good morning, america. state of emergency. louisiana bracing for hurricane ida expected to hit as a life-threatening cat 4 with 15-foot storm surge and 20 inches of rain. covid patients in hospitals unable to be moved. >> evacuations are just not possible. >> we have team coverage of this dangerous storm. breaking overnight. leave immediately. americans advised about new security threats at the kabul airport as a u.s. drone strike targets an isis-k member planning attacks on americans and we learn the names of our troops who gave their lives protecting others. team coverage including our report from ramstein air base in germany. hospital struggle. states running out of hospital

beds and resources as the u.s. releases a new report about the origins of covid-19. plus, the battle over mask mandates in schools. the latest court ruling. fire threat. flames edging closer to lake tahoe. smoke pushing air quality to hazardous levels. tens of thousands of people under evacuation orders this morning. march on washington. huge crowds expected on the anniversary of dr. king's "i have a dream" speech fighting legislation seen as a threat to voting rights. and climate crisis. "gma" up close at the melting greenland ice sheet. >> this is one of the places on earth where the climate crisis is at its most acute. >> the first of its kind race to raise awareness to some cold facts. good morning, america.

dan has the morning off. we are happy to have janai with us on the desk this morning. >> not a bad fill-in for dan, i think. maybe he'll agree. >> a familiar one too because we know you well. we are following a lot of breaking news. the u.s. carrying out a drone strike in afghanistan overnight saying it killed a member of isis-k involved in possibly planning additional attacks at the kabul airport. in addition, all u.s. citizens there are being urged to avoid traveling to that airport. we will have more on that in a moment. but we do begin with a major threat to the gulf coast. hurricane ida slamming western cuba overnight and is now barreling toward louisiana where the governor has declared a state of emergency. >> the state bracing for what could be a direct hit from a powerful category 4 storm. miami sending a task force with truckloads of equipment including generators, food and medical supplies. we have team coverage, but first let's go to rob with the latest on where ida is heading and the damage that it could do. rob, good morning.

>> good morning, janai. this is a dire situation setting up for the communities in southeast louisiana, and it will make landfall on the 16th anniversary of hurricane katrina, so that is ominous in itself. let's show you where it is, it's about 400 miles south of the mouth of the mississippi river. it weakened somewhat and went through cuba. you see the last couple frames of this shot and they get more bright and pink into the warm waters of the gulf of mexico. there's a warm eddy there and it's reall toasty, so expect rapid intensification. key west, some gutsy winds, category 1 to category 4 potentially at landfall tomorrow afternoon, so this is moving pretty quickly. you don't have much time to prepare here. morgan city all the way down through new orleans and weakening somewhat as it goes inland. but we'll have a big surge with this, along the mouth of the mississippi river. outside the levee zones, it will be inundated. 10 to 15 feet of that and on top of that we will see rainfall in excess of 10 inches to 15 inches in some spots and that could be in new orleans proper where they could have a tough time pumping out the water. today for anybody in the storm

zone, eva, is the time to prepare or get out. >> good advice for people in keep in mind today. there are mandatory evacuations that have been ordered for those outside the levees in the new orleans areas but hospital patients are being forced to shelter in place. abc's victor oquendo is in new orleans with the preparations under way and the warnings from local officials. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, eva. we are along lake pontchartrain. rob just mentioned it. today is the last day to make sure that you have your hurricane plan in place and the time something definitely eerie. tomorrow marks 16 years to the day hurricane katrina made landfall. this morning, hurricane ida gaining strength barreling through the gulf towards louisiana expected to rapidly intensify into a category 4. residents are desperately preparing. overnight, long stretches of cars seen lined up at this gas station in new orleans. others boarding up and bagging sand.

