gio benitez, who is abc news transportation correspondent, i would imagine, gio, that there's -- thisreleased quite a few endorphins in the brain of richard branson. wat is next for virgin galactic after this successful mission? >> reporter: quite a successful mission it was, dan. we have about two test flights left for virgin galactic this year and they intend to start commercial operations next year. so 2022 is the year that they are looking at and once they get started, they really are looking at potentially hundreds of flights per year, so it's going to be quite something to see who actually launches up into space. ashton kutcher we know already has a ticket. we know several others, katy perry, they all have their tickets and we know that who goes up and when they go up, it all depends on when they bought their tickets so it's all in -- whoever came in first. earlier today i interviewed someone who bought their ticket 15 years ago and she is just so excited now. she is just waiting for that moment. she is here watching that here right now from spaceport america. but, you know, i l

gio benitez live from texas. gio, what comes next? plans for more missions? >> reporter: that's right. they have two more missions scheduled this year. we're talking about $250,000 per seat on virgin galactic. it's a very expensive space race. >> moving forward indeed. gio, excellent coverage all day. >>> history made today. and a momentary break from reality. but the surge in coronavirus cases, 83% of new cases are from the delta variant. sweeping through the unvaccinated, and now affecting the vaccinated, too, with the so-called breakthrough cases. dr. fauci saying mild breakthrough cases are now to be expected. dr. rochelle walensky talking about the highly transmissible variant behind 4 of 5 new cases in this country. tonight, we're inside a memphis hospital with large numbers of unvaccinated americans. and new questions after a new study that suggests the johnson & johnson one-shot vaccine may not be as effective as the other vaccines against this variant. not peer reviewed, more study is needed. but here's trevor ault. >> reporter: tonight, the delta va

hey, gio. >> reporter: hey, michael. total surprise and it's already sending shock waves across the aerospace industry. now within nine days, richard branson may go to the edge of space. the space race heating up. just weeks before amazon founder jeff bezos' history making launch into space, richard branson now says he's going to do it first with his virgin galactic spaceflight unity 22. >> astronaut 001, richard branson. i'll be evaluating the customer spaceflight experience. >> reporter: it'll be the company's first fully-crewed space flight. branson will be joined by two piles and three other mission specialists. virgin galactic spacecraft launches from beneath a custom carrier airplane before being shot to the boundary of earth and space reaching supersonic speeds within eight seconds. >> fire, fire. >> reporter: the window to launch opens july 11th, just nine days before jeff bezos launches with his brother and two others aboard blue origins new shepherd. >> to see it from space, it changes you. it changes your rela

gio, it's getting very close. under 3 minutes until liftoff. >> reporter: robin, we heard cady there talk about feeling that it's harder on your nerves to sort of watch this than it is to be inside that capsule, every time i'm at the launch and i see the clock going at t-minus 2:00, that's hue you feel, you feel very excited, nervous, your heart is sort of racing to watch this happen, it's also an emotional moment because you're watching this launch you think about all of the incredible engineers and the incredible people that it took to build something like this, to literally lift human beings off of this planet. it's quite an achievement, quite a human achievement. there we are. we're seeing those minutes right now. >> let's listen in on the blue origin. >> we're about to go to space, everybody. >> we're in auto sequence. >>> when that engine checks ago, they should actually be able to feel it in the cabin because it will sway back and forth. >> there you see the engine check, just peeking out at the base of the

gio, any insight into what's happening on the ground. moving, one clock is stopped. >> reporter: yeah, george, so we're trying to figure out why there is this hold. we're seeing a hold for about six minutes at 15 minutes here. but you know what, one of the things that's happening here, we don't necessarily have to lift off at an exact time in the way that, for example, a spacex launch has to hit an exact time at the second to reach the international space station at that exact moment. in this case, they can sort of delay it a little bit for whatever reason. i'm looking out at the sky right now and it's a very clear day here. so we don't think that it's the weather. we don't feel any wind so we'll wait to find out exactly why. we know it's now not going to happen any earlier than 9:04:00 a.m. it may be pushed back a few more minutes but we'll be watching this right here. >> you were on the scene of the virgin galactic a couple weeks back. there was a much longer delay. walk us through what was happening there. >> yeah, so virgin galactic,

gio benitez, abc news at spaceport america in new mexico. >>> from space to sports.beat the suns three in the nba finals. giannis antetokounmpo scored 41 points. the suns still lead the series 2-1. game four is wednesday. >>> across the pond in london, 49 people were arrested during this chaos at the european soccer match. england lost to italy. more on that later in this half hour. >>> coming up, one of our very own tries guest hosting for "jeopardy!" >>> also, taking a deep dive >>> also, taking a deep dive into the 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, it helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up, that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergi

