cat is alive. mike: it does not want to be held up like simba. [laughter] reggie: i knew that was going to have a horrifying twist. i could feel it in my bones. mike: good morning, america. the fda is issuing a warning to parents this morning about the vaccine and their children. this morning, the states pushing back on president biden's new mandates as covid cases in kids surge. when will the shot finally be available for children? all eyes on the fda. why they are urging parents to wait, and with hospitals being crushed by an overwhelming amount of cases, one maternity unit forced to pause baby deliveries after more than a dozen nurses resign. hurricane watch. tropical storm nicholas intensifying. millions along the gulf coast bracing for a big hit and dangerous flooding. ginger is tracking it all this morning. 9/11 declassified. 20 years after the horrific attacks, the fbi releases an investigative report.

new questions about whether the saudi government played a role as family members of the victims demand answers. high stakes. with just one day until final votes, california governor gavin newsom hitting the campaign trail with president biden. why the results could have big implications nationwide. new twist in the murdaugh family mystery. the clashing reports after that prominent lawyer says he was shot in the head months after hs wife and son were killed. lucky be to alive. a nearly catastrophic crash on the track, top formula 1 driver lewis hamilton, how he was narrowly saved by a halo. far-fetched. a colossal college football upset for the books. >> touchdown, touchdown! >> the last-second shocker. ♪ you're in new york ♪ ♪ concrete jungle where dreams are made of ♪ the mtv vmas pulling out all the stops, a surprise from the material girl.

lil nas x's drum line, best new artist olivia rodrigo, and justin bieber's big return. >> we're back in new york. happy 40th birthday, mtv. plus, new york tennis dreams crushed and come true, 18-year-old emma raducanu joins us in times square this morning. ♪ new york ♪ and good morning, america. hope you had a good weekend. t.j. and amy with a mind meld over their weekend. >> we may have watched a horror movie. it was so bad it was good, all right. we have some good news. we have the new u.s. open champ, 18-year-old emma raducanu, she is here live in times square with us. we are very much looking forward to talking to her after that huge win. >> yeah, she was very much a part of a big new york weekend.

but first, we got a lot to get to, starting with the coronavirus emergency. it's the first day of school for millions of kids in the largest district in the country, yep, right here in new york city. now, the fda is cautioning parents about the vaccine. >> there is progress on the vaccine. almost three-quarters of eligible americans have taken at least one dose. stephanie ramos starts us off from a school here in new york. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: george, good morning. more than a million kids here in new york city will be back in the classroom this week as the country sees a rise in pediatric covid cases. the fda out with a stark warning as they try to work to approve a covid vaccine for those under the age of 12. this morning, the fda announcing it won't cut corners when it comes to evaluating the use of covid vaccinations for children. cautioning parents not to seek out vaccinations ahead of fda approval saying in part, children are not small adults. according to the american academy of pediatrics, and the children's hospital association, more than a quarter of a million new cases were reported just in

children two weeks ago, the highest number of weekly pediatric cases on record since the pandemic began. the department of health and human services says more than 2,500 children are currently hospitalized with covid-19 nationwide. pediatrician dr. brian kornreich in virginia says he's never seen anything like this. >> it's never been this crazy, never been this busy. it's exhausting all of us, and our biggest concern, of course, is that sick kids aren't getting the care they need. >> reporter: steve lance and his wife are vaccinated. he says his family of four caught covid after his kids recently returned to school where he suspects his third grade son picked up the virus, despite the school making masks mandatory. >> it was that first week with lots of contact with other kids. it's one of those things. you send your child to school. they're in a classroom but they're not just in contact with everyone in the classroom, they're in contact with everyone that those classmates have come in contact with. >> reporter: according to the cdc, new data shows that

unvaccinated people are ten times more likely to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die from the virus than those who are fully vaccinated. now, with president biden doubling down on vaccine, mandating that businesses with more than 100 employees either require the shots or offer weekly covid testing. >> the bottom line, we're going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated co-workers. >> if we want our economy to be back, schools to stay in session, we need to take steps and make sure that workplaces and learning places are safe. >> reporter: at least 19 republican governors are condemning the move. at this hospital in upstate new york, so many employees have resigned over the state's mandatory vaccine policy that they have been forced to stop delivering babies. and if you're planning to travel by plane, be prepared to keep the masks on. tsa says they are increasing fines for people who violate the federal mask mandate from $500 to $1,000 for first-time

offenders and up to $3,000 for a second offense. george. >> okay, stephanie, thanks. let's bring in our chief legal analyst, dan abrams. dan, the supreme court has ruled the government has power over vaccinations in the past, but the biden administration is pushing the limits of this law. >> right, states have the power to mandate vaccines, that is clear. it is also clear that osha can issue emergency orders, but can osha issue this kind of emergency order, and that's a closer case than many on both sides are suggesting here. now, i think the federal government is on safe ground when it comes to mandating that government workers get vaccinated or hospital workers who are getting -- >> did with the v.a. and the pentagon. >> exactly. anyone getting federal funds, they have more control over. the mandate of the larger companies where i think that there could be serious challenges here and, remember, the best challenges are not going to come from the governors who are making all the noise, it's going to come from employers who are saying, for

watever reason, we don't want to implement this. osha has typically lost these kinds of cases in court, and what i mean by that is these emergency orders where you have to show that there's grave danger, that it was necessary, it's typically referring to chemicals and contaminants and they have typically not won when challenged, so this is going to be an interesting and i think a close case. >> one of the other big questions, how is this going to be enforced with businesses over 100 workers. >> osha's enforcement entity has shrunk significantly over the years. typically the way this would work is you would get companies to say, we're going to say in say in writing, we writing, we definitely are adhering to this requirement. then what? then how do you enforce it at that point? i think from the government's perspective, they're hopeful that companies will simply comply anyway and so far they have, and so that's their hope more than literally people going in, business to business, to

check, are they doing it or not? >> dan abrams, thanks very much. well, george, now to that hurricane watch, tropical storm nicholas taking aim at texas threatening the region with dangerous flooding. ginger has been tracking all of that for us and she joins us now, good morning, ginger. >> amy, good morning to you. this is galveston as of yesterday. the surf was already up and we even have pictures from this morning that shows the surf rising because this thing is intensifying. we're watching nicholas approach the southeast texas coast and you're going to end up seeing it about 45 miles right now south and east from the rio grande or opening of the rio grande. it's going to go north-northwest at 14 miles per hour, hurricane watches, port lavaca looks like it would travel over there tonight into early tomorrow. this storm is going to be about rainfall. heavy rain, flash flooding rain, the type that can do big damage that can be life-threatening and so we want to really focus in on that. there are areas that will see 10 to 20 inches and they have done hundreds of millions of dollars of work, t.j., in houston itself. i'm headed down there.

we'll see how it all goes. >> we appreciate you always being on top of this. want to turn to california though. high stakes recall election for governor gavin newsom. president biden heading to the golden state ahead of the final vote and our matt gutman is in los angeles with the very latest. matt, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, t.j., good morning. at first, this recall seemed like a side show, in fact, there are 46 candidates vying for newsom's job, one who has been campaigning alongside a real live kodiak bear. but over the summer, polls show that threat was very real and so democrats have been spending big on ads and calling in the cavalry. this morning, gavin newsom making the case tuesday's recall election isn't just do or die for him. >> this election is a matter of life and death. public health is on the ballot. >> reporter: in the fight of his political life, newsom calling in the democrats' heaviest hitters. >> hello, californians. >> reporter: last week it was former president barack obama and vice president kamala harris. >> we will not give up.

