>> matt gutman reporting tonight. matt, thank you. i know many of you at home are going to have questions about all this, vaccine efficacy, keeping people out of the hospital, and when are the boosters coming. i want to bring in dr. ashish jha. always great to have you. i want to get right back to the results. one study actually broke down across age groups showing the moderna vaccine performed best in terms of reducing risk of hospitalization, 95%. pfizer, 80% effective at keeping you out of the hospital, and johnson & johnson came in at about 60%. i'm curious, what do you make of the numbers tonight? >> thanks for having me back. i think the evidence really is that the mrna vaccines, moderna, pfizer are holding up quite well. i don't know that the difference between moderna and pfizer is clinically that meaningful. johnson & johnson coming in lower, concerning. i think we have to think about how we protect people with johnson & johnson and whether they need an extra shot sometimes soon. >> you bring up the issue of boosters. cdc sai

>> all right, matt gutman tonight. matt leadinging us off, thank you. >>> as we said off the top tonight, the president warned we are in a tough stretch. he railed against what he called pandemic politics, the fights against masks and vaccinations. one more question on this tonight, rachel scott live at the white house. and rachel, the president taking aim at local officials that he said are actively working to undermine the fight against covid by opposing masks and vaccination mandates. he said, "i'll get them out of the way." the president frustrated with politics, the fights, the images that we saw out of tennessee, the young man trying to make the case. the president said this is getting in the way of haflting this virus. >> reporter: yes, david. clear frustration from the president tonight. but the white house is convinced that mandating vaccines for 100 million americans, giving them that time off to get those shots, will make a difference. the administration, though, already receiving push-back to this. just mome

>> matt gutman in california again tonight. thanks, matt. >>> now to the new book about the final days of the trump presidency. the book by bob woodward and robert costa called "peril. kws the report that marc milley took secret steps to prevent president trump from launching a military strike or nuclear launch and the top general called his counterpart in china. what he reportedly assured china the u.s. would not do. here's jon karl. >> reporter: in their soon to be released book "peril", bob woodward and robert costa report that china was so concerned about donald trump's behavior in the final days of the 2020 presidential campaign that joint chiefs chairman general mark milley took the extraordinary step of secretly reaching out directly to china's top general. "general li, i want to assure you that the american government is stable and everything is going to be okay," milley told him, according to the book. "we are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you." one reason for china's concerns? trump's in

matt gutman, thank you. >>> when we come back, the news out of north korea. and the famous actor, his battle with both cancer and covid. regina approaches the all-electric cadillac lyriq. it's a sunny day. nah, a stormy day. ♪ ♪ we see a close up of the grille... an overhead shot. she drives hands free... along the coast. make it palm springs. cadillac is going electric. if you want to be bold, you have to go offscript. reserve your lyriq september 18th. seeing blood when you brush or floss can be a sign of early gum damage. new parodontax active gum repair kills plaque bacteria at the gum line to help keep the gum seal tight. new parodontax active gum repair toothpaste. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily

matt gutman reporting on the ground tonight. chief meteorologist ginger zee with the new threat. d.c., philadelphia, right up through new york city. >>> more than 80 large fires burning as we come on the air. states of emergency issued for nevada and parts of california. the caldor fire sweeping into the lake tahoe basin. >>> the alarming spike in child covid cases tonight. more than 300 children every day now being admitted to the hospital. and late word tonight, two teachers at one junior high school dying from covid within the first week of school. >>> in new york city tonight, authorities say the 80-pound cougar taken from an apartment. >>> and the patriots star player cut from the team, reportedly acknowledging covid slowing him down. >>> good evening and it's great to have you with us here on this tuesday night. w are following these major storms after hurricane ida, now moving up the coast tonight. the deadly highway collapse from this. the northeast now bracing. and we'll have it all in just a moment. >>> but we do begin tonight with president biden speaking to the nation

matt gutman again tonight. thanks to you and the team. >>> meantime tonight, a new law in texas effectively banning nearly all abortions in that state. it took effect at midnight. the new law, one of the most direct challenges to roe versus wade and this new law authorizes pry sat citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman obtain abortion services. all eyes on the supreme court now, but so far, it has taken no action. abc's rachel scott in texas tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the most restrictive abortion law in the country has gone into effect in texas, banning nearly all abortions in the state. it's one of the most consequential challenges yet to the landmark roe versus wade decision. president biden tonight blasting the texas law as "extreme," stating it will "significantly health care they need."o the - >> hands off our bodies! >> reporter: protesters in houston and austin today calling for a stop to the ban. >> abortion is -- >> health care! >> abortion is -- >> health care! >> reporter: advocates hoping the

abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman has been following the storm since it made landfall.the air today, mile after mile, underwater. evidence of the disaster left after tropical storm ida barreled through the northeast overnight. up closer, on the ground, havoc stretching as far as the eye can see. a surreal landscape from the streets, the subways, to submerged cars. >> i see the cars start floating. i've got to come through the window and jump for it. water reaching like up here. >> this storm was horrible. just instantly, less than a minute, it actually flooded the entire thing, up to my chest. >> the dam has overflowed and it's gone over route 23. now they're worried about the stability of not only the road but maybe the dam as well. >> reporter: ida becoming the fifth-largest hurricane in american history, leaving a 2,000-mile-long trail of destruction from louisiana to the canadian border. >> we have too many areas where the flooding has gotten so bad, the cars are stuck and we have bodies underwater. we are now retrieving bodies. >> reporter: nearly 60 dead across ei

>> matt gutman with us tonight. matt, thank you. >>> on the texas border tonight, the migrants the vast majority from haiti now gone. 2,000 sent back to haiti. others allowed to stay in the u.s. for now, and our rachel scott asking president biden today of images of some border officers, images the white house already called horrific, and what the president said today. >> reporter: tonight, thousands of migrants cleared out from this underpass in del rio, texas. homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas revealing 30,000 tried to cross the border though this city in just the past two weeks. more than 17,000 remain in the country. many will have their asylum cases heard before immigration judges. today for the first time, president biden addressing these images, border patrol agents on horseback trying to stop migrants. do you take responsibility for the chaos that's unfolding? >> of course i take responsibility. i'm president. but it was horrible to see what you saw, to see people treat it like they did -- horse

but if you find yourself in that situation, abc's matt gutman has some life-saving tips. safety experts helped him simulate a flash flood in real-time. one of the first things that happens, water gets into your tail pipe, causing the engine to stall. and once outside your vehicle, it takes only six inches of water to knock you off your feet. >> first thing, take your seat belt off. next thing, roll down the window. if you need to break it and the window is not going down, use a headrest, smash it. hit the corner of your window. next, the seat belt. want to roll down the window as quickly as you can. want to use anything you can, to climb up to get on top of this roof. to climb on this roof. >> reporter: experts say stay with your vehicle as long as possible. but if it starts getting swept away, ditch it and swim to calmer waters. inside your home, experts say, protect yourself, as well. especially if you're cleaning water-ravaged basements. use goggles, gloves, a mask, and a shop vac. >> turn off the power to any area of the house that you're going to be working on. consi

here's abc's matt gutman. >> he really likes shoulder massages. >> reporter: 24-year-old natalie tapio's dexter is my service dog. he alerts to my seizures. >> reporter: natalie suffers from a form of epilepsy that can leave her physically frozen in place. dexter is a finely calibrated four-legged seizure monitor, so sensitive he warns natalie before a seizure is coming on. and he does that by tapping his paw on her leg. >> he will alert me, then dial a dog phone which has my parents' phone numbers on it. and then retrieves a pouch which will have any necessities for me, like medication, water, my cell phone. i'm going to pause for a second. he's alerting again. >> reporter: natalie received dexter through a program called "little angels service dogs," a nonprofit organization that trains dogs to work with people in need. surprisingly, those furry little angels are raised and largely trained at a central california women's facility, the second-largest female prison in the u.s. their trainers -- >> how many of the women here have been convicted of a violent crime? basically everybody. >>

matt gutman is there on the scene in joplin, montana, with the very latest. morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, robin. what you're seeing behind me is basically a crime scene, the train itself has been left almost exactly as it was at the moment of the crash and that's because the ntsb needs to move quickly to preserve what it calls the perishable evidence, things like recorders and rail evidence to try to understand exactly what happened here. this morning, officials from the ntsb beginning to investigate what caused this train to derail, split apart, kill three people and injure over 50. that amtrak passenger train traveling from chicago to seattle, derailed with over 150 people on board. >> oh, my god. it's on its side. >> reporter: the jolt sent passengers flying through the cars, forcing some so escape by breaking windows. bystanders rushing in to help like daniel hutchinson and his son, both military veterans. >> we got everybody off that car. there were a couple ladies trapped behind a sliding door that wouldn't open. me and another fella got tha

