>> whit: good morning, america. >> whit: good morning, america. new fire breaking out in maui forcing evacuations as the devastating wildfires become the deadliest natural disaster in hawaii history and now the painful questions about warning

systems with residents returning to see a life left in ashes. >> gio: helping hands. the maui community banding together to get supplies to those in need by water and by road. the shelters now overcrowded, but beyond the heartbreak, there's hope as hundreds of families are now being reunited. >> janai: special counsel. attorney general merrick garland elevating trump appointed u.s. attorney david weiss in the hunter biden investigation. the surprise announcement and the second surprise about chances for a plea deal. >> will: fair game. the gop candidates campaigning at the iowa state fair, the rite of passage for presidential hopefuls, flipping burgers and hopefully votes. >> janai: bail revoked. crypto mogul sam bankman-fried back behind bars as he awaits trial. the reason for the judge's move.

>> will: caught on camera, disturbing video of a man holding a baby, tackled and beaten by police inside a restaurant in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. the police investigation. >> janai: school bus driver shortage being felt across the country. some youngsters arriving back home past bedtime. the solutions being tried to get kids to class. >> will: grand canyon rescue. a teenage boy falling off the edge of a popular trail, plunging nearly 100 feet. how emergency crews pulled off that miraculous rescue. >> janai: clash of the titans. mark zuckerberg and elon musk preparing to duke it out. the latest details on where and when it could happen. >> whit: pitching in. from the volunteers helping to prepare meals to the celebrities offering their time and money, the aloha spirit alive and well in the face of this massive disaster.

>> janai: good morning, america. happy saturday. thank you for starting your weekend with us. i'm so glad to have will reeve here in the studio with me as whit and gio are out there in the field. that's where we start this morning with the death toll rising overnight in maui, as officials warned it would. >> will: at least 80 people are now confirmed dead, and that number could go up as crews search more of the rubble. names are being posted on social media to help people connect with loved ones still missing. we have team coverage. whit and gio are on the ground in kula, hawaii, with the very latest. good morning, guys. >> gio: hey, good morning, will and janai. such a heart breaker here. i have been here since, as you know, before these fires broke out, and it's been so surreal to watch the transformation on the island as the people now turn to dealing with this tragedy. fire officials do believe it will take a few more days to completely contain the fires.

they are working to extinguish flare-ups on the island, and there was a new evacuation for residents in kaanapali when a fire broke out on the hillside. thankfully that fire is now contained. >> whit: so, we are seeing some progress. that is encouraging news. in the meantime, on other parts of the island, residents were being allowed back into their charred neighborhoods to see the extent of the devastation for the very first time, but this morning, there are growing questions about what happened before the fires and whether there was enough warning for people to get out. this morning, the devastating wildfires across hawaii, now the deadliest natural disaster in the state's history. the death toll reaching a new grim milestone, at least 80 lives lost, and the number still expected to climb, and overnight a new wildfire breaking out in kaanapali forcing new evacuations and renewed fears among residents who've already suffered so much. the initial deadly fires

breaking out on tuesday, sweeping through communities like lahaina leaving destruction in their wake. three days later, a line of cars outside the decimated town. residents finally allowed back in to see what's left of their homes. >> i just want to see what's left, but nothing. >> nothing. all gone. >> will: our will carr getting a firsthand look. >> the fire burning not only this courthouse but also the historic banyan tree behind it, the tree that everybody comes to see. >> whit: the charred remains of buildings and vehicles lining the streets. hawaii emergency management records show no indication warning sirens sounded before people had to escape. instead, alerts went to cell phones, tvs and radio stations, but power and cellular outages limited their reach. >> it seemed sporadic. i'm going to have to say that the government could have done a little better and seems like nobody was paying attention. >> reporter: kessa and her family lost their home leaving everything behind in just ten minutes. >> did you receive any warning that the fire was coming into the town? >> no warning.

