cnn's leyla santiago is on the scene for us. leyla, so what is the very latest right now? >> well, wolf, i can tell you the death toll has jumped to 60 and 80 are feared death, at this point. we are expecting to get new numbers in an update over the next few minutes. we will keep you up to to date on that. but today has been the first day of the recovery mission. at midnight, this shifted from search and rescue to recovery, for those workers. and if you stand here, and pay close attention. you really can see a difference. there are more -- there is more equipment on that pile. and so, you are seeing a much more accelerated pace for this search. for the families, who still have loved ones in there. i have spoken to some who say, you know, they had already lost hope, before the announcement was made, that this would become a recovery mission. but we were here when we saw a lot of other family and loved ones coming out, still, really struggling to accept what was announced. that -- that officials, essentially, don't believe that anyone could still be alive under the rubble. i

>> leyla, question for you.provided any clarity about the discrepancy between the figure above 100 folks still unaccounted for, but the mayor said yesterday that perhaps the number of people who were actually confirmed to be inside the building at the time is lower, around 70. have they explained that discrepancy? >> reporter: right. we asked that very yquestion, jim. what the mayor's office told me was the number that they have identified and that they believe were in that condo -- because they have been able to make them sort of contact, have some way of verifying that. the larger number is -- takes into account any sort of report that came in. so anybody that called the hotline and said, you know, i have not heard from this person, but never provided any sort of information or even contact to follow-up on. so they're following every lead, but what they have confirmed of the people who were actually inside that building is the reason there is a bit of a gap in those numbers. >> understood. leyla santiago on th

cnn's leyla santiago is live in miami with more on this. leyla, you've been talking to doctors at the biggest hospital there. what are they telling you? >> reporter: kate, they're hoping that what they're seeing now is not a repeat of what we saw last year. here at the jackson health system they've updated their covid-19 threat level to high. lengt let's look at the numbers. the state of florida in general is leading the nation in the number of new cases, nearly 85,000 just this month alone. and then let's take a look at the deaths. florida is also leading the nation where you have about -- just above 600. so you see my point here. when it comes to the state of florida, those graphics that we're showing you, you're seeing the same thing, seeing that line continue to go up in just the last few weeks. here at jackson health system, they tell me that of those patients that they're treating, 90% of them are unvaccinated. when you go to the icu, 95% of the patients are unvaccinated. but those are the numbers. if that doesn't make the point to yo

cnn's leyla santiago is in miami. so what's his plan for getting out of this spike of covid? >> well, alisyn, he is saying that he's going to have the department of health and the department of education issue emergency rules that will allow parents to make the decision when it comes to masks in schools, and not the school districts. this is something that has been very controversial. we have heard from parents on both sides. we have seen parents very much on desantis' side, very vocal, even burning masks at school board meetings, saying they don't want that in the school. but we've also talked to school board members that say that they have gotten countless e-mails from parents saying, please continue to have the masks enforced. all oaf this comes after the new cdc guidelines came out, saying, vaccinated or not, you should be wearing a mask in public, indoor settings. listen to what desantis had to say about that. >> we have a lot of push from the cdc and others to make every single person, kids, staff, have to wear masks all day, regardless of their immune status, regardles

cnn's leyla santiago is joining us with more. leyla, what are you seeing there?> reporter: we're at the cvs where a lot of folks are coming in for the first time, sometimes for the second shot. this is where they sit for the covid-19 vaccine. now the store manager tells me that they have been quite busy over the last few weeks, of course, florida, as you mentioned leading the nation when it comes to new covid cases. the vaccination rate still stands at about 48%. for the second week in a row, one in five cases according to the white house coming from florida. so, we asked people coming in today, why now, why did they decide to come in for the vaccine? take a listen. >> i'm getting vaccinated because of the deaths and the covid cases have risen a lot lately. so, that has me really worried and school's about to start. >> reporter: and the governor of florida, governor ron desantis says there is no chance that he is going to be considering a lockdown in the future or any sort of mask mandate. i have spent the week talking to doctors, nurses, even a patient in her ho

thank you, leyla. >>> you've heard about free britney. but there's more to it than you know.an is speaking out to all insiders getting the real story of the nightmare conservatorship that she's been in for over a decade. he tells us all about it. that's next. ♪ ♪i've got the brains you've got the looks♪ ♪let's make lots of money♪ ♪you've got the brawn♪ ♪i've got the brains♪ ♪let's make lots of♪ ♪uh uh uh♪ ♪oohhh there's a lot of opportunities♪ with allstate, drivers who switched saved over $700. saving is easy when you're in good hands. allstate click or call to switch today. you need an ecolab scientific clean here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps operating rooms stay clean now helps the places you go too. look for the ecolab science certified seal. there's a world where every one of us is connected. everyone. everywhere. where everyone is included. where everyone has access to information, education, opportunity. ♪ ♪ ♪ when everyone and everything is connected. that's really beautiful. anything is possible. good morning. cisco. the bridge to possi

