right now on "america this morning," the race to evacuate speeds up. what president biden is now saying about the deadline to withdraw troops from afghanistan and growing concern about a terror attack. we hear from an afghan translator currently hiding in kabul, plus the looming crisis at a u.s. base where afghan refugees are being flown. apocalyptic, that's the description as a major wildfire approaches lake tahoe, california. thick smoke blanketing towns hundreds of miles away. schools closed in nevada. the air quality, worst on record. how fire crews are responding.

new overnight, a ruling from the supreme court on president biden's immigration policy. former president trump's plan now being reinstated. also this morning, america's growing love affair with thrift stores. another big retailer gets into the resale business. caught on camera, a train punging off a cliff on purpose. and from one girl's close encounter with a shark to the bear who stole the amazon package off the porch to the tiny dog with a big fail, all the trending videos for your wednesday morning. good wednesday morning, everyone. we begin with the race to evacuate afghanistan taking on >> thean says it's now blocking afghans from reaching the airport. it comes as president biden pledges to stick with his august 31st deadline to withdraw u.s. forces from the country warning about the increasing risk of a major terror attack. at the same time he's sending a clear message to the taliban that the u.s. will have a backup plan if needed.

two members of congress are now under fire after secretly traveling to afghanistan during the chaos. abc's faith abubey is here with the very latest. faith, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you, mona. president biden says u.s. forces are on track to leave afghanistan by the august 31st deadline, but it'll depend on whether the taliban cooperates. this morning, time is running out for thousands of people hoping to escape the chaos in afghanistan where america's longest war will officially end in less than one week. >> we are currently on a pace to finish by august 31st. the sooner we can finish the better. each day of operations brings added risk to our troops. >> reporter: president biden is standing by his august 31st deadline to withdraw troops and evacuate both americans and the afghans who helped the u.s. mission. families desperate to leave have been boarding buses under the cover of darkness. once at the airport gates in kabul, fewer than 50 yards

separate them from the checkpoint. the taliban controls who gets in and does not. >> we're waiting to get through but they're not letting us at the moment. >> reporter: the taliban announced it's now blocking afghans trying to leave the country from reaching the airport claiming it wants to protect people from terrorist threats. more than 70,000 people have been evacuated in the past 10 days including more than 5,400 americans but there are concerns about where some of the evacuees are being taken. abc news learned officials in qatar are privately warning about a growing crisis at in the meantime, two members of congress are now defending their secret trip to afghanistan. congressmen peter meijer and seth moulton traveled to kabul tuesday claiming they wanted a closer look at the situation. the trip prompting a letter from speaker nancy pelosi warning lawmakers that traveling to the region would distract from the evacuation process, but in a

joint statement, they both fought in iraq, they say they took a military flight into the country and say the flight was not full and that their flight out included some empty seats. as for that august 31st deadline, president biden says contingency plans were being developed to adjust the time line if necessary but the military will soon have to start packing up and moving out if they are going to meet that deadline, mona. >> faith, thank you. we're hearing from an afghan translator now hiding in kabul fearing for his life. he worked as an interpreter for the u.s. military. he is still waiting for his special immigration visa, also known as siv to be approved. he and his family are moving several times a day to avoid the taliban. >> they killed people. they killed women. they killed children -- who work with any governments and the u.s. government. we demand from the united states government and the united states congress to speed up the siv system and let us to go to the airport. >> he says the taliban has

already killed ten members of his family. he fears it will only get worse when u.s. forces leave. we turn now to california where wildfires are devastating parts of the state. crews are struggling to contain the caldor fire, which is approaching the outskirts of lake tahoe. one official describes the flames as knocking on the door of the lake tahoe basin. the fire has burned more than 117,000 acres. this is from somerset where properties were engulfed in flames. ance -- abc's matt gutman is in the region. >> reporter: that bulldozer behind me is trying to cut a line to prevent the fire from jumping to the other side and all of this fire is propelling that black smoke skyward and it's bringing it hundreds of miles away from here. >> tuesday nevada saw its worst air quality on record. no school today for 67,000 students around the reno area because of poor air quality from th covd-ptbecns in it

