That happens, saying some americans will have the vaccine in hours, not days. The long lines tonight. Americans in several states waiting hours to be tested. Some are doing this as a safeguard before thanksgiving. And the images tonight, some Grocery Store shelves empty again and the Grocery Store chains now limiting what customers can buy. President trump still refusing to work with the Incoming Administration on a plan for vaccine distribution, among other things. President elect joe biden saying people could die, that they should be working together. And the Vice President elect Kamala Harris on the hill today, welcomed by republican senator lindsey graham. President trump reducing troop levels in iraq and afghanistan, just days before president elect biden takes office. The pentagon now making it official tonight and Martha Raddatz is standing by. The devastating images from italy tonight. Their second wave and its heartbreaking. The scenes from so many hospitals. The americans making history in space. The moment overnight. And news this evening about dolly parton, already a national treasure, her major gift tonight and its going to help this country make it through this pandemic. Weve always known shes america strong. Good evening and its great to have you with us here on a tuesday night. And we begin tonight with the coronavirus and the alarming new numbers. Cases on the rise now in every state. And tonight, november is now already the worst month for the virus since this pandemic began. More than 2 million new cases this month alone, already a record with, of course, two weeks to go. And of course, thanksgiving also nearing. Theres also news tonight from pfizer, what the ceo said about emergency authorization now and once that happens, saying the first shipments would be out within hours here in the u. S. Hospitalizations rising in 49 of 50 states now. More than 73,000 americans in the hospital fighting this virus. More than 248,000 lives have now been lost and tonight, the heartbreaking stories emerging from doctors and nurses on the front lines. Theyre the ones seeing this, fighting this and many say, theyre now at a breaking point. Tonight, more states imposing restrictions. Just today, new curfews in ohio and maryland now. And the governor of iowa tonight, who railed against masks, calling them a feelgood measure, now mandating masks in her state. And the long lines for testing are now back. With the holiday approaching, these images from los angeles tonight repeated across the country. And another image we have not seen in months. Some Grocery Stores with empty shelves now. Supermarkets limiting what you can buy again. It is a lot tonight. Well carefully take you through it all and we begin with abcs chief National Correspondent matt gutman reporting from oklahoma tonight. Reporter tonight, in hospitals across the country like this one in lawton, oklahoma, theyre running out of beds and equipment, but the patients keep coming. How far do you think you are from the breaking point . Weve had a day last week where we were down to one ventilator. We had a day this weekend where we had to pull the ventilator out of an ambulance and put someone on a transport ventilator. Reporter tonight, with more americans hospitalized than ever with covid, over 73,000, and the calvary isnt coming. Everyone in the country is dealing with this and we have no help. We have no support. Reporter behind that snarl of tubes, curtis sims is fighting for his life. He first felt ill on halloween. One floor down we met his wife of 37 years, suzanne. His chest will rise and then hell get one little syllable out of there or something and so, youre trying to help him by saying the word for him and then he gets frustrated if its not what he wants to say. Reporter and when she dropped him off at the hospital ten days ago, she realized she might never see him again. You just go to the parking lot and sit and cry. Reporter with his condition deteriorating, doctors put him on a ventilator two nights ago. So, the hospital has started to allow some visitors to visit loved ones. And they told us that they would actually allow you to get into ppe and be able to see your husband, curtis. If thats okay with you. Yes. It would be great. Reporter down the hallway and up the stairs to the icu, we suited up in full ppe before going inside curtis room. I love you. I cant believe i actually got to come see you. Reporter tenderly stroking his arm. You keep fighting. You got this. Reporter we left them alone. This hospital is at over 100 capacity. The problem is, everywhere else is full, so, when someone comes in, when someone comes in the hospital and they need icu care, theres nowhere to send them. Reporter what happens if a bus crashes on the interstate and there are a whole bunch of people that need intensive care . Ah, then you see all these people that are doing the ground work they do more. All you can do. Reporter this is what keeps you up at night. This is im not sleeping very well these days. Reporter its happening everywhere. This nurse in nebraska exhausted. We have, i think they said, ten covid units and one of those is just a place for people to go and pass away, unfortunately. Reporter nurses outside philadelphia walking off the job today, saying theyre not equipped to face this surge. In battered el paso, where jail inmates are being deployed to load bodies into morgue trucks, nurse Ashley Bartholomew quit when she reached a breaking point. One of her patients comparing covid to the flu. You just feel defeated. Am i making