>> reporter: and today here outside los angeles he'll be hitting the campaign trail with the president as a final push to save his job. newsom won the 2018 gubernatorial election with a whopping 62% of the vote. but california law allows a governor to face a recall vote if a petition is signed by just a fraction of registered voters. vying to replace him are 46 challengers including tv personality and former olympic gold medalist caitlyn jenner and businessman john cox who's been campaigning with a bear by his side. conservative talk show radio host larry elder is by far the leading candidate. our zohreen shah sat down with him over the weekend. >> i want to repeal the requirement for state workers that they have to be tested once a week and they have to wear masks at work. >> reporter: newsom has faced criticism for his handling of covid and california's record fires the past two years. your main opponent in this recall, larry elder, does not blame climate change for these

fires. he blames essentially yours and the government's incompetence. >> yeah, well, he thinks climate change is a myth. he claimed that climate change is a crock, he actually wants to double and increase more oil drilling, more fracking as if somehow that will solve the challenge and lives in a completely different world devoid of the reality here. >> reporter: and because of a quirk in california's recall election law newsom has to take at least 50% of the vote but if he doesn't, his opponent could take his job with significantly less than that, and whoever is the governor of california could choose a replacement for 88-year-old democratic senator dianne feinstein, and, right now, the senate is evenly split and if a republican governor wins that could change, amy. >> a lot at stake there in california. matt, thank you. we'll turn to north korea saying it test-fired new long-range cruise missiles.

state media claiming those missiles hit targets more than 900 miles away during test flights. maggie rulli joins us with the latest on all of that. good morning to you, maggie. >> reporter: hey, amy, good morning. yeah, we haven't seen tests like this in six months, and the u.s. military saying this weekend's launch poses a threat to the international community warning this missile could reach japan. north korea's claiming this was a successful test of a newly developed long-range cruise missile saying they hit their targets after traveling nearly a thousand miles even calling it a strategic weapon of great significance. but, guys, it's important to note these are not ballistic missiles. those are the kind the u.n. sanctions forbid. they're low-flying cruise missiles that are not currently seen as a direct threat to the u.s. and overnight, u.s. indo-pacific command sent a statement, this highlights north korea's continuing focus on developing its military program and the threats that poses to its neighbors and the international community. george. >> okay, maggie, thanks. we're going to turn now to

the commemorations this weekend on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. three presidents joined the ceremony at ground zero in manhattan. saturday night the tribute in light, a look back at the new york city skyline before the attacks. that was hours after the ceremonies. the biden administration began releasing newly classified documents on the 9/11 investigation and our chief justice correspondent pierre thomas is in washington with the story. good morning, pierre. >> reporter: george, good morning. even as the nation mourned those who died in the horrific attacks of 20 years ago, today there are new questions about whether the saudi government played a role in the planning of 9/11. family members of those lost on 9/11 are still demanding answers about the saudi government. never forgetting that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from saudi arabia. >> for 20 years, the saudi government has relied upon the united states government to bury the facts and protect them and hide their culpability from the world, and that ended last night. >> reporter: responding to the pressure from the families who

have sued the saudi government, the fbi has declassified an investigative report detailing contacts between saudi officials and some of the 9/11 hijackers. the release came saturday night, just hours after the anniversary ceremonies ended. the newly released documents following an executive order from president biden detailed how a saudi diplomat living in los angeles assisted two of the hijackers once they arrived in the u.s. described at the time as two very significant people and, according to the fbi's report, another saudi government employee spent the night in a hotel with another man connected to one of osama bin laden's top lieutenants. >> we're very excited because this is the tip of the iceberg, you know, more is going to be coming. >> reporter: but the saudi government is flatly rejecting any notion of involvement saying, any allegation that saudi arabia is complicit in the september 11th attacks is categorically false. the 9/11 commission did not find any conclusive evidence of saudi

government involvement but some 9/11 families are hoping with more documents being declassified the case will be made. george. >> and we will be seeing those in the coming days. pierre thomas, thanks very much. t.j.? we turn to the always interesting mtv video music awards celebrating 40 years last night here in new york, olivia rodrigo, justin bieber won big but, will reeve, a surprise, surprise appearance by madonna herself. >> reporter: i mean, t.j., the vmas are always full of surprises. they're an institution. it's wise to expect the unexpected. its 40-year history has been defined by daring performances, risque fashion and shocking surprises. last night, with fans in the building once again, it was no different. the vmas celebrating 40 years with a surprise appearance from one of the channel's most iconic stars. >> and they said we wouldn't last. >> reporter: the material girl, madonna, leading off the celebration with a few superstar assists from other icons like

j. lo. >> we're back here in new york. happy 40th birthday, mtv. tonight is your party. >> reporter: alicia keys. ♪ hear it for new york, new york ♪ ♪ new york ♪ >> reporter: busta rhymes. ♪ >> reporter: and the foo fighters. ♪ >> reporter: who brought home the first-ever vma global icon award. >> we've been a band for 26 years so feels pretty good. >> reporter: bieber fever also made an epic return. ♪ justin turning up for the first time in six years to rock the crowd and take home the moon man for best pop song and artist of the year.

>> i really do believe the best is yet to come. >> reporter: 18-year-old olivia rodrigo making her vma debut. ♪ scooping up three awards including best new artist. >> this has been the most magical year of my life. >> reporter: and lil nas x brought down the house. ♪ and brought home the biggest prize of the night, video of the year for his hit "montero." and what would the vmas be without a little drama or controversy. in this case it went down before the show itself. mma superstar conor mcgregor appeared to throw a drink at musician machine gun kelly on the red carpet. the two had to be separated about i security. by security. it was a whole big thing, big brouhaha, lots of -- i don't know what was going on there but -- >> always got to be one. no matter what. always one. >> there's always something at the vmas. it's always got to happen and

gets us talking about. >> thanks. a lot more coming up here on "gma," including 18-year-old emma raducanu, she went from u.s. open qualifier to champion, and she's going to join us live. and then, the new twist in that south carolina mystery after the prominent lawyer said he was shot in the head, but first let's go back to ginger. >> amy, now i have to show you more homes burned in california. this the north bay area, the hopkins fire, more than 300 acres burned. they've got 0% containment but they did stop some of the forward motion and downgraded some of the evacuations and root fire closed i-5 in los angeles county for a time, no good but starting to get that together. excessive heat warnings still in place, red flag warnings for up to 35-mile-per-hour gusts that include las vegas back up to the oregon state line. your local weather in 30 seconds. first the selected cities sponsored by northwestern mutual.

u.s. open champ, emma raducanu in the building. stay with us on "gma."