leyla santiago joins us from miami. leyla, good morning.d in the state of florida. >> reporter: good morning, poppy. the governor spoke in front of the press minutes ago and did not mention once anything about covid or masks. that being said, he has certainly doubled down this week when it comes to his position, you know, it seems like he quickly sort of goes against anything dr. fauci says and is quick to also say that there is no potential for any mask mandates or any sort of a lockdown mandate in the state of florida. but let me show you what happened last night in broward county where the school board was just about to meet to discuss the masking policy for the new school year. and protesters interrupted that, forcing the board to postpone that meeting. protesters shouting with signs, even burning masks. so clearly in the state of florida, this is a very controversial issue that will get a lot of attention from parents that feel strongly about what the right thing to do is for their child. now, if you listen to the cdc, the cdc will tel

cnn's leyla santiago is live in miami with more.l us about this trend that they're seeing there, leyla. >> reporter: given what you just said, brianna, what the jackson health system experienced over the weekend, seeing twice the number of patients, i talked to infectious disease expert said florida is seeing 125% increase in cases since june, mostly unvaccinated people and a few breakthroughs. she told me part of the problem is you have unvaccinated people following the guidelines, the cdc guidelines for vaccinated people. and she was quick to say, we jumped the gun, referring to the u.s. and florida, wanting to believe the pandemic was over and of course it's not. >> if we don't heed the fact that people need to be more cautious than what they're being right now, we're going to see more deaths. we're going to see more cases. and we're going to see a lot more long covid, which is what is really, really troubling for the younger population. >> reporter: now, i did talk to the miami dade mayor's office. they are aware. they are monit

cnn's leyla santiago joins us from miami. so hospital officials are telling you they're seeing more covid patients who are in their 30s and 40s. >> reporter: right, victor. where we are right now, the jackson health system, they said just over the past weekend they saw more than double the covid-19 patients than they had earlier in the month. when you talk to the experts, when i spoke to the infectious disease expert earlier, she was quick to point out that a big issue here, most of them are the unvaccinated individuals and some, very few vaccine breakthroughs. she said part of the issue is that you have a lot of people unvaccinated people who are following cdc guidelines for vaccinated people, going to mass gatherings, going inside with poor ventilation, et cetera. she was quick to point out that she feels that we, we being the u.s. and florida, jumped the gun wanting to believe that the pandemic is over when, of course, it's not. >> if we don't heed the fact that people need to be more cautious than what they're being right

. >> leyla santiago joins us now live from miami.eyla, there is now an effort to get those two groups vaccinated. it is, younger people are one of the big hold outs now. >> reporter: right. i talked to a group of doctors from the university of miami health system. they said the increasing infection rates among the young and unvaccinated extremely worrisome. let's look at the numbers first. let's see exactly where we are right now. in the state of florida in the last two weeks, we have seen the rates of cases -- excuse me. we have seen the cases double, and this is a state where only 47% of residents -- so not even half -- are fully vaccinated. that group of doctors i mentioned earlier, they are ramping up their efforts through a mobile vaccination clinic that they have going to target the young, the unvaccinated, and the under served communities. one of the things -- and they echoed the sentiment from the u.s. surgeon general that you aired earlier. one of their biggest problems is misinformation, particularly on social media. so her

leyla santiago in fort lauderdale with the latest on this. what are you hearing, leyla?reporter: well, john, the governor says masking children in school is should be a parents' choice, not the government. and, yes, he is very much flexing muscles saying he will do what he has to do, even if that is call a special session of the legislature to make sure that masks remain optional for the upcoming school year. here in broward county, i can tell you i was watching as the board listened to parents and experts on very different side of the mask issue. some protesters just the day before had even burned masks and interrupted the meeting that had to be postponed. but ultimately the vice chair of the board said for her, it is in-person learning that is the priority, and that is why she voted for masks. listen to what she said. >> i want to talk about the unvaccinated and the consequence. the reason we're here is because of people not getting vaccinated. we want to get out of this, and we don't want masks on our children, people have to get vaccinated. >> reporter: she felt she

thank you, leyla. >>> you've heard about free britney. but there's more to it than you know. farrow is speaking out to all insiders getting the real story of the nightmare conservatorship that she's been in for over a decade. he tells us all about it. that's next. this may look like a regular movie night. but if you're a kid with diabetes, it's more. it's the simple act of enjoying time with friends, knowing you understand your glucose levels. ♪ we were alone when my husband had the heart attack. he's the most important thing in my life. i'm so lucky to get him back. your heart isn't just yours. protect it with bayer aspirin. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. ♪welcome back to that same old place♪ ♪that you laughed about♪ ♪well, the names have all changed♪ ♪since you hung around♪ welcome back, america. it sure is good to see you. at novartis, our goal is to help keep cosentyx accessible and affordable. if you're taking cosentyx and your insurance or coverage changes or you need help paying cosentyx connect is here to help. don't use if you're

