new song, but our ep producer came up with it. "tak good morning, america. as we start this tuesday morning together, evacuations resuming at the airport in kabul hours after being forced to stop. the evacuations in afghanistan under way again. the startling images of massive crowds on the tarmac of kabul's airport. 15,000 people removed from the runways, climbing over barbed wire walls, some trying to cling to this plane with more than 600 people packed inside. this morning, what our reporters saw on the ground in the chaotic streets of kabul for the first time since the taliban came to power. plus, what you may not know about the middletons now in control as president biden remains defiant after the rapid fall. >> i stand squarely behind my decision.

>> defending his exit strategy and bringing home u.s. troops. breaking vaccine news overnight. americans anticipating a recommendation from the white house to get a booster shot eight months after getting the covid vaccine. when will the booster rollout begin? who will need it? as overwhelmed hospitals race to keep up with climbing cases and the major concern over the rising number of pediatric hospitalizations, now at their highest point of the pandemic. plus, how children ages 0 to 3 are more likely to spread the virus. earthquake catastrophe. the desperate search and rescue missions in haiti hampered by the storm with hundreds still missing and the death toll rising to more than 1,400. tropical triple threat. after hitting haiti, where grace is heading next. fred on the move after hitting florida hard. this as henri threatens bermuda. autopilot warning. the massive new investigation into tesla potentially i after nearly a dozen crashes with autopilot on.

gator gone wild. an alligator suddenly clamping its jaws down on a zoo handler's w eylehe from er into the water. and good morning, america. it is a busy tuesday morning. we're covering several breaking stories including that vaccine news overnight. the government will be recommending booster shots for covid. that's expected to roll out this fall. but first, we begin with the chaos in afghanistan as u.s. troops head back into the country to secure kabul's main airport after thousands flooded the airport in a desperate attempt to flee the taliban. >> 640 people, you see them there, crammed into this c-17 military plane and tens of thousands more waiting to escape. o'th kabulthe ry latest for us.

good morning, ian. >> robin, that's right. just heartbreaking, tragic scenes, incredible scenes from the airport. the airport is now re-opened. we've been hearing flights pretty much since the middle of the night. some of those chaotic scenes seem to have dissipated. planes are landing and taking off without problems so far, but, of course, there's still thousands and thousands of people desperate to get on those planes and get out of here as the taliban solidify their control of the city and the country. tis morning, the flight from kabul in one stark image. a u.s. military cargo plane reportedly carrying 640 men, women and children. all fleeing afghanistan for their lives as the taliban seizes control. the humanity and generosity of the crew as a child clutches a toy a pilot's given them. desperate crowds had been rushing the runway trying to get on board planes. even clinging to aircraft as they taxied for takeoff. this morning, rapid evacuations under way for americans in

afghanistan. nearly 3,500 troops at the airport. resuming operations hours after being forced to stop flights to clear the tarmac. the chaos left behind in this stricken country clear from the ground. and up above, these satellite images showing the massive crowds on the tarmac of kabul airport. a u.s. official saying that 15,000 people were removed from the runways just in order to resume operations. so far the state department says 2,000 people have been evacuated from kabul. the u.s. prioritizing american personnel and citizens. but thousands of afghans desperate for their turn, people who risked their lives to help the u.s. mission. the taliban now guarding the only way into the airport and so far letting only foreigners pass. the group declaring they're in full control setting up checkpoints throughout the city.

this is our first time out onto the streets of kabul since the taliban came to power. there are pedestrians, there are cars, people on bikes. the taliban are out in force. you see them at different checkpoints around the city, but we've been driving for five minutes, and what's noticeable is, we haven't seen one woman out on the streets. this man would worked with u.s. forces for five years came to america in 2020 on a special visa, but he's afraid for what the future holds for his relatives now trapped in afghanistan. >> it's an uncertain situation. people doesn't understand how the taliban will deal with them. so we're all waiting and unfortunately it's waiting for the worst. >> reporter: and nobel prize winner malala yousafzai, who was shot by the taliban in pakistan in 2012, calling on president biden to now act. >> president biden has to take a bold step for the protection of the people of afghanistan.

>> reporter: well, just to give credit to some of the senior diplomats, ambassador russ wilson, the american ambassador, tweeting this morning that reports he left kabul are not true. he's there. he's trying to help some of the people get out. we hear that the british ambassador was personally trying to process some of the visa applications. meanwhile, the taliban's issued a general amnesty, inviting women to take part in public life saying they don't want women to be victims, and instructing fighters not to enter homes. but, of course, people don't believe them. not at the moment and still there's a pervasive climate of fear here in kabul. amy? >> all right, ian pannell there in kabul for us, thank you, ian. president biden addressing the nation in a sharp speech his decision to two dee wain let's go to stephanie ramos at the white house with all the latest on that. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: amy, good morning. president biden says he still does not regret his decision to pull troops out of afghanistan. that was his stance last week

when i asked him, and that was the position he took here at the white house yesterday, saying those scenes playing out in the country are gut wrenching but that it is time to end this 20-year war. >> i stand squarely behind my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw u.s. forces. >> reporter: as the fallout over the collapse of afghanistan intensifies, president biden insisting that bringing u.s. troops home is still the right decision. >> i will not repeat the mistakes we've made in the past. >> reporter: and while he's standing by his exit strategy, the president also acknowledging that the administration was caught off guard by the speed of >> the truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. >> reporter: now with kabul in chaos amid the frantic rush to evacuate, the president saying he bears some responbity. >> i am president of the united states of america, and the buck stops with me.

>> reporter: but he's also blaming his predecessor, claiming the trump administration's timeline for the drawdown tied his hands forcing him to follow through or risk reigniting the conflict and blaming the afghan forces sayin to fight for their nation but that they failed to protect their homeland. troops to step up when afghanistan's own armed forces would not. >> reporter: but republicans are aiming their attacks squarely at president biden. >> i think the president felt strongly about this obviously. he overruled his own military leaders to do it, and he owns it. >> reporter: and this morning, even some democrats are calling for answers. the head of the senate intelligence committee, mark warner, vowing to investigate why the u.s. was not better prepared for, quote, a worst case scenario. this morning, president biden is waking up at camp david.

state department to use up till funding to help afghan refugees. george? >> okay, stephanie, thanks. let's bring in the pentagon press secretary john kirby. john, thank you for joining us this morning. let's start with the latest on the evacuation effort right now. what is happening? is the airport secure? >> the airport is open and flights are going in and out, george. there's still some security -- we have to make sure, particularly around civilian side, the southern side, but the airport is up and running. operations are continuing. over the last 24 hours we were able to move out more than 700 people. more than 150 of those were american citizens, also time. over the same course of time we were able to flow in almost a thousand more american troops bringing the total to about 3,500 or so, more will be coming in over the next two days. >> what about the americans who didn't reach the airport and were told to shelter in place? are you in contact with them? can you protect them?

