right now on "america this morning," president biden outlines his plan to get the pandemic under control announcing sweeping new vaccine mandates affecting up to 100 million workers. this morning the reaction. republicans slamming the plan as a giant overreach. the new threat of legal action and what's next. 20 years later, the final preparations for tomorrow's solemn ceremonies marking two decades since the 9/11 attacks. are we safer than we were 20 years ago? our experts weigh in, plus, we check in with the children of 9/11 victims, their journeys and how far they've come and we hear from the american airlines ticket agent who was witness to history. thriller in tampa. the nfl season kicks off with a down to the wire nail-biter.

what tom brady said after it was over. plus, dream showdown. two teenage phenoms now set to face off at the u.s. open. seeing into the future. the new eyeglasses from facebook. and later if you enjoy pinball machines, we have a sale for you. ♪ sure plays a mean pinball ♪ good friday morning, everyone. we begin with new reaction to president biden and his sweeping new covid vaccine mandates. >> the mandates will affect about 100 million workers. it comes amid a crushing new wave of covid cases. six states have now requested ventilators from the government. >> and just yesterday texas reported a record number of deaths. abc's elizabeth schulze is here with the latest on the president's plan. elizabeth, good morning. >> reporter: andrew, good morning to you. president biden is delivering a blunt message to the millions of americans still not vaccinated against covid. >> we've been patient, but

our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us. >> reporter: president biden announced sweeping coronavirus vaccine mandates thursday requiring all federal workers and government contractors to be fully vaccinated. he's also ordering all businesses with more than 100 employees to require shots or weekly testing for their workers. companies that fail to comply could face fines of $14,000 per violation. >> what makes it incredibly more frustrating is that we have the tools to combat covid-19 and a distinct minority of americans supported by a distinct minority of elected officials are keeping us from turning the corner. >> reporter: this morning, republican lawmakers are vowing to fight the new measures. >> my legal team is working and we will defend and protect our people from this unlawful mandate. >> reporter: governor brian

kemp of georgia posting he will pursue every legal option to stop this blatantly unlawful overreach by the biden administration. and now the largest federal law enforcement union is pushing back saying the president's mandate will only undermine the voluntary vaccination effort. but last night the white house standing firm in its decision. >> given that we do have a group of people in this country who have decided not to get vaccinated to date, we are very confident that pulling this lever of vaccination requirements across 100 million workers will have a big impact. >> reporter: the president's push comes as covid cases climb. especially among children. los angeles last night became the first major school district to mandate vaccines for eligible students over 12. >> there's a long history of vaccine requirements for public school attendance, so i think it makes tremendous sense to add covid to the list as well. students who are immunocompromised deserve to have a safe experience at school. >> reporter: and the debate over

masks in schools turning ugly in tennessee. teenager grady knox was trying to make the case for masks only to be mocked by the crowd when he shared how his grandmother died of covid. >> my grandmother, who was a former teacher at the rutherford county school system, died of covid because someone wasn't wearing a mask. this is a very -- >> no. >> this is a very -- >> shut up. >> reporter: meantime, as covid cases surge more companies are postponing their return to normalcy. microsoft is now telling its employees their return to the office will be delayeds indefinitely. >> elizabeth, thank you. the tsa is increasing the fine for airline passengers who don't wear a mask. this confrontation on a jetblue flight is the latest example of an unruly passenger. fines will now range from $500 for first time offenders to $3,000 for second time offenders. the justice department is suing texas over its new abortion law, the most

restrictive in the country. attorney general merrick garland slammed the law saying it was passed in open defiance of the constitution. the law bans abortions at around six weeks before most women even know they're pregnant and it leaves enforcement up to private citizens through lawsuits that can earn them payouts of $10,000 or more. >> does not rely on the state's executive branch to enforce the law, rather the statute deputizes all private citizens without any showing of personal connection or injury to serve as bounty hunters. >> it has no exception for rape or incest, but texas governor greg abbott says he's confident it will hold up in court. a federal court could potentially block the law within a week or two, but texas is expected to appeal any injunction all the way to the supreme court. tomorrow marks 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, and as we prepare to mark the solemn anniversary, this morning we take a look at what's changed in those 20 years and what hasn't from our homeland security to the families of the nearly 3,000