we learned overnight about new precautions being taken from florida to oregon. the cdc reports a troubling spike in covid deaths in just the last week. this morning, frustrated health care workers making a desperate plea as they suffer from burnout and fatigue. >> the nurses are exhausted mentally, physically, emotionally. >> reporter: in oklahoma city this nurse says hospitals are overwhelmed with unvaccinated patients. >> i want oklahomans to know if they saw what we see every day, they would be in line for the vaccination. >> reporter: in kentucky more than 20 hospitals report critical staffing shortages. in mississippi, emergency management officials are deploying 1,000 health care workers to assist dozens of struggling hospitals. covid deaths are up 23% nationwide in the last week and when it comes to hospitalizations, the cdc says unvaccinated people are 29 times

more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people. the good news is vaccinations are at a six-week high. the bad news is the delta variant is taking a toll. vaccine effectiveness at preventing infection dropped from 91% before the delta variant to 66% now. but officials insist the vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe illness including in pregnant women, but the cdc says three out of four expecting moms have still not been vaccinated including hailey richardson, a nurse who was six months pregnant when she died from covid. meanwhile, more americans are falling victim to misinformation taking ivermectine, a drug meant for horses. >> the drug is intended for veterinary use and are made with higher doses of the medication for use in large animals and could be highly toxic in humans. >> poison control in arkansas now a spike with covid

patients who took the drug and as schools re-open the battle over mask mandates rages. in orlando, florida, masks will be required beginning next week after a lengthy talk with parents. accost the country in oregon a more drastic measure a new outdoor mask requirement will take effect friday. there's also a new development in the debate over booster shot clinics in west virginia are giving out third shots of the vaccine after the governor criticized federal officials for taking too long to approve them. the supreme court is forcing the biden administration to reinstate a trump era policy that forced migrants to remain in mexico while seeking asylum. the six conservative justices said the biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end that program. the ruling sides with texas and a group of republican-led states which blame the cancellation of the policy for a record surge of migrants at the border this year. the mysterious illness known as havana syndrome may be to blame for kamala harris's trip to vietnam. her flight was delayed after an

incident involving a staffer in hanoi. havana syndrome attacks can cause unexplained headaches, dizziness and memory loss investigating 130 cases involving americans worldwide. some researchers say targeted microwave energy is the most likely cause. one person is dead and two others injured after a dump truck crashed off a highway and into two apartment buildings in anaheim, california. the man who was killed was in his bed at the time and was pushed by the truck into another building. authorities are looking into whether the driver suffered a medical emergency or was under the influence. >> time now for a look at your wednesday weather. severe storms triggered flash flooding around chicago. the strong winds and heavy rains also knocked out power to about 29,000 customers. in florida several waterspouts were seen off the coast of the panhandle. this is from the laguna beach area. checking the radar the system that soaked chicago is aching its way across michigan. most of the country is under clear skies.

looking at today's highs, 80s and 90s along much of the east coast and across the southeast but cooler along the far west coast. coming up, an 11-year-old's close encounter with a shark at the beach. also ahead, the desperate 911 calls after that deadly flood in tennessee. a wall of water forcing people>s dramatic scene. a train going off a cliff on purpose.

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more aware when she goes back into the water. in connecticut a black bear was caught on camera stealing an amazon package off a porch. the bear ended up dropping the box in a neighbor's yard. inside the box, scented toilet paper. for the first time we are hearing the chilling 911 calls for help during that historic flood disaster in rural tennessee. 18 people are now confirmed dead. abc's eln peis with crew still searchin e find at ree still missing after that devastating flood. >> it's slow work. we work as fast as we can in the heat, but we just keep chugging along. >> reporter: difficult not only physically but emotionally as well. >> emotionally as well. >> reporter: for the first time we're hearing the terrified calls to 911. >> please help. help. >> my mother is stuck in her house because of the water. >> i need somebody to come. already coming through my back door. >> reporter: matthew rigney's 7-month-old twins among at least 18 dead.

