eastern. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm errol barnett. it's it's tuesday, july 20th, 2021, this is the "cbs morning news." children and masks. the nation's top pediatricians offer updated guidance for students as the delta variant fuels new covid cases in all 50 states. ready for blastoff. amazon founder jeff bezos and three others are set to launch into space this morning. how they're preparing for the historic flight. new wildfire challenge. as fire crews take on the nation's largest fire in southern oregon, there's a new threat that could exhaust resources even more. well, good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green.

we begin with new guidance when it comes to students wearing masks for the upcoming school year. the american academy of pediatrics now says that children older than 2 should wear masks in the classroom regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not. it comes as the delta variant drives up covid-19 cases nationwide. even wall street was rocked with renewed fears over the virus. yesterday the dow posted its biggest single day drop this year plunging 725 points. laura podesta is tracking the very latest for . a,mo >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. asian markets fell overnight as worries continue to grow that the delta variant could wreak havoc on the global economic recovery effort. the guidance from the american academy of pediatrics is likely going to play a role in how safe unvaccinated kids are and how safe they feel when they return to school in the fall.

with school starting soon, time is running out for children 12 and older to get vaccinated and be fully protected against covid-19. >> you need to have your first dose and your second dose 21 days later. generally what's considered fully vaccinated is two weeks past that. >> reporter: dr. shawn o'leary of children's hospital of colorado says younger children should wear a mask. >> this delta variant is much more contagious than what we saw circulating last fall. >> reporter: new guidance from the american academy of pediatrics recommends masks be worn in schools by everyone 2 years of age and older even if fully vaccinated. >> covid is not gone. covid is still here. covid is going to stay with us for a long period of time. >> reporter: health experts say fully vaccinated people are rarely ending up in the hospital. >> what we're seeing is the person who got vaccinated is

home with mild illness and others who did not get vaccinated are in the hospital or in the intensive care unit. >> reporter: in north dakota where fewer than half of adults are fully vaccinated, hospitalizations are between 18 and 49. >> because the older folks are protected, the cases that you see and the deaths that you see are going to be in that younger, healthier age group because they're not vaccinated. >> reporter: a cbs news you gov poll says 70% say they will not get immunized even if their own doctor recommends the vaccine. the poll found over the last month an increasing number of unvaccinated adults say they're worried about the side effects of the vaccine and they don't trust the government and they don't trust the science. anne-marie. >> that continues to be a problem. laura podesta in new york. thank you so much, laura. canada is planning to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated americans starting next month.

the action comes as canada makes significant gains in its vaccination rates and a steady drop in covid-19 cases. if the progress continues, travelers from the rest of the world can start visiting again in september. canada first shut its borders last march barring entry to all nonessential foreign travelers with few exceptions. this morning history will be made in space again. billionaire jeff bezos and three others will fly more than 60 miles above earth. he'll be joined by 18-year-old physics student oliver damon whose father bid for the seat in an auction. also on board are 82-year-old aviation pioneer wally funk and bezos's own brother mark. they'll launch from van horn, texas. the blue origin capsule is entirely automated that required two pilots when it flew to space last week.

mark straisman reports on how bezos and his team are preparing for the big launch. >> reporter: as jeff bezos sees space. >> we are excited. >> reporter: two days of training is all he needs, all anyone needs to become an astronaut. >> this is an exact replica of what they'll fly on tuesday. >> exactly. >> reporter: arian showed us. >> these are the largest windows ever flown in space. >> reporter: she's selling tickets to wanna be astronauts. this is an experience. >> it is an experience. >> reporter: launch in a rocket, separation, 62 miles above earth, float in microgravity before parachutes and thruster rockets land the capsule back in the desert of west texas. >> we set out to create the safest human flights vehicle ever designed or built or operated. we think we have succeeded. >> bezos dreams big of space, of colonizing the cosmos. >> this planet is finite.

