>> that is a lot of sitting. back is it teeter totter or . as we start this friday morning, the record holiday travel rush now under way. on the move, the most americans since the pandemic began now hitting the roads and skies. airports bracing. already feeling the crush. the exclusive new details. why southwest has really been canceling hundreds of flights and with 43 million expected to drive, the new gas price high and the worst time to be on the road. breaking news for our viewers in the west. tropical storm elsa strengthening into a hurricane and wildfires force evacuations out west. new trouble for trump.

the former president's business and cfo now facing criminal charges accused of illegally avoiding taxes with perks like a rent-free apartment and private school tuition. some checks allegedly signed by trump himself. what this could mean for the former president. new shot of hope. the study revealing how the j&j does against the delta variant and the urgent plea from a governor as hospitals in his state start to fill up again. race against time. crews battling the clock to search for survivors in that surfside building tragedy before tropical storm elsa comes in. and the new video just after the collapse. survivors calling to be rescued as the president meets with workers and families on the ground. boy scout versus shark. >> go ahead. >> the 15-year-old canoeing furiously with his crew back to shore when all of a sudden he's bitten by a shark. what he's saying this morning on "gma." ♪ i'm a rocket man ♪

and billionaire space race. overnight, virgin galactic founder richard branson announcing he will be a real-life rocket man preparing to blast into space in just nine days. beating the competition and that first flight by jeff bezos. now branson joins us live only on "gma" this morning. good morning, america. great to have eva and whit here at the desk as we kick off the holiday weekend and we are so excited to have sir richard branson join us live as he prepares to blast off into space. >> yes, but back here on earth, millions of americans are already on the go for the holiday. aaa says nearly 48 million people will be traveling this fourth of july weekend. the most since the pandemic began. and this is expected to be one of the busiest days for flying.

let's take a look live at two of the busiest airports in the country. there you see chicago's o'hare, and atlanta's hartsfield-jackson. >> our transportation correspondent gio benitez is at newark airport in new jersey starting us off this morning with the latest. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, michael. good morning to you. just take a look behind me. it is incredibly busy here at newark liberty international airport. so many passengers coming through here all morning long. and right now this is a scene we are seeing at airports all across this country. this morning, the holiday travel rush is officially under way with the most travelers hitting the roads and skies since the pandemic began. >> aaa is forecasting nearly 48 million americans are going to hit the road, head to the airport or, you know, trains and buses. it's going to be busy out there so pack your patience and get ready for traffic. >> reporter: 3.5 million expected to take to the skies at atlanta's hartsfield-jackson, 1.5 million are expected to travel through that airport alone. denver expecting similar numbers

and orlando international airport expecting just 250,000 less than what it saw before the pandemic even started. this as some airlines struggle to keep up with the holiday crush. southwest airlines canceling hundreds of flights per day. more than 200 yesterday. 2,600 canceled in june. the company had been blaming weather as summer thunderstorms have been a factor, but now we've learned southwest is also dealing with severe staffing issues. in internal documents obtained by abc news, a letter from mid-june says more than 20% of flight attendants called in sick. >> the lowest morale we've ever seen. flight attendants are exhausted. they are mentally exhausted. they are physically exhausted. >> reporter: it's not just the flight attendants. >> southwest is facing labor shortages from the ramp to customer service agents to our flight attendants, pilots. >> reporter: he says about 900 pilots took a leave of absence at the height of the pandemic.

now they must be retrained before getting back in the cockpit. and overnight southwest sent a statement to abc news insisting that these issues are caused by bad weather and very full flights, but take a look at this. they also say, we're aware of the frustration this disruption is having on our employees and customers. we apologize and we are dedicated to doing better. michael? >> and, gio, when are airports expected to be the busiest today and how early should people who are traveling arrive? >> reporter: so the largest crowds, michael, are expected right now, between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. across this country and, as far as getting here, you want to get to the airport very early. i personally waited in a bag drop line for an hour. so you want to think about at least two hours before that flight, but you might want to think about three, michael. >> you better hurry up and get in line. everybody is passing up behind you, gio. thank you so much.

we appreciate you. whit, over to you. >> that's right. we've been holding him up. while millions flying even more driving. aaa predicting more than 43 million travelers will hit the road this weekend as the national gas average hits a new yearly high. elwyn lopez is at a gas station in atlanta with all the details on that. elwyn, good morning. >> reporter: hey, whit, good morning. people already hitting the roads this morning and that is where aaa predicts the bulk of the holiday travel will be. it's on the roadways with that record breaking 43.6 million traveling by car. all this despite the hefty at the pump. the national gas average reaching its highest point this year at $3.12. gas stations in utah, indiana, oregon and washington saw the largest weekly increases in part because of demand and the lifting of travel restrictions. whit? >> elwyn, help us get through

it. you have tips on the best and worst times to be on the road. >> reporter: yeah. so experts say the worst traffic is expected today between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. as for that drive back home on monday you might want to try to get a head start before 1:00 p.m. >> elwyn lopez, thank you so much. eva, over to you. as millions prepare to drive and fly all eyes on the weather. wildfires forcing evacuations out west overnight. and tropical storm elsa is strengthening. ginger tracking it all. good morning, ginger. >> reporter: we have hurricane elsa now. the first hurricane in the atlantic. it's way early. the average is august 14th. we've seen 86 mile per hour winds. it's flying through the west/northwest. then it depends on how far west it goes and how far the bermuda high tries to pull it. we'll see the large cone become more narrow. just to let you know, while we're preparing for heavy rains

during the east coast, the west, the tenant fire more than 9400 acres burned. some evacuations in place. more heat and gusty winds on the way. eva? >> ginger zee for us. whit? now to that bombshell indictment of former president trump's company and its cfo for what prosecutors are calling a sweeping and audacious scheme to hide income and illegally avoid taxes. our senior national correspondent terry moran is tracking the latest. terry, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, whit. you know, for two years prosecutors in new york have been investigating the trump organization and this 25-page indictment is the result so far and, while donald trump nor his family members are mentioned in this indictment, it's clear from what prosecutors are saying and doing here that the former president of the united states may be facing another epic legal battle. this morning the family business that made donald trump a household name is now ensnared in a criminal case. the trump organization in its

longtime chief financial officer allen weisselberg are charged with carrying out what new york prosecutors call a sweeping and audacious 15-year-long scheme. accusing the company of illegally avoiding taxes by paying executives off the books. weisselberg, one of the company's longest serving and most loyal employees entered the courthouse for his arraignment in handcuffs. he was released after the hearing but required to surrender his passport. according to the charge papers weisselberg collected over $1.7 million from the company under the table and evaded more than $900,000 in personal taxes by receiving part of his compensation in perks including a rent-free new york apartment, mercedes-benz cars and tuition for family members. some allegedly paid by personal checks drawn on the account and signed by donald j. trump. weisselberg now faces 15 felony counts, the most serious grand larceny. if convicted on that, he could