>> the state department has actually issued a message to those americans giving them the cues for when and how they can start to assemble at the airport. obviously we want to be careful t specificity because is with the situation in kabul is still so tense in terms of how they would manage to get there. but our focus militarily, george, is very squarely on the airport, making sure that we can keep it up and running, that we can maintain security and stability there. that's the focus of the military right now. >> what about those 30,000 afghans who need to be rescued? we've seen these heartbreaking pictures of people chasing the planes, packed into planes. what is the latest on them? when do we expect to have everyone out? >> well, we're planning here at the defense department to be able to temporarily house at u.s. installations, three installations here iit , up to 22,000 of them. i would remind since 2005 we've actually moved out 70,000 some odd afghans and just 2,000 in the last couple of weeks or so.

so i mean we're working on this very, very hard in concert with the state department to get out as many as we can and as we've been saying here at the pentagon we plan on being on the ground there in afghanistan for the next couple of weeks. it's not just about moving out americans. it is very much about meeting our moral and sacred obligations to those afghans who helped us over the last 20 years, getting as many of them out as we can. >> it appears like the entire government was blindsided by the speed of the taliban takeover in afghanistan. if the intelligence was so faulty on this measure, how are we going to be able to make sure the taliban don't allow al qaeda and other terrorists to reconstitute in afghanistan and pose a threat to the united states? >> i would tell you that, george, while, you know, nothing is as good as having intelligence right on the ground, so intelligence will certainly be more difficult to discern going forward. it's not going to be impossible. we have done over the horizon counterterrorism operations in other parts of the world. we are doing over the horizon counterterrorism operations in other parts of the world.hoto dh

earth that the united states military can't hit and, in fact, over the last few weeks we have been conducting air strikes in support of afghan national security forces against the taliban. now, this isn't exactly over the horizon counterterrorism strikes, but it does show you a model of how it can be done and we're also trying to work with countries in the region to see if we can improve our options for geography, time and space, to get a little bit closer. >> we heard senator mcconnell say the president overruled his military leaders in making this decision, is that what happened? >> the commander in chief is the commander in chief. it's not about overruling his military leaders or his other advisers. he is given options. he is given the pros and cons for each option and then it's up to the commander in chief to decide. he was advised by the defense department. we had a voice. we had a seat at the table. we provided our advice and counsel. the president made his decision and now we're in execution mode, george, that's the way it works. we follow the orders of the commander in chief. and that's what we're doing. >> did it run -- did your advice run counter to the president's

decision? >> i'm not going to talk about the advice and counsel that our leaders here at the pentagon give the president. that needs to remain in the private space, george. but, again, we had a voice, we had a seat at the table. there were lots of options for the commander in chief. he chose this one and we are in full mode of execution and that's what we're trying to do right now. >> john kirby, thanks. i'll be heading to the white house for an exclusive interview with president biden, his first snce the withdrawal from afghanistan. robin? we turn to breaking news on the covid vaccine. americans anticipating a recommendation from the biden administration to get a booster shot eight months after getting the vaccine. right now, 70% of people ages 12 and over have received at least one dose. eva pilgrim joins us now with more. good morning, eva. >> reporter: good morning, robin. there are more than 168 million americans who have been vaccinated and this recommendation applies specifically to those who have gotten the mrna vaccine. that's pfizer and moderna. and to put this into context, those first shots into arms

happened just over eight months ago today. this morning, abc news learning the biden administration is expected to announce that most americans should get a covid booster shot eight months after their second dose of the vaccine. the booster shot rollout could begin as early as next month pending fda authorization. it comes as hospitals race to keep up with climbing covid cases. the university of mississippi's medical center now forced to build a second field hospital with icu beds just days after completing this one in a parking garage nearby. a major concern, the rising number of pediatric hospitalizations, now at their highest point of the pandemic. more than 121,000 new pediatric cases reported just last week. a substantial rise. >> now it wants kids and those icus for those pediatric patients are filling up. >> reporter: this as an eye-opening new study finds

younger children ages 0 to 3 are more likely to spread the virus to family members in their homes than older children 14 to 17. and health officials continue to say despite the recent surge, severe covid illness in children remains uncommon. george? >> okay, eva, thanks very much. we're going to go now to the latest on the earthquake in haiti. the death toll now about 1,400 and search for survivors is hampered by a tropical depression. matt gutman has the latest. >> reporter: this morning, haiti in despair after tropical depression grace plowed through overnight. rain and high-powered winds destroying their makeshift tents, survivors drenched clutching their belongings attempting to save what they have left. the country already reeling from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck saturday. overnight, as that rain came down, we found sarah and her extended family and neighbors under that tarp, cooking what they had. this tarp is basically held up by a stick and that's all they have right now.

whoa. the se reaching a fevered pitch. hundreds still missing. u.s. coast guard is airlifting this injured person, taking them back to port-au-prince for better care, that's because the hospitals here have been completely overwhelmed. and across the earthquake zone, there is thirst and hunger. they're distributing food behind me. you can see how intense it's getting. it gives you a sense of how hungry people are and how desperate they are here. many roads remain impassable. dozens of cars and mopeds lining up, waiting for those bulldozers and excavators to clear a path. so now you have this earthquake destruction, on top of that all of this flooding behind me. now the coast guard says it's going to resume those medevac air flights. we're also told that search and rescue is going to start up again but one of the brigade commanders told us that the chances of finding people alive in the rubble still after this

storm are diminishing. amy? >> wow, the people of haiti have been through so much. thank you very much, matt. now to tropical system fred. it is heading north this morning after making landfall in florida, and rob is in panama city beach with the latest on all of that. good morning to you, rob. >> reporter: hey, good morning, amy. it happened again, a storm system accelerating, intensifying as it came ashore at near hurricane strength, fred came ashore just to our south and east near apalachicola where winds were measured near 73 miles per hour. there you see the downpours. here in panama city beach, where i was, it felt like a hurricane. we had winds gusting to 70 miles per hour between two and three hours. about 25,000 people without power here in florida and georgia. flooding rains as well, up to ten inches falling. some roads washed out there. right now the storm itself is centered just over columbus, georgia, and tornadoes, one tornando watch that inudes atlanta ood watches that

hat viinia. we could see three to six inches of rain all the way to new york so we are not done with fred yet. george? >> okay, rob, thanks very much. we have a lot more coming up on "gma" including more on the taliban now in control of afghanistan. we're going to tell you how they're using social media to spread their message. and the new investigation into tesla affecting hundreds of thousands of cars. but first we say good morning, ginger. >> good morning to all of you. the smoke and fire in the west at a critical point right now so we are diving into what is usually the heart of fire season but you know we've already started big time. the dixie fire, which is the largest single fire in california state history, more than 578,000 acres burned. there are new evacuations in that. we expect relative humidity as low as 5%. winds gusting with this trough to 45 miles per hour. it is going to be an awful day all the way into the plains and northern rockies. your local weather in 30 seconds. first tuesday trivia sponsored by verizon.