>> reporter: as he told nora two years ago. >> we need to be sure we are using the resources of space to save this planet. >> reporter: bezos sees this empire as a market worth $350 billion annually but by 2040 could generate $1 trillion. >> this vehicle is ready, this crew is ready, this team is amazing. >> reporter: bezos says he's not worried. he's excited. he's about to live it. mark strassmann, cbs news, culverson county, texas. >> stay with cbs news all morning for special coverage of the launch and landing of blue origin. mark strawsman and gayle king are in van horn, texas. norah o'donnell will join us from washington, d.c. the launch is scheduled for 9 a.m. eastern, 6 pacific. now to the raging fires burning in the western u.s.

they race to contain the tamarack fire. the blaze exploded over the weew fueled by gusty winds. people who live close to the flames are concerned. >> it's never been this close. always nervous in fire season and all of our big trees have fear marks on them from years gone by, so it's a reality here. >> reporter: so far the fire has torched more than 35,000 acres and it is 0% contained. meantime, the bootleg fire ravaging southern oregon has grown to the size of los angeles. the wind fueled flames have destroyed at least 70 homes and thousands of people have been evacuated. they're asking for help outside the pacific northwest as the threat of thunderstorms and lightning could spark new fires. and a florida man who took part in the deadly attack on the u.s. capitol will spend eight months in prison. 38-year-old paul hodgkin's was

sentenced yesterday after a plea deal. he apologized to the court saying he was ashamed of his actions. photos and videos show him taking selfies on the senate floor wearing a trump 2020 t-shirt and a flag over his shoulder. this is the first felony sentence tied to the insurrection. coming up, powerful explosion. a huge blast destroys one house and leaves others damaged. driver beware. how a car ended up in a private swimming pool. this is the "cbs morning news." . this is the "cbs morning news." i remember just, kinda like a burning smell from the airbags. my pixel detected that we were in a car accident, and prompted me whether i needed to call 911. i don't ever really think about how's my phone going to save me today? brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%.

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destroyed, they were heavily damaged. the cause of the explosion is under investigation. a teenager drives a car into a swimming pool and the los angeles police department is being blamed for a catastrophic explosion while trying to detonate illegal fireworks. those are some of the headlines on the morning newstand. the "los angeles times" reports the lapd significantly underestimated the weight of illegal fireworks before trying to safely detonate them. 17 people were injured. the massive blast rocked a los angeles neighborhood last month. authorities who reviewed the remains after the explosion calculated the weight was more than 42 pounds, about 17 pounds over the containment chambers capacity. the police chief issued an apology yesterday. >> i want to personally express

my apologies to every resident, business operator and customer that was traumatically impacted by this incident. 17 community members injured or the property loss incurred by 13 businesses, 22 residential properties and 37 vehicles that have been damaged or destroyed. >> five bomb squad members have been removed from the field duties as the investigation continues. and the denver post reports a teenager accidentally drove a car into a swimming pool. it happened last week in the city of lakewood. authorities say the driver, who is believed to have a learner's permit, drove off the road, smashed through a fence and into a private swimming pool. the teenager was cited for careless driving. both the teenager and adult passenger got out safely. they were not hurt, which is a good thing. a tow truck company removed the vehicle as you can see from the pool. going to be tough to get that license though. still ahead.

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otezla. show more of you. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. prince harry is putting his thoughts on paper. the duke of sussex plans to write a, quote, intimate and heartfelt memoir about his life. the publisher, random house, says he'll touch on a range of issues including his service in afghanistan, becoming a father and life lessons that have helped to shape him. the book will be released late next year. on the "cbs moneywatch" now. fears of surging coronavirus cases sends the stock market plunging.

costco changes its mind about separate hours for seniors. diane king hall has the stories. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. wall street had its worst day in months as investors grow increasingly worried about the economic impact of the highly contagious delta virus coronavirus. the dow ultimately sank 725 points. the nasdaq skidded 152 and the s&p 500 fell 68 points. ben & jerry's plans to end sales in occupied palestinian territories. in a statement the ice cream company said it's inconsistent with its values to continue business in territories sought by the palestinians. ben & jerry's has a factory in israel where it's continued business since 1987. the company does plan to stay in israel through another arrangement. costco will keep those senior hours after all. the big box chain initially said it would end senior hours on july 26th but it's changing

course and reducing them from five days a week to two days as the pandemic continues. the reserve shopping time for members 60 and older and vulnerable shoppers will be tuesdays and thursdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and space is getting a little spicier. for the first time ever astronauts aboard the international space station are growing red and green chile peppers. after four months they'll harvest and eat the peppers and they'll send the rest back to earth for analysis. scientists hope this will supplement astronaut diets providing much needed vitamin c and other nutrients. i guess there is snack service in space. >> yes, but you better like it spicy. let's hope the recycled air is thoroughly cleaned up there. >> exactly. exactly. something to watch in the end, too. >> right? diane king hall at the new york stock exchange.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country.

