>> happy and right now on "america this morning," weather extremes. >> oh, my god. >> from dramatic floods and desperate rescues to the so-called megafire just one of dozens of major wildfires now burning across the west. some could burn for months. the new state of emergency declared and the troubling forecast for this weekend. getting sicker and dying faster. doctors on the front lines sound the alarm about covid cases spiking even in highly vaccinated areas. what's different this time. plus, new research on the johnson & johnson vaccine and with cases rising in tokyo, the hl.nehrou a judge allows the pop star to get her own lawyer as britney demands her father be charged

with conservatorship abuse. her new message to fans overnight and what's next in the free britney battle. also this morning, why millions of american families will be seeing money land in their bank account beginning today. the nationwide chicken shortage forces a major fast food chain to think ahead. and later, their son was kidnapped 24 years ago. now the emotional reunion, how they tracked him down. good thursday morning, everyone. we begin with the extreme weather impacting millions of americans. >> a new drought emergency has been declared in the west where wildfire conditions are getting worse, and another heat wave is on the way. >> meanwhile, a very different problem in the southwest. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: this morning new video from arizona as monsoon rains send cars sliding down streets.

much of the drought-stricken region under flash flood warnings. emergency crews forced to rescue people trapped in the fast-moving water. this man and his daughter were stranded on the roof of their car in tucson. everyone was pulled to safety as flooding rains pound the southwest, to the north, there's no relief in sight for a region desperate for rain with yet another heat wave in the forecast. triple-digit temperatures and gusty winds making fire conditions even worse. at least 68 fires are now burning an area nearly the size of delaware. in oregon the bootleg fire now being called a megafire growing to an area nearly seven times the size of san francisco. authorities say the fire will kely burn >> i wish we had something more than extreme to explain it because it's historical fire behavior and historical drought we're seeing.ing many of the ri. the state of california has been forced to relocate more than a

million baby salmon 122 miles away to a hatchery with more water, and just over the border in vancouver, millions of shellfish have been boiled alive due to the extreme heat. washington is the latest state to declare a drought emergency. we'll take a closer look at your forecast in just a few moments. and now to the pandemic and more doctors say they are alarmed by a spike in covid cases and not just in low vaccination areas but also in cities like new york and los angeles. it's all because of the delta variant and children not eligible for the vaccine now face a greater risk. meanwhile, there is a new study this morning on the effectiveness of the johnson & johnson vaccine. abc's ike ejiochi is here with the latest. ike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, andrew. one of the main concerns with the delta variant is how it affects children, an issue hospitals in mississippi are currently dealing with. mississippi hospitals are consumed with severe cases of covid-19 attacking children. >> we're seeing more symptomatic children, and children seem to be able to spread the disease to

each other much more readily. >> reporter: the concern is growing for kids not yet eligible for a covid shot. mississippi health officials are reporting seven children with covid are currently being treated in the icu, two of them on ventilators. >> i suspect that's probably because this delta variant is imparting a little more severe illness in the pediatric population. >> reporter: at least 44 states and territories are reporting a weekly increase in covid-19 cases. with the delta variant now estimated to account for close to 58% of all new cases. some health experts labeling the new numbers a harbinger of what's to come. >> we can expect to see hospitalizations rise. we'll probably see deaths go up. >> reporter: in new york city cases more than doubling in just one week from 182 on july 6th to 429 on july 12th. in los angeles county, a 500% jump in cases over the past month. exper s everye patient hospitalized has not

been fully vaccinated. >> even in large cities there are still large pockets of unvaccinated people, so if you don't get vaccinated, you are basically going to get infected. >> reporter: but the race to vaccinate reaching a new milestone. more than 160 million americans are now fully vaccinated, and this morning new data shows johnson & johnson's single shot vaccine is strong and stable after eight months and also offers good protection against the delta variant. now, elsewhere in jacksonville, florida, hospitals are rescheduling some elective surgery because of surging covid cases. andrew. >> ike, thank you. new concern about the olympics in tokyo just days before the games get under way. the city is reporting its highest daily number of covid cases in six months. as one precaution athletes will have to put their medals around their own necks to follow social distancing rules. tno 911 eleased omheight of the condo building collapse in surfside, florida. 97 people are now confirmed dead. some calls that night came from

people trying to escape. >> oh, my god. the whole building collapsed. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: for the first time we're hearing the terrified calls for help moments after the collapse of champlain towers south. >> i woke up because i was hearing some noise. >> reporter: the first 911 calls coming in just after 1:00 a.m. june 24th. a caller calmly telling the operator he heard an explosion. >> seems like something underground. everything is exploding. >> reporter: the calls growing more frequent and urgent by the minute. one woman was on the line with dispatchers as she frantically tried escaping from the garage. >> i think the roof collapsed in the building. a bunch of us are in the garage, but we cannot get out. we're going back up the stairwell. the garage is inundated with water. we don't know where the water is coming from. >> reporter: another woman panicked apparently calling from the part of the building still standing. >> where is your emergency? >> yes, i'm at champlain towers. something is going on here. you got to get us out of here. >> okay. you're in your apartment right

