ball after screaming. right now on "america this morning," covid and kids. infections among children now surging with hospitalization rates four times higher than last month. >> take it serious. our children are not invincible. >> the new move by doctors to protect kids as they head back to the classrooms, and more classrooms impose mask mandates. plus, we hear from more hospitals in the south running out of space for patients. their message this morning. breaking overnight, another miami condo building evacuated. residents told to get out. the building deemed unsafe. scam alert. the warning from the irs. how scammers are taking advantage of families that qualify for the child tax credit payments being sent this week. how they're stealing your money.

we all quit. workers at another retail chain say they've had enough and walk out. close encounters from the guy who reeled in a great white shark to the hiker who got way too close to this moose. and later a whole new way to have fun while mowing the lawn. good tuesday morning, everyone. we begin with the troubling increase in coronavirus cases among children. >> doctors are reporting the biggest spike since the start of the pandemic and with the new school year getting under way, a top medical group is now urging the fda to fast track approval of the vaccine for young kids. >> meanwhile, we have new information from hospitals across the south running out of icu beds. in texas overflowing hospitals are setting up outdoor tents, but they're worried they may not have the people to staff them. >> those details in a moment but first the growing concern about

kids. this morning, covid cases among children are surging. derica mcleod of pittsburgh said she thought her 13-year-old son damonte was just exhausted from staying up playing video games, but he soon lost his appetite, had a fever and eventually couldn't walk. >> i mean you couldn't have made me believe that i wasn't going to be burying my son. i've never seen anything like this. >> reporter: damonte was in the icu for 14 days and recovered. now his mother urging all parents to get their kids vaccinated. >> take it serious. our children are not invincible. >> reporter: in the last week, pediatric cases have climbed to 94,000. infected children are being hospitalized at a rate four times higher than a month ago. the american academy of pediatrics is now calling on the fda to authorize vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11 as fast as possible. >> pfizer may be able to apply for emergency use authorization, actually they're planning to at the end of september.

and moderna is probably going to take a bit longer. >> reporter: with kids heading back to school, doctors fear this is only the beginning of a spike in hospitalizations. >> you should assume that we're going to see pediatric intensive care units all across the south completely overwhelmed and sosmall tent cities of sick adolescents and kids. >> reporter: in response more school districts are imposing mask mandates defying state orders in texas and florida, which could cost them in fines. >> are you prepared to pay up if needed? >> yeah, absolutely. you know, there are consequences for whatever actions you take,p consequence than have the health of students and staff and families on my mind. >> reporter: florida's governor is now threatening to withhold the salaries of school superintendents and school board members who enforce mask mandates. it comes as florida requests 300 ventilators from the federal government to keep up with the surge in cases threatening to overwhelm hospitals.

in arkansas, which just saw the largest daily increase in hospitalizations, only eight icu beds are available in the entire state, and mississippi reports zero icu beds in top level hospitals with 200 patients waiting for a room. one hospital official pleading with the public to only visit the er if you're critically ill. >> we are battling the most infectious version of covid. i'm extremely concerned with our ability to handle the continual wave of new patients. >> new cte data shows just how effective the vaccine is. it shows 99.99% of vaccinated people who have been infected with covid did not need to be hospitalized. breaking overnight, residents of a condo building in miami have been told to get out because the building has been deemed unsafe. the eight-story condo has nearly 140 units. city officials claim the building's columns are structurally inefficient and say management failed to complete a 40-year reversion.

residents are being offered temporary housing and follows june's condo collapse in surfside, florida, which left 98 dead. since then several other buildings have been evacuated because of structural concerns. air quality warnings are posted in six western states this morning as historic wildfires burn across the region. in california, crews battling the second largest wildfire in state history will face rising temperatures through friday. the dixie fire has now burned more than 765 square miles. firefighters had to use a pulley system to cross a river and protect a home from those fast-moving flames, and despite the devastation in the small town of greenville, dozens of people who were unaccounted for have now been found safe. a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions. that's how the prime minister of greece describes the nearly 600 wildfires burning across his country. more evacuations have been ordered as fire crews face the most intense heat in decades. abc's maggie rulli is there. >> reporter: from floods that wipe out entire towns to fires

that leave forests and homes burned covered in ash still smoldering, these extreme once in a lifetime unprecedented events are now becoming common, and scientists all point to one thing, climate change. >> crowds have protested the prime minister's response to the fires. he's apologized for any weakness in his response. we turn now to a new warning for families about the new child tax credit. federal authorities have issued an alert about some brazen scams that are taking advantage of families. abc's dan lieberman explains how the scammers are trying to steal your money. >> reporter: this morning the irs is explaining how not to fall for a series of scams taking advantage of families who qualify for the government's new child tax credit, which is up to $300 per child. the second payments are being sent out this friday. >> we're seeing scammers trying to take advantage of the american public by attempting to gain information. , a text mess apply for the tax credit.