a difference anymore . Because im here and heres this patient who is in the icu and is still clearly confused on how real covid is. And so lets get to matt gutman with us live from oklahoma. And matt, we know vaccinemaker pfizer announcing it is now ready, that they have met the requirements, they say, to now ask for emergency use authorization for its vaccine . Reporter its an important milestone, david. Pfizer now announcing that it has all the necessary safety data to begin that application for emergency use from the fda. It says it could even file that application in a number of days. Now, the fda says it might need about two to four weeks to actually get that approval in the can. Now, pfizer has been working on its distribution plan, its got a Pilot Program with four states across the country. And the company says as soon as it gets that approval, it could begin shipping out those precious vials that very night. David . There is some hope ahead of us. Matt, thank you. And of course, those images today, long lines for testing in so many states. And now empty shelves at some Grocery Stores in this country. In fact, some supermarkets are now placing limits on just how much you can buy again. Abcs Stephanie Ramos on that part of the story. Reporter tonight, covid testing lines growing as people from coast to coast scramble to get tested before the thanksgiving holiday. In massachusetts, people waiting in line for hours. I passed the twohour mark an hour ago. Im sure theyre doing the best they can and i think that the people that are doing this have are almost selfless, theyre putting themselves in front of people that could be sick. Reporter in new york, officials reporting record testing. In california, this was the line outside Dodger Stadium monday night. Officials across the country urging people to either skip their holiday gatherings or celebrate only with those they live with. Colleges and universities telling students to remain on campus or follow strict rules to stay safe. We are also seeing a lot of people that are just getting tested because they want to have license to go socialize with each other. And unfortunately, that is not the phase of the pandemic that we are in right now. Reporter as more people take tests, theyre also stocking up on essentials. Shoppers posting images to social media showing empty store shelves, as publix becomes one of the supermarkets to bring back purchasing limits on some products. David, the fda says positive results from covid tests are highly accurate, but there is a chance still of getting a false negative. Medical experts are warning people that even after testing, they should still socially distance and wear masks. David . Really important reminder. Stephanie, thank you. And as we report here tonight on this virus surge across the country, President Trump still refusing to concede and refusing to cooperate with any transition work, as is always done. And that includes working together with president elect joe biden on a plan to distribute these vaccines as soon as theyre approved. Heres mary bruce. Reporter two weeks after election day and the transition in limbo, president elect joe biden today briefed on National Security issues by outside advisers, because President Trump is denying him access to anyone inside the government. You know that ive been unable to get the briefings that ordinarily would have come by now. Reporter trump also blocking bidens team from briefings on the pandemic, frustrating not just for the president elect, but for dr. Anthony fauci as well. Its important at every level to have a smooth transition. Reporter but holed up in the white house, President Trump confuses to concede. Tonight, he fired his administrations top security election official in a tweet, for insisting the election was the most secure in the countrys history. The official, christopher krebs, has publicly rejected the president s claims of widespread fraud. And because of that, tonight trump announced credibles was termina krebs was terminated. It comes as georgia is ongoing, and the republican secretary of state Brad Raffensperger says hes getting Death Threats after coming under attack from trump and his allies. How does it feel to come under this kind of fire from members of your own party . Well, its surprising at some of the vitriol and outright lies and some of the threats that you get. I would have thought republicans were better than that. Reporter raffensperger even says one of the president s top allies, senator lindsey graham, tried to pressure him, asking if legally cast votes could be tossed out. Whats going through your mind when hes making these requests . Well, i think, you know, i am a republican and, again, can we be influenced . And we have laws in place and we have security protocols in place and i have to follow the law. Reporter at the end of the day, when this recount is done, do you expect the results to change significantly . No. Reporter you expect joe biden to be the winner, fair and square . Fair and square. Reporter graham categorically denies he tried to pressure his fellow republican into doing anything inappropriate. I want to make sure that were taking the precautions necessary to validate signatures like we do when we show up on election day. Reporter on capitol hill today, senator Kamala Harris back on the senate floor for the First Time Since becoming Vice President elect, congratulated by her colleagues, including some republicans. Lindsey graham right there, greeting her with a fist bump. All right, so, lets get to