>> 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 li

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. >> reporter: tonight with the opening ceremony a day away, our first glimpse of some of the stars of these extraordinary games. masks on for the women's gymnastics team arriving for practice. and for a brief moment covid forgotten as simone biles defies gravity in her much anticipated all-around routine. but with concerns about covid usa gymnastics confirming to abc news that they have moved out of the olympic village and into a hotel. at least 91 people are now positive inside the olympic bubble, 10 of them athletes. across tokyo the numbers rising, once again reaching a six-month high with nearly 2,000 cases a day. and first lady jill biden has arrived in tokyo for her first solo international trip, 1 of just 950

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

>> 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 and these extremes. she's on the shore of utah's great salt lake with what they've had to do there tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the national weather service is warning that the coming heat wave could break more records and fuel more fires antely brin triple-digit temperatures. nearly two-thirds of the west is in exceptional or extreme drought, the highest number since the government started t,d monsoon inmoving into the southwest seemed to do more harm than good. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: washing away cars and stranding this family on top of their

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

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 holiday, the first with the pandemic in retreat. more than 47 million americans are on the move this long weekend satisfying the pent hti terminal two 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 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 coast, atlanta, chicago, detroit and minneapolis. >> i'm just excited to get out of here and do something new and different. >> reporter: at l.a.x. a bomb scare

i'm whit johnson in new york. david will be right back here tomorrow night.ponders had their hands full. >>> airports were packed with people. >>> as travel increases, worry over a new covid-19 variate. >>> building a better bay area. moving forward and finding solutions. this is abc7 news >>> it has been a busy holiday weekend at sfo and airports across the country despite very high ticket prices. >> you are watching abc7 news at 6:00 life on abc7. we have been tracking travel and our life at sfo. >> reporter: you know, things are looking pretty good here, all things considered.

i'm whit johnson in new york. david will be right back here tomorrow night.news . >> there were m 80s going off all over the place. >> the entire city was up all night extremely busy night with fires. >> illegal fireworks lighting up the skies all across the bay area. fireworks were not the only problem last night. >> thank you for joining us. you are watching abc7 news at 4:00. sad to say america's 245th birthday was marred by a wave of violence nationwide. more than 400 shootings were reported over the weekend. oakland saw its share of violence was one death and a total of seven shootings during a 15 hour period.hour period.ho. oakland police say those shootings, at least one homicide meant they did zero fireworks enforcement because they were overwhelmed with 911 calls. as laura anthony found, fire departments throughout the east bay were scrambling to respond to dozens of fire spurred by illegal fireworks >> 12 hours of nonstop chaos. >> reporter: it's not just the illegal fireworks. the reign of terror, violenterrn that left at least two people dead, and

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 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

i'm whit johnson. we begin tonight with the concerning summer surge in covid-19 cases across the country fueled by the highly contagious delta variant and a stalling vaccination rate. the u.s. now recording more than 43,000 cases per day. that's up nearly 51% in the past week, more than three types the number in mid-june. states where vaccinations are the lowest getting hit the hardest. in florida accounting for one in five new cases, concerns about a three-day outdoor music festival attracting large crowds, and in missouri the attorney general vowing to fight an indoor mask mandate in st. louis. nationwide more than 66% of the eligible population, those 12 and over, receiving at least one vaccine dose. more than 57% are fully vaccinated, and there are questions tonight about booster shots. will those with compromised immune systems need another dose? abc's trevor ault leads us off. >> reporter: tonight, the covid surge again filling up hospitals dredging up feelings of deja vu. across america this wee

who will be the first to make if into space in whit johnson has the details on the trip. >> the billionaireace is on. just weeks before amazon founder jeff bezoa's history making launch into space richard branson releasing video announcing he will blast off first. >> astronaut 001 richard branson. ly be looking at the customer space flight experience this july our dream will become a reality. >> his flight just over a week away scheduled nine days before bezos. >> i'm just expecting the most extraordinary trip of my lifetime and extraordinary trips of a lifetime rather people in the future. >> joining him are two pie loots and three mission specialists. he will fly with his brother, a mystery $28 million bidder and 82-year-old, who underwent astronaut training in the 60's buner nt in are gointobe >>fina >> they open the hatch and you step outside. what is the first thing you say? >> honey, that was the best thing to ever happened to me. >> with history on the line, branson remains courteous toward his rival insisting he doesn't see you it as a race. >> jeff has a different approach. we aren