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roadwork. at least one latest block. the bay bridge toll plaza is beginning to clear up from the morning backup. metering lights came on at 538, but where we are seeing the slow down is the richmond san rafael bridge. >> a nice ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ security at your fingertips. control feels good. chase. make more of what's yours.

>> good morning. some low clouds pushing and lend, places like novato experiencing some fog in san rafael. also 880 at the coliseum, clear. comfortable this morning. it will be kind of warm, especially around the bay with 80's and even 90's and eased bay valleys. today and tomorrow are the hottest in the forecast. noticeably cooler wednesday. a slight chance in the north bay saturday. >> coming up, a new twist in the case of the prominent south carolina lawyer who says he was

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parker, state farm offers everyone surprisingly great rates. you're the man, man. when you want the real deal...like a good neighbor, state farm is there. you can't outrun who you really are. >> welcome back to "gma." marvel's "shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings," a knockout at the box office once again taking in almost $36 million more in its second weekend in theaters. >> great run right there. following a lot of headlines this morning, as millions of kids heading back to school in new york city, more than 2,500 children are currently hospitalized with covid-19 across the nation. and now, the fda is issuing a new warning for parents urging them to wait when it comes to vaccinating children, and after president biden's new vaccine mandates, there are at least 19 republican governors condemning

the move threatening to file some lawsuits. also right now, hurricane watch for texas. tropical storm nicholas is intensifying and millions along the gulf coast are bracing for dangerous floods. and take a look at this crash at a formula 1 race. that one-ton car went airborne and landed directly on top of lewis hamilton's car. thanks to a recent formula 1 safety innovation, a possible tragedy was prevented. the halo, a thin titanium shield around the racer's head was introduced just three years ago. it worked here. and the miami game, did you see the game over the weekend? this was the best play of the game. yes, folks, seeing a cat dangle and see it fall but we had a happy ending. you had quick-thinking fans and grabbed an american flag and -- look at this. now they catch the cat and then they show the cat to the crowd. the cat is okay. don't know why it was there in the first place. how it ended up dangling but happy ending to that story. a whole lot more ahead on "gma," of course, including we

have another new twist in that south carolina mystery. also this morning, we are kicking off a new networkwide event. america strong celebrating the strength and resilience of this country starting with the high school coach and his incredible legacy. robes, we'll check that out in just a bit. >> we are looking forward to that. now to the dramatic finals at the u.s. open. novak djokovic with a stunning loss in the men's final losing to daniil medvedev failing to complete the calendar grand slam. on the women's side, 18-year-old emma raducanu winning a major in only her second attempt. she is standing by with us to talk live. there she is. hello there. love that smile. but first, janai norman joins us with more on all of that. good morning, janai. >> reporter: amy, good morning. most of the time when i'm standing talking about someone they're not right next to me but emma raducanu's incredible run to the u.s. open final made history even before she won and it was so unexpected she says she booked her flight home two weeks ago.

>> game. >> reporter: a historymaking u.s. open final. >> 100-1 to start the tournament, goes all the way throughout dropping a single set. >> reporter: emma raducanu, just 18 years old, besting 19-year-old leylah fernandez, the first time two teenagers have met in a final here since 1999. raducanu becoming the first british woman to win a grand slam title in more than 40 years. >> i can't believe this one is next to me. >> reporter: the teenage phenom with a chinese mother and romanian father was born in toronto, and moved to the uk when she was 2 years old. the furthest she had ever advanced in a grand slam was the fourth round at wimbledon when she retired due to a medical issue. before she could even enter the

u.s. open, she had to win three qualifying matches earning the distinction of becoming the first ever qualifier to win the title. on the road to victory she defeated tokyo gold medalist, belinda bencic, and 17th-ranked maria sakkari. >> it sets up emma's story and person who is carrying this out, you see the tennis skills are immense. her fight, her grit, her desire, her savvy, all of that. >> reporter: after the match raducanu admitted her only regret was that her parents weren't able to be there in person to cheer her on. among her legion of newfound admirers none other than the queen of england herself who sent this saying her win is a remarkable achievement at such a young age. she may have achieved the kind of greatness that most 18-year-olds only dream of, but when asked what she planned to do with the $2.5 million prize money, raducanu issued this classic teenage response. >> i was thinking to myself, you know what, if you win this match

you can buy yourself a pair of airpods. >> she's over there smiling. she says before her first round, qualifying match she lost her airpods in the changing room and realized if she won she could buy new ones and a whole bunch of air pods. >> that's a fair point. joining us now is u.s. open champ, emma raducanu, so, of course, the first question has to be have you bought the air pods yet. if not, when are you going to do it. >> i think i'll do it before i leave new york for sure. it's funny, actually the day before my semifinals they found it, 2 1/2 weeks later. >> oh, my goodness. >> yeah, it was like a great omen and a great start to the day in the changing room. >> plenty of apple stores in new york city. you win your first major three months into the wta tour and get congratulated by the queen. how are you going to top this? >> it is actually insane to think -- it's incredible. i was so honored and grateful to receive a note from her majesty, i mean, it meant everything to

me and i'll probably frame that letter and keep it in my room or something. >> you know, we were talking about in the piece how had you to drop out of wimbledon because you had breathing difficulties. what did you take away from that experience? >> i took away that it was for me more of a physical issue. i think that to win a grand slam, you need a lot of mental strength, so i think that the resilience part of it, you know, sort of speaks for itself that i needed to go through all of that to win a slam but physically i still got a lot of work to do, because i'm still very new to the game and i haven't had that time to really develop but having played on tour for the last four or five weeks i think naturally with each match and tournament i've played i've just increased my endurance a little bit. >> what happened, emma, you clearly are talented. they call you a phenom, but you competed at a level that people have been for a long time. was there a moment that something clicked that you said, oh, okay, i just figured this out because you didn't drop a set in the entire u.s. open and you had to go through qualifying.