be sentenced up to 15 years in prison. he and representatives for the trump organization pleaded not guilty. former president trump calling the charges a disgrace and insisting the entire investigation into his company is politically motivated. >> they come after me, new york radical left prosecutors come after me. it's a disgusting thing. it's very unfair. >> reporter: these are the first criminal charges to result from the manhattan district attorney's two-year probe into the former president's business dealings. donald trump himself has not been charged with any crime, but the investigation is ongoing. prosecutors have been working to flip allen weisselberg hoping to turn him into a cooperating witness. michael cohen, trump's former attorney and fixer who eventually turned on him, is now predicting allen weisselberg will do the same and that it will mean trouble for the entire trump family. >> each and every one of them are going to get caught up in this broad sweeping investigation. >> reporter: attorneys for allen weisselberg say he intends to fight the charges, and former president trump said he doesn't believe weiselberg will become a

cooperating witness, and trump says he intends to run for president in 2024. whit? >> all right, terry, thank you so much. we appreciate it. let's bring in our chief legal analyst dan abrams for more on this. dan, good morning to you. let's start with the big picture. weisselberg as we heard reportedly has not been cooperative so far. that could change of course. what could this mean for donald trump and his family? >> right, so first of all, donald trump has not been indicted. none of his family members have been indicted and allen weisselberg is not cooperating. the flip side of that is that as terry points out, donald trump signed some of the checks at issue here, and you have to believe that this is the beginning of the investigation. this investigation started when michael cohen reported other stuff about inflating or deflating prices of real estate, et cetera. we don't know what's happened to that piece of the investigation yet. so i think that this is really step one in terms of this investigation. >> and we've heard donald trump's take on all this. he said this is a political witch-hunt.

do you think that's where the defense in this case is going to go? >> yeah. i think they'll have to make a different argument in court, right? we haven't yet heard what is their legal defense. we've heard the political defense which is these prosecutors are coming after us and coming after us for political reasons but you still have to get into the nitty-gritty of what the law is and what the facts are. and the legal questions will be intent, knowledge, the questions that us lawyers focus on every day. those are the sorts of arguments they'll have to start making in court as well. >> dan abrams, a lot of people will watch this case for quite some time. thanks for being with us. michael? >> thank you, eva. now we turn to the urgent search for survivors in surfside, florida. president biden visiting with crews thursday and they're back to full power this morning after fears the remaining structure could collapse, but there are new concerns about that tropical storm. trevor ault is in surfside with the latest. good morning, trevor. >> reporter: good morning, michael.

president biden says these families are going through hell and hoping for a miracle but now more than a week in they are realistic. and this morning, we're getting a new look at the devastation and the terror in the immediate aftermath of this building collapse. >> hopefully he's gonna survive. >> reporter: this morning, new video taken just after the surfside condo collapse captured by a neighbor. the surrounding air thick with dust. as survivors in the still standing tower cry out for help. now, eight days later officials identifying another victim from the rubble, 80-year-old magaly delgado. and as 145 people remain unaccounted for, rescuers digging into the debris after stability concerns shut down the search for much of the day thursday. officials are now considering demolishing the rest of the building, especially as tropical storm elsa advances toward

florida. >> we are not expecting any impacts through saturday, but obviously the state meteorological team is actively monitoring the storm. >> reporter: 1,400 tons of debris have been pulled from the site and the national institute of standards and technology conducting the federal investigation into the cause of the collapse. these concrete slabs taken to a lab for analysis. and president biden spending hours thursday in surfside encouraging those exhausted rescue workers and comforting families. >> our message today is that we're here for you as one nation, as one nation. >> reporter: and experts tell abc, while a critical flaw or damage must have been present in this tower, construction on a neighboring building may have been the straw that broke the camel's back contributing to that collapse. it's one of many aspects this federal investigation will be examining.

michael? >> all right, trevor, thank you so much. eva? now to that good news in the battle against covid. johnson & johnson announcing a preliminary study shows their vaccine likely offers good protection against the delta variant. marcus moore has all the details. good morning to you, marcus. >> reporter: eva, good morning. this will likely come as very encouraging news to anybody who took the j&j shot, and is concerned about the spread of covid across the country. that major announcement overnight showing just how well this vaccine seems to work against those new variants. this morning, pharmaceutical giant johnson & johnson saying new data suggests its single dose vaccine stands up well to covid-19 variants, including the hyper-transmissible delta variant. >> we showed that the durability of the single shot j&j vaccine is remarkably good. it lasts for at least eight months and probably much longer. >> reporter: this as the threat looms of a post-fourth of july surge. >> with vaccines available

across the country, the suffering and loss we are now seeing is nearly entirely avoidable. >> reporter: health experts predict the delta variant will become the country's dominant strain, now behind about one in four new cases. the white house now forming surge response teams to deploy where the delta variant presents the most risk to unvaccinated americans. medical centers in utah seeing an uptick too. nearly 260 people currently hospitalized with covid. the highest number since february. the governor there with this somber plea. >> 95% of you don't have to die and 95% of you don't have to be hospitalized and go through that incredible pain. >> reporter: for texas area hospitals, the focus on young children and adults who have not been vaccinated. >> the real dichotomy we're seeing is the difference between patients who are vaccinated and then for children under the age of 12 who cannot be vaccinated that they may be at particular risk. >> reporter: those search teams

will focus on areas that have the highest risk of spread or already are experiencing an outbreak. officials urging americans to get vaccinated. eva? >> that push to vaccinate still happening. marcus moore, thank you so much. whit? we are going to turn to something many of us are looking forward to over the holiday weekend. fireworks, of course, and they were back overnight at disney world. pthis for the first time in mor than a year. take a look. the spectacular happily ever after show lighting up the magic kingdom. the projection of course on the castle and everything. i got to say when my daughter went to this show a couple years ago she was crying and said it was the best day of her life. so very special. >> it is the happiest place on earth. >> for a lot of people. >> the way you say that i think you were the one crying and you're putting it on your kids. >> not me, you are, you are. >> it's all right. >> i'm not crying. we're following a lot of other headlines this morning. next, the billionaire space race, sir richard branson is preparing to blast himself into space in just days.

he is joining us live on "gma." and the boy scout attacked by a shark. how his training helped him speaking out on "gma." first, let's go to ginger. >> reporter: eva we're dealing with lingering storms here. look how bad it was around the nation's capitol. you can see tacoma park, maryland, trees down. much of the wind action has subsided. you'll see heavy rains still from d.c. to virginia, all the way up the week coast. let's get the weekend forecast now sponsored by verizon.

good morning. we have made it to friday waking up with drizzle. turning to sunshine at the bay and in line, cloudy along the coast. thunderstorms possible in the high country all we can with the warming trend late next week. 60s along the coast, san francisco and richmond, 70s around the bay. 80s inland with te sir richard branson is joining us live next. we will be right there. stay with us. a lot more "gma" is on the way.

