♪ right now on "america this morning" -- >> the urgent new security alert for americans racing to evacuate afghanistan. with the u.s. withdrawal deadline fast approaching, two dozen school students from california among those trying to get out. what the embassy is saying this morning. plus a stunning new statement from the taliban. what they're now saying act osama bin laden's role in the 9/11 attacks. more extreme heat bearing down on much of the country. millions facing feels-like temperatures of 110 degrees as more wild fires erupt in california prompting new evacuations. what to expect today plus the new activity in the tropics with three potential storms forming. a controversial crackdown on people refusing to get

vaccinated against covid. delta airlines announcing it will force unvaccinated employees to pay higher insurance premiums. how the ceo is defending the policy. plus, new data about the added protection booster shots can provide. also this morning, a wakeup call about high blood pressure and some easy ways to lower it. stunt gone wrong. the unscripted drama during filming of the new "black panther" movie the star left hospitalized. later, the saying goes until the cows came home but these cows took that literally. >> announcer: from abc news in new york, this is "america this morning." good thursday morning, everyone. we begin with breaking news from afghanistan. an urgent new warning to americans trying to evacuate before the u.s. withdrwal deadline next tuesday. >> they're being told not to approach the airport in kabul and we learned two dozen school students from california are among the people trying to get out. overnight, the state department

sending out an urgent warning, telling u.s. citizens in afghanistan to avoid traveling to the airport in kabul because of security threats outside of the gates. the alert also warning any americans gathering at three specific airport gates to leave immediately, adding be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially in large crowds. it's not clear what prompted the advisory, but earlier secretary of state antony blinken expressed concern about threats from a new branch of isis, isis-k. >> we're operating in a hostile environment in a city and country now controlled by the taliban with the very real possibility of an isis-k attack. >> up to 1,500 americans remain inside afghanistan. among them, 23 students from a school near san diego. >> extremely, extremely worried. >> the students were visiting family over summer vacation when the taliban took over. >> we understand currently that they're still in homes with families and friends, so we're

hopeful. >> u.s.-led evacwagtss are ramping up, 19,000 people were flown out of the country between tuesday and wednesday, but outside the airport a chaotic scramble. these civilians facing desperate conditions wading in knee-deep sewage waving their documents hoping to get out. parents are using markers to write their names on bodies after reports of families being separated. heavily-armed taliban are patrolling the streets after we learn about the arsenal left behind. 22,000 humvees and about 150 aircraft all of it possibly now in the hands of taliban fighters. meanwhile, in a new interview, a taliban spokesperson making a stunning claim when discussing the reason behind the 20-year war claiming there's no proof that osama bin laden was behind the september 11th attacks. >> there's no evidence, even 2506 years of war, we have no proof he was involved.

>> so it sounds like even now after all of this, you're accepting no responsibility? >> there was no justification for this war. it was excuse for war. the withdraw is almost finished. these are our happiest moments. >> as for the evacuation of americans, pentagon says helicopter missions are rescuing people behind taliban lines. the state department says it will keep evacuating people after that august 31st deadline, but has not explained how. now to california where the wild fire threat could be spreading south. a new fire last night burned at least a dozen homes and several hundred acres in san bernardino county 50 miles east of los angeles. that region's high fire season typically comes later in the year. matt cues and his family lost everything they had. >> that was my house. that was my good friend's house. very difficult to see something that you built and just -- this

hurts. >> according to witnesses an excavator hit a rock sparking that wild fire. meanwhile the state's largest wild fires are burning in northern califonia where hot and dry conditions are fueling the flames. this video of a dust devil was taken near redding. crews are fighting more than 90 fires across the state and the smoke from the fires has triggered air quality alerts in seven states all the way to colorado. now to the pandemic, new data on booster shots coming as covid hospitalizations across the country top 100,000 for the first time since january. we're also learning about changes to the water supply in florida, all related to the crisis that hospitals face there. faith, good morning. >> good morning to you, andrew. in some hospitals the situation is so dire they're running out of life-saving equipment. this morning, more hospitals are in need of ventilators as the number of covid patients across the country hits a seven-month high. >> it's a very different beast,