>> the water when it hit us, it just pulled us under, all of us, and we were trapped underneath the bed. >> our next move was to try to tear through the roof. >> reporter: david hensley emotional remembering how he and his workers survived as floodwaters overtook his grocery store. >> this is what we worked for. >> sorry. >> and now it's gone. >> reporter: and officials say more than 250 homes like this one completely destroyed. hundreds more damaged. the path to recovery a long one here for many. elwyn lopez, abc news, waverly, tennessee. >> elwyn, thank you. new jersey now has one of the toughest anti-hazing laws in the country. the governor signed the law named after tim piazza, a new jersey native who died after a 2017 hazing incident at penn state university. a hazing conviction that results in serious injury or death will now carry a prison sentence of up to five years, and all public

and private schools in the state will now be required to draw up anti-hazing policies and penalties. coming up, new evidence that americans love their thrift stores more than ever. but first a teenager on a hike plummets 30 feet down a waterfall. what he's saying about the rescue caught on camera. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes kiour ne oh, oh, , oz lo mv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game! ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone.

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it clipped four vehicles during the landing injuring two people. hours later the plane was towed away. the pilot and passenger are okay. near boston a painful escape for a man who crashed into the charles river. his suv quickly sinking, so he decided to bash open the sunroof with his head. well, it worked. he got out and was treated for head and leg injuries. we're learning more about a daring res utah after a teenager who was hiking went plunging off a waterfall. here's abc's megan tevrizian. >> safety is on. >> reporter: this morning, dramatic video showing the moment an idaho teenager was pulled to safety after he plunged more than 30 feet from a waterfall. 19-year-old tanner perrin plummeting after sunset while hiking bridal veil falls near orem, utah. >> it was almost like slow motion, like, my mind was going, oh, shoot, you're about to fall. and then it was one thing after another. >> reporter: perrin falling

three different times frantically trying to grab on to something as he tumbled down the rocky and wet terrain. >> usually when i fall, like i panic and hyperventilate, but like this time it was really weird because i didn't do any of that. i knew what happened, and i knew like the next step, like i knew i needed to get off this mountain. like i tried to stand up, and i did, and then like i put weight on my foot, and it was just mushy. >> reporter: perrin knew he had broken his foot and needed help. his friend mariah and two other people he was hiking with called 911. >> we were yelling to him and saying, shine your flashlight if you're okay, and finally he did. >> reporter: rescuers able to hoist perrin out to safety. >> it was at night, so that makes it a lot more difficult than normal. also we had a lot of down canyon winds that night. >> i was closing my eyes. i hate heights, and i was just hoping we didn't die. i have scrapes and got 12 stitches and cut everywhere but, hey, i could be dead. it could be worse, and like i'm just grateful to be alive, and it's a learning lesson. >> reporter: officials say the

group was ill-equipped without proper climbing equipment. one of them was even wearing sandals. andrew, mona. >> megan, thank you. now to a health alert for parents. a new survey shows a dramatic increase in the number of children with diabetes. the rate of type 2 diabetes in kids between the ages of 10 and 19 jumped by 95% since 2001 and doctors fear the pandemic made things even worse. junk food gets much of the blame. a study found two-thirds of children's calorie intake comes from ultra processed foods. and coming up, forget the cooks in the kitchen. the big step toward using robots in restaurants. also ahead, a big change at ikea. [engine revving] [car horn and collisions] [tires squealing] just think, he'll be driving for real soon.

