right now on "america this morning," booster shot decision. the biden administration expected to recommend a third shot for all fully vaccinated americans. the announcement likely just hours away, and the governor of texas tests positive for covid after opposing masks and vaccine mandates as hospitalizations show no sign of slowing. race to evacuate. as desperation sets in, the u.s. ramping up efforts to get tens of thousands of americans and afghan civilians out of the country. the taliban giving their first press conference since taking power. what they promised women as the white house stands behind their handling of the withdrawal. breaking overnight, one of california's out-of-control wildfires nearly tripling in size.

homes burned. people injured and mandatory evacuations in effect as concerns grow about air quality in the bay area. plus, ballpark scare. a pitcher rushed to the hospital after taking a line drive to the head. no vax, no net. what one university is doing to urge students to get vaccinated. and diamonds are forever, but trust funds, not so much. what daniel craig is revealing about his plans for his bond fortune. good wednesday morning, everyone. we begin with a major announcement expected today regarding coronavirus booster shots. >> sources say the biden administration will urge fully vaccinated americans to get another shot eight months after their second dose. it comes as hospitals struggle with crippling staffing shortages. icu beds are 90% full in five states that are considered hot spots. >> that includes texas where the state's fully vaccinated

governor has tested positive for the virus. before the diagnosis, governor greg abbott was seen attending jam-packed republican events. >> abc's ike ejiochi is covering all angles from washington including that big announcement today about booster shots. >> reporter: that announcement for a third booster shot can come as early as today with the rollout happening as soon as the vaccines get federal authorization. this morning, big news about booster shots. federal health officials are expected to recommend all americans over the age of 12 get a third covid booster shot but only for those who are fully vaccinated with moderna or pfizer's mrna vaccines. the new data is based on recent findings that show pfizer's vaccine efficacy diminishing after eight months. >> vaccine protection does gradually wane over time. and the israeli data the people who got immunized in january are the ones that are now having more breakthrough cases. that's the same thing we're starting to see in the u.s. data. >> reporter: the potential of a

third booster shot comes as the delta variant tightens its grip on hot zones across the country. cases exploding. deaths now stand at approximately 500 each day up over 130% since last month. icus across five states now more than 90% full. in one of those states, alabama, jenna carpenter, a pulomologist says seeing the virus claim the lives of younger people is difficult. >> losing within a week three patients under the age of 40, just very heartbreaking. >> reporter: the strain strengthening in mississippi. the university of mississippi's medical center now forced to build a second field hospital and in texas, governor greg abbott announcing he's tested positive for covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated saying he's asymptomatic so far. elsewhere, vaccine mandates are growing. new york city now requiring proof of vaccination for most indoor activities with new mexico close behind. in detroit a city clinic offering third doses of booster

shots opening strictly for the immunocompromised. >> i'm feeling great. >> the fact that people are passing it up is just foolish. >> reporter: the federal government confirming it will extend its mask mandates for travelers on planes, trains and buses into january. mona, andrew. ke ejiochi the in washington, thank you. now to the crisis in afghanistan where there is a scramble to evacuate americans. last night president biden arrived back at the white house after a stay at camp david where aides say he was monitoring the situation. but the president is facing new backlash after intelligence officials say the white house was warned that the afghan military could collapse. abc's julia macfarlane is in london with the latest developments. julia, good morning. >> reporter: mona, good morning. well, the u.s. military evacuated 1,100 americans from afghanistan on tuesday. that daily number is expected to increase rapidly. it comes as the u.s. commander vows overwhelming force if the taliban interferes with evacuations. this morning as the taliban's

grip on afghanistan tightens as many as 11,000 americans and tens of thousands of afghans still on the ground desperate to leave the country. with more troops on the ground in kabul, the u.s. is planning to launch one flight per hour with evacuations reaching up to 9,000 people per day. >> their safety needs to be their top priority. if they feel that it is unsafe for them to make their way to the airport, they should not seek to do so. >> reporter: the state department also focusing on the safety of the afghan people desperate to escape taliban rule. >> the taliban have informed us that they are prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport, and we intend to hold them to that commitment. >> reporter: but to access those evacuation flights, afghans must pass through taliban controlled civilian areas, but for now the taliban only letting foreigners through. in the first presseir,

