only at jack in the box. >> a desperate escape underway as afghanistan foster the taliban. the role california says it will play in assisting refugees. cs ckn session.n met her second pomp and circumstance and even a visit from the mayor, as san francisco public schools today welcome students back. how the district plans to keep kids healthy. >> with students back in class, we have a look at her parents, teachers and nonprofits disagree on the number one priorities this fall, but they are committed to working together. >> please vote no on this republican-backed recall. >> governor newsom ralli ralli voters in the southbay to vote "no" on the upcoming recall. what he says is at stake. >> critical fire weather conditions ahead.

i will show you where fire danger is rising and when, coming up. >> building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. pres. biden: ending u.s. military involvement in afghanistan now was the right decision. >> president biden standing by his decision to pull troops out of afghanistan as the country erupts into chaos following the power. thank you for joining us, i am dan ansley. >> and i am donna aids. thank you for joining us. we begin with developing news. america has twenty-year presence in afghanistan ended the same way it began, under taliban rule. right now u.s. forces are focused on defending the kabul airport, the only part of the country not under taliban control. a humanitarian airlift of military aircraft resumed. >> thousands of people, desperate people overran the airfield. u.s. forces shot two men

who they say opened fire on american troops. president biden today admitted the collapse of afghanistan's government happened quicker than he anticipated, but he rejects criticism over his decision to end america's combat mission in the country. >> i will not pass this responsibility onto a fifth president. i will not mislead the american people by claiming that just a little more time in afghanistan will make all the difference. dan: the u.s. is sending in another battalion of 1000 troops to afghanistan to help with evacuation. hundreds of american embassy staff have been airlifted out. there are still thousands of u.s. citizens at the airport waiting for a flight out. >> back in the bay area, a sense of hopelessness and dread for people trying to get afghan citizens out of the country. this woman runs a nonprofit promoting the education of afghan women from her home in san francisco.

she spent all morning on the phone with american leaders, government officials and staff in kabul, trying to get them out. one of her educators says the taliban have taken over home. >> they are already going around and taking over any advertisements, any pictures of women publicly. i think the taliban have become even more extreme. >> she says all schools are closed, women have gone into hiding, and she has heard of reports of the taliban hanging people. dan: as thousands rushed to flee afghanistan, governor newsom says they are welcome here in california. reporter melanie woodrow has that part of our coverage. reporter: images of people rushing to flee afghanistan as hundreds hang onto military plane planes leaving the kabul airport. california governor gavin newsom's today saying refugees are and always have been welcome here. the governor took the question at a vote "no" on the recall

rally. >> i am proud of the fact that in the last decade, california has taken more refugees than any state. that this proportion of afghani refugees are here in northern california, the southbay, and also around sacramento county. we are already working in terms of a lot of those refugees coming in, working with nonprofit organizations to make sure they feel welcomed and celebrated as members of our community. reporter: u.n. secretary general antonio guterres told the council all countries must be open to accepting afghan refugees. >> we cannot and must not abandon the people of afghanistan. reporter: representative also addressed the need to welcome those who have fled. >> we have always stepped forward to welcome new americans into our country, and we are stronger for it. reporter: melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. dan: we have a collection of videos on our coverage of the fall of afghanistan, including former abc 7 news anchor cheryl

jennings' reports from afghanistan and her interviews with the president fall on our abc 7 ctv streaming apps wherever you stream. it has been 17 months since we it.red the words back-to-school today roughly 60,000 students returned to public schools in san francisco. senior reporter and education -- how did they do today students did really well, at this point wearing a mask is sort of second nature to them so that was not really an issue. we asked a few students if they had concerns about the delta variant and many said no, especially those 12 and older who are vaccinated. this was lunch time at everett middle school in san francisco, where students took their lunch outside and got reacquainted. students arrived early for a change, eagerly anticipating being inside a classroom.

>> they learned by socializing and exploring their identities. i think they wanted to be with each other. reporter: the superintendent greeted students. most of them knew to the school, with the same kind of fears with or without covid. >> probably the homework. >> make sure to stay masked. reporter: inside the classroom, first on the agenda was to remind students that masks are to be worn at all times. younger kids at carver elementary were also given an encouraging welcome. >> i am happy to interact with the kids and the teachers. she never even met her second-grade grade teacher in person because of everything on distance learning. reporter: mayor london breed took the opportunity to encourage more people to get vaccinated. >> especially because the kids in the school cannot be vaccinated. we need to do this to also protect them. reporter: san francisco unified is offering independent study

for students with medical conditions. the district's's challenge has been that a few other families who do not fit that description have also asked to keep kids home. >> we received 677 applications, and we had only planned to serve 450 students. reporter: right now they don't have enough teachers to serve other students who apply. there are two groups of students doing the independent study program, those who have medical issues, and those who don't. the group with the medical issues will have a much more robust online learning experience with a lot more online support and supervision. the district is hoping that those who do not have medical issues can be persuaded to attend school in person. we will see. in the newsroom, leon melendez, abc 7 news. dan: thank you.