we are supposed to get, you know, on your cell phone evacuation notices, alerts. we got nothing, nothing, not one alert to evacuate. >> so, your only signal to get out was the explosion and the flames? >> yes, and the smoke and people leaving town. >> whit: and it's not only lahaina, flames ripping through homes in this kula neighborhood. >> so, over there, my sink is there. that's my kitchen. that's going to be the treasure hunting. >> reporter: this woman and her mother mika fleeing with her family as the fire exploded in size. >> we had, like, maybe five minutes. >> five minutes. you had five minutes to gather your family and get out. >> yeah. >> reporter: her father spent decades building this mul multigenerational home with his bare hands. now it's all gone, but they refuse to give up hope. >> it felt like safety, and it felt like home, and, you know, these things you think you'll

always have, you know, like things you think you'll give to your children, you know, pictures. >> it's too late. this is done, so nothing we can change. it's no can go back, but we had to go home. >> whit: you know, we've been just so inspired by a lot of the families we've been speaking with here, and the mom, mika, there, she was digging through the rubble, and i said, be careful. be careful. i was trying to help her. i was like, what are you doing? she said, i'm digging for treasures, because anything i can salvage, i'm going to keep with me and incorporate in our new home as rebuilt. they're already thinking about what's next and how to support other people in the community. >> gio: and there's just so much strength, and that's what we are seeing. that aloha spirit is very much alive, very strong pushing through their heartbreak. people across the island are stepping up to support each other through this crisis, from delivering food, to

collecting donations, people on maui are turning to each other to lend a helping hand. this morning, in the midst of utter devastation, incredible tales of a community banding together. some taking to the water to get supplies to those in need, seen on jet skis bringing boxes to the stranded. the maui humane society living up to its name, humans collecting food to feed and care for displaced animals, and then there's the maui food bank, rex is taking me on a trip to deliver food to those desperately in need. >> this is your home, your community. >> yeah. i mean, it feel goods to help. i mean, it's sad, but it feels good to help. >> reporter: but to get there, we travel through this, the heart of the disaster zone, lahaina. for rex, a maui native, it's a heartbreaking scene straight out of a war zone. this was one of their food bank stops before the fire, but he is determined to keep going, and when we reach the destination -- [ applause ]

-- applause at a prep school now used as a donation center. so, they've been saying here that they are running out of food, so this is coming at the perfect time here. rex unloads the truck, and the team gets to work from kids sorting boxes of diapers to adults going through donated clothing, and then there are those racing to help the injured like nico and natalie. >> we're dropping off medical supplies. >> i'm a nurse practitioner. i came over this morning to try to help. we heard there's people that have burn wounds. we'll check it out and see what they need and what we can do. native's mother is one of the hundreds missing. leila is set to give birth and is still filling her car with donations to deliver. >> it's, yeah, very heartbreaking, and it is like it's hard to go to sleep, then

when you wake up it floods back to you. >> gio: all of these people are just some of the heroes on a critical journey. >> and as you drive out, you will see a lot more, more trucks driving in, nothing but ahola is all you see. >> gio: nothing but ahola is all you see, he said. that's what you're seeing here, in the midst of so much sadness, people are coming together. they are showing that strength and incredible support. just so much determination here on maui. >> whit: they sure are. we want to turn now and bring in someone from -- founder of the cajun navy, ceo rob gaudet. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> whit: we've spoken to you many times across the country. here you are in maui. you got here yesterday. what are you hoping that you can do to help the people here? >> you know, these disasters, people think it's the fire or the flood or the tornado. it's really the crisis and the aftermath, and that's what we're here to do is look after the people, the elderly. this is a bottom up recovery. there's not one person in

charge. you're really in charge of your own recovery, and the less capable you are of making that happen, the more help you need. so, we supplement that help for people that can't bring themselves forward. >> gio: rob, i know your team has been looking at what's going on on the ground in lahaina, and we've been seeing that ourselves. it's unimaginable what we've been seeing there. where do you even start when you see a disaster of this scale, where do you start? >> there's so much activity going on, and people are helping. our tendency is to sit back and wait and let some of this pass, especially when there are so many good people in this area are helping. so we're watching and waiting to see as people begin to go back to work and the help slows down, we'll start to move in and begin to find out those people that truly don't know how to move forward. you know, if they don't have insurance, where are they going to live? what are they going to do? this is people's homes. they've lived there their whole lives, generations. >> gio: that's right.