gio, what a morning. >> reporter: oh, what a morning.rtation, indeed, transportation now really includes space because that's this first commercial flight for blue origin, now they have two others for the rest of the year, we've been talking about that billionaire space race between richard branson and jeff bezos, i want to show you this tweet that richard branson just sent out, well done, blue origin, jeff, mark, wally, oliver, impressive. best to all the crew from me and the team at virgin galactic. we're seeing those congratulations. for jeff bezos, the other billionaire who just went to space, for jeff bezos we're talking about a dream 21 years in the making he started this company back in 2000 with that goal of human space flight now he made that dream come true and he made history. >> two, one. >> reporter: the blue origin rocketing capsule making history. launching jeff bezos and his crew of three to the edge of space 62 miles above the earth's surface, sitting at each of these windows the largest ever to fly to space, each seat g

gio, thank you so much. we'll be standing by.eck of the forecast. rob marciano out there in rhode island trying to extend his little work vacation into something for himself, but we're going to make him work in the process. just a little bit, rob. >> yeah, and i'll see you back in studio tomorrow so that's how that's going to go. elsa, by the way, rocketed out of here yesterday, just zooming along. we had rough weather from maybe 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and then, boom, sun came out and so did the surfers, check out some of the surf video. these are some of the biggest waves i've ever seen in this beach. a surfing mecca for the northeast, and the ones who knew what they were doing took advantage of it. even great waves out there this morning. so, if you're heading to the beach today a little bit more calm than it was yesterday, but there will be heavy surf across the new england beaches and rip currents as well so be careful if you've taken the kids out there. down across the southeast warmer temperatures in the water. and on the

gio benitez has a look at how the space rivalry is heating up between branson and another billionaire. >> reporter: virgin galactic making final preparations for the spaceship unity flight carrying company founder richard branson. the rifle between branson and amazon founder jeff bezos is heating up. richard branson tells gma this is not a space race. >> i know it is painted as a race. honestly, i don't think either of us see it that way. we are not in direct competition. >> reporter: the bezos blue origin space company firing shots on twitter posting this graphic comparing the companies. blue origin says the new shepherd capsule, named for the first american in space, alan shepard, flies farther than the virgin spaceship, 62 miles above the surface past the carmen line, which many believe is the true edge of space. virgin will reach 55 miles. >> the united states recognizes 50 miles at the definition of space. nasa recognizes that definition and so does the faa. >> reporter: sunday's flight expected to last 90 minutes. unity will be attached to the mothership eve as it takes off, 45,

here's abc's transportation correspondent gio benitez. >> reporter: space, the final frontier. >> tois what is occupying the greatest of the stories that we tell in just the same way that the exotic voyages taken by intrepid explorers centuries ago, the role that they had played in the hearts and minds of those who read their books. >> reporter: in our neverending quest to understand our universe, this weekend humankind breaking new barriers, ushering in what could be the dawn of a new era. commercial space travel for civilians. sir richard branson, adventurer, entrepreneur, known for his extreme stunts, made history yesterday, becoming the first person to launch into space aboard his own spaceship. this is the new space race, not between superpowers like russia, china and the u.s., but between billionaires. >> instead of countries it is companies, often led by individuals that have different freedoms and different ways of doing business than their governments. >> reporter: branson, bezos and musk, three titans of the internet age, are all competing to win this next frontier of space

here's abc's transportation correspondent gio benitez. >> reporter: today, billions space travel reachedew heights. jeff bezos, founder of amazon and blue origin, made history launching into space with three other crew members. the richest man on the planet getting an out-of-this-world experience. >> i want to thank every amazon employee and every amazon customer. because you guys paid for all this. >> reporter: in 2017, the tech titan told abc news that he sells $1 billion of amazon stock a year to fund the program, leaving some to wonder if this is just an opportunity for the ultra-rich, or is bezos' work contributing to furthering space research? >> people i think like to complain, like oh, a billionaire going to space, why do i care about that? it's not about the going, it's about creating a system down here that brings more people than the government can bring up to space. >> command, start. two, one -- >> reporter: shortly after 9:00 a.m. eastern time, the new ship pardon, named after alan shepard, the first american in space, lifted off, beginning its ascent into the atmosphere. j

this morning, gio, how bad is it?.j., listen, fridays tend to be the busiest ahead of the weekend and we are already seeing big cancellations. take a look at the numbers right now. boston logan, leads the nation with 111 canceled flight, new york liberty not far behind at 107, nantucket memorial has 62 cancellations. now, laguardia and jfk, they're holding on to their flights potentially hoping that the storm moves through quickly enough before the majority of them take off. laguardia with just 12. jfk with 14. now, of course, elsa is hitting right in the middle of that busy morning commute adding more rain tohe by ds rn fldingons growing. now, back here at the airport, remember, even if your flight has not been canceled yet, it may be delayed so go ahead and check the flight status before you go ahead and come over to the airport, cecilia. >> gio, thanks. >>> in california governor newsom is asking people to cut their use of water by 15%. matt gutman with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, cecelia. these bathtub

