right now on "america this morning," breaking news, the wildfire emergency in northern california. flames now sweeping toward lake tahoe just hours after a mass evacuation. we take you to the front lines and the race to save well-known tourist resorts. at least two firefighters now hospitalized. bracing for ida. the remnants of the historic hurricane set to unleash possible tornadoes along the east coast today. up to 8 inches of rain along the busy i-95 corridor. and in louisiana, new images of the destruction, one town left buried in three feet of sand. people desperate for gas and rescue teams tried to save this cow left wedged inside a tree. after the pullout. we hear for the first time from some of the people left behind

in afghanistan after the u.s. withdrawal, and this morning, the first interview with former secretary of state mike pompeo. what he's saying about former president trump's deal with the taliban long before the chaos in kabul. plus, the new turmoil behind the scenes at "jeopardy!" the new pests wreaking havoc in the u.s. the danger posed by the spotted lantern fly. and later the weatherman and the unexpected interruption from his dog. good wednesday morning, everyone. we begin with the wildfire emergency in northern california at this hour. >> flames described as a hundred feet high are just miles from lake tahoe. the caldor fire is now surrounding popular tourist locations. new video shows firefighters racing to save the kirkwood ski resort south of lake tahoe. >> a photographer for "the new york times" capturing this

image, a firefighter in his badly damaged truck. overnight we learned two firefighters have been hospitalized with burns. abc's christine sloan has the latest. >> reporter: this morning mandatory evacuation orders around lake tahoe are expanding as a massive wildfire approaches the world famous resort area. as of tuesday night the caldor fire was only three miles from the hotels and casinos in south lake tahoe and the flames show no signs of slowing down. >> i don't know. i never would have predicted this so i don't know what to predict. >> reporter: one firefighter saying he never expected this area to be threatened by a wildfire. >> at no time did i ever think i'd be standing here right now. the erratic winds, the terrain, the dry weather, it's just done stuff i never would have believed would have happened. >> reporter: overnight the caldor fire was only 18% contained already burning 200,000 acres along with nearly

500 homes. 34,000 buildings now threatened. on tuesday, smoke billowing across a highway in south lake tahoe where just hours earlier tens of thousands of people evacuated. >> there is only one way out of town, and it's a parking lot out there. >> reporter: the flames blazing a trail of destruction through nearby communities. abc's kayna whitworth is in christmas valley. >> firefighters right now rushed up here with their hose to put out this tree on fire, had fallen over because, look, we're just a few yards away from an entire neighborhood in christmas valley that's being threatened right now. >> reporter: now wildfire is being pushed from the mountains. this bear was spotted looking for food in a deserted south lake tahoe. officials say nearly everyone has evacuated south lake tahoe. only a handful of residents have defied the evacuation order. mona, andrew. >> christine, thank you. a search and rescue

operation is under way after a military helicopter crashed off the coast of san diego. the navy chopper like this one went down after taking off from the aircraft carrier "uss abraham lincoln." one person was rescued but five others were missing overnight. we turn to the remnants of hurricane ida taking aim at the northeast with a major flood threat. severe thunderstorms are expected throughout the mid-atlantic region with damaging winds and possible tornadoes and then up to 8 inches of rain could fall in the new york city area later today. we'll time out those storms in a few moments but first the crisis in louisiana this morning. new aerial video showing the total destruction across parts of southern louisiana in the wake of hurricane ida. piles of twisted metal and homes left in ruin. after another night in the dark despair is growing and so are the long lines for gas needed for generators. the governor flying over st. john parish west of new orleans where more than 800 people have been rescued.