in the east bay 27,000 students in the west contra costa unified district returned to in-person learning for the first time in. . a year and a half. that includes students at michelle obama elementary school. they are on the richmond campus for the first time since the school was rebuilt and named after the former first lady. since oakland unified schools opened last monday, the district reports 58 covid cases among students and 10 cases involving staff members. two classrooms are correctly and at-home parenting orders. that typically happens when three or more cases are reported in a single class in a two-week period and are. ama: possibly connected one topic we focus on in building a better bay area is health. that includes covid-19. let's look at the numbers. california released numbers showing the vast majority of new cases are among the unvaccinated, 600% higher compared to cases among the vaccinated. today the cdc says 78.3% of eligible californians have now received at least one dose. the california department of health says more than 45 million doses have been administered.

two entertainment venues that were filled in san francisco and a winery in saratoga, will require proof of vaccination for entry. we just learned a vaccinated staffer with governor newsom's office tested positive for covid this week. the person did not come in contact with the governor. dan: speaking of the governor, the recall election is less than a month away, and many californians have received their ballots in the mail, maybe you have seniors. abc 7 news anchor liz kreutz was on the campaign trail today following governor newsom, as he tries to rally support. reporter: with recall ballots in the mail, governor newsom is ratcheting up attacks on republican challenges. this morning in san jose, just miles from the location of the railyard mass shooting, he went after leading alternate candidate larry elder for his opposition to gun control. gov. newsom: does not believe in a woman's right to choose. doesn't believe in an assault weapons ban, and mr. may are,

how offensive is that, here in santa clara county, ravaged by weapons of war? reporter: it is part of the governor's strategy to fire up democrats. his team also released a new campaign add during contrast between his strategy to combat the pandemic, versus the republicans vying to replace him. >> the top republican candidate pedaled deadly conspiracy theories, and would eliminate mandates on day one. reporter: larry elder has said he's has not believe in mass core vaccine mandates. he released his own ad over school choice. >> i favor giving parents an option out, he does not. reporter: despite democrats' advantage, governor newsom faces an enthusiasm gap. a new poll found that the recall is still near evenly split. >> the bets are off. every bit of firepower the democrats have will be unleashed. reporter: part of that is bringing in the big names. president biden is planning to campaign with newsom in the coming weeks.

but with the crisis in afghanistan, the timing could be tricky. >> the timing is not good. governor newsom once people to focus on what the democrats in congress just passed. if that gets washed over by the news from afghanistan, it is hard to break through. reporter: today governor newsom brushed off concerns. given afghanistan and some of the criticism the president is getting even from within his own party, does that complicate whether or not he is the right person to have by your side. gov. newsom: i am pretty enthusiastic to have his support and i look forward to him coming here. reporter: in san jose, liz kreutz, abc 7 news. ama: making schools equitable for all students. ahead, the top issues facing kids as they return to school, and the struggle to address the and the struggle to address the ♪ unlock a summer of possibilities in a new chevy. expand your options...and your perspective. ♪

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year, it is filled with a unique set of challenges. in one san francisco neighborhood, parents, teachers and nonprofits have set their education priorities. our reporter has more on the special partnership. reporter: every child has been impacted by the pandemic. maybe it was spending too much time in front of the screen. a lack of exercise and playtime. or academic challenges. in san francisco's visitation valley, a special partnership linking parents, teachers and nonprofits groups. alicia stevens has a nine-year-old daughter starting fourth grade this week. >> no matter how difficult things get, they have someone or some where they can rest their worries if they feel mom is not the best candidate. reporter: real options for city kids, in nonkids, in non programs for 27 years launched a study to set priorities. they set a social and emotional learning as their priority. parents listed academics.

teachers put mental health concerns first. this is the executive director. >> we want an even balance between the three of those to get started, not really just emphasize one over the others. reporter: this mother is aware that kids are under pressure to exult, but will monitor her needs closely. >> academics are important. but i need to know if it is too much, if we need to scale it back. let me know so that mom knows how to gauge or rework what is going on. reporter: the nonprofit did not wait until now to address the needs, partnering with teachers at summer camp. >> we worked with schools. we had teachers at our summer camp doing literacy intervention. i had staff that did literacy games, stuff like that. reporter: addressing priorities may differ from one neighborhood to another. in visitation valley, it is a team effort. david louis, abc 7pposition to the decision to play officers in oakland to combat the spike in

violence. it was requested by the mayor. the plan calls for officers to assist oakland police in patrolling high crime areas. community groups against the move say ringing in the c.h.p. will not reduce crime. dan: conditions seem to get tougher for crews battling the massive dixie fire burning mostly in butte county and plumas county. >> today we have a red flag warning for southwest wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. that is coming out of this direction, southwest winds pushing to the northeast. dan: that red flag warning runs through 10:00 tomorrow evening, just another major obstacle for crews doing all they can perceive structures in the area. the dixie fire exploded over the weekend, burning another 27 thousand acres, bringing the total acreage for 570,000. more than 1100 structures destroyed and thousands more are still threatened. the fire is just 31% contained,

so we are by no means near the end of this. you can see live updates of all the fires burning in california with our interactive wildfire tracker on abc7news.com. ama: now meteorologist sandy patel will let you know how long the smoky skies will continue when it comes to flooring, i'm hard to please. so, i go to floor & decor where they don't just know the difference between products, they live for it. from american hardwood to spanish porcelain to italian marble, i'm looking for inspiration from every part of the world. so, when it comes to discovering every imaginable tile, wood, laminate or stone without compromising my design, one aisle doesn't cut it. i need an entire store. now, i've got one. explore floor & decor in person or online at flooranddecor.com at metro by t-mobile... ...we don't think you should pay extra for unlimited 5g. introducing the big 5g upgrade. ditch boost and cricket... ...and save half when you switch. just twenty-five bucks a month for one line of unlimited smartphone data.