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for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc7 news. >> good morning. happening now, the busiest travel period since the start of the pandemic, getting started with the fourth of holiday. sfo expects over 40,000 people traveling through the airport each day. oakland anticipates 160,000 travelers coming through, triple the amount on the last july 4th holiday. it does not look like many people are out on the roads this morning hours they are not out there, one crash all morning long on dublin between an oil rig and other car. two lanes are blocked with injuries reported.

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we made made made made made cloud cover and drizzle for your morning commute, whether driving or at a mass transit stop, breezy from the golden gate through the delta during the afternoon. the good news is that air quality remains healthy for the holiday weekend. this pattern will remain steady. if it is cloudy in your neighborhood at 9:00 it will probably be that way for your fireworks. richard branson is live as he attempts to beat jeff bezos to space, on gma this morning. find us on our news app and

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and stay asleep. nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. ♪ welcome back to "gma." we have been rising and shining all around the country, and we actually have early risers here in new york city in times square. so great to see everyone back outside. girls trip saying girls trip. it's better than -- cheaper than therapy. >> so true. >> get your friends together and come to times square and hang out with us and have a great time. we've had all sorts of adventures on our "rise & shine" tour, to the white waters and

mountains to colorado. >> rob marciano is there. we're looking forward to that. first though, the top headlines and travel rush is under way. nearly 48 million people expected to hit the roads and skies this weekend. and today is expected to be the busiest flying day since the pandemic began. that is until monday, july 5th when everyone returns home. also this morning, a big development in afghanistan. after nearly 20 years, the u.s. military has left bagram airfield and handed over control to afghanistan as part of the troop drawdown there. breaking news for viewers in the west. a strong jobs report out this morning showing the u.s. added 850,000 jobs in june, exceeding expectations. the unemployment rate rose slightly to 5.9%. jobs were added in areas like leisu leisure, hospitality, education and retail. the nba finals are almost here and the milwaukee bucks are one win away from making it beating the hawks, 123-112. the bucks ask the hawks will face off again tomorrow night. the winner of the series will take on the phoenix suns. the bucks. >> great game last night.

>> so cheering for the bucks now too. we have a lot more ahead including that boy scout who survived a shark attack. he's telling his story on "gma." some tips maybe for all of us. >> glad he's okay. now we turn to an abc news exclusive with the billionaire who just announced he's headed to space. virgin group founder sir richard branson says he plans to go as soon as july 11th, days ahead of amazon founder jeff bezos. we're going to talk to branson live in just a moment but first gio benitez is back with more on this historic mission. hey, gio. >> reporter: hey, michael. this announcement came as a total surprise and it's already sending shock waves across the aerospace industry. now within nine days, richard branson may go to the edge of space. the space race heating up.

just weeks before amazon founder jeff bezos' history making launch into space, richard branson now says he's going to do it first with his virgin galactic spaceflight unity 22. >> astronaut 001, richard branson. i'll be evaluating the customer spaceflight experience. >> reporter: it'll be the company's first fully-crewed space flight. branson will be joined by two piles and three other mission specialists. virgin galactic spacecraft launches from beneath a custom carrier airplane before being shot to the boundary of earth and space reaching supersonic speeds within eight seconds. >> fire, fire. >> reporter: the window to launch opens july 11th, just nine days before jeff bezos launches with his brother and two others aboard blue origins new shepherd. >> to see it from space, it changes you. it changes your relationship with this planet, with humanity. it's one earth. >> reporter: one of the seats on that flight selling at auction for $28 million for an 11-minute flight to the edge of the

atmosphere. and on thursday bezos announcing 82-year-old wally funk will be his honored guest on that flight. she underwent astronaut training in the '60s, but never flew to space. now she tells bezos what she'll say after this flight. >> i will say, honey, that was the best thing that ever happened to me. >> reporter: while spacex has announced its plans for its all civilian flight, its founder elon musk won't be on it. still, he's been awarded the major nasa contracts and has sent astronauts to the international space station. but branson is trying to become the first of the three to soar into weightlessness ending his surprise announcement with a tease. >> when we return, i will announce something very exciting to give more people the chance to become astronauts, because space does belong to us all. >> reporter: quite the tease right there and the company says it has two additional test flights planned before virgin galactic officially begins those

commercial flights next year. michael? >> all right, thank you, gio. a lot of eyes on the skies. virgin group founder, sir richard branson joins us now. thank you so much for joining us this morning, richard. and you're planning to take a trip of a lifetime to space in just over a week. tell us what this trip means to you and what you're expecting. >> it means a lot. i mean, we've spent 17 years trying to get to this stage. i've been -- the first time i got truly excited was yesterday when the final safety check came through and i was asked whether i'd like to go. and, of course, of course, the answer is yes. i'm just expecting the most extraordinary trip of my lifetime and by pioneering it myself an extraordinary trip of a lifetime for other people in the future and obviously for the other five people who are going to be on board the spaceship

with me. so, yeah, we're all now hitting the ceiling. >> i can only imagine the excitement you have. and virgin galactic, you had planned to start flying customers to space years ago but did have serious setbacks including the death of a pilot in a 2014 test flight accident. are you a little nervous about participating in this mission? >> i'm not. i mean, test pilots are incredibly brave people. they go up to try to find out what can go wrong that you can't test on the ground, and the test pilots have done that. they've announced they're ready for myself and members of the public to go up. the faa have just given us the certification to be able to send people up. so it's been -- some painful moments in the last 17 years, some wonderful moments, but it's been 17 years of hard work by hundreds and hundreds of

engineers to achieve what they've achieved. >> no doubt in that. you've said you don't see it as a race, but you're set to blast off nine days before jeff bezos. so the timing of the mission is a little interesting. so are you trying to beat bezos? >> you know, i know that it's been painted as a race. honestly i don't think either of us see it that way. we've -- i mean, i think jeff has been working at this for 20 years. we've been working at it for nearly 20 years. we're both doing something pretty different. you know, the people that go up with us are going up in a spaceship. they came back down in the spaceship. they're launched from a mother ship named after my mummy. they launch from a beautiful space port in new mexico. and then jeff has a different approach. so we're not really in direct competition. i have enormous respect for what he's doing and i know he has enormous respect for what our wonderful team are doing. >> we have respect for both of

you. have to say that because what you're doing is groundbreaking. what have you done in terms of training? what is required in order to go to space? >> i've done everything i can to be half as fit as you. so they -- i -- you know, i'm in my 70s. so it's important whatever happens to be fit. i hike, surf, i surf. i play a lot of tennis. i do weight training. i do, you know, extreme biking. i do everything i can to get fit and then obviously i've been through things like centrifuge. i've got five days of training leading up to the spaceflight as well, more specific training. >> well, listening to that list you're much more fit than i am, believe me. but you've also teased you'll make an announcement when you return that will give more people a chance to become astronauts. so is there anything you can tell us about that announcement

now? >> we've got to save something for when i return. look, the whole -- the whole reason for starting virgin galactic all those years ago was that you, me, ordinary members of the public would never have the chance to go to space because space is run by governments. it wasn't something that they really thought of. so, you know, our aim is to bring the price of space travel down and down and down in the years to come by building more and more spaceships but in the meantime, there will be people out there who can't wait and i can't wait to make this announcement, but i'll do it on my return from space. >> sir richard branson, we appreciate you and we cannot wait to talk to you when you return. thank you. >> looking forward to it, thank you. >> thanks. eva? >> one day it'll be like going on an amusement ride. 11 minutes. >> very fast and very far. >> so crazy to think about.