>> i've come pretty close to getting sand in my house several times. so you have to do what you have to do to protect your property. >> reporter: city officials closing the levees and the new orleans mayor saying it's time to shelter in place. >> we are not calling for a mandatory evacuation because the time simply is not on our side. we do not want to have people on the road and therefore in greater danger because of the lack of time. >> reporter: in louisiana, with one of the highest covid-19 case rates per capita in the country, the numbers are so high hospitals are unable to evacuate patients. >> evacuations are just not possible. we don't have any place to bring those patients. not in state, not out of state. >> reporter: the storm already forcing some testing and vaccine sites to shut down early. >> this is a large hurricane. we have to be ready for that. we know we are going to have higher census because of the covid patients in the hospital. and so we're preparing for both simultaneously. >> reporter: we met dr. tanner lipsack still in his scrubs

from treating covid patients now preparing to board up his home. >> this is a bit of a mess. but we're doing the best we can fema personnel have been deployed to the gulf coast bracing for ida's landfall. fema has also pre-positioned additional resources like food, water and generators, president biden has already been in touch with the governors of louisiana, mississippi and alabama. whit. >> all right, victor, thank you. we'll have much more on hurricane ida throughout the broadcast, but we do want to turn now to the crisis in afghanistan and the breaking news overnight, a u.s. drone strike targeting a member of isis-k involved in possibly planning additional attacks at the kabul airport. as all u.s. citizens are urged to avoid the area in order to stay safe, abc's julia macfarlane is in london with the latest. julia, good morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, whit. that's right, this new warning comes after news overnight of that drone strike targeting isis

in afghanistan. the embassy now ordering people to stay away from the airport regardless of whether or not they had prior instructions to go there for evacuations. breaking overnight, air strike in afghanistan. a u.s. drone hitting a member of the islamic state. a u.s. official saying the target was involved in planning attacks against americans in kabul but not linked to thursday's deadly bombing at the airport. the strike coming as the u.s. national security team warns another terror attack on afghanistan is likely. >> we certainly are prepared and would expect future attempts. we're monitoring these threats very, very specifically virtually in realtime. >> reporter: the deadline for withdrawal now less than four days away. according to the white house, 6,800 people have been evacuated in a 12-hour period. but chaos unfolding at the airport. a woman seen holding this 3-month-old baby who is a u.s. citizen.

their family going three days without food and water as they try to avoid the taliban. the biden administration saying friday u.s. commanders are making adjustments on the ground after a suicide bomber killed 13 service members thursday, but warned the next few days are the most dangerous. >> they are beginning the retrograde process. they will also be mindful of troop posture and keeping the men and women of our military safe to the degree they can. >> reporter: the pentagon now saying it was just one suicide bomber at the airport, not two as officials initially believed. the blast also killing about 170 afghans. also this morning, new details about a secret operation dubbed "the pineapple express." a group of all veteran americans troops who smuggled about 500 afghan allies late wednesday night into the airport before that deadly bomb. meanwhile, back home, american soldiers desperately efforting evacuations for their afghan partners. david maple says he spent three years in afghanistan and teamed up with his fellow veterans to

help evacuate two of their interpreters and their families and are working on helping one more. >> after they clear the taliban, get to the gate. and i'm able to talk with an american or i'm waiting for one of my people there on ground to pull them in. >> reporter: overnight, new details about the troops who gave their lives to save others including navy corpsman max soviak and marines corporal hunter lopez and lance corporals kareem nikoui, david espinoza, jared schmitz and rylee mccollum. >> and 3:30 this morning i got a knock on the door. it's just like you see in the movies. there's two marines standing on the porch, and that's how we found out that he was involved. >> reporter: mccollum just three weeks away from welcoming his first child. >> he was hoping to come back right around the time the baby was born. but, yeah, he knew he was excited. he would have been a great father. he was ready. he was happy. >> reporter: and some more news this morning. on evacuations, u.s. officials

say around three dozen unaccompanied afghan children have been taken into u.s. custody after being evacuated. now around a third of them have been reunited with their families. janai. >> that is some good news but still thinking about all those families impacted. julia, thank you. and the american service members wounded in the bombing outside the airport have been flown to ramstein air base in germany. abc's will reeve is there with the latest on the injured. will, good morning. >> reporter: janai, abc news has learned within minutes of thursday's attack at the airport in kabul, u.s. c-17s were on their way from here with medical supplies, other lifesaving equipment. at a briefing at the pentagon on friday, general hank taylor said that two flights landed here friday carrying our wounded personnel, and they had been transferred to ramstein regional medical center to receive care. an air force spokesperson said there is a strategic pause in