. >> leyla santiago is in surfside for us with the latest this morning. >> reporter: christine, laura, 13 days after the building collapsed officials say that the focus continues to be the search and rescue mission. now, they are able to get access to a different part of the building after officials demolished what was still left standing last week. they have had to have some temporary pauses because of lightning, but the teams have been able to remove 4.8 million pounds of concrete from the pile according to the miami dade mayor. a block away from where all the debris is, we found a memorial where you can actually still see dust in the air. we found people there that were just sobbing, pure raw pain. for someone who had to muster up the courage just to visit the site they so badly wanted to avoid. and while some say that the decision to demolish that building also took a little bit of hope with it, others are saying that they needed that to move forward. >> i wasn't able to come earlier because the sight of the building still affected me greatly. and today because the building came d

cnn's leyla santiago has more on the startling new trend miami hospitals are starting to see. >> reporter: we're at jackson health system and they saw double the amount of covid-19 patients over the weekend than they did earlier in the month. and they are pointare bepointin surge in the 30s and 40s age bracket. and i spoke to one infectious disease expert and she was telling me that part of the problem here is that you have a lot of unvaccinated people following cdc guidelines for vaccinated people. she was quick to say that she feels the u.s. and florida have jumped the gun because she believes that they wanted the pandemic to be over but of course that is not the case. >> if we don't heed the fact that people need to be more cautious than what they are being, we'll see more deaths. we'll see more cases. and we'll see a lot more long covid which is what is really, really troubling for the younger population. >> reporter: so for experts that we're talking to, the big concern here, the younger population and the unvaccinated. here in the state of florida, roughly 47% of residents are fully

leyla santiago, cnn, surfside, florida. >>> authorities in oregon are urging residents in some areaso evacuate immediately due to raging wildfires. up and down the west coast firefighters are battling dozens of blazes, the boot leg fire in oregon is burning out of control. and crews don't expect to have it contained until late november. meanwhile, california wildfires have already burned more than three times as much land this year than in 2020 when the state recorded its worst fire season ever. experts warn severe drought and human induced climate change is making the fire season even longer. so for more on this, we want to turn to meteorologist tyler mauldin joining us. one of those fires won't be contained until late november is this that is incredible about. >> nuts isn't it. we havehave 137 active large wildfires and nearly 2 million acres scorched. on average in the last ten years we typically see about three. so we're well on our way to surpassing that. could we see another record wildfire season across parts of the west? certainly possible. 9 wi 94% of the west is under a dro

leyla santiago has a report. >> reporter: after 14 tireless days, the search and rescue effort in surfside shifting to a search and recovery effort. a moment of silence held by rescue teams before the transition. >> this decision was not an easy one. as our hearts still hoped to find survivors. but our experience and expertise indicated that waysys was no longer possible. >> reporter: families informed at their daily briefing as bodies are more quickly being discovered now that the debris field has opened up, officials say it is the right time to make the transition. >> this decision was not based on any other reasons except on facts that emerged during the extent of the search and the rescue operation. >> reporter: several survivors of the collapse revisiting the site of the debris today. families being assured the recovery effort will not slow down. >> the only thing that changes is just the term. resources are still there. the men and women are still there. >> our first responders have truly searched that pile every single day since the collapse as if they are searching for their own lo

leyla santiago has more from surfside. >> reporter: the search and rescue evident growing more urgent and tropical storm looms closer. outer bands of wind and rain already y y y ing felt in surfs. >> despite the as vdverse conditions, we've recovered four additional victims. the number of confirmed deaths is now 36. >> reporter: teams working as long as wind gusts remain under 45 miles per hour. in th >> they were forced to pause a little bit earlier this afternoon because of the lightning which is mandatory to not work during lightning and also some gusty winds that did go above 30 miles per hour. >> reporter: rescue teams now have 100% access to the building rubble and a third of the site where they couldn't safely explore before the demolition. but no sign of life just yet. >> unfortunately we're not seeing anything positive. the key things we're looking for all throughout in regards to voice, space, liveable spaces. we're not coming across that. so we are actively searching as aggressive as we can. >> reporter: and whnew federal partners are arriving to assist in the investigation

let's get straight to cnn's leyla santiago live in surfside.ress briefing that ended moments ago. >> reporter: well, boris, apologies if it's a little loud. we are currently seeing dump trucks making their way out of the pile with concrete. but we did just have the mayor of miami-dade give us an update saying that they have recovered an additional ten bodies. that brings the death toll now to 46. so that is the latest update. i've got to tell you, we have been watching officials give us updates twice a day since this building collapsed. we just watched a very emotional mayor leave the podium in tears after providing the latest update to the media, to the world really, as we see behind me search and rescue teams continuing to dig in that pile. i can see equipment from where i am right now still going down in there. i actually had a chance earlier to get closer where you could really see the magnitude of how large that is and get a good grasp of what the challenges are for the search and rescue teams. i did speak to a task force member this morni

