome back.

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again. thousands of pg&e customers in the dark right now because of the high fire danger and they will likely remain without power until tomorrow. we have team coverage of the power shutoffs. and here is what they are concerned about, firefighters battling several spot fires across the bay area overnight. to prevent these from becoming major wildfires. let's take a live look through our east bay hills camera, gusty winds combining for a dangerous morning. mike is tracking the weather. good morning, it is monday, october 26, happy that you are joining us for this special edition of abc 7 morks. we want to get straight to mike for the latest on this critical fire danger across the bay area. >> thank you very much. hi, everybody. we have had 58 mile per hour gusts at the airport in oakland,

severe thunderstorm threshold, faster than 70 mile per hour gusts in the north bay and mt. diablo. the wind event has panned out. it's going to continue through 11:00. nothing has changed our our lower elevations, 5:00 for our higher elevations. tomorrow wind advisory, our fastest most dangerous winds, most destructive winds will continue until 11:00 today. we've still got plenty of space in front of us that we have to get through before we can get out of this. right now 59 at st. helena, 40 in docksville. diablo i'm not sure why it's not putting the information right there, but they are up around 59 mile per hour right now. down where most of us live we are not seeing those 40, 50 mile per hour gusts but we are still getting up there around 30 at sfo, 26 at sonoma, napa 24, 26 concord, hayward 23. when i was driving into work dodging a lot of debris on the roads this morning. just to get you out the door in

case you have to leave us, here is what to expect this afternoon, 69 half-moon bay, pretty much low to upper 70s, mid to upper 70s, 74 to about 79. breaking news in the east bay, crews are on the scene of a wildfire along eastbound 580 in castro a alley, half a mile west of eden canyon. it came within 50 feet of reaching a home. thankfully no one got hurt. firefighters have been busy responding to calls of wires and trees down throughout alameda county because of the strong winds in the area. high winds across northern california have forced pg&e to shut off power to hundreds of thousands of customers. >> this event is by far the largest we have experienced this year, the most extreme weather. >> we are just entering this significant and dangerous risk period. >> we're doing everything that we can at pg&e to reduce the risk of wildfires. >> so that means turning off the

power. pg&e says nearly 106,000 customers in the bay area are without power this morning and that is to prevent wildfires from starting. each of the purple triangles marks the location of a public safety power shutoff. taking a look closer to some of the neighborhoods without power. amy hollyfield live in lafayette this morning. >> reporter: good morning. a dark and windy lafayette, the businesses behind me, this noah's bagels does not have power, but when i type in different addresses the neighborhoods south of here do have power, addresses in moraga do not have power. it's scattered throughout this area. take a look at some video, you will see as you drive down mt. diablo boulevard in lafayette it is dark, the only lights are from the car head lights and the portable lights they use for constructionre