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for some time. i grew up playing monopoly and everybody had an envelope. you put your properties and you money in it only could continue on the next night. emma: and she says she says shey learn is chess. >> there is nothing quite as mindbending as learning how to play the game of chess. worldwide. you can sit in any country and play with anybody no matter what language speak and it includes life skills that include creativity, problem-solving skills, planning, memory building, and empathy. there are endless options for game night. . ama: i watched the queens gambit. does that count as learning to play chess? [laughter] dan: it can at least inspire you. they are all great games.

we played monopoly on family vacation instead of watching tv or something. it is a great way to interact. ok, let's turn our attention now to the weather forecast. ama: let's get to abc 7 news mete sandhya: we will be facing fire danger this coming week. it is the time of year, a fire weather watch going up for the north and east bay hills, also lake and mendocino counties starting at 11:00 p.m. through 11:00 wednesday. lake and mendocino counties are under the fire whether watch until 3:00 p.m. wednesday. the concern is wind gusts 30 to 40 miles per hour. humidity is dropping up to 10%. combine that with record dry fuels and there is a possibility of new fires spreading. so keep that in mind. the strongest wind gusts begin tomorrow night, 25 to 30 miles per hour. wednesday, you will notice in northeast wind at 37 miles per

hour to our north, the biggest concern here. so for the time being, air quality is beginning to improve for parts of the bay area. good air quality tomorrow, but that changes the smoky air skies begin to move in especially early wednesday with that north-northeast wind going into wednesday afternoon. so enjoy the fresh air now because it will definitely be changing. don't get me wrong, we still have a lot of haze and smoke from the wildfires today. i want to show you doppler seven. pretty nice outside as far as fog goes, gusting to 40, onshore breeze at sfo, helping to clean the air around a little bit. but notice, still pockets of moderate air quality in yellow, along parts of the north and east bay and even the southbay. it is a murky view from our east bay hills camera. air quality starts to deteriorate wednesday as the wind changes direction.

blue skies, 66 in the city, 80 in santa fe, and right now, 80's in santa fe. 99 in santa rosa. from our golden gate bridge camera, better air and cooler weather tomorrow. gusty winds and fire danger late tuesday into wednesday with hazy skies on wednesday. fog will be limited to the coast and the bay overnight. a little mist and drizzle is not out of the . what the fog get swept away by the onshore winds tuesday night into wednesday. morning temperatures in the 50's and 60's, watch out for a little mist out there. not quite as hot inland. still looking for upper 80's to, warm 90's still warm, inland. 71 in oakland. 80 seven in santa rosa. your accuweather seven-day forecast, a cooler day.

enjoyed that because as the winds kick up, the hazy skies and smoky conditions worsen on wednesday. you will notice less wind but still hazy for your thursday. temperatures begin to come down for the weekend and then near average conditions expected heading into early next week. ama: thank you sand

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dan: the oakland panthers indoor football team is getting a new name and a place to play. ama: they will play the 2022 season in san jose and will become the bay area panthers. they were going to kick off their inaugural season in oakland in 2020, but the football league cancel play due to the pandemic. the team opted not to play this season because of the restrictions. dan: san jose is excited to be the panthers' new home. >> this little building behind me, we will have the sharks, barracuda and the panthers, a lot of ferocity for one building. i think a lot of fans will be excited to see it. dan: marshawn lynch helped bring the team to oakland, and is one of the team's owners, in fact. disney is unveiling new costumes and role-play wheelchair covers

for both kids and adults. ama: disney, also the parent company of abc 7, says the costumes include adaptive features. stretch fabric that opens in the back and is wheelchair friendly. people can choose from several characters including from "the nightmare before christmas" and "hocus-pocus." wonderful idea. dan: world news is next. . we appreciate your time. i am dan ashley. ama: and i am ama daetz. . for sandia, thank you for joining us. see you at 6:00. .

tonight, the fall of afghanistan. president biden addressing the american people late today, defending the u.s. withdrawal, telling americans, quote, i stand firmly behind my decision. the searing images from kabul, with the taliban now in control of the country. afghan citizens racing to an american military plane, a c-17, heading down the runway for takeoff. reports people were killed falling from the plane. and that others died in the chaos. disturbing video showing people desperate to board planes. video showing a child being pulled aboard, clinging to a rope. the u.s. tonight now says it is preparing to airlift tens of thousands of american embassy staff and afghan interpreters and their families. those who bravely worked with the americans over 20 years, now