right now on "america this morning." crisis in afghanistan. multiple deaths reported in the chaos at kabul airport. the new images showing people scaling the wall outside the airfield. others cling to a military jet as it takes off. president biden doubling down. >> i stand squarely behind my decision. >> reaction to the president standing by his decision to withdraw troops despite the chaos. >> health officials expect to recommend covid booster shots for every american. when they are set to begin and how long can you get one? experts weighing in. >> tracking the tropics. grace dumping 15 inches on haiti. the country reels from a massive

earthquake. remnants of fred causing a flooding threat for millions. the latest timing and track on both storms. >> autopilot under fire. tesla facing an investigation. >> dramatic escape. a zoo worker attacked by an alligator. hear from the man who jumped into the tank to help. >> forget the gym. wait until you hear how many calories a video gamer burns in an hour of play. from abc news in new york. this is "america this morning." good morning everyone. >> we begin with the afghanistan. now firmly in the grips of the taliban again. >> president biden approving half a billion dollars to assist with relocating refugees. those who helped u.s. efforts in the country. >> hours after the president started to defend his decision

to get american troops out. he spread the blame around. >> we have live team coverage chl. we begin no london. >> this morning a taliban official declared the group offering for all afghans and encouraging everybody to go back to work. making the statement on tv. which the taliban controls. >> this morning, new tragedy in afghanistan. officials over night saying seven people died in the rush to escape the airport in kabul. the terrifying scene monday. when thousands of desperate seen rushing onto the run way. some still clinging to the sides of this plane as took off. crowds on the ground so mass i they can be seen in satellite pictures. >> the imagery is close to

disasterous. a giantic hostage situation. >> the airport shut down for several hours after armed men stormed the tarmac and began shooting. >> american forces opening fire. killing two people. as for the planes that did take off, not an inch of space to spare. this flight crammed with 640 people. packed in shoulder to shoulder. pilot offering a few toys for children to play. as families leave everything behind. so far the sate department says more than 1,600 americans have been evacuated on emergency flights. with thousands of afghans desperate to leave, officials are prioritizing u.s. personnel and citizens. >> the really we owe it to do what it takes and that probably involves paying off the taliban. to provide a little extra cushion to get the people out. who were awarded special visa. the guys and families who are

operational. that fought side by side. >> the taliban is guiding the only way into the airport. allowing foreigners pass. saying they are in full control. setting up check points. now fearful for those in country. >> we have to save them. save themselves. hide themselves. we'll search for them. putting them in prison. or killing them. we don't know. >> this morning frustration for those who lost loved ones during the two decades of war. >> it's traumatic. we can't throw our sons and daughters away like that. >> there's no incentive for the they aeady won. l >> extraordinary packed flight that was reportedly

carrying five time the passenger capacity. that is how desperate people are to escape. here in the uk is preparing to accept afghans. the government planning to call for a coordinated global response to resettle refugees. >> thank you. now to the fall out from president biden comments. the president saying he knew he would face criticism about the decision. >> president biden faces sharp criticism from republicans over the crisis. the president is reminding america that it was former president trump who brokered the deal to withdraw. >> this morning president biden conceding the taliban take over in afghanistan unfolded faster than anticipated. insisting he is squarely behind the decision to withdraw american troops. >> after 20 years, i have learned the hard way. that there was never a good time to withdraw u.s. forces.

the truth is, this did ub fold more quickly that we anticipated. >> biden saying he bears responsibility for the crisis. pointing a finger at the afghan forces and leaders for the taliban rapid advance. >> i'm president of the united states. the buck stops with me. here's what i believe to my core. it is wrong to order american troops to step up when afghanistan's own armed forces would not. >> the president blaming the trump administration. which negotiated the deal to pull troops out. >> it was only a poll reality of following through on the agreement. to withdraw forces or escalating the conflict. and sending thousands more american troops back into combat. lurching into the third decade of conflict. >> this morning, few democrats have rushed to defend the biden

administration. house speaker issued a statement condemning the president for strong leadership and focus. republicans are slamming him for the chaotic draw down. including a veteran. >> every american should be concerned. america is less safe as a result of this reckless withdrawal. >> minority leader mcconnell placing the blame on biden. >> he decided to withdraw and withdraw rapidly. what we have seen is an unmitigated disaster. stain on the reputation of the united states of america. >> in congressman with this warning. >> when you see people falling off a aircraft, when you see more and more troops having to go in against the crush of taliban. and people being abandoned.