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

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

abc's whit johnson joins us with the latest this morning. od morning, whit. >> reporter: michael, good morning. with the numbers moving in the wrong direction, new york city will soon require health care workers, city health care workers to either get vaccinated or get tested on a weekly basis. all of this happening 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: on tuesday, california reporting more than 5,000 new cases, numbers not seen since the winter surge five months ago. 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 gib

i'm whit johnson. we begin tonight with breaking news out of surfside, florida. just moments ago, officials announcing they have temporarily paused the search and rescue operations ahead of their plan to demolish what's left of the champlain towers south. that's to happen as soon as tomorrow with tropical storm elsa taking aim. governor ron desantis declaring a state of emergency for parts of florida ahead of the storm. elsa expected to pass to the west of the surfside area late monday into tuesday. but officials fearing the winds could be strong enough to bring down the remaining tower possibly on top of the pile, so they want to act quickly. this is a live look of what's left of the crippled tower. the confirmed death toll rising to 24 with more than 120 still missing and just miles from the collapse in north miami beach, officials ordering the evacuation of the ten-story crestview towers, hundreds of residents given hours to leave. a survey finding structural and electrical concerns making it unsafe. abc's trevor ault leads us off from surfside. >> reporter: t

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 johnson joins us with more n all of that. od morning, whit. >> reporter: amy, good morning to you. new york city, once the epicenter of the pandemic has made a remarkable recovery, but cases here have more than doubled in the last week. fueled by the delta variant and across the country the cdc is now predicting an increase in hospital admissions over the next month. this morning, the highly contagious delta variant gripping the nation, positive covid cases across the country rising nearly 87% since mid-june. in los angeles, cases are up 500% over the past month. cedars-sinai hospital reporting a seven-fold increase in covid hospitalizations in two weeks. hels officials say the majority of those patients are unvaccinated, 20 to 40-year-olds. the rapid rise of the delta variant now putting an urgent focus on children, those under 12 still not eligible for a vaccine. health officials in utah, where there are no mandatory covid protocols in place, say they investigated outbreaks at ten different summer camps in one week. >> this

we'll have complete details coming up on "world news tonight" with my colleague whit johnson.thia in the bottom of your bowl like a salad dressing and then drop the warm potatoes in there and you crush them up a little and you can cut them. a dash of pickle juice and chopped pickles. it just gives it that little tartness, that little vibrancy, a little bit of extra acidity and you can see that it's not really heavy and mayonnaisy but it has so much flavor. >> we only have a few seconds here. what's your pro tip on this dish? >> okay, so, potatoes come in all sizes, big, small, separate them by size and cook them in different pots so that you get all perfectly cooked potatoes. >> love that and, alex, one more for you. you also have some grilling tips for us as well to go along with these sides. what do you got? >> yeah, so just basic, turn on your grill, clean it. give it a brush, so important, right. when we're in a panic, don't crowd your grill. we don't like a crowded subway car or we don't like to be packed like sardines, do the same for your grill. separate your meat and v

very important, watch "world news tonight" with our man, our friend whit johnson at the helm. >> mighte to wake up with idris, ryan, john and margot? your mornings are looking sunny and so good. next week on -- >>> good morning i am liz kreutz. more bay area tech companies are delaying office returns until the next year because of concerns of delta variant. san mateo-based roadblocks is delaying his return until january 4th from mid-september. september-based sonnet is allowing its return from the fall to next february and lyft delayed his return until next february. uber can return earlier on october 25th. google and apple are postponing mandatory returns until october. >>> today a chance to come together to spread the aloha spirit organizers of the trenton hosting a pop-up event called aloha by the bay but it starts at noon in san francisco speas plaza and attendees can inspect every afternoon of island music and dance.>> hopefully when everybody comes to japan town this weekend, not only will they spends all the love we will be spreading out from the stage, but also continue that lo

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

i'm whit johnson alongside eva pilgrim, will reeve. a lot of people recovering this morning. some still celebrating in times square. >> yeah, right outside. >> exactly. >> another sign we're getting closer to normal here, the fireworks in new york city. incredible, just one of the places across the country celebrating july 4th. >> and now the rush is on. millions of americans on the move this morning trying to get home. you are looking live at dallas love field airport. that's from our affiliate wfaa. we'll tell you what you need to know right now. >>> also this morning, the latest on pope francis' planned procedure. amy robach is live standing by at the vatican with the latest on his recovery. that is just ahead. >>> but first, though, we begin with that news overnight, crews demolishing the rest of that collapsed apartment building in florida as tropical storm elsa takes aim at the state. officials fearing it would cause the rest of it to collapse. our trevor ault is in florida for us with the very latest. trevor, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, whit. on its face t