i'm whit johnson in for david tonight. as we come on the air the first hurricane of the atlantic season is racing across the caribbean heading toward the u.s. coast. adding to the frenzy of an already landmark fourth of july holida more than 47 million americans are on the move this long weekend satisfying the pent-up urge to travel and celebrate. some 43 million are hitting the highways navigating higher prices at the pump and slow-moving traffic. a suspicious package at the los angeles airport clearing terminal 2 while the bomb squad investigated. some airlines forced to cancel flights because of weather and trouble with staffing and that new threat from hurricane elsa, you see there, already hammering barbados with 85-mile-per-hour winds. the fast-moving storm is barreling across the islands. florida and the gulf states bracing for its effects. 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 coa

whit? >> trevor, thank you. let's get to ginger zee outside st. petersburg, florida, tracking elsa's every move. time this out for us, ginger. >> reporter: yeah, well, you can see behind me, whit, that is called a shelf cloud. we're about to go from a hot holiday day to storms. and those thunderstorms are all tropical fueled but the bulk is still more than 24 hours away. it's more than 300 miles to our south. it will slip by key west, very stormy through the day tomorrow there. but it will make its way up to naples, ft. myers. you see everybody in the track. now, here's how it's going to time out for you. by 7:00 a.m., you see how it is touching naples there. you have the western keys, going to be very gusty. you could see gusts up to 6 0 miles per hour, easily. tampa could get a couple of inches, the impact is going to be flash flooding and tornado threat. whit? >> ginger, we know you'll be watching it closely. as ginger mentioned, elsa already a factor in the search for survivors of that

whit? >> okay, trevor, thanks. let's get right to abc chief meteorologist ginger zee outside st. petersburg, florida, tracking elsa's every move. and ginger, time this out for us. >> reporter: yeah, well, you can see behind me, whit, that is called a shelf cloud. and so we're about to go from a hot li and those thunderstorms are all tropical fueled but the bulk is still more than 24 hours away. it's more than 300 miles to our south, so you can see it there passing over cuba. it will slip by key west. very stormy through the day tomorrow there. but it will make its way up to naples, ft. meyers. you can see everybody that is in the track, as it makes it into the big bend by early wednesday and then eventually into the southeast. now, here's how it's going to time out for you. by 7:00 a.m., you see how it is touching naples there. you have the western keys, going to be very gusty. you could see gusts up to 60 piles per hour, easily. and then tampa, like i said in that piece, you could get just

whit?all right, lama hasan, our thanks to you tonight. >>> to georgia now and the deadly boat collision overnight claiming one life. the vessels slamming into each other on a lake. officials say alcohol may have been a factor. here's abc's elwyn lopez. >> reporter: tonight, a 22-year-old man is dead and six others injured after a boat accident on a georgia lake. >> people on the pontoon boat that were hit by another boat at a high rate of speed. place on lake tobesofkee in central georgia. game wardens arrived in the early morning hours to find a collision between a speedboat and a pontoon boat with seven passengers on board. of those, a man was killed after suffering a head injury, and a woman in her 20s was rushed to the hospital where she remains in critical condition, still on a ventilator tonight. the other five also suffered injuries. no one was injured on the speedboat. and, whit, authorities say the two people on that boat left the scene initially and were later found at a home near

whit. an evacuation is reportedly ordered at a condominium building in north miami beach only a few miles away from here after that inspection found the building is unsafe. whit. >> okay, trevor ault, thank you. >>> next to the emergency on board a cargo plane moments after takeoff from the airport in honolulu, hawaii. the pilots forced to crash land in the water following engine trouble. both were injured and tonight one of them fighting for his life. abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman on the investigation. >> reporter: tonight, those coast guard boats and helicopters plucking those two pilots from the water moments after their 737 cargo jet crash-landed into the ocean off the coast of oahu in the middle of the night and sank. the plane taking off from honolulu at 1:33 a.m., en route to maui. just three minutes into the flight the first engine goes. >> we've lost number one engine, and we're coming straight to the airport. >> reporter: five minutes later a dangerous situation b

whit. >> not the news people want to hear. okay, elwyn, thank you. >>> with covid restrictions easing, president biden hitting the road touring a cherry farm in michigan ahead of the holiday. with just one day to go, the country is falling short of his self-imposed july 4th goal of 70% of american adults receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. the numbers now standing at 67%. here's abc's white house correspondent maryalice parks. >> come on, senators. >> reporter: tonight the president, vice president and first lady fanning out across the country kicking off this mostly maskless holiday with selfies, pies and ice cream cones. but the fourth of july is also a reminder of a self-imposed deadline they won't meet. the white house coming up short of its goal of getting 70% of american adults at least one covid-19 vaccine before the fourth of july holiday. yesterday the president still sounding upbeat. >> put simply, our economy is on the move, and we have covid-19 on the run. >> reporter: according to abc projections, an estim