gio, thank you. >>> much more ahead on "world news tonight" this saturday. new details in the search for a messing mother from new jersey. her son allegedly taken and found hundreds of miles away. now questions about her whereabouts. >>> and the scare on a carnival ride. look at this. looking like it's about to tip over. the bystanders then rushing in to hold it down. on beach day. ght, guys, no ik -i'm down. -yes, please. [ chuckles ] don't get me wrong, i love my rv, but insuring it is such a hassle. same with my boat. the insurance bills are through the roof. -[ sighs ] -be cool. i wish i could group my insurance stuff. -[ coughs ] bundle. -the house, the car, the rv. like a cluster. an insurance cluster. -woosah. -[ chuckles ] -i doubt that exists. -it's a bundle! it's a bundle, and it saves you money! hi. i'm flo from progressive, and i couldn't help but overhear... super fun beach day, everybody. young woman whispering: hey, did you bring the... the condoms? young man whispering: what's up? young woman whispering: condoms father: condoms charlie. she w

gio, thank you. as hurricane elsa threatens the u.s. abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano joins us now to time this all out and, rob, hurricane hunters are already flying into the storm tonight. >> that's right, whit. they were in there this afternoon and found stronger winds to 85 miles per hour and really moving along to the west at 30 miles an hour. there will be another plane going in there tonight. here it is on the satellite picture, the eastern caribbean racing westward. now we have hurricane warnings that have been posted for haiti, the d.r., jamaica and parts -- a hurricane watch now for eastern cuba and the track will bring it toward cuba as a category 1 storm and then sunday night hitting cuba likely weakening it some andsday impac florida tuesday and wednesday, our spaghetti models are getting better agreement but lots of uncertainty. the strength and the track, either way folks in florida need to be prepared, whit. >> all right. we'll be wanting it closely over the weekend, rob, thank you. >>> there's also concern that s

gio, thank you. >>> when we come back, news tonight on bill cosby. where he went on his first full day of freedom. >>> and princes william and harry reunite at a tribute for their mother, princess diana. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema or atopic dermatitis under control? hide my skin? not me. by hitting eczema where it counts, dupixent helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of eczema. and that means long-lasting clearer skin... and fast itch relief for adults. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can show more with less eczema. dot e y'r allergico pixent. serious allergic reactions can occur including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can change how your skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. talk

>> gio, thank you. >>> and michael strahan interviews jeff bezos tomorrow ahead of his historic flight on "gma." and we'll have special live coverage of the launch tuesday morning, right here on abc. >>> and news on vice president kamala harris, the white house saying today that the 56-year-old went to walter reed army medical center for what is described as a routine doctor's appointment. this comes days after she met with texas democratic lawmakers. three of whom later tested positive for the virus. the vice president's office saying earlier that harris was not at risk of exposure. >>> still ahead on "world news tonight" this sunday, including reports of new cases of a mystery illness, sickening american diplomats and spies overseas. >>> and three men killed during a music festival in michigan. what investigators say caused the deaths. (man) i've made progress with my mental health. so when i started having unintentional body movements called tardive dyskinesia... ... i ignored them. but when the movements in my hands and feet started throwing me off at work... i finally had to say,

thank you, gio. and thank you at home. we'll see you right back here tomorrow.better bay area. moving forward, finding solutions. there is abc 7 news. >>> there is a lot of misinformation about what is happening. here in san francisco, yes, ma city we have our challenges. >> from car break ins to store robberies, despite viral videos showing crime as it is happening san francisco officials are saying they are setting the record straight. crime is actually down. most crime, we are digging deeper into crime and how it effects your quality of life as part of our effort to help build a better bay area. with that we say good afternoon, thank you for joining us. >>> you are watching abc 7 news at 4:00 live here on abc 7, hulu live and wherever you stream. >>> as car break ins increase, 750% in tourist spots in san francisco an incident in oakland certainly got our attention. >> we have the exclusive video of a break inthat is as frightening as it is unusual. >> reporter: i covered a number of car break in stories and witnessed one happen outside of my office here at a