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>> if you have outdoor activities to do, do them today because we have clean air and cool conditions. that changes tonight with a high fire danger. 11:00 through 3:00 tomorrow but also going to bring in some really nasty air. temperatures today in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. tomorrow we bump up with offshore wind. we are going to have more heat and pretty nasty air wednesday and thursday. would not be surprised if we are under spare the air alerts. some cool, clean air really nice for the weekend. saturday and sunday looking below average. >> coming up on gma, the harrowing gator attack rescue.

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president biden is standing by his decision to withdraw. defending his exit strategy and bringing home u.s. troops. also right now, as overwhelmed hospitals race to keep up with the climbing covid cases, we have some breaking news about the covid vaccine. americans are now waiting for booster shots and they're expected to roll out in the fall for people who received the pfizer or moderna vaccines. plus, the atlanta falcons have announced the team is at 100% vaccination making it the first football franchise to be fully vaccinated against covid. they will no longer have to be tested daily or wear a mask and other restrictions lifted as well. a big announcement from one of the greatest female soccer players, carli lloyd is retiring fresh off a bronze medal at the olympics. the 39-year-old will suit up with the team for four final friendly matches. carli said every single day i stepped out onto the field and played as if it was my last game. i never wanted to take anything for granted knowing how hard it is to get to the top but even harder to stay at the top for so long and she did, indeed.

>> sure did. >> always with a smile on her face as well. >> she was magical to watch. i got to see the new zealand game at the olympics. it was amazing to see her in action so we're wishing her the very best. we also have a lot more ahead including the new federal investigation into tesla's autopilot technology and the crashes connected to emergency vehicles. plus, this one, the hero who bravely leaped into action after this harrowing gator attack at a petting zoo. that is all coming up in just a bit, george. right now, though, we're going to get to the crisis in afghanistan. the taliban is back in power 20 years after they were pushed out by u.s. troops. one big question, is this the same taliban that subjugated women and brutally enforced islamic law? martha raddatz has a closer look. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, george. the taliban claims they have changed this morning promising amnesty and urging women to join the government. but the extremist group is still designated a terrorist organization, although their rapid takeover of afghanistan shows they

this was a smarter, more media-savvy taliban when they caught the biden administration off guard as taliban forces entered the presidential palace in kabul over the weekend, taliban senior leaders were huddled around a laptop apparently watching their men via livestream, and just like anybody living in the modern age, twitter is one of its primary weapons in controlling their message. now posting direct to camera messages from rooftops sharing their locations and assuring their followers the city is under control. their leader rarely seen in public, a former taliban judge. senior leaders claiming they want to form an inclusive islamic government, the group is establishing a civilian casualty prevention and complaints commission, tweeting out whatsapp phone numbers for afghans to send in complaints, but the previous taliban rule of afghanistan was brutal and

oppressive, women had no rights and violence was rampant, and though this new taliban claim they're not opposed to women attending school, many fear that's not true and that the hard-fought progress of the last 20 years will be erased. >> when it comes to the taliban, while they want to improve themselves, at the same time they want to rule the country in a certain way and that involves some oppression of women and not letting women experience the full freedoms in which they deserve. it also involves maintaining connection and ties and relationships to various terrorist groups. >> reporter: this more organized controlled facade, reportedly funded by some less than honorable sources like the production taxiing and smuggling of poppy, a leading export that goes to the manufacturing of heroin. and while they do have a collection of international private donors, in the past they have collected money through kidnapping for ransom.

their reported biggest expense, weapons and training. and the group itself remains a designated terrorist organization under u.s. and u.n. sanctions. a u.s. intelligence report earlier this year warned al qaeda is still entrenched in their leadership although they pledge to deny safe haven to terrorists under a deal with president trump. countries like iran, russia and china say they are willing to deal with the taliban. china saying it's ready for friendly and cooperative relations. questions remain about what role afghanistan's neighbor and nuclear power pakistan played in the taliban victory. the country nurtured the taliban and was often accused of meddling in the war. experts say what the taliban s wer and to rule their own islamic state, a return to the way things were when they last ruled. but there's a very real and immediate threat to those who once stood i >> they probably are going to

want to exert some degree of punishment against the afghans who worked with us because they'll see them as threats. it's unclear what degree of punishment that will be but it could even include executions. >> reporter: and the taliban is now trying to stop local afghans from leaving with some reports they are going door to door looking for those they consider enemies, george. >> martha raddatz, thanks very much. robin. george, now to tesla under scrutiny. the electric car manufacturer under a new government investigation about its autopilot systems following nearly a dozen crashes. one of them deadly. our transportation correspondent gio benitez, there he is, he will join us with more now. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, robin, good morning to you. chances are, if you own a tesla in this country, this investigation may involve your car. we're talking about 765,000 cars on the road right now and auto safety regulators are sounding the alarm. this morning, crashes like these

are at the center of a massive auto safety investigation covering nearly every tesla sold in this country since 2014. all because of that autopilot feature. >> ironically, because tesla's system builds so much confidence in consumers they are likely to start checking out, so is tesla doing enough to ensure that drivers are paying attention to the road? >> reporter: 11 crashes mentioned in the investigation opened by the national highway traffic safety administration including this accident in culver city, california, back in 2018. a tesla crashing into a fire truck. another in 2019, in norwalk, connecticut, a tesla on autopilot crashing into a police cruiser. last august, police in charlotte, north carolina, say a driver watching a movie on his phone with autopilot on crashed into a sheriff's vehicle in the middle of the night. >> it allowed the computer in a

vehicle to do his transportation and it ended up in a bad situation and luckily the good lord was with him and was with le pstate trooper, the deputy, a have been injured and one person killed in these series of accidents. most of the teslas hitting first responder vehicles when it was dark, nhtsa looking at whether flashing lights possibly serve as some kind of magnet to the cars. are you concerned? >> well, absolutely, look, we've been concerned about these systems in tesla, "consumer reports" for years. >> reporter: elon musk has long defended the use of autopilot in his cars. in april tweeting, tesla with autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle. one of the biggest misconceptions friedman says is that cars with autopilot are not meant to drive themselves. >> when you turn that autopilot on, that doesn't mean you have to turn your human brain off.

>> absolutely. when you're driving, you're driving. there is no car out on the road, no tesla, no other automaker's car that drives itself. >> reporter: and that is important to remember. and tesla has not responded to our request for comment. meanwhile, the national transportation safety board applauds this investigation and says that standards should be developed to make sure that autopilot is being used correctly. robin. >> say that again. turn your autopilot on doesn't mean to turn your brain off. that's so true. >> that's right. absolutely. >> all right, thank you, gio, for that. appreciate it. it's so true. >> well put, to the point and makes a lot of sense. coming up next, we have the gator battle that happened at a petting zoo caught on camera. the heroes that jumped into action to save the day when we come back. day when we come back. managing type 2 diabetes? on it. on it. on it, with jardiance.