victims, it's been a long journey since that historic day. this morning, final preparations under way to mark 20 years since the september 11th attack. president biden will attend ceremonies at each of the sites where a total of 2,977 americans were killed after hijackers simultaneously took over four planes. >> we just got a report in that there's been some sort of explosion at the world trade center in new york city. >> reporter: two planes flown into the world trade center in new york, one plane hitting the pentagon, the fourth plane crashing in pennsylvania after the passengers stormed the cockpit. an investigation quickly revealed the hijackers were members of al qaeda, a terror group given safe haven in afghanistan by the taliban. it would take ten years before the u.s. killed the mastermind, osama bin laden. ayman al zawahiri an egyptian doctor who took over for bin laden has not been heard from in years but with the taliban now regaining

control in afghanistan, experts say al qaeda could regenerate then there bombing in kabul which killed 13 u.s. service members. >> the threat today is different than what we faced 20 years ago. it has evolved and morphed, and in some ways we are in a better place, but in other ways it's more complex. >> reporter: in the meantime, a former airport worker is still grappling with guilt. >> everything brings you back to that morning. >> reporter: vaughn alex was a ticket agent at dulles airport on 9/11 when two late arriving passengers came rushing through the terminal. what vaughn didn't know the men were the alhazmi brothers, two of the hijackers that would crash the plane into the pentagon. >> i thought, you know, if i had done something different, if i had not let them on and just said to the agents, these two guys are late, let them get i realize that there's probably nothing i could have done to prevent what happened. i've come to terms with that.

>> reporter: meanwhile, in new york remains recovered after that fateful day are still being identified and the reconstruction in lower manhattan remains a work in progress. google earth releasing this time-lapsed video documenting the rebuilding at the site where the twin towers once stood. and in the shadow of the new freedom tower that now stands tall over the site the children who lost fathers and mothers on that day. diane sawyer back in 2001 sat down with a group of young families who lost someone in the attack including scott larson who was 4 years old when his father was killed. today, he's a firefighter working in the same firehouse where his dad once worked. >> i look exactly like my father. everything from the beauty marks on my face to every single thing. i mean, like identical. >> diane sawyer will bring you many more stories from the children of during a prime time special at 10:00 eastern and join us tomorrow at

8:00 eastern for live coverage of the anniversary ceremonies. new details about the passengers on the first international flight to leave kabul since the u.s. military withdrawal. the state department says just 10 u.s. citizens and 11 green card holders were among roughly 200 people on board the charter flight that landed in qatar even though nearly 40 americans were invited to fly out. the white house says the taliban was cooperative and professional in allowing the departure. breaking overnight, president biden called chinese president xi jinping amid growing tensions between the u.s. and china. after the 90-minute conversation the white house said the two leaders spoke about making sure that competition does not veer into conflict and said they could cooperate on issues like climate change if both sides respect each other's concerns. dangerous fire conditions in northern california are forcing more people from their homes. this new video shows firefighters escaping the monument fire with flames surrounding their truck. the fire has burned more than 300 square miles and forced part of a remote town to evacuate. a red flag warning is in effect today with low humidity and

the potential for lightning. all right. time now for a look at your friday weather. hurricane olaf roared ashore overnight near the mexican resort town of cabo san lucas with winds around 100 miles an hour. the storm is expected to drop up to 15 inches of rain. thousands of tourists are sheltering in their hotels. in the u.s. showers and storms expected today along the gulf coast and rain in the forecast for the northwest. checking today's high temperatures, 69 degrees in seattle. still hot in the middle of the country, 98 in denver, 70s in the northeast today. coming up, another major company offers free college tuition for its employees. but first new details about a little girl's death on this popular amusement park ride. and later this morning, tom brady does it again.