i'm whit johnson. we begin tonight with the oppressive heat wave in the west intensifying the already critical drought. record-breaking temperatures well into the triple digits. this on the heels of already deadly heat that killed 200 people in the pacific northwest in recent weeks. volunteers in sacramento handing out water and food. the extreme heat fueling dozens of large fires as well. the beckworth complex fire on the california-nevada border doubling in size in the last 24 hours. reservoirs and lakes at dangerously low levels. 93% of the west experiencing drought conditions. the heat stretching from california to montana. 32 million people now under heat alerts. temperatures peaking today and tomorrow. residents in several states being asked to conserve power and water. rob marciano is standing by with the forecast, but first abc's will carr leads us off from palm desert, california. >> reporter: tonight, life-threatening triple-digit temperatures are gripping much of the west. 32 million residen

whit?elwyn, help us get through it. you have tips on the best and worst times to be on the road. >> reporter: yeah. so experts say the worst traffic is expected today between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. as for that drive back home on monday you might want to try to get a head start before 1:00 p.m. >> elwyn lopez, thank you so much. eva, over to you. >>> as millions prepare to drive and fly all eyes on the weather. wildfires forcing evacuations out west overnight. and tropical storm elsa is strengthening. ginger tracking it all. good morning, ginger. >> reporter: we have hurricane elsa now. the first hurricane in the atlantic. it's way early. the average is august 14th. we've seen 86 mile per hour winds. it's flying through the west/northwest. then it depends on how far west it goes and how far the bermuda high tries to pull it. we'll see the large cone become more narrow. just to let you know, while we're preparing for heavy rains during the east coast, the west, the tenant fire more than 9400 acre

>> well, whit, good morning. diverticular disease, as amy was saying, the outpouching of the large colon incredibly common, some estimates citing that half of people over the age of 50 will have some degree of this but this complication of diverticular disease, incredibly rare to uncommon. single-digit percentages of people who suffer from diverticular disease so to have surgery for something like this is pretty rare. >> and as amy noted in the story there, he is 84 years old. so what will his doctors be monitoring for now that the surgery is over? >> well, first of all, whit, just because a surgery is scheduled or elective does not make it not potentially serious and in general, an 84-year-old, someone in their 80s, even someone in vigorous good health at baseline general anesthesia, any type of surgical procedure, the goal is to return to a preoperative condition as quickly as possible, watching for infection, getting him walking around and eating slowly. they'll be taking their care with this patient for sure.

. >> reporter: good morning, whit. so this new cdc guidance says in-person learning this fall is a priority and ultimately it will be up to more local leaders to decide whether your kids are wearing masks in school, but still this could significantly impact the policies we see come out this summer. this morning, the cdc's major move for students returning to school. new federal guidelines saying vaccinated students and teachers don't need to wear a mask unless the school district says otherwise, though the cdc's guidance is just a recommendation. >> i think that if they are fully vaccinated that they shouldn't have to wear a mask, and so that's my hope is that they don't have to wear masks when they go back to school. >> reporter: the cdc says unvaccinated students, which is all of them under 12 years old, should keep wearing face coverings, and they're encouraging at least three feet of distance between students in the classroom. >> make it clear that in-school learning is really important, that vaccines have been the

whit johnson with us live and, whit, you mentioned there l.a. county, for one, seeing a dramatic spike in cases. of course, so many oher cities and communities seeing this, too. and tonight news that authorities in houston and philadelphia are revisiting discussing once again mask recommendations? >> reporter: david, it's happening in more american cities. in houston officials say they're seeing uncontrolled spread, and they're now urging everyone to wear masks. and in philadelphia, officials are reporting a small but disturbing increase in hospitalizations among children. officials there also recommending masks indoors in public spaces regardless of vaccination status. david. >> all right, whit johnson leading us off again tonight, whit, thank you. >>> also tonight, major concerns about the virus on the eve of the opening ceremony for the olympics in tokyo. the new number tonight, more than 90 people inside the bubble now infected with the virus. and what will be different about that opening ceremony? james longman again tonight from tokyo. >>