promising amnesty vowing not to hunt them down or seek retribution. ian pannell pressing the taliban. >> what guarantees will you give to the afghans ws awi tnsrt? they can't get to thai so what guarantees? >> we are assuring the safety of all those who have worked with the united states and allied forces, whether as interpreters or any other field, that they worked with them. as for their talents and their skills, we do not want them to leave the country. we want them to serve their own homeland. >> reporter: still thousands of afghan women and girls sheltering in their homes wary of the taliban's promises. nasrin nawa, who left kabul just two days before the taliban was assuming control says she does not trust the taliban's word. >> they say, okay, you can educate. you can go to work. you can be part of the

society, but we have never believed. women like me don't believe this kind of words. >> reporter: in the meantime, the biden administration defending their handling of the afghanistan withdrawal. just one day after president biden admitted the taliban's takeover happened faster than anticipated. but a u.s. intelligence official telling abc news leaders were told by the military it would take no time at all for the taliban to take everything. well, this morning, after nearly 20 years spent in hiding, the taliban leadership touched down in kandahar's airport. the movement's supreme leader and political chief have been based in exile in doha in recent years. they return now to rule over a country of nearly 40 million people. mona, andrew. >> julia, thank you. now to the fight against the wildfires burning through northern california. new evacuation orders are being ordered and now the state's largest wildfire is starting to threaten mountain communities. overnight multiple wildfires exploding in size across

northern california. this ominous image showing a massive column of smoke from the so-called caldor fire, which nearly tripled in size in a matter of hours. >> this has been an incident that has developed really quickly and has grown extremely fast. it's outpaced the models. >> reporter: the caldor fire has already destroyed 50 homes in the small town of grizzly flats. it's now prompting new evacuation orders in el dorado county, home to nearly 200,000 people. >> i had to leave my cats. they wouldn't get in the crates, so that's not a good thing, not a good feeling at all. >> reporter: to the north, the dixie fire is now advancing towards mountain communities including susanville, which has two state prisons, a nearby federal lockup and a casino. it's now the largest city the dixie fire has threatened since breaking out last month. this morning, red flag warnings are in place for much of northern california.

the wildfires fueled by dry conditions and gusty winds. overnight the state's largest power company, pg&e, started shutting off power to 51,000 customers in 18 counties hoping to prevent the winds from bringing down live power lines sparking even more fires, and in the bay area today, officials declaring critical fire conditions and issuing an air quality alert as winds push smoke from the fires in northern california into the region. in nevada schools delayed start times in the reno sparks district because of smoke from the dixie fire. next the urgent search for survivors in haiti where a powerful earthquake has now claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 people and grace has stalled rescue operations. the hospitals that are still standing are overwhelmed struggling to treat the injured. abc's matt gutman is there. >> reporter: this hospital here i'm going to have our cameraman pan over, they're desperate.

there is no water here. there is no electricity. they are extremely short on blood, ivs. there are no surgical gloves here. they've even been conducting surgery outdoors in a tent, in fact, all of the patients are in the hallways and in the center courtyard inside that hospital. they say they need supplies and they need them immediately. >> the situation there dire. a new estimate says the earthquake affected about 1.2 million people in haiti. what remains of tropical storm fred unleashed heavy rain and tornadoes across the southeast, ten twisters reported most in the carolinas. fred is now heading up the east coast where heavy rain could cause flash flooding into parts of new york state from west virginia. the look at the rest of your wednesday morning weather. there's rain today in parts of the midwest from ohio to southern illinois. also showers across the deep south and into texas. and monsoon storms in the southwest could cause flash flooding. there are flood alerts posted in

utah, colorado and arizona. and checking today's high temperatures, denver will feel as hot as phoenix today. both at 96 degrees, readings in the low 90s for the southeast, 78 degrees in both los angeles and seattle. a hot one in boston, 86 degrees. coming up, the pharmacist under arrest accused of selling fake vaccination cards. and breaking overnight, a deputy wounded in a hail of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. new details from the scene. and united airlines issuing a new memo to its flight crew after this video of flight attendants restraining a man with duct tape.

does your plug-in fade too fast? try febreze fade defy plug. it has built-in technology to digitally control how much scent is released to smell first day fresh for 50 days. la la la la la. all the time in the world. it's just a saying. but today, for women living with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. more time is possible with verzenio. proven to help you live significantly longer when taken with fulvestrant. verzenio + fulvestrant is for hr+,

her2- metastatic breast cancer that has progressed after hormone therapy. diarrhea is common, may be severe, or cause dehydration or infection. at the first sign, call your doctor, start and antidiarrheal, and drink fluids. before taking verzenio, tell your doctor about any fever, chills, or other signs of infection. verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection that can lead to death. life-threatening lung inflammation can occur. tell your doctor about any new or worsening trouble breathing, cough, or chest pain. serious liver problems can happen. symptoms include fatigue, appetite loss, stomach pain, and bleeding or bruising. blood clots that can lead to death have occurred. tell your doctor if you have pain or swelling in your arms or legs, shortness of breath, chest pain and rapid breathing or heart rate, or if you are nursing, pregnant, or plan to be. more time is possible. ask your doctor about verzenio. we're back with the coast guard coming to the rescue