back now with this wild crash. a truck slams into a toll booth near mexico city. two people were killed, and the driver was injured. officials say the truck overturned as it was approaching the area, but no word on what caused that crash. breaking overnight, an air force bay in ohio placed on lockdown after reports of a shooter. the all-clear was given four hours later. investigators are still trying to determine how a little girl plunged 110 feet to her death at a colorado amusement park. the 6-year-old was with her family on the vertical drop ride at glennwood caverns adventure park. a friend says the parent's world is shattered, but they are demanding change in their

daughter's name. >> they don't want anyone to do through what they are going through right now. so they're going to do everything they can to make sure this never happens again. even through her death, she's going to make a difference. >> meanwhile, authorities say the ride was last inspected in june and passed inspection since it opened in 2017. we'll hear more from that family friend and have details on a potential legal troubles for the park later on "good morning america." amazon is sending workers to school for free. beginning in january, hourly staffers can have their college tuition and fees covered. some workers will be eligible after three months on the job. gu.p.s. is hiring 100,000 workers for the holiday season. some could be on the job just

two days after applying. coming up, why your home heating bills could skyrocket. what we're learning about this shocking scene. a hail of gunfire taking the life of a 3-year-old boy. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema or atopic dermatitis under control? hide my skin? not me. by hitting eczema where it counts, dupixent helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of eczema. and that means long-lasting clearer skin... and fast itch relief for adults. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can show more with less eczema. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor.

when you help heal your skin from within, you can change how your skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. you thought using nicknames talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, might endear you to your new team. did you just call me, stanimal? turns out they only use that name behind stan's back. life's full of hidden problems. so we hid a comforting brownie in a snickers. (vo) look closely at a wolf. you've seen him before. he's your dog. wolves and dogs share many traits. like a desire for meat. that's why there's blue wilderness, made with... the protein-rich meat your dog loves. feed your dog's inner wolf with blue wilderness. you try to stay ahead of the mess but scrubbing still takes time.

now there's dawn powerwash dish spray. it's the faster way to clean as you go. just spray, wipe and rinse. it cleans grease five times faster. dawn powerwash now available in free & clear. why new woolite? because it was specially formulated to protect synthetics and blends from damage in the wash. like fading, stretching, and pilling. new woolite has evercare, a first of its kind formula that keeps today's fabrics looking like new. new woolite with evercare back now with a warning if you use natural gas in your home. prices have doubled this year, and analysts expect them to keep rising, especially if winter is colder than normal. they say prices this winter

could be the highest in 13 years due to less supply and higher demand. we turn to florida. police revealed how they foiled a school shooting plot. >> reporter: this morning, police near ft. myers, florida, say they foiled a mass shooting plot at this middle school. >> this could have turned disastrous. we are one second away from a columbine here. >> reporter: 13 and 14-year-old boys arrested after police say another student told a teacher one of the teens had a gun. authorities say no gun was found but they found a map with locations of all the school's security cameras. and they say search warrants at the boy's homes turned up a gun and several knives. the kids had been studying the columbine massacre. and in north carolina -- [ gunfire ] this video shows high schoolers shooting more than 150 bullets into a home in charlotte.

inside, a 3-year-old boy was killed while he was sleeping. the suspects, on the run. police say the violence stems from a feud with local students. one of six recent shootings. >> how can you wake up this morning knowing that your actions last night took the life of a 3-year-old who will never get the opportunity to grow up and play and have fun? >> reporter: and not far away, a salem, north carolina high school was placed on lockdown last week after a student was accused of shooting and killing another student. as for that foiled plot in florida, police say the boys will be evaluated at a mental health facility and charged with conspiracy to commit a mass shooting. police say they've been to the boy's homes nearly 80 times in the past. mona, andrew? >> andrea, thank you. in sports, it's a new season

but the same results. another comeback win for tom brady. he threw for four touchdowns last night, in the season opener against the cowboys. the bucs needed a last-minute drive to set up the field goal and they got it. brady spoke about the fundamentals and family after the game. >> that's football. it's never perfect. but sometimes you got to get the win. we got it, and we got obviously a lot of work to do. >> congratulations. thanks for the talk, tom. >> i want to say hi to my parents and my wife and kids are home sleeping. daddy loves you and see you in the morning. >> and it was brady's 49th game winning drive. the u.s. women's final will be an all-teenage affair. the 18-year-old from the uk will face the 19-year-old canadian. it will be the first all-teen women's final since 1999. coming up, a surprising