this covid. >> reporter: hospitals in georgia and texas now receiving hundreds of ventilators from the u.s. stockpile. in galveston, this covid ward at this hospital is full. nearly all covid patients in the ic rurks on ventilators and all but one are unvaccinated. >> i say everyday, i wish those people could take a walk through these units and see what these patients are going through. >> reporter: in florida hospitals are running low on liquid oxygen needed to operate ventilators and a key kpaent in purifying water. residents in tampa now being asked to conserve water and they're being warned of a slight change in the taste and color of the tap water because the city is no longer using liquid oxygen to treat it. all this coming as the cdc advisory board plans to meet next week to discuss the roll-out of covid vaccine booster shots. on wednesday, pfizer and johnson & johnson revealed data showing their booster shots dramatically increased protection. >> the johnson & johnson shot, a booster shot, can raise the

antibodies up to nine times and pfizer can raise it about three times. that's really important because that might actually not only prevent some of the infections of people already vaccinate but prevent the spread in the future. >> reporter: now more drama from both sides of the debate over mask mandates. in connecticut, anti-mask protesters disrupted the governor's discussion about the new school year. [ screaming ] >> reporter: and in texas, a man in favor of mask mandates stripped down to his underwear at the school board meeting to prove his point. >> at work they make me wear this jacket. i hate it. simple protocol, people. we follow certain rules. we follow certain rules for a very good reason. >> guys the current surge in covid cases is taking a terrible toll in young people. louisiana, the latest victims include a high school football

andrew?and baby under > >at this half hour, we'll have new details on how some companies are punishing workers who refuse to get vaccinated. a terrifying scene in miami beach florida. police say a man high on mushrooms hoped fire at a family eating on south beach. he told them he felt empowered by the mushrooms and targeted two tourists randomly, killing one of them. the family of the man who died sid he was able to save his 1-year-old son's life by getting between the baby and the shooter now charged with murder. the congressional committee investigating january's attack on the capitol is now seeking a massive amount of records from the trump white house. the requests covers documents and communications from members of the former president's inner circle, including the former first lady, trump's three oldest children, his son-in-law jared kushner and other top aides. trump released a statement last night saying his executive privilege will be defended. a militia member from michigan will spend more than six years

in prison for plotting to kidnap the governor. ty garbin is the first opinions sentenced in connection with last year's plot. six men were charged in the scheme to kidnap the governor claiming they were angry about her coronavirus restrictions. tore suspects are scheduled to go on trial in october. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. hore s go on trial in october. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. eore so go on trial in october. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. ore s to go on trial in october. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. ore su to go on trial in october. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. tore sd to go on trial in october. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. hore s scheduled to go on trial in october. time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. to go . time now for a look at your thursday morning weather. the heat is building in several states. temperatures will be over 100 today from dallas to washington, d.c. on the radar, thunderstorms are building in the plains and upper midwest. the biggest threat will be damaging winds and hail. o wednesday, gusty winds hit the gulf of mexico, waterspouts were seen off the coast of louisiana and texas. forecasters are closely watching three tropical waves. one could be a named storm in and coming up, a wakeup call

when it comes to high blood pressure. also ahead, the growing outrage after video shows police repeated will beating a black man in louisiana. why it took so long for the video to surface. later, a stunt goes wroj later, a stunt goes wroj during filming of the new "black trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high you know how i feel ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel ♪ [man: coughing] ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day... ♪ no matter how you got copd it's time to make a stand. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed.