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we are back now with that shocking gator attack at a petting zoo all caught on camera. the alligator clamping down on a zoo handler's hand, not letting go until two guests leaped into action. will reeve has all the details on that very close call. good morning, will. >> reporter: good morning, amy. it's surreal video of a worst case scenario, exactly what you would be afraid of having happen if you were around an alligator. the handler is okay, thanks in large part to those actions of the good samaritans jumping in, literally, to save her, one of them wrestling the alligator and speaking to abc news.

this morning, a petting zoo worker recovering from this horrifying alligator encounter in utah. here the aigator clamping its jaws down on the unidentified handler's left hand, dragging her into the water as stunned visitors including these young children stand just feet from the surreal scene. >> the only thing predictable about these animals is they're unpredictable. she did the right thing by remaining calm and made sure that the alligator do what's called a death roll. >> reporter: the alligator thrashing around with the handler's arm in its teeth and donnie wiseman trying to free the woman and despite his lack of experience quickly wrestling it pinning it down. >> took everybody a second to realize what was going on. and i seen it happen. i was like, whoa, what do yo what do you want me to do?

>> reporter: the handler still trapped giving instructions as a second good samaritan, todd christopher offers support. finally the handler able to escape as donnie continues to struggle with the gator until it's safe to flee. >> i was just thinking myself once i was freed. i need to be out safely. i'm aware of what this can do. i saw it firsthand waiting for him to stop shaking me. then, when i felt comfortable i was thinking, you can't slip. you can't slip. >> reporter: another bystander helping administer aid until emts arrived. the petting zoo sharing its thanks to the heroes involved, posting on facebook in part, these gentlemen could have stayed in the safety zone as most of us would, but instead jumped into the situation of their own volition and helped secure the alligator. overnight, the injured handler sharing an update via the zoo's page saying she expects to have full use of her hand thanking everyone who has reached out to her adding, it's made recovery feel so much more manageable. that brave, brave man, donnie who jumped in to wrestle the

alligator gave all the credit to the handler for her composure and for giving out those instructions while her arm was trapped. he said that she saved everyone's lives and called her the real hero. guys. >> wow. a humble hero indeed, will, i mean, donnie, that was impressive, wow. >> i agree. >> incredible. glad everyone is okay. coming up next, we have our "play of the day." people with moderate to severe psoriasis, are rethinking the choices they make

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♪ we are back now with our "play of the day" and a little girl who knows when to turn on the tears. take a look at 11-month-old iris. she looks really upset, right. as her dead tells her -- is he looking still? he tells her no, oh, she's crying. is he still looking? is he still looking? nope. they learn early. get that young lady a s.a.g. card stat. pretty impressive. still doing it. look at her. >> she can turn it right off and on. >> thank you. coming up, billie jean king is going to join us live right here in times square. brand-new autobiography coming out, "all in," and we're all in with billie. coming up. coming up.

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>> moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. jobina: the westbound direction. it was stopped moments ago. the bay bridge toll plaza backed up through the maze. metering lights are on. i crash we are following in bay point. westbound 4 at bailey road. mike: let's look at temperatures, they are dropping today. mid to upper 80's. 78 in san jose. 71, oakland. 80 at napa. 87, santa rosa. air quality come along with fire danger increasing tonight. air quality decreasing. northeast winds bringing us the red flag warning tonight.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. the evacuations in afghanistan under way. the startling images of massive crowds on the tarmac of the airport. 15,000 people removed from the runways. some trying to cling to this plane. the story behind the stunning flight. how more than 600 afghan civilians desperate to escape the taliban got out. breaking vaccine news overnight. americans anticipating a recommendation from the white house to get a booster shot eight months after getting the covid vaccine. when will the booster rollout begin? who will need it? as overwhelmed hospitals race to keep up with climbing cases. selma blair revealing her ms is in remission. the radical therapy and experimental treatment, what she endured to reboot her nervous system.

the hopeful update this morning. ♪ if at first you don't succeed ♪ remembering aaliyah. ♪ dust yourself up and try again ♪ >> new details on the r&b star's final moments 20 years after her death. ♪ one way or another i'm gonna get ya ♪ plus, the legendary billie jean king is live with us here in the studio in times square. for the first time, the tennis superstar in her own words, her emotional stories on and off the court, we are all in. ♪ larger than life ♪ and get ready, from "game of thrones" to "aquaman" jason momoa joins us live as we say -- >> good morning, america. [speaking foreign language] ♪ what jason said. good morning, america, on this tuesday morning. great to be here with george and amy. this morning, as many students we know return to the

classroom we'll get some tips from teachers on how parents can prepare middle schoolers for the challenges ahead this year. >> that is coming up. this morning, starting with that chaos in afghanistan after thou the airport in kabul in a desperate attempt to flee the taliban. we go back to ian pannell with the latest. good morning, ian. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, george. that's right, the airport has now re-opened after those chaotic scenes. we believe planes are taking off, landing without any interruptions. the u.s. ambassador tweeting that contrary to rumors he hasn't left the country. he is there trying to help get people out. but meanwhile there are still thousands desperate to leave as the taliban solidify their control of the city. this morning, the flight from kabul in one stark image. a u.s. military cargo plane reportedly carrying 640 men, women and children. all fleeing afghanistan for their lives as the taliban seizes control.

the humanity and generosity of the crew as a child clutches a toy a pilot's given them. desperate crowds had been rushing the runway trying to get on board planes, even clinging to aircraft as they taxied for takeoff. this morning, rapid evacuations under way for americans in afghanistan. nearly 3,500 troops at the airport resuming operations hours after being forced to stop to clear the tarmac. so far the state department says 2,000 people have been evacuated from kabul. the u.s. prioritizing american personnel and citizens. but thousands of afghans desperate for their turn, people who risked their lives to help the u.s. mission. the taliban now guarding the only way into the airport and so far letting only foreigners pass. the group declaring they're in full control setting up checkpoints throughout the city. pentagon spokesperson john kirby telling george earlier the u.s. has control of the airport and those evacuations will continue.