enter gio, the ten—year—old helped her to a fifth olympic medal in the team event last night and todayze medallist, | charlotte dujardin. britain's most successful female olympian. how does that feel? i'm a bit speechless if i'm honest! i mean, it's so surreal to think that i am. i mean, i can't quite believe it. imean, yeah. i mean, it was quite an honour to be, you know, with katherine grainger up on the medals anyway. to now have done that, beaten that, i'm don't... i'm a bit lost for words. hopefully, there'll be some more! i was very conscious it was a borrowed title. of all people, you sort of feel charlotte could have the longest career and because i think she is such a kind of... just an incredible rider, what she can do with horses and different horses means... i would have thought her potential was pretty much limitless. in years to come, he'll be a superstar. he's already got one on board. britain's horse whisperer and her small but mighty pumpkin. natalie pirks, bbc news, tokyo. in tennis, andy murray's bid for a third olympic gold is over. he and joe salisbury lost in the

enter gio.fifth olympic medal in the team event last night, and today he helped her make history. bronze medallist, charlotte dujardin! britain's most successful female 0lympian — how does that feel? i'm a bit speechless, if i am honest. i mean, it's so surreal to think that i am. i mean, i can't quite believe it. yeah, i mean, it was quite an honour to be with katherine grainger upon the medals anyway. to have now done that, beaten that, i'm a bit lost for words. hopefully there will be some more. i was very conscious that it was a borrowed title. of all people, you feel charlotte could have the longest career. and because i think she is...just a incredible rider, what she can do with horses and different horses, i would have thought her potential was pretty much endless. in years to come, he'll be a superstar. he's already got one on board — britain's horse whisperer and her small but mighty pumpkin. natalie pirks, bbc news, tokyo. i'm joined now by laura tomlinson mbe, former team—mate of cha

all right, gio, thanks. >>> now to your money tonight. the prices you pay at the checkout. new numbers showing inflation rising at the fastest pace now in 13 years. consumer prices rose 0.9% last month. that's up 5.4% from just a year ago. so, what's driving this? let's bring in abc's chief business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis. rebecca? >> reporter: david, this means your dollar today doesn't stretch as far as it did just one month ago. in particular, if you're trying to purchase a used car or truck, those prices up 10.5% in june. hotels up 7.9%. beef prices up 4.5%. poultry, fish and eggs up 2.5%. and for anyone who recently received a bonus or a raise at work, these price hikes are eating into that additional income. the question now is how long it lasts and economists are divided. the white house and the federal reserve believe this is temporary, where as other top economists, david, believe this could be a more lasting increase of prices. david? >> we know you'll be tracking it. rebecca jarvis, thank you. >>> ten days now until the olympics and unpreceden

clearly, this was a spaceship built for tourism. >> it's going to be fascinating, gio. you'll be right there. and abc news will carry the lift-off live. tune in to "good morning america" first thing tomorrow, scheduled for around 9:00 a.m. right here on abc. >>> when we come back, the father hiking. falling to his death. the 9-year-old he left on that mountain had to climb all the way down to safety himself. ♪ ♪ when technology is easier to use... ♪ barriers don't stand a chance. ♪ that's why we'll stop at nothing to deliver our technology as-a-service. ♪ to deliver our technology as-a-service. it only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. tide pods child-guard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer. to close, twist until it clicks. tide pods child-guard packaging. cookies and breyers. that's like getting two desserts! wait... do we have to thank our moms twice? i don't know... (laughs) breyers. 100% grade a milk and cream, and loaded with delicious cookie pieces. better starts with breyers. i'm greg, i'm 68 years old.

and abc's gio benitez tonight on the damage already. >> there's a tornado right there! >> reporter: after battering florida, tonight, elsa is churning its way up the i-95 corridor. the system gaining strength today over the carolinas. outside charleston, first responders racing to clear trees from the only road into edisto island. and overnight in camden county, georgia. >> it's utter chaos over here right now. >> reporter: elsa spawning an ef-2 tornado. flipping trailers at the east coast hub for the navy's fleet of nuclear submarines. >> debris everywhere. >> i come out and there's guys pushing his kids out the top door over here. >> reporter: nine people, including a pregnant woman, were hurt. and the tornado that touched down in jacksonville caught on surveillance camera. 1 110-mile-per-hour winds destroying everything. >> this power line came down and hit right on this fence and went bah-boom and then that porch came down. >> reporter: one person in jacksonville killed by a falling tree. as the northeast prepares for elsa, for the third day in a row, powerful sever

thank you, gio. and thank you at home. we'll see you right back here tomorrow.rowd of the capitol riot a bay area man the fbi is trying to find with some help from abc 7. >> i am more anthony were the city is looking at a variety of measures to help solve its crime problems including sideshows. >> i can afford to send her to school or daycare for five days instead of the three days that she was going. >> seven on your side explains what families need to know about the child tax credit showing in soon. >> building a better bay area moving forward finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >>> do you recognize this man? the fbi is looking for him because they say he was part of the capitol insurrection. in the an old news report, it is helping with the search. >>> you're watching news at 6:00. wherever you stream. >> let's give you another look at the suspect the fbi is trying to find, evan newman faces several charges connected to the attack on january 6th. >> he lived in mill valley and we interviewed him in 2018. now news reporter finds out that newman may have fle