>> yeah. i think just the sheer amount of matches that i played over the last four, five weeks with each one i was building in confidence and i think with each one it gave me more and more of a free swing to go for my shots and be more aggressive and then i was playing some extremely great opponents, olympic champion, top 20, and when you play those players you definitely need to raise your game and it's cool to play up because it's like almost natural selection, you know if you don't, then you lose, so it was really fun to experience and, yeah, i'm just super happy with the week, of course. >> so what's been -- i know the queen is sort of up at the top. what's the most surprising message you've gotten since the win? >> honestly i haven't checked my messages yet. i have been just trying to enjoy the moment. with my team the night of the

final we had a really nice night, you know, we all spent the night just reflecting and, yeah, it was a really cool moment because it's been such a long trip for us and everything has gone so fast, we were taking care of every single day and before we know it three weeks had gone, but we just got to reflect and share a few stories and it was a nice night to have with everyone. >> i can't even imagine. you are, we've said this a lot of times, one of the youngest major champions ever and the first qualifier to win. so what is the message to younger athletes out there? i mean i know you know probably at this point you're a pretty big inspiration. what is the message to those athletes? >> i would say it's just inner belief because just taking care of each day as best as possible because ten matches ago, i was playing my first round of qualis, and i did not think i would be in the u.s. open final or winning it. so yeah, if you just do the best you can and every single day time flies and you can really achieve anything with inner belief. >> you're only 18. where does this mental toughness come from? >> i think that from a young age i've always sort of been brought up to have mental strength.

my parents, you know, they played a huge part of my upbringing and they were pretty tough on me when i was young but it kind of shaped the way and i think now it's helping on the biggest stages in the world on arthur ashe stadium when you need it, and it was a full capacity so it was very, very cool. >> all right. that just sounded funny. when you were young. but, you know, you've gone through all this and you haven't had any family here. you have your team around you, coaches and whatnot but they weren't able to be here. what's that going to be like? what's the reaction from your parents when you talk to them on the phone right after you won? >> yeah, it was really nice to talk to them after i won. i -- they were just so happy and proud of me, and they're my toughest critics and very, very hard to please, but yeah, i got them with this one. they couldn't resist. >> we love seeing your smile. congratulations for everything. thanks for coming in this morning. >> thank you so much for vlg me. we'll be right back.

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in that rural roadside shooting of a south carolina lawyer from a prominent low country family. on september 4th, alex murdaugh called 911 shortly after 1:30 in the afternoon to report that he had been shot on the side of a road. a family spokesperson saying murdaugh pulled off due to a low tire light, that a male driver in a blue pickup truck drove past him and then came back asking if he was having car trouble and that's when he was shot. he was airlifted to a hospital in savannah, georgia, with what authorities say was a superficial gunshot wound to the head, but the incident report released by the hampton county sheriff's office initially checking the box no visible injuries. murdaugh's team pushing back releasing new details about his injuries saying he had entry and exit wounds, his skull fractured leading authorities to correct that report now saying there were visible injuries. murdaugh's family has been the

focus of national attention since the brutal unsolved murders of his wife maggie and 22-year-old son paul this past june. >> are they breathing? >> no, ma'am. my wife and my son. >> and what is your name? >> my name is alex murdaugh. please hurry. neither one of them is moving. >> reporter: murdaugh calling 911 after finding their bodies, both shot multiple times near the family's hunting lodge. his brothers speaking to us at the time saying their brother is searching for answers. >> i can tell you he was willing and still is willing to do anything that's asked of him. he wants this -- he wants this solved. >> reporter: just one day before alex murdaugh said he was shot the law firm that his family spent decades building announced it had reported to law enforcement and the state bar that alex had stolen money from the firm. the south carolina supreme court suspending his license. and the confusion around this most recent shooting really just adding to the mystery around this story and this family leaving a lot of people in the

community asking what really happened and wondering if we will ever really know. the murdaugh family spokesperson saying we know that they're continuing to work diligently to find this person from that saturday shooting and person or people responsible for murdering maggie and paul murdaugh. but just so many questions and so many cases attached to this family with questions as well. >> don't know how you're keeping it straight, eva, but thank you so much. >> teamwork. >> thank you so much. stay with us here on "gma." our "play of the day" and it's one that florida state would absolutely like to forget. i order my groceries online now. shingles doesn't care. i keep my social distance. shingles doesn't care. i stay within my family bubble. shingles doesn't care. because if you've had chicken pox, you're already carrying the virus that causes shingles. in fact, about 1 in 3 people will develop shingles, and the risk only increases as you age.

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♪ had to have high hopes ♪ welcome back to "gma." our "play of the day," college football season, expect to see some upsets. we have seen some already in the first couple of weekends. none bigger than this one you're about to see. jacksonville state down by three. clock running down. they're playing mighty florida state and look what happens, that young fella, damond philyaw-johnson, catches the ball, makes a couple of moves in the end zone. jackson state upset the powerhouse. but take a look, not at the players, but the cheerleaders on the left. look at their faces. the florida state cheerleaders, that shot went viral. they're in absolute shock. to give you an idea this is a smaller level college team, jacksonville state not jacksonville -- jacksonville, alabama, is where they're from, tiny, tiny school and get this, to add insult to injury, florida state paid the smaller school

$400,000 to be on their schedule to come play this game. they paid them $400,000 to come beat their butts on national tv. >> whoa. >> this college football, got to love it. >> got to love it. love college football especially this weekend for both of us. coming up, gabrielle union live in times square. times squ. so i called back? same state farm agent. texted the next day? same guy. is that even legal? and get this - he remembered my name. of course. hey, blink twice if you're in danger. whoa, guys. at state farm, we actually get to know you. it's called service. come on! like a good neighbor, state farm is there. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis under control? hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema,

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>> good morning. we take a look at your commute. >> good morning. we have a lot of slow stretches. an update from the bay bridge toll plaza, we did have a disabled vehicle that has cleared. the metering lights came on at 5:53. san rafael, southbound traffic is moving slowly and under the limit. we still have a sig alert in richmond but it is beginning to clear on eastbound 580 past central avenue. >> good morning. a little fog around novato and some along the coast. that will be the mainstay to the rest of the day as the clouds clear and greasy. -- breezy. 70's and 80's and you 90's and lynn. air quality will improve. it will be a little hazy will.

look at the weekend. >> thank you. coming up, robin goes one-on-one ahead of fashion's biggest night talking about the met gala.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. as millions of kids go back to school, the states pushing back on president biden's new mandates. covid cases in kids surging. when will the shot finally be available for children? all eyes on the fda. why they are urging parents to wait. ♪ america strong. the remarkable stories of the quiet heroes across the country, americans persevering in the midst of a global pandemic. this morning, we're celebrating the life and legacy of an indiana football coach. david muir talking to his dedicated students, how they never gave up on him and how they are determined to keep his memory alive. ♪ you want me ♪ robin one-on-one with anna wintour on the met gala's glamorous comeback to diversity

at "vogue" and who she says is fearless on the red carpet. ♪ a lovely day ♪ and "bring it on." actress, author and mom, gabrielle union, joining us live in times square and she's saying -- >> good morning, america. ♪ lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day ♪ good morning, gabrielle. good morning, america. we're glad you're starting your the week with us this monday morning. >> yes, we're ready to "bring it on." is that how you said it? no, you went with it. i was applauding you. this morning, we are applauding this country, yes, we're excited to launch the america strong series across all abc news platforms highlighting the strength and resilience of our country in these unprecedented times. >> that's right, "world news" anchor david muir joining us live, there he is, sharing the remarkable story of a high school coach who lost his battle with covid last year but it made such an impression on his community. we look forward to that.

