this morning on "world news now." president trump signaling a new direction in america's longest war. >> before a largely military audience, the president announced that the u.s. will simply not pull out of afghanistan on a timetable and that america is not nation building again but killing terrorists. we'll have team coverage ahead, including reaction and criticism of the president's remarks. heritage or hate. many communities grappling with that, and how to handle confederate monuments in the wake of charlottesville. one man under arrest after allegedly trying to blow up a statue as more come do you know in the middle of the night and a scooter adds

injury. and then as they're just picking up the pieces, the scooter just takes off on its own. and our one moment in time. in history, the great eclipse, hosted by the greatest country this the world. america. with millions across the country displaying patriotic pride wearing goofy glasses. we're just getting started. and then no more, we promise, until 2024. we promise. it is tuesday, august 22nd. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> i don't even know if we can keep that promise. >> no, we can't quite keep the promise. >> i don't know. we'll find out soon enough. what did you do for the eclipse? >> it was a big day. i knew it would be 2024 before we win the bidding war for the next eclipse. >> like the olympics? >> exactly. so i dec

central park and channeled the moment. everybody in new york city and all across the country embraced the moment. >> yeah. it was a moment that you couldn't miss. >> i imagine the same for you. we didn't connect yesterday. what did you do for the eclipse? >> i had a different plan, actually. yeah. >> you slept through it? >> i kind of did. >> in your mcdonald's onesies? >> it was very comfortable. look, i had my glasses. i was ready to go. and then it just, you know, i saw the eclipse in my dreams. does that count? >> it does. it looks the same, with your eyelids closed, it's all the same. >> truth be told, i woke up at 2:35, realized i couldn't see the sun from any of my apartment windows. turned on our coverage just in time for the total eclipse and went back to bid. >> it was probably about 80% coverage in washington, d.c. area which is where the first family got to see the partial

but the president was getting a little bit of heat for that. >> ooh, braking teaking the rul. >> not once but several times, he looked up at the sun, and the sun was like, you know what? i blinked. you win, mr. president, yes, indeed. that's how he spent the earlier part of his day, and he did a little bit of traveling down the road to ft. myer and came up with his new war plan. as part of that, the president is saying he's not pulling out from afghanistan anytime soon, but that he's not talking troop numbers yet. >> the president delivered this prime time speech from ft. myer in virginia and announced a shift from timetables to a strategy based on conditions on the ground. and he warned that america's support is not a blank check. lana zak has more. >> reporter: president trump now says he's on board with a plan to send additional troops

afghanistan. >> the security threats we face in afghanistan and the broader region are i mmense. >> reporter: afghan forces say they need more help to fight a resurgent taliban. the new troops will help those already on the ground there. >> the men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. >> reporter: the president did not say how many more americans would be sent, but the pentagon's proposal originally unveiled in may would add 3,000 to 4,000 troops and increase the amount of foreign aid sent to the nation. before he was president, mr. trump opposed increasing america's commitment in afghanistan. getting out of afghanistan a position he often repeated as a private citizen but one that was harder to maintain as commander in chief. >> my original instinct was to pull out. and historically, i like following instincts. but all

decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the oval office. >> reporter: and the president also called on india and pakistan to step up, but one thing that the president said he would not do, give a timetable for when all u.s. troops in afghanistan will be home. lana zak, abc news, washington. our thanks to lana there. and the president offered few details on how his approach would significantly different from his predecessor's. but his speech is getting positive reactions from some rps. >> the president is also facing plunging poll numbers specifically related to his handling of charlottesville, and his opening words still show that that's on his mind. ali, i want to start with this new war plan. is it new actually, and what's the general reaction? it sounds some positive. >> there's a saying the more things change the more they stay the same. that is a lot of the reaction from democrats and republicans

there wasn't a whole lot the president said in tonight's speech that president obama also didn't say when he decided to put his mark on the afghanistan strategy, when he came into office in 2009. some of the reaction from republicans today, as you mentioned, there's just not that many specifics in this plan. so it's hard for democrats and republicans to comment, specifically, about what they thought. but that was the very thing that a lot of senate democrats were bringing up tonight. they were criticizing the lack of specificity in this speech. senate's jack reed saying unfortunately it was short on the details our troops and american people deserve. a lot of unanswered questions for democrats, and on the republican side, they were praising the fact that donald trump specifically said we're not putting an arbitrary deadline on this withdrawal where he it's conditions based which is also something that president obama said a lot back in 2009. but he reiterated that this is going to be a commitment that is not don w