terms of flights coming in, but they have processed many, many people, more than 20,000 evacuees have come through here to ramstein air base and more than 5,000 evacuees have departed on 22 flights. asylum seekers here such as former u.s. local staff in afghanistan and their families are leaving their homeland for fear of the taliban. they're initially accommodated in tents and aircraft hangars here at the base. they will be registered, medically treated if necessary. so, again, those u.s. personnel who have been wounded, we can't learn much more about them but we know that those who did come here on those two flights landed and were taken to receive care right next to the base, the base is on a strategic pause as they try to process the sheer number of evacuees coming in from afghanistan as the taliban has taken kabul and in the aftermath of that deadly attack at the airport on thursday. eva. >> will reeve for us there and the taliban is now asking u.s. diplomats to remain in afghanistan. abc's white house correspondent maryalice parks is on the north lawn with how the biden

administration is handling that request, security concerns and backlash over the handling of this crisis. good morning to you, maryalice. >> reporter: good morning, eva. the white house has been adamant that the u.s. will still be able to conduct counterterrorism missions like the one we saw last night even after the military leaves but they are, of course, facing questions about how challenging that work might get when they don't have people on the ground. white house press secretary jen psaki was asked about the president's promise to specifically make the terrorists responsible for the attack at the airport pay. she did not mince words yesterday saying the president made clear he does not want them to live on the earth anymore. the state department yesterday said they plan to keep working to get vulnerable afghans out after the withdrawal deadline and that the taliban like you said even after 20 years of fighting have asked them to keep a diplomatic presence on the ground. now, the state department spokesperson said no decision on that had been made. of course, it would be so hard to do that without troops there for protection.

as far as those who have been evacuated, customs and border protection said they have flagged a very small number of individuals for concern during their vetting. they have surge personnel to help with just the crush of cases as people wait on military bases to come to the united states and -- or be resettled elsewhere and here in washington we have just heard a drumbeat of criticism, a number of republicans have gone so far as to say that the president should resign. the white house saying that it's easy to criticize from the outside but that this is not the time for political mudslinging, whit. >> all right, maryalice, thank you. let's bring in retired army lieutenant general doug lute, a former u.s. ambassador to nato. he joins us now from arlington, virginia. ambassador lute, good to have you. it's good to have you. first, i want to get your thoughts on the breaking news on the u.s. drone strike targeting an isis-k planner. the u.s. is warning of additional attacks in these final days, but the evacuation mission is still under way. is there a risk this strike

could make the situation even more dangerous for our troops on the ground there? >> no, actually i think the strike demonstrates what the president promised, which was the development and execution of an over-the-horizon capability to strike terrorists if they pop up in afghanistan. and striking just in the wake of the current attack or the tragic attack at kabul air base, i think actually suppresses the isis capability and causes them to actually seek cover, lie low, if you will, and probably has a good effect in terms of security around the airport. >> i'm sure many people are hoping you are correct on that. i do want to talk about the volunteer group of american veterans, they've been working unofficially to get at-risk afghan elite forces and their families out of the country. details of the mission truly extraordinary. there will be books, documentaries and things that come out telling this story.

