people. right now on "america this morning." the new forecast. what the u.s. could be facing by labor day. when it comes to covid and hospitalization. >> hospitals over run with patients. and a new court ruling on mask mandates. >> cuomo quits. new fall out for new york governor. after announcing his plan to resign amida sexual harassment scandal. is he playing the victim and why his troubles are far from over. >> another heat wave on 125 million americans. an emergency declared. life threatening floods and power outages. tropical storm fred taking aim.

what to expect. >> pricey pork. the new price increase coming to the meat aisle. >> pet obsession. are americans getting too close to their furry friends? >> the demand for hard selzer. showing no signs of fizzling out. the new booze beverage hitting the market. >> this is "america this morning." good wednesday morning. we begin with the pandemic. the new forecast that warns covid hospitalization could quadruple by labor day. >> in alabama hospitalizations are up 1,000% since july 1. in texas the hospitals are so full they have two beds available for children. >> the sharp increase in infection among children prompted more school districts to impose mask mandate. dr. fauci supports a vaccine mandate for teachers. >> extremely anxious.

>> this texas mother is worried about the upcoming school year. her 11 year-old son has a compromised immune system. after battling covid last year. spending four months in the hop. his sdool district doesn't have a mask mandate. >> i feel like we're walking into the battle zone without protection. without weapons. it's scary. >> meanwhile in florida. >> we have elementary skids who are not eligible for the vaccination. coming into the classroom. possibly exposing us. we're in a national and deadly pandemic. the governor is playing politics. >> the delta surge in florida getting worse. with 1,200 more hospitalizations. the state leading the nation with hospitalized children. hospitals reporting pediatric cases that are severe. >> something we have never seen before is pediatric intensive care units overwhelmed. that is really frightening.

>> florida governor continues to threaten school districts efb teachers pay for those who impose the ban. the white house looking into using federal dollars to pay a portion of the teach rs salary. in texas, local leaders continue to reject governor's ban on mask mandates. three regions report having no icu beds available. one houston nurse says her staff is being pushed to the breaking point. >> i feel like we have lost this fight. there's trama. there's anger. frustration. they are fighting covid. what is everybody else doing? >> thank you. cdc adviser expected to meet friday fo discuss the safety of vaccine booster shots. considering whether to authorize boosters for certain vulnerable groups. cdc says more than 1 million americans have already received a third vaccine.

everyone though it hasn't been authorized by the fda. kentucky senator suspended from you tube for a week because of a video that made false claims about mask and covid. >> democrats in washington turning attention to a massive spending package after the senate approved a $1 trillion infrastructure bill. 19 republicans including mitch mcconnell voted for the bill. rebuilding roads and broad band and modernize the power grid. some democrats in the house are refusing to support the bill unless another $3.5 trillion in spend lg it also approved. >> the president was asked about the challenges that the measures face. he says he is confident the party can get this done. the white house press secretary says the president will be working the phones reaching out to democrats. to try and get the two measures across the finish line. the reality is this could take months before both of the bills

land on his desk. >> democrats are hoping to pass the larger bill with a simple major tichlt including funding for healthcare, child care, education and fighting climate change. >> we turn to new york governor comb fall from grace. we have react resignation. many of the women accusing him of sexual harassment are slamming the governor claiming he's playing the victim. >> this morning few fall out in the upcoming resignation. >> the best way i can help now is if i step aside. > cuomo announcing he will step down in the wake of the state attorney general report out lining the governor's alleged harassment of eleven women. >> my sense of humor can be insensitive and off putting. i do hug and kiss people casually. women men. i have done it all my life.