well, coming up, the boy scout versus the shark. how his training helped him. he's telling his story next on "gma." no one likes to choose between safe or sporty. modern or reliable. we want both - we want a hybrid. so do banks. that's why they're going hybrid with ibm. a hybrid cloud approach helps them personalize experiences with watson ai while helping keep data secure. ♪ ♪ ♪ from banking to manufacturing, businesses are going with a smarter hybrid cloud, using the tools, platform and expertise of ibm. ♪ ♪ ♪ discomfort back there? instead of using aloe, or baby wipes, or powders, try the cooling, soothing relief or preparation h. because your derriere deserves expert care. preparation h. get comfortable with it.

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or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. talk to your doctor about dupixent. we're back with that boy scout bitten by a shark at a camp off the coast of catalina island in california. he's telling his story from his hospital bed. our kaylee hartung spoke with him overnight. and, kaylee, what a terrifying experience for this teen. >> reporter: yeah, whit, you

would think. but let me tell you, you have never heard someone so calmly describe what sounds like it would have been a terrifying encounter. but in crisis, eddie cahill kept his cool and so did his fellow boy scouts. >> go ahead. >> emerald bay. can you send an air squad to 55 charlie for a traumatic hand injury? >> we'll get you an air squad started. >> reporter: that's 15-year-old eddie cahill being rushed to the hospital after he was bitten by a shark off the coast of southern california. eddie and his dad daniel speaking to "gma" overnight from the hospital. eddie, how are you feeling? >> i'm feeling pretty good all things considered. >> reporter: the father and son returning from an overnight trip to catalina island along with eight other scouts and a scoutfast scoutfaster. the group filled a canoe heading

back to the mainland. >> eddie being one of the older scouts was all the way in the front. >> we hit something and come close to capsizing in the canoe so we're worried in the front a bit about what is a happening. >> we're like, oh, it's a shark so start rowing. it's like, row, row, row. >> we're kind of freaking out, just trying to paddle a lot. my left hand was much further in the water and that's when the shark came up. i lost my paddle. then i looked down and my hand, oh, i lost my finger? >> how much did that boy scout training come in handy? >> i think it did come in handy. i was able to keep myself fairly calm and i don't think i properly freaked out. >> once we pulled in to shore and i saw how bad the injury was i think it hit me harder then and i was like, wow, thank god he didn't, you know, take his whole hand. >> reporter: this comes days after a shark bit a snorkeler in the bay area, and a 7-year-old girl was bit off the coast of north carolina. experts say these events are extremely rare. what have you learned through this?

>> just respect nature and the fact that it's kind of unpredictable. >> that was one of the merit badges he was working on in this camp was wilderness survive. so, hey, that's wilderness and he survived it. >> reporter: eddie will have surgery later today. it turns out he didn't lose that finger. it was just badly lacerated so doctors need to try to fix the bones, ligaments and nerves. you might have guessed, this won't keep eddie down for long. he says he has no fear going back in the water. give him the wilderness survival badge and where is the one for surviving a shark attack? >> they'll have to create a new one for that. brave young man, kaylee, thank you so much. you don't hear about people getting bitten while inside a canoe very often. >> we're happy he's okay. coming up, everybody, stay right there. we have our friday "play of the day." ♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer are living in the moment and taking ibrance.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. massive holiday exodus. the record travel rush getting under way right now as nearly 48 million americans hit the roads and skies. the exclusive new details about why southwest has been canceling hundreds of flights and the new gas price high. what you'll be paying at the pump and when the worst time is to drive. also this morning, closing in. hurricane elsa strengthening. the new hurricane watch issued overnight. "dancing with the stars" pro cheryl burke revealing her struggle to stay sober and now going to alcoholics anonymous. the moment she thought about relapsing and how her former partner, a.j. mcclean helped her. car seat safety. a record number of americans

planning to travel by car this weekend, but less than half of all car seats installed incorrectly. what you need to know before you hit the road. billionaire space race. overnight virgin galactic founder richard branson announcing he'll be a real-life rocketman preparing to blast into space in just nine days. what he told "gma" this morning. ♪ i feel alive ♪ it's time to "rise & shine" and say good morning from colorado. new heights in the rocky mountains from up close and personal with this owl to the rushing whitewaters. how the state full of adventure is bouncing back from the pandemic. as we say -- >> all: good morning, america! good morning, america. great to have you with us on this friday morning and it's great to have eva and whit at the desk as we head into the holiday weekend.

what a better place to rise and shine this morning than the majestic rocky mountains. take a look at that view from pikes peak. rob marciano is there and we can't wait to hear about his adventures. i'm sure he's had adventures. >> rob always has adventures. it is time to fire up those grills. millions of americans are getting ready for the holiday. we have the "consumer reports" top picks for grilling season. whit, get to it. >> when there's food in the studio, always excited about that. first, we got a lot of news to get to starting with the holiday travel rush. nearly 48 million people expected to hit the roads and skies and take a live look here at the airports right now, chicago's o'hare, atlanta's hartsfield-jackson already so busy and so is newark. that's where we find our transportation correspondent gio benitez back out there this morning. gio, good morning once again. >> reporter: hey, whit, good morning again. yeah, if you're driving to the airport today, get ready for a traffic jam.

3.5 million people are expected to jump on planes this holiday weekend. take a look at this because we are seeing extremely busy airports all across the country this morning. yesterday more than 2.1 million people were screened at u.s. airports. at atlanta's hartsfield-jackson 1.5 million expected to travel through that airport alone. denver expecting similar numbers and orlando international airport expecting just 250,000 less than it saw before the pandemic even started. now, some airlines are still struggling to keep up with the holiday crush. american airlines has 87 cancellations today. southwest has 67. southwest saying they're dealing with bad weather and full flights, but we've also learned here at abc news that they have severe staffing issues. and, if you are going on a road trip, just keep in mind the roads will be a lot busier than hey were before the pan. we're talking about 44 million people expected to hit the road and, whit, you got to remember, if you're traveling monday, it is going to be very busy too as people come back home.