but why did it come to this and what does it say that these veterans feel compelled to act on their own without the help of the u.s. government? >> well, i think, first of all, it shows the very close, tight, dedicated personal connection, interpersonal connection between american soldiers, american diplomats and the afghans who have worked so closely with us with such dedication over the years. look, the reality is that the situation on the ground dictated the sort of tight security perimeter provided by the u.s. military and it was only based on that tight security perimeter that these sorts of -- these sorts of very hazardous, very risky operations took place. i don't know any details, but they're certainly inspiring stories. >> yeah, and they say they're able to get hundreds out of afghanistan to the airport. i want to get your take on this

too because obviously you're an ambassador to nato, which we mentioned. but what does the crisis in afghanistan mean for america standing on the world stage and how allies feel about the u.s. and its ability to keep its word, keep its commitments? >> well, look, america is standing. america's reputation in the world among nato allies but even more broadly, i think, rests on two pillars. first, american values and, second, america's competence. america's ability to deliver on those values. and, look, there's no question that the events of the last several days and weeks place both of those in question and they've been challenged. i don't think they're existential challenges. i don't think they're decisive. america will bounce back and our allies have been with us through tough times before and i think they'll stay with us this time as well. >> so much at stake, ambassador lute, thank you for your time. we do appreciate it. eva. time for a check of the weather and let's check in with rob marciano in norwalk, connecticut, he's tracking

hurricane ida, which is expected to make landfall in the gulf this weekend. hey, rob. >> it's coming, and it's expected to grow in size, grow in intensity, and because of that, it's going to be a long duration event. tropical storm force winds are likely to come ashore as early as later on tonight. so warnings have been up and this is your time to get out or prepare. hurricane warnings, morgan city all the way around through new orleans to the mississippi coastline. we mentioned the surge. let's talk about the wind. the wind field will grow as well. we could see tropical storm force winds in some cases for over 15 hours. look at that gust our computer models are picking up. grand isle, 127 miles per hour potentially tomorrow afternoon, and then making landfall sometime late tomorrow into tomorrow night. morgan city, then pushing up towards baton rouge, between there and lafayette, new orleans, we'll see damaging winds as well. rainfall, we mentioned this, and the rainfall will go into mississippi, it's going to go into tennessee which has seen extraordinary flooding over the

past two weeks, so this is not just a louisiana event. this is going to impact the entire southeast especially in the way of more flooding. that's a check on what's happening with hurricane ida. as we wrap up the last weekend in august, it's also the peak of hurricane season. this is what we see year in and year out, ida, a big storm coming in. guys, back over to you. >> we were talking about that and we know it's going to be a busy couple of days so we will be thinking about you and everyone in the storm's track, rob, thank you. but we do want to turn now

to something we can all get behind, the kickoff of college football season and the return of "college gameday." heisman trophy winner and espn football analyst, desmond howard, joins us live with a preview. thank you so much for being with us. a lot to be excited about, but i want to know what excites you most about today's big match-up between alcorn state and north carolina central. >> janai, neither team has played football in over 600 days so first that's something to look at because you want to see if they make mistakes out of the gate and how their conditioning is. when you get beyond that alcorn state, the last time we saw them play a game was a championship game. it was a shootout, but they lost. they're going to come into this match-up today with a bad taste in their mouth. they want to prove that they are better than the team that we saw the last time they took the field, but n.c. central are out to prove that they belong in the championship too. this is going to be a great matchup for the hbcus. >> a great match-up for those hbcus on this big weekend.

what player are you most excited about seeing this season? >> you know, janai, ohio state has this quarterback, cj stroud, he's the guy who is taking over for justin fields, some big shoes to fill, but he has ryan day as his head coach and his play caller. ryan day is one of the top five offensive minds and one of the best receiving corps, some say the best in all of college football with garrett wilson so i want to see how this young man comes out and play. is he going to have some jitters? issing going to make some young inexperienced mistakes? and then when he settles in, how is he going to take ohio state to where we think they belong. >> and, desmond, i wouldn't let you come on "gma" and not put you on the spot. where does ohio state belong and who are some of your favorites to win the national championship this year? >> now, that's a very good question. preseason picks you will pick ohio state just because of what they've done and who they are. i mean, they recruit very well.