they're generational. >> this is heaven. this is my first time to maui. it's beautiful, but they just went through hell, so it's a real dichotomy between the beauty here and what these folks just experienced. >> whit: we've been talking to a lot of people here across the island. one of the biggest challenges is when the disaster hit, they blocked off roads. people fled in different directions, and we're talking to families who are spread out all across maui, some are still cut off in different areas. how do you reach those people? i get text messages saying, hey, there are resources over here, but we still don't have cell coverage and water and food and diapers and things that we need on this part of the island. how do you address that? >> sure. we're part of a bigger group, and some call it a traveling circus, but it's a lot of nonprofits that we really work together with and were in florida after ian, and they're here now. so crisis cleanup is one place those individuals go, and they'll list their home and need help with things, and all the nonprofits go to that site, and we source the people that need

help. we kind of collaborate around helping these individuals. >> gio: rob, thank you so much for all you do. thank you to the cajun navy. we so appreciate you. >> thank you, guys. >> gio: thank you for joining us on "gma." of course, the weather is playing such a huge role in all of this, and it could impact efforts to contain these wildfires here on maui, so let's go to somara in the studio for more. good morning to you, somara. >> somara: good morning, gio. so, let me tell you what's going on right now in maui, still a few fires burning, but one of the main fires in kaanapali yesterday that prompted evacuations, that has now been 100% contained. the driving force behind the fire at the peak of the fires, 70 to 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts. here's some good news. today they're looking at 20 to 30-mile-per-hour wind gusts, which should help in the efforts on the ground for the firefighters. on the mainland we're still dealing with record heat and severe weather, but, of course, we'll talk about that a little later in the show. for now, whit, back to you. >> whit: all right, somara, thank you so much. we'll have much more on the devastation, the relief efforts, and the recovery here all coming up from hawaii in our next half hour.

but first let's go back to new york and our top stories. will and janai, back to you. i wish that, you know, we could be coming to you live on much better circumstances from hawaii. it is such a beautiful place. it's really close to our hearts. i have family here. sadly just an incredible tragedy, and we're only seeing the beginning stages of the scope and scale of what's happened here. >> janai: will, whit, before we moved on, i wanted to point that out. gio, you were on vacation there when this happened. it's just a testament to the kind of journalist you are. you just jumped into action reporting on this. whit, i know your in-laws, you have family there, and you and your girls take a trip every summer, so you have years of memories, and so i can just only imagine how this is impacting you personally while being out there reporting and bringing us these important stories. so, guys, i want to thank you both for being out there, and we'll check back in with you in just a bit. >> whit: thank you. >> janai: for now though, we

do turn to other news and the surprise announcement of trump appointed u.s. attorney david weiss to be special counsel in the hunter biden investigation. abc's jay o'brien has been following those developments. he joins us with more. >> reporter: this morning the investigation into hunter biden intensifying after attorney general merrick garland named david weiss the u.s. attorney in delaware as special counsel giving him independent oversight over his years' long investigation into the president's son. >> upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, i have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel. >> reporter: hunter biden's attorney saying that weiss' new designation doesn't change our understanding of his authority, and they expect a fair resolution not infected by politics. >> mr. weiss has the authority he needs to conduct a thorough investigation and to continue to take the steps he deems appropriate independently. >> reporter: garland's decision

coming after a plea deal between hunter biden and prosecutors that would have covered tax fraud and gun charges publicly collapsed last month. in court filings, the same day of his appointment, weiss telling the judge in that case, the two sides are now at an impasse in plea negotiations signaling the president's son may be headed for trial. hunter biden's lawyers given until monday to respond. republicans on capitol hill who pressed the justice department to do more still pledging to do their own investigation. >> nobody in their right mind believes that making him a special counsel, mr. weiss, cleans up the mess that's been created. >> reporter: and james comer, the chair of the republican-led house oversight committee claiming that weiss' appointment was an attempt by the doj to, quote, stonewall his investigation. as for hunter biden, in those court filings, the special counsel indicated that he could soon drop those charges in delaware and bring new charges in d.c. and california. janai? >> janai: a lot to sort through. jay, thank you for that.

now let's bring in abc's maryalice parks who is at the white house to talk more about this. good morning, maryalice. this announcement from attorney general merrick garland, it seemed to catch everyone by surprise. break down for us why it's so significant and how things could change. >> reporter: yeah, janai, good morning. on the one hand, it's possible that in terms of the investigation this does not change that much at all. merrick garland, attorney general merrick garland has insisted that david weiss up until now has had complete authority to investigate what he wants, to bring charges as he sees fit, and weiss, who again was appointed by trump, told congress as much, that he has had independence. so some experts think that this might be more of a formality, perhaps a way to help weiss prosecute hunter other places outside the state of delaware. on the other hand, it could mean that there's just more to look at, and where they start their investigation is just not always where they finish it. >> janai: maryalice, how might a hunter biden trial complicate things for president biden's re-election campaign?

