and of course "i love lucy." right now on "america this morning," hospitals on the brink. what doctors are seeing in the seven states the white house says are fueling this deadly summer surge of the coronavirus. plus, the new response at the border to address covid positive migrants crossing into the u.s. new details about the government's plan for vaccine booster shots. happening right now, the historic firefight in the west one day after flames engulfed and entire town. now images of the aftermath. the number of homes lost and now the extreme drought forcing the first ever shutdown of a local power plant. breaking news, a sightseeing plane full of passengers from a cruise ship excursion crashes in alaska with no survivors.

privacy questions. apple announces a plan to scan all iphones for images of child pornography. how the scan will work and what the company says about the privacy of pictures on your phone. happy homecoming. olympic champ simone biles back in the u.s. her answer when asked, what does she want to do now. defying gravity. the ultimate bike ride. good friday morning, everyone. we'll get to the new images from the california wildfire emergency in a moment, but first new information about booster shots and the fight against coronavirus. the fda could reveal its plan for vaccine booster shots by early next months. it comes as the number of people in the hospital hits a new pandemic high in florida. the white house says florida and six other states are fueling the current surge in cases. >> more hospitals are reporting

staff shortages and infections among children are spiking. abc's alex presha is here with the very late effort. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as covid cases climb across the country, two events are fueling concerns about superspreader events. this morning, massive crowds at sturgis, south dakota, where 700,000 people are expected for an annual motorcycle rally. in wisconsin, the state fair now under way with few masks in the crowd despite recommendations. >> it feels good. i got my shot, so i'm okay, i hope. >> reporter: on thursday, the fair's opening day, health officials announce covid cases in wisconsin reached the highest level since january, and now as the delta variant fuels the latest surge, the fda is expected to recommend a plan for vaccine booster shots for people with weaker immune systems. that plan expected in the coming weeks. >> we are now working on that and will make that be implemented as quickly as possible. >> reporter: right now seven

states account for nearly half the new infections in the u.s. each of them have low vaccination rates. the number of children hospitalized is 3 1/2 times higher than a month ago in houston. in houston an 11-month-old with covid had to be airlifted 150 miles away because there wasn't a bed available. >> the emergency rooms at major children's hospitals, home of the largest medical center in the world, are extremely crowded. they are filling, if not full as are the hospitals and as are intensive care units. >> reporter: governor ron desantis is standing by his ban on masks on school kids. >> what are the harmful effects of putting a kindergartner in a mask for seven hours, the academic?

>> reporter: that was after the city of mcallen said 7,000 infected immigrants have been released into the community since february. an emergency shelter is now set up nearby to house immigrants with covid. on thursday president biden was asked about the criticism from desantis. >> governor who? >> desantis. >> let's come together. i know my city is a tough city. >> reporter: in the meantime, new jersey, ising his messe udnd door to door urging people to get vaccinated to stop the surge of covid. >> we have to get the vaccination shot. >> reporter: the number of americans getting tested for covid is rising steadily. walgreens says testing volume doubled last month compared to june. andrew. >> alex, thank you. wall street will be watching closely the monthly jobs report being released to gauge the impact of the covid surge on job growth. new figures out yesterday has weekly unemployment claims dropping but it's 7 million short of where it stood before the pandemic.reing news from alaska, a sightseeing

plane carrying passengers from a holland america cruise ship crashed killing all five passengers and the pilot. a coast guard helicopter crew located the wreckage. the single engine plane similar to the one shown here. no word on the cause of the crash. but the faa and ntsb will be investigating. we turn now to the fire emergency and extreme drought in northern california. one homeowner describing flames climbing up to his house and now a power plant shut down due to the extreme conditions. this morning, a raging wildfire is forcing thousands of people from their homes as flames tear through another northern california town. the river fire swelling in size north of sacramento fueled by bone dry conditions and high winds forming this smokenado. the river fire has now burned at least 76 buildings around the town of colfax. this woman raced to her parents' their house caught on fire.

>> i got them out of there and we had to run. you know, i mean this is something -- i've lived here. i was born and raised in that house. i lived here all my life and i have never seen a fire this bad. i know five who have lost their homes that are friends of my family's. >> reporter: the extreme drought adding to the challenge. residents near the river fire are now being asked to limit water usage to essential needs to help crews fighting the fire. >> it's sad because there's no water. people are scared. >> reporter: and now a power plant north of colfax has shut down. it relies on water from lake oroville but the water levels are too low. it comes as the state's largest wildfire burns out of control. the dixie fire now creating this orange glow near redding after sparking more than three weeks ago. it's burned an area nearly half the size of rhode island. 40-mile-per-hour winds pushed flames into the historic town of greenville destroying everything in their path. but this patriotic rescue is giving people hope.