ryan day, his staff, they do a tremendous job at developing talent. so you will put ohio state in the mix, then you got the usual suspects, you have clemson, you know, they're breaking in a new quarterback too, but dabo swinney has done a tremendous job. they're seeking their seventh straight acc championship title and, of course, nick saban and alabama. they're breaking in a new quarterback too, bryce young, so those are the usual suspects and don't forget lincoln riley and oklahoma, they're going to be in the mix too, so those are probably the preseason picks right now for the teams in the college football playoff. that's why we play the game, janai, because you never know. strange things happen and so i'm excited to see this season unfold. >> looking forward to it. desmond, i forgive you for not saying mizzou. i went to school there. we'll see what happens. but thank you. and you can tune in to "college gameday" starting at 9:00 a.m. eastern and see all the action when alcorn state takes on north carolina central tonight at 7:00 all on espn. >> s.e.c. schools over here.

>> i did notice he laughed off that last one. >> he certainly did. >> he sure did. still ahead, here on "gma," a judge strikes down the florida governor's ban on school mask mandates. how parents are reacting. plus, the man who assassinated senator robert f. kennedy gets a shot at freedom. and as texas moves forward its controversial election bill, how thousands are putting pressure on congress to safeguard voting rights across the country. stay with us. "good morning america" is sponsored by state farm. like a good neighbor, state farm is there. hey, uh, i didn't order any pizza. jake from state farm... after you saved me so much dough on insurance with that "parker promo” i devised a promo for you. here's the deal parker, state farm offers everyone surprisingly great rates. yeh, right. pepperoni pocketz, atomic brownie, cuckoo crustiez... there's no promo. just great rates. and a side of ranch. you're the man, man. when you want the real deal...like a good neighbor,

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california! during a flex alert, let's keep our power up and running. set ac cooler and use big appliances before 4pm. then from 4-9pm reduce use and take it easy on our energy. sign up today. >> >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc7 news. will stand together with the citizens of afghanistan and the protest for afghans lives. demonstrators are asking people to expedite the basis process

for refugees. the protest is part of a worldwide movement involving 30 cities. let us get a check of the forecast. >> the golden hour in san francisco and it looks nice. i almost tripped, it is hazy and smoky. and, look at all of the haze from emeryville. another hot day, and a spare the air alert. 78, san francisco. the onshore flow kicks up for sunday. >> thank you for joining us. one, two! one, two, three! only pay for what you need! with customized car insurance from liberty mutual! nothing rhymes with liberty mutual. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

and see how you can help make a difference. you can't run from your past. >> ooh, welcome back to "gma" on this saturday morning. we are just days away from marvel's latest superhero hitting the big screen coming up in "pop." we'll reveal which actress simu liu who joins the marvel universe as shang-chi was gushing over on the red carpet. i'm curious who it is. >> yeah, me too. looking forward to that, but now let's take a look at some of the other stories we're following this morning. happening right now, a u.s. drone strike hitting a member of the islamic state believed to be involved in planning attacks against americans in kabul but not linked to thursday's deadly airport bombing. the strike coming as the u.s.

national security team warns another terror attack on afghanistan is likely. the deadline for the u.s. withdrawal now just three days away. also right now, after 53 years behind bars, sirhan sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating senator robert f. kennedy in 1968, has been recommended for parole on his 16th try. the california governor will now decide the 77-year-old inmate's fate. and apple is changing gears, proposing a new policy allowing app developers to collect payments outside of the app store, this is part of a settlement agreement between apple and u.s. app developers. the proposed agreement also includes a $100 million payout from apple. and we do begin this half hour with the results just released of a review ordered by president biden. it's on the pandemic and it shows our intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but do not believe china developed it as a bioweapon. one thing though is for sure, the delta variant is running across much of the country among

the vaccinated. abc's trevor ault is outside a school here in new york city as a mask mandate ruling makes headlines. trevor, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, janai. outbreaks in schools are putting a renewed focus on those mask mandates and cdc recommendations but the growing concern that's really starting to bubble up is happening inside our hospitals. across the country, healthcare workers in overcrowded facilities are trying to find different locations where they can send their new patients but simply put in many areas there is not enough space for more sick people. this morning, as 102,000 americans are in the hospital in with covid-19, a new study estimates if you're not vaccinated, the delta variant doubles your risk of hospitalization. >> it is so preventable because the vaccine works. >> reporter: and with the delta variant surging, doctors in idaho warning they're running out of resources as the state reaches covid-19 hospitalization records unlike any other time during the pandemic.