>> got to leave yourself plenty of time. all right, gio, thanks so much. eva over to you. now to the latest on that tropical threat. elsa strengthening into a hurricane. let's go back to ginger tracking it all. good morning, again, ginger. >> reporter: eva, elsa is the first hurricane of the atlantic season, and if it feels early, it is. now we see the impacts to barbados this morning. we saw gusts to 86 miles per hour, max sustained winds 75. a cat 1 right now, and it is flying west-northwest at 28 miles per hour. the track gets wider for a reason because there is quite a bit of uncertainty after it passes by some of the caribbean islands there with six to ten inches of rain, one to three feet of storm surge. right now it hugs the florida west coast. but see how they have that cone? there's a 200-mile spread for error and we do have time. this is by early next week. we have the weekend and i want you to pay attention this weekend to what this track does because we will get it down.

it will kind of narrow but anybody really from new orleans all the way through charleston, i know it's a big spread needs to be watching this in the next five days. eva? >> my bet is a lot of people will be watching that. ginger, thank you so much. michael? >> eva, thank you. >> now to that billionaire space race. just moments ago i spoke with virgin group founder sir richard branson as he prepares to blast off to space just days from now ahead of amazon founder jeff bezos. i asked him if he sees this as a race, and here's what he had to say. >> we're both doing something pretty different. you know, the people that go up with us are going up in a spaceship. they come back down in the spaceship. they're launched from a mothership named after my mummy. they launch from a beautiful space port in new mexico and then jeff has a different approach. so we're not really in direct competition. i have enormous respect for what he's doing and i know he has enormous respect for what our

wonderful team are doing as well. >> we have a lot of respect for them and we're drawing straws during the break to see who is the first to go up. >> seems like he was recruiting you for a moment there. >> you can have my straw if i draw it. coming up, "dancing with the stars" star cheryl burke getting candid about her struggle to stay sober. what she's doing that helps. also ahead, as families head out for the holiday weekend, the car seat rules of the road. the simple mistake many parents could be making. plus, we're in colorado to "rise & shine." rob marciano scaling new heights in the rocky mountains. that is all coming up on "gma." ♪ looking what at might have been been ♪ ke more time than you have. so, the mess has to wait. but mr. clean clean freak delivers the power of a deep clean in minutes. unlike bleach sprays, clean freak starts deep cleaning on contact with 3x the cleaning power to break down tough messes in seconds it quickly cleans tough stove top messes stainless steel

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♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ welcome back to "gma." you are hearing "america the beautiful." we all know the song. but did you know that the woman who wrote those words was inspired by a trip to pikes peak in colorado? and we are going to take you there live coming up. >> it is very beautiful and somewhat calming on a friday morning. >> made my voice go -- >> yes. >> meditative. >> yes. well, now to our "gma" cover story, "dancing with the stars" pro cheryl burke opening up on "gma," only on "gma," about her struggle with sobriety and what has helped her stay strong. kaylee hartung is back with that. good morning again, kaylee. >> reporter: hey, eva. as cheryl burke has fought to stay sober, she's made it her mission to be open and honest with her hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. those fans have been a tremendous source of support as her therapist, but now she's

recognized she needs to do more than just talk, she needs to listen. after nearly three years of sobriety cheryl burke is revealing she struggles to stay off alcohol. >> i'm here to confess lately staying sober has been a little bit of a challenge for me. >> reporter: turning to her youtube channel to share this truth. >> recently i've been thinking a lot -- i have to admit -- about drinking again. >> it is extremely powerful to be able to confess and do so before anything, god forbid, i relapse but i needed something more to help me feel like i'm not alone. >> reporter: so just days ago burke went to her first alcoholics anonymous meeting. >> i knew that if i didn't take that step forward to be a part of alcoholics anonymous, i don't know if i'd be sitting here today with you. >> reporter: burke has confronted the temptation to drink before. >> i basically quit cold turkey but to say i've never looked back would be a lie. >> why do you think there was a hesitation to join alcoholics anonymous? >> i deal with a lot of social anxiety.

but i've realized that i needed to be able to hear other people's stories, other people who struggle with alcoholism and addiction. >> reporter: studies show more than 70% of people struggling with alcohol abuse will relapse at some point. >> it's imperative for somebody in recovery to surround themselves with other people in recovery. it doesn't necessarily have to be a treatment program, but to have other people sharing that journey is imperative. ♪ i kissed her ♪ >> reporter: with the help of her former "dancing with the stars" partner aj mclean also in recovery burke found her aa group. she thinks the urge to drink was triggered about by her 37th birthday in may and the uncertainty it brought. >> feeling of anxiety, you know, whether it's like my career, what am i going to do? am i going to have a family soon? >> i think one of the most difficult things to learn how to do is how to sit still and hurt. how to sit still and be

uncomfortable. how to sit still and feel like you might be coming out of your skin. >> reporter: but burke sees every day she's sober as an accomplishment. >> normally i would drink before any major red carpet event or anything to do with any type of public speaking or appearances. i would drink before an interview like this. >> what did you do before our interview today? >> just put more makeup on my face. nervous, nervous twitch. played with my hair. i meditated actually right before as well. i just have to breathe and know that everything is going to be okay. >> reporter: cheryl wants people to understand there is a light at the end of the tunnel even if you struggle daily. every day is a challenge for her but every day that she chooses sobriety she builds her self-respect and grows the love she has for herself. now she says she loves herself too much to fail.

eva? >> kaylee, sharing her story will help so many other people who are going through what she is going through as well, whit. >> definitely. thank you, eva. now to a safety alert. with more than 43 million americans expected to hit the road this fourth of july weekend, officials are sharing important tips to make sure your child is correctly fastened into their car seat. our erielle reshef has a lot more on that. erielle, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you, whit. experts say roughly 60% of car seats are not installed correctly. so before you head out on the road this holiday weekend we have those tips to keep you and your family safe. as americans hit the road in record numbers, experts across the country are opening up in person child car seat clinics to check for safety. >> this is really exciting today. this is our first in-person car seat checkup event we've had since covid. >> reporter: motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for kids. car seats saved the lives of hundreds of young children each year. >> i got the model number. >> reporter: anna butler is one

of many parents in colorado for a free safety check. >> every one we bought is different. we have a couple that have really difficult clips, so it's nice to double-check. >> reporter: the american academy of pediatrics recommends babies under the age of 2 sit in rear facing car seats and all children stay rear facing as long as possible. >> always follow the instructions that that manufacturer of that seat has given us. so we want to make sure we're following the weight and height requirements for the seat. >> reporter: for babies and older children the retainer clip should be at armpit level. >> we want the straps tight enough that we can't pinch any slack. >> reporter: all children under the age of 13 should be buckled up and seated in the rear seat of the vehicle. >> make sure they're protected and that the seat belt is riding low on their hips and across their shoulder so they don't sustain injuries. >> reporter: at the clinics techs check the seats for recalls and the nhtsa safety certification seal. >> i emphasize with my kids making sure that we're staying

