>> it is very exciting. >> congratulations. good morning, america. as we join you this friday morning, tropical storm elsa is soaking the northeast. elsa's path. the storm spins tornadoes and dumps rain to millions up the east coast. a double punch hitting the northeast, after powerful thunderstorms caused flooding, stranding drivers. ginger and rob are tracking it all this morning. booster ahead? pfizer says you could need a third dose of its vaccine but the cdc and fda both say it's not needed yet. what you need to know this morning as that delta variant spreads. americans arrested. nearly 20 people in custody including two u.s. citizens after that brazen assassination of haiti's president. the latest at this hour. major break overnight in

that georgia country club triple murder. what police are now saying. dramatic rescue. >> hands! let me see your hands! >> a 6-year-old girl saved after being snatched from the street by a suspected kidnapper. how a quick-thinking neighbor helped bring her home. billionaire blastoff. richard branson counting down to that launch just days ahead of jeff bezos. inside the high-stakes last-minute preparations as the moguls race to space. ♪ i'm walking on sunshine ♪ plus, walking on sunshine. phoenix taking a two-game lead in the nba finals scorching the milwaukee bucks again. dynamic duo of chris paul and devin booker leading the way and we go one-on-one with the king, lebron james, on the finals showdown, only on “gma.” ♪ and don't it feel good ♪ and sealed with a spin. meet the spelling champion. 14-year-old zaila making history, becoming the first african-american to win. she joins us first on “gma” this morning. >> good morning, america. ♪ i don't want to spend my whole orhepeing bee.ing for you ♪

we're looking forward to talking to her. hope you're doing well. good to be here with t.j. and cecilia. >> happy friday to you. wet friday for a lot of folks all up and down the east coast really. the news we have here starting with elsa, tropical storm seeing it there rip through the northeast as we speak. now, a live look at rhode island. surf already picking up there. conditions gravely deteriorating. >> it is rough out there. even right outside our windows, sheets of rain already coming down, this as the northeast has been slammed with severe thunderstorms. last night water flooding subway stations right here in new york. look at this. it didn't stop this woman. the rain cascading down those stairwells. >> we'll be following elsa's path all morning long. we begin with ginger on rockaway beach.

good morning, ginger. >> reporter: a lot of people, george, had a hard time understanding those thunderstorms were independent of elsa. but elsa is here. i mean, look at this. the center of it is about 40 miles east-southeast of me and we are going to be dealing with elsa throughout this morning. now, tornadoes were one of the main threats. you can see the video from jacksonville. 110-mile-per-hour winds, ef-1. that was part of elsa'calling card. it developed into a tornado in almost every state it went through. now we got elsa here. the northeast swamped by three days of severe storms. and this was not yet elsa. in new york and new jersey, folks were wading home from work. training thunderstorms over the tri-state dropping up to five inches of rain in just a few hours thursday afternoon. multiple subway stations flooded. people navigating the waist deep water and fighting the impromptu waterfalls cascading into the stations and onto the tracks. and above ground, major highways at a standstill.

rescuers pulling people from flooded cars. >> do not drive into flooded areas. we have multiple vehicles stuck. >> in new jersey a fire department capturing this video of floods gushing through the roads, blocking multiple streets. nearly 300 reports in three days of damaging wind, hail and perilous flash flooding and now it's time for elsa. all right. so we've got to talk about water. i think that's going to be the main problem as we go through the rest of today from here through new england. so let's get straight to the radar and show you what's happening. the heaviest rains pushing north of long island into connecticut and parts of, say, upstate -- sorry -- just north of new york city. it will wrap around and we've seen gusts close to 80 miles per hour off the jersey shore. most will see them around 40 but that doesn't mean anything when you have super saturated soil. you can take down trees easily even with a 45-mile-per-hour gust and we track this storm and

timing up through the afternoon, cecilia. boston, your lunch hour is a wreck. maine will still be dealing with it by dinnertime. >> we appreciate you as always. of course, this storm causing massive flight delays and cancellations for travelers up and down the east coast. our transportation correspondent gio benitez at newark airport for us. this morning, gio, how bad is it? >> reporter: hey, t.j., listen, fridays tend to be the busiest ahead of the weekend and we are already seeing big cancellations. take a look at the numbers right now. boston logan, leads the nation with 111 canceled flight, new york liberty not far behind at 107, nantucket memorial has 62 cancellations. now, laguardia and jfk, they're holding on to their flights potentially hoping that the storm moves through quickly enough before the majority of them take off. laguardia with just 12. jfk with 14. now, of course, elsa is hitting right in the middle of that busy morning commute adding more rain tohe by ds rn fldingons

growing. now, back here at the airport, remember, even if your flight has not been canceled yet, it may be delayed so go ahead and check the flight status before you go ahead and come over to the airport, cecilia. >> gio, thanks. in california governor newsom is asking people to cut their use of water by 15%. matt gutman with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, cecelia. these bathtub rings, you see them across california, every reservoir is below its average. 95% of the state is in severe drought. last year this time it was only 20%. governor newsom signing that

executive order asking californians to reduce their water use by 15%. that's voluntary. it's all happening as california is about to be walloped by its worst heat wave of the season. much of california is going to see 110 degrees or more over the next several days. cecelia? >> matt, thank you. we turn to the latest on the coronavirus. pfizer says a booster shot could give extra protection in the fight against the fight but the cdc and fda are saying not so fast. this as the delta variant is now raising new concerns. trevor ault has all the details. good morning, trevor. >> reporter: good morning, cecilia. yeah, pfizer released booster shot plans and a lot of vaccinated americans started thinking about how quickly they'd have to roll up sleeves once again. the cdc and fda took the air out of this announcement but either way the delta variant is already doing significant damage in parts of the country with low vaccination rates.

this morning, pfizer at odds with america's top health agencies over covid booster shots. the pharmaceutical company announcing thursday it's planning to ask the fda for authorization to offer a third dose 6 to 12 months after the second to take on the delta variant. >> the booster that pfizer is developing appears to raise neutralizing antibodies and increases it by five or ten times the original vaccine series. >> reporter: but within hours the cdc and fda releasing a joint statement undercutting that announcement saying americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time. however, the cdc is warning the delta variant is already taking hold. spreading faster than expected through undervaccinated areas. >> although we expected the delta variant to become the dominant strain in the united states, this rapid rise is troubling. >> reporter: in the past two weeks ten states have seen covid hospital admissions jump more than 20% and all ten of them have vaccination rates below the

national average. that includes missouri, the site of the nation's most aggressive delta variant outbreak. while crowds still packed the lake of the ozarks for the fourth of july, nearby lake regional hospital issuing an urgent plea, noting six covid patients have already died in their hospital since july 1st compared to six covid patients in all of june and just one in may. the ceo writing, things are bad and they are about to get worse. to be completely blunt, we need you to get vaccinated now. >> yeah, they cannot say that message enough. trevor joins us again. trevor, pfizer is now saying that it's developing a new version of this vaccine that specifically targets this delta variant. >> reporter: that's right, cecilia. even beyond booster shots pfizer says it's working on developing this new shot altogether for people who haven't gotten any shots so far. it'll be built specifically to combat the delta variant and clinical trials could start as early as next month.