all right, gio, thanks so much. george? to save the day. that carnival ride full of passengers nearly tipped over. eva pilgrim has the details. >> something went terribly wrong with that ride. the company who puts on the carnival saying they don't know what caused it to malfunction yet. but what we do know, the kindness of strangers and neighbors who jumped in to help likely saved a lot of lives. it's the horrifying moment this carnival ride swings out of control at a festival in michigan. >> you've got to be kidding me. >> reporter: you can see the massive pendulum attraction holding nearly a dozen passengers, tipping back and forth. at one point the base of the ride nearly lifting off the ground. trevor drew was on the ride. >> i've never seen anything shke like that. i had been on that type of ride before and i could tell it's a lot more violent. seems more shaky. >> reporter: the incident happening on an attraction called the magic carpet ride at the annual national cherry festival in travers city. rushing to the attrac

gio benitez, thanks so much. let's bring in former nasa astronaut and abc news contributor katie coleman. so good to see you this morning. this is a crazy exciting day. walk us through what these passengers are going to experience today. i know you've been to space several times. walk us through exactly what somebody's body goes through on a flight like the one they're going on today. >> i first just have to say that there's nothing like waking up in the morning knowing that today is the day you're going to space. i mean, as a real person having that happen, when they actually -- they're fueling right now. they'll go out to the craft. there's about a 40-minute, you know, getting up to altitude where the spaceship is released. its rocket motor fire and they're sort of slammed into their seats until the gs build until about 3 1/2 gs, twice what you would feel at an amusement park and suddenly as they arc up over the top there's -- as soon as that engine cuts off, that rocket engine that's pushing them then suddenly

>> yeah, free momma's passport. [ laughter ] >> thank you, gio. >> thank you, gio. >>> coming up, lara where your momma want to go? ♪ go? go? ♪ oh, i've traveled all over the country. talking about saving with geico. but that's the important bit, innit? showing up, saying “hello! fancy a nice chat?” then we talk like two old friends about sticky buns and all the savings you could get by bundling your home and car insurance. but here's the real secret. eye contact. you feel that? we just had a moment. [chuckles] who would've thought it? geico. save even more when you bundle home and car insurance. ♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. both of these can lead to death

here's abc reporter gio benitez. >> just unexpected. this is not what i thought. >> reporter: southwest and american are canceling dozens of flights a days a they deal with staffing and weather issues >> we've had a pretty tumultuous summer. we don't have enough aircraft, pilots, mechanisms, enough capacity. >> reporter: the delays and cancellations are expected to last through at least mid-july. the best thing passengers can do is rebook quickly. coming up at 7:00 a.m. we'll have expert tips. with your gio benitez. >>> a mother bear wanted to show her cubs how cool the water was soo so she took them inside for a dip >> it's as if we aren't even here. they're just having fun in the pool. >> it as not your house. >> no. >> so paul shared this video of two bears going for a swim in their back jarred pool weekend. this is in glen dame in l.a. county. they stayed there a bit before they went back to their home. >> that little bear said it's time to get out now pooh does someone have a towel, right? they said next time hot tub. >> he looked

gio benitez, abc news, van horn, texas. >>> you will be envious of this.de where the astronauts train. >> you can see how compact it is. the biggest windows ever built for a spacecraft. quite the view. >> everyone gets a window seat. you can watch abc news live coverage of the launch tomorrow morning. >> would you go? >> i wouldn't be the first. i don't have to be first. i'm going to watch it. i want to see what happens. >>> when we come back, lebron james makes a slam dunk at the weekend box office >>> and rumor has it that adele is quite the basketball fan. "the skinny" is next. ♪ skinny just give me the skinny ♪ ♪ skinny just give me the skinny ♪ >>> time, now, for "the skinny," starting with a new legacy at the weekend box office. >> it was a slam dunk with the "space jam" sequel, benching "black widow" out of the top spot. >> lebron james and his team of characters, scored nearly $32 million, the biggest opening for a kids targeted film since before the pandemic began. >> critics gave "space jam: a new legacy," a 30% splat on rotten tomatoes. that mea

good morning, gio. >> reporter: robin, good morning to you.that capsule during the flight. this officially marks the beginning of commercial spaceflight for blue origin. this morning, blue origin preparing for two more flights after tuesday's successful launch. >> and touchdown. >> reporter: and demand for a seat soaring. sales for tickets nearing $100 million tuesday. >> we're going to build a road to space so that our kids and their kids can build the future. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: amazon founder jeff bezos, 18-year-old oliver daemen, the youngest and first paying customer, 82-year-old wally funk, the oldest person to travel to space, and bezos' brother mark back on earth after a life-changing journey. funk who trained in the 1960s but never got the chance, triumphant. the crew of newly minted astronauts barely able to contain their excitement after a 66-mile journey above the earth's surface. >> command engine start, two, one. >> reporter: it started just after 9:00 a.m. eastern. blue origin's rocket blasting off for its first