>> reporter: yeah, the politics do feel more immediate here. big picture, this means this is not going away. just a few weeks ago, we saw the white house really thinking they were going to be able to put a lot of this behind them with this potential plea deal. republicans on capitol hill, they're already attacking this, even though normally a special counsel takes a little bit of the politics out of an investigation, but republicans saying they are not satisfied. like you said, a trial could be embarrassing for this white house. hard to see this now not being a campaign issue. will? >> will: all right, maryalice, thank you. the hunter biden investigation is just one topic of discussion for republican candidates courting voters at the iowa state fair, and that's where we find abc's rachel scott, who has the latest. rachel, good morning. >> reporter: hey, will, good morning to you from one of the most popular stops for the candidates at the iowa state fair. we're talking about the pork tent, of course. the iowa state fair stretches ten days, but consider today the main event. former president donald trump and his closest rival, florida

governor ron desantis, crossing paths and jockeying for votes in just a few hours. it's one of the most important political traditions, the iowa state fair. >> there he is. that's what i'm talking about, the butter cow. >> reporter: 14 candidates flooding the hawkeye state flipping pork chops, chowing down on fried food, and making their pitch directly to voters. >> i'm a real believer in america and our future. >> well, hello, iowa. how are you? >> reporter: but in a crowded republican field, it is a challenge to stand out. when we made our way through the fairgrounds with republican candidate and north dakota governor doug burgum, he was confused for a congressional candidate. >> are you running for congress? >> no, never, will never happen. >> reporter: and former vice president mike pence getting a mixed reaction from voters. some applauding his actions on january 6th. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> great to meet you. >> thanks for not destroying the constitution. >> reporter: others criticizing him. >> you're a traitor. he's a traitor. >> i kept my oath to the constitution of the united

states, and i'm confident that in time even people that didn't understand that then, may not understand it now are going to come around to see that we kept our oath then, and we'll always keep our promises we make to the american people. >> reporter: five months out from the iowa caucuses, and donald trump still has a commanding lead. >> well, i'm kind of inclined to go with trump. >> why? >> i thought he did a really good job when he was in office, and i think he'd probably do it again. >> reporter: voters like david hudson say this time they won't support trump. >> what was the final straw for you? >> all these indictments. he's never going to live it down. >> reporter: but republicans are eager to turn the focus away from investigations into trump and on to hunter biden instead, already casting doubt on the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the president's son. >> it just seems to me that they're going to find a way to give him some type of soft glove treatment. >> i don't trust it. i don't think the american people trust it. >> reporter: many republicans

clearly skeptical, but one candidate welcoming this news is former vice president mike pence telling me the american people deserve answers. janai? >> janai: live from the popular pork tent, rachel scott, we appreciate you and that update. this morning ftx founder sam bankman-fried is waking up behind bars, a judge revoking his $250 million bail after prosecutors argued that he attempted to tamper with witnesses. the judge agreed with prosecutors that bankman-fried tried to harass a key witness, who happens to be his ex-girlfriend and ftx employee, caroline ellison. ellison is expected to testify against him at trial. >> will: now, it's time for a little weather and our friend, somara theodore. hello there. >> somara: when we think of minnesota, we think of, brr, how cold it is out there. and so looking at this, you're like, is that snow? no, it's not snow. it is golf ball-size hail. we saw 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts from minnesota to oklahoma, arkansas. the threat persists today. here's a look at where it's at. the most enhanced risk, upstate york, pennsylvania, scranton,

damaging winds, tornadoes possible and then tomorrow we could see some severe weather in parts of kansas city, missouri, st. louis. that's a look at the weather across the country. let's see what's going on closer lisa: good saturday morning. welcome to the weekend. pier 39 waking up slowly. we have coastal fog that is dense. but a warming trend. it is very subtle around the day today but as we get into the next few days, we will warm up everywhere except the shoreline. the king at 82 in fremont with low 90's inland >> somara: it has been an >> somara: it has been an active summer to say the least. >> janai: it certainly has. thank you. born in the bronx but now heard around the world, new york city celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop yesterday. trailblazers and icons like run