>> that is coming right up. first, the coronavirus emergency. almost three-quarters of eligible americans have taken at least one dose of the vaccine, but the concern is the youth as kids head back to school, cautioning kids about the vaccine, and want to go back to stephanie ramos at a school in new york. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: george, good morning. so many kids in new york city going back to the classroom. many kids lining up behind me. they're so excited, but as kids across the country go back to school, many of them are being diagnosed with covid. the fda says they are working around the clock to make covid vaccines available to younger children. this morning, the fda announcing it won't cut corners when it comes to evaluating the use of covid vaccinations for children. cautioning parents not to seek out vaccinations ahead of fda approval. saying in part, children are not small adults. according to the american academy of pediatrics and the children's hospital association, more than a quarter of a million new covid-19 cases were reported just in children two weeks ago.

the highest number of weekly pediatric cases on record since the pandemic began. the department of health and human services says more than 2,500 children are currently hospitalized with covid-19 nationwide. some saying we've never seen anything like this. >> it's exhausting all of us. and our biggest concern, of course, is that sick kids aren't getting the care they need. >> reporter: according to the cdc, new data shows that unvaccinated people are ten times more likely to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die from the virus than those who are fully vaccinated. now, with president biden doubling down on vaccines, mandating that businesses with more than 100 employees either require the shots or offer weekly covid testing. >> the bottom line, we're going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated co-workers. >> reporter: at least 19 republican governors are condemning the move. at this hospital in upstate new york, so many employees have resigned over the state's

mandatory vaccine policy that they have been forced to stop delivering babies. as for the covid vaccine and kids, the fda says once hey have a completed request for the emergency use authorization or full approval, they will examine the data to evaluate the benefits and the risks, guys. >> all right, stephanie ramos, thank you very much. coming up next, we have david muir with a story of one very special high school football coach whose life and legacy is inspiring people across the state of indiana. also coming up, anna wintour, one-on-one before fashion's biggest night, the "vogue" editor sitting down with robin ahead of the 2021 met gala. and gabrielle union live in times square. there you see her. we'll be right back.

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so hurry up (screams) they're not gonna stay this way forever. kick off your kidifornia vacation at visitcalifornia.com ♪ stand by you ♪ welcome back. we are out here in times square for our series "america strong," launching this morning across all abc news programs and platforms, "world news" anchor david muir is looking at these stories to showcase our country's strength and resilience, and he joins us with the story of a high school coach who left a lasting legacy in the community. welcome david. >> i feel like the country is coming back all outside in times square again. i was wondering the last time we had been together. it's been a really long time. these "america strong" stories, how many times, amy, have you texted your kids are watching at the end of the news? >> it's a nighttime ritual to

watch "world news" around the kitchen table and, yes, they're our favorite segments. >> so excited the whole news division is embracing it, kicking it off with an incredible story of a coach who had such an impact on his young athletes. >> reporter: this morning in every corner of the country, our strong, quiet heroes, our neighbors, first responders, our healthcare workers, our teachers and these are the faces, the young students who want to you know about their coach, paul logan. a towering figure in indianapolis for more than 30 years. and when his students learned he had covid they did what coach had done so many times for them. those pep talks. >> hello, mr. loggan. >> hi, mr. loggan. >> mr. loggan -- >> reporter: so many students sending videos to his hospital room. >> hi, mr. loggan. >> we just wanted to thank you so much for everything you've done. >> we're all thankful for you always. >> reporter: hoping their words would help save him. >> no one wanted us to succeed more than you did. >> we are praying for a speedy recovery. we know you are so resilient. >> reporter: after 12 days in the hospital coach loggan did

not survive. his wife kathy on the students who never gave up on him. they were really hoping that the power of their words would keep him alive. >> yes. yes, absolutely. absolutely. and we had the nurses playing that for him over and over. and i thought it would work. i really did because he -- there's nothing that he loves more than his student athletes. besides his kids, his own kids. >> reporter: his own children making sure he knew he was loved. >> at the end of the day he knew we loved him and we knew he loved us. >> reporter: and just look at what his students did, within hours of learning the news the school parking lot full, in the rain, with head lights on, the message on this video so much love, then they would set a time, 7:00 p.m. high school football stadiums across indiana, when the sun set, the clouds rolled in, those lights came on. one stadium after another. all to honor coach loggan.

a lot of good has happened. >> yes. >> in something so difficult. >> yes. >> reporter: because those stadium lights were just the beginning, they started the paul loggan foundation, money for student athletes to pay for sports, uniforms. paul strong, america strong. you see the impact he had and this foundation has had by just looking at your teammates. >> it means a lot to me that i know that my teammates are are -- who are financially unstable have financial support. >> reporter: $35,000 and counting hoping to help athletes every year. >> i'm sure it made him proud. >> definitely did. >> reporter: for maya elliott on the track team now state champion in her events, the first time without coach loggan. >> in some ways you did it for him. >> yes. >> reporter: these athletes still play for coach. can you still hear his voice? >> yeah, all the time. oh, paul's watching you today. support, these gifts in coach

loggan's name, what do you think he'd make of what you've done now? >> he would be so excited, but he would kind of laugh and, yeah, i know exactly what he would say. i can't say it on the air so, yeah, uh-huh. >> reporter: they tell me he would never have wanted all of this attention. but they are determined to keep fighting in his name. oh, i just love those young athletes. didn't you love what his wife said, what would he make of all this, she said, i know what he would make of it and i can't say it on "gma." >> speaking of, we do have his wife kathy standing by and also his son, michael, they're standing by at north central's football field in indianapolis. now, kathy, you want to tell us, you get a chance, you want to tell us what he would think of all this or can you still not tell us on tv? >> i still don't think i can say it on tv. >> yeah, this time it's live so really proceed with caution. kathy and michael, we called our friends --

>> right, exactly. >> wcaed our friends at the indianapolis colts and we told them all about paul, and they think this foundation's mission is so important they told us they wanted to help out in any way they could, so our friends from the colts are here with a $10,000 donation to the paul loggan foundation. >> wow! thank you so very much. >> thank you. wow. >> that is amazing. >> that's amazing. >> that is amazing. thank you guys so much. and thank you to the indianapolis colts. >> i know like you say, kathy, you know he wouldn't want attention but how important is it that we do keep attention on what he did at that school and for these kids. there's a legacy here that needs to continue. >> yes, absolutely, and he -- he was always -- i'm sorry. i'm a little nervous here. he always wanted to make sure that his student athletes came first, and if those kids couldn't afford to play or they

were having financial issues, or couldn't afford those pair of cleats or those spikes for track, he would always -- i mean, we would pay for it personally out of our own fund and so with this foundation, it just helps us continue his legacy and keeping his name alive for all these future student athletes that won't get to have the honor of actually knowing him and getting his big bear hugs and his big -- his big booming voice that always gives you those words of encouragement that he did. >> and kathy and michael, it's david here. i told you your story would touch the country and we're so proud of you this morning. would you do us a favor, give every one of those young athletes a big bear hug to honor your husband. >> thank you, we will for sure. >> so proud of you guys. >> thanks, david. >> thank you, and thank you, "good morning america." that was incredible. >> thank you for bringing us these inspirational stories, we need more of them. >> thanks. for more on paul's life and legacy, including interviews with his student athletes, tune into "world news" tonight at

6:30 and keep watching abc all through september for more "america strong." now let's go to ginger. >> thanks, george. let's start in matagorda, galveston, texas, all on alert as tropical storm nicholas closes in tonight into tomorrow so we've got hurricane watches up. it's not just about wind, though, i'm telling you this one will be about flash flood potential and storm surge because as you take three to five feet of storm surge you can plug up some of those bays which is where we will see the draining. when you combine tha

oh, it's the return, folks, of the big night, the met gala. fashion's biggest night is back closing out new york fashion week after being canceled in 2020 because of covid. well, robin roberts sat down exclusively with "vogue" editor-in-chief anna wintour to share the details behind the star-studded event. >> reporter: the met gala is back. it is fashion's biggest night out as stars take on the most anticipated red carpet event serving iconic looks and bringing over the top glamour. >> we call the dress code this time american independence and we really want people to have fun and enjoy dressing up again. we also want to see a lot of independence and individuality and different kind of spirit. something that breaks the rules a bit. >> we'll kick off our slippers. >> yes, have some fun.