safe in the car. what's the point if we're not doing it correctly? >> reporter: as for which car seat is best for your child -- >> the best seat on the market is the seat thaw can put in your vehicle safely every time and that you know you can install safely. >> reporter: and experts say the best place for your car seat is in the backseat in the middle but if that doesn't work, the best place is wherever you can install it securely. whit? >> erielle, another thing experts are saying it's important to buy a new car seat not a used one so that it comes with a warranty. >> reporter: yeah. these can be expensive, but this is the most or one of the most important safety measures you can take for your children. so you want to hang on to that warranty and follow the brand of your car seat closely so that you're aware if there's ever a recall. whit? >> got to keep up with it too as the kids keep getting older and older. erielle, thank you so much. michael? all right. now it is time to "rise & shine" from colorado. rob marciano is there this

morning in a state with outdoor activities are for everyone. it is perfect if you're looking for the first adventure in a long time. rob, how is that fresh mountain air? >> reporter: oh, it feels terrific, michael. i got 14,000-foot air in my face. this is the view from pikes peak. take a look at it. absolutely spectacular. what a way to watch the sun come up over the eastern horizon on the front range of the colorado rockies. from snowing and skiing to mountain biking, hiking in the summer, colorado has it all but a lot of these activities and attractions had to be trimmed back or shut down during the pandemic. now we're getting back to normal. and they're opening back up just in time for the fourth of july. ♪ >> reporter: the sun is rising over some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. whether it's mountain biking in palisade, sand surfing at great sand dunes national park or hitting the slopes of the

colorado rockies, colorado is a hven for getting outside and having fun. ♪ i belong to you ♪ ♪ you belong with me in my sweet heart ♪ >> reporter: arapaho basin, the pandemic forced a change. >> i would say it's part of the most challenging ski season any ski operator has faced. >> reporter: making skiing safe, cutting staff, creating social distancing on lifts and requiring masks. >> this was an opportunity for people to come back out and feel something normal during the covid year and we did a lot more with a little bit less. >> reporter: when the snow melts, you stop skiing and start climbing. that's what we did. just like everything else, might be a little harder, might be a little more challenge but think -- the juice is worth the squeeze. >> we got some juice out of it. that's for sure. >> reporter: the red rocks

amphitheater is one of the most storied venues for live music. last year forced to shut down, something that's never happened in its 80-year history. >> it was devastating. you know, 400 people have a job here every single night. every single one of those is gone. >> reporter: now red rocks is hosting concerts at full capacity. >> i haven't played a show in a year and a half which is by far the longest i've gone without playing a show. >> reporter: for deejay kygo red rocks was an easy choice. >> so we thought, you know, i want to play a proper show full capacity when everything opens up and red rocks obviously is the perfect choice. >> to be back in business full capacity with a sold out show, you know, just means the world to everybody. >> reporter: when the legendary broadmoore hotel in colorado springs shut down for three months, falconer deanna had to

keep the falcons happy. >> do you feel like the birds missed entertaining people? >> i do know when we went back to entertaining people it was hard to get them in their groove. there were hawks that do the majority of the flying. they didn't want to fly with people at first. it was -- it wasn't that they didn't want to fly but they didn't want to do what they normally do. >> reporter: now the fliers are back in their groove educating and entertaining those who visit. whitewater rafting in colorado is an experience. arkansas river tours has been leading people down these whitewater rapids for decades until last year. spring of 2020 we had a statewide shutdown. the team offered single rider rafts for social distancing. now the company back better than ever. >> our customers are just loving it after being stuck at home and that pent-up demand is showing. >> reporter: if there's one thing that will wake you up after a year at home, it's that cold mountain water hitting your face. "rise & shine," colorado.

that is all snow melt, certainly takes your breath away as does this amazing view. want to share it one more time. you can see four states from this spot. they just opened this new visitors center. you take the railway up here. it is just spectacular. yesterday after all these adventures, a real treat was to see these birds of prey up close. i got to hold on to that massive owl. looks like it's 20 pounds but all feathers and orange eyes are piercing and quite frankly a little bit frightening. if you ever get a chance to hold a bird of prey you got to take it. what a week we've had in colorado. more to come from here. >> we can't wait to see more, rob. it is absolutely beautiful and happy you told us you caught the rail up there. we wondered if you hiked the entire way. if anybody can do it, it's you. trust me, we don't doubt you. now we go to ginger. hey, ginger. >> reporter: oh, you know what, him splashing that mountain

water on his face, made me want to use the hudson. then i realized it wouldn't be close to the same, so i didn't. that was awesome. i can't wait to get up there someday soon too but want to bring you what happened here. if we just went through one of these isolated showers. it was heavy and had real severe storms that blew through maryland and virginia. annapolis, trees onto homes. unfortunately, the 60 plus-mile-per-hour wind and rain sticking around. at least for last night but now we're just going to have rain along i-95. it will dry out eventually. looking at the fourth of july forecast from east to west. that's the big picture. good morning. we have made it to friday waking up with drizzle. turning to sunshine at the bay and in line, cloudy along the coast. thunderstorms possible in the high country all we can with the warming trend late next week. 60s along the coast, san francisco and richmond, 70s

around the bay. 80s inland with temperatureseses and now we've got your july 4th guide to grilling. this holiday weekend is prime time to heat up the grill and "consumer reports" is revealing their top picks. deidre bolton has all the details. deidre, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, whit. the national retail federation predicts we are going to spend on average $80 per person this independence day and your barbecue is a big part of that. ♪ >> reporter: nothing says summer more than grilling outside. but do you have the right grill to bring the heat this holiday weekend? "consumer reports" putting more than 250 grills through lab and real-life testing. paul hope with "consumer reports" says there are many factors that go into calculating their ratings like preheat times, sturdiness and ease of turning on the grill. but a key feature is making sure the grill cooks evenly.