>> what about those 30,000 afghans who need to be rescued? we've seen these heartbreaking pictures of people chasing the planes, packed into planes. what is the latest on them? when do we expect to have everyone out? >> we plan on being on the ground in afghanistan for the next couple weeks. it's not just about moving out americans. it is very much about meeting our moral and sacred obligations to those afghans who helped us over the last 20 years getting as many of them out as we can. >> reporter: as the chaos plays out on the ground, president biden insisting bringing u.s. troops home is still the right decision. >> i stand squarely behind my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw u.s. forces. >> reporter: well, here on the ground the taliban running a fairly sophisticated pr machine issuing a general amnesty inviting women to take part in public life saying they don't want women to be victims instructing fighters not to enter homes, but, of course,

people will vote with their feet. many women still staying at home afraid to go out and there is a pervasive climate of fear here as people really don't know what the future is. as i say, thousands still desperate to leave their home, get to the airport and get out of the country. george? >> ian pannell, thanks very much. i'll head to the white house for an exclusive interview with president biden, the first since withdrawal from afghanistan. >> a lot to talk about, thank you. now we turn to the latest on the covid emergency and that breaking news, americans anticipating a recommendation from the biden administration to get a booster shot eight months after getting the vaccine. let's go back to eva pilgrim with more. good morning, again, eva. >> reporter: good morning, robin. yeah, there are more than 168 million americans who have been vaccinated. this booster recommendation applies to all of those people who got mrna vaccines. that's pfizer and moderna. to put this all in context, those first shots in arms

happened just over eight months ago today. this morning, abc news learning the biden administration is expected to announce that most americans should get a covid booster shot eight months after their second dose of the vaccine. the booster shot rollout could begin as early as next month pending fda authorization. it comes as hospitals race to keep up with climbing covid cases. the university of mississippi's medical center now forced to build a second field hospital with icu beds just days after completing this one in a parking garage nearby. a major concern, the rising number of pediatric hospitalizations, now at their highest point of the pandemic. more than 121,000 new pediatric cases reported just last week. a substantial rise. >> now it wants kids. and those icus for those pediatric patients are filling up. >> reporter: this as an eye-opening new study finds younger children, ages 0 to 3, are more likely to spread the virus to family members in their

homes than older children, 14 to 17. and back to those booster shot recommendations, for those people who got the johnson & johnson vaccine, we are told they're still gathering data about boosters for those people. but they anticipate a similar recommendation down the road. robin? >> eva, thank you. amy? all right, robin, we turn to basketball superstar breanna stewart just days after winning gold in tokyo, the olympic champ announcing she is now a mom. breanna and her wife marta welcomed their baby girl ruby via surrogate and she says i've always known i wanted a family, always wanted to be a younger mom. it will not be easy, but why can't i be the best player, a mom and have a child in the way we've done? you know what, no reason she can't. she's doing it and proving it. >> she is. she raced home from tokyo for the birth. congratulations to them. coming up, the story behind this stunning image right here. you see more than 600 people

packed on board the flight as they try to flee the taliban and afghanistan. also this morning, selma blair's hopeful update revealing she is now in remission from ms three years after her diagnosis. the actress' message this morning. plus, we cannot wait to talk with billie jean king. she made it here to the studio. she's upstairs. she has a beautiful new memoir out revealing so much. we're going to talk to billie in just a little bit. come on back. with less moderate-to-severe eczema why hide your skin if you can help heal your skin from within. with dupixent adults saw long-lasting, clearer skin and significantly less itch. 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 don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. talk to your doctor about dupixent.

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our strength, our power, our purpose... starts within. so let's start there. with collagen, that supports our body from the inside, out. ♪ welcome back to "gma." hope you're doing well. we want to get right to the story behind this stunning image right here. an american transport plane carrying more than 600 afghans fleeing the taliban.

the flight took them to safety on sunday nearly setting a record for the number of people packed into a massive c-17. martha raddatz is back with more on that. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, george. imagine being the crew of that late night flight and seeing all of those afghan civilians, families and children rushing the plane desperate to get out and knowing that the plane could not carry all of them. that is when the crew made a lifesaving decision. this morning, unforgettable images emerging from the fall of afghanistan as afghan citizens raced to escape the taliban. the airport, a scene of chaos, as hundreds of afghans rushed the tarmac clinging to taxiing planes, masses swarming this boarding ramp, attempting to force themselves on a commercial liner. pilots unable to take off. and then theok i into a u.s. ai

packed with afghans fleeing their country revealing their true grit and resilience. a defense official speaking to abc news on the condition of anonymity revealing that the c-17 using the call sign reach 871 was at kabul's airport when it was rushed by hundreds of people desperate to leave afghanistan. over 640 afghans eventually climbing aboard. the plane's crew believing it would be unsafe to unload the passengers, instead initiated what's called a floor load. the passengers clinging to cargo straps run from side to side creating makeshift seat belts, all the people on the flight had cleared processing and held special immigrant visas. a remarkable feat as the c-17 globemaster is only built to carry a maximum 171,000 pounds o just enough for 800 persons degn tseat around 100 ach.

soamg on board 871, a family with three young children. this image showing one of the children holding a toy offered by one of the piles, a sign of compassion to help ease a traumatic experience. those families now safe in doha trying to start a new life and as we know others still trying to get out but quick action by that crew in what was surely a heart-wrenching moment. george? >> martha, what's the plan to get those afghan allies who are still stranded in afghanistan out now? >> reporter: well, george, the pentagon says 22,000 afghan interpreters and their families will be housed at ft. mccoy, wisconsin, and ft. bliss, texas. other military bases may be identified as needed. another 8,000 will be housed overseas as they complete the visa process, but the challenge does remain getting them out of afghanistan and we see that

happening every day. they're trying hard, george. >> martha, thanks so much. robin? now we have an update on selma blair who says she is now in remission from multiple sclerosis after she was diagnosed three years ago. will reeve is back with those details for us. good morning, again, will. >> reporter: hey there, robin. excellent news from selma blair who has touched and inspired so many with her candor about her struggles with ms. she's undergone an innovative treatment to essentially reboot her nervous system and she says she has a new perspective on life. this morning, actress selma blair announcing her ms is in remission. >> i've been given a second chance of life. >> reporter: while promoting her new discovery plus documentary "introducing selma blair," the 49-year-old known for her roles in movies like "cruel intentions" and "legally blonde" shared the news with the panel saying, my prognosis is great. stem cell treatments put me in

remission. it took about a year after stem cell for the inflammation and lesions to really go down. ms, short for multiple sclerosis, is an autoimmune disease that can cause vision loss, pain, fatigue and impaired cord nation. >> it damages the nerves and their insulation and that damage then leads to the accumulation of neurologic symptoms. >> reporter: blair says she endured chemotherapy and stem cell transplant to essentially reboot her nervous system. >> by eliminating the ab normal immune system in ms, then allowing it to redevelop more normally, it can effectively treat the abnormal inflammation in the disease. >> reporter: remission can last for weeks, months and even years but it doesn't mean the disease is cured. >> there's no indication of disease activity. sometimes people in remission in ms have some residual symptoms. increasingly we realize that the nervous system can repair itself. we need to get the disease under control to stop more damage and to allow the natural repair