and an email asking you to click and claim your stimulus payment. they're all fake. the irs says it does not contact taxpayers via email, text messages or social media platforms to request personal or financial information for verification. one cybersecurity firm says it's already found nearly 50 websites pretending to be part of the government's america rescue plan, which includes the child tax credit. if you're researching online, only trust websites ending in .gov and never provide your social security number or driver's license. >> they'll be able to steal someone's refund check and also login to any sort of bank account information. >> reporter: the bottom line, if you're eligible for the child tax credit, the irs will use information from your 2020 or 2019 tax returns to automatically enroll you for the payments. >> taxpayers don't need to take any additional action. >> reporter: dan lieberman, abc news, new york.

impeachment proceedings against new york governor andrew cuomo could begin early next month. cuomo is reportedly in a fighting mood as he refuses to resign over sexual harassment allegations from 11 women. state lawmakers expect to take several more weeks to wrap up their impeachment investigation. the governor's attorney insists cuomo's actions do not rise to the level of harassment. >> he is not in any way, shape or form denying that he hugged staffers, that he, when he goes by staffers, he will greet them, he will touch them on the arm, he will touch them on the back. yes, he talks to staffers about their personal lives, absolutely, and he is well aware particularly after reading the report as to how this made some people feel, and he did not realize that. >> reporter: a new york police union has also joined calls for cuomo to resign after learning that one of his accusers was a state trooper on a security detail. buckingham palace is not commenting about suaus allegations against prince andr.

virginia roberts giuffre claims the duke of york abused her when she was 17 years old at three locations connected to sex offender jeffrey epstein. the prince has said in the past that the alleged abuse never happened. a u.s. envoy is set to meet with leaders of the taliban to urge them to stop their offensive in afghanistan and resume talks. this latest push for peace comes as the taliban takes even more territory. the group now claims control of at least six provincial capitals but the u.s. troop withdrawal continues. the pentagon insists afghan forces are capable of fighting the taliban. turning to the weather, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes ripped through the chicago area. the storms left behind a path of damaged buildings and downed trees in the city's suburbs. at least two twisters were spotted. some areas got five inches of rain. time now for a look at your tuesday weather. good morning.

the heat's returning to the pacific northwest. temperatures start to rise tuesday, and by the end of the week we'll be rivaling record highs getting very hot again portland and seattle. we're talking upper 90s and some 100s. meanwhile, in the caribbean, a developing tropical storm, that could become a threat to the florida peninsula by the weekend with some wind and some rain. i'm meteorologist mark mancuso with your accuweather forecast. coming up, we all quit. workers at another retail chain join forces to walk off the job. also ahead, new evidence in the case of a colorado man accused of killing his wife. what we're learning about a so-called spy pen she kept and the recording that was on it. and later, one hiker's close encounter with a moose.

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back now with the small plane crash caught on camera near minneapolis. all three people on board were killed when the plane went down over the weekend. no disstress calls before the crash. >> transit officials in atlanta investigating why this bus driver failed to stop after being hit by a car that hit a red light. the bus dragged the car down the street for a quarter mile. the woman driving the car was hospitalized. >> family dollar store in nebraska forced to shut down after all employees walked off the job. the workers left a sign saying we all quit. sorry for the inconvenience. they said they were over worked and under paid. the store are opened yesterday after pulling workers from another location. and just last month the entire staff at a nearby burger king quit. leaving behind a similar sign. a new report shows there were 10