though, again, experts stress our current vaccines work against the delta variant or any other version of covid we've seen so far. cecelia? >> trevor ault, thank you so much. george? we go to the white house where president biden declared that all u.s. combat forces will be out of afghanistan by august 31st. that's ahead of schedule. in the face of taliban gains, the president defended his decision. >> how many more? how many thousands more americans' daughters and sons are you willing to risk? would you send your own son or daughter? i will not send another generation of americans to war in afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome. >> let's bring in our chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz. and, martha, america's longest war coming to a close but the president not declaring victory. >> reporter: right. president biden said there would be no mission accomplished celebration although he did say the u.s. has done what it came to do in afghanistan, defeat the al qaeda terrorists who attacked

us on 9/11. but the president was defensive and at times testy when questioned about afghanistan's future saying that was now up to the afghan people, but the future of afghanistan is very much in peril right now. this morning it's estimated that more than a third of the country is controlled by the taliban. they claim 85% including key border crossings and we've seen those videos of afghan troops massacred or forced to surrender, george. >> also in peril, those thousands of interpreters, other afghanis who helped americans through this war. they're in great danger right now. the president promised to do what he can to evacuate them. i know you've had the chance to meet with several of them. >> reporter: i just recently met with some in afghanistan and those i spoke to have been waiting for visas for months but the president promised he would evacuate them in the coming months to a third country. but i can tell you that right now, george, with the taliban

surging across the country, they are extremely nervous and anxious to get out. george? >> as well they should be. martha raddatz, thanks very much. t.j.? we go now to the latest on the assassination of haiti's president. 17 suspects are in custody this morning and among them, two americans. and authorities say several more suspects are still on the run. our marcus moore is in miami where haiti's first lady is recovering from critical injuries from that attack. marcus, hello. >> reporter: t.j., good morning to you. as haiti's first lady recovers at this hospital, authorities back in haiti paraded the detainees in front of cameras overnight and they say the search for more suspects is not over. overnight the first pictures of the suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of haitian president jovenel moise. among the suspects two americans, 35-year-old james soleges and another american man in his 50s. suspects are former members of the colombian army.

that country's president vowing to help haiti investigate what happened. this as new details of the attack are emerging. local media reporting they stormed into the president's bedroom shooting him 12 times. his wife shot three times. she is now in miami receiving treatment. haiti's ambassador to the u.s. saying she is improving but has a long road to recovery ahead. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: on thursday, haiti's acting prime minister speaking out saying, quote, this barbaric act is not going unpunished. and without question, there is a lot at stake for haiti, a country that was already in the throes of political and economic turmoil before the assassination. and now everyone is watching to see what will happen next because there is a power vacuum with no clear indication of who will lead the country into the future. that's setting up for the po power struggle ahead. george? >> such a troubled history for

that country. okay, marcus, thank you very much. we move to the manhunt for a shooter who opened fire on a minnesota highway killing a baseball coach in a road rage incident. alex perez has the latest. >> this was one of the most tragic events that i have witnessed in my 20 years in policing. >> reporter: this morning in minnesota a desperate manhunt to find who killed beloved father and little league coach jay boughton. authorities searching for this suv seen on traffic cams about 10:00 tuesday night. >> they were traveling next to each other and there was some sort of traffic altercation. >> reporter: according to investigators someone from that other vehicle opened fire and drove off striking boughton who was driving his teenage son home from a baseball game. his car careening into a ditch and eventually crashing into cars in this apartment complex parking lot. his young son performing cpr until help arrived. boughton later died at the hospital. his little league family remembering the 56-year-old as an involved father who always supported other kids. >> the boys could be down by 15 runs and he was always

encouragement -- encouraging individuals. >> so tragic. couldn't believe it happened to such a wonderful person. >> reporter: and as the search for the suspect continues one startling statistic to consider. in the united states so far this year, every 18 hours, a person is killed or injured in a suspected road rage shooting. george? >> okay, alex, thanks very much. t.j.? we want to head out to phoenix. that's where will reeve is and that is where the beloved phoenix suns -- their fans, well, they are a little closer to the first championship in that franchise's history after they went up two games to none over the milwaukee bucks in game two of the nba finals. will, how is it looking out there? >> reporter: t.j., right now it's pretty quiet. some workers are down on the floor flipping it over for tonight's wnba game. if the suns keep playing in this series the way they've played so far there might not be another nba game here this season.

but last night this place was rocking. devon booker went off, chris paul, cp3 and despite giannis antetokounmpo's best efforts, they went up 2-0. blazing hot in the valley taking a 2-0 lead over the milwaukee bucks. >> the slam. kept him alive. >> reporter: bucks' superstar giannis antetokounmpo was heroic in his team's losing effort, 20 of his 42 points came in the third quarter, the most ever in a single quarter of the nba finals since michael jordan's legendary 55-point game against the phoenix suns in 1993. putting the greek freak ahead of lebron james and the late great kobe bryant. on the winning side, suns' star devin booker catching fire as the game went on finishing with 31 points. >> 0-0 mindset for us going in to ge re

erga ia ev. ll of mer chris paul now two wins away23 poi >> outstanding job by paul. >> once you get some wins you really starting getting confidence. >> reporter: now the series ict waiting. the bucks are now the 36th team in nba finals history to face an 0-2 deficit. only four teams have ever come back to win the whole thing, most recently 2016, lebron james and the cavaliers. the bucks are no stranger to an 0-2 hole. they faced the brooklyn nets in round two and came back to win and they are here now. everyone heading back to milwaukee for game three. we'll see if the series gets a little tighter. >> it should because they have that superstar, giannis, what's his name -- >> antekopoluos, something. you always set me up.

>> that was very close to making fun of greeks right there. >> no. >> it was just my attempt. >> sorry, cecilia. >> thanks, t.j. >> game three -- >> please text george. tweet at george. >> game three between the suns and antetokounmpo and his bucks, you can see that sunday right here on abc. george stephanopoulos? >> thank you, t.j. following a lot of other headlines this morning including the billionaire space race, richard branson getting ready for his trip beating jeff bezos by just a few days coming up, the risk they face. also the incredible rescue of a 6-year-old girl snatched off the street while riding her bike. we'll tell her how her neighbor helped save her. first let's go back to ginger. >> reporter: cecelia, as we prune up from so much water here from elsa and all those thunderstorms, the west super hot. that amplified heat dome coming in again. let's get that weekend forecast now sponsored by walmart.

happy friday. i am abc7's meteorologist mike nicco. the most dangerous heat from the heat wave starts today and lasts through sunday and that means nights will be the most comfortable for sleeping in the next couple of nights. it will breaker on tuesday for all of us. 65 in half moon bay. >> we will be right back.