but they say still nearby oregon, washington and nevada are overwhelmed with their numbers, and they're looking to send patients out of state to the facilities in idaho. >> probably the biggest limitation right now is with staff, they're just exhausted. >> reporter: and now icus in seven southern states are either at or approaching capacity. in florida, cape coral hospital opening an external morgue to make room for more of the dead. >> our morgues are just not designed to hold that many bodies. >> reporter: on friday, a judge in tallahassee overturning governor ron desantis' ban on mask mandates in schools. >> they simply do not have that authority. >> reporter: desantis vowing an immediate appeal. some districts like miami-dade had already imposed mandates anyway and were facing repercussions, but the ruling cements their decision. >> judge cooper affirmed the legality of the protocols adopted by our school system just last week. >> reporter: now, some parents

in counties without requirements say they're hopeful face covering policies can now be put in place. >> having that mandate, it will save not just our kids' lives, our grandparents and our lives. >> reporter: the cdc says 50% of american adolescents have now received their first shot. the agency still promoting its recommendations for continued in-person learning despite outbreaks in the classroom citing one instance where an unvaccinated teacher infected multiple students in the front row. utah teenager avi martinez was a healthy 15-year-old. >> there was nothing wrong with me. >> reporter: in december, he developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in response to a covid infection. he still hasn't fully recovered. >> what's killing me is that this happened out of nowhere. what else could happen, you know? it's a scary thing. it's real. >> reporter: and when discussing

the risks of covid-19, you'll often hear people only cite the high survival rate, but a new study out of wuhan found among people hospitalized with the virus, half of them were still experiencing at least one and one in three were still er - experiencing shortness of breath. eva. >> as much as we know now, there is still a lot we are learning about this virus. trevor ault for us there, thank you. out west this morning, the caldor fire relentlessly marching towards lake tahoe choking california's blue jewel with ash and soot. embers raining down on a nearby highway, the thick smoke reducing air quality to nearly 50 times what the w.h.o. considers unhealthy. thousands of firefighters battling triple-digit heat, drought and wind, which is forecast to turbocharge the flames this weekend. >> what's the biggest concern for you all here? >> well, the biggest concern i'd say is, you know, trying to get this thing out with the terrain, the heat, the fuels and then the wind. >> more than 40,000 people are now under evacuation orders.

let's get a check of the weather now. rob marciano watching severe weather across the country including that fire danger. it's just been relentless so far this year, rob. >> yeah, and that caldor fire has been burning for two weeks now, over 145,000 acres burned and just 19% containment. it's not just been burning but it's pumping bad things into the atmosphere, and people are breathing it. air quality a huge concern for tens of thousands of people across the west. here's a look at what we're looking at today, six states under air quality alerts. fire weather alerts from california to wyoming, and we've got excessive heat warnings continuing across the southwest. so that's not helping. you mentioned severe weather. we have five reported tornadoes yesterday in iowa. this is one not too far from mason city, touching down there. we have a severe weather threat today that we want to mention from sioux falls, sioux city, up through minneapolis. you might see some severe storms that could produce not just damaging winds and heavy rain but tornado possible nudged farther to the east and that goes into wisconsin as well. that's a check on what's

happening. severe weatherwise and fire this weather report sponsored by trelogy. of course, we'll have much more on hurricane ida at the top of the next hour. guys, back over to you. >> and we will check back in with you then, rob. coming up, still here on "good morning america," the urgent calls for action at today's voting rights marches in washington on the anniversary of martin luther king jr.'s "i have a dream" speech. and the greening of greenland. "gma" right there with how melting ice from climate change is affecting the country and the rest of the world. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪

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welcome back to "gma" on the 50th anniversary of martin luther king jr.'s "i have a dream speech." an indelible call for civil rights. today protests are planned in washington over concerns that new efforts to change voting laws may be a giant step backward in dr. king's vision. abc's ike ejiochi is here with

more. good morning to you, ike. >> reporter: good morning, eva. thousands of people from all over the country are converging right here in washington, d.c. now, i'm right in front of the square where the march will begin. from here the group will move to the national mall with the capitol as the backdrop. now, this time these thousands of marchers that will be here in these streets, they are marching to pressure congress to pass voting rights legislation. this morning, the lone star state is one step closer to new voting restrictions after the texas house of representatives passed sb-1, its election bill. the piece of legislation would ban several voting changes introduced during the pandemic like 24-hour polling places and drive-through voting. >> it is a matter, and i don't want to be hyperbolic, but it's a matter of life or death. >> reporter: texas state representative ron reynolds was 1 of the over 50 democrats bringing national attention to the battle in the lone star

state. representative reynolds says the bills passed in texas only puts more pressure on the senate to act. the battle for elections spreading across the country, over 400 similar bills have been proposed in several states prompting thousands to gather for the march for voting rights. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: earlier this week congress passing the john lewis voting rights advancement act. latosha brown, co-founder of black voters matter leading the make good trouble rally and says federal intervention is needed to protect minority voters. >> we're going to need both of those pieces of legislation to ensure that voters in this nation have access to their democratic right to vote. >> reporter: the john lewis voting rights act now heads to the senate where it faces hurdles. republicans have blocked it before reigniting calls by those on the left to end the filibuster. >> will they abide by the filibuster or choose democracy? it's one of the two. ♪ which side are you on ♪ [ crowd chanting ]

>> reporter: as the marches continue naacp president derrick johnson says the work to strengthen voting rights for all americans must also move forward. >> we're going to go back to all of the communities across the country and continue to make the right type of noise, to hold elected officials accountable. this is a constitutional matter, not a partisan consideration. >> reporter: now, senate majority leader chuck schumer has indicated that the senate will take up this issue when they return in september. whit. >> all right, ike, thank you so much. coming up here on "good morning america," race against time in greenland. your mission: stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... ...with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief.

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homelessness, housing, taxes, water, electricity, crime, wildfires. [sfx: bear roar] gavin, you've failed. we have to immediately cut taxes twenty-five percent. fix housing and homelessness. and make life in california affordable again. i'm a businessman, the only cpa running. shouldn't we choose ability this time? do you think john cox will be a better governor than gavin newsom? [sfx: bear roar] does a bear sh*t in the woods? back now on "gma" with the

vital part that greenland plays in the world as we know it. it may be the least densely populated region on earth, but what's happening there is important around the globe. abc's james longman is there with more including a race going on this morning. james, good morning to you. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, whit. and welcome to extreme-e. it's an electric truck race which draws attention to the world's worst environmental crises. where i am now might look like i'm on a beach, but i'm just in front of greenland's ice sheet and the russell glacier over that ridge behind me. but it used to be right where i am now just a few years ago. the ice melt here is of global consequence and we got to go out on the ice to see just what's going on. francesca is a greenlandic musher and she has 22, yes, 22 huskies to get her around. she's proud of her heritage and doesn't want to lose it. >> i would be sad if my children's children couldn't do what i'm doing now.

>> reporter: but with climate change melting the famed greenland ice sheet at an accelerated pace, that's an all too real possibility. from the sky we can see ice melt lakes forming on the surface, a beautiful but worrying development. >> see the pools of water, blue turquoise water is beautiful, but it's disturbing also because that means that these pools of water reflecting the solar radiation up. >> reporter: this is where the climate crisis is at its most acute, the water rushing off this ice sheet is contributing to the rise in global sea levels so from new york to shanghai, from new orleans to singapore, it's what happens here that could change all of our lives. we camped out to get a closer feel for the elements, and it rained continuously. the problem, that rain should be snow. this is where we slept last night, tiny little tent, me and the producer, quite close together, but right on this ice and this is what's incredible about this.