this is going to make saigon look like disney world. >> in a statement former president trump said biden should resign in disgrace over the situation in afghanistan. >> thank you. breaking over night the white house is expected to propose americans get a covid booster shot eight months after they. >> reporter: ful-- they are ful vaccinated. third shots could start in september. healthcare workers and older americans would be the first. >> i'll say eight months sounds reasonable. based on the data with pfizer. about the vaccine wanes over time. covid is here to stay. many in the health community said we would need to have yearly booster shots. like the flu. >> authorities say that reacc recipients of the johnson & johnson require adish shot.

the recommendation covers fuse pfizer and moderna. >> earthquake damaged haiti drenched by grace. the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain on the island. mud slides are threatening the resc rescue operations. rain and gusty wind destroyed the tents some were using at homes. >> how long do you think you have to live under a tarp? >> nobody knows. >> they have no tents or homes. they don't know how long they'll live under this. >> the hurricane center says grace could be near hurricane strength when it approaches mexico tomorrow. >> fred is drenching with rain and winds. it made land fall mda on a cau

flooding and thousands are without power. fred will move boo into the carolinas later in the week. we have a closer look at the morning weather. >> on the radar what's left of fred is drenching parts of alabama, georgia and carolinas. there's a threat of flash flooding and tornado. rain is developing in the northeast. most of that will stay west of i 95. dry on the west coast. increasing the fire danger. high temperatures cool in new york. 77 degrees. 90s from dallas to new orleans. 70s for the pacific northwest. 89 in miami. coming up. t mobile confirming a massive data breech. what customers need to know. >> a water shortage is declared

at the massive reservoir. resulting in some states having less water in coming months. >> man jumps 25 feet to safety. after his cherry picker catches fire. the escape under control?ic dermas 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,

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you get advice like: try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey. kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette we're back with raging wild fires in northern california. red flag warnings were issued threats from the dixie and monument fire. two wild fires burned 1,000 square miles. the second largest wild fire in california history. >> unfortunate milestone for the united states. the nations largest reservoir is experienced the first ever federally declared water shortage. the designation was caused by the decades long megadroutd.

it serves 40 million people in seven states. as well as mexico. the shortage supply cuts next year in arizona, nevada and mexico. tesla is facing a federal investigation. national highway traffic safety administration is focusing on eleven accidents. investigation covers every vehicle the company sold in the u.s. since 2014. government investigators looking into weather flashing lights serve as a magnet to the system. they are not meant to drive themselves. >> when you turn it on, that doesn't mean you have to turn your human brain off. you have to pay attention. >> absolutely. when you are driving, you are driving. there's no car on the road, no tesla. that drives itself. you are always the driver. >> important reminder. the 11 crashes resulted in one person's death and 17 injuries. tesla boss has defended the

system. saying vehicles with it are safer than those without it. >> t mobile confirming it's hit by a data breech. it started investigating the hack after a report claims someone was trying to sell the personal information of 100 million customers online. it hasn't determined the scope of the breech. and who was effected. the company already closed a vulnerability that hackers use to gain entry to the system. >> coming up the baseball card that just sold for more than $6 million. >> wow. also ahead, new video of an alligator attack at a zoo. what the hero is

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flavors that won't rush you through your♪ ♪y, or night. we're getting our first look at incredible video from eastern alabama. a man jumped 25 feet from that burning cherry picker there. the device caught fire after making contact with a power line saturday in oxford. he landed in a tent quickly used by firefighters as a safety net. he suffered a leg injury and suffered smoke inhalation. in new jersey, two people were hurt after a car went soaring through a wendy's parking lot. police say the driver appeared to have a medical issue. that car left the road airborne, slammed into another car in the wendy's drive-through and crashed through one of restaurant's windows. everybody is expected to be okay. now to the dramatic video of a zoo worker being attacked by an alligator. that gator clamping down on the woman's arm and pulling her into the water when one brave bystander decided to take

action. abc's megan tevrizian has the story. >> reporter: this morning, dramatic video showing a child's birthday party at a zoo turning into a nightmare. >> back. >> whoa. >> reporter: during a presentation at a reptile center near salt lake city, an alligator yanked its handler by her arm and dragged her into the water enclosure. her hand. latching its jaw on - >> we got trouble in here. >> reporter: immediately donny weissman knew he had to help. >> when i see her face coming up, i just knew we had to do something. >> reporter: first trying to lift the woman out of the water. >> we got trouble! >> reporter: and then jumping into the enclosure. >> if you can, that would be great. >> reporter: for nearly a minute the gator thrashes them around then suddenly she's able to remove her arm from its jaw, a bystander pulling the handler out of the enclosure while donny remains alone with the alligator. >> sit up.