it was a rough few days for a dog trapped between two concrete walls inside a house in cincinnati. firefighters had to break through one of the walls to rescue the dog. gerde disappeared five days earlier from a different house. on sunday a nearby homeowner heard dog cries coming from the nearby wall. they think gerde fell through a crevice and got stuck. she was reunited with her owners though. nashville predators prospect is making history. the 19-year-old canadian announced on social media yesterday that he is gay. prokof is a first active player with an nhl contract to come out. last month carl nassib became the first active nfl player to say he is gay. three different people are making history on "sports illustrated." naomi osaka is the first black

athlete to appear on the cover of the swimsuit issue. it comes on the heels of her controversial withdrawal of the french open after she decided not to speak with the media. model and actress elena bloom is the first trans woman. she called this a powerful moment that heals a lot of pain in the world. and three time grammy winner mag began v. stallion is the first rapper to be on the cover. the cover models are a reminder that beauty comes in many forms. and coming up on "cbs this morning," special coverage at this morning's historic launch of billionaire jeff bezos and three others into space. gayle king leads our coverage near the launch site in texas and we'll talk with legendary astronaut about what bezos and others can expect as they rocket

into space. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪ [ sneezing ] are your sneezes putting your friends in awkward positions? stick with zyrtec. zyrtec starts working hard at hour one... ...and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. zyrtec. muddle no more. i remember just, kinda like a burning smell from the airbags. my pixel detected that we were in a car accident, and prompted me whether i needed to call 911. i don't ever really think about how's my phone going to save me today? need better sleep?

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our top stories this morning. the american academy of pediatrics is now recommending children older than 2 wear masks inside the classroom this year regardless of their vaccination status. the academy strongly recommends in person learning and is urging that anyone who is eligible get vaccinated against covid-19. and there's another historic space mission on tap for today. billionaire jeff bezos and three others are set to blast off to the edge of space and land back on earth. the capsule they will be in is entirely automated. no pilots required. and now to a growing threat from overseas. the u.s. and its allies have accused china of a global

hacking and cyber espionage campaign. they're calling the accusations baseless. here's ed o'keefe. the spring attack on the microsoft exchange email system hit tens of thousands of companies and gave the hackers, essentially chinese spies, access to hundreds of thousands of email servers. >> the investigation is not finished. >> reporter: the administration for the first time is alleging that chinese leaders are costing companies and governments billions. >> what is your understanding of the biggest difference between what they've done versus what russia has done in terms of cyber hacking? >> my understanding is that the chinese government, not unlike the russian government, is not doing this themselves but protecting those who are doing it and maybe even accommodating them.

>> reporter: while the administration has sanctioned the russians following multiple hacks, there are no currents plans to sanction the chinese. >> not only do we need to penalize the contractors, but we need to penalize the chinese companies that benefit from this intellectual property theft. the u.s. charged four chinese nationals for a seven-year hacking campaign. these allegations reflect a deliberate choice by china to engage in cheating and stealing instead of innovation. >> reporter: meanwhile, president biden is clarifying a comment from friday where he says social media platforms like facebook allow the spread of misinformation about the pandemic. are, quote, killing people. the company struck back over the weekend and mr. biden said the bad actors are to blame, not any one company.

ed o'keefe, cbs news, the white house. >> coming up on "cbs this morning," special coverage of this morning's historic blue origin launch. bill harwood looks at what this mission means for the future of space travel plus we'll talk to peggy whitson about what jeff bezos can expect as he rockets into space and how one of the passengers, 82-year-old aviation pioneer wally funk, is fulfilling a decades long dream. that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday morning. i'm anne-marie green. thanks for watching. have a great day.