senate armed services chairman, john mccain saying, quote, the president is now moving us well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of postponing defeat. >> john mccain has not been shy about criticizing president trump. so kind of interesting coming to his support. >> he had his own afghanistan plan locked and loaded, ready to go in case the president did not come up with his own. >> indeed. because there were no details, a lot of people were saying this morning this was basically him trying to distract from charlottesville. and we have new poll numbers involving that. >> that's right, we do, kendis. that cloud not lifting from the white house yet. the violence in charlottesville that happened last weekend. the new poll numbers from abc/"washington post" poll show that 28% of the people approved of his response. 56% disapproved. those are bad numbers however, whicheveray

if you dive down below the top line numbers. 42% of people say the president's been equating neo-nazis and white supremacists with those who oppose them, and only 35% say he's not doing that. so we've got a plurality of folks saying he's putting fooch similarity between the too groups. >> the negative effects from that press conference continue to follow. we appreciate the insight. moving on now to texas, where a man is in federal custody for allegedly trying to blow up a confederate statue in houston. prosecutors say andrew shneck was caught with bomb materials. he said he quote, did not like that guy in the statue. he was also arrest netherlands 2014 -- arrested in 2014 on explosives-related charges. a shout fest

statues came down notice early morni -- in the early morning hours. and the navy has ordered a pause as it begins to investigate the collision of the ""uss john mccain."" the ship is docked at a naval base while search efforts continue for ten missing sailors. they will also look at the deadly "uss fitzgerald" crash off japan in june. >> i think gun of tone of the t they will look at here, it was nighttime, one third of all maritime shipping goes through here. so there were probably extenuating circumstances, but no doubt as we saw in the fitzgerald, there was probably human error involved as well. >> it was the fourth mishap this year. the impact of the oil tanker caused flooding in crew sleeping areas as well as rooms used for

communications. bowe bergdahl has chosen to have his trial heard by a judge and not a mailitary jury. he faces charges for walking off his post in afghanistan. if found guilty, he could smend t -- spend the rest of his life in prison. more than a few companies are testing out self-driving cars, but we found a scooter with a mind of its own. >> this happened in china. three family members on that scooter. and it flips over, head over heels as a car pulls in front of them. >> so everyone seems to be okay. you can watch them get up. they walk away. dad goes to pick up the scooter, and just like that, the scooter is gone. it goes off on its own straight into oncoming traffic. dad is left in the dust. no scooter, but luckily, a family with everybody in tact. could have gone a lot

something going on there. >> possessed. all right, coming up -- >> there's a scooter for sale on craigslist. >> while you're eating avocados all the wrong way. >> and why we're chasing eclipse all wrong. it happens a lot more often than we might think, but they're not easy to find. we meet some folks who frequently dance in the dark. but first, a chaotic scene in the cabin. an unruly passenger kicked off after trying to open the plane's door mid flight. you're watching "world news now."

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well, this morning, the fbi is looking into a scare on board an american airlines flight after a man allegedly tried to open a cabin door. >> other passengers subdued him until flight attendants were able to step in. david kerley explains more. >> reporter: these are the moments just after passengers were screaming as a man allegedly tried to open one of the jet's d

>> i hear some yelling. this gentleman is standing in the middle of the aisle. i'm saying i'm going to punch him if he opens the door. i didn't know what was going on, if we were being hijacked. >> reporter: the plane was preparing to land, and men in sun glasses escorting him. while there was plenty of fear among passengers on saturday, those emergency doors can't be opened in flight. most jetliner doors mechanically seal against the fuselage. and during flight, the cabin pressurization pushes against the door, pressure making it humanly impossible to open that door. the passenger who was taken offer the jetliner was not arrested. and while the fbi says it is looking at the case, no charges have been filed. david kerley, abc news, reagan national airport. coming up in the next half hour, the

johnson & johnson by a woman who claims that her cancer was caused by an ingredient in baby powder. we'll tell you what a jury has just decided. c but first, we meet up close and personal with some eclipse chasers. it's not a once in a lifetime thing for them. they roam the world in search of the celestial event year round. that's next on world enoughs now. noughs now.ghs now. hs now. s. \. knock out your sinus symptoms with vicks sinex. the ultra-fine mist starts working instantly to deliver up to 12 hours of ahhhhh get fast relief with vicks sinex.