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>> gio: welcome back to "gma." >> gio: welcome back to "gma" on this saturday morning. whit and i are here on the ground in hawaii where those devastating wildfires have

destroyed entire towns. residents on maui have been lining up to get their first look at their burned out homes. evacuees returning to the town of lahaina after it was shut off to the public for days as the wildfires burned through the area, leaving nothing but a path of destruction. the death toll reaching a new grim milestone this morning. at least 80 lives lost and, whit, that number is, of course, still expected to climb. >> whit: sadly that is the expectation, and these wildfires now the deadliest natural disaster in hawaii's history, and overnight a fresh wildfire breaking out in west maui forcing residents in kaanapali to evacuate. fema is now on the island addressing the extent of the damage. this as the community bands together to help the thousands of people who have lost everything. shelters handing out food and water as workers unload trucks carrying everything from diapers to clothing, and bedding, and, gio, you were there as people were getting those precious deliveries. >> gio: one of the things -- and you don't think about this -- they said, we need ice. when i asked what do you need

most, we need ice. you don't think about that, it is so simple, but those are the kinds of things they need, very simple things to keep it going. >> whit: we're hearing from people that they appreciate the help, but there is still such more need getting critical supplies to other parts of the island. >> gio: so much of a need. absolutely. >> whit: we'll have much more coming up from maui. first, let's go back to you in new york for now. >> janai: all right, guys. we'll check back in with you in a bit. those images absolutely surreal. now let's take a look at some of the other big stories that we're following on this saturday morning. happening right now, a russian missile strikes a hotel in the ukrainian city of zaporizhzhia leaving at least one person dead, 19 injured including 4 children according to the state government. >> will: also right now, negotiators for the striking members of the writers guild of america say they received a new package of proposals from the hollywood studios. the two sides met on friday for the first time since may. the writers have been on strike for over 100 days now asking for better pay and protection against the use of artificial intelligence.

>> janai: and a north carolina roller coaster -- i'm sure you remember this -- that was shut down back in june after that large crack was found in its support column has re-opened. carowinds amusement park said workers replaced the broken column and then ran the ride through a rigorous testing process. >> will: that's good, okay. >> janai: certainly is. >> will: we're going to turn now to the newly released video showing police tackling a man in an applebee's restaurant in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. abc's morgan norwood joins us with more details. morgan, good morning. >> reporter: will, good morning. witnesses say jermelle english was headed to the bathroom to change his baby's diaper when police wrestled him to the ground with his wailing child in his arms. by the way, the problem is, though, cops had the wrong guy, but he is still facing charges. >> get the baby. get the baby. get the baby. get the baby. >> reporter: when police stormed the applebees in kenosha, wisconsin, they thought they were arresting a hit and run suspect. >> please, get the baby. >> reporter: little did they know he was just a dad having dinner with his family.

jermelle english jr. tackled to the ground by officers as his baby was clinging to his shirt. this now viral video part of an internal investigation by kenosha police. >> somebody grab the baby. >> reporter: watch as frantic employees grab the child just seconds before the officer pummels him with punches. >> hey, hey. >> it was just sad. i just felt bad for the baby. >> reporter: jennifer harris was the manager on duty that night. she says she held the baby while police were detaining the father. harris says she was terminated because employees recorded the incident. >> applebee's fired me after 11 years. they said i made applebee's look bad. >> reporter: harris also says the officers used pepper spray at one point. kenosha police confirm it was deployed but say the child was not in the immediate area when pepper spray was used so wasn't directly exposed. it's hard to say if the child was affected due to any particulates in the air. kenosha police say they were

initially called to applebee's to investigate a nearby rollover crash where the suspects involved took off. they say snap told them two black men and a woman matching the man's description ran into the restaurant, one according to the police carrying a child. >> female is running and has a baby with her. >> reporter: but jermelle english insisted he did nothing wrong. >> i'm not doing nothing. >> reporter: turned out not to be the suspect in that hit and run. the actual suspects, hiding in the bathroom and now facing charges, and though police initially had the wrong suspect here, jermelle english was still charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. kenosha police say their internal investigation will determine hwether the officers acted appropriately and if they'll face any disciplinary action. janai? >> janai: wow is all you can say to that. morgan, thank you. now to emergency responders at the grand canyon rushing to rescue a teen, who fell over the edge. abc's faith abubey has more.