>> all right, whit johnson with us. whit, thank you. >>> we are also tracking severe storms in the middle of the country right now and the northeast. reports of a tornado on the ground just before we came on the air. and of course, the massive fires burning out of control in the west at this hour. already destroying more than 1 million acres. firefighters battling the flames but also the heat and the drought. lake levels dangerously low. a entire community in washington state evacuated. residents running for their lives. we have all of this covered including the track of these storms and that tornado. here's our chief national correspondent matt gutman now. >> reporter: tonight, 68 large fires are burning in 12 western states. more than a million acres scorched. that's nearly as big as the state of delaware. overnight in washington state, the entire town of nespelem running for their lives. horses and humans got out safely, but some homes were lost. >> i've been here for 20 years, you kind of grow attached to it. nice l

. >> reporter: good morning, again, whit. unimaginable loss these rescue crews have been dealing with a multitude of variables that have complicated this operation and still they are determined to find the more than 120 people who remain unaccounted for, but this morning, we're learning it appears this is not the only building in the area that's believed to be unsafe. this morning, evacuations under way in north miami beach. another condo building just a few miles from the champlain towers south ordered shut after it was determined structurally had to leave. we grabbed what we could, the most important things like the passport, wallets. >> reporter: north miami beach officials say they launched a thorough review of all condo high-rise buildings immediately following that devastating collapse in surfside. miami-dade's mayor ordering the demolition of the partly a threat to the hundreds of rescuers on scene. >> bringing it down as quickly as possible is critical to protect our community. >> reporter: rescue crews are now in the

whit, too. >> we got bopping going on here. by prince's estate as a powerful creative statement that documents prince's concerns, hopes and visions for a shifting society. "welcome 2 america" is out now. >>> and finally, it's time to show some pup news. "pop news," pup news. this morning, we're celebrating rescue dogs everywhere, tomorrow is dogust 1st, a holiday created by our friends at north shore animal league america to celebrate rescue dogs and birthdays. right now, we're going to highlight a few of the adorable pups up for adoption at north shore. shea, senior dog, 10 years old. a birthday wish to find a loving family and rocco is nine, knows how to sit and paw and finally this is luna, her favorite things are toys that squeak and apparently she has no problem sporting a party hat. these dogs are going to celebrate their big day with a party tomorrow. if you want to send them some love, check out north shore america league's amazon wish list to purchase birthday gifts for the dogs awaiting adoption. >> that's where i got

and whit, from l.a. county, with this mask mandate, to utah, to tennessee there in your report, to new york city this evening, news on the virus in the yankees/red sox game. >> reporter: david, a number of trends moving in the wrong direction. major league baseball making that announcement late today that tonight's game between the red sox and yankees will be postponed after three pitchers tested positive. this is just the eighth game so far this year to be postponed due to covid, but the first since mid-april. david? >> all right, whit johnson leading us off tonight. whit, thank you. >>> now to the other major news this thursday night, the dangerous and record-breaking heat. the fourth heat wave now in the west in just five weeks. nearly two-thirds of the west in extreme or exceptional drought. the heat and smoke from wildfires making conditions even worse. and then the flash floods in the southwest. we have remarkable pictures tonight. abc's kayna whitworth on the growing concern over climate change an

i'm whit johnson in new york.ll send you back to regular programming and for those out west that's "good morning "good morning america." have a good day. >>> zbla this has been a special report from abc news. th dupixen, 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 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, parasitic infection. if you takn't an o them thout . when you help heal your skin from within, talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. when we really, really want something, talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, (whispers) come on greg. it's hard to wait. ♪ ♪ that's why carmax gives you an instant online offer for your car. the way it should be. carmax. (vo) we made a promise to our boy blue that we would make the heal

whit? cecilia, now to the billionaire tycoon who promised to revolutionize the trucking with electric vehicles now indicted for fraud. prosecutors say trevor milton, quote, lied about nearly every aspect of the business. victor oquendo has the latest. >> reporter: his company marketed as a game changer. >> we've built something that no one else thought was possible. >> reporter: cleaner vehicles powered by hydrogen and electricity. >> for every doubter that said that there is no way this is true, how can that be possible? we've done it. >> reporter: now the founder of nikola motor company, trevor milton is being charged with securities fraud. >> do you have anything to say? >> we have a statement. check it out. >> reporter: milton seen leaving a manhattan courthouse thursday charged by federal prosecutors who say he lied about every aspect of his truck of the future. >> milton claimed that the nikola one could be driven when, in fact, the closest it ever came to driving was when a group of