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♪ must-have smoothies. ♪ ♪ it's irresistibly delicious. ♪ ♪ more almond breeze, please! ♪ ♪ i believe, say with me, i believe ♪ ♪ i believe, say with me, i believe ♪ ♪ say with me ♪ welcome back to "gma." there you go, that's pitbull's video for "i believe that we will win," an anthem that brought so many together at the start of the pandemic. this morning, the one and only mr. worldwide is live here telling us about his new music, his new tour and so much more. always great to have him here. >> always a great guest. following a lot of headlines as well including tropical storm elsa hitting the northeast that spun tornado, dumped rain up and down the coast. this is a double punch for the northeast. sohumsit ornight wl. ning. surfside building collapse now stands at 64 with 76 people still missing.

the miami-dade county mayor vows to keep up the effort until every victim is found. concrete samples are being collected from the collapse site of the building. they'll be compared with the site that remains standing to help determine what caused the disaster. an arrest made in that triple country club killer. bryan rhoden faces three counts of murder among other charges. investigators have not revealed any connection he has to the three victims. pope francis' condition, the vatican announcing, he is walking and working after that surgery and he will deliver his noontime sunday blessing from the hospital in rome where he is recovering. and a whole lot more ahead including george's conversation with the spelling bee champ making history, 14-year-old zaila making history, first african-american to win that spelling bee. the winning word, murraya. we'll get into that. are a billionaire, how do you u- race another billionaire? you don't go outside and have a footrace. no, you race to space. these two are going after it. richard branson taking off just

days before jeff bezos. how they're getting ready. we'll get into that, george. >> that's coming up. right now we go to the dramatic rescue of a 6-year-old attempted to be kidnapped in kentucky. a quick-thinking neighbor helped police save the child and erielle reshef has the story, good morning, erielle. >> reporter: good morning to you, george. this is a parent's nightmare. this little girl was riding her bike on her street around 5:30 in the afternoon when she was suddenly forced into a stranger's car. that neighbor thankfully springing into action. >> stay right there. stay right there. >> reporter: you're watching police body camera video of the moment a 6-year-old girl was rescued from her alleged kidnapper. >> hello. it's okay. come here. it's okay. >> reporter: police say she was riding her bike when witnesses saw a man grab her and throw her into his car. >> parks his car middle of the road. gets out. picks up the little girl off her bike on the sidewalk. throws her bike and throws her in the passenger seat and takes off. >> reporter: neighbor prentiss weatherford hopping in his car to pursue the suspect only

stopping when he saw a police cruiser and provided them a partial license plate number. >> as i'm watching it, you know, it felt like my stomach would just fell. i had to do something. >> reporter: thanks to detailed descriptions of that vehicle, officers were able to locate the little girl within ten minutes. >> let me see your hands. hands! >> reporter: sergeant joe keeling arresting 40-year-old robby wildt. >> you feel that fear that the child probably has in them and you want to get to them as quick as you can and remove them from the situation to try to limit the trauma to them as much as you can and luckily we were able to find her pretty quick. >> reporter: officer jason burba taking the young girl out of the passenger seat carrying her to safety. >> i want my daddy. >> we were glad we were, you know, there to get this guy off the street, there to get that girl safe because if we miss this opportunity to do this one it could be, you know, our child next on the bike riding the streets. >> reporter: experts say this could have easily been a worse

case scenario if not for the vigilance and fast action of strangers. >> that's the reason this child is home with their family safe tonight because the public out there, they saw something, they said something, they did the right thing. >> they sure did and police say that that little girl was unharmed. she is now as you heard there back home safe with her family. the suspect has pleaded not guilty. guys? >> so glad there is a happy ending in that story, okay, erielle, thank you very much. we will turn to the billionaire space race. richard branson days away from making history while jeff bezos is getting ready for his own launch. gio benitez is back with how they're preparing. a little competition never hurt. >> reporter: it's probably going to help for space tourism. cecelia, good morning to you. listen, on sunday richard branson will launch into weightlessness for the ultimate test flight, and it could potentially pave the way for space tourism like we've never seen before. this morning just two days away from tha edge of the atmosphere.

richard branson set to beat amazon founder jeff bezos by just nine days in what's been dubbed the billionaire space race. branson speaking with "gma" right after breaking that news. >> i know that it's been painted as a race. honestly i don't think either of us see it that way. we're not really in direct competition. >> reporter: the two launches will look very different. the bezos blue origin launch looks more traditional. a rocket launching upright with a space capsule above it. but the branson launch sunday will start just like a typical plane's liftoff. the mother ship, the vms eve named after his mom will carry the unity spaceship underneath it. once they reach 45,000 feet, eve drops the spaceship. within seconds the rocket ignites shooting them to the edge of space. >> fire, fire. >> reporter: while neither branson nor bezos will reach the earth's orbit, bezos will go a little further, 62 miles above the surface versus branson's 55 miles.

>> i'm just expecting the most extraordinary trip of my lifetime. >> reporter: five other virgin employees will join branson for the company's first fully crewed flight. the world and even those off it will be watching. abc news speaking with astronauts aboard the international space station just days ago. >> everybody says it's not a race. i think it's good. i think you need momentum and being competitive is kind of part of the process. >> reporter: it comes with a risk. in 2014 virgin galactic lost one of its pilots during one of the company's test flights. the spacecraft broke apart and crashed in the mojave desert. >> some painful moments in the last 17 years and some wonderful moments, but it's been 17 years of hard work. >> reporter: so many people working on this and we will be right there on sunday in new mexico to watch this launch. now, we should tell you celebrities like ashton kutcher, katy perry have already bought their seats on future flights and the cost of each ticket,

$250,000. >> "gma" won't let you expense one, gio? >> reporter: i got that corporate card ready to swipe. let me know. >> i need to talk to them about my limit. all right, gio, thank you so much. coming up here a lot of people heading out to amusement parks getting on roller coasters. there's a tragedy to tell you about. what doctors are saying may have happened to this mom mid-ride. stay with us on "gma." what does it mean to be made true? it means being made to stand the test of time. made to give it your all. made to live loudly. made to take first steps. it means every cut, stitch, and seam is made to push things forward for the last 170 years and the next. fruit of the loom. made true. if you wanna be a winner then get a turkey footlong

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back now here on "gma" with back now here on "gma" with a new warning about roller coasters following the death of a mom after riding one with her son. the autopsy showing she suffered a torn artery mid-ride. our eva pilgrim joins us now with more. good morning to you, eva. >> reporter: good morning, t.j. this woman loved roller coasters. she had gone on countless rides before and in this case authorities say the roller coaster didn't malfunction. this morning the rare but real risk that took her life. this morning, new details in the mysterious death of an ohio mother after a roller coaster ride last month. an autopsy revealing 47-year-old dawn jankovic died from severe internal bleeding and a torn artery apparently suffered while on a ride at an indiana amusement park. of cause >> with that increased pressure

and if you have a very quick change in direction, you may have a higher risk for having an artery have a shearing force and lead to bleeding. exceedingly rare but not zero. >> reporter: jankovic and her 17-year-old son gunner both roller coaster enthusiasts were riding the voyage roller coaster at holiday world in splashing safari, the two seen on the ride here. the theme park says at the end of the ride, jankovic returned to the station unresponsive, park emts arrived three minutes later and immediately began first aid. she later died at an area hospital. the ride was inspected and found to be operating as it was intended. experts say some roller coasters can put up to 4gs of force on riders. in rare cases that amount of force could increase blood pressure and potentially cause serious injry. >> know your medical history and know if you have underlying medical conditions. >> reporter: jankovic had no pre-existing conditions.

the coroner ruling this incident an accident. now, the theme park has released a statement saying our hearts go out to dawn's family, friends and all those impacted by her loss. guys? >> such a sad story right there. coming up, we'll switch gears and meet the new spelling bee champion. it's our "play of the day." ♪ (vo) the subaru crosstrek. dog tested. dog approved.