a firefighter saving an american flag that was attached to a burning home. the dixie fire destroyed more than 100 homes in the town of greenville, but no serious injuries have been reported. president biden has signed an executive order aimed at reducing greenhouse gases. the goal is half of all new vehicles to be electric by 2030. the president took a spin in this electric jeep as he called on automakers to strengthen mileage standards, but environmentalists are slamming the plan saying it doesn't even meet the goal set years ago by former president obama. new york governor andrew cuomo says he plans to cooperate with an impeachment investigation. state lawmakers are asking for any additional evidence he may have stemming from allegations that he sexually harassed 11 women. cuomo has also been investigated in connection with covid deaths in nursing homes and his pandemic book deal. most say they support impeaching him if he does not resign. >> simone biles was cheered by family, friends and fans upon returning to texas from the

tokyo olympics. now, biles ended her emotional journey at the olympics by winning the bronze in the women's balance beam final. now she's looking forward to relaxing. >> can we ask the first thing you want to do now that you're back? >> we want to have some space. >> yeah. >> she just wanted some space. biles is not ruling out a return to the olympics in 2024. she says she's keeping that door open. back in tokyo this morning the u.s. women are taking center stage. americans april ross and alix klineman dominated australia to win gold in beach volleyball. ross now has all three medals, bronze, silver and gold. >> wasn't like i felt i had to get back to the olympics to avenge anything and then, oh, maybe we have a shot at a gold medal in the olympics and then everybody wants to know, like, oh, are you looking to complete your set, of course, i won a

gold medal. >> when talking about her future, ross said she's not sure what's in the cards. u.s. dominance in volleyball is not limited to the beach. the u.s. women's indoor team has advanced to the finals after beating serbia. women's team has advanced to the gold medal game and will face either japan or france. the team has not lost an olympic game since 1992. all right. time now for a look at your friday weather. well, good morning to you. we're keeping an eye on the fire danger out west. a number, and i'm talking many, many fires burning throughout california up into oregon and then back into idaho and montana. the concern is we have another weather maker coming on through. this is going to really increase the winds. it's going to bring beneficial rain but the winds will be increasing and spreading that dangerous smoke throughout the atmosphere and also bringing that poor air quality. for accuweather, i'm chris

nallan. coming up, the major cruise lines making a big change affecting passengers. but first the chaos at the airport getting even worse todaw times for customer service. so what one? and later, a stunning sight in san francisco.

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because of you, survivors are out there. we're making the impossible... possible. we're committed to making every cancer patient... a survivor. this is the moment we double our efforts. together... we stand up to cancer. tune in saturday august 21st at 8/7 central check this out. what started as a routine traffic stop in southern california ended when a speeding car flipped over and smashed into a power pole. the sparking wires landed on the hood of another car, briefly trapping that driver. three people had to be hospitalized. well, get ready for more chaos at airports across the country today and throughhe weekend. moretsre canceled

becausef shortages. travelers, yeah, they're fed up. abc's andrea fujii looks at the problem and what can be done about it. >> reporter: this morning yet another day of cancellations at spirit airlines. travelers at their breaking point. this man yelling to get on his flight in ft. lauderdale. >> one crew member put us on the plane. >> reporter: this is day 6 of the chaos. nearly 1900 flights canceled so far. and today up to 50% of the airline's flights aren't expected to take off. one passenger in orlando waiting nine hours just to speak to someone. >> nine hours. i'm about to cry. nine hours. i have never seen such customer service before in my life. >> reporter: spirit blames weather and staffing shortages. >> when we started canceling, our crews got dislocated through the system. they were in the wrong places at the wrong time. and we needed to start to build that puzzle back together again. >> it's almost like a 0 to 60 from a standing start. >> reporter: abc news

contributor steve ganiard says many airlines have experienced vi similar problems. what can be done? he says congress can get involved. >> one thing is you go back and force the airlines to not give you vouchers if a flight gets canceled but to make it refund. make it hurt. if the airline has problems it shouldn't be the consumer that pays the price. >> reporter: meanwhile, the faa is taking new action to address the growing problem of unruly passengers. this man on a frontier airlines flight was taped to his seat after allegedly drinking and groping flight attendants. the faa is now asking airport bars to stop selling alcoholic drinks to go. as for the spirit airlines passengers who were on canceled flights, the ceo says some were offered hotel rooms, vouchers and in some cases refunds. mona, andrew? >> andrea, thank you. major cruise lines are imposing new safety requirements due to concern about the delta variant of the coronavirus. carnival will now require

preboarding covid tests and masks will be required in designated areas even for vaccinated guests. holland america and princess cruises will require all fully vaccinated guests to show proof of a negative covid test taken within three days of boarding. and coming up, we hear from a 12-year-old who survived a shark bite. but first, the new plan by apple to scan all iphones for images of child pornography. the pr what can i du with less asthma? with dupixent i can du more... yardwork... teamwork... long walks.... that's how you du more, with dupixent, which helps prevent asthma attacks. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on-treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. and can reduce, or even eliminate, oral steroids.