let's get back to whit johnson here in new york. know the fda giving us a better sense of a time line to move from emergency use authorization of the pfizer vaccine to a full approval of the pfizer vaccine, and i know many health experts hope this could be an important step to convincing more people that this is not temporary. it would be a full approval. >> reporter: david, the fda granted that accelerated six-month time line for review. this could give full approval to the pfizer vaccine in those 16 and orlandolder by january 2022. some think this might persuade businesses and schools to require vaccines and perhaps give those on the fence more confidence to go ahead and get their shots. david? >> whit johnson, we know you'll be anchoring this broadcast tomorrow night. >>> in the meantime, we know a lot of you at home have questions on this fast moving delta variant. the u.s. back to more than 1,000 cases an hour on average, mostly among the unvaccinated. but there are these reports of breakthrough cases, even if you're vaccinated

david. >> whit johnson battling the plans siren. we heard just about every word, whit. thank you. >>> as i mentioned off the top a renewed debate with the variant spreading among the unvaccinated. millions of schoolchildren under 12 still not eligible for the vaccine. should students be wearing masks? tonight parents divided and kayna whitworth in chandler, arizona, where you're about to hear the arguments parents are making on both sides. but the american academy of pediatrics urging kids to have your kids vaccinated or not to wear masks to protect everyone. >> reporter: with millions under 12 a renewed debate over masks as the delta variant spreads across the u.s. and students return to school. in arizona, they opened their doors with no mask regulations in place decision up to parents. jennifer lewis' sixth grader kellan is too young to be vaccinated and lives in a multi-generational household. she decided he will wear a mask in school. so you wish there was a mask mandate in place? >> i do. yeah, i wish there was. >> i don't want to get sick and bring it home to my

>> first up, whit, we're starting with rapid x.ek, modern, fast chargers and all of them are designed to accommodate multiple devices at one time. so whether you need a seven-unit charger that's going to sit on a desktop or counter or want something for your car that stretches from front seat to backseat to accommodate five passengers, we've got a variety of options there, all as i said fast charging and they're all 50% off so they start today at $7.50. then we're going to hustle clean and i'm going to need a little vanna whit action here. >> here we go. i got my wipes and ready. >> these are hygiene at your finger-types. think of them as a disposable washcloth. they are extra thick to wipe re aer vy , dirt, body odor, camp, hiking, you name it, when you just need to clean off from head to toe, this is going to do it for you. you will get 30 wipes today for $15. then we move to easy breezy, women's flip-flops from floopie. they are made with a cushy footbed with the same material made on yoga mats. extremely comfortable, durable, n

>> whit johnson battling the ambulance siren there, and we heard just about every word, whit. thank you. >>> as i mentioned off the top tonight, a renewed debate with this variant spreading so quickly among the unvaccinated. millions of schoolchildren under 12 still not eligible for the vaccine just as they prepare to head back to school. so should students be wearing masks? tonight, parents are divided. abc's kayna whitworth in chandler, arizona, where you're about to hear the arguments parents are making on both sides. but the american academy of pediatrics tonight urging parents to have your kids vaccinated or not to wear masks to protect everyone. >> reporter: tonight, with millions under 12 not able to get the covid vaccine, a renewed debate over masks as the delta variant spreads across the u.s. and students return to school. in arizona, the chandler unified school district opening their doors today with no mask regulations in place, leaving that decision to parents. jennifer lewis' sixth grader kellan is too young to be vaccinated and lives in a multi-generational house

. >> reporter: good morning, whit. the world waits to see if simone biles will compete again here in tokyo. meanwhile, team usa has been racking up the medals, but from covid to more athletes in quarantine sounding the alarm about their conditions in isolation, what's happening outside the games is grabbing a lot of attention. new overnight, simone biles pulling herself out of one of her strongest and most anticipated event finals, the vault along with the uneven bars. no word if biles will compete on the floor exercise and balance beam. usa gymnastics saying she's still being evaluated and praised her for handling the situation with courage and grace and biles revealing on instagram earlier this week revealing that her air awareness is off experiencing the twisties writing for anyone saying i quit i didn't quit. my mind and body are simply not in sync, posting this video showing her land hard on her back. mykayla skinner who thought her competition time in tokyo was over is now replacing biles in the vault finals. the

good morning to you, whit.he gold for team usa but guess what, now we have some answers. overnight team usa making a huge splash at the olympic games. caeleb dressel dominating the men's 100-meter freestyle winning the gold by less than a second and setting a new olympic record time for the race. in a nail-biting relay, the u.s. women grabbing silver anchored by superstar katie ledecky missing the gold by just 0.4 seconds and let's not forget about diving. the u.s. grabbing silver in men's synchronized three-meter springboard. while simone biles takes her future at the games day by day, overnight biles tweeting, the outpouring of love and support i've received has made me realize i'm more than my accomplishments and gymnastics, which i never truly believed before. now, these games are still taking place in the middle of a pandemic. that's important to note and unfortunately overnight u.s. pole vaulter sam kendricks tested positive for covid-19. he is now officially out of the olympics, the 28-year-old was seen