>> one of the first things we do when we test gas grills is wire the surface of the grates with thermocouplers. that allows us to map the temperature. >> reporter: what should you look for if you're getting a new one? >> first thing is size. smaller grills typically do a good job for two or three people. midsize is nice for family. larger is really great for entertaining but it will burn extra gas unnecessarily if you don't have a big family. >> reporter: "consumer reports" top picks for midsize grills is a tie between this even embers model and the weber genesis two, e310. for small ones, the weber spirit. "consumer reports" says the grills they tested range from $99 to more than $3,000, but they say don't get caught up with the price tag. >> generally speaking a higher price grill will get you better features and maybe better construction but not necessarily better performance. >> reporter: "consumer reports'" top pick for a charcoal kettle

grill is that weber version you have in the studio. retails for about $165 and it promises that classic smoky flavor. whit? >> all right. we're still waiting for that food. hopefully it comes soon. i don't know where that thing went. deidre bolton, thank you so much. we appreciate it. much more from colorado and pikes peak. there it is. still ahead right here on "gma." "rise & shine" from colorado. ♪ i don't think you're right for him ♪

good morning, everyone. i'm kumasi aaron. san francisco is preparing for thousands of visitors for the fourth of july weekend . the city is hosting the fireworks show on sunday night. writers should be at the station by 10:40 p.m. to catch the train home. checking on the traffic. we have a big backup at that richmond san rafael bridge because there's a crash and when lamest block. it does appear that injuries may be involved. checking on the speeds, seven miles per hour because of the crash is at the mid-spam.

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will have another abc 7 news update in 30 minutes. you can always find the latest on our news app and at abc7news.com . taken a live look outside right now at ♪ and welcome back, everybody. another beautiful view from the great state of colorado. love these gorgeous pictures that have been coming in all morning long. we'll have more from there anyway moment. first the perfect beach read as we head into the july 4th weekend. our buzz pick "rock the boat," a quirky, smart and witty story about friends who reunite one summer in the beach town where they grew up. take a look. >> good morning, america. i'm beak dorey-stein. this novel is inspired by the time a few years ago when a plumber broke into my parents'

house when they were out of town to take a bath and while it inspired the book it was about three 30-somethings returning home to their beach town and while life doesn't go according to plan, sometimes that's what you need. i hope you love it. >> the tub trespasser. beck used to work as a stenographer in the obama white house, it's out now and you can read an excerpt on our website by using your phone to scan the little qr code on your screen and as always keep reading along with us on our instagram @gmabookclub. michael? >> we'll go back to rob who has more of our "rise & shine" in colorado. we're getting the firsthand look at the spot that inspired the song "america the beautiful." pikes peak. going to go back to rob under those spacious skies and, rob, how are things looking as the sun comes up, my friend? >> reporter: beautiful, buddy.

poetic. pikes peak, 14,500 feet. one of the fourteeners. the scenery is just spectacular. inspiring, quite literally. over 100 years a woman came to the top of the mountain and wrote a poem that would become one of america's most patriotic songs. ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ >> reporter: "america the beautiful," for decades a hallmark of who we are. ♪ for purple mountain majesty ♪ >> reporter: the lyrics inspired by the purple mountain majesty of pikes peak in colorado. ♪ america, america ♪ >> reporter: the words to "america the beautiful" penned by katharine lee bates in 1895 when she rode to the summit on a mule. >> come on. >> reporter: today mule skinners on pikes peak take tourists on

similar trails. >> you don't find the watering hole so that's kind of a neat thing. >> reporter: but it isn't the only way to travel pikes peak. this is the pikes peak cog railway. since 1891 it's been taking tourists up the mountain atop pikes peak nearly 8,000 feet, one of the highest in all of colorado. for the past two years it's gone undergone a $100 million restoration and now it's open for business. >> we get people from all over the world and a lot of folks from japan and amazing number of people from india to come here and it's really neat to be able to talk to people from other cultures. >> reporter: the nine-mile journey featuring some of the most breathtaking views in all of colorado. the railway hosting their grand re-opening exclusively for first responders, a special way to say thank you. >> it never gets old.

this morning was definitely wonderful up there. this is america's mountain. >> reporter: it is indeed america's mountain. just spectacular out here. the elevation here is higher than machu picchu. it's not easy to broadcast from this spot. subfreezing windchills and the air is quite thin. as a matter of fact, you get lightheaded quite quickly and we have all these portable cans of air, oxygen. take a little hit, ah, you get a little more clarity. between this and the wind, it's a great way to wake up. "rise & shine," colorado. guys, i wish you were here. >> i wanted that to be helium so badly. >> i know what i just saw but i kind of wish i didn't see what i just saw. >> it's for survival. coming up, grammy winning group lady a going to join us live. ♪ i feel like a lady ♪

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♪ i feel like a lady ♪ welcome back, everybody, on this friday morning. lady a is going to join us in just a moment but first let's check back in with ginger. hey, ginger. >> reporter: hey, michael. as we go into the holiday weekend, everybody is starting to hear about hurricane elsa. and, yes, we have a hurricane in the caribbean and it's really moving quickly right now. however, i want to you do this with me.

promise me that you're going to pay attention tomorrow, sunday and monday as this thing gets closer to the united states because there is a huge room for error this far out and this cone will be more narrow. as we get through the weekend and what happens, a lot of times i've seen this on holiday weekends, people are like, peace out. they're in tampa and are like, where is the hurricane? meanwhile, the panhandle is somewhere that good morning. waking up to clouds and drizzle. that will taper it's time to kick off our summer concert series with lady a, the grammy winning trio celebrating the release of their new album, "what a song can do,

chapter one." this morning they have some great performances for us. first, we want to talk to them. hey, good morning, guys. how are you doing? >> we're good. >> how are you? >> thanks for having us. >> i know you're gearing up for your "what a song can do" tour but you haven't been out on the road in quite some time. dave, what are you most excited about to get back out there? >> well, we got to remember all the lyrics first. we're in rehearsals this week. yeah, it's been almost a year and a half but we're so thrilled to be back on stage and connecting with fans again, being out there on the road and living that life. we're looking forward to kicking that off. >> well, i know between the three of you there are six children

so re you excited? are they excited, charles to see you guys performing? >> i think so. you know, it's funny, my little boy, he's 5 and he's going to come on the road with us, and he's -- whether he remembers it or not, when he was first born, he was on the road and we have a little bed, a little crib at the foot of our bed in the back and so he's kind of always been a bit of a road baby. and, you know, it'll be interesting now that's old going on. understand what's - and actually for the first time i don't know if i told you this, he watched the last awards show and we lost and he cried. >> ah. >> i was like, oh, gosh, i didn't think about this but my boy is going to take all these things really person and to heart. so it's going to be kind of interesting to try to explain to him. i know. >> oh, man, good luck with explaining that away. [ laughter ] >> it's all kinds of pressure. >> hillary, the new album is called "what a song can do, chapter one." does that mean we can expect a

chapter two? >> yes. yeah. we've been in the process of putting together "chapter two. it's just going to be a continuation of the story and there's some really fun stuff we have a collaboration we're excited about on the next chapter. and just, just this whole album, once chapter two is out it'll be a complete album and it's just been our way to really work through i think everything this past year, year an a half has been and our way to forge our creativity into music. >> you mentioned this past year. it's been an unusual year for everybody in the pandemic and especially for you, you changed the name of the band. it was lady antebellum. now it's lady a. you wrote most of the album over zoom. charles, this question for you, how would you characterize what the last year has been like for you and the band? >> you know, i think really eye opening. we've learned a lot about ourselves. we're not the same band we were 15 years ago. we were kids. we've got, you know, kids of our own now and learned and got to see the world.