leyla santiago, thanks very much. >>> the prices at the gas pump keep rising.sident. we'll tell you the facts, what's really behind the spike next. ♪ 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. ♪ i order my groceries online now. shingles doesn't care. i keep my social distance. shingles doesn't care. i stay within my family bubble. shingles doesn't care. because if you've had chicken pox, you're already carrying the virus that causes shingles. in fact, about 1 in 3 people will develop shingles, and the risk only increases as you age. so what can protect you against shingles? shingrix protects. now you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after vaccination wit

. >> i was thinking exactly the same thing, leyla, the dust in the air reminiscent of the wreckage of ground zero. leyla santiago, thank you so much the. >>> "outfront" now, a structural engineer and member of the national academy of engineering. thank you so much for taking the time tonight. >> glad to be with you. good evening. >> so lots of questions as we begin to look at pictures of this. attention has been drawn to the condo's construction in one particular area. i want to show a photo for our viewers here. this gets to vertical columns. this is in the parking structure. what's visible here, you know this well, i just want to explain to the viewers, is that there are just two to three steel rods coming out from each side of the column to support the surrounding concrete. the original design drawings, though, called for more steel reinforcement. as you look at this picture here given its location, is that a crucial clue to you? >> well, it is, but it doesn't explain anything, really, because the fact is what we see here is what engineers consider classic example of punching failu

. >> cnn's leyla santiago is like in miami, florida, where the epidemic is also getting worse. layla. >> reporter: here at the jackson health system, they saw the number of covid patients they've treated double over the last month. they're seeing patients that are younger, in that 30 to 40 age bracket. one florida epidemiologist explained it like this. he said, look, the numbers have doubled over the last few weeks, so have the percentages of people testing positive, while the number of people getting vaccinated gradually decreases. one infectious disease expert told me that's a big problem because what we have right now are a lot of unvaccinated people following the cdc guidelines. that's the big issue in the rise in cases we're seeing. here is what else she had to say. >> if we don't heed the fact that people need to be more cautious than what they're being right now, we're going to see more deaths, more cases and a lot more long covid which is what's really, really troubling for the younger population. >> reporter: there you go. you have two medical experts telling you the s

leyla santiago has more from the scene in surfside. >> reporter: this is as close as we've been ableilding collapsed. you can see the twisted metal, the concrete that has made a very, very tall pile. in fact on the other side is the ocean, and you can't even see that. you just see crews working and you hear the equipment. now, this of course is what we see, what we've been looking at, but it is what is underneath that is tearing apart this community. for families, it is knowing that their loved one is somewhere in there. for survivors, it is knowing that they will never again see things that they cherished from their apartments. the surfside mayor says that he has drafted a letter that could go out today and it is advising all of surfside's ocean front condo boards and building owners of the next steps that the city's experts and engineer believer should be taken as a, quote, minimum stopgap measure to provide residents with a very basic level of confidence that their building is not obviously unsafe. another big factor here is the weather. given the wind and rain that we have seen h

leyla santiago with the details on that. >> reporter: a new report.ew done just over a year before the building collapsed wasn't a good one. the 99-page report underscores the building's anemic financial reserves combined with the need for structural repairs. the review included a diligent visual inspection of the building incorporated with an engineering analysis done prior to the reserve report. it shows that several components of the building had zero years of remaining useful life, including the entrance deck and garage where some experts have said concrete spalling may have contributed to the fatal collapse. news like this for the families, whose loved ones haven't been recovered, not easy to hear. >> i don't understand how that happens with a building that collects so much maintenance fees, every single year, over 40 years. how -- how does that even happen? >> reporter: also, significantly detailed in the report was the fact that the facade and balconies of the building had concrete deterioration and if left untreated, small problems can develop

cnn's leyla santiago joins us now live from miami. it's particularly bad in south florida.running this vaccination and testing site where we are right now. and they told us they believe it's because folks are going back to their tendency prepandemic. to put things in perspective as to where florida is, florida has seen more than triple average cases than we did two weeks ago. that's according to data from john hopkins university. the mayor of miami-dade has opened up more sites, extended hours, and the company running these sites tells me that they have seen a moderate increase when it comes to vaccination, a significant increase when it comes to testing. we asked why. here's the response. >> we've seen that people have felt somewhat unchained to do what they'd like to do. and obviously as travel and other plans kick in and more of a desire to go back to prepandemic, we're definitely seeing that those behaviors are contributing to the increase in cases. >> reporter: and, jake, right now in the state of florida, they are at about roughly 48% of residents fulfly vaccinated. >