maggie, good morning. >> reporter: hey, whit, good morning. you know, it was really special to be there to see the pope come out on the balcony outside his hospital. i was waiting with the crowds as they were praying and singing. but the moment he walked out, everyone just erupted into cheers. many screaming -- [ speaking foreign language ] long live the pope. but this was the first time the public has been able to see the pope in exactly one week. that's when he went in for that surgery on his intestine right after last week's prayers on sunday, so for many, they were looking to make sure he was okay. but the good news is that by all accounts, he looked healthy. he was standing on his own. he was reciting prayers in a loud, powerful voice. and he was even smiling, and he took the time to thank people for their prayers this week, and he also brought in a few children who were patients in the hospital to stand by his side. what was so special about the prayer today is that it means so much to so many people. we had the chance to meet people in

whit. >> zohreen shah for us, thank you. >>> joining us now is dr.l offit, a vaccine specialist at the children's hospital of philadelphia and a member of the fda's advisory panel. dr. offit, good morning. it's good to have you. with the delta variant and the rise in cases, los angeles county and about ten other counties in california are now bringing back their indoor mask mandates. do you think other american communities should do the same now and were some of these restrictions lifted too soon? >> well, you learn as you go. i think what's happened is that in some communities that are relatively undervaccinated, you're seeing a surge in cases again. in those communities, yes, i think bringing back the mask mandate helps. i mean, you would hope that since we have enough vaccine to vaccinate everybody in the country over 12 years of age that people would readily take up that vaccine but what we're finding is the hardest part of this whole pandemic was not constructing a vaccine or mass distributing or mass producing or mass administering the vaccine,

>> yes, there is wit. -- whit. and right now we're looking at a potential make-or-break week or several weeks on the agenda. the bipartisan infrastructure and voting recognizes that gets moved to the side. there hasn't been a lot of progress there. some of the foreign policy challenges adding in immigration. all of these things are collapsing on biden and the white house. now biden has prided himself on his ability to set the agenda to keep that slower pace in washington, but things are going to pick up quite a bit in these next couple of weeks. at least that's the hope among democrats in the white house that this is their prime slatei done. ofoue stoat k te this morning. rick klein will be part of the powerhouse round table there. and martha raddatz interviews the surgeon general about vaccine hesitancy, and the los angeles board of supervisors chair hilda solis discusses the decision on mask mandates. >>> a water park in texas was closed in texas. there was a chemical leak there. dozens of people were sent to be

. >> good morning, again, whit.blasio says a mandatory vaccine passport is being seriously considered for most social activities here in new york city and the goal is to make the vaccines more appealing. right now, there is a truly alarming rise in cases and hospitalizations across the country that may not peak for months. overnight, a potential major change for fully vaccinated americans. "the new york times" reporting senior health officials in the biden administration now believe a third shot may be necessary for recipients of the pfizer or moderna vaccines who are 65 and older or who have compromised immune systems. this possible booster shot comes amid a grim pandemic outlook heading into the fall. a new model predicting the summer surge we're seeing now could keep rising until mid-october. >> what we don't know is how bad this is going to get. >> reporter: st. louis is bringing back indoor mask mandates for everyone, but the missouri attorney general says he'll file a lawsuit monday to stop it as the delta var

whit. >> elwyn, thank you. following this morning, one pilot is fighting for his life, and another is in serious condition after a crash landing in the ocean off the coast of hawaii. now investigators are trying to find out what went wrong. abc's zohreen shah has the latest and the video of the rescue. zohreen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, whit. the u.s. coast guard tells me they have trained for this moment their whole lives, and when they saw those two pilots alive, they knew everything they had done their entire careers was worth it. >> we've lost number one engine, and we're coming straight to the airport. >> reporter: this morning, the u.s. coast guard rescue crews speaking out about the critical decisions leading them to successfully rescue both pilots after their cargo plane crash landed near hawaii. >> this is a very small margin for error. >> reporter: this maui-bound 737 taking off from honolulu friday morning. just three minutes in, two miles off the coast, one engine fails then the secon