now? >> yes, but half the building is gone. >> reporter: soon first responders arrive and find the entire side of the building gone. one boy was pulled from the rubble alive. >> there's people in the rubble yelling. >> reporter: and after 14 days of searching, rescuers did not find any more survivors. crews have removed 22 million pounds of debris and concrete since the building collapsed. a new message this morning from the first lady of haiti one week after she was shot by assassins who killed her husband. tweeting from a hospital in miami, she wrote, quote, thank you for the team of guardian angels who helped me through this terrible time. with your gentle touch, kindness and care, i was able to hold on. thank you. as the investigation continues in haiti, the head of security at the presidential residence has been reportedly detained. back in this country the first round of child tax credit payments are hitting bank accounts today. millions of families are getting up to $300 per month for each child. the biden administration says the payments will lift 5 million

children out of poverty this year. the payments are part of the president's nearly $2 trillion stimulus plan. breaking overnight, new images from iowa where at least two dozen tornadoes have been reported. damaging homes and buildings. lake city was hard hit and the city of oelwein, iowa, a high school football stadium was damaged. no repor oan injuries. >> all right, time now for a look at your thursday forecast. good morning. thursday brings another stormy day to the midwest from chicago south westward damaging straight-line winds in excess of 70 miles an hour. the monsoon surge continues in the southwest. beneficial rain for you but also some flash flooding, a hazard to watch out for. lots of fires burning in the west, especially the northwest creating a lot of bad smoke and haze and poor air quality. it's tough to fight fires under those conditions, folks, and look how hot it will be thursday, triple digits in many areas. i'm accuweather meteorologist

kevin coskren. coming up, the popular brand of sunscreen being recalled because of a chemical that can cause cancer. but first the big win for britney spears. we hear from her new attorney plus a new claim britney made in court about her father.

back now with the free britney fans gathering across the country celebrating this morning after the pop stars victory this court. a judge allowed her to hire her own attorney. >> wednesday fighting to take control of her life. she said i'm not perfect but i'm not crazy. > this morning britney spears is celebrating.

over night she posted to instagram saying new with real representation today. i feel gratitude and blessed. this is me celebrating by horse back riding and doing cart wheels today. the judge granted her request to hire her own lawyer in the fight to end her 13 year conservatorship. controlled by her father. celebrity attorney will now represent her. >> question remains why is he involved? he should step down voluntarily. in the best interest of britney spears. >> in court a tearful spears called this by phone. demanding hr father be removed from the conservatorship. saying she wants him charged with abuse. saying i'm here to gt rid of my dad. claiming i was extremely scared of my dad. detailing what she calls her illegal work schedule. she was forced to be available

ten hours a day. every day. and at times she says her caretakers took away her hair vitamins and coffee. saying that's not abuse, that's just cruelty. we were in court. >> she described how as a child she was afraid of him. afraid of how he would come to her dance rehearsal and drunk and embarrass her. >> he was adamant he's not stepping down. arguing for their side of the story to be heard. saying there are misstatements in the testimony. >> hearing about meaningful and substantial financial abuse over long period of time. emotionally abusive relationship and it seems to have ignored her human rights. >> the judge aremove aremoved the resignation. he's the sole manager of the $60 million estate. spears was the conservatorship ended altogether without facing a medical evaluation. saying if one is necessary she'd

like her coconservator a person to stay on and handle the transition. free britney fans spothing her across the country. from california. to washington d.c. >> we're planning on rallying until she's free. >> there will be another court hearing monday. in which the judge will examine montgomery's request for security to be paid out from the trust. she claims she's receiving death threats. >> thank you. turning to miami beach. investigation is under way at the former versace mansion. now a hotel. two men found dead inside a room and housekeeper found the bodies. no further details have been released. today marks 24 years since fashion designer was murdered on the steps of that very property. >> coming up. electric car owners told not to park inside because of a fire risk. >> the nfl star arrested for

domestic violence. what his wife told police. from prom dresses to workouts and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. ♪ ♪ color snap color id from sherwin - williams. color pallets curated just for you. like many people with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease, i was there. be right back. but my symptoms were keeping me from where i needed to be.

so i talked to my doctor and learned humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for people with uc or crohn's disease. and humira helps people achieve remission that can last, so you can experience few or no symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. ♪ ask your gastroenterologist about humira. is that gouda shaped like a foot? or maybe you're just projecting your own insecurities? what? (sniffs feet) ohhhh

yeah keep your feet fresh with gold bond foot powder. life... doesn't stop for diabetes. be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it's the number one doctor recommended brand that's scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna. ♪ ♪ scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. ♪ ♪ just two pills for all day pain relief. aleve it, and see what's possible. back now with johnson & johnson voluntarily recalling five of its sunscreen products. the company says samples showed low levels of benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer with repeated exposure. the sunscreens are sold in aerosol cans, ununder the aveeno brand and one under the neutrogena brand.

we have a complete list of the productsour site. a warning to people who drive a chevy volt. keep them outside and away from your home after two recently caught fire. and don't leave them charging overnight. the warning affects 2017 through 2019. nfl star richard sherman has been arrested in a domestic violence case. we learn new details overnight about the allegations. this morning, super bowl champion richard sherman is behind bars after an allegedly violent confrontation with his family and police. >> i need officers to my house now. my husband is drunk. richard, please stop. richard, please stop. >> reporter: it all began 1:30 wednesday morning, washington state police say they got a call about a possibly drunk driver entering hitting a barrier and badly damaging a car which they say sherman then abandoned. >> we're very fortunate that there were no injuries. >> reporter: a short time later police say sherman's wife called 911 from her parents' home where he was allegedly trying to force his way inside.