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♪ i'm walking on sunshine whoa ♪ murraya, m-u-r-r-a-y-a. >> that is correct. >> that is the winning moment from last night's 2021 scripps national spelling bee finals. 14-year-old zaila avant-garde, you heard it right there, murraya, spelled it correctly, making history as the first african-american champion in the 96-year history of the bee. moments ago i had a chance to speak with her from walt disney world resort. >> tell us how that winning moment felt. >> it felt like really good to become a winner simply because of the fact that i've been like working on it for like two years and then to finally have it like was the best possible outcome

and was really good. >> how about making history, the first african-american champion? >> that felt really good too because i'm hoping that in a few years i'll see a whole lot more african-american females and males too doing well in the scripps spelling bee because it's kind of sad how there's like a great lack of those people -- you don't really see too many african-americans doing too well in spelling bees and that's a bit sad because it's like a really good thing, kind of a gateway to being interested in education. >> so you worked on this for two years. tell us how you prepared. what is it like? >> it's really good. so the main thing i do is like i use a program called spellpundit and am tutored by my tutors but mainly when i study, i just study it. i just get ready for scripps. >> was there any moment during the competition you worried you didn't know the word? >> oh, yep. nepeta was a word i got. i always struggled with that word because it's spelled n-e-p-e-t-a, and i always when i was studying it would spell it n-e-p-o-t-a.

that would have been the worst feeling ever if i got out on that word. i knew the word and knew it was a genus of mint. but it's one of those words where i couldn't have it -- i didn't exactly know how to spell it in my head but had everything else. so that would have really sucked if i had gotten it wrong. >> that's one way to put it. no question about that. i think what is most amazing about your story is you're the national spelling bee champ and spelling is your side hustle. your real love is basketball. >> yeah. i've been playing basketball since i was about 5 years old. >> yeah, we've seen -- we saw the commercial you do with steph curry. three guinness world records as well for dribbling. do you want to play in the wnba someday? >> oh, yeah, i definitely do. i am looking -- thinking about maybe playing in the wnba and/or maybe overseas because i like to go overseas because i like going on trips and stuff i'm also pretty interested in that.

>> congratulations. how are you going to celebrate? >> i'm going to have lots of fun. that's about the broadest description i can give you. >> well, i can see you and the smile on your face, congratulations again, take care. >> thank you. >> that's great. >> basketball is a side hustle. >> how wonderful is that to see -- history made. i didn't realize that history she was making. first african-american. >> the winner from jamaica but first african-american. >> i think we will all remember her name. coming up, everybody, mr. worldwide. the one and only pitbull. he's joining us live. stay with us. ♪ think about it because if you sit ♪ ou sit ♪ with a hybrid, you don't have to choose. that's why insurers are going hybrid with ibm. with watson on a hybrid cloud they can use ai to help predict client needs and get the data they need to quickly design coverage for each one. businesses that want personalization and speed

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as we are watching elsa race check in out west where they are having the complete antithesis. the beckworth/complex fire now about 14,000 acres burned. there are still mandatory evacuations in place and, unfortunately, the heat dome is building. so we will see it flirting with an all-time record at death valley and las vegas, making it up to 117, it'll be close. coming up, captain america is joining us live in times square. anthony mackie is telling us how he's getting ready to host the espys. that and so much more. th

this unplugged device is protecting our beautiful coastlines and more. put off chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm to help keep our state golden. "good morning america" is sponsored by liberty mutual insurance. only pay for what you need.

building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc7 news. a good morning, i am reggie aqui from abc7 meteorologist mike nicco is the person to talk to. you can feel the heat coming in. today we really crank it up. look at the 100 to the east bay that valleys. 70s and 80s around the bay and a very nice 76 in san francisco. good news, the air quality will remain healthy during the heat wave, which peaks tomorrow. tonight and tomorrow night will be the hardest for sleeping. we do not really have any major problems, which is great. it is a little busy going into san francisco on the western span of the bay bridge but no

delays at the toll plaza whatsoever. we had an earlier accident in the south bay which has been cleared. you can see the residual so traffic is still there. coming up on gma, we will hear from the new national spelling bee winner, fresh off of her thrilling victory. she is quite something. plus, robin goes one-on-one with lebron james. with lebron james. we will have another abc7 what if you could push a button and less carbon would be put into the air. if there were a button that would help you use less energy, breathe cleaner air, and even take on climate change... would you press it?

good morning, america. it's 8:00. tropical storm elsa soaking the northeast right now. spinning tornadoes and dumping rain up the east coast. the double punch after powerful thunderstorms caused flooding stranding drivers. ginger and rob tracking it all. booster ahead? pfizer announcing you could need a third dose of its vaccine, but the cdc and fda announcing it's not needed yet. what you need to know this morning about that new delta variant. britney's conservatorship battle. overnight the superstar's father speaking out saying he and his family have received death threats since the singer's testimony in court. ♪ something big i feel it happening ♪ first on "gma," help on the way. the new government mandate that could help tens of millions of americans suffering from hearing loss making it easier to get a

hearing aid. ♪ pump up the jam ♪ one-on-one with lebron james. >> it's time to jam and we say, good morning, america. >> the leading man on the court now taking on his first leading role in a movie. >> i had a heck of a time doing it. >> what was it like reimagining "space jam." the surprising looney toon character most like him and what he wants his legacy to be. from the king to cap, anthony mackie joins us live. how he's preparing to host the espys and the superheroes he's excited to meet. and don't stop the party because pitbull is here, mr. worldwide talking new music, touring again and more and look who is saying -- >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america. ♪ i'm from the city ♪ all-star lineup, anthony mackie and pitbull. you saw a lot of rain on the lens right there getting soaked here in the northeast.

good morning, america. hope you're doing well this friday morning. great friday. we cannot wait to talk to the always fun anthony mackie. we love him so much. he is here with us live in times square ahead of hosting the espys tomorrow night. captain america star will tell us about his lucky charms and the athlete that he wants to hug the most. >> yeah, he is in the building and he is cutting up upstairs right now having a blast. look forward to that. t we srt with the news, tropical storm elsa, a double punch really after powerful thunderstorms overnight. >> ginger and our weather team tracking the path all morning long. let's begin with ginger on rockaway beach, good morning. >> george, elsa is about 60 miles to the east probably at this point. it is flying and soaring up the coast. -- that's the only good news. you can see how quickly those clouds are moving. wrapping around on the back side of elsa but every drop of rain we get is too much because of what we went through the last couple of days.