there is no water, and power here could be out for longer than a month. >> please don't come home before they tell you that>> reporter: f grand isle conditions even worse. officials now saying the entire town is covered in three feet of sand. >> 40% of the structures they estimate are either completely destroyed or maybe just a wall standing up on that building. >> reporter: abc's matt gutman flew over the port that took the biggest hit during the storm. >> this is port fourchon where that 172-mile wind gust was recorded. you can see what it did to that boat dock, obliterated. >> reporter: in new orleans there is hope that some power will be restored beginning today just as as the heat bears down. feel like temperatures are expected to hit 105 today but 1800 miles of transmission lines remain out of service. the race to restore power already taking two lives. two electric company workers in alabama were killed, possibly electrocuted just as severe storms including this possible

tornado closed in on parts of the state. back in louisiana senator bill cassidy tells abc news the infrastructure bill being considered by congress includes billions of dollars to harden the electric grid. money he says is much needed. >> right now four parishes in which there's no electricity unless it's provided by a generator. they are the folks we have to be concerned about. >> as for the remnants of ida and flooding threat in the northeast we'll get the accuweather forecast in a few moments. the governor of texas expected to sign an election law which would ban drive-through and 24-hour voting and impose an i.d. voting requirement by mail. democrats call it voter suppression. republicans say it will protect the integrity of elections. turning to the pandemic, a school district in texas stopped in-person learning after two teachers died from covid

during the first week of classes. about 7,500 public schoolteachers have tested positive. the governor banned school districts from imposing mask mandates. meanwhile in florida the state is withholding the salaries of school board members who enforce mask mandates despite a court ruling in favor of mask mandates. now to afghanistan. president biden is defending his decision to withdraw u.s. troops as we hear from more of the eople who were left behind. this morning, a man trapped in afghanistan is revealing what the country is like now that the taliban is in complete control. >> a little bit scary because, you know, it's like a calm before the storm kind of situation. >> reporter: with fewer than 200 americans remaining in the live country, michael, a green card holder who works as a teacher in delaware says he tried to leave on the same day the taliban took over kabul but could not reach the airport. >> the lockdown in the airport area and were not letting anyone in because they heard the taliban just came into kabul.

>> reporter: days later michael made it to the airport gate. >> i went once and it was crazy hectic and very dangerous so i felt very afraid so i left. >> reporter: also still in afghanistan, a 3-year-old boy from california. a veteran's advocate is working with lawmakers to get the boy and his family out. he says the taliban attacked the family when they approached a checkpoint. >> they were stopped by a taliban checkpoint and received physical beatings at the gate and pushed back and had to flee and return to a safe house. >> reporter: just one day after u.s. forces departed, the taliban held a mock funeral with caskets draped in american and nato flags symbolizing their defeat. and the taliban releasing this video claiming it shows their troops flying an afghan military helicopter. on tuesday president biden doubled down on his decision to withdraw highlighting the cost of war. >> i refuse to send another generation of american sons and daughters to fight a war that should have ended long ago. costs from researchers at brown university estimated it

would be over $300 million a day for 20 years in afghanistan, for two decades. yes, the american people should hear this. $300 million a day for two decades. >> reporter: in the meantime, former secretary of state mike pompeo is defending the trump administration's deal with the taliban, a deal he claims the biden white house refused to follow. >> we struck a deal that was conditions based and said if you do all these things, we'll ultimately withdraw all our forces. they never did, and unfortunately president biden chose to ignore the deal we struck, to walk away from it. >> reporter: but the president remaining defiant. >> that was the choice, the real choice between leaving or escalating. i was not going to extend this forever war. and i was not extending a forever exit. >> reporter: the white house says officials are in touch with americans who remain in afghanistan and are committed to

getting them out safely. time now for a look at your wednesday weather. good morning. as ida makes its way to the northeast over the next couple of days, it's going to bring flooding rains and severe thunderstorms. let's talk about the rain here, folks. four to eight inches of rain expected from southern new england to the ohio valley for wednesday into thursday. we're going to have water over the roads, hopefully not water in your basement but we do have a flash flood watch from southern new england to the southern appalachians and also the severe thunderstorm risk high wednesday into wednesday night in the d.c. area. possible tornadoes. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin coskren. coming up, why americans are hoarding toilet paper once again. also ahead, yet another shake-up behind the scenes at "jeopardy!" what's in store for america's favorite quiz show. and later the rock reacts to finding a man who could be his twin brother.