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good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, robin. good morning to you from van horn, texas.ecause we've got signs like these all over the place here. the small town of van horn is about to become world famous. this morning, blue origin is officially cleared for liftoff with just over 24 hours to launch. >> new shepard is ready to fly. >> reporter: the crew of four seeing the new shepard for the first time over the weekend. bezos will be accompanied by his brother, mark, and 82-year-old wally funk who started this journey over 60 years ago as part of mercury 13 women in space program, but never got her chance to fly. >> i'm going to be in that window. >> reporter: now she will become the oldest person in space while 18-year-old oliver daemen will become the youngest. >> oliver, welcome. >> reporter: and the first paying civilian aboard a commercial spacecraft. the 11-minute flight will send the passengers 62 miles above the surface of the earth. that's a little farther than branson's 53 miles. overnight, i went into the training capsule bezos and the crew are using to prepare

charlotte dujardin has won bronze in the individual dressage, at the tokyo olympics, on her horse gio to become great britain's most decorated female olympian of all time — with six medals. early this morning, there was a fifth tokyo gold, in the men's 200 metre freestyle relay. tom dean and duncan scott — who won gold and silver yesterday — were part of the victorious team who just missed out on a world record. and britain's rowers won their first medal of the games — a silver in the men's quadruple sculls. for a full round—up of the action at the olympics this morning, let's cross to jane dougall at the bbc sport centre. what a fantastic day. that is just so far. who knows what will happen next. charlotte dujardin has won a third successive individual olympic title, making her britain's most decorated female olympian of all—time, with six olympic medals. after performing on her horse, gio, it was a nerve—wracking moment for dujardin, who had to wait for the other riders to finish, to see if she would stay in the bronze position. a relatively inexperienced horse. cheering then, confi

good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, will, good morning. yeah, we told you right here that this weekend would break pandemic travel records. that's exactly what happened and today could be the biggest day yet. take a look right now at the scene at dallas love field airport this morning. thanks to our affiliate wfaa, big crowds already lined up to fly this morning. this rush capping off an incredibly fast rebound for air travel. more than 6.2 million were screened at u.s. airports since thursday and listen to this, on both thursday and friday, tsa screened more people than it did on those same days in 2019 before the pandemic even began. and after friday set a new single-day high for most passengers since the start of the pandemic, at least one airline ceo told us he expects today to break that record. the roads were packed too. it's tough to say exactly how many drivers were out there but experts believe that about 44 million people hit the roads. again, that's more than in 2019. even as the national average for gas soars to $3.13 a gallon.

she took bronze in the individual dressage with her horse gio who's competing at his first 0lympics,es three gold medals. earlier, there was a fifth tokyo gold in the men's 200 metre freestyle relay. tom dean and duncan scott — who won gold and silver yesterday — were part of the victorious team who just missed out on a world record. elsewhere britain's rowers won their first medal of the games — a silver in the men's quadruple sculls. for a full round—up of the action at the olympics this morning — let's cross to jane dougall at the bbc sport centre. hijane. as we have been hearing fantastic success for charlotte's with dujardin with six altogether metals and in the pool as the 4x200 relay team one. andy swiss has this report. another day of triumph and tears of joy- another day of triumph and tears of joy. for britain's swimmers, itjust does not get better than this. they had begun with high hopes in the man's free relay with the individual gold medallist tom dean leading them off and graduate they ground it down their opponents. firstjames guy and then you print a swing from matth

overnight, abc's gio benitez getting inside a training capsule, similar to the one that will take the crew to space. >> these are the largest windows that have ever flown in space. >> it's roomy. considering. you wouldn't think so. >> the other thing to note, once you're up in space and zero g. you end up having this third dimension as well. it feels even roomier. and give you a sense, this is ten times the amount of volume on the first flight to space in 1961. >> reporter: the crew now preparing to blast off for the 11-minute flight. and experience three minutes of weightlessness. >> you are going to start to essentially levitate out of the because you're in zero g. you'll get out of your seat. you can come and do flips. >> reporter: bezos will be accompanied by his brother, and 82 year-old and 18 year-old. first paying civilian aboard a spacecraft. bezos will be the second billionaire to leave the planet. after branson launched a spaceship last week. they will travel 62 miles above the surface of the earth, a little farther than branson's 53 miles. >> blue origin will take off from