i had never been out of georgia really. you know, before this band, and so just seeing the world, we want our music and our band to represent a welcoming place of love. that's what our music -- anyone that's ever known us, or listened to our music, that's what our music we want to continue that to be our message and want it to be a safe place. anybody feels comfortable to come and listen to music and celebrate and we're more determined now to, you know, even have that be our focus as a band that is all about the music and love and, you know, just positivity. >> well, now it's time to hear some music. here is lady a performing their new single "like a lady." ♪ lady ♪ ♪ lady ♪ ♪ boy, i'm not the kind of girl

to go and fight for all your attention, mmm ♪ ♪ i'm not too afraid to call this off and go see what i've been missing, mmm ♪ ♪ leave the dress at home 'cause it makes me too polite ♪ ♪ no more waitin' by the phone i'm stepping out tonight ♪ ♪ 'cause i feel like a lady ♪ ♪ sippin' on tequila with my levi's on, a lady ♪ ♪ singing to the music playing all night long, yeah, i'm feeling right ♪ ♪ i'm living my life i do what i like ♪ ♪ 'cause i feel like a lady, a lady ♪ ♪ treat myself to what's up on the highest shelf, i want it, i get it, mmm ♪ ♪ i might look like i'm lonely

but i'm only loving every minute, ooh, baby ♪ ♪ leave the heels at home 'cause they never do me right ♪ ♪ cool with dancing on my own man, these hips don't lie ♪ ♪ 'cause i feel like a lady sipping on tequila with my levi's on, a lady ♪ ♪ singing to the music playing all night long, yeah, i'm feeling right ♪ ♪ i'm living my life i do what i like ♪ ♪ 'cause i feel like a lady, a lady ♪ ♪ feel like a lady, yeah ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ might change my hair and change my mind might change your whole damn life ♪

♪ or might break your heart and not think twice, that's right 'cause i'm a lady ♪ ♪ sipping on tequila with my levi's on, a lady ♪ ♪ singing to the music playing all night long ♪ ♪ i'm feeling right i'm living my life, i do what i like ♪ ♪ 'cause i feel like a lady, a lady, yeah ♪ ♪ i feel like, whoa, i feel like a lady ♪ ♪ i feel like, i feel like, i feel like a lady ♪ ♪ feel like a lady, i feel like, i feel like a lady ♪ ♪ like a lady, i feel like lady ♪

♪ [music and sound effects played in reverse]

this...is our shot. the covid-19 vaccines are ready. and so is walgreens, with pharmacy experts ready to make it easy for you to get it safely, for free. because this is our shot... ...at getting back together. >> announcer: now as the country re-opens with so much hope for a brighter summer, it's time to -- >> "rise & shine." >> and we're celebrating by hitting the road. >> let's do it.

>> announcer: traveling to all 50 states this summer. >> oh, my gosh. >> "rise & shine." >> "rise & shine." >> let us shine. >> let it shine. >> announcer: yes, it's time to celebrate the summer with -- [ crowd chanting "good morning, aerica" ] >> announcer: abc's "good morning america's" great "rise & shine" tour. >> good morning, america. and we're back now with lady a. the multiplatinum country band taking us into the weekend with their hit song "what if i never get over you." take it away. ♪ ♪ it's supposed to hurt ♪ ♪ it's a broken heart ♪ ♪ but the moving on is the hardest part ♪ ♪ it comes a waves, the letting

go ♪ ♪ but the memory fades and everybody knows, everybody knows ♪ ♪ what if i'm trying, but then i close my eyes and then i'm right back ♪ ♪ lost in that last good-bye ♪ ♪ what if time doesn't do what it's supposed to do ♪ ♪ what if i never get over you ♪ ♪ maybe months go by ♪ ♪ maybe years from now ♪ ♪ and i meet someone and it's working out ♪ ♪ every now and then he can see right through ♪ ♪ 'cause when i look at him, yeah, all i see is you ♪ ♪ what if i'm trying but then i close my eyes and then i'm right

back lost in that last good-bye ♪ ♪ what if time doesn't do what it's supposed to do ♪ ♪ what if i never get over you ♪ ♪ ooh, yeah ♪ ♪ ooh ♪ ♪ what if i never get over ♪ ♪ what if i never get closure ♪ ♪ what if i never get back all the wasted words i told you ♪ ♪ what if it never gets better ♪ ♪ what if this lasts forever and ever and ever ♪ ♪ i'm trying ♪ ♪ but then i close my eyes and then i'm right back ♪ ♪ lost in that last good-bye ♪ ♪ what if time doesn't do what it's supposed to do ♪ ♪ what if i never get over you ♪

♪ what if i gave you everything i got ♪ ♪ what if your love was my one and only shot ♪ ♪ what if i end up with nothing to compare it to ♪ ♪ what if i never get over ♪ ♪ oh, i never get over ♪ ♪ what if i never get over you ♪ ♪ oooh ♪ ♪ what if i never get over you ♪ ♪ oh, what what if i never get over you ♪ "gma's" summer concert series is sponsored by caesars rewards. every way you play. delicia: this is where all our recycling is sorted --

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>> announcer: she knows a little something about being at the center of a bachelorette drama. tayshia comes live to "gma." what will say about all the drama swirling around this year's bachelorette. tayshia, the new live exclusive on want to give a big thank you to lady a for the great conversation and for those two great performances.

>> absolutely. and thanks to our entire crew out there in gorgeous colorado. there they are. beautiful shot. >> get the oxygen out. >> exactly. the oxygen tanks are out. next week we are kicking off "rise & shine" in pennsylvania. >> happy birthday, america. thanks for watching. have a great weekend, y'all. ♪

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good morning, everyone. here is a look at the traffic. the positive news is the crash between the big rig and one other car on the richmond center failed bridge is cleared but it is still busy traveling westbound. the speeds have improved to around 36 miles per hour. can you keep it this way all day? i should not put that burden on you. 60s along the coast, 70s around the bay and mainly 80s and lines. fireworks, mainly cloudy except for well inland.

temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s. now it's time for live with kelly >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, from the movie "four good days," mila kunis. plus, david oyelowo. and find out why a sleep divorce might be good for you. also, a good new story you won't want to miss. all next on "live!" ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ >> ryan: good morning! >> kelly: hi, deja. >> ryan: kelly ripa. bringing it and on a friday, right? i love it. >> kelly: i love friday so much. you know, we go dancing after work. a lot of people don't know that. >> ryan: you go dancing at ten: 02:00 a.m.? >> kelly:is