catch in baseball. >> but first, the new eye >> but first, the new eye glasses from facebook. we're for those who love to discover. who know an open mind... is the only kind. who are their own personal stylist. who know where to escape, even just for a moment. who don't need a fortune to find a gem. and who know when you spend less, you can discover even more. and never, ever stop discovering. spend less. discover more. at t.j. maxx. (vo) we made a promise to our boy blue that we would make the healthiest foods possible... spend less. discover more. ...with the finest natural ingredients and real meat first. and that's our promise to you and your dog or cat. because when you love them like family, you want to feed them like family. if laundry stinks, it could be bacteria. detergent alone doesn't kill all odor causing bacteria. adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9 %.

lysol, what is takes to protect. look at these mighty quaker oats. small in size, epic in taste. heart-healthy a good source of fiber. and provides lasting energy. there's no denying delicious quaker oats are the grain of all time. quaker oats. a super-trusted superfood. when you really need to sleep you reach for the really good stuff. new zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. it's non habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. new zzzquil ultra. when you really really need to sleep. find your rhythm. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. for skin that never holds you back don't settle for silver #1 for diabetic dry skin* #1 for psoriasis symptom relief* and #1 for eczema symptom relief*

gold bond champion your skin we begin with facebook seeing into the future with its new smart glasses. >> concerns are being raised as the company moves towards augmented reality. the glasses come with built-in kamras, microphones and speakers. unlike the failed google glasses, these look more stylish. >> you can answer phone calls, take photos and record video with them. but there are concerns other people can be recorded without their knowledge. an indicator light gling blinks it's on. if you love pinball and arcade games, this isfoyou.

>> they are going to auction off 1700 arcade games to the highest bidder, and some machines are more than 60 years old. >> it starts today at the museum, and online. next, taco bell is asking you to turn in your soft packets. >> a trial program to recycle the packets is expanding. they have partnered with a recycling company to try to reuse some of the unused 8.2 million packets thrown out each year. >> customers are being asked to collect them, box them up, fill out a shipping label and ship them there. finally, a great grab. >> a fan at a major league game proved that fannie packs are still in style. check out this catch. check it out again. it looks like he had some snacks in that fannie pack, too. in that fannie pack, too. >> that's the only use for a

welcome to allstate. where you can pay a little less and enjoy the ride a little more. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ now, get new lower auto rates with allstate. because better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. [swords clashing] - had enough? - no... arthritis. here. new aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. do lotion and jeans go together? a nivea breathable experiment. now they do. moisturizes deeply with no sticky feel. the game changing nivea breathable.

(vo) sensitive to cat allergens? join the thousands who've discovered a difference moisturizes deeply with no sticky feel. with pro plan liveclear. allergens an average of 47%. save today at proplanliveclear.com. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ life... doesn't stop for diabetes. be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it's the number one doctor recommended brand that's scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna.

boost and cricket charge you more for unlimited 5g. scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. metro doesn't. introducing the big 5g upgrade. just twenty-five bucks a month gets you unlimited 5g and a free 5g smartphone. that's half the price... ...for one line of unlimited 5g smartphone data ...plus a free samsung galaxy 5g when you switch and trade-in. all with the power of the t-mobile 5g network. rule your day with 5g. only at metro by t-mobile. ♪ ♪ ♪ small decisions make a world of difference. ikea.

>> going a better bay area. moving forward, finding solutions.

this is abc 7 news. >> overnight lightning. drew is tracking the system moving through the bay and beyond, plus your weekend weather. >> 20 years since the september 11 attacks. a remembrance ceremony and a closer look at the threat of terror attacks now compared to two decades ago. >> craft down on mask wearing on public trains and the new punishment for rule breakers. >> a beer garden moving into the space a lot of commuters will recognize. >> it is an active friday. you're watching abc 7 mornings. >> we want to start with a check on the forecast with meteorologist drew tuma. we are talking about the rain. it was surprising to see. drew: it has been so long since we have seen any rain. that is thankful