she won her sixth olympic medal earlier on her horse gio in the individual dressage. wait for the other riders to finish, but in the end she secured her second bronze at these games. she added to her double gold in 2012 and gold and team silver in rio. there are so many incredible sports women who have achieved so much and now that i have done that and more, i have topped it all. last night, i think i was today leveled with catherine granger and now i have beaten her, it's a little bit surreal. you only dream of these things happening and it has actually happened so i cannot believe. there was more gold medal success for great britain's men in the olympic pool, this time in the final of the 4x200—metre freestyle relay. tom dean is now a double olympic champion a day after he won his first gold. dean, along with duncan scott, james guy and matthew richards, came within three hundredths of a second of the world record as they won emphatically, finishing more than three seconds clear of the russian olympic committee. it's team gb�*s fifth gold medal of the games. the way

good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning.ions are people who refuse to wear a mask. now in the last week alone about 150 new cases. since the start of the year more than 3,400 reports of unruly passengers. >> this is way higher than any number of incidents that we've ever seen in any other year. >> why do you have the right to put your hands on me? >> reporter: this florida woman on a delta flight last week is one of those cases, allegedly refusing to wear a mask. >> as soon as they deplane you're going to jail. >> reporter: she was asked to deplane and police called in to remove her. >> you're not respecting my human rights. >> reporter: now she's in custody facing several charges. in may, this woman on a southwest flight assaulted a flight attendant. >> don't you dare touch a flight attendant like that! >> flight attendants are experiencing a job that they just are not familiar with at all. every day when they go to work. there is conflict and there is disrespect towards them and an incredibly difficult job. >> reporter: th

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>> we know you'll be on the scene, gio.ephen ganyard. let's start out with the differences between the branson spaceflight and this bezos upcoming spaceflight. >> yeah, george, what bezos is doing, it's a rocket ship. what richard branson had was really a glider with a small rocket on it. so one uses an airplane to go up to the edge of space, one is a rocket that will come back down on a parachute. two very different ways. about the same amount of weightlessness, three to four minutes and a lot of money. >> yeah, a lot of money, steve. steve, what is the next step in space travel? >> michael, there are competing visions. really musk and bezos driving this revolution in space. musk wants to go to mars. he wants to colonize other planets to colonize the solar system and he said he wants to die on mars, just not on impact. bezos has a very different vision. he wants to leave the earth to save it. he wants to decrease our reliance on earth's resources, do things polluting outside the atmosphere. bezos wants to leave the earth t

gio benitez is in newark airport with the details.ood morning, gio. >> reporter: good morning, george. yeah, the biggest concern is that those who really needed these appointments could not get them and now the state department is saying, enough is enough. the agency disabling that online booking system entirely saying on its website that it's to ensure our very limited appointments go to applicants who need them for urgent travel. now, we reported right here last week that staffing issues at the state department are leading to very long delays in obtaining or renewing your passports. routine services taking 12 to 18 weeks according to officials and scammers are taking advantage of that claiming to have this special fast access but the state department says it does not work with any third party sites and that most people applied by mail. this as travel numbers are just soaring. more people hitting the skies over the past week. the average daily number of people screened by tsa has topped 2 million. now, meanwhile the state department

good morning, gio. >> reporter: good morning.hat launch is just seven days away now and as you said, the faa approval just came in. it's now cleared the way for bezos to launch into space. overnight, the faa approving jeff bezos' company blue origin to launch humans into space with just a week until bezos takes flight aboard his new shepard spaceship. the decision coming down to the wire. the agency had been reviewing the application and could have rejected it altogether if regulatory requirements weren't met. >> all right. here we go. >> reporter: bezos plans to fly next tuesday with his brother and 82-year-old wally funk, who trained to be an astronaut but could never go to space. >> fly you up into space on the very first flight. >> reporter: also on board an unidentified auction winner who paid $28 million for a seat on the flight. the new shepard spaceship launches more like a traditional spacecraft, a capsule on top of a rocket released into space and they'll have three minutes of weightlessness before returning to the surf

gio, good morning. >> reporter: hey, whit, good morning.ho spotted this person in a jet pack near l.a.x. and air traffic control immediately alerted other pilots in the area. >> use caution, there was a report of a man in a jet pack around 5,000 in the vicinity of los angeles. >> reporter: this morning, the fbi's investigating after pilots over l.a.x. spotted a man wearing a jet pack hovering at around 5,000 feet in the air. >> use caution, the jet pack guy is back. >> reporter: it's the fourth appearance of the mystery aviator who has earned a nickname straight out of the marvel universe. >> yeah, i can fly. >> we're looking for the iron man. >> reporter: back in december, a pilot on a training flight captured this video of what appears to be someone wearing a jet pack flying just a few miles from the airport. >> we just passed a guy on a jet pack. >> you don't hear that every day. >> reporter: just a few months earlier multiple pilots witnessed the high-flying hazard in the sky. >> we just saw the guy pass us. >> person on a jet pack repo

