And then, even after multiple touches, keeps killing bacteria for 24 hours. I trust microban 24 to keep killing bacteria for 24hours. Heres something you dont see in stores very often these days, disinfectant wipes. The clorox ceo warns supplies will remain very tight until at least next year. A key component in the wipes is also used in ppe, which explains the short supply. Demand for clorox and lysol wipes is six times what it was before the pandemic. Turning to the worry over sending kids back to school. At least two preschools in the San Francisco bay area that are already open may now serve as a model for all schools. Kgos Leann Melendez has the story. Reporter at Phoebe Hearst preschool in San Francisco, safety starts before entering the building. Parents stand in line six feet apart. The use of Hand Sanitizer is encouraged after signing in. Children enter, parents never go in. Stopping at the front door, temperature taking, parents no longer allowed into the building, all of us wearing masks. Reporter its 8 30 in the morning, and each child stands inside a hula hoop with their supplies until its time for their teachers to bring them into the classroom. This is preschool in times of covid19. And i have to say, the children act as though none of that mattered at all. Reporter inside the classroom, all of the desks are spread out and spaces clearly marked. Each child is allowed to only use his or her own supplies. Anything they share is immediately sanitized. Still, the preschool acknowledges that one of the Biggest Challenges continues to be reminding kids to social distance. Arms length, kids arms length wherever we can have them social distance, we will. Eating, playing. If theyre doing something individually, they have their own materials. So at that point they can be apart. Running on the playground, no, they just og with that said, have you had any cases of covid . We have not had any cases of covid, none at all. Weve been open almost two months. Reporter currently the school has 50 kids. Teachers and staff have also remained covid free. Its 6 00 in the evening. The deepds child care and preschool is set to begin. Wearing a mask and gloves, and keeping our distance, were there to witness the steps taken by barbara ng and her daughter virusfree. Every surface is sprayed. The tables are wiped down in one direction, to keep from redepositing germs they just wiped up. Left to right. Reporter small programs like this one have lost nearly half of their daily attendance because of the pandemic. This is not sustainable longterm because these facilities operate on razorthin profit margins. Early childhood programs that have reopened are doing it really, really well. We feel very confident that we can continue to do that. So were hoping that well be able to keep on going, and that way, children are engaged, theyre in a program in realtime, and parents are able to work. Reporter Leann Melendez, abc 7 news. Our thanks to kgos Leann Melendez for that report. Coming up, bars closed until theres a vaccine. Thats what one mayor is now threatening. Our medical expert weighs in next. Shes doing it again. No coverup spray here. Its the irresistibly fresh scent of febreze air effects. [harsh aerosol spray] cheaper aerosols can cover up odors, buryiodors in a flowery fog. Switch to febreze air effects febreze eliminates even the toughest odors from the air. And it uses a 100 natural propellant to leave behind a pleasant scent youll love. Use anywhere odors can spread. Freshen up, dont cover up. Febreze air effects. Radio city music halls Christmas Spectacular starring the rockettes has canceled its annual show due to covid19 for the First Time Since it started in 1933. 350 workers are also being laid off. That new Development Comes on the heels of an Exciting New Development in the rush for a vaccine. I spoke earlier with dr. Alok patel. Lets start with testing. For the first time, several states are joining together to form a compact on testing in hopes of reducing wait times. Right now seven states from louisiana to massachusetts have signed on. What do you make of this new bipartisan effort . First of all, i like the fact that its bipartisan, showing us that fixing Something Like testing requires people getting together, ignoring the politics. Also, i think its sad that we even have to get to the point that states need to get together to figure out how to lift the burden over private lab groups, figure out they cannot run out of chemical reagents and fix these issues. It will be interesting to watch did and see what their plan is, see it unfold, see if other states figure out how to work together, or if we can adopt their strategy together as a nation. We got encouraging news about a possible vaccine. What are you hearing about the early trials of novavax . What im hearing is good news from their phase one trial. Not only did their phase one trial show a modest tcell response, it also showed that people who received the vaccine developed fourtimes the amount of neutralizing antibodies as people who naturally got coronavirus, which is great. Because we want to know the vaccine provides more protection and longer protection than actually going and getting the real virus. Also, early animal trials came out from this vaccine also, showing that 11 of 12 monkeys who got the vaccine were actually protected against coronavirus. Granted, humans are not monkeys, but thats a good step