>> before announcing he will resign the governor spent eight minutes defending his behavior. denying the accusations and blasting the report as politically motivated. >> the report said i sexually harass harassed eleven women. that is the headline. there's a difference between alleged improper conduct. and concluding sexual harassment. >> he had this message to his daughters. >> i want them to know from the bottom of my heart, that i never did and i never would intentionally disrespect a woman. >> it was this comment that has cuomo's critics and accuser calling foul. >> in my mind, i have never crossed the line with anyone. but, i didn't realize the extent to which the line has been

redrawn. there are generational and cultural shifts that i just didn't fully appreciate. >> it's not like he is so he doesn't get it. >> he had the attitude as though he's the victim. >> now, the woman seen in this photograph the governor used to defend his affectionate manner is condemning the conduct. >> he looked me in the eye, grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. and kissed me on the cheek. >> he will be the third new york governor to step down. his predecessor was accused of misconduct. lieutenant governor will be the first female governor of the state. he could avoid impeachment. he is not in the clear just yet. five district attorneys across new york are investigating his

alleged behavior. and cuomo could face potential misdemeanor charges stemming from a criminal complaint. filed by his former executive assistant. >> cuomo also faces scrutiny in two scandals. handling of nursing home death. and pandemic book deal. she takes office in 13 days. >> the taliban taken over more territory in afghanistan. u.s. troops withdraw. fighter control nine capitols across the country. out of 34. president biden said yesterday he doesn't regret the decision to withdraw. the pentagon insists the military is well equipped and capable of taking on the taliban. >> the historic nature of the wild fires. smoke has reached the north pole. for the first time in recorded history. coming from dozens of fires burning in siberia. bigger than the rest of the world other fires combined. back in this country heavy rain

triggered flash flooding in arizona. three people pulled out of their truck. stuck in chest deep water. crews had to wade in when a ladder couldn't reach. everyone is okay. >> midwest a new look at the flooding inhe srm blamed for 250,000 power outages in the state. and another 333,000 outages in wisconsin. and illinois. the heat is the big story across the country. state of emergency has been declared in oregon. >> three areas of the country will be feeling triple digit heat today. affecting 125 million americans. heat index readings will be above 100. from parts of the pacific northwest to the northeast. the actual temperatures aren't much better. hotter today in oregon than phoenix. tropical storm fred formed in

the caribbean. over night dumping heavy rain in puerto rico. the storm is moving towards florida and could reach the gulf of mexico this weekend. >> coming up the sticker shock at the grocery store. the increase in meat prices. >> the coaches now charged with murder. the death of a high school basketball player who was practicing in the summer heat. >> nasa new mission to the moon. suffers a set back.

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that's when we make the impossible possible. that's what stand up to cancer has done. because you stood up. 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 back now with the shocking video. a car slamming into a tattoo parlor in north carolina. barely missing a customer. the man thought the noise was from the movie he was watching. he and the driver suffered minor

injuries. >> raising prices to keep up with inflation as the struggle to cope with the labor shortage. the average price of the pork jumped by 40%. beef was up 12%. chicken 16. and now the company expects more price increases next month blaming the rising cost of everything from animal feed to packaging and higher wages to attract workers. >> two basketball coaches facing murder charges in georgia. in connection with with the death of a teenager. this could be a first of its kind legal case. >> reporter: this morning two high school basketball coaches are charged with murder. in the heat related death of a player. >> the assistant coach saw him struggling. and knew it was hot and didn't stop the practice. >> 16 year-old died in august 2019. after running drills outside during one ot hottest days of the year. according to an autopsy, bell attempted to run wth girls for

the last lap. and did a fast pace walk. running the stairs she leaned into the rail and went limp. she died after suffering from hypothermia. and muscle tissue breaks down and leads to kidney failure. >> they didn't have measures to help her recover. stop the heatstroke. no ice bath. no tub. >> a grand jury indicted the coaches. on second degree murder, child cruelty. in the second degree. and involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. temperatures in atlanta hit 97 degrees with the feel like temperature of 103. which may have violated the guidelines on out door work outs. the family is encouraged by the charges being filed. they are still grieving the shocking loss. >> she was taking college classes in high school. she had enough credits.

she would have been a sophomore on the first day in college. >> according to the bells attorney, this is the first time a coach has been charnled with murder. her parents spoke to good morning america. the interview at 7:00 a.m. >> all right. thank you. coming up the newborn described as the smallest baby in the world goes home. world goes home. >> her battle with multiple was that your great-grandmother, keeping the family together? was that your grandfather, paving the way for change. did they brave mother nature... and walk away stronger? did they face the unknown, with resolve...and triumph. ♪ there's strength in every family story. learn more about yours. at ancestry.