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visibly diminish wrinkled skin in... crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond. 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. back now with a woman caught

on camera in san francisco leaning out of a car window brandishing an ak-47. police say it happened during an illegal drag race and they've since impounded the car. no word on whether the woman or anyone else has been arrested. a decision by apple is raising new privacy questions among iphone users. the company is planning to scan all iphones for for for for forf child pornography and explaining how it will do it. this morning, apple's latest attempt to fight sexual predators online is raising concern among privacy advocates. >> there is concern to be had here. >> reporter: rolling out a software update that allows them to detect images of sexual abuse stored on apple devices and the cloud. some critics calling it bulk surveillance of apple devices. but experts say the software using a matches technique that scans for photos already documented for the centers for missing and exploited children. >> what they're doing is

making mathematical algorithms so they can match these photos up. so they scanning photos in a way but not looking at photos. >> reporter: even the company can't see what's being scanned until something is determined illegal. and the company says there's a one in a trillion chance of a image being incorrectly flagged. >> the intention is good. like most companies i think we as consumers need to keep our eye on it carefully, but i feel that based on the technology and how they're going about this, i think that the benefit outweighs the risk for now. >> and apple says the new system is more private for iphone users than previous approaches. a 12-year-old girl is recovering from a shark bite suffered in ocean city, maryland. she needed 42 stitches to close the gashes on her leg. she was boogie boarding in knee-deep water when she felt something hit her led and at the time had no

idea it was a shark. >> i thought i picked up a horseshoe crab and hit against my shins. then i didn't know what was going on. >> she came out, and i took one look at her leg and saw the wounds and the bleeding. >> a doctor confirmed it was a shark bite. jordan says she'll eventually go back in the water but understandably she says not any time soon, mona. >> glad she is safe. well, coming up, why applebee's restaurant is all the rage. also ahead, why you may want to take fewer photos on want to take fewer photos on your n(man)acation. i've made progress with my mental health. so when i started having unintentional body movements called tardive dyskinesia... ... i ignored them. but when the movements in my hands and feet started throwing me off at work... i finally had to say, 'it's not ok.' it was time to talk to my doctor about austedo. she said that austedo helps reduce td movements in adults... ...while i continue with most of my mental health medications. (vo) austedo can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become

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and we begin with the best way to capture life's most memorable moments. >> experts say you may want to take fewer photos. just live in the moment. right? because studies show we're less

likely to retain memories when we snap too many pictures. not only are we distracted but our brain pays less attention because we'll know we have the photos later to rely on. >> ah. and experts suggest putting a friend in charge of photos for milestone occasions so that you can be fully in the moment and retain that perfect memory. so not everything is a kodak moment. >> so you don't have to do it for the gram. >> no. do it for the gram. the chicago white sox and new york yankees are showing off what they'll be wearing during next week's field of dreams game. >> they'll meet up near the actual corn field in iowa where the movie was filmed, decked out in throwback uniforms. the white sox will wear white with navy pinstripes. and the vintage sox monogram. >> the yankees uniform will be gray with new york stitched across the chest and the field of dreams game is on thursday. >> if you wear it, they will come. next, a big deal for the creators of "south park." >> they reportedly reached a $900 million deal to extend the animated series through 2027. it is being called one of the

richest deals in tv history. it also includes 14 original south park feature films which will stream exclusively on paramount plus. next, business is booming at applebee's. >> and it looks like a popular song is at least one reason why. the song called "fancy like" by walker hayes went viral on tiktok and the catchy lyrics include "we fancy like applebee's on a date night" is bringing new attention to the restaurant chain boosting interest among a younger set of >> it is a catchy song. applebee's just reported its best quarterly sales in years. >> time to get some pot stickers. >> or those margaritas. >> okay. finally, a thrill seeker's delight. one definitely not for the faint of heart. >> it is a gravity-defying bicycle built for two attached to a wire hanging nearly 1,000 feet above a gorge in china. >> did you say wire? because people brave enough to try it sway wildly as they pedal

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building a better bay

area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc7 news. now at 5:00, the battle against a fire that is bigger than the city of los angeles. the extreme conditions crews are facing on the front lines. a new mask mandate. the only local county that does not have one now. the countdown to the school year. it is the last weekend of summer for oakland students. the precautions in place as kids had back on monday and the battle over masks and other parts of the country. and a bicycling adventure that is clearly not for the faint of art. wait until you hear the reactions from these two riders. you're watching abc7 mornings. we want to start with a check on the forecast with meteorologist mike nicco. good morning. everybody knows it is drier this morning than yesterday morning. we are not using the windshield wipeatere i

of. i have not seen any reports