>> reporter: as "vogue's" editor-in-chief anna wintour carefully curates the guest list and seating chart. everybody wants to know the guest list and the seating chart and all that, so how do you combine the emerging with those that are established? >> well, what has been so incredible about this year is that we invited some of the more established designers like tommy hilfiger and ralph lauren and tory burch to invite -- to sponsor young designers, so it's this remarkable mix of the established and the future and we're a much tighter group because of covid protocol, and so the fact that we can have all these young people with us that night who really are the heartbeat of the exhibition and the heartbeat of new york fashion week is wonderful. >> reporter: this year she is joined by four co-chairs all 25 and under. >> we have invited amanda gorman, the wonderful young poet, billie eilish, amazingly talented singer, naomi osaka,

the amazing tennis player, and timothee chalamet, who is such an astonishing young actor who is also fearless, fearless on the red carpet. >> amanda gorman said that you reached out to her personally. >> yes. >> you zoomed. what was the that conversation like? >> i always invite them personally so we booked the zoom like the way we all lead our lives today and she was perfect, looking immaculate, the hair, the dress, everything, and i asked her if she would do the museum and myself such an honor by co-chairing the event and she said yes immediately, and what's been so lovely about these four young people is they're so excited to meet each other. >> reporter: the gala marks the opening of the metropolitan museum of art costume institute's newest exhibition. >> we decided to open the exhibition this year, 2021 and 2022 in two parts. it's called "in america" and it's really looking at american design and american fashion in a

very in-depth way. both andrew bolton, the curator, and the museum and all of us here at "vogue" felt it was so important to do something during new york fashion week, so we could really encourage visibility for fashion for the museum, for the theater community. all of whom have been so devastated during covid. >> of course, yes, we love the red carpet. yes, it is a spectacle in and of itself but as you alluded to this is a major fund-raiser. >> yes. >> what do you enjoy most because you've been a part of since the mid '90s. >> yes, maybe even longer. we've really built up an expectation and a level of excellence, but what's so exciting about this year is that we're really focusing in this part of the exhibition, the one in may will be more historical, is on the future of american fashion. >> reporter: and as wintour embraces the future, she's also taking accountability for the

past, after criticism in 2020 for lack of diversity. now taking designer aurora james' 15% pledge. what is your plan with that and the commitment going forward? >> we immediately decided that we wanted to support her and be part of it and very pleased to say that we've more than exceeded the 15% pledge. >> reporter: it's an initiative to achieve 15% representation of black contributors at the brand. >> we keep a very close tab on the numbers. we discuss how we're doing, i know we have a long way to go but i think having that conversation and looking carefully at how we can do better across all our content platforms as well as the people that are working with us has given me the understanding of where we are and how we can do more. >> and our janai norman will be on the red carpet for us and a full recap of the best fashion tomorrow morning. they keep losing our invitations in the mail to this thing.

>> i know, i don't know where mine went, but looking forward to all of the fashion talk tomorrow. we're going to move on to the new memoir from the creator of the me too movement, tarana burke has inspired millions to speak out and up about sexual assault and harassment, and is now sharing her own story in a new book "unbound: my story of liberation and the birth of the me too movement" and juju chang spoke to her and joins us now, good morning, juju. >> reporter: amy, tarana burke is a true game changer, lifelong activist and warrior on behalf of sexual abuse survivors especially from marginalized communities, but she too is a survivor and she harnessed the power of sharing stories of survival with two simple words, me too. she's known as the mother of the me too movement. [ crowd chanting ] >> reporter: tarana burke has been fighting the culture of sexual violence for 30 years, her life's work inspired by her own trauma.

in her memoir "unbound," she talks about being a rape survivor at age 7. tell me about the 7-year-old tarana. >> i loved family, i loved learning. i was just curious and then this person came and took that from me and i felt complicit in that violence. i didn't feel like a victim. i felt like somebody who had done something wrong and so i thought if it's wrong that means i'm wrong and if it's bad that means i'm bad. >> reporter: she kept the assault and the trauma secret and says that silence took away her spirit. >> it made me feel unworthy. it made me feel like i did not have a voice that was important enough to put out in the world except that i'm the kind of person who wants my voice to be in the world. i had something to say. > reporter: the me too hashtag used over 27 million times globally since 2017. a viral rallying cry for women and men who are fed up with blatant abuse of power and sexual harassment.

what goes through your mind when you see a governor cuomo resigning and having women speak up against him? >> you know, the cuomo resignation in particular is -- and i think weinstein as well -- we couldn't have gotten a weinstein verdict i think even five years ago, but the progress is the fact that these people can be heard and taken seriously and that didn't happen even five years ago. >> reporter: burke grew up in the '70s in public housing in the bronx. a single mom by the age of 24 her relationship with her own mother was fraught. but mom protected her in a crucial moment. i read her a passage where she describes seeing her rapist for the first time in 30 years. " she asked me if i was all right. i told her that i was shook up. maybe he just didn't recognize me because he hasn't seen me since i was a very little girl," i said.

"no, he didn't recognize you because you turned out to be a smart, beautiful, accomplished woman despite him trying to take that from you." >> me crying at my own book. emotional to think about it. it was exactly what i needed in the right time and i was so grateful. we never stop needing our mothers and my mother is just a wonderful human being, and she's flawed like we all are, but she's perfectly flawed and that's such an example. she's a big part of my liberation. >> reporter: tarana reminded me that so much about the me too movement is about being seen which is what that beautiful mother/daughter moment was and because survivors are so often silent for so long their pain feels invisible, me too has allowed them to break that silence and heal, amy. >> beautiful moment there, juju.

thank you. "unbound" is out tomorrow. "gma's" "america strong" is sponsored by abbott. life to the fullest.

>> this is abc 7 news. >> good morning everyone. checking in on a -- checking inn on a check on traffic. >> we definitely have some slow traffic to talk about. a live picture showing off 101. southbound traffic is under the limit, really stop and go. the bay bridge toll plaza, the backup was going away and now it is back. we are also looking at a crash right now in lafayette causing a slowdown on west one -- westbound 24. at least one lane is blocked. >>

♪ ♪ ♪ easy tools on the chase mobile app. simplicity feels good. chase. make more of what's yours.