>> reporter: this morning, a 13-year-old boy's remarkable survival after he tumbled at least 70 feet from the edge of a grand canyon cliff. it all happened after bystanders say he lost his balance falling from the high distance. >> witnesses described seeing him slip from an elevated point out at the end of our trail. >> reporter: rescue crews using ropes and a basket to pull up the severely injured teenager after high winds made a helicopter rescue impossible. >> he was at risk of falling further into the canyon. >> reporter: the unidentified teenager still cautious as he was rushed to a pediatric trauma center. >> that he was in such a good a condition as he was given the distance he fell, it's not uncommon for people to fall an equivalent distance and either be unconscious and unable to respond or deceased. >> reporter: overnight officials urging visitors to not stray from designated trails and walkways. the national park service warns that the north rim's narrow paved path provides spectacular

views, but drops off dramatically on both sides in some places, and certain sections are surprisingly steep. since 2013 a supervisory park ranger tells us there have been a total of 76 over the edge incidents at the park including the deadly 200-foot accidental fall of a 44-year-old man in the same area a year ago this month. >> just remember, it only takes one moment of inattentiveness or one slip to potentially fall up to several hundreds of feet. >> reporter: and that supervisory park ranger tells us that boy is on the mend. he is expected to be discharged from the hospital sometime this weekend. will? >> will: that's great news. amazing he's okay. faith, thank you. somara, behind you, it looks hot and complicated in the weather. what's going on? >> somara: you know, in louisiana this past week, parts of the state saw heat index values over 120 degrees. >> will: whoa. >> somara: oh, my goodness, and these are the hot spots we're tracking today.

we have the south, but we also have the northwest. take a look. triple-digit heat index values. this is what it's going to feel like. excessive heat warnings from texas all the way to florida. over the next couple of days here's a look at the forecast. austin, texas, for the second half of the weekend feeling like 107. miami, by the start of your work week, 104. to the northwest where excessive heat watches have been issued for almost the entire state of washington. you can see yakima, 92 degrees today, triple digits in medford and the heat only continues from there, and we start to get into the triple digit >> somara: that's a look at your >> somara: that's a look at your local forecast. by monday, we're looking at record-breaking heat in the northwest. >> janai: hot and complicated.

any chance that you guys have been described that way before? >> will: no. [ laughter ] not to my knowledge. i don't know. >> janai: thank you so much. >> will: yeah, all right. coming up on "gma," it's back-to-school time. the question is, how are a lot of students going to get there? we'll be right back. there? we'll be right back. what's up, steph? hey, check this out. you can pre-qualify with carmax, fast and easy. (phone clattering) did you just block me? i was protecting your credit score. pre-qualifying with carmax has no impact to your credit score. sorry. force of habit. anyway, then folks can shop by personalized results to see how each car fits their budget. (phone clattering) it feels really good. (laugh) you just blocked me again. come on... get pre-qualified with no impact to your credit score. carmax.

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only at togo's >> janai: back now on "gma" and >> janai: back now on "gma" and as kids gear up for school, many districts across the country are dealing with a severe bus driver shortage making it a challenge to get students to class. abc's jay o'brien has the details. >> reporter: this morning, as students from coast to coast eye a return to the classroom, louisville, kentucky, trying to bounce back from a back-to-school fiasco. jefferson county public schools canceling the second and third day of school this week after snarled school bus routes stranded some students for hours. >> the transportation disaster that we had last night was truly unacceptable, and once again i apologize for that. >> reporter: it happened after the district changed its bus routes ahead of this school year to address a shortage of drivers. the last student dropped off by 9:59 p.m. according to district