moving forward. Theyre just in phase one, though. We have six other vaccines in phase three. Hey, more shots on goal mean higher likelihood that were going to get an effective vaccine. Dr. Patel, a lot of people miss going to their favorite bar, favorite nightclub. The mayor of orlando, florida, says bars may not reopen until we have a covid19 vaccine. Do you agree with that . I agree in theory we should be really cautious about reopening and letting loose until we have an effective vaccine. I worry about the statement that i dont know how its going to resonate with people who are already anxious, who already want to get out there. A vaccine, what we know is going to basically save the day, and it could be six months away, it could be longer than that. Also, just a note to everyone out there whos frustrated with businesses being closed, stop going out and breaking rules. You hear stories in florida of people crowding in bars. That is something thats going to cause outbreaks and keep businesses closed. While youre at it, if youre going to reopen anything, try prioritizing essential services and schools, and not bars. Our thanks to dr. Patel. Coming up, weird science. You try to stay ahead of the but scrubbing still takes time. Now theres powerwash dish spray its the faster way to clean as you go just spray, wipe and rinse it cleans grease five times faster dawn powerwash. Spray, wipe, rinse. Time for weird science. And there is so much we dont know well, not just us here at world news now, but mankind, when it comes to things that are happening in space. Its a mystery, right . There are things up there, radio signals that are being sent all over, there are explosions happening. Huh . Radio signals . Past the milky way. Apparently there are radio signals, mysterious radio signals, traced from a neutron star that has an extremely powerful magnetic field. Its out there, its somewhere within our milky way galaxy. These mystery radio signals were detected on earth. What . Yeah, so the Scientists Say theyre known as frbs, fast radio bursts. Signals such as these baffled scientists for years and originate from far beyond the milky way. Im genuinely intrigued which is why im treating this segment as, wait, what . Hey, maybe its space fm playing the latest in pop and r b. Maybe, maybe. Playing all the tunes. Check this out. I didnt even know people do this. When i make tea, i usually heat the kettle up, have the tea bag, pour it in. Some people microwave their tea. I did know this. Apparently experts from china say, no, no, no. Youre ruining your mug that way. Theres an imbalance in how the cup heats up. They came out with this microwaveable cup, because it has a silver rim. Immediately, no, no, no, dont put it in the microwave, its going to explode. Apparently this is a microwaveable cup that allows even heat distribution, so youre able to have tea that way. Oh, lord. Weird science, yall are making my head hurt this morning. Im trying to understand this stuff. You know i got a cplus in this science dont tell people your business. I did very well. I passed, i still got my degree, my diploma. This frogs stomach hurts. Why . Tell us. You tell it. No, you tell it, mona. Apparently japanese researchers found that if it comes out, im going to die, yall. Japanese researchers found no these frogs and beetles were she cant even like yep, nope. Im done, i didnt think they were going to show it in realtime. They were like, how are these frogs and beetles coexisting . They found out, okay, lets feed this frog this beetle, he might throw it back up. But uhuh. Look. He went out the backdoor. This morning on world news this morning on world news now, much of the east coast left reeling from isaias. Boats tossed in North Carolina, flooding near philadelphia, and millions without power overnight all the way to maine. New reporting overnight about the blast that devastated beirut. The explosion obliterating the citys port and damaging buildings across the city. Stranded for days on a Desert Island in the middle of the pacific. How these sailors were finally found. Meet the social media star whos only 3 years old. Shes learning how to love herself by teaching all of us a lesson in return. Its wednesday, august 5th. We say good morning, we made it through the storm here in the northeast. The building was shaking. Right. Because of isaias. I really feel like my time here in new york city, ive not seen anything like that, really, see the winds, the powerful rains, definitely felt the system. We do begin with that breaking news, storm damage and destruction in more than a dozen states. Whats left of isaias is mostly in canada after racing up the u. S. East coast. Trees and power poles were knocked down, leaving millions of people in the dark. The new york city Area Power Company says this is it biggest outage in the east. Isaias damaged or destroyed buildings like the First Baptist church in norfolk, virginia. North carolina, 20 miles north of where isaias made landfall, all those boats on top of each other. Abcs tom llamas has more from new york. Reporter the winds, rain, and storm surge from isaias taking lives, carving the east coast, and hitting major cities in the northeast as a powerful Tropical Storm. Trees down across new york city. This one killing a 60yearold man in queens. Strong and damaging winds from isaias tore through parts of brooklyn. A line of sycamore trees in this park split