. >> whit welcomed me with coffee. i mean, it's been great. >> it's top notch quality. >> he didn't offer me coffee. >> you didn't drink it. only the new people drink that coffee. but it's great to have you on the desk. we're going to have a fun morning. we do have a busy morning and a lot to cover, so we do begin with that summer surge of covid-19 cases. nationwide the daily case average is now up 251% since mid-june. >> and the rising cases leading some school districts to tighten protocols. public schools in chicago and atlanta are requiring masks for all students this fall. >> as the highly transmissible delta variant spreads across the country, the push to get more people vaccinated is growing in urgency. so far more than 162 million americans are fully vaccinated. that's nearly half of the total population. abc's trevor ault is in times square with the latest. good morning to you, trevor. >> reporter: good morning, eva. here in new york city the mayor says they're considering mandatory vaccine passports for most

james, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, whit.hey're doing everything they can but it was probably inevitable, the first case of coronavirus inside the olympic village. now, we understand it's not an athlete but it is a visiting official concerned with the organization of the games and now they are quarantining in a hotel here in tokyo. that brings the total number of 44 people who have tested positive around these games. now, we're also hearing about the first hospitalization because of covid at these olympic games, a nigerian official arrived here on thursday, they're in their 60s, so they were taken immediately to the hospital here with mild symptoms. they have it's understood a pre-existing condition so they did that out of an abundance of caution but certainly not good. i went to the olympic village today and saw for myself a whole series of high-rise buildings in the center of tokyo where all these thousands of athletes will be staying but they're not allowed to come and go at all. but for their training or to compete in the

abc's whit johnson has the latest. good morning, whit. >> reporter: george, good morning.ools. the debate over masks heating up once again amid new concerns about the delta variant and a rise in cases across the country. this morning, the u.s. facing a covid resurgence. new cases tripling in the last month driven in part by the delta variant now estimated to make up 83% of new infections. hospital admissions on the rise in 36 states. >> this group that we're seeing now absolutely could and should have been prevented. this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. >> reporter: and now growing concern about unvaccinated children. more than 23,000 new pediatric cases in the last week. twice as many as the end of june. in georgia, the family of wyatt gibson says he was a healthy 5-year-old before passing away on friday. they say he contracted several infections including covid, strep and staph days before. the latest surge raising questions about breakthrough infections. overnight, an outbreak in provincetown, massachusetts, growing to at least 256 cases, officials saying mo

whit johnson has the latest on all of that. good morning, whit. >> reporter: amy, good morning.and across the country the cdc is now predicting an increase in hospital admissions over the next month. now, positive covid cases nationwide jumped nearly 87% since mid-june. in los angeles, cases are up 500% over the last month. the rapid rise of the delta variant now putting an urgent focus on children. seven children in mississippi are being treated now in icus including one younger than a year old. two of the children on ventilators. health experts say they're also seeing more severe symptoms in children who test positive for the delta variant and earlier this morning on "gma," the cdc director, dr. rochelle walensky saying that only about 0% of eligible kids are fully vaccinated and that now is the moment, now is the time to double down on those vaccination efforts before the school year begins. michael. >> all right, thank you, whit. >>> now we'll turn to help on the way for tens of millions of americans with the new child tax credit rolling out this morning. chief business corr

haven't seen whit in over a week. he's grilling me about my daughter's birthday party. >> he wants good weather. >> it's her birthday party today and you're bringing bad weather. >> if it's a slide bouncy house, the more water the better. it will be fine. >> it's the lightning we're worried about. happy birthday to my wonderful daughter, summer. >> we hope the lightning holds off for her party. thanks, rob. >>> to the olympics now. the tokyo summer games going strong after a year's wait due to the pandemic. not a great start for the u.s. abc's kenneth moton is in tokyo with the latest. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, eva. the delayed olympics have been so weird, so strange, so unusual. we shouldn't have been surprised it was an historically bad day one for team usa. it appears our athletes are bouncing back. this morning one, two, three for team usa swimmers. gold and silver and simone manual and the relay team taking bronze. >> there is simone manual. >> reporter: this hug during the medal ceremony

welcome to alex whit reports. we're going to start with breaking news out of texas because the state senate is starting to hear from voters about the new and controversial republican-backed measures to restrict voting. let's go right to msnbc's priscilla thompson at the state capital in austin. what can you tell us about these proceedings so far today? who is talking, who seems to have a majority of voice there, if you can tell that thus far? >> reporter: yeah, hey, alex. certainly a very busy day here at the state capital. gaveling in now. first up is going to be the controversial voting bill. they haven't gotten to the voting bill yet, but i will tell you when we got here this morning, hundreds of people were lined up to get inside that committee room in order to give their testimony and were prepared to give their testimony. there are several overflow rooms where folks are able to sit and listen and wait until they hear their names called. and it is going to be quite a long day. i will tell you most of the folk