>> welcome back. here is a look at the visibility. we had a little fog along the coast but it looks like that is starting to clean up and as we look at your morning commute, some limited clouds near the coast and you can see limited wind on the bay, but comfortable this morning in the 50's and 60's. pretty hot during the afternoon. 78 around the bay and that means some areas will get near 80 and look at those 90's inland. hotter tomorrow but then

temperatures taper below average all the way through the weekend. >> we will have another update in about 30 minutes. you can always find the latest at abc7news.com. ♪ all my favorite colors ♪ all my favorite colors ♪ welcome back to "gma," everybody. it is so good to have you with us and look at who we've got here with us as well. actress, best-selling author, gabrielle union in studio, your new book out coming out tomorrow called "you got anything stronger than this?" your book before this was called "we're going to need more wine." what's your next book, "make it a double"? explain the title to us. >> "you got anything stronger than this?, i like to have my books feel like a conversation over, you know, at first a glass of wine perhaps but thousand with this book i leave nothing on the table so i'm like you got anything stronger, you know, because you might need a stiffer drink for what i'm talking

about. >> i think we can all understand that, where you're coming from of we know you're back to work. you were in europe. we saw your daughter, kaavia james in paris. looked like it worked out well. >> it was in four parts, first couple weeks we were on a boat with our parents and then the second week was the couples trip then we met everyone in paris and then we finished up in burgundy with just me and dwyane. unreal, the longest vacation and most amazing vacation i have truly ever had. >> that sounds pretty great. >> it was awesome. it was absolutely needed and dwyane -- i don't know who this guy is in retirement but the happiest most romantic man. >> wow. >> like he's something out of, you know, "bridgerton." this is amazing. et's talk about the book. the first essay is about having

kaaviy james be a surrogate. you're open about your feelings of failure. was that hard to write. >> it wasn't hard to write. it was hard to write knowing other people could see it. and the fear of judgment and the fear of being completely kind of naked and vulnerable with it. that part is terrifying but the more i realized that my vulnerability is my superpower and the sharing of your vulnerability and being radically transparent, it creates community because every time, you know, i've been a little cagey or outright lied it closes the door on creating community and allows people to continue to feel like they're alone. with this book, i'm like here i am, take me as i am, i'm giving you the full tea. all of the tea, but know that i know you're not alone. i know you might feel like alone because a lot of us feel like we are drowning in plain sight and people are walking by us holding life preservers watching us drown and with book i want to say i see you, here's a life preserver, we can save ourselves.

>> how could that gabrielle union have made your character in "bring it on" different. you do write a letter essentially to your character almost apologizing for what you felt the character at the time needed to be but you think it was a mistake. >> i do think it was a mistake. i was given full range to do whatever i wanted with her in "bring it on." i chose respectability and to be classy and take the high road because i felt like that would make her be appropriate, the right kind of black girl. black girls aren't allowed to be angry, certainly not, you know, demonstratively angry and i muzzled her and, you know, so last summer it was the 20th anniversary of "bring it on" and doing panels with kirsten dunst and our director and our writer, and talking about a sequel, and we're all, like, we should do a sequel that focuses on the clovers and isis and written by a black person and realized that i need to come to grips and acknowledge where i failed her.

when given full control, i made her appropriate. >> what would she have done? >> oh, read them for filth. i would have been, like, yeah, when you had to do your own work, it wasn't enough. you came in second. take that "l." take that loss. whoo-hoo. i would have allowed her to be angry. i would have allowed her full humanity and part of being a full human is the ability to express rage when harmed, you know what i mean. when you don't really allow yourself the full -- your full range of emotion and muzzle your own emotions allows others to think maybe -- >> it comes out somewhere else. >> it comes out somewhere else, it's misplaced. i would have given her all the anger. the other weird thing around last summer there was a meme going around about movie villains and isis was a villain. i had muzzled her. i made her gracious like this decent, you know, kind leader and i was still a villain in that movie for making her want

accountability, for the theft of their work product and the cultural appropriation and i was still a villain. i did all that shape shifting for a character. it's not even real. realizing i was doing that to myself too and i wasn't allowing myself the full range of my humanity. >> but you'll get to fix all that in the sequel. >> oh, listen, like everyone is getting read for filth. she will pull no punches. >> "bring it on" takes a on a whole new meaning. bring it on. there are some fun stories in the book as well including a dance battle with bruno mars. >> yes, yes. it was an epic, epic night. it's one of those nights when people are like i have fomo. you probably should have. it was an amazing atlantic records party and bruno had just had like a hit, you know, but people knew him but it wasn't, you know the fact that he was performing for the label should tell you everything. he wasn't like the bruno mars we see today and i had all my girls

assembled including serena williams who is, you know, fyi, everything at karaoke and exacacacy who you want to tag i in a dance battle and we're on the dance floor, kind of vibing and then through the crowd comes this little whirling dervish of a person and there's bruno mars with his full band and they were like, are you ready? oh, i'm stretching out. oh, i live for these moments. and then we had this dance-off. this epic dance battle with bruno and his team and it was amazing. >> yeah, we missed out. >> yeah, i was like, you got served. >> you wrote a book about kaavia james called "shady baby." what's her favorite book now? >> "shady baby." it wasn't at first. i guess she was like i don't really see the likeness. but then she was all in and so she started preschool not too long ago and they were like and your name is kaavia james, right? and she was like shady baby, i

was like, way to stay on brand. [ laughter ] no, babe. your character. >> it is so good to see you. good to have you back here in studio. we want folks to know the book "you got anything stronger than this?" is out tomorrow and dwyane, my man, "bridgerton" treatment from gabrielle union this morning. all right. that's fantastic. good to have you. >> thank you. >> powerful message from a group of strong survivors is coming up. stay with us on "gma3," folks. "gma." you knew it was going to happen. .

welcome back to "gma." so much emphasis on texas and louisiana and the rain to come there. we have to talk about the severe storms that already blew through brant, michigan. those are, you know, hailstones, some of them golf ball size as brad said denting cars, i'm sure. but that is possible again today right in michigan along the triple point there in wisconsin into, say, back to parts of iowa and southeastern minnesota but there is another area from new york to new york city here or ithaca, new york, and scranton included. that's not just hail and damaging wind but you can see heavy rains with those, flash flooding possible too.

we want to turn now to a powerful message from a group of survivors. a cdc report released this year says gun violence is the leading cause of death for teens. i sat down with several survivors of school shootings who opened up about their unimaginable trauma hoping to prevent other families from that same grief. ♪ you make me feel like i'm living a teenage dream ♪ >> reporter: the carefree lyrics of katy perry's "teenage dream" are the foundation for a new psa about gun violence that delivers this message, the teenage dream is not what it used to be. ♪ let's go all the way tonight ♪ ♪ no regrets, just love ♪ ♪ we can dance until we die, you and i ♪

♪ will be young forever ♪ ♪ you make me feel like i'm living a teenage dream ♪ >> reporter: these aren't actors, they're survivors of school shootings across the country. ♪ let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back ♪ ♪ don't ever look back ♪ ♪ don't ever look back ♪ >> did those lyrics have an impact on you at all when you heard them? >> katy perry obviously wrote that song with the intentions of being joyful and don't ever look back, but being a school shooting survivor, it's using it in that context it's very almost scary. >> it's haunting. >> it's quite ironic i think now this story that i've experienced like my life is becoming like less of a dream and more of a reality.