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back now with the return of americans hoarding toilet paper. consumers emptied shelves at the start of the pandemic. now proctor and gamble is ramping up production once again. the company said demand is rising due to the surge in covid cases. just how desperate fast food chains are for workers. in oregon, mcdonald's is hiring kids as young as 14. the shortage has closed some to close dining rooms. there's a new job opening at jeopardy. the latest shake-up at america's favorite quiz show. >> reporter: this morning mike richards is out as executive producer of jeopardy and wheel of foreign. >> thank you very much.

>> reporter: it comes days after he stepped down as the new host of the quiz show. amid accusations of deprrecognir to questions. >> i'm not answering that question. >> answer it right now to your fans. >> no. i haven't. >> yes, you have. >> reporter: soenly pictures which produces both shows says it was unaware of richard's previous comments. now in a new memo, a top executive writing, we had hoped when mike stepped down from the host position at jeopardy, it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. that clearly has not happened. >> i think they had no choice but to let mike richards go. it tainted the brand. it threatened the overshadow the new season of jeopardy. >> reporter: richards was first tapped as executive producer in 2020 and was recently named host

of the show nine months after alex trebek passed away. there will be temporary hosts until more guest hosts are scheduled. >> can you believe it? >> meanwhile the wall street journal reports ken jennings was previously set to take over as hosts but his old tweets prevented him from getting the job. he once reportedly tweeted a tasteless joke that read, nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair. >> before this north america, riches had already tamed fipes episodes. coming up, the search for administration earring at a major league baseball game. first, the new pest. the danger i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love, more adventure, more community. but with my hiv treatment, there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor

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use effective birth control while on dovato. do not breastfeed while taking dovato. most common side effects are headache, nausea, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, tiredness, and anxiety. so much goes into who i am. hiv medicine is one part of it. ask your doctor about dovato-i did. ♪ not touching is still touching protection. adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria. detergent alone, can't. lysol. what it takes to protect.

back now with more stunning images from the aftermath of hurricane ida. workers had to use a chainsaw to free this cow that became wedged inside a tree as the floodwaters receded near new orleans. they were able to safely bring it down. we turn now to a growing concern about a new bug that is invading several states. the lantern fly isn't just annoying, it could cause real damage. here's will reeve. >> reporter: move over, murder hornets, a new insect has people bugging out. meet the spotted lantern fly. >> if you see them, we want you to identify it and squish it. >> reporter: while they may look

pretty officiathe s eakingavn fruit crops, trees and even lawn furniture up and down the east coast. the quick-moving pests native to asia and known for their pale pinkish wings, black dots and scarlet undercoat were first documented in pennsylvania in 2014. while they aren't a threat to humans or pets, they feed off 70 types of plants and trees. in the four years since they first showed up at vinecrest vineyards, partner sam landis says they've caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage. >> we've had at least two acres of replants the last four years. you can spray. you can basically wipe out a million of them in one day and the next day they're all back. >> reporter: sightings have reported across at least 13 states. new jersey even issuing quarantine orders telling people to inspect vehicles, trailers or outdoor items for these invasive bugs before moving them out of the quarantine zone. >> is someone visiting from out

of state, we want people to look at their cars because we don't want them brought into the counties that right now are not seeing mass populations. we alone cannot stop this spread. >> reporter: before the bugs show up in more areas authorities say now is the time to stop the spread. will reeve, abc news, new york. >> will, thank you. in sports several nfl teams including the dallas cowboys are said to be interested in cam newton. the former league mvp was cut by the patriots days after what was described as a misunderstanding over covid protocols. and jaguars coach urban meyer is feeling some heat after admitting that a player's vaccination status was considered while team officials made final roster cuts. and one baseball highlight. it was a win and a loss for javier baez of the mets. after scoring the winning run, he lost an earring. a search turned up only the back.