processes to take hold. >> reporter: in 2019 robin ro her diagnosis. her difficulty speaking, a symptom of ms. >> let's go back. when you were first diagnosed what initially went through your mind? >> i cried. i had tears. i wasn't -- they weren't tears of panic. they were tears of knowing i now had to give in to a body that had loss of control. there was some relief in that, because ever since my son was born, i was in an ms flare-up and didn't know and i was giving it everything to seem normal. >> reporter: now blair says her struggle has given her perspective and hope. to suddenly start to find an identity and a safety in me to figure out boundaries, time management and energy. i'm having the time of my life. the treatment that blair

received is experimental. it's not widely available yet. research is ongoing as experts try to figure out who exactly this works best for and at what stage of ms it's most effective. robin? >> can you tell us a little bit more about this treatment, how effective it is? >> reporter: the doctor we spoke to emphasized this is a treatment and not a cure, but results have generally been good but it does depend on a lot of factors including age, symptoms, progression. overall, though, it clearly can improve the quality of life of a patient, as it has for selma blair. robin? >> so happy for her for that. hey, will, thank you, thanks so much. let's check in again with ginger. ginger? >> thanks, robin. we're tracking fred still but, you know, it dropped more than 9 inches of rain in florida. these from port st. joe, our friends back in mexico beach as well picking up rain. we know them from hurricane michael. thankfully this was less, but it packed a punch and two tornadoes already in georgia this morning. the flash flood watches extend

all the way up into west virginia. we anticipate this rain to be three to six inches all the way into pennsylvania wednesday afternoon and, yes, new york, thursday afternoon. you can anticipate some pretty heavy rains too so fred is not going to be done with us until the end of the week. let's get a check well now to the life and legacy of aaliyah. two decades after her death a new biography sharing never before told stories about the

singer and the eye witness accounts of the moment before her passing and celebrating her impact on music. we spoke with the author of "baby girl better known as aaliyah." kaylee hartung has that. good morning, kaylee. >> reporter: hey, good morning, amy. she was the princess of r&b. she won us all over with her beauty, her style, that music and that dancing. now nearly 20 years after her death this new book is lifting the veil on the moments that put her in the spotlight. ♪ say yes or say no ♪ >> reporter: she was that somebody. a teen r&b phenom that grew up before our eyes and helped define a generation. aaliyah reaching the top of the charts and our hearts in the '90s and early 2000s like with "one in a million." ♪ your love is one in a million ♪ >> reporter: and "try again."

♪ try again, try ♪ >> repte and starring alongside jet li in "romeo must die," she was poised to take over the world until at just 22 years old her life was cut tragically short. on august 25, 2001 a charter plane carrying her and eight others crashing minutes after taking off from the bahamas. now 20 years later a new book by kathy iandoli called "baby girl" is reporting new details about her death and enduring legacy. >> she died a few weeks before 9/11 so that ended up overshadowing her death in a sense. we weren't able to grieve. what started to happen over the years was aaliyah became an aesthetic. she became this mythical creature. she became almost a statue. >> reporter: she says her perspective provides a fresh take on the star. >> i wanted to create something that celebrated her because i was sick and tired of the other static coming in about her. the other thing, the other news and there's only really one way

to tell a story and it's to provide this panoramic view of the artist. >> reporter: the book also recapping the early caer including a troubling relationship and secret marriage with r. kelly in 1994. aaliyah just 15 at the time. r. kelly, 27. the marriage soon after annulled. r. kelly now facing federal charges for alleged sexual abuse of women and underaged girls including aaliyah who prosecutors said her age was forged on the marriage license after kelly bribed an official to make it 18. kelly pleaded not guilty to all charges. >> that was not a couple. that was an abusive connection where someone trusted her producer and was preyed upon. i didn't want to bring this up but over the years and after watching "surviving r. kelly," i felt it was an obligation as a fan, as a journalist and as a woman to address it. >> reporter: a shocking claim making headlines, she alleges the artist may have been medicated before boarding that fatal flight.

>> i had to tell the story as it was told to me and as the off record multiple people who spoke about the incident said to me as well. you can't be told that someone was handed a pill and moments later was brought upon a plane after moments before that she was adamant about not getting on. now, whatever that pill was, i can't say. but what i can say is that she didn't want to get on the plane. >> reporter: despite the ups and downs the singer experienced, her music is what many will remember the most. ♪ iandoli says she is celebrating her life as if writing a love letter from a fan. >> her legacy is ten fold. it's strength. it's genius. it's feminism. it's empowerment. 20 years later we're still watching it happen and i hope we're still watching it 20 years from now. >> reporter: it's hard to

believe but all this time aaliyah's music has not been available legally on streaming services, her catalog caught up in a dispute, but a distribution deal has apparently been reached and you can listen starting this friday. her estate is not thrilled but her fans, they are. and that new book, "baby girl better known as aaliyah" is available now. amy? >> kaylee, we appreciate it. thank you so much. coming up next here on "good morning america," guess who we have, jason momoa, the one and only joining us live, stay with us.

>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc7 news. >> good morning. pg&e may be doing a public safety safety power shut off for the dixie fire is burning. the power may be cut tonight and to wednesday. jobina: good morning. checking traffic here, starting with a look at the maps now. want to begin in lafayette. westbound 24 at pleasantville road, multi car crash. speeds around seven miles per hour. up to bay point towards bailey road, another crash. speeds down to 9 miles per hour. the east bay is really jammed up right now. life picture from walnut street shows that. kumasi:

woman: from our classrooms... man: ...to the playing fields. maybe more than ever before, we are ready for this school year. i'm so excited to see all of my students. we're doing all we can to make sure our schools are safe... woman: ...to make sure our schools are safe. i want to thank parents and families for working with us. and continuing to be our partners. thank you so much. we can't do it without you. we can't do it without you. woman: because we know quality public schools make a better california... man: ...for all of us. mike: good morning. today, cleaner air, cooler conditions. tonight, the windsor verse and come offshore get all of that disappears, just like i did, and the red flag warning develops. napa county.nger, especll f it drags in really nasty air quality and smoke from the north, so i would not be surprised if we have issues tomorrow and thursday with

smoke. clean and cooler, even below average. kumasi: another abc 7 news ♪ that's just the way you make me feel ♪ ♪ that's just the way you make me feel ♪ we hope you're feeling well this tuesday morning. our next guest, we know him from his role on "game of thrones," from "aquaman" now starring in the new netflix film "sweet girl girl." please welcome in jason momoa. >> aagh! >> there he is. [ laughter ] >> we heard you but didn't see you there for a second. so we know -- >> sorry. >> that is okay. >> family is at the heart of this movie. tell us how quarantine was with your family.