>> reporter: the northeast swamped by three days of severe storms. and this was not yet elsa. multiple subway stations flooded. people navigating the waist deep water and fighting the impromptu waterfalls cascading into the stations and onto the tracks. and above ground, major highways at a standstill. rescuers pulling people from flooded cars. >> do not drive into flooded areas. we have multiple vehicles stuck. >> reporter: in new jersey, a fire department capturing this video of floods gushing through the road. blocking multiple streets. elsa spun up a tornado in almost every state that it touched and you can see right here this is video from jacksonville that we just got in from that ef-1 tornado. winds of 110 miles an hour. now as we track elsa and i mentioned how fast it is running up the east coast, our biggest threat is going to be flash flooding. on top of that rain remember when you have even a 45-mile-per-hour gust and you have been so saturated you can take down trees and power lines

and that's where we'll end up seeing problems. timing wise we'll wrap up here in the later morning hours, but by boston, rhode island, up through even maine, you've got the lunch hour through even evening commute to deal with gusty winds and certainly some of the heavier rain watching elsa depart and say good-bye, george, by the end of tonight. >> okay. ginger, thanks very much. cecilia. we have the latest on the pandemic. pfizer is saying that a booster shot could give extra protection in the fight against covid but overnight the cdc and the fda are both saying not so fast. this, of course, as the new delta variant is raising all these concerns. trevor ault has more on the story, good morning again, trevor. >> reporter: good morning, again, cecilia. we're seeing at least some level of disagreement within the medical community here. pfizer trying to move forward with booster shot plans, citing waning immunity to the delta variant six months to a year down the line from full vaccination, but the agencies who would have to approve those booster shots say right now they're not necessary because

the vaccines work. this morning, pfizer at odds with america's top health agencies over covid booster shots. the pharmaceutical company announcing thursday it's planning to ask the fda for authorization to offer a third dose 6 to 12 months after the second to take on the delta variant. >> the booster that pfizer is developing appears to raise neutralizing antibodies and an increases it by five or ten times the original vaccine series. >> reporter: but within hours the cdc and fda releasing a joint statement undercutting that announcement saying, americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time. however, the cdc is warning the delta variant is already taking hold, spreading faster than expected through under-vaccinated areas. >> although we expected the delta variant to become the dominant strain in the united states, this rapid rise is troubling. >> reporter: in the past two

weeks ten states have seen covid hospital admissions jump more than 20% and all ten of them have vaccination rates below the national average. and now we're hearing from hospital officials in those troubled areas who are pleading with people to get vaccinated because, remember, the longer we allow the virus to keep spreading the more it can continue to mutate even beyond the delta variant. guys. >> all right, trevor, thank you, as always. coming up here on "gma," the latest in britney spears' conservatorship battle. her father speaking out. what he is saying this morning. a "gma" exclusive. some important news if you are hearing impaired. the big change that will make hearing aids more accessible. our exclusive with the one and only lebron james starring in the new "space jam." which looney toons character he says he's most like. we'll tell you about that and also his pick to win the nba finals. stay with us. we'll be right back. ♪ running in circles run away, run away ♪ especially with his type 2 diabetes.

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♪ when i met you in the summer ♪ welcome back to a little bit of a rainy friday here in times square. tomorrow on saturday "gma" we've got some summertime sweets for you. i'll leave this right here. pb and j ice cream sandwiches. need i say more? >> sounds pretty good. >> i would like to hear more. >> tune in tomorrow. let's get "pop news" out of lara. >> hi there, george, good morning to you, all. we'll begin with some news from the cannes film festival. stars head there had to light up the red carpet and that's exactly what matt damon did hitting the carpet ahead of "stillwater" taking the time to take selfies with fans. he is always so nice and his

movie getting a very warm reception, "variety" reporter -- check that out. damon tearing up when he got a five-minute standing ovation. the movie follows damon's character, unemployed oklahoma oil rig worker determined to help his daughter who is stuck in a french prison for a murder she claims she did not commit. tom mccarthy who made the oscar winning spotlight directing the film that's already getting awards buzz. "variety" says damon givers a remarkable performance. you guys can see for yourself when "stillwater" hits theaters july 30th. and more movie news this morning. new spy thriller in the works that's being compared to the james bond franchise. "the kingsman" director is behind the new film called "argylle." it follows a super spy named argylle and his adventure in exotic locales.

it was said, when i read this early draft's manuscri manuscript, i felt it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since ian fleming's books of the '50s. this is going to reinvent the spy genre. the cast he assembled will help with that prediction. henry cavill, samuel l. jackson, bryce dallas howard, bryan cranston, catherine o'hara, sam rockwell and john cena will all appear in "argylle" which hits theaters in 2022. sounds awesome. haven't had your coffee yet, you may want to wait a bit. a new theory shows that the best time to get the maximum jolt from your morning joe is about an hour after you wake up. that's because the stress hormone cortisol is naturally spiking when you wake up. we can all relate. so it already gives your body a surge of energy, researchers say let that subside then have coffee, that will provide the best boost for your morning.

and finally, so excited to share with you this teenage alumni of an incredible school here in stamford, connecticut, got the surprise of a lifetime. a giant mural of herself painted on the side of the village. it's a new space for entrepreneurs in stamford. she is a straight "a" hodge student, a graduate of the waterside school which gives incredible education to students in an underserved community and places them in rigorous private schools regardless of their ability to pay. well, take a look at her reaction to the unveiling. [ applause ] >> what do you think? >> wow. >> it's amazing. >> it's amazing. >> whoo. >> unbelievable. thank you so much. it's great. >> the 48-foot-tall version of her is surrounded by examples of music, art, literature, science

a sign saying "dream big," a message to kids if you work hard and dream big, anything is possible and with that i wish you a dry, beautiful weekend. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, lara. we move on to our "gma" cover story. the latest on britney spears' conservatorship bat many. -- battle. her father speaking out saying he and members of the families have received threats since the singer's testimony. kaylee hartung has the story. >> reporter: hey, george. after britney spears accused her family members and everyone involved in this conservatorship that controls her life of being abusive and exploitive we didn't hear any sort of rebuttal from any of them in court. our only insight is trickling out one court filing at a time since then. now this latest reveal from jamie spears is about the backlash this family is facing. overnight britney spears' father, jamie spears speaking out in new court filings saying he and other family members received death threats since her testimony last month.