in half, massive branches crashing town and crushing cars below. The heavy rain quickly flooding roads and trapping drivers close to interstate 76 near philadelphia. I was scared. She thought she was going to drown. Reporter outside washington, d. C. , two cars with multiple people inside swept off the road. Some clinging to trees. One on the roof. Teams rescuing them with craft and an airboat, no one seriously hurt. Across the northeast, multiple tornado warnings. This funnel cloud spotted in ocean city, new jersey. Homes throughout this delaware neighborhood torn apart. But the really bad part of this area is this house right here. The whole back of the house is gone. I saw the tree lifting up out of the ground. And at that point, thats when i saw the whole back of the house coming off of the property. First thought is, thank god that were here. God spared my wife and my boys. Reporter powerful winds from a likely tornado in North Carolina flipping cars and splintering multiple homes. Two were killed, 20 hurt. Tynesha thomas was home with her daughter. We made it in the bathtub, and i put my body over hers. Thats when it hit. Did you lose everything . Everything. Reporter when the winds picked up in brooklyn, this building behind me in williamsburg collapsed. When firefighters got here, they realized nobody was inside, good news. They also realized the winds were still picking up. All this debris could become projectiles. They shut down the block. Luckily, nobody was hurt. Reporting from williamsburg, in brooklyn, tom llamas, abc news. Our thanks to tom. Well be following the aftermath of isaias throughout the morning. Lebanon is pushing back against President Trumps claim that a deadly bomb rocked beirut, killing at least 100, injuring thousands. Take a look, this is what it looked like. Just unbelievable. Lebanese Authorities Say the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of Ammonium Nitrate caused the blast. Authorities say it was stored at a warehouse after being confiscated from a cargo ship in 2014. This all comes as lebanon is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic and a crippling financial crisis. Abcs Aaron Katersky has more. Reporter a giant cloud formed over beirut after an enormous explosion, the most powerful in the lebanese capital in years. Those who took pictures of what at first seemed to be just a fire were rocketed back by the shock of the blast. Some people thought it was an earthquake. It left them dazed. Others were wounded or killed. The Prime Minister knew it was bad, declaring a national day of mourning for the dead even before the numbers were tallied. Windows shattered, balconies collapsed, the ground scarred gray and ashen. Damages said to be extensive. The blast that shook beirut occurred at the citys port where buildings housed chemicals and fireworks. There had been recent clashes between hezbollah and israel, but this was no act of war even as grim images emerged that looked like it could have been. The u. S. And france offered lebanon assistance. Aaron katersky, abc news, new york. As aaron mentioned, today is a national day of mourning in lebanon. Overnight action countries across the globe are paying tribute and offering condolences. Some of the worlds most iconic landmarks were lit up in lebanons colors. Others turned off the lights to show support. To the latest developments on this pandemic. The number of coronavirus cases in the United States nearing 4. 8 million, with nearly 157,000 americans killed by covid19. Chicago officials today will reportedly announce Public Schools will go fully remote to start the year, as other districts try to figure out how to get students back in class. Heres abcs steve osunsami. Reporter in mississippi, where a handful of High Schoolers have already tested positive for the coronavirus, and where many children are already heading back to classrooms, the states governor says he was forced to act. Today, i will sign an executive order that requires the use of masks by all adults and all children in our schools, unless there is a medical reason not to. Reporter he says hes also requiring face coverings for everyone in all public places, but only for two weeks. And hes delaying the start of inschool instruction, but only for older children, and in areas with outbreaks. 98 of the icu beds in his state have someone in them. And one out of every five people tested for the virus is testing positive, the highest rate in the nation. At the university of Mississippi Medical Center in jackson, they ran out of beds in the icu weeks ago. Any time a bed opens up, there are multiple patients waiting for that bed. Reporter the death rate from the coronavirus across the country this week is 24 higher than last week, according to the government. 28 states are seeing an increase in number of hospitalizations. Outside atlanta, hundreds of teachers are out sick. The crayness family in georgia sent their kids to school with masks. The father said it was a difficult decision. Im a bit concerned. I heard on the first day half of the children are wearing their masks, the other half doesnt. I completed my work. And everything went well. But i wasnt really happy with the people who werent wearing masks. Reporter in phoenix, teachers concerned about getting sick are protesting. How do we keep them six feet apart . How do we keep them safe from each other . Reporter in georgia, the family of a second grader is learning their child tested positive for the coronavirus. This means that childs entire classroom of 20 students and the teacher now have to quarantine at home for two weeks. The school year is just getting started. Were going to hear more of these. Steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. All right, steve, thank you so much. This next story, sit right back, an a tale of a fateful trip. We have a reallife version of Gilligans Island to tell you about. A small island in micronesia, three sailors wrote sos in the sand. They went off course on a 30mile trip. They drifted more than 100 miles off course and spent three days on the island. The group was found by the australian military. So thankful they are okay. Wow. Gilligan, the skipper, too, a millionaire and his wife . A professor and marianne . Were they also on this island . For a threehour tour. Yeah, that had to be pretty frightening there. But they knew what to do, they got the sos out there, somebody found them. Good to know thats still the key to ensuring your safety. Yes. Save our ship. Shoutout to our folks upstairs who had that music ready to go. Coming up, the little girl whos teaching us all how to embrace affirmations. The new development in that Police Action in aurora, colorado, in which members of a black family were mistakenly apprehended and held at gunpoint. First, the comment that President Trump made in an interview thats causing some backlash. Stop struggling to clean tough messes with sprays. Try clean freak it has three times the cleaning power to dissolve kitchen grease on contact. It works great on bathtubs. And even stainless steel. Try clean freak from mr. Clean. A check on our top story. Millions are cleaning up the damage from isaias, like here in philadelphias northern suburbs. A Flood Warning is in effect in ca flooding. The major Regional Hospital complex in doylestown suffered significant damage, possibly from a tornado. Luckily there were no major injuries. Back to the pandemic. The white house says its working hard every day to defeat what it calls the invisible enemy. But the Trump Administration is facing backlash after the president made what many called a callous comment during a tv interview about the everincreasing death toll. Reporter with his own Task Force Members calling the pandemic extraordinarily widespread across the country, President Trump in his hbo interview with Jonathan Swann of axios still insisting all is well, and suggesting nothing more can be done anyway. I think its under control. How . 1,000 americans are dying a day. They are dying, thats true. And you it is what it is. But that doesnt mean we arent doing everything we can. Its under control, as much as you can control it. This is a horrible plague. Reporter more than 156,000 americans have died, far more than any country in the world. But the president keeps saying its the testing that makes america look bad. You know, there are those that say, you can test too much. You do know that. Who says that . Oh, just read the manuals, read the books. Manuals . Read the books. Reporter charts in hand, cherry picking statistics on deaths from the virus. Right here. United states is lowest in numerous categories, were lower than the world lower than the world . Were lower than europe. In what . Take a look. Right here. Heres case death. Reporter the facts, while the u. S. Has a relatively low death rate among those infected, case deaths, other countries most affected by the virus, america has one of the highest covid death rates per capita. The president didnt want to hear it. Proportion of cases . Im talking about death as portion of population. Thats where the u. S. Is really bad, much worse than south korea, germany, et cetera. You cant do that. Reporter the president continuing to try to make the case that under his leadership, the United States is doing very well in confronting the coronavirus pandemic. The facts tell another story, 156,000 dead here. The next country with the greatest death total, brazil, 95,000. The United States far and away leading the world in this grim statistic. Terry moran, abc news, washington. Our thanks to terry there. A Colorado Police department has apologized to members of a black family handcuffed when officers thought they were in a stolen car. Auroras interim police chief says she personally called brittany gillam and her family. On sunday, they were held at gunpoint. The Department Said gillams license plate matched the tag of a stolen motorcycle from another state. Coming up next half hour, the tough love for a rebellious teenager. The innovative punishment one couple handed down to their 14yearold son for taking their car on a highspeed joyride. First, the little girl whos learning how to love herself in the most amazing way possible. Shes our amazing kid. In the most amazing way possible. Shes our amazing kid. To trea, and it also targets the cause of diarrhea. The 3 times concentrated liquid formula coats and kills bacteria to relieve diarrhea. While the leading competitor does nothing to kill the bacteria, pepto® diarrhea gets to the source, killing the bad bacteria. So, try pepto® diarrhea, and remember to have it on hand every time you travel. Also try pepto®bismol liquicaps for onthego relief. Rock me like a rock she rock me like a rock, oh, baby, she love me one little girl has no doubt that her momma loves her like a rock. Even more than that, her momma is teaching her to love herself. Our own will ganss is here now with more on this amazing kid. Good morning, mona, kenneth, good morning to all of you. These days we could all use a little extra sunshine, reminders we can do what we set our minds to. Now were learning that from the worlds newest and most adorable social media star, and shes only 3 years old. I am loved. I am loved. I am cherished. I am cherished. I am fun. I am fun. Reporter the daily affirmations one mom is sharing with her daughter. Momma, you beautiful. So are you, baby. Reporter those words of encouragement have always been a part of little scarletts life. Ive always told scarlett, youre beautiful, i love your brown skin, i love your curls. Reporter she only started repeating them recently after her 3rd birthday back in march. With everything going on in the world right now, i was like, you know what . Im going to get her to repeat these to me. Reporter that way, scarlett would know shes perfect exactly how she is. Instill confidence in her, so i know a that when she goes to school and im not around, someone is not going to like her hair, someone is going to Say Something about her skin color. I want her to be able to dig down deep inside of her and be like, you know what . My curls are gorgeous. Reporter a message mom tianna figured all of us could use, sharing videos of the daily affirmations on instagram and tiktok. Quite a few of us started to watch. Millions. Millions and millions reporter nearly 4 million likes on tiktok alone. And so many excited to start the practice in their own homes. Teen moms to grandmothers to aunts and women that havent even had children yet just saying, i am going to start doing this with my kids. Im so proud of you, mommy mommy, i love you. In those moments when she looks at you and says, mommy, youre so beautiful, mommy, im so proud of you, what does that feel like as a mother . As a single mom you are day to day about to pull your hair out. Her to look at me like that and do that, its like, okay, you know what . What im doing, its okay. Reporter as for scarlett, wh ws most adorable social media superstar, you can find her at the pool. Reporter or teaching report respect some mantras of their own. I am fierce. I am fierce. Okay, i am fierce she cracks me up. Well, when scarlett grows up, she says she wants to be a doctor or firefighter. For now we can all see shes perfectly content just being herself. Fierce and beautiful and brave. Oh my gosh, yes. She is all the above. So are you, will. I believe if negative selftalk is enough to get us down, imagine the power of positive affirmations. Positive affirmations. Will action thank you so much. When it comes to the affirmations, i was thinking about our friend, janai norman, who shared the affirmations she and her son do every night before he goes to bed. At the very end he yells, i can do anything he sure can, shes raising a strong little boy. A lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesnt get everything clean. I tell them, it may be your detergent. Thats why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum. With the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. For sparklingclean dishes, the first time. Cascade platinum. For bathroom odors that linger try febreze small spaces. Just press firmly and it continuously eliminates odors in the air and on soft surfaces. For 45 days. Time for the mix. And it is National Underwear day okay, no. Yes, it is a special day to talk about underwear. Flash it, flash it, its National Underwear day. On this day youre actually supposed to zip out, throw out the old ones, the holey ones, just this day. There was debate here at world news now, in the offices and hallways, what you should do with your old underwear. There was one producer who i will not name who uses them as cleanup rags or whatever like that. Yeah. Then the other half, i guess, the rest of them, said they throw it out. What do you do . I remember hearing a story, Britney Spears never wears the same underwear twice. Yeah ill just leave it at that. Well, happy National Underwear day, everyone. Go change them right now, please, because yall been staying at home way too long. Wait, as jack sheahan would say, thats assuming they have on underwear. Thats from our friend jack sheahan. Go put them on. Speaking of people staying at home, a lot of people are staying at home has been doing wonders for their skin. Yeah, we know you glow 24 7. Always. We know. But apparently a lot of people are saying its giving them more time to do some research, figure things out. 53 say they have changed their Skin Care Products over time. They say that theyre still learning about it. 58 say they would go back and take their skin seriously when they were younger. I would say knowing your skin type. Are you dry, combination, oily . A girl who is super dry decided to use an oilfree cleanser . That ruined my life. Didnt go too well. Im not alone. A lot of people said its trial and error, and they changed their cleanser at least seven times before landing on the right one. Keep going. Skin regimen tips by mona. Dont forget sun screen. For all shades. Can i tell folks about this crazy guy . So this man from india, we love rubiks cubes and people breaking records. This man, he solved six of them in 2. 17 minutes, submerged underwater. What . Yep, thats right. In one single breath, he was able to