we all saw axe throwing videos. >> oh, well, you know, i don't really get to be home that often so it was amazing just being with my babies and wife and just, yeah, this little video right here, making up silly things to do, throwing tomahawks while riding bikes and drinking water. so we just, it was just fun just supporting my children and like, you know, doing fun things together. >> yeah. >> i had a great time. >> beautiful family that you have. okay. happy belated birthday recently turning 42. how did you all celebrate your birthday? >> family. i'm over in london right now shooting "aquaman 2" so just my friends and family and they surprised me. they keep kind of getting me. i was on set and i got to set and my kids were sleeping when i left the house and i get to work and then i see one of my buddies was there and he's always late and i'm what are you doing at work so early? so i should have put that together. then another friend was there with a camera. when we got to set, they had

bagpipes set up and made a cake and my kids were right there and when i got home, they got me again. so they love getting me and they surprised me. it was just a beautiful day. >> good, good, good. >> that sounds amazing. well, also you said you're shooting "aquaman 2." are those highlights i see in your hair? you going blonde? >> yeah, i went blond. >> how did that feel? >> a little wet. >> was it game changing for you being blond? did it change anything in your life? >> no, i'm still crazy. >> tell us about "sweet girl." >> i'm still fun. i think it's -- it doesn't matter if you're brown or brunette or blond, still having a good time. >> so tell us about "sweet girl." >> well, you know, the best part about this movie is that it's my first production with all my

best friends. so i think it's an amalgamation of 20 plus years and all the people from the stunt team to producers to the actors i wanted to act with and my best friend in the whole world that i have a company with, he gets to direct it. so it's the first time that it's been like i've had all my passion in one spot and so netflix hired us all. i was very excited about it. so, yeah, it's coming out in a couple of days. we're pretty excited about it. >> we're pretty excited about it too. we have a sneak peek. let's take a look. >> we're going to order something with vegetables. fries do not count. no. agh. stop. stop it. hello. >> ray cooper, my name is martin bennett. i'm a journalist for "vice." i saw your call with simon keeley on tv. >> what do you want? >> i can help you get justice for what happened to your wife. >> no, you can't.

i've been down that road. >> ooh. we're in. we're in. "sweet child is mine" is the unofficial anthem for the movie. i know you play a little guitar. so did you try to play it during your downtime on set? >> i've been trying to play it my whole life. slash and guns n' roses, one of my favorites and the moment that they -- i couldn't believe netflix got that song and "sweet child of mine" was approved to sing to our baby isabella in the movie and she sings it to my wife when she's dying. so it was a very important song in the movie, but, yes, i'm still attempting to play slash's part. it's going to take a long time. >> that is an epic song, one of my favorites. also an epic anniversary coming up, the tenth anniversary since "game of thrones." hard to believe. i'm a megafan. i understand you keep in touch literally and figuratively with your castmates. i think we have a picture of you

and emilia clarke. safe to say you still hang out whenever you can. >> absolutely. i'm really, really close with david and dan and so they're out here doing a show and any time i'm in london, we always stay in contact, me and emilia. very dear friends and it's always -- any time we can all get together -- it was a wonderful experience for me. i can't believe it's ten years already, making me feel old. >> so you are shooting "aquaman 2." what else do you have coming up? >> i just did my first comedy with netflix, "the time of my li life." never had an opportunity to do that. it's coming out, francis lawrence directed that and i have something big we'll be announcing soon. that will be after "aquaman 2." that will bring me back home to

hawaii and i get to do some things for my people and i'm very excited to announce it. so that will be news soon. ne jason, thancoming out soon.wn very much. coming up here, billie jean king, live right here in times square. every single day, we're all getting a little bit better. we're better cooks... better neighbors... hi. i've got this until you get back.

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friend back now with my dear friend, the legendary -- i'm going to say it the legendary billie jean king. she hates that. not only one of the most celebrated tennis players, of course, in history but a trailblazing leader in equality for all. she is revealing her experiences behind the scenes in a new autobiography called "all in," the first book about her life told in her own voice. your voice. good morning, billie. >> good morning, robin. >> great to see you. >> i miss our regular dinners. >> we have to get at least our annual one in. >> i know, we'll have to do that. >> totally, yeah. >> beautiful. i told you i read it cover to cover. i have known you for so many years and learned so much about you from your childhood going through an eating disorder that you revealed at the age of 51. why have you decna pl stories n? >> well, people have bee bugging me for a long time to talk about all these issues and i thought it was a great time.

i'm getting up there in age. you know, i'm going to be 78 this year. i thought this is the time to do it. it's also legacy. you know, i want people to know the real truth and the story. >> the real truth and it was, what, five years it took to write? >> over four years. i'm trying to figure that out but i had a lot of people help me too. helen was my researcher. i had marianne. i had john. i mean, i really had lots of help. >> it was important to you. >> i spent hours and hours sitting at the dining room table, all of us or one of us or by myself and just be pounding and my partner in life would help a lot. so it's like -- it took -- it took a village, more than a village to make it happen but it's me just putting in the time, the effort and just -- you know, you have so many pages. then we have to edit it which was really hard. >> okay, i've known you and we

have regular dinners. i have to read your book to find out you actually got married. >> we didn't tell anyone. >> i know you had been together for -- >> 42 years. >> got married in 2018. >> i just thought we should -- both of us just thought we should do it and really wanted to do it because of mayor dinkins. he was still alive and always wanted to marry us. every time we'd see him more 20 years, if you ever get married, i'm your guy and we just love mayor dinkins so much. we got that done when he was alive but wanted to do it anyway just to make sure everybody is real clear. >> it's cool. you can keep some things to yourself. you share so much and there was secret that you both wanted to keep. >> it was so nice just to have these private moments. >> because it wasn't always that way as we know for you and i understand this is also an audio book and that you became very emotional, billie, when talking about being outed and not being able on your own terms.

>> it was terrible. and i just hope that people today don't have that challenge. speaking with young people, also gender identification, all these things, you just didn't talk about it in those days. we did have dr. renee richards on the tour, transgender woman and that was fantastic and helped me a lot to understand what transgender people go through to make that decision. but for me pesonally, my sexuality was, it took me forever to be comfortable in my own skin. i think 51 when i went through the eating disorder, which will be in the book so people understand the process. also during the tour, i was told if i talk about it we wouldn't have a tour so that was a pretty easy decision, like i'm not talking about something if i'm going to hurt the tour. >> but still for you even now to be emotional when you were reliving that. >> it's -- when you speak it,

it's amazing -- when you speak t, guesi didn't know this but i like the teleprompter to read it and most loveorngff se reads it close but lepromer so i said i need it up there. it was huge print, you know, but i sometimes had to stop, it was so emotional because when you speak it you relive it and i was reliving it and it was like, wow. it was so -- just the depth of emotion, the depth of just feeling what i used to feel, you know, because sometimes i try not to feel it all the time. it gets too much but i had to stop a few times. >> but you really -- and just the depth to which you go to help people understand what it was in that time and of course we know about the battle of the sexes and you wrote so -- i was really enjoying that. but the way you talk about wimbledon, like that time, the first time that you went there and other than the pandemic you have gone to wimbledon every year since the age of --