million job openings across the country in june. exceeding the 8 million americans looking for work. >> we turn to the colorado man charged with killing his wife. new evidence released in the case including a so called spy pen kept by his wife. >> reporter: this morning new evidence in a case of the missing colorado mother of two. 49 year-old has been missing since mother east day last year. her husband is charged with her murder. he was arrested in may. one year after her disappearance. >> we believe she's not alive. >> at a hearing monday prosecutors reveal she was having an affair for two years before she went missing. they discovered the infe dellty through a spy pen. saying she bought the pen because she suspected barry was having an affair. the pen recorded a conversation between susan and her lover. just before she went missing. barry made a plea for his wife's

safe return. offering $200,000 reward. >> if anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you. please, i'll do whatever it takes to bring you back. >> she went for a bike ride before her disappearance. and he was reportedly in denver three and a half his attorney argues he done everything a concerned husband should do. immediately texting her after she failed to return. calling their children. and allowing police to search his home and truck. and point out a body hasn't been found. and say there's no trace evidence. prosecutors say a home surveillance camera was not working on the day she was last seen. the hearing which continues today is being held to determine if there's enough to proceed with the trial. >> barry is charged with first degree murder. as well as tampering with evidence. more of the prosecution evidence could be revealed today.

>> more to come. thank you. coming up the fisherman who caught a great white shark. >> real estate racism? the black real estate agent and ...what is that? it's a boban bag. gimme some. no. you get tobi bag. it's adorable. just like you. tobi bag? go for the handful!

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from prom dresses to workouts flavors that won't rush you through your day, or night. 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. anything your wild child does pampers cruisers 360 fit can too. with a stretchy waistband and adaptive 360 fit. so they can move the way they were born to. pampers cruisers 360 fit take a look at this. a fisherman on cape cod battling a great white shark. he was on the beach when he hooked the 12 foot shark and

told a friend, hold by beer. he was surfing in the same water recently. a close call for a hiker who came face to face with a massive moose. he was taking vid harg at him full speed. the hiker was fast enough to duck behind a tree. moose can weigh 1,000 pounds. and experts say they attack people more than any other wild animal. >> we turn to michigan. questions are raised about how police responded to a call which ended up with a real estate broker in handcuffs. >> police in michigan defending actions after placing a black real estate agent and his client touring a house in handcuffs. >> police responded to a call from a concerned neighbor. officers were seen running around the house guns drawn. after complying with th commands,hee realtor was handcuffed as he was questioned.

>> his client had brought his 15 year-old son. also handcuffed. >> police say another man driving a car similar to the real estate agent was recently arrested for entering the house without permission. and that raised a neighbor suspicion. >> after demonstrating how the realtor key works. police uncuffed him and the client. and apologized. >> sorry for the inconvenience. >> do what you got to do. i understand the neighbors concern. if it's broken into. things happen. >> our officer arrested somebody a couple days ago. in a black mercedes. >> police insist race played no role in the response.

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♪ time to check "the pulse," and we begin with a debate over whether gyms are going the way of blockbuster video stores. >> because some people say gyms are quickly becoming a thing of the past, and since the pandemic about 9,000 fitness centers have closed. americans got used to working out at home during the pandemic and bought lots of fancy equipment like peloton bikes. >> experts say as the technology improves, even more people will be working out at home. next china's wandering elephants are finally heading home. >> the year long journey of 14 wild elephants appears to be

nearing an end after they crossed over a river that will lead them closer to their natural habitat. now it's unclear why the elephants left the nature reserve to rome some 300 miles miles to several villages. >> authorities have been using food to lure the elephants in the right direction. next a video game that a suburban dad would love. >> get your lawn mowing fix without ever leaving your living room. check out the lawn mowing simulator that allows you to ride your favorite toro across the countryside. even a career mode for you can start your own lawn mowing business. >> the cutting edge game is being released this week. finally an all-american snack for a first of its kind baseball game. >> the yankees and the white sox play thursday on the iowa baseball diamond used in the movie "field of dreams" and guy fieri created a special dish for the occasion. the apple pie hot dog. >> a hot dog filled with apple pie filling crust and special mustard and spice.

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area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> the first day back or bay area students. the best way to help them keep safe. >> a push to get younger people vaccinated. the possible timeline for ages five to 11. >> tornadoes sweep through the area. >> broadway back in san francisco. the return of hamilton made this pandemic. >> good morning. >> we want to start with a check on our forecast. mike: how about a bit of a warming trend. not everyone will heat up with the inland neighborhoods will feel the brunt the next several days. you can see a broken deck of clouds as we look from our camera. winds considerably slower.