get your hands clear of your his mouth. >> i was just thinking of myself and once she was freed, i need to be out safely. i'm aware of what this thing can do. i just seen it firsthand. >> reporter: the center's owner says the handler was feeding the animal like usual, but that day the gator, quote, got a little spunky. the reptile center releasing a statement on facebook reading, working with some of these animals has inherent risks that we as the staff accept. yesterday the sort of event that we hope never happens happened. it goes on to thank donny and the other bystanders who sprang into action. their help combined with the training of our staff member probably saved her life and her limbs. the zoo says the handler underwent surgery, is taking antibiotics and is doing well and recovering. andrew, kaylee. >> megan, thanks. we're about three weeks away from the official start of the nfl season, and the atlanta falcons are taking home an important preseason title. they're the first team in the

league to have all players vaccinated. this league says that means none of those players need to wear masks at their training facility. tributes are pouring in for u.s. soccer legend star carli lloyd who announced she's retiring from soccer. the 39-year-old leaves with two world cup wins and three olympic gold medals, two of them gold. coming up, the megahit that just broke the record for the most weeks ever on the billboard hot 100. cancel your gym membership. why video gaming might be the best workout yet.

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logging its 88th straight week on billboard hot 100. the longest charting song ever. it entered at 11 in december. breaking records for the most weeks in the top five. and top ten. >> next, a stunning sum of money all for a baseball card. >> among the rarest in the world. sold to an anonymous buyer for $6.6 million. the card was issued between 1909 and 1911. cigarette packs. >> at least it's a card. >> there's a new record that is a new record for trading card. previous record 5.2 million for a mickey mantle card from 1952. love the classics. >> what do video games and sit ups have in common. >> both can help you lose weight. gamers burn 400 calories in two

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ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. checking the top stories taliban official was on state tv this morning announcing a general amnesty for the people of afghanistan. asking them to return to work. that official also claiming the taliban doesn't want women to be victims. while urging them to be involved in government. >> the white house is expected to announce americans should get covid booster shots eighth months after they are fully vaccinated. healthcare workers and nursing home residents will be the first up in september. >> tropical storm fred with heavy rain and powerful winds. the storm could dump four to eight inches from alabama to florida. there's a threat of flash flooding and tornado. >> rest of the weather rain and parts of the northeast and midwest. thunderstorms in the southwest. strong wind and low humidity on the west coast. creating extreme fire danger.

>> finally a nurse in north carolina has learned her family is larger than she realized. >> it is all thanks to twitter. >> we knew she loved us and cared about us. >> she spent four years living with her mother. until the 84 yeerl was dealt some difficult news. >> my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. after a trip to the hospital. and she only lived for six weeks after she was diagnosed. >> wow. >> it left a big hole. and she didn't get to do a lot of things she wanted to do. >> the grief setting in. cleaning oit her mother's bem bedroom this week. typing out a simple tweet. i don't have many followers. my mother died six weeks ago and i miss her. today is really hard. if you see this, say hello. i need it today. it's been liked 125,000 times.

responses from total strangers. sending love. celebrities like ellen and robin roberts writing. you're stronger than you know. >> i knew that i needed to talk to somebody. >> talking to somebody quickly turned into talking with thousands of people online. she calls them her twitter family. >> you have to find a little bit of support for yourself. just something. especially if you are in that dark place. and it's okay to do that. i did it. and it worked so well for me. >> asking for support was the right decision for her and helped her in her grief process. her advice to others, don't hesitate. reach out too. >> a beautiful lesson. >> this is how social media

should be used. that's making news in "america this morning." right now on "america this morning." crisis in afghanistan. multiple deaths reported in the chaos at kabul airport. the new images showing people scaling the wall outside the airfield. others cling to a military jet as it takes off. president biden doubling down. >> i stand squarely behind my decision. >> reaction to the president standing by his decision to withdraw troops despite the chaos. >> health officials expect to recommend covid booster shots for every american. when they are set to begin and how long can you get one? experts weighing in. >> tracking the tropics. grace dumping