his filing coming after jodi montgomery requested over $50,000 a month for 24/7 security saying since the hearing she received messages that threaten violence and even death. jamie spears opposing the in part because other family members have received death threats including britney's younger sister jamie lynn spears and that is not an expense that the conservatorship estate can sustain for multiple individuals for an extended indefinite period of time. this just the latest development in the legal battle surrounding her after britney expressed her desire for it to end. calling it abusive and saying, i just want my life back. ♪ my life's been so overprotected ♪ >> reporter: and in this filing, jamie spears says he's been very concerned about what he calls the dangerous rhetoric that's been developing around the conservatorship for some time

now. he says he's received these ongoing threats of vary degrees not just for the last couple of weeks but for years, george. >> given all that it's hard to imagine that security isn't a reasonable and legitimate expense. >> reporter: yeah, george, and britney spears pointed out in court that she's responsible for footing the bill for everyone and everything related to this conservatorship and that includes paying her father's e e $2ilon, even paying for his communication strategist to defend his image at $850 an hour. with this next hearing, july 14th there will be an accounting review. >> kaylee hartung, thanks. cecilia. we turn to new help for the hearing impaired. millions here in the united states could benefit from hearing aids and could soon become much easier for the public to get them. rebecca jarvis joins us with all the details. good morning, rebecca. >> reporter: good morning, cecilia. and even with medicare or private insurance, hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars out of pocket. this new executive order is meant to change that by increasing competition making it possible for more pharmacies to begin selling hearing aids.

two years ago around her 18th birthday this dariana noyola started having hearing issues. >> i feel like i am swimming underwater constantly. i can never hear properly. >> reporter: doctors said she had 30% hearing loss, now it's nearly 50% and it took more than a year to get hearing aids. >> i need my ears, i need to listen. i love to listen to people. >> reporter: dariana is 1 of 48 million people in the u.s. with hearing loss and while she receives state assistance for medicaid for millions of others like 20-year-old aliza peters, private insurance doesn't always cover the cost. >> what i had to learn was how to be responsible for them and take care of them and realize they're not cheap at all and insurance doesn't pay for them. >> cost is a factor. when it comes to individuals purchasing hearing aids who need them in order to hear better.

a pair of hearing aids can cost and up.e from $5,000 for a pair- >> reporter: now president biden issuing a new executive order to help people with extreme hearing loss. directing the department of health and human services to issue plans to combat price gouging on typically costly hearing aids within 45 days and take action within 120 days to propose getting these available over the counter. >> the price is going to come down from in some cases several thousand dollars to a few hundred dollars. this is going to be real money back in the pockets of folks who need to use hearing aids. >> reporter: and for eliza that means breathing easier as she starts a new chapter in her life. >> the next time i get them i'll probably be 26, 27, i'll be graduated from college. i'll have a job and it'll be on me and that barrier of the financial side of everything is about to be blown up if we can see some change in the policy. >> reporter: now, if you're a military veteran there may also be savings for you by going through the v.a. for your hearing aids. if you're an employee at a company, experts recommend using

an hsa that is pretax money to pay for those hearing aids right now, cecilia. >> it's going to be really good news for a lot of people out there. rebecca, thanks so much. ginger, back to you. >> reporter: yeah, cecilia, you know, it's normal in the summer to have the west hot and dry and the east wetter and warm. well, now we're amplified so let's look at what's happening. the thunderstorms independent of elsa causing that flash flooding in hackensack, new jersey, now adding elsa on top of it. it's moving fast but still have flash floodwater watches that go all the way through new england, so rhode island, massachusetts, all included, new hampshire, you're going to be dealing with this throughout the day today because it's still coming at you. now you go west and we have big-time issues with heat. we've had those wildfires, those complexes burning and now we're going to be flirting with all-time records. the all-time record in las vegas, for example, is 117. they could tie that and stay right up around there and the problem with heat is when it's cumulative.

happy friday. i am abc7's meteorologist mike nicco. the most dangerous heat from the heat wave starts today and lasts through sunday and that means nights will be the most comfortable for sleeping in the next couple of nights. it will breaker on tuesday for all of us. 65 in half moon bay. we turn now to our exclusive with lebron james. robin went one-on-one with the we turn now to our exclusive with lebron james. robin went one-on-one with the four-time mvp nba champion and movie star. yes, talking about his new movie, the reimagined "space jam." also talked about raising his family and, of course, his take on the nba finals. >> welcome to the "space jam" re-imagined. >> what is this? aaagh! i'm a cartoon?

>> what's up, doc? >> reporter: 25 years later basketball megastar and four-time mvp king james is getting looney with timeless bugs bunny and friends. a lot of folks have been waiting for this one. re-imagination of a classic and it has powerful lessons like the first one and a lot of laughs. what was your initial reaction i want to know when taking on the film. >> i was intimidated because i was 12 when the first one came out in '96 and i know what it did for me. i felt that it was the best sports movie i had ever seen up until that point. i grew up watching the looney toons laughing and crying with those guys and then also grew aspiration and inspiration from the great michael jordan. i was able to take it on and accept the challenge and i had a heck of a time doing it. >> oh, i got this. >> lebron is on a mission. he wants to go coast to coast. >> nostalgic for so many and a fresh take for a new generation.

in his first lead acting role lebron takes us on an adventure to save his young son. >> the one thing people will be surprised about it's not a basketball movie. it's a conversation that's been had in a lot of households where a parent has his aspirations for his kid, but also, you know, fail to realize that kids have their own aspirations and dreams. let's start with the basic, lola, show them how we do it. >> what character is most like king james? >> i would say lola because of the simple fact she knows exactly what she wants. she likes to have a good time. she likes to laugh but she likes to get things done. she's not with all the craziness but she accepts it. >> your kids, what do you think their reaction will be in watching the film? >> my daughter, just called her and she was like, daddy, you on a commercial. >> lebron james. >> you in a happy meal box. my boys know it's a fictional movie but they're in the movie

but not in the movie so they're looking forward to seeing, like, dad who is playing me? does he act like me? does he look like me? >> reporter: his oldest son following in his footsteps as a baller, top prospect himself. >> as a parent with my wife, we just give them all the tools before they leave the household. just giving him the confidence, listen, you want to play ball, cool. if you want to play let's go after it but i'm not going to take away from you being a teenager. i want you to have fun and enjoy your friends and being a teenager. >> reporter: lebron's incredible career includes four championship rings and now he gives his take on this year's finals series. nba finals under way, baby. bucks/suns. you're no stranger to the championships. what are the players going through? >> a lot of emotion, a lot of jitters, a lot of sleepless nits. -- nights. i'm excited for my dear friend, my brother chris paul in his first finals appearance in 16 years so it's going to be fun for the city of phoenix and the

city of milwaukee and basketball fans all over. i would give the slighter edge to phoenix because they're just -- they're more healthy. >> all right. final question, the title of the film "space jam: a new legacy." i'm looking at the big poster. what do you want your legacy to be, lebron james? >> if it's about basketball or if it's about my philanthropy, about me as a father, as a son or as a friend, i just hope that i do enough in my existence that i helped enough people to feel like they could be anything they want and i can live with that. >> and "space jam: a new legacy" opens in theaters next friday, july 16th and coming up, anthony mackie joins us right here in studio as he gets ready for the espys. studio as he gets ready for the espys.

building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. good morning, everyone. i am kumasi aaron from abc 7 news. good morning, everyone . [ technical difficulties ] at worksman cycles, we've been building bikes for a hundred years. but our customers' needs have changed, so we expanded our product line to include electric cycles.