♪ blinded by the light ♪ wrapped up like ♪ blind by the light >> a lot of people were blinded by the light. diane not among them, but we celebrated this huge, total eclipse. it's been the first time in 38 years since we had one of those total eclipses right here in north america. >> a big deal. >> it's actually more common than you'd think. >> that is if you're willing to constantly travel around the world to see them. abc's david wright has more on eclipse chasers. >> reporter: america stood still, spell bound by a cosmic pot of dough. and it was easy for you to see why for some people one time is not enough. >> people are feeling the hair standing up

neck. >> you are standing in the shadow of the moon. people write poems about that line. >> pink floyd music. >> reporter: one of many classic songs. "eclipse." ♪ and everything i've ever sung ♪ >> it's like a little kid that has to watch his mother go away and disappear, like that's squar scary. you know that it should be there. and luckily, it comes back, but because it's so unmanatural. i think the experience is one you can't replicate in any other way. >> reporter: people get hooked on eclipses. >> in is my 11th total solar eclipse. >> this is number 12 for me. >> reporter: they call themselves umbrafiles, eclipse chasers. >> three, two, one! there it is! >> reporter: galavanting around the world. >> look at the

chromeosatmosphere. she doesn't just chase eclipses, she helps other communities prepare for people like her. >> really try not to be on the roads if you can. >> reporter: we caught up her in torrington, wyoming where they were approaching with a mixture of excitement and dread. >> it's a huge deal. i don't think there's anything to compare it to. >> reporter: the local h&r block has transformed into a pop-up eclipse store, selling tee shirts, tote bags and glass. and i would imagine that you're thrilled that the eclipse isn't april 15th. >> exactly. if it was april 15th, we would not be selling tee shirtings. >> reporter: in one small town they're wondering how they're going to get through it. we're in glendo. >> population

>> reporter: plus 100,000 eclipse viewers. no hotel rooms here. the visitors all watching -- >> this is so packed. farmers are charging $20 to park in their fields. are your' t you're the center of the universe. >> for two minutes and 28 seconds. >> reporter: more than anything, this is a moment of wonder, he says, the closest thing on earth to space travel. >> it's that feeling of being in the presence of something much larger than yourself. that humbles you. >> reporter: we all looked up in wonder. i'm david wright for "nightline," in glendo, wyoming. >> most of us looked up in wonder. >> i looked up at it, i didn't know it was that deep. did you? >> i

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an avocado tree might grow in my stomach. >> that could happen. that's the good part. have a little himalayan sea salt. here, maybe you need a little salt. >> htaste that thing. >> i'm not sure i'm doing this the right way. you try to figure that one out. >> oh, oh. >> we'll come back to kendis and follow his progress on eating an avocado seed. but i want to take you to a different side. sometimes drivers get caught up for different reasons, sometimes there's ducks crossing, a deer in the road. check this out, again, this is in dublin, ireland. take a look at this video. that, my friends, is a camel in the road. >> what? >> and guess what, the camel does not care that you have plan and you're in a rush and you're trying to get

of his car, come over and basically walk the camel to clear the road, but it kind of reminds me of when the christmas spectacular is happening in new york city and they carry the camels into radio city music hall. and you see tourists that don't know about the christmas spectacular and they look thoroughly confused as to why there's a camel walking through. >> that tastes awful by the way. >> that wasn't? >> uh-huh. >> so it wasn't the most delicious part of the avocado. >> i am not sure i prefer that it's good for you. speaking of teeth because i lost a couple in there. someone lost their teeth in england. this young lady found them, the dentures there, and posted a sign. >> ah! >> saying, have you lost your teeth? >> the dentures are missing some teeth, too. maybe they were trying to eat the avocado seed. >> so she saw this and posted it on facebook. they're having a lot of jokes about

forward as yet, with that. >> well, let's just go to a funny photo. this one speaks for

this morning on world news now. what's next for the war in afghanistan. president trump's address hours ago lays out some new ground in the fight against terrorism. but some questions still remain. we have reaction to the president's prime time address. and quite a scene, the new video coming in as anger boiled over, the first charlottesville city council meeting. the mayor and city council members forced to flee the meeting. and the ohio judge ambushed in a brazen daytime attack. right outside his courthouse. >> he was shot five times point blank, but he had a surprise for his attacker, pulling out his own gun and returning fire. we'll tell you how it all played out.