leyla santiago, cnn, surfside, florida. >>> another heat wave is hitting the western united states.we come back, the latest from our meteorologist on the scorching temperatures and the dangers ahead. infused with natural essential oils into a mist. to awaken your home with an experience you can see, smell, and feel. it's air care, redefined. air wick essential mist. connect to nature. -hey. -hi. whoa, nice car. thanks, yeah. i actually got a great deal on it too, although my interest rate is awful. have you checked your credit? i got like a free score from some app or something like that. but lenders don't even use that score. creditrepair.com has a free credit snapshot that can show you exactly what's happening with your credit score. and killing my interest rates. well, great seats though. -thank you. -like really. just knowing your score won't improve it. instead, work to actually fix your credit with creditrepair.com. - that moment you walk in the office and people are wearing the same gear, you feel a sense of connectedness and belonging right away. and our shirts from custom i

cnn's leyla santiago is in surfside this morning.or of surfside. what did he say? >> reporter: jim, he told us that the families have been asking if they can revisit the site. he mentioned that yesterday during the press conference. we have now learned that officials are currently working out those logistics to allow family members to revisit the rubble where loved ones could be, something that they have expressed interest as they try to cope with everything that is happening. we were closer to the site earlier, and i can tell you that you can really feel the pain and the agony that comes with not knowing exactly where their loved ones are as search and rescue teams continue to dig through, hoping to provide a new sense of hope or closure for those families. a race against the clock as crews try to dig through the rubble of the surfside building collapse as elsa nears florida. the turbulent weather delaying the efforts tuesday. >> they were forced to pause for a little bit, about two hours, earlier this afternoon because of the light

leyla santiago, cnn, surfside, florida. >>> now to hodng kong where police have accused six high school of plotting an alleged terror attack. three adults also were arrested. let's get right to our kristie lu stout. she joins us live from hong kong. what more are you learning about this and what evidence is there to support the claim that high school students were involved in this terrorist bomb plot? >> reporter: rosemary, that is the key question, and this is what we know at this hour. hong police say they thwarted a suspected terror plot after arresting nine people, including six high school students, ee teenagers on suspicion of terrorist offenses under the national security law. they say the nine had rented a hos hostel where they were planning to make homemade bombs. they said the nine individuals were planning to target public facilities across hong kong, including public transit as well as courts and cross-harbor tunnels. police say also said in a press conference earlier today that they found an operations manual detailing plans for an attack to take place in early july, but no

cnn's leyla santiago is in miami with more. >> reporter: i'm leyla santiago in miami, florida.lorida still leading the nation in the number of covid-19 cases. roughly 48% of residents here are fully vaccinated. many of them coming right here to this cvs saying they've heard the news. they're concerned about the delta variant, so they thought now is the time to come and sit right here to get vaccinated. the cdc saying that 20 states have fully vaccinated their residents. again, florida not reaching that yet. the governor saying he does not want any sort of lockdown in the future or any sort of mask mandate. but we have spoken to a lot of doctors and nurses in this area, very concerned about the contagious delta variant and what may be to come for the hospital system here. >> dr. bernard ashby is a cardiologist in miami. he is also florida's state lead for the committee to protect health care. thanks so much for making the time, doctor. i know it's been pretty crazy. florida's covid hospitalizations have tripled since the beginning of july. nearly 20% of the country's new covid i

cnn's leyla santiago is in surfside with the latest.escription of the loss there -- we know life is the greatest loss, but the tangible loss and the people who are working to continue the search, it is just a lot that has to be done. >> reporter: yes, victor and alisyn, i was with a survivor when he saw some of the dump trucks pass him with a bunch of the debris, and he said to me, i wonder if my mother's portrait is inside that truck. everyone describing this still on day 13 as if it were some kind of dream. now, you heard tom talking about the tornado watch. we are expecting for some rain to hit the area any minute now, and with that could come some lightning. lightning a big problem because it is what caused the search and rescue teams to pause last night. so that's a big challenge that they're dealing with. now, these rescue crews have been able to gain access to certain parts of the building that wasn't safe to reach before what was left of the building was demolished. the miami-dade fire chief saying that the crews are searching a

let's bring in cnn's leyla santiago. you got rare access inside. you even spoke to a covid patient.at did she have to say? >> reporter: she has a warning for everyone, jake. where this patient was, we visited that area today. the nurse told me last week they had one patient. this week every single room is filled with covid patients. some have two patients. the hospital telling us that they have seen numbers double in just the last week, and there is clear concern and a lot of frustration. so let's start with the concern. the director of infection prevention tells me that they are seeing cases rise very fast that is being driven by the highly contagious delta variant. if they continue the way they are going now, it'll just be a matter of days before they reach capacity and have staffing shortages not just because of burnout but also because of unvaccinated staff. now, as far as the frustration goes, i can really see that coming from the nurses who said they felt like they were in the clear, and now they're going right back to some of those peak numbers that they saw earlier in the pa