but if you find yourself in that situation, abc's matt gutman has some life-saving tips.afety experts helped him simulate a flash flood in real time. one of the first things that happens, water gets into your tailpipe, causing the engine to stall. and once outside your vehicle it takes only six inches of water to knock you off your feet. >> first thing, take your seat belt off. next thing, roll down the window. if you do need to break it and the window's not going down you can even use a head reft, smash it, always hit the corner of your window. next thing, seat belt, you want to roll dowinw quys you cayou ny ca to owe going to cli onto this roof. >> reporter: experts say stay with your vehicle as long as possible. but if it starts getting swept away ditch it and swim to calmer waters. inside your home experts say protect yourself as well. especially if you're cleaning water-ravaged basements. use a mask, goggles, gloves, fans, dehumidifiers and a shop vac. >> turn the power off to the house in any area that's flooded. also consider turning off the gas line to those areas

. >> reporter: abc's matt gutman flew over the port that took the biggest hit during the storm. >> this is port fourchon where that 172-mile wind gust was recorded. you can see what it did to that boat dock, obliterated. >> reporter: in new orleans there is hope that some power will be restored beginning today just as as the heat bears down. feel like temperatures are expected to hit 105 today but 1800 miles of transmission lines remain out of service. the race to restore power already taking two lives. two electric company workers in alabama were killed, possibly electrocuted just as severe storms including this possible tornado closed in on parts of the state. back in louisiana senator bill cassidy tells abc news the infrastructure bill being considered by congress includes billions of dollars to harden the electric grid. money he says is much needed. >> right now four parishes in which there's no electricity unless it's provided by a generator. they are the folks we have to be concerned about. >> as for the remnants of ida and flooding threat in the northeast we'll get the accuweathe

our chief national correspondent matt gutman is in joplin, montana, too. >> oh, my god. it's on its side. >> reporter: tonight, the horror of this rail disaster in rural montana as federal officials urgently investigate what caused this amtrak passenger train to derail. the ntsb on the scene, saying today the derailment taking place on a gradual curve just before a rail switch. the black box revealing the train travelling just under the 8 79-mile-per-hour speed limit. they're taking it away slowly and right inside there, you can see the debris from that derailment. >> reporter: more than 160 passengers and crew members on board traveling from chicago to seattle late saturday when it derailed. dozens were injured and tragically, three people were killed. right now, david, investigators are going over onboard video, going frame by frame, including of the moment of impact. you might see all those workers behind me. they're trying to clear the tracks here. this is a key piece of national inf infrastructure. i'm told there are over 50 trains, most of them carrying grain, that

matt gutman has the latest. good morning, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, george. this recall race has become something of a referendum on the democrats' handling of covid. it's a big reason president biden was out here yesterday stumping for gavin newsom, telling the crowd that the eyes of the world are on california and on this race and warning that the leading republican opponent, larry elder, is a clone of donald trump. this morning, governor gavin newsom getting a final recall vote boost from president biden. >> mr. president, i'm just honored that you're here. >> reporter: newsom harnessing the trappings of an office that his 46 challengers are trying to take from him hitching a ride on air force one to his final campaign stop in southern california. >> the eyes of the nation are on california because a decision you're about to make isn't just going to have a huge impact on california, it's going to go reverberate around the nation. >> reporter: this recall now widely seen as a referendum on the democrats' handling of covid. the pushback against newsom follow

matt gutman is in st. charles parish with more on the critical situation. good morning, matt. >> reporter: michael, good morning, there's destruction you do see. house after house crushed. that storm surge bringing in this sludge. a walker, someone left in haste to evacuate. then there's what you don't see, thousands of square miles without power, that means hundreds of thousands of people have no means to power their air-conditioners, their refrigerators for food, their medical devices. this morning, as new orleans wakes up in this swampy dark for the third straight day, power company entergy hope to restore some power focusing on critical infrastructure like hospitals and nursing homes. but new orleans could be an island meaning hundreds of thousands of other customers would continue living in the dark. there is no power and families have become desperate trying to fill up their vehicles but also cans for their generators. now, there are so few gas stations open here that this line is over an hour long. it stretches beyond the interstate. it's even backing

matt gutman is there with how this could impact your gifts this holiday season. morning, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael. this massive container ship just pulled in here about an hour ago. it had been anchored off the coast for nearly two weeks and until now, it had been mostly shipping companies and retailers that have been pulling their hair out over this backlog, but experts tell us in the coming days it's going to be consumers who bear the brunt with fewer goods and higher prices. this morning, with an onslaught of manufacturing and cargo disruptions threatening shipping delays and epic shortages for in demand products, retail experts urging consumers to start their holiday shopping now. >> we're witnessing a pandemic induced buying surge by the american consumer, the likes of which we've never seen. >> reporter: a spiraling global crisis began with covid-19 shutdowns in asia which drove shipping and production delays. that created shortages in shipping containers and was compounded by limited warehouse space, trucking issues and especially labo