nearly 400 miles off the coast of california. authorities say a woman on a sailboat had to be air-lifted after she accidentally swallowed antifreeze. it's unclear how the 23-year-old consumed the liquid. breaking overnight in southern california, a deputy is recovering after being shot during an attempted traffic stop. the sheriff's office in san bernardino said a 27-year-old deputy was wounded. his patrol car burst into flames amid the gunfire. surveillance cameras in san bernardino captured a patrol car chasing someone in a car then at least 20 rounds of gunfire are heard. the deputy is expected to survive. unclear why the person was being pulled over and no arrests have been made. a pharmacist in chicago has been arrested for allegedly selling covid vaccination cards on ebay. prosecutors say the suspect sold 125 of the cards for $10 each. she's charged with a dozen counts of theft of government property. if convicted he could face 120 years in prison. unruly passengers are making the skies unfriendly for airline

flight crews prompting one airline to issue a reminder. no duct tape. united airlines sent this message just weeks after a viral video showed staff restraining a passenger with duct tape on a flight. the number of passenger flight crew confrontations nearing 3900 this year. flight attendants say they hit a breaking point. >> this is the biggest direct threat to flight attendants we have ever faced. >> the tsa is now offering flight attendants self-defense classes monthly up from four times per year. and coming up, a major league pitcher takes a line drive to the face, an update on his condition. also ahead, the chaotic moment at an amusement park after a piece of a ride broke off hitting a woman. new video showing rescuers rushing to save her. that's next. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis under control? 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, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can show more with less eczema. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. don't settle for products that give you a sort of white smile. t try new crest whiteningma s emulsionsabout dupixent, for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets swipe on in seconds. better. faster.

100% whiter teeth. crestwhitesmile.com the covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective. and while walgreens has safely administered over 25 million free covid-19 vaccines, we can't stop there. because this is still our shot. nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: over 25 million free covid-19 vaccines, we can't stop there. try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey. kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette when we feel supported from within... our confidence to take on the world outside... comes from way deeper. it's within us.

♪ back now with more sharks off new york long island. sighting forced beaches to close off west hampton. two dozen sightings have led some areas to create a shark warning flag system. for swimmers. >> a day at a park ended with a hospital stay for one ohio woman. struck with a piece of medal that fell from a roller coaster. as she waited in line. >> this morning an investigation under way. after a terrifying scene at an amusement park in ohio.

>> witnesses calling 911 after a woman waiting in line for a roller coaster was hit by an unidentified object. >> send someone to cedar point. someone is in bad shape. >> what happened? >> something flew off the ride and hit them and they're bleeding on the head. >> cedar point saying it was about to end sunday night. when a small object detached from a car and hit her. >> someone got hit in the head. >> the popular ride is 420 feet tall. and goes from zero to 120 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds. police release body cam video showing the panic in the after math. paramedics rush the woman to the hospital. witnesses say the object was the size of a football. >> we saw it fly off.

>> it shot down. >> one park goer a trama nurse was standing behind the woman when she was hit. >> we did the best we could. we used other peoples shirts and whatever to control everything that we could. keep her safe. keep the scene safe. >> there's no word on the woman's condition. the ride is now closed while it's under investigation. it was last inspected by the department of agriculture in may. >> thank you. baseball and a frightening scene on the field in chicago. we warn you some people they find this disturbing. oakland pitcher taking a 100 miles per hour line drive to the face. the team says he was unconscious and and aware. he sat up on his own before being carted off and taken to the hospital. >> wishing him a speedy

recovery. the university cutting off wi-fi access to students who are not vaccinated. >> also ahead. first look at the newest girl scout cookie. did you know that your fabrics trap more than just odors? they also trap bacteria.

better get new febreze fabric antimicrobial. its water-based formula penetrates fabrics to kill 99.9% of bacteria and it eliminates odors. spray it on your furniture, your rugs, your clothes - wherever bacteria and odors hide. you can even sanitize your car seats! for a deeper clean and a freshness you'll love... try new febreze fabric antimicrobial. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ life... doesn't stop for diabetes. be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it's the number one doctor recommended brand that's scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna. [swords clashing] - had enough? - no... arthritis. here. new aspercreme arthritis.