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hey, there, bay area, "live with kelly and ryan" is coming up. >> also, staycation tips. let's get you in date on the heatwave. we have that heat advisory, i would not be surprised if the north bay valleys are added to that. even a day later through monday in solano county. if you're out there dropping, remember, parked cars, today. and mass transit, it will be hot when you get off of those stops. if these and 60s this morning, it will end up being in the 90s and 100s. our hottest night is saturday.

we will have another abc 7 news update in about 30 minutes. you can always find our latest on the app and on ♪n the app and on welcome back to "gma" live from times square. all right, we love this time on friday. this week our buzz pick is "falling" by t.j. newman. here's t.j. >> good morning, america. i'm t.j. newman and so excited my debut novel "falling" is your buzz pick. on a flight from l.a. to new york the passengers on board have no idea that just before they took off the family of their pilot was kidnapped and he has been told crash the plane or your family will die. i'm a former flight attendant and i wrote much of this book on cocktail napkins at 35,000 feet so i think this page turning thriller is the perfect read for a long flight. >> perfect read for a flight?

[ laughter ] >> we are into it. "falling" is out right now. read an excerpt by using your phone to scan that qr code on your screen. as always be sure to keep reading along on instagram at "gma" book club. >> read that -- >> now, let's welcome our next guest. so excited to have -- right there you see him. captain america himself, anthony mackie. he's here, he will be the espys host live. last year's show was virtual. great to have you here. i want to talk were the espys but listening to you sing during the break, you should serenade the audience. >> i would love to. my goal in life is here on the broadway is to do a musical so, you know, one day i'm going to be serenading an audience doing a musical. >> are you serious? >> yes, i've always wanted to do a western and a musical. >> how close are you -- >> a lot closer right now. [ laughter ] his phone is already ringing. tell us about the espys.

you must be excited about that too. >> i'm so excited, man. i'm a big sports fan and growing up in new orleans like you love sports and crawfish so, you know, to be hosting the espys and be in the room with all these amazing athletes, it's a huge honor. >> i had to tell you it was a bizarre call, our "gma" call where your underwear came up and what i said -- they say you had these good luck things that you'll have with you for the espys. >> that's my saints drawers. you know, if you old enough you know what draws are so whenever i feel like i need a pick me up i say a little prayer and put on my saints draws and, you know, they've saved me a lot of times so every time i feel like i'm going to feel, you know, go to my saints draws. >> pull them on. the last time you were here you were saying that your kids weren't super wowed by the fact that you were captain america. is the espys winning them over. >> not at all. [ laughter ] >> not impressed. >> not at all.

my kids are just happy that i'm -- they keep me humble because i'm dad, you know, i'm not captain america. i'm not espy host. i'm just dad. as long as i can make my mickey mouse pancakes -- >> we're good. >> they're happy and i make amazing -- i mean literally three dot, you know, chocolate chips, i crush it. >> should have had you here yesterday going for a pancake record, guinness book of world records. >> oh, man. you do not want to mess with me with pancakes. it's going down. [ laughter ] >> a man of many talents. >> needed your help yesterday. you will abben ultimate fantom night. >> i am. first of all, much love to zaila, congratulations, girl. you break -- break it, girl. i hope you come to the espys tomorrow. i would like to invite you to the espys tomorrow. as an alternate athlete. i'm very excited. i'm excited to meet tom brady. >> are you going to be able to fan boy out. g or are you going

>> i'll treat them like people treat me. i'll run through the audience and hug people and kiss tom brady and like it's going to be a great time. it's going to be a great time. i got a bag of baseballs and footballs and baseball bats and i'm going to be handing out trinkets for people to autograph for me to take home. >> full collection of selfies by the time you're done. >> my iphone 6 plus is going to be jammed by the time i get them all. >> you know the marvel fans are champing at the bit hoping you can give them a little hint of what's to come. >> can you spill any secrets? >> loki is amazing. check out "loki" and i'm excited for everyone to see "black widow." >> finally. finally. waiting a long time for this movie. >> man, i didn't see the bootleg. i didn't see it the blu-ray. i see -- everything. i didn't see tinder profiles,

everything on -- [ laughter ] >> just excited it out. black widow have a tinder profile, you should check it out. >> captain america hints. >> i'm very excited. >> i'm trying. i'm trying. >> i don't know anything. i haven't read or seen -- i don't know. i hope i'm in it. >> you finally hit a limit. you already got the new iphone out of this segment. you already got a broadway show and zaila coming to the espys. >> might replace me with lebron. lebron is an actor now so lebron might be captain america. i got to fight lebron. i got to fight these dudes for these jobs. >> you got the soccer star. >> have you seen the thighs on this man. you have never seen a tree without a trunk. every day is leg day. >> every day. >> every day. >> pick up your couch. bang, bang, bang. every day is leg day. i go to the grocery store and get two gallons of water, squat, squat, bang, bang, that's what you do.

four sacks of pote wait tos. every aisle is leg day, don't matter. >> so happy you came into the studio this morning. thank you very much. >> i'm like the first. >> yes, we got you. [ applause ] >> i'm like the zaila of "good morning america." i too am zaila. >> another showdown we would love to see. you can see anthony host the espys on abc. pitbull is next. ♪

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♪ i believe that we will win ♪ welcome back to "gma." we are kicking off our weekend right. our next guest is a grammy winning superstar who sold 25 million albums, had dozens of international number one songs mr. worldwide himself. pitbull there with that big smile. how you doing? >> good morning, america. >> good morning. it is good to see you once again and you tell me what the past decade has been like because, man, this year, ten-year anniversary essentially of your first number one hit "give me everything." man, what has that song meant to you and what did it bring to yo? >> well, let me tell thaw "give

me everything" was an amazing journey and it did exactly that. it gave me everything as far as being able to travel the world, touch people, unite people and just give them that escape and that energy, positivity, motivation, inspiration they needed which continues to do the same and it was ten years ago when i got a chance to perform at times square and that's where the line comes in the beginning of the record when i say take a picture of me with a kodak or better yet in times square with a kodak. i had kodak right behind me when i was performing so when they talk about cryptocurrency and the block change, give me everything ten years ago number one is like the block chain to the world. it's something that will forever be -- > wow. >> it's the gift that keeps on giving and helped you buy a nascar team. what's that like? >> i've been very, very blessed to partner up with the nascar team, track house and nascar's been amazing as well as partners and want to say thank you to justin, daniel and ty for believing in me and the

movement. the way i look at nascar, the way i look at the race car as far as track house i look at it the same way as music, we can utilize it to bring people together with something that people love to be a part of. anything that people love is a fast car, great story and a fighter behind it and that's track house right there for you. >> that is certainly true. now, i hear that you're talking to us from the academy -- the school you founded in miami, slam. i was there with you a few years ago. you know i love that place and all the work you're doing. also where you guys flipped your video "i believe that we will win." what's the response you have gotten from the first responders after that song came out during this pandemic? >> well, for one i want to start out saying, cecilia, congratulations on everything you accomplished. you were here eight years ago when we built this and had three classes that graduated at 100% to be able to be here and have this interview, conversation with america and the world is definitely an honor and it goes to show you anything is is possible. as far as "i believe that we