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>> reporter: this morning, video kept secret for more than two years shows a louisiana state trooper beating a black man in the head with a flashlight. >> i didn't do nothing, man. >> fighting is not going to help you, bud. >> i'm not fighting you. >> you are. >> reporter: body camera video shows aaron bowman as trooper jacob brown hit him 18 times within 24 seconds after a traffic violation in 2019. >> i'm scared. i'm your brother. i'm scared. >> reporter: it came only three weeks after a similar deadly encounter between louisiana state police and a black driver, ronald green, which also only recently became public. troopers said green died after a car crash but video revealed troopers dragging him and beating him before his death. aaron bowman was forcibly taken to the ground and the trooper claimed he had hit a deputy and described the beating as pain compliance. >> please.

hit me in the head with a flashlight. >> reporter: bowman tells the associated press he was left with a broken jaw, ribs and wrist and needed six staples to his head. >> i thought i was going to die that night. all i could do was breathe. >> reporter: he denies ever hitting an officer and filed a civil lawsuit. police later concluded trooper brown did use excessive and unjustifiable actions and failed to report the use of force to his supervisors and intentionally mislabeled his body camera video. brown was charged with battery and resigned earlier this year. >> there are individuals that are clearly bad apples, but i think what we also see is that this is not just bad apples but also a rotten tree. >> reporter: louisiana state police say they recently reformed training and practices in hopes of rebuilding trust within the community. andrea fujii, abc news. a wake-up call this morning about skyrocketing blood pressure numbers. researchers say the number of people over 30 with high blood pressure doubled in the last three decades and despite easy

and inexpensive treatments, more than half of those people are going untreated. 8.5 million deaths are blamed on hypertension every year. it found lower blood pressure among those who consume foods rich in flavonoids like red wine, berries and apples. the big play at the little league world series. but first a controversial crackdown on people who refuse to get vaccinated against covid. the higher insurance premiums they'll have to pay.

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back now and new details about that catastrophic flooding that swept through rural tennessee. emergency officials confirm a final death toll of 20 people. they say 272 homes were destroyed and another 168 were badly damaged. "black panther" star wright was hospitalized after being injured on the set of the sequel "wakanda forever." the 27-year-old reprising her role as shuri was filming a stunt in boston when hurt. her injuries are described as minor and they are not expected to delay production. we turn now to a controversial new punishment for people saying no to the covid vaccine. their bosses are making them pay higher insurance premiums and making them give back sick days. this morning, a new cost facing those unwilling to get vaccinated against covid. delta air lines now saying unvaccinated employees will soon face a $200 monthly surcharge on their health insurance. >> this is not just costing lives, this is costing us

financial resources as well. >> reporter: delta's ceo says on average employees who were hospitalized with covid cost the company $50,000 per person. >> if i'm in a small company and an unvaccinated person gets covid and has to be hospitalized, my rates for premiums next year will go up. >> reporter: before vaccines were available many insurance companies waived all costs related to covid treatment but now that may not be the case. >> but they've rolled back those waivers now, so if you are hospitalized with covid, even for, you know, five days and you don't need the icu, you could very well end up with a bill approaching $100,000. a >> reporter: we spoke with one woman who does not want her name used. she says her husband spent three weeks on a ventilator before he could get the covid vaccine. after going to several rehab facilities she says their insurance claimed his treatment would be fully covered. but they walked away with millions of dollars in bills.

while much of that may still be covered, they're waiting on apovs cing collection notiming due now. the insurance company to find out who is going to be paid. who is not going to be paid. >> unlike united airlines, delta stopped short of mandating the vaccine and limit the number of sick days unvaccinated workers can take if they get covid. it was a late night that turned into an early morning. the dodgers needed 16 innings to beat the padres overnight finally going ahead with this home run, 5-3 the final score. in all the teams needed 19 pitchers to get the job done. the game lasted a total of five hours and 49 minutes. well, coming up, what some people are willing to give up to keep working from home after the pandemic. also an unusual home invasion. the is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®!