>> reporter: the survivors sharing how their experiences have permanently shaped their lives, both physically and emotionally. >> i'm now physically handicapped. i have issues with mobility and getting around. i suffer from ptsd, depression, anxiety, insomnia. >> we see you in the psa holding up a photo of your friend, nicholas, who died right next to you. >> i'm only here because of nick. nick saved my life. his body saved my life. >> how do you survive something like that at such a young age to have lived through that unspeakable horror? >> i share the experience of also having depression, ptsd, insomnia. while also struggling and dealing with survivor's guilt which is the biggest hurdle to try and overcome in this process. >> learning how to be paralyzed isn' that easy. it's a lot more into it than you would believe.

even just sitting up, i had to learn how to do that. >> reporter: the group behind the psa is sandy hook promise, co-founded by nicole hockley after 20 first graders including her son dylan and six educators were murdered in newtown, connecticut. >> i don't think people focus on what happens after a school shooting and how that impacts lives for decades, for the rest of your life really. to speak to nick and aalayah and sam i can't hope but think about my own surviving son as well as dylan. >> you mentioned your son, he would have been 15. here with these other teenagers who would be around the same age as him, how painful and difficult is that for you to put yourself out there? >> so that's a pain that's never going to go away. my son is forever 6 and i'm so grateful for all of those that survived and have the strength and fortitude to be able to share their stories to help save the lives of someone else.

>> sharing their stories and hopefully making a difference. that is the point. you can see the full psa on our website. coming up next one author taking us on america's path and offering some hope for our country. country. ♪ ♪ ♪ small decisions make a world of difference.

ikea.

we are back with a new book, "wildland: the making of american fury." author evan osnos examined the path from 9/11 through january 6th through a personal lens and showing how we got where we are, and offers hope for where we're going. thanks for coming in to "gma" this morning. you know, you spent so many years overseas as a foreign correspondent then come back home to the united states and examine our country through a very personal lens. tell us about that. >> you know, it's a little bit like when you come home you're glad to be home then you notice i have to fix the roof tile and the garden is overgrown.

i came home and found what everybody was talking about at the dinner table which is this sense of the fracturing of the country, call it by different names. a sense of anger in the air and what is striking about it, george, it's not just one segment of society. there is this feeling across broad spectrums of partisanship and class and race that there is a way in which our democracy is just not working well enough. the tools themself aren't working well and i have to figure out what happened and how to get out of it. we can only get out of it if we know how we got in. >> so where did you go? >> i decided to go to places, places i know best, you know, places that where i grew up and worked because i could only then measure change over time. if i dropped in to someplace i wouldn't know what i was looking at and could write with frankly affection and concern so i went to places like greenwich, connecticut where i grew up clarksburg, virginia, where i - worked as i reporter or chicago and wanted to burrow into people's lives and said let's get away from some abstractions.

an example, i wrote about a man in chicago for instance who was convicted as a teenager of gang-related crimes and went to prison for it and somebody in greenwich, connecticut, who eventually went to prison for insider trading when he was a hedge fund manager and in both cases they told me it felt to me as if everyone was doing it and that kind of conversation, getting past some of the surface level details about, you know, how is this country doing on the metrics and basic data actually gets you into questions of motivation and environment and how do we make the choies we make. >> this fury you write about is in the atmosphere, it's in the air we breathe right now. what did you learn about it. >> in some ways i think we have to trace it further back than we sometimes think. look, all of us saw the events on january 6th. i was there as a reporter for "the new yorker" at the capitol and one thing that struck me the number of people i met who said this was their first trip to washington, d.c. ever, which is a sign of how alienated they

feel from our political process. and i said -- here's a data point that drove it home, in 1964, 77% of americans felt they could trust the government. today that number is collapsed. 50 years later it's down to less than 18% so and that's about more than the government. it's about our feeling towards one another and beginning to build the systems that make us once again recognize each other as fellow citizens. >> i love the story about son locking your ipad and got the passcode wrong so many times it said check back in 48 year, time lock. what did it tell you about our relationship with technology? >> well, i said we could either sore follow help.inutes or ask - -- for some help. i put out a tweet asking for help and people sent in all kinds of useful suggestions and then what surprised me was other people sent in notes that said, this seems like a fraud, a conspiracy perhaps, something to either gain attention or to sling some negative reputation on apple and i realized something that it drove home for me the way in which technology obviously is a blessing in our lives in so many ways but also frays some of those bonds. there was a great prediction

years ago by a scholar named neal postman who said technology gives us a new community but it's a community populated by strangers in which we only know the most superficial facts about one another and try to remember there is a human being behind whatever we see online. >> we only have a few seconds left, but how do you sum up the hope you found? >> honestly i came back quite encouraged by this experience and realize call it our special sauce. i lived around the world and come back to the united states and realized we have this instinct for self-correction. when the pendulum swings too far we begin to feel it and try to push it back in the other direction and see people do it all over the country. >> evan osnos, thanks very much. >> my pleasure. >> "wildland: the making of american fur

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chase. make more of what's yours. >> announcer: thursday morning we're kicking off our concert series with melissa. ♪ you're just as cool as you try >> announcer: thursday morning it's melissa etheridge only on "good morning america" sponsored by carmax. big night tonight, kickoff of monday night football on espn and right here on abc. got peyton and eli manning on espn2 and he plan plus. >> all right, then tomorrow on "gma" our big new york edition of "rise & shine" featuring "the lion king," everyone. it's back. have a great day. ♪

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>> building a better bay area. moving forward, finding solutions. >> good morning everyone. here is a look at traffic. >> good morning everyone. we are following a crash on southbound 101 at san pedro road. you can see traffic is crawling right now. be prepared for delays if this is a part of your morning commute. things have really turned around on the bay bridge toll plaza. it is perfectly clear, just a long stretch of slow traffic through the east bay. >> a warm day today, one of our warmest this week, except for the coast where the breezes will keep you through -- keep you in the 60's. mainly 80's in the south bay and northbay with low to mid 90's inland. tomorrow is going to be just as hot, if not hotter than today. air quality is going to improve

and the temperature drops wednesday through the weekend. >> now it's time for live with kelly and ryan. see yo >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" >> today a u.s. open champ, plus actress gabrielle union. plus we kick off "live"'s "dinner on a dime week." and the gold in tokyo is our good news story of the day. that's all next on "live." and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest. >> kelly: good morning. >> ryan: good morning. >> kelly: high, daja. deja.

good morni