full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. time to check the pulse. we begin with actor daniel craig and his money. >> the james bond star has lots of it. and says he's not leaving any to his kids. telling a magazine he finds inheritance inheritance distasteful. >> get rid of it or give it away before you go. he better start. he's worth $160 million. >> next the college saying no vaccination, no internet. >> the policy laid out by a

university in connecticut. the school says students who are not vaccinated by september 14 will have wi-fi access cut. and students who don't supply vaccination proof will get fined $100 a week. next the girl scouts are rolling out a new cookie for the upcoming 2022 season. it tastes sweet. >> the new adventure poll cookie is brownie inspired. chocolate and caramel. with a hint of sea salt. available along with old favorites. like thin mints and of course when the season kicks off in february. >> i'll take two boxes. for myself. >> just two? >> return to the sky for a world war ii par trooper. >> recreating an important jump for a birthday. he safely landed op a beach in 1944. part of the unit that parachuted

part of the unit that parachuted down to the why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema or atopic dermatitis under control? hide my skin? not me. by hitting eczema where it counts, dupixent helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of eczema. and that means long-lasting clearer skin... and fast itch relief for adults. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can show more with less eczema. 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. when you help heal your skin from within, you can change how your skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment.

my hygienist cleans with a round head. talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, so does my oral-b my hygienist personalizes my cleaning. so does my oral-b oral-b delivers the wow of a professional clean feel every day. ♪ ♪ color snap color id from sherwin - williams. color pallets curated just for you. our strength, our power, our purpose... starts within. so let's start there. with collagen, that supports our body from the inside, out. ♪ [ heavy breathing ] allergies with nasal congestion overwhelming you? breathe more freely with powerful claritin-d. claritin-d improves nasal airflow two times more than the leading allergy spray at hour one. [ deep inhale ] claritin-d. get more airflow.

checking the top stories today president biden is expected to recommend booster shots for most americans 8 months after they are fully vaccinated. the white house may also reveal data that shows a disturbing drop in vaccine efficacy over time. the booster rollout could start in september pending fda approval. the u.s. military is ramping up efforts to evacuate americans from afghanistan. the goal is to have 9,000 people departing kabul's airport every day. opening statements set today in brooklyn for the federal sex abuse trial for r&b singer r. kelly acquitted in 2008 but accusations of sexual abuse have schad -- shadowed him for years. showers along the gulf coast and in texas. thunderstorms in the west, rain in the rockies. and finally robots that can effortlessly parkour. >> abc's will ganss has more.

>> reporter: when it comes to parkour, there's the michael scott version. >> parkour! >> reporter: then there's the atlas version. boston dynamics releasing this video in honor of both atlas robots completing their complex parkour obstacle course flawlessly on tuesday. atlas stands about five feet tall and weighs 190 pounds looking back over five years of atlas videos. >> we're always expanding. >> reporter: the boston dynamics team says this achievement has been a long time coming. >> it can be frustrating styles. the robots crash a lot. it's not the robot just magically deciding to do parkour. it's kind of a choreographed routine. >> reporter: but why parkour? boston dynamics tweeting that parkour is the perfect sandbox for the atlas team to experiment with new behaviors through jumps, balance beams and vaults, we push atlas to its limits to

discover the next generation of mobility, perception and athletic intelligence. >> parkour is a useful organizing activity for our team because it highlights several challenges we believe to be important. >> reporter: some online voicing their concern. why does every time i watch this i feel foreboding? we're all going to die. maybe too much "black mirror" for some robo phobes. the future should inspire hope, not fear, they say. >> it's extremely hard but it's also very rewarding, you know. it's like i wouldn't want to be somewhere where i'm not working on a super hard problem. >> reporter: something to celebrate, no doubt. a spokesperson for boston dynamics saying i find it hard to imagine a world 20 years from now where there aren't capable robots that work alongside humans to enrich our lives and i hope demonstrations like this provide a small glimpse of what's possible. >> first they parkour, then they

revolt. >> that was right now on "america this morning," booster shot decision. the biden administration expected to recommend a third shot for all fully vaccinated americans. the announcement likely just hours away, and the governor of texas tests positive for covid after opposing masks and vaccine mandates as hospitalizations show no sign of slowing. race to evacuate. as desperation sets in, the u.s. ramping up efforts to get tens of thousands of americans and afghan civilians out of the country. the taliban giving their first press conference since taking power. what they promised women as the white house stands behind their handling of the withdrawal. breaking overnight, one of california's out-of-control wildfires nearly tripling in size.