this is 30,000 years' worth of ice, 30,000 years' worth of snow which has been compacted to create all of this, and i want to show you right next to our tent you can see the water streaming down, this is a combination of the rain but also ice melt. in the shadow of this melting giant, an all-electric truck race to raise awareness of this danger. team usa's hummer ev is front and center. >> we're going to show you what a big gnarly heavy off-road capable electric truck looks like. >> reporter: the whole concept here the race teams are made up of men and women. so along with kyle leduc, we have sara price. she's this incredible race truck driver from california. she's also a stunt woman. she took me out for a drive, it was an extraordinary experience and this is the technology that's coming to all of us, electric cars really are the future, guys. >> fascinating race and up close look at the challenges of climate change. james longman, our thanks to you for that. we'll be right back with our "play of the day." thanks for that. we'll be right back with our "play of the day."

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♪ ♪ all right, back now on "gma" with our "play of the day," and it comes from a teacher who is wowing his students as well as the entire world. check out derek elwell from watertown high school in tennessee using both hands -- >> no way. >> -- at the same time to draw a symmetrical portrait without lifting the markers at any time. a student posting this video to tiktok writing, my art teacher is smooth with it. 5 million views on tiktok alone. elwell says he can't explain how he does it, but he's been developing the skill for years. look at that. >> i can't do anything with my left hand. this is like a useless thing right here. >> i can't with my right hand. >> wow, wow. "gma" is two hours on saturdays. coming up, tracking hurricane ida bearing down on the gulf coast. and we'll have the latest on her storm path.

also our "gma" cover story, covid and the classroom. what are the rights of parents and students? and home hacks. how to give your house major curb appeal. stick with us for a second hour. >> announcer: get excited. >> i'm excited. >> announcer: because steve martin, martin short and selena gomez are going to kill it. >> why would you say that? >> announcer: monday on "g >> bedding of -- building a better bay area, finding solutions. >> happening today, the dunbar requirement -- campground opens in fremont. you can see the view from sky seven. it is 63 campsites, showers, and a future plan and playground. future plans call for a special event center. more campsites -- center, more

campsites, and cabins. six you five dollars a night plus a reservation fee. it took 12 years to refill the pit using phil from the san francisco bar extension, subway, and other projects. a celebration of the lgbtq community is happening in the south bay. silicon valley pride is back for in-person festivities in san jose all weekend long. it kicks off tonight with a festival from 6:00 to 11:00 and picks back up noon. there will be headliners estelle and the austin. it ends at pleasure to see the -- the cesar chavez part. let's get a check in the forecast. air quality is a concern. >> we have an allaire -- an air alert today. you will notice unhealthy and orange. it will not get better today as northerly winds transport the smoke to the surface. we are watching these wines,

dry, relative humidity low, and a live look outside at our camera where numbers are well into the 60's already. 62 in mt. view, and for mount tam, not a great day for a bike ride or hike. you will see the smoke out there and it will be hot. 67 in concord. as we look at our highs, 102 in concord and livermore. 93 in san jose, upper 80's on the peninsula, late a sea breeze 70 downtown. >> thank you. >> thank you. the news continues with "g you doing okay with those new spicy tiny tacos, jack? yeah, it's funny some of those people you see, they... they can't handle it at all right? no, they can't. that's not you. that's not me. no. try my new spicy tiny tacos starting at $3.50.

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only at jack in the box. good morning, america. it's our second hour. hurricane ida rapidly intensifying in the gulf barreling towards the louisiana coast. the governor declaring a state of emergency. our team is on the ground in new orleans, plus, rob tracking the path. could ida make landfall as a major category 4 hurricane? breaking overnight. americans told to leave kabul airport immediately over new security threats. plus, a drone strike targets an isis-k member planning attacks on americans. the latest on the white house plans to get remaining americans and afghan allies out. also this morning, covid in the classroom. a florida state judge ruling against the governor's ban on a mask mandate as the school year starts and the delta variant