>> 17. we went this year. we got to go. it was great. >> centre court, what does it mean to you? >> as a child in the old days you had to win wimbledon or you weren't number one in the world so i wuld dream about it every night and so i'm finally there, but it's just -- it's such a wonderful stage. you know, to me a tennis court is a stage like an actor or in the theater or a dancer or whoever and so it's got beautiful symmetry. it's green. it's just -- it's just means so much. also i know -- i love history so i knew all the great champions that had been there and not just great champions, people who tried to qualify just to be able to walk on that court. so it was so meaningful. i think today if i were a young person that the u.s. open would mean more to me as an american but in those days the politics got in the way of me really enjoying it like i would have

loved to. but i go out there now and i go, god, great to be young now because i wouldn't have all the politics i had to deal with at the time and the push and the pull and arguing with officials about the sport. forget playing. so it would be great just to be able to focus on playing. >> you know, and you didn't have that opportunity and you still did as well as you did and number one and there's some folks who want to thank you and here are two right here who want to thank you. take a look. >> i wanted to hop on this opportunity by sending you a thank you message. i literally wouldn't be here without you, your help and i'm just super grateful for you and the impact you've had on my life. >> hey, billie. thank you so much for everything that you've done for women's sport and women's tennis. i tell so many people that us tennis players are so fortunate because we had someone named billie jean king that enabled us to have all the benefits that we

have today. so thank you so much, billie. i love you so much and just thank you for being you. i love you. >> wow. >> i know. >> bianca and serena. it can't get any better than that. >> i'm telling you and they are -- and so many are so incredibly grateful. but like how you were saying, in many ways, there's so much more you still want to do. >> oh, for sure. it's about equality, equity for everyone and also i'm glad that osaka brought up mental health. that's always a big part. how someone feels emotionally is so important and to own it by naming it. when you name something and you say, i have a challenge in this area, i'm an alcoholic or have an eating disorder or have mental challenges, when you own it, it dissipates a little. then you have a chance to make it okay. >> be "all in." >> oh, you are there! you are there. >> billie, thank you. i cannot wait. i know how excited you are for this day for your book to come out and it was worth the wait

and thank you. we'll have that dinner again. we're not going to wait much longer. >> let's not wait too long. thanks a lot. >> "all in," i love that. "all in" is out today. let's check back again with ginger. thank you, billie. >> thank you, robin. compounding the horror of the earthquake in haiti we had to show you the images of greece passing south, they did have the heavy rains and gusty winds, there's still a tropical storm watch but will move quickly west. cancun in a hurricane watch and i wanted to keep an eye on it as it gets through the gulf and looks like it will mostly impact central mexico. that's the big picture. coming up, advice from teachers on how to help your kids get ready to return to the classroom when we come back.

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♪ rain on me ♪ we're back now with teacher talk. as so many students get ready to head back to school in person, becky worley has some insight on how to make that challenging transition a bit smoother even for middle schoolers. hey, becky. >> reporter: amy, good morning. parenting a middle schooler is no joke. i have two of them. pray for me. so to help parents prepare their kids for a school restart unlike any other we talked to three seasoned teachers from across the country. buses, bells and books. middle school is back in session. and for this mom of middle school aged kids i have questions. so i turn to this intrepid group of teachers for answers to my questions and those of some "gma" viewers. steph layson, tryphena cuffy and

starlow galetta. and the first question -- >> how can parents prepare or students for in-person learning? >> reporter: tryphena jumps in. >> whether you're a hybrid or online, things are easy to get to. easy to get to your school bag and books and easy to get to your things so i think one of the biggest challenges for incoming middle schoolers is going to be that organizational piece that you have to walk from class to class. not as easy to go downstairs or run upstairs. >> reporter: another concern of so many parents, sleep. i'm pretty worried that sleep is going to be a nightmare this year. my kids were able to sleep in till five minutes before school during distance learning. >> a week before school starts you start modeling the schedule that you wish for them to follow and then once they get to middle school there's more consequences if you're late to school. >> reporter: next worries about

the so-cle lea loss that duringr lesson plans to help virtual students re-adjust to in-person learning and make up for any knowledge gaps. >> reporter: all the teachers say they will adapt learning to each student. if my kid needs extra help catching up? >> so i think talking nonstop for that topic for one minute they know what they're talking about, if it will take a moment and they're not sure they stop, they pause, all of that and that's when you know, okay, well, there's something missing there, there's a little gap in knowledge. >> reporter: what about all of the social/emotional issues that are just middle school related and then there's coming back to in-person learning? >> middle school is one of the biggest times when scholars are the most emotional and emotional and like happy to sad in the drop of a second and they're not able to identify why yet. it's our job as teachers and parents to help scholars process those emotions to be able to name what's going on. i think the other thing is

building vocabulary around emotions. >> there should be an adult at the school that any student can go to and speak to if they are anxiety. there should always be a relationship. it's actually to me the first two weeks that's the most important thing i do is establish a relationship. >> reporter: setting a bedrock of support that middle schoolers in particular can build on for the whole year. with this age it's all about warmth and boundaries. boundaries are keeping devices out of bedrooms at night, carving out homework time and spaces. but warmth we show by validating all the hard parts of middle school as steph our teacher from catalyst school in bremerton, washington, put it, not just telling them, yeah, middle school is rough. you have to get through it even though, amy, that is the truth. middle school is rough. >> that's pretty much what my parents said to me. all right, becky, thank you very much. much. really important tips this is an epic bbq barbeque burger. cannonball!

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>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc7 news. kumasi: good morning, everyone. i am kumasi aaron from abc7 mornings. jobina: good morning. look at this. it is going to be very rough moving through walnut creek now. a life picture showing 680. according to chp, there is a stall there. not good news. it will continue making your way -- if you're making her way towards lafayette. multi car crash on westbound 24 at pleasantville road. mike: we have some nicer news weather-wise, that is a fact it is going to be a little cooler with clean air, but that is just today. mid succeeds at the coast. upper 80's inland. tonight, red flag warning. prickle fire conditions tonight directly's -- through at least 3:00 tomorrow afternoon.

really smoky thursday. kumasi: time for "live with kelly and ryan." kelly and ryan." vu: it's live with kelly and ryan. today, comedian chris rock, and from cruel summer, actress olivia holt. plus, an ab workout with trainer jillian michaels, all next on live. and now here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest. what did she say to you before? well, we have some breaking news. i want to know. i'm going to tell you. hi, deja, -good morning. -hi, deja. good morning! i'm going to tell you what he said. i can't-- i really can't dance because my dress is too tight. i can't do it today. the moves are tight as well. those are tight moves. i just need to know. it is tuesday, august 17, 2021. before we get into that-- i'll tell you. what does michael gelman-- i've been noticing this troubling trend where he whispers something to you, i'm