cnn's leyla santiago explains. >> reporter: the controlled demolition of the rest of the champlain tower south building sunday has opened the way for search-and-rescue teams to broaden their efforts, officials say, and continue their work safely. >> the search-and-rescue team has been able to search all sections of the grid on the collapse, following the building demolition. now, that the entire area is safe to search. >> reporter: the potential threat of tropical storm elsa, also, impacted the decision-making. >> the worst thing that could have happened was to have a storm come in and blow that building down, on top of the pile. >> reporter: rescue teams halted their work, temporarily, but resumed just over an hour after the demolition began. today, workers hoping to access voids in the rubble that they couldn't, before the remaining tower was brought down. >> the activity on that site, which i just came from a few minutes ago, is more active and greater than i've ever seen, since the beginning of this crisis. >> reporter: this, as new condo documents obtained by cnn show that a present

cnn's leyla santiago is in surfside. the recovery effort? one thing we're seeing is an acceleration in finding some of the victims as they get further down. >> reporter: right, and we're seeing more heavy machinery making its way to the site. they're on-site working through the rubble, something we were told last night by firefighters, to expect today as they shift into -- as they shifted into the recovery mode right around midnight. this morning as we have been here at the building collapse site and very close to the memorial site, i can tell you it is a very somber mood. this is a community that was waking up after a very tough long night and trying to sort of still process and mourn after officials made that announcement. i was there yesterday when that announcement was made, and people just started gathering at the memorial site. you could see a lot of tears. people lighting candles. people hugging, holding each other. and even while they were praying in unity, you could, you could hear in the background that machine

leyla santiago is outfront. >> reporter: tonight after 14 tireless days, the search and rescue efforting to a search and recovery effort. >> this decision was not an easy one. as our hearts still hope to find survivors. >> reporter: a moment of silence held by rescue teams before the transition. >> it is with deep profound sadness that this afternoon i am able to share that we made the extremely difficult decision to transition from operation search and rescue to recovery. >> reporter: families informed this afternoon at their daily briefing with officials, as bodies are more quickly being discovered now that the debris field has opened up after sunday's demolition. officials say it is the right time to make the transition. >> this decision was not based on any other reasons except on facts that emerged during the extent of this search and the rescue operation. >> reporter: several sur vovivo of the building collapse revisiting the site of the debris today. families being assured the recovery effort will not slow down. >> the only thing that changes is just the term. resources are sti

leyla, thank you so much. >>> joining us now is chrisna. her father died last year of covid after a three-week battle. she since founded an advocacy group. thank you so much for being with us. i also have to say, we're still so sorry for your loss. i know it was more than a year ago but it doesn't get any easier. your father died. he didn't have a vaccine available to him. so how does it feel for you when you see people now dying, refusing to get the vaccine that might very well have saved your father's life? >> well, thanks for having me on. i mean, it's complicated. it's hard for me to actually put the blame on any one individual with so much health disinformation flying around. people like my dad, who made decisions about how to behave based upon what he was seeing on fox news and what the leaders who he trusted were saying, are in a position in which they are being led to a place where they're susceptible to contracting the virus and getting very sick. so, it is complicated in the fact that we are now really just seeing for the very fir

thanks so much, leyla. this search in surfside is happening just outside the direct path of tropical storm elsa, which is just on the cusp of a category 1 hurricane. let's go to cnn's meteorologist, tom sater in the severe weather center. so, tom, surfside isn't expected to get the worst of this tropical storm, but this is still a powerful system. >> oh, exactly. and it will become even a little bit stronger. but if we go back to the beginning, when this was first named last thursday, the track was released by the national hurricane center. and at that time, the cone of uncertainty did include surfside. so that was always the general concern from the beginning. they're not included in any of the watches or warnings. this is a hurricane warning, first one we've had since 2018 when hurricane michael moved in, but we have other concerns. and this is where we started talking about those outer bands, the feeder bands. as you see the circulation, well off to areas to the west, from around ft. myers, these feeder

let's go now to leyla santiago live for us in surfside.t a very sad transition here as we move into this recovery phase. >> reporter: right, brianna. this is a community that is waking up in mourning after a very rough night because when officials made that announcement they're essentially saying they don't believe that anyone could still be alive under the rubble. so when that was announced, we were here and we could see a lot of tears, a lot of hugging, a lot of comforting and prayer here near the memorial site, near the building collapse site. i had the opportunity to speak to a firefighter with the fema team as he was coming off his 12-hour shift from the pile. and he was adamant, brianna, that the shift in operation does not mean that there is a change in mission. >> we participated in the moment of silence and the service that was held here. we shut down operations. we all lined up around the pile. and they did their service. but at the end of the day, when their service was done, we went right back to work. because this is our job.