officials. across the country, similar frustration. in orlando, florida, parents asked to avoid the bus and carpool instead. in raleigh, north carolina, school administrators weighing pushing the start of school back an hour, so drivers have more time to pick up students. according to a survey conducted by the ride share company hop skip drive, which offers services to drive students to school when buses can't, an estimated 80% of school districts across the country are grappling with school bus driver shortages. >> districts are forced to, you know, eliminate or consolidate routes, increase walking boundaries just to try to manage the situation. >> reporter: school administrators now offering pay raises and signing bonuses in a full-court press to recruit new drivers and keep others from quitting, but many districts still struggling to recover from an exodus of school bus drivers during the pandemic when jeremy freeman, who has behind the

wheel of a cal ma sooz, michigan, school bus for 16 years, saw colleagues leave in droves. >> it's hard to make a living and do a job that is absolutely needed for every school district when you can't make enough for your family. >> reporter: other school districts are trying creative ways to deal with the bus driver shortage. chicago schools are offering students free rides on public transit, and here in d.c. in an effort to attract new hires, there is one school district that lets drivers bring their young kids along, so they don't have to pay for child care. janai? >> janai: wow, but add in a teacher shortage, and it is a tough time for school districts around the country. jay, thank you for that. still coming up here on "good morning america," how the epic fight is likely shaping up between, yes, facebook's mark zuckerberg and x's elon musk. i can't believe i'm saying it. the latest back and forth. the magic never leaves you

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>> will: welcome back to "gma." >> will: welcome back to "gma." so two of the most rich, powerful men in the world might actually fight, but at the moment, they're still grappling with the details. this morning, two of the world's richest, most powerful men might actually fight each other. elon musk and mark zuckerberg fueling speculation that the two tech giants could square off in a cage fight. musk posting on x, the platform formerly known as twitter, the fight will be managed by mine and zuck's foundations, not ufc. livestream will be on this platform and meta. everything in camera frame will be ancient rome so nothing modern at all. italy's culture minister says, not exactly, writing, we are discussing how to organize a

great charity and historical evocation event. in full respect of the sites, it will not be held in rome. zuckerberg showing off a training session and posting about the possible bout on his platform threads writing, i love this sport, and i have been ready to fight since the day elon challenged me. if he ever agrees on an actual date, you'll hear from me. until then please assume anything he says has not been agreed on. this whole thing started earlier this summer when musk challenged zuckerberg to a cage match after zuckerberg's meta launched threads, a direct competitor to musk's platform. this potential battle of the billionaires would be a new spin on a well-worn conceit. celebrities fighting for one reason or another include kim kardashian facing actress tamara frapasella in 2009 for charity and former presidential candidate mitt romney boxed the former heavyweight champion evander holyfield, and superstar idris elba fought in a professional kick boxing match

at age 44 winning in a knockout. so, yeah, it's fitting that they want to do this at the seat of the roman empire, which famously fell under the weight of its own excesses. >> janai: that is so funny. nicely put. look, i'm just -- the sentence, two of the world's richest men might actually fight, it's wild. >> will: wild, indeed. we'll be right back. ng the psoriasis treatment she's been looking for. sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding your back... is back. or finding psoriasis can't deny the splendor of these thighs. once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred.

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>> gio: we a >> gio: we are back live on "gma" from maui and a closer look here how volunteers from all walks of life are pitching in to help with maui's recovery. dozens of volunteers over at the university of hawaii maui college helped prepare 6,000 meals yesterday for shelters and first responders. those on the kitchen line included culinary instructors and students and a shoutout to some well-known folks who have ties to the island. oprah winfrey handed out pillows and other supplies to people at a shelter. she owns roughly 2,000 acres

here on maui. >> whit: it is amazing how people are stepping up. amazon's jeff bezos and fiance lauren sanchez are establishing a $100 million fund to help maui get back on its feet and in the coming years because it almost certainly will take years to rebuild, and while people are grateful for all of these contributions, one of the challenges here is, yes, you can rebuild buildings, but how do you rebuild history and tradition? historical lahaina was a place where all of that was preserved, so people are worried about what's next and how you put all of that together. >> gio: once the royal capital of the hawaiian kingdom. so important. >> whit: major challenges still ahead. coming up on "gma" in our second hour, we'll have much more of our team coverage of the devastation here on maui and the new evacuation as residents return to see what's left of their neighborhoods. stay with us. r neighborhoods. stay with us.

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>> whit: good morning, america. it's our second hour. we're on the ground in maui as the catastrophic toll of the historic wildfires come into focus across the island. the death toll expected to climb