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♪ time to check "the pulse," and we begin with more robots serving up meals. the salad chain, sweetgreen, is buying spice, a boston restaurant known for its automated kitchen and it's able to cook and serve salads with no human intervention. there is no word yet on the terms of the deal. >> sweetgreen says it's looking to fill orders faster and give on preparing food.ime to focus - i just ate there yesterday. next, americans' love affair with thrift stores is apparently more passionate than ever. >> and now there's a new option for shoppers looking to buy secondhand clothes. urban outfitters is the latest major retailer to launch a thrift store app which will serve as a marketplace for sellers and buyers. the online resale market has exploded in recent months. analysts predict sales double in the next five years. here's another clothing trend that's taking off, crocheting. the headline in "the wall street journal" declared crocheted clothes not just for grannies anymore. one man who helped make it popular is olympic diver tom

daly who was crocheting a cardigan by the pool during the tokyo olympics. >> he was in it to win it. furniture, ikea is trying to make its stores more shopper friendly. >> the feeling of being lost in the past.y soon be a thing of - the company is testing new store layouts without the confusing aisles. the more open design includes showrooms and shops and an area where employees help build customers' items. there's also a cafe. >> as long as it has swedish meatballs, i think everybody will be happy. next, a thrilling stunt from the upcoming "mission: impossible 7" movie. >> tom cruise was among those watching the scene unfold as a locomotive train went plunging off this cliff into a quarry in england. >> the track was built especially for this crash. now, the pandemic has delayed production by months. and finally sometimes you just have a bad day. >> yeah, like this little dog. he's just looking for a drink of water and stumbles right into his bowl, but the key to life is getting up after you fall. >> that was me this morning. just straight nosedive. >> this is me every morning.

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try nervivenerve relief. checking t checking the top stories, president biden is standing by his august 31st deadline to withdraw u.s. troops from afghanistan despite growing pressure to stay longer to help more americans and afghans escape. the taliban is vowing to stop afghans from fleeing. u.s. intelligence still isn't sure where covid-19 came from. reports say an analysis delivered to president biden tuesday was inconclusive with a lack of information from china. biden ordered the assessment 90 days ago. in california more than 300 ballots for next month's recall election were found inside a man's car. police say this is likely a case of stolen mail and not an attempt to influence the election, which will decide whether governor gavin newsom will be recalled. today's weather, a heat advisory in the northeast. strong winds and rain from the dakotas to michigan. triple-digit heat across the south and the southwest.

and finally paying tribute to rolling stones' drummer charlie watts. >> he died yesterday at the age of 80. and here's will ganss. ♪ you make a grown man cry ♪ >> reporter: this morning the music world celebrating the life of charlie watts, the man who put the rock into rock 'n' roll. >> charlie was a rock and a fantastic drummer, steady as a rock. >> reporter: watts the longtime drummer of the rolling stones playing alongside mick jagger, keith richards and ronnie wood. >> charlie watts was not showy. he played in the back of the band. he didn't take long drum solos. but he was the heart and soul of that band. >> reporter: watts was born in wembley in the uk in 1941. his parents said he was a pint-sized percussionist even then tapping out tunes on the table with pieces of wood or a knife and fork until his parents finally bought him a drum kit at the age of 14.

watts joining the stones in 1963 with the band for such hits as "paint it black," "aftermath" and "i can't get no satisfaction." in addition to his musicianship, watts became well known as a fashion plate. on tuesday elton john calling watts the most stylish of men and such brilliant company. posh maybe, but not always poised. the legendary drummer once reportedly punched mick jagger in the face at a hotel in amsterdam after an inebriated jagger said to watts, you're only my drummer. the duo going on to make amends and going on to make music together for decades. his three rolling stones brothers paying tribute in photos this morning from ronnie wood to mick jagger and keith richards tweeting this photo of a drum set and a sign reading, closed. charlie ugererapnd his belovewi of fiveec

>> our condolenccahis rn morning america."or "good - right now on "america this morning," the race to evacuate speeds up. what president biden is now saying about the deadline to withdraw troops from afghanistan and growing concern about a terror attack. we hear from an afghan translator currently hiding in kabul, plus the looming crisis at a u.s. base where afghan refugees are being flown. apocalyptic, that's the description as a major wildfire approaches lake tahoe, california. thick smoke blanketing towns the air quality, worst on record. how fire crews are responding.

new overnight, a ruling from the supreme court on president biden's immigration policy. former president trump's plan now being reinstated.