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new video overnight from a massive fire at this resort in the dominican republic. flames spread from a theater on the property in puerto plata across a wooden roof to where employees sleep. no injuries have been reported. in chile a driver is okay after his truck nearly took down this suspension bridge hauling logs and mistook the crossing for one that was stronger. officials think the span will eventually fall down. and it looks like nasa will have to scrub its plan to send people to the moon in 2024 because the special space suits won't be ready. nasa's inspector general blames the delay on funding and technical issues suggesting the final cost for two space suits could jump to $1 billion. elon musk is now offering to help. we turn now to actress christina applegate revealing that she's been diagnosed with multiple schlerosis. her announcement is shining the light on this unpredictable disease.

on screen christina applegate can flawlessly navigate a crisis and pulls no punches. >> i can't imagine what you're going through. >> well, it's like if jeff got hit by a car and died suddenly and violently. >> reporter: this morning the actress is fighting an off screen battle after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating condition affecting the central nervous system. the "dead to me" star saying a few months ago i was diagnosed with ms. it's been a strange journey but i have been so supported by people that i know who also have this. it's been a tough rhyme. >> at the time of a diagnosis of ms, it can be scary because there is this sort of sense of unknown. >> reporter: more than 1 million americans have ms and women are four times more likely to be diagnosed with it. even though it's incurable, experts say most patients will be able to live with the disease for years. >> ms can certainly be disabling but for a lot of people it's a very controllable condition. >> selma blair who starred

alongside applegate in "the sweetest thing" tweeted her support writing, loving you always, always here. >> whatever happened to my cool, confident roommate? >> it was a big facade. >> reporter: blair is no stranger to ms and has been fighting the disease for years. as for applegate she's asking for privacy and netflix has temporarily paused production on the third season of "dead to me." people ages 20 to 40 are most likely to be diagnosed with ms. symptoms include problems with vision and muscle control. hormones may play a role in raising the risk for women. a true miracle baby has made it home. she was born last year in singapore 4 months premature weighing only 7 1/2 ounces. that's about the weight of a softball, but she's finally been discharged from the hospital now weighing about 14 pounds. she's believed to be the smallest baby ever to be delivered to be able to make it home. coming up, one house with way too many amazon deliveries. also ahead are we too obsessed with our pets these days? the one man who says yes.

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♪ time now for "the pulse," and we begin with ross and rachel and reports of life imitating art. >> okay, listen to this. jennifer aniston and david schwimmer are rumored to be dating months after that "friends" reunion. the former co-stars admitting they were crushing on each other back in the day, you know, the '90s. now sources say they're spending lots of time together cooking dinner and drinking wine, but their reps deny they're dating. meanwhile, jennifer lopez and ben affleck were house hunting in l.a. looking at an $85 million home. next a question, are we too obsessed with our pets? a new book appears to argue, yes, we are. >> no such thing. the book called "pet nation"

argues we've seen a pet revolution. the author claims it started around 1998. since then the annual amount of money we spend on our pets has jumped from 23 billion to $90 billion. >> and the author provides two possible explanations for this pet craze. the rise in the divorce rate and the decline in the birth rate prompting more people to want pets. and from america's pet craze to the craze over hard seltzer, even mountain dew is getting in on the game. >> that's right. hard mountain dew will be arriving in stores early next year. it will come in three flavors, and it will contain the amount of alcohol as white claw. >> and if you'd rather drink champagne, there is a problem this summer. a pandemic-related shortage. wealthy people spending their summer in the hamptons are now flying in their own bottles. finally a home that's really boxed in thanks to a lot of amazon packages. >> this video on tiktok is going viral. it claims to show a house with a wall of amazon packages outside and the caption reads, only in florida. many viewers wondering if this

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announcer: building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> a major announcement expected

today that will impact all school staff across the state. the two local districts who already made the leap. >> the cdc expected to talk about worcester shots pretty soon. >> there was a 14 hour debate for some of president biden's key priorities. >> mixture you look up. the show expected -- make sure you look up. the show expected in the sky tonight. we want to start with a check of the weather. mike: on this wednesday, check out the wind and look at the lack of clouds for arm -- from our camera. that means a whole lot of sunshine today and not a lot of free a