>> he's being aggressive. he's threatening to kill himself. >> reporter: police responding. they say they tried to arrest him. >> mr. sherman physically resisted officers' efforts to take into custody and a redmond police k-9 was used in gaining control of mr. sherman. he was taken into custody. >> reporter: an officer at the scene and sherman suffered injuries. the nfl star now facing charges of burglary, domestic violence, resisting arrest and malicious mischief. police recommending dui and hit and run charge. >> richard sherman is one of the move decorated players in the nfl. he's somebody that commands respect, has had respect, somebody who hasn't had any issues off the field that we know about, which is why it came as such a surprise, all that unfolded in the wee hours of wednesday morning. >> reporter: sherman's wife, ashley moss, tells "the seattle times" he didn't harm anybody adding, he is a good person and this is not his character. the nfl says it will

investigate. sherman is expected in court today. the milwaukee bucks have tied up the nba finals. khris middleton scored ten consecutive points late in the game helping the bucks beat the suns, 109-103, and game five saturday night in phoenix. coming up, the most expensive steak in the world. but first a family is reunited with their son kidnapped 24 years ago. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis under control? hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up, that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent.

serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can show more with less eczema. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. don't settle. start your day with secret. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, secret stops odor- causing sweat 3x more.

and the provitamin b5 formula is gentle on skin. with secret, outlast anything. no sweat. secret. all strength. no sweat. time to check the pulse. we begin with the emotional video of a couple being reunited with their son. >> he was abducted outside their home in china 24 years ago. he was only two. his father went through ten motocrosngheoury loong for

him. >> police located his son after searching data bases for people who look like him at 26. the kidnappers have been arrested. >> spelling bee champion showed up last night. >> demonstrating why she's a spelling bee champ and holder of three world records for her basketball skills. last night guest host challenged her to do both at once. spell and dribble. take a listen. >> >> she got a surprise from bill murray. who she referenced during the spelling bee. >> glad we mentioned it. that video of him waving would have thrown people off. >> next the mess ang for restaurant workers this morning that should be a message every day. be kind. >> one more time for the people

in the back. be kind. the people have been so rude this summer at a restaurant on cape cod. the owner closed the doors to treat employees to a day of kindness. it followed a wave of verbal abuse. some were sonrs. on ce a worker was scolded for not opening early. >> come on everyone. take a moment. just to be kind. at a restaurant or outside of a rest raun. pop eyes had to think ahead before adding chicken nuggets to the menu. >> there is a nationwide chicken shortage. they planned ahead. they have been stockpiling froizen chicken for six months. hoping it will be enough to meet demand. >> that's where all the chicken went. >> the ones that crossed the road. >> from chicken to beef. the most expensive steak. >> 60 ounce porter house rib eye. with black truffle sauce. served in las vegas for $20,000.

it's dry aged for 195 days. >> if you want a jason, did you know geico could save you hundreds on car insurance and a whole lot more? cool. so what are you waiting for? mckayla maroney to get your frisbee off the roof? i'll get it. ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ ♪ ♪ whoa. here you go. (in unison) thank you mckayla! dude, get it. i'm not getting it, you get it. you threw it. it's your frisbee. geico. switch today and see all the ways you could save. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ just two pills for all day pain relief. aleve it, and see what's possible. ♪ ♪ oh, son of a poppyseed! ah, there's no place like panera. enjoy the cool, refreshing strawberry poppyseed salad.

panera. order on the app today. age before beauty? why not both? visibly diminish wrinkled skin in... crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond. ♪ when you have nausea, ♪ ♪ heartburn, ingestion, upset stomach... ♪ ♪ diarrheaaaa. ♪ pepto bismol coats your stomach with fast and soothing relief. and try new drug free pepto herbal blends.

made from 100% natural ginger and peppermint. 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? ahhh. beautiful day in baltimore where most people probably know that geico could save them money on car insurance, right? you see the thing is geico, well, could help them he okay...i'm ready to come in now. hello? i'm trying my best. seriously, i'm...i'm serious. request to come ashore. geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance.

details on the arrest of richard sherman. the 911 calls from his wife. morning about an urgent threat to public health. officials calling for a crackdown on tech companies. speaking through symbols. the most popular emoji in the world. >> i am trying to think which one i use the most. i'm not sure. what is yours? >> the sideways crying laugh. >> me as well. >> side eye is up there. t