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 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 amnesty 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 h m 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 taliban to negotiate. they already won. there's a lot of bloodshed. >> that 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 monday on

florida panhandle and 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.

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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 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 will lead to 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 back. nightmare. 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 troit 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. s tt 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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who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with just 2 medicines in 1 pill, dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit hiv through sex. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients or if you take dofetilide. taking dovato with dofetilide can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. hepatitis b can become harder to treat while on dovato. don't stop dovato without talking to your doctor, as your hepatitis b may worsen or become life-threatening. serious or life-threatening side effects can occur, including allergic reactions, lactic acid buildup, and liver problems. if you have a rash and other symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop dovato and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, or if you are, may be, or plan to be pregnant. dovato may harm your unborn baby. use effective birth control while on dovato.

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pres. biden: i stand firmly behind my decision. >> president biden standing behind his expert -- his exit strategy. >> a first-hand account in afghanistan, the situation on the streets. >> booster shot timeline, the impending recommendation from the white house. >> good morning, welcome to tuesday, you are watching abc7 mornings. >> welcome back, friend, we are happy to see you. checking in with mike and a look at our forecast. mike: can we thank reggie for the refreshing change? reggie: always. mike: that is one of the story lines, the fact that we have cleaner air and cooler conditions. tonight the wind reve other bigy line, 11:00 through 3:00 tomorrow, the fire danger kicks up. any fire starts would spread