whit? >> get that early start. elwyn lopez, thanks so much. >>> let's bring in everett kelly the president of afge, the union representing tsa workers. everett, good morning to you. thanks for joining us on this fourth of july. we're seeing people traveling in record numbers as you just heard, even topping pre-pandemic levels. we know there are major staffing shortages. not just at tsa, but with the airlines as well. what should travelers expect for the rest of the holiday weekend? >> thank you for having me this morning. it's good to be here. that's a great question. as we know, travel is picking up. it's tremendous. we can expect increased wait times. we also can expect the continued professionalism of the tsa. we have to remember that these are the same employees that worked during the longest shutdown in history without receiving a paycheck. also one of the deadliest pandemics the world has ever known. they worked every day because they're patriotic workers at tsa. you can expect them to be courteous, while at

i have huge respect for what he is doing and i know he has huge respect for our team as well. >> whit. abc news new york. >> and disney wants to shine a light on the magic around us. 50 magic makers will win a trip to celebrate it's 50th anniversary. magic comes in all shapes and sizes from simple act acts of kindness. they are celebrating this ever day magic and need your help. if you know someone inspiring you can nominate them now. go to disney magic makers.com or you can use the hash tag disney magic makers on social media to share your story. disney is the parent company of abc7. >>> still ahead on abc7 mornings. there has been an increase in the need for mental health suppose during the pandemic. we have tips on how to find help if you need it. >>> and a live look outside as we head to break. a foggy gray this saturday, july 4th weekend. saturday, july 4th weekend. we will check in so, you have diabetes, here are some easy rules. no sugar. no pizza. no foods you love. stressed? no stress. exercise. but no days off! easy, no? no. no. no. no. but with freestyle libre 14 day, you c

whit johnson standing by. >>> also tonight, major concerns

whit johnson standing by. >>> also tonight, major concerns about the virus on the eve of

welcome to alex whit reports. we're beginning with the rising number of covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths. the daily averages in the u.s. are averaged at 49,746, that's more than 28,000 hospitalizations, 270 deaths and 49% are fully vaccinated of those patients. the new outbreaks are driven by the delta variant and as millions of americans continue to hold out against getting the shot patience is running thin among health care providers and the vaccinated as we hear from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> growing frustration from those on the front line of the pandemic that should not be spiraling out of control again. >> it's a little bit like being on the titanic and offering life boats and have people turn you down. >> if you are dying today in america from covid, it's because essentially you're unvaccinated. why would you want to die? >> this 33-year-old nearly did die, telling us she's still not sure about getting vaccinated. >> i don't want to be -- i don't want to just jump into something not being 100% sure abou

whit johnson has the details. good morning, whit. >> reporter: michael, good morning. richard sherman is one of the biggest names in football. a decade in the nfl between the seahawks and 49ers. at one point authorities say sherman's father-in-law sprayed sherman with bear mace and then grabbed a firearm to protect himself. new security footage obtained by abc affiliate komo-tv appears to show richard sherman violently trying to break into his in-laws' home in redmond, washington. the super bowl winner facing several charges this morning over the alleged domestic violence incident. >> richard, please stop. >> reporter: 911 calls apparently made by sherman's wife depict a chaotic scene in the early morning hours wednesday. >> he is trying to leave. in the house he's being aggressive. he's wrestling with my uncle. he's threatening to kill himself. >> reporter: his wife saying sherman was intoxicated. >> my husband is drunk and belligerent. if the police show up, please don't shoot is what i'm asking. >> reporter: at one point he crashed his car into a construction barrie

because if the president is whit, then he's often felt nbc, a close supporter. so trump, supposedly, of, of hillary clinton. so would it would, a hillary clinton presidency endangered, the nato lines, and the ability to store american nuclear weapons and engine base and uses base to bomb iraq and syria. and the reason why i think either government is potentially a problem because, i mean that's, that was in turkey, very serious business. hundreds of people have died that a 100000 people have been fight arrested in the post page in it opportunistically, in some cases of political enemy to vote again, in other cases, trying to purge the society of the newly moving because depending foundations, major donors include members over the movement of the ones as were responsible for the attempted data. right? so i mean that again, going to look at that and treat clinton and suspiciously. but i mean, you know, regardless of who becomes president, deny, if you have an extremely large bureaucracy intelligence proxy that has it in mind anything. so he's going to look and lis