and after clinching a bronze medal in the dressage on her horse gio, team gb�*s equastrian star charlotted female british olympian of all time. she now has six medals, including three golds. here'sjudy harvey, chair of team gb�*s olympic selectors for dressage on that achievement. to deal with what we've all had to deal with, with covid, with difficulties of getting horses into europe to compete with brexit, and wondering whether we will be here beyond the optics are not, to do that routine, i think it's the first time it's been in public, that freestyle routine is just an outstanding piece of concentration and professionalism in the sport. she truly deserves this, it's absolutely fantastic. yesterday we brought you the surprise news that superstar us gymnast simone biles had pulled out of the team final due to her mental health. now, she has decided to withdraw from the all around individual final as well — which is going ahead on thursday. and a reminder of what simone biles said following her withdrawal on tuesday. she said... so biles won't compete on thursday to defend her olympics a

rob marciano with the forecast in just a moment but first abc's transportation correspondent gio benitez leads us off. >> reporter: tonight jam packed airports from coast to coast, atlanta, chicago, detroit and minneapolis. >> i'm just excited to get out of here and do something new and different. >> reporter: at l.a.x. a bomb scare forcing the crowds to evacuate for a time. and just take a look how iny wark libertyntnational airport, and it will be busy again on monday when people fly back home. this as cancellations pile up too, southwest today canceling nearly 200 flights, more than 200 yesterday. southwest blames bad weather and very full flights, but abc news has learned the airline also has severe staffing issues. tsa screening more than 2.1 million people on thursday, that's about 50,000 more than the same day in 2019 before the pandemic even began. the pent-up urge to get away also creating a crush on the roads despite the highest gas prices in seven years, eve pceaf you're pn n't lp. rigt' to calm down just a little bit but by monday afternoon that is the absolute worst time to

here's gio benitez. >> reporter: with a fist bump, jeff bezos and the crew of three are suited up. >> feels good to be in a flight suit. >> reporter: just hours to go until that launch tomorrow morning. blue origin has conducted 15 successful test flights, but never with a human on board. bezos, his brother mark, 82-year-old wally funk, and 18-year-old oliver daemen will be the first to try it out. the crew speaking with "gma" this morning. >> i'm excited, but i'm not nervous. >> reporter: while daemen will become the youngest and first paying civilian to head to space on a commercial flight, funk will become the oldest person in space after training in the 1960s for a women in space program, but never getting the chance to fly. >> i've dreamt a long time to get to go up. >> reporter: bezos will be the second billionaire to leave the planet after richard branson launched his virgin galactic spaceship last week. >> whoo! >> reporter: but bezos' trip will look a little bit different. his 11-minute flight will start like a traditional launch, the capsule sitting above the rocket. the shi

, and one thing or another, whether or not the olympics will be on or not, to then have to focus on gioen performed in public, that freestyle routine, it was just an outstanding piece of professionalism and concentration in sport. she truly deserves this. it is fantastic. yesterday we brought you the surprise news that superstar us gymnast simone biles had pulled out of the team final due to her mental health. now, she has decided to withdraw from the all around individual final as well — which is going ahead on thursday. in a statement us gymnastics said... and a reminder of what simone biles said following her withdrawal on tuesday. she said... "i feel the weight of the world." "we're not just athletes. "we're people at the end of the day and sometimes "you just have to step back." so, biles won't compete on thursday to defend her olympics all—around title. but usa gymnastics said biles and the coaching team are still assessing whether she will compete in the individual event finals next week — she qualified for the finals on all four apparatus. for more on simone biles and her withdr

dressage team final, britain's double olympic gold medallist charlotte dujardin was last to go on newcomer gioe wasn't a patch on germany's, who danced to gold again, with usa snatching silver at the last, bronze for britain. and if these 0lympics have taught us anything, it's that taekwondo can be cruel. bianca walkden was denied a place in the final with a kick to the head in the last second of her semi. but in the bronze medal match, a flurry of punches, a two—point kick, and a composed ending meant she matched her efforts in rio. and it will be great britain's bianca walkden taking home the olympic bronze medal. not the medal she wanted, but paris is just three years away. natalie pirks, bbc news, tokyo. elsewhere at the games, there were some major upsets. simone biles, the four—time gold medallist, and the most successful us gymnast of all time, pulled out of the women's team final, saying that she had to focus on her mental health. she said athletes had to protect their minds and their bodies, and notjust go out and do what the world wanted them to do. as for the remaining competitions,