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♪ time to check "the pulse" we begin with americans who never want to return to the office again. >> remote workers are willing to pay the price to keep working from home, pandemic or not. a new survey found most employees are willing to take a pay cut of 5% to continue working remotely. >> and 46% of them say they're willing to give up a quarter of their paid time off to stay home. next, daniel and mr. miyagi may be coming to new york. >> this time their story will be set to music. the karate kid the musical will make its debut in st. louis next may. its creators hope the four-week stint of wax on, wax off, paint the fence will eventually lead to a run on broadway. sweep the leg. >> wax on. wax off. next, to the future, family game night it is here. >> all your favorite board games are now wrapped up in a touch

screen coffee table. the infinity game table comes with more than 40 classic games from monopoly, scrabble, candyland and operation. >> the wi-fi enabled table promises to modernize play with a 24 inch screen allowing six people to play remotely. it costs $650 and clean-up is free. next, a real life story of the cows coming home but not in a good way. >> a woman in australia says her two cows got loose, broke into her house while she was gone and trashed the place. she had locked them in the backyard before going out. >> she lost clothes and plants and even needs to get a new floor installed. >> i could smell it. >> holy cow. finally, a few good food and drink mash-up few people saw coming. >> we're talking about flaming hot cheetos and mountain dew. it's a citrusy soda filled with the hot spice of flaming hot cheetos. the new soda is available

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the only thing stronger than us, is you. ♪ checking the top stories. the state department says up to 1,500 american citizens remain in afghanistan. next tuesday's withdrawal deadline approaches. situation on the ground is anything but secure. the embassy issued an urgent warning overnight about the potential for a terror attack near kabul airport. nine lawyers who fought for former president trump trying to overturn the election results in michigan are now facing sanctions from a judge. the lawyers including sidney powell have been ordered to pay financial penalties and get new legal training for what the judge called a profound abuse of the judicial process. the extreme drought combined with this year's heat is taking a toll on crops like corn, wheat and soy beans. supplies of those crops are expected to drop to an eight-year low. increasing heat in the western fire zones, hot and humid across the south and

another s northeast and stormny in parts of the midwest. a woman in wisconsin turned dad jokes into a form of inspiration. tom and jennifer of madison, wisconsin, are doing something in their front yard that's really taking the hedge off. >> my wife's birthday tomorrow and she's been leaving jewelry catalogs everywhere. so i bought her a magazine rack. >> i cancelled my subscription to the scrabble club. now they're sending me threatening letters. >> reporter: the husband and wife duo have been posting a dad joke a day in their front yard since the start of the pandemic. the idea, to provide some levity to their neighbors during a difficult time. >> people would be coming up to me and saying, hey, we really enjoy the dad jokes you've been putting out. and i said, well, i can't really take the credit for it. >> reporter: that's right. the dad joke a day concept came from mom. >> i have to laugh when i read these. i ate a kids meal at mcdonald's today.

his mom got really mad. >> reporter: tom and jennifer running each joke by their teenage daughter. >> she rolled her eyes on it, then we know, well, that'sadorr their neighbor's chuckle, it's provided inspiration to many to stay active. >> when it was really cold with boots and caps and jackets and i didn't feel like, but then i thought, oh, if i don't go, i'll miss the joke of the day. >> she hasn't missed a day since january. >> how awesome that she has something that she can look forward to at the end of this getting out and moving around again and then she gets a reward by a little funny joke. >> you're caring for your neighbors. you're caring for them to have a laugh or a smile because that might be the only one you have in a day. ♪ tom and jennifer are hoping to bring more neighbors in on the joke and have different families post the dad joke each day so everyone else can stay active, go for a walk and try to find the dad joke of the day.

>> how do you find will smith in the snow? >> i d ♪ right now on "america this morning" -- >> the urgent new security alert for americans racing to evacuate afghanistan. with the u.s. withdrawal deadline fast approaching, two dozen school students from california among those trying to get out. what the embassy is saying this morning. plus a stunning new statement from the taliban. what they're now saying act osama bin laden's role in the 9/11 attacks. more extreme heat bearing down on much of the country. millions facing feels-like temperatures of 110 degrees as more wild fires erupt in california prompting new evacuations. what to expect today plus the new activity in the tropics with three potential storms forming. a controversial crackdown on people refusing to get