doctors have told them that you don't know what life's going to be like for leyla and the level of independenceve already given them one of the most memorable days of their lives. alex howick, bbc news, bristol. a quadriplegic man who is paralysed from the shoulders down has made his uk racing debut at the goodwood festival of speed. former professional racing driver sam schmidt was severely injured in a crash 21 years ago. now through advances in technology he is able to drive a car by moving his head to steer and using his breath to accelerate and break, reaching speeds of up to 200mph. ?he explained how it all works. 7 7 i never would've thought i would've driven ever before, let alone, you know, 200 mph. i have no use of anything below the shoulders. i really think the sky's the limit. i was sort of born into racing. ijust wanted to go to the indy 500 my entire life, so that was the goal that i set at a very young age and i was fortunate to race there and won the las vegas race in september of 1999. and then unfortunately had my accident four months later. sam, can you look left? look right

. >> reporter: i'm leyla santiago where the mayor says that she is mandating masks in all indoor locationsmeantime miami-dade school district as well as others that we checked in are trying to make sense of how to move forward for the upcoming school year given the new cdc guidelines. in the meantime governor desantis says that he is against any sort of potential lockdown in the future or mask mandate. >> reporter: and i'm athena jones in this morning where governor cuomo announced all patient-facing health care workers must get vaccinated. saying that we need dramatic action to get control of the situation. the governor adding all new york state workers will have to be vaccinated or get tested weekly starting september 6. he also said that he wants the fda to issue final approval of covid vaccines so states can have more legal authority to man daet the legal vaccines. >> reporter: and duke university will be requiring everyone to wear masks indoors in all facilities regardless of vaccination status. and this mandate will also include visitors to the campus. now, in a message to the studen

cnn's leyla santiago reports. >> and it shows you everything you have to wear before going into the roomy single door in this unit is a covid-19 patient. suiting up in full protective gear is a must right now. in this room -- >> lady! >> reporter: -- we met 65-year-old deborah wells. >> she has been here since saturday, and she, too, has tested positive for covid. ms. deborah, we're talking over the phone right now for safety reasons. can you tell me what you're experiencing in terms of your symptoms and how you feel? >> well, before i came in i felt like i was about to die. as soon as i get out of here and get well, i'm going to get vaccinated. >> reporter: at uf health jacksonville the number of covid-19 cases has doubled since last week. >> sad and frustrating because we thought that we were towards the end of it, and within not even two days we are back to being just like it was in december/january. >> reporter: the director of infection prevention, chad nielsen, tells us the surge is driven by the highly contagious delta variant and the unvaccinated. the overwhelming majority, 90% o

our leyla santiago joins us in miami. i think the story is the same as many of these hot spots around the country and that is young people unvaccinated people being hospitalized and dying. some from covid? >> reporter: that is what doctors are telling me. and it is so hard to hear that, poppy. this morning we're at a vaccination and testing site and since the last time i spoke to you about an hour ago, we have seen the line for vaccinations increase. so that is a good thing if you ask any doctor or nurse. that is what they're pushing for right now. but let me show you a scary map that really makes the point as so where we are in the state of florida. you could see a bunch of red over the entire state, florida being one of two states where every single county is listed as having covid as highly transmissible. and it is also, according to john hopkins, in terms of the new arverage cases, more than triple since two weeks ago. so that makes the point of where it is right now. you made the point this is really hitting the youn

. >> leyla santiago, i appreciate you so much. >>> afghan commandos executed by the taliban moments after. new video that you'll see first on "the lead," next. just wearo crazy, remember it's a business dinner not a costume party. on a spotty network this is what she heard... just wear something crazy, remember it's a costume party. a costume party!? yes! anybody want to split a turkey leg? i've been telling everyone, the secret to great teeth... is having healthy gums. new crest advanced gum restore... detoxifies below the gum line, and restores by helping heal gums in as little as seven days. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. what can i du with less asthma? with dupixent, i can du more....beginners' yoga. namaste... ...surprise parties. aww, you guys. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... ...for 3!... ...so i can du more of the things i love. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on-treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. and can reduce, or even eliminate, or

cnn's leyla santiago is on the scene. crews have recovered more remains. update our viewers? >> reporter: tonight, wolf, we know search and rescue teams are still digging through the rubble despite the rain, the wind and a severe thunderstorm warning. the death toll now stands at 27, and 118 individuals remain unaccounted for. [ explosion ]. >> reporter: tonight the controlled demolition of the rest of the champlain towers sunday has opened the way for search and rescue teams to broaden their efforts, officials say, and continue their work safely. >> truly we could not continue without bringing this building d down. the area closest to the building was the area we had not been able to access, and that is where we needed to go. >> reporter: the potential threat of tropical storm elsa also impacted the decision making. >> the worst thing that could have happened was to have a storm come in and blow that building down on top of the pile. >> reporter: rescue teams halted their work temporarily but resumed just over an hour after the demolition began. today workers hoping to acces