mary, shes with us live tonight from washington. We know Senate Republican leader Mitch Mcconnell telling reporters today that there will be an orderly transition from this administration to the next one. That was significant from the majority leader. But in the meantime, mary, we know theres breaking news tonight about the senates longest serving republican senator, Chuck Grassley of iowa, announcing hes tested positive for coronavirus . Reporter and david, the 87yearold tonight says he is feeling fine, but that he is following his Doctors Orders and is in quarantine. Grassleys absence from the hill today was notable, david. It was the first time hes missed a vote in 27 years. David . We wish him a swift recovery. Mary, thank you. And tonight, the pentagon is now making it official, President Trump is reducing troop levels in afghanistan and iraq, five days before president elect biden takes office. Heres Martha Raddatz. Reporter just over a week after President Trump fired defense secretary mark esper, who warned the white house of the dangers of a rapid withdrawal from afghanistan, trumps new defense secretary made it official. By january 15th, 2021, our forces their size in afghanistan will be 2,500 troops. Our force size in iraq will also be 2,500 by that same date. Reporter that will mean 2,000 fewer troops in afghanistan, 500 fewer in iraq, and a far more rapid drawdown than anyone planned. So, four years ago, President Trump ran on a promise to put a stop to americas endless wars. President trump is keeping that promise to the american people. Reporter but within hours of that announcement, rockets were launched near the u. S. Embassy in iraq, reportedly killing a child. And on capitol hill, the criticism was swift from both sides of the aisle, with fears the troops left behind will be more vulnerable. This is the wrong thing to do. We want our troops home, but lets not bring them home in body bags. I think a precipitous drawdown in either afghanistan or iraq would be a mistake. Cautious words from republicans and democrats late today. Martha, thats the situation with iraq and afghanistan, but youre also learning more about iran tonight, learning more about the president being talked out of a possible strike on iran on their Nuclear Facilities . Reporter thats right, david. Sources telling us the president asked his National Security team for options in iran, but they convinced him that a military strike could lead to a bigger conflict at a time when he is trying to get out of them. David . Martha raddatz on this again tonight for us. Martha, thank you. And overseas tonight, the heartwrenching images coming in from italy now. Their second wave gripping that country. We remember what we saw in italy before we saw it here and now they are suffering through a terrible new and deadly wave. Our senior Foreign Correspondent ian pannell from italy tonight. Reporter tonight, a heartbreaking scene. This is st. Anna hospital in como, italy. With hundreds of covid patients, its completely full. Doctors in full protective gear, tending to the elderly and the most vulnerable in the icu. Its incredible to see this up close. There are 15 beds here. Theyre at capacity, and still after all this time, the mortality rate is at 30 . Italy overcome by a second surge, going from 2,700 cases a day six weeks ago to 37,000. How long have they been all full . How many days . Its about a month. Reporter italy was the first in europe to be devastated by the pandemic. A Strict Lockdown slowly brought it under control, but as measures eased, cases rose again. The country reliving a nightmare. So lockdowns are back. Today, naples was the latest to see bars, restaurants and shops close once more. But in this nursing home in northern italy mama. Reporter theyre bringing some muchneeded comfort and light amidst the darkness and separation of covid. Its perhaps the emotion weve all missed the most, the warm embrace of a loved one. Even through the safety of a plastic barrier. How is she feeling . Matteo hasnt had contact with his grandmother santa since march. Shes very, very happy and also for me, its a great emotion. Reporter and a son saying simply, there are no words for the feeling he gets from seeing and hugging his mother. One glimmer of hope tonight that perhaps the lockdowns here in italy and elsewhere in europe are starting to pay off, with early signs that this second surge is perhaps leveling off. David . That would be hopeful indeed. All right, ian pannell with extraordinary access tonight. Thank you. When we come back here, the major headline this evening about boeings grounded fleet of 737 max jets and the airlines here in the u. S. Planning to fly them again. And the pandemic now affecting mardi gras. Affecting mardi gras. I joined amazon because i wanted to change education and i am impatient. Amazon gives me the resources to change the world at a pace that i want to change it. We provide students stem scholarships and teachers with support. Im a fighter and im fighting for all students. Next tonight here, boeings fleet of 737 max jets may soon be cleared for takeoff. Sources telling abc news that the faa will announce tomorrow that the fleet is safe to fly and can return to service. The jets grounded for 20 months following two deadly crashes overseas. Boeing making changes to the Cockpit Software blamed for both crashes. American airlines already scheduling the planes to fly next month. And tonight, new orleans has now canceled next years mardi gras parades because of the pandemic. City officials calling the famous parades potential superspreader events. New orleans restrictions ban outdoor gatherings with more than 250 people. The city saying it wont cancel mardi gras itself, because it is of course a religious holiday. When we come back here tonight, the historic moment overnight and what a picture it was. We also have news on dolly parton tonight. Which is Breast Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. Ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr her2 metastatic Breast Cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. Ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. Patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. Ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can lead to death. Tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough, or chest pain. Before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. Common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. Be in your moment. Ask your doctor about ibrance. Sofi made it so easy to pay off my student loan debt. They were able to give me a personal loan so i could pay off all of my credit cards. I got my mortgage through sofi and the whole process was so easy. Choosing sofi was literally one of the best decisions i could have ever made because it gave me peace of mind. A blast of immune support thats more than just vitamin c. Because it gave me peace of mind. Its a unique crafted blend of vitamins, zinc, other minerals, and herbs. Take on your day with airborne. Your daily dose of confidence. To thend to the index and we continue to track the devastating hurricane iota, causing heavy damage in nicaragua, hitting as a category 4 last night. Winds up to 155 miles per hour. Causing devastating flooding and mudslides. Now moving across Central America as a tropical storm. It made landfall just 15 miles from where hurricane eta hit less than two weeks ago. And welcome aboard. The crew of the International Space station greeting their newest members. Four astronauts from the spacex crew dragon. Docking overnight, roughly 27 hours after blastoff from the Kennedy Space center. When we come back here tonight, Dolly Partons extraordinary gift in this pandemic. Pandemic. [ sneeze ] skip to cold relief fast with alka seltzer plus severe powerfast fizz. Dissolves quickly. Instantly ready to start working. Oh, what a relief it is so fast find a stock basedtech. On your interests or whats trending. Get realtime insights in your customized view of the market. Its smarter Trading Technology for smarter trading decisions. Fidelity. Heres to the duers. To all the people who realize they can du more with less asthma thanks to dupixent, the addon treatment for specific types of moderatetosevere asthma. Dupixent isnt for sudden breathing problems. It can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. Its not a steroid but can help reduce or eliminate oral steroids. Dupixent can cause serious allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. Get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection and dont change or stop your asthma treatments, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. Are you ready to du more with less asthma . Talk to your asthma specialist about dupixent. If your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help. Finally tonight, you know were all hoping these vaccines work. And who donated a Million Dollars toward researching them . Dolly parton. Shes america strong. Dolly parton is an american original. Shes helped this country with her lyrics and her cheer and shes helped this country before after devastating storms in her beloved tennessee. Now comes word that dolly parton has helped in the race for a coronavirus vaccine. Back in april, she donated 1 million to Vanderbilt University medical center. They invested that money with drugmaker moderna to help fund their vaccine research. And, of course, moderna is now one of two vaccines showing real promise in this country. Dolly saying today, when i donated the money to the covid fund, i just wanted it to do good and evidently it is. Lets just hope we can find a cure real soon. Dolly partons lyrics have long told the story of her humble roots, of americans caring for one another, of enduring love. I will always love you and we love dolly. Good night. Make yoat ross ays happen. Surprise ahhh yes i love it you dont have to spend a lot to give a lot to the ones who mean the most. Youve got the holidays, and weve got you, with the best bargains ever. At ross. Yes for less yep get the gifts you love. Yesss . For everyone on your list. Youve got the holidays, and weve got you. With all the gift for less. At ross. Yes for less announcer building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. New restrictions in bay area counties as covid19 cases surge but there are also mixed messages about testing and traveling for thanksgiving. Good evening. Im ama daetz. Im dan ashley. Thanks for joining us. According to the Johns Hopkins university tracker, there are more than 11. 3 million coronavirus cases in the United States including people that have recovered, of course. Today california reported more than 8700 new cases, the states sevenday Positivity Rate is up to 5. 2 . Several states are increasing restrictions. Ohio Just Announced in fact, a 10 00 p. M. Curfew for the next three weeks and Governor Newsom is considering a curfew to curve the spread of the virus. What the potential curfew would look like and how effective they actually are. Reporter if you listen to governor newso ms press briefing, you ears