will win" for the first responders it motivated and inspired them and they are the true heroes in what's gun on in the year of 2020 and continue to fight for us no matter what. we're on the front lines and for me to make a record that was something that allowed them to keep pushing through no matter what is priceless and salute to the first responders for always showing up no matter what. >> amen to that. >> tell us now, though, pitbull about the follow-up to that show. >> well, the follow-up, since we went with "i believe that we will win" and the follow up is i don't know about you but i feel good and i think now that we're coming back as the raging '20s, they want to have fun and enjoy and more than anything they need that energy to be able to continue to fight through this and, you know, survival of the fittest. not only to survive but survive and thrive. that's what the united states of america has always been about and that's why i'm so proud to be a first generation cuban-american to be able to have these conversations to be

able to motivate america and the world through music, through sport and create culture. >> how excited are you to get back on tour? >> oh, man, am i -- as a matter of fact, i'm going to leave right now. [ laughter ] >> i am. i am extremely excited to hit that stage. we've had i would say sneak peeks to what a tour would look like and performed in maryland in maps for the naval academy and the energy there was -- it was nuclear, i would say, and so to be able to tour, it is called "i feel good." in august to have everybody out there just for me it's an honor to hit that stage and watch people just lose their minds because they need it more than ever. they need that escape and need to have fun and dance and like in miami we say get off the chain, off the chain, off the rip, off the flip, off of everything. get crazy. >> speaking of getting crazy one of your stops is going to be at planet hollywood resort and casino in las vegas. are you one of those guys when

people hear your friends and family going to vegas they get worried, they go, oh, somebody need to keep an eye on pitbull? are you that kid in a candy store kind of in vegas or are you just go out there and chill and that's not really your scene? >> i go out there and put in work and always have fun. what happens in vegas, it stays in vegas. what happened in miami never happened. that means i go to vegas. >> i feel like i've heard that line from you before. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> yeah. you have a preshow ritual before you get on the stage? >> yeah, die have a preshow ritual. i don't know if i can talk about it in the morning. >> i think i've seen that too. >> okay. do tell. you can't leave like that. what is this preshow ritual you can't show america but cecilia has seen. what are we talking about. >> if that's the case it's a friday morning it's a smoothie before i go on stage. it's a water for hydration, lime

for vitamin c and a lot of vodka. >> there it is. >> pitbull smoothie. >> rejuvenating. >> now it makes since cecilia would have been there for that one. pitbull, it's always a pleasure. you are just a wonderful, wonderful friend to this show and have been over the years, congrats on everything, brother, we look forward to having you back here in times square with us. >> hey, i really appreciate it. thank you so much and to everybody out there, thank you guys so much. always for the support. keep your head up. keep fighting. you already know when the going gets tough the tough gets tougher. with that said, aagh! >> how do i toss to ginger now? ginger, aaagh! we'll head back out to you keeping an eye on thing. >> oh, t.j., i was just putting my arm up saying i, i want a pitbull smoothie, please, after being out here all morning, i could use one. i am sure a lot of you could too. look at this video from a ring camera. this is a likely microburst so

that's when the winds just kind of give up and all fall at once then you get thunderstorm winds that blow through and do damage. unfortunately, back into the midwest, iowa, quincy, illinois, i want you to be on alert down to st. louis because this afternoon and evening, you have a chance of thunderstorms becoming severe. you're in that enhanced risk area where you could end up seeing not just damaging winds but tornadoes rounding out your friday night so keep an eye on that if you have outdoor plans tonight and t as we start the friday morning, we have a few high clouds that it is full on r coming up, the moms of team codelicia: this is whereeam usall our recycling is sorted --

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we are back with the super

moms headed to tokyo to compete at the olympics. in addition to being among the very best athletes in the world, allyson felix and quanera hayes are helping to blaze a path for other parents. janai norman has their story. >> reporter: meet the olympian moms balancing motherhood, training and going for the gold at the tokyo games. >> it's allyson felix getting a told. >> reporter: allyson felix is a six-time olympic gold medalist but this is the first time she'll head to the games as a mom giving birth to her daughter cameron two years ago, she's now gearing up for what's likely her final olympic games. training in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. what was that like for you? >> just a lot of chaos, i was doing a lot of my training, literally around my house, so i was running in the streets in front of my home and i was in the gym in our garage and, you know, my daughter is looking down from above without my support system, i wouldn't have

been able to do this. >> reporter: 35-year-old felix is now making it her mission to support fellow mom athletes by partnering with apparel company athleta in the women's sports foundation to launch the power of she fund which is committing $200,000 in grants to help cover child care costs for athletes across the upcoming tokyo summer games and the beijing winter olympics next year due to covid families of olympic athletes won't be able to make the trip to tokyo, though nursing children will be allowed to join their moms. what can you tell us about the recipients of those grants, what this will mean to them. >> child care is one of the huge barriers that we have to overcome. they're mothers with children under 18 and all incredible athletes, a handful of them are headed to tokyo. i really do hope also that this spurs some industrywide change and we look to support, you know, women holistically. >> reporter: athletes like

quanera hayes who beat felix during the olympic trials is looking forward to her first olympic appearance while balancing being a parent to her 2-year-old son demetrius. >> i try to prioritize everything. when i'm at practice i'm at practice. when i'm home i'm engaged with him. >> reporter: the two and their kids met on track during the trials. >> give a hug, baby. >> ah. >> reporter: an emotional moment for the two moms looking to cement their spots in olympic history. >> i had been through so much coming back from having my daughter, our kids, you know, it just made it feel like all of that was really worth it. >> to have them actually there and to be able to experience that moment and watch their mothers, you know, make the olympic team for the u.s., it was -- it was very unreal and, you know, we're super mommies. >> reporter: for "good mrning america," janai norman, abc news, new york. >> we are very excited to see

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building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. good morning, everyone. i am kumasi aaron. good morning. we are about three hours away from our heat advisory and excessive heat warning. people will just vaporize like i just did that they are not careful out in the heat. 70s and 80s in the bay. 60s and 70s along the coast. air quality remains healthy throughout tuesday. we had a light at the bay ridge toll plaza. down the 80 corridor, just 30 minutes. we have first reports of an accident, north 101 blocking a lane of traffic on the peninsula. now it is time for "live

with kelly and ryan" and we will be back and 11:00 with midday live. you can always find us at abc7news.com . >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, from the serious, "miracle workers," daniel radcliffe. and amazing activities for your family staycation on our "summer sun & fun week." plus, "live's hometown chefs summer cooking" continues with fajitas cooked up by a big heart attacks and we first met virtually. all next on "live!" ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ >> ryan: good morning, everybody. >> kelly: we are moisturizing. friday, july 9th, 2021. we were backstage moisturizing. ryan does