. >> two weeks in almost at this point, leyla, and i know you were there from the beginning.eply moving. thank you so much for being there for us. appreciate it. >>> and up next, a new book claims that former president trump complimented a dolphin hitler. >>> new details on britney spears. is the pop star getting ready to retire amid all the legal drama? ♪ with schizophrenia, i see progress differently. it's in the small things i look forward to. with the people i want to share it with. it's doing my best to follow through. it's the little signs that make me feel like things could be better. signs that make it feel like real progress. caplyta effectively treats adults with schizophrenia. and it's just one pill, once a day, with no titration. caplyta can cause serious side effects. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about fever, stiff muscles or confusion, which can mean a life-threatening reaction or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be permanent. dizziness upon standing, falls, and impaired judgment may occur. most comm

leyla santiago, cnn, miami. >>> the nfl has a new policy for coronavirus outbreaks. the league warns that if a game is canceled and can't be rescheduled because of an outbreak among unvaccinated players, well, that team with the outbreak will forfeit and it will be counted as a loss. not only that, the team with the outbreak will have to pay the expenses of the other team. it is all part of their push to get players and staff vaccinated before the nfl season kicks off. the nfl reports they are seeing an increase in vaccination rates. 14 teams are above the 85% threshold now. >>> and this is an interesting one. musician eric clapton says that he will not perform at venues that require a covid-19 vaccination for entry. according to a statement posted on the social media account of an anti vaccine activist, clapton says that he will not play anywhere that there is, a quote, discriminated audience present. in a followup email, clapton said that he is not a covid denier or anti-vaxxer, he calls it an issue of human rights. important to note that medical professionals say

cnn correspondent leyla santiago is live with the new developments.nsition between search and rescue and now recovery. >> reporter: right. and that is tough news for the families, the loved ones as the community mourned last night and continue to mourn today. you mentioned the death toll on the rise. i could tell you that officials have just announced that 60 are dead and 80 now feared dead. as they continue to dig today. we have seen that the digging continues, that we are seen heavy machinery continuing to work and it is interesting because even last night, i took note of that as people learned of the news, they gathered at the memorial site kind of leaned against the railing as they couldn't take their eyes off the pile of debris. and as they prayed and hugged and held each other and tried to comfort one another, you could still hear the work being done just a block away. i spoke to one firefighter who told me that he wants nothing more than to bring closure to these families. and today during the media briefing, the miami-dade mayor echoed that se

leyla santiago is live in fort lauderdale where the first school district just voted to require masks in the classroom once again which is defying the governor. this is turning into something of a showdown now? >> reporter: right. and much of that is based on some of the statistics that you just mentioned. when you look at numbers. 20% of all cases right here in the state of florida. and then add to that, the new guidelines from the cdc. broward county decided to go back to the drawing board to look at what they plan to do with mask policy for the upcoming school year. in of the parents who spoke at the meeting were against requiring masks but ultimately the board unanimously decided to bring back masks for the upcoming school year. something that governor ron desantis is very much against and hassed that he will call for a special session of the legislature in order to ensure that masks remain optional for schools. listen to what he said last night to a group in salt lake city. >> did you not get the cdc's memo. i don't see you guys complying. think it is very important that we say u

. >> reporter: i'm leyla santiago in miami, florida. florida is leading the nation in the number of covid-19 cases. roughly 48% of residents here are fully vaccinated. many of them coming right here to this c vs.vs, saying they've heard the news and are concerned about the delta variant and thought now is the time to sit right here to get vaccinated. cdc saying that 20 states have fully vaccinated their residents. again, florida not reaching that yet. the governor saying he does not want any sort of lockdown in the future or any sort of mask mandate. we have spoken to a lot of doctors and nurses here in this area, very concerned about the contagious delta variant and what may be to come for the hospital system here. >> major concerns out of florida, but let's get to cnn's polo sandoval. a troubling new phase of the pandemic. set the scene. what is happening nationally, and what do officials fear is to come? >> absolutely right. our colleagues will offering critical insight about what's actually happening there on the ground. when you st

. >> leyla, thank you for that reporting. >> joining us now to talk more about this, dr.is pernell. good to have you back. you have called this a pandemic. you are seeing spikes in places with lower vaccination rates. explain that, and explain the consequence of that. are we headed for a tale of two countries here, right, in terms of the outbreak? >> unfortunately, the american story has far too often been a tale of two americas, two different countries. and now we're seeing that fault line along vaccination. look, it's very concerning for me. it's concerning that these deaths are all preventable. the nearly 200 deaths that are still occurring. these cases are all preventable. nearly 20,000 new cases that are occurring, those children that are hospitalized, those children that are ventilated, it's preventable. we have to do a better job and hold our elected officials accountable for not spreading misinformation or disinformation for folks to get vaccinated. >> does the delta variant, doctor, put children more at risk when we're, you know, six weeks away from the start of