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♪ dancing in september ♪ well, time to check "the pulse," earth wind & fire is helping us ring in september today. it is september 1st, the unofficial end of sumer. >> so that means we can crown the song of the summer of 2021. now, can you guess which song this summer was number one? these guys are a lot younger than earth wind & fire. ♪ like butter like gym under cover ♪ ♪ like trouble breaking into your heart like that ♪ >> there it is, that's your song of the summer, "butter" by bts led the billboard hot 100 every single week this summer. >> wow, according to billboard, the other songs of the summer

include olivia rodrigo's "good 4 u" and dua lipa's "levitating." >> and as we say good-bye to summer some food and beverage trends are sticking around. >> that's right. if you like seltzer with a kick, this bud's for you then. they're coming out with a pumpkin spice seltzer described as the taste of fall. >> natural light is branching out from beer and offering vodka in three flavors for $15 a bottle. >> and the biggest food craze was mac and cheese flavored ice cream. it's now back on the market. >> we tried it right here on the show. next the rock giving a shoutout to his doppelganger. >> you can hardly tell them apart. alabama officer eric fields is on the left and actor dwayne johnson is on the right. >> the rock tweeted, the guy on the left is way cooler. and finally a rough weather forecast from canada. a tv weatherman's best friend made an appearance on the set. >> yeah, the dog's name is storm. the golden retriever poodle walked right into the shot. he was looking in the building and looking for treats.

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go for the handful! california's caldor fire is approaching lake tahoe. 53,000 people in the area have been forced to flee. low humidity, dry weather and winds up to 30-mile-an-hour make conditions even worse. the pandemic may end up affecting social security benefits. economic issues caused by covid combined the recession could reduce full payments by 2034. that's a 84 earlier than expected unless congress takes action. after a night under curfew and in the dark. the power company in new orleans says the first lights are coming back into the city. many heavily damaged coastal towns are completely isolated. the remnants of i'd a bring severe storms. some areas could see eight

inches of rain. storm are expected from the plains to the southwest. and finally the search for a common connection in the new york city subway. the man behind the new movement underground. >> reporter: the new york city subway system isn't necessarily known for its friendliness. but thomas knox is on a mission to change that. >> what can i do to connect people? we're so disconnected. >> thomas coming up with date while you wait. >> two chairs, a table, i have a flower in a bottle. i think it is a nice touch. i usually bring a board game. >> some people sit in for a few quick minutes while they wait for their tram. >> as i got more popular, people are telling me their life stories. >> despite the name, date while you wait isn't about finding love. he said it is about with fellow human beings. >> who are the people that stand

out in your minds other subway strangers grateful just to be seen and heard. >> i would say, an educator who had to stop teaching because she was diagnosed with an illness that caused her to be in pain. and she said sitting down with me in the subway it was first time she hasn't felt pain since she was diagnosed. >> now date while you wait has been ordered to series on a local challenge in new york city. the heart warming message front and center even in the subway station. >> we all have something in common no matter who we are. where we're from. if you can find that commonality, and that's my goal when i'm having these conversations. you can talk. you can engage better. >> his date while you wait series has been nominated for a new york emmy award. for more the series which premiers august 13th, check it out. date while you wait. >> missed their

train. othe right now on "america this morning," breaking news, the wildfire emergency in northern california. flames now sweeping toward lake tahoe just hours after a mass evacuation. we take you to the front lines and the race to save well-known tourist resorts. at least two firefighters now hospitalized. bracing for ida. the remnants of the historic hurricane set to unleash possible tornadoes along the east coast today. up to 8 inches of rain along the busy i-95 corridor. and in louisiana, new images of the destruction, one town left buried in three feet of sand. people desperate for gas and rescue teams tried to save this cow left wedged inside a tree.