however full cost wise rain on monday bit better on tuesday, windy and whit again, on wednesday it is not over. the risk remains of further landslides, this heavy rain to forecast, to be in the philippines stickly lose on, but also the central islands and for the south silhouette whose bit drove and it was with popular probably wetter sumatra is also wet, but that is seasonally correct. and not that extraordinary, by the dryer in java, and you'll see in rather wetter probably in thailand, cambodia and laos. as a monsoon, rain is showing most of his f moment up in nepal, baton the northeast of india and bangladesh. it's hot, further west sponsor cut on airways. it's just again, it's a way of life. every. every shot every day brings us together. we travel since miles. so we can say we were. we flew every month and going with a game exist unique and together. it's more than just the getting me ah ah, i talked stories on 0 thousands of people who are taking part in demonstrations in brazil against president dr. watson. i was handling of the corona virus. he's also under investigation for

and they've done it again. incidentally, argentina whitting, the bronze medal. i'm in that play match against great britain. our members, some amazing scenes of the fiji team returning home with the gold medals all conquering here. i expect some equally fantastic pictures in the coming days. once again, that final really did bring home the stall reality of these games. this venue, the stadium held a lot of games during the 2019 rugby world cup. it was packed, then thought events so popular with the japanese public. the tickets for this final would have been hot tickets. everybody would have wanted to come instead, the game played pretty much in front of m. t stands with just a few members of the media, a few officials and, and piped crowd noise coming in through the loud speakers. but that is the reality of hosting and olympics during the midst of the panoramic. the women 7th gets underway on thursday with the final is much back here on saturday. all right, and richardson reporting live from tokyo and well get much more from you coming up later on. australia is

. >> reporter: tonight, a sharp shift on booster shots from the whit "the new york times" reporting senior h and older. >> as long as is world is not fully vaccinated, this virus will continue to replicate and mutate, and it increases the chances that we will need a regular vaccine series. >> reporter: this week, independent advisers to the cdc urged that all regulators move quickly on a decision for a booster, saying people with weakened immune systems have a higher chance of breakthrough infections. while the pfizer and moderna vaccines await full fda approval, the cdc may be working around that. the chief medical officer on the covid-19 vaccine task force saying they're looking at ways to provide early access to a booster shot. the administration previously saying there wasn't enough evidence for boosters. nationwide, the numbers keep climbing. the seven-day average for new infections is up more than 50% from last week. in hard-hit missouri, cases shot up 70% in just two weeks. researchers say the delta variant is fueling the surge. >> the uk variant was the most contagious virus we'd e

she qualified for the 100 meter spring semi final on friday, whitting, her heat uncomfortably in 1st place 10 track and field athletes were ruled as in eligible for turkey games 3 days ago for failing to meet the minimum testing requirements. olympic organizes have acknowledged the 1st time the people within the protective bubble have been mixing with the white a japanese population, but they insist there's no link between the games and the record. spike in the virus numbers in the capitol and richardson now from tokyo. this was a day when fans should have been keeping up at so close national stadium to watch the 1st track and field events. instead, a view of the olympic rings outside the venue is the best they can hopeful due to concerns over the spread of corona virus. the japanese public is being kept away from the athletes organizes in 5th. these competitors attested more often to koby 19 than any other community in the world and say there is no link between the gangs taking place and infection rates hitting record levels in this city. but olympic officials have the 1st time admi

backed off a bit from most of india, but for the northeast and for the poll and back the dash, it's whit ah, the be part of the debate itself just to end in the us or in the u. k. because it will just come back again when no topic is off the table. what we wanted to talk about were glen white man touching our loud this dream, where a global audience becomes a global community, jumping to the comment, question, and part of those discussion. there are like kinetic efforts to silence fell opinions on the online face on al jazeera. ah ah, you're wondering how does it reminded i tell stories this out of the world health organizations warning against what it calls a global to to system when it comes to acceptance of different corona virus vaccines. b, u has rolled out a covered 1900 parts to make things easier, vaccinated travelers, but it's only approved for vaccines. china is mocking the chinese communist parties from tannery with celebrations across the country. president changing address formation from gentlemen square said the ita of china being bullied is over forever . the chief financi

when you're indoors, you're unvaccinated, keep your whits about you. >> the white house is sending response teams to a lot of areas affected most by the delta variant. i'm curious what do you do? >> keep the conversation going. i was having this dialogue with friends, family members, even fellow workers. keep the conversation going. we can't let up. dr. fauci and others are talking about the fact there are two americas. there have always been two americas. we have always been plagued by ineq inequities. unfortunately the unvaccinated are among communities of color and in some poorer regions and neighborhoods. we have to have good cultural, social fluency sense. we have to know what's going to move the needle in those person's lives. this is increasingly a pandemic of the unvaccinated. those being unvaccinated and changing their lives. >> doctor, quickly, there was one expert that told cnn this week that unvaccinated people are, quote, potential variant factories. give us your assessment of how quickly we may see another variant, perhaps deadlier than the delta variant. >> as long as this pa