president biden heading to the golden state ahead of the final vote and our matt gutman is in los angelesry latest. matt, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, t.j., good morning. at first, this recall seemed like a side show, in fact, there are 46 candidates vying for newsom's job, one who has been campaigning alongside a real live kodiak bear. but over the summer, polls show that threat was very real and so democrats have been spending big on ads and calling in the cavalry. this morning, gavin newsom making the case tuesday's recall election isn't just do or die for him. >> this election is a matter of life and death. public health is on the ballot. >> reporter: in the fight of his political life, newsom calling in the democrats' heaviest hitters. >> hello, californians. >> reporter: last week it was former president barack obama and vice president kamala harris. >> we will not give up. >> reporter: and today here outside los angeles he'll be hitting the campaign trail with the president as a final push to save his job. newsom won the 2018 gubernatorial election with a whopping 62% of

matt gutman there in new orleans with the latest. od morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, cecilia. this is going to be the fifth day without power here, and the desperation is growing for food and water. we're at a gas station in laplace, this woman has been since 2:00 a.m. and with our drone i want you to see this line of cars that began forming hours ago, it snakes all the way to the horizon, all those people defying curfew hours, they're that desperate for fuel, most of them to fill gas cans for generators. with members who are dependent on medical devices saying getting fuel and getting those going is a matter of life or death. ems reporting 185% increase in call volume partly to carbon monoxide poisoning, 12 people hospital hospitaledized, 7 of them are children. you mentioned the lights flickering back on in new orleans, but only 3% of power transmission is back on in this area. if you stretch the power lines they'll reach all the way to russia. the scale of the infrastructural damage is one of the reasons presidential bide

matt gutman has been through it and he joins us now. ey, good morning, george. over the past 36 hours multiple people have reportedly drowned in their cars in floodwaters and what we're trying to do today is battle a few possibly fatal misconceptions that people might have picked up in the movies or elsewhere by offering a few easy to remember tips that could save your life. with the remnants of ida triggering historic rainfall across the northeast, hundreds of vehicles like these submerged. nypd officers rescuing this trapped driver. >> just like that. >> reporter: it's critical to know the best strategies to escape with your life. you can see those pumps right now in front of us, dumping 200,000 gallons of water a minute into this dry river bed. in 2019 i joined safety experts from rescue 3 international who helped "gma" simulate a flash flood in realtime. we have taken major safety precautions here. you may be able to tell that we chained the front of a car to this concrete and i'm wearing a life preserver as well underneath the shirt

matt gutman is there on the scene for us there in joplin, montana. good morning, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, robin. you might notice they've cleared the track, but that four of the cars that rolled over in the dirt remain. they managed to do that because the ntsb gathered the perishable evidence and that is an on board camera that showed the moments of impact and the moments leading up to it. they also recovered the black box which shows the train was traveling under the 79 mile per hour speed limit as it derailed. that's where three people were killed and 50 people injured. they're examining the possibility that people were ejected from the train. they said they have no direct evidence of that. there's been tremendous prish to clear these tracks. over 50 massive freight trains, most carrying grain, have been stuck here now able to roll again. robin? >> thanks so much, matt. >> all right. thanks so much, matt. >>> we do turn to one of the top stars in the nba potentially missing all of his team's home games over his vaccination status. brook

. >> recently matt gutman and i visited balboa coves and realize it's a very secure location. car gate you need a key. >> balboa coves, this is where bill mclaughlin lived. >> you know what's fascinating, coming here all these years later, everything is the same. i think there's a new paint job, but it's virtually the same. this is the house they grew up . there's a lot of money here. it's a bizarre mixture of wealth and that laid back california lifestyle. it's all here. that's why fill mclaughlin chose to live here. >> it was december 15, 1994. bill mclaughlin was just flying in from las vegas, where he spent a couple days a week. he landed and drove home and got home just before dinner. he had dinner with his son. >> kevin was not typically home on thursday nights, because after the accident he had -- he had been drinking a lot, and he was going to aa meeting. >> was his schedule pretty well known around the house that thursday night was the night he went to aa meeting? >> yes, definitely. >> no one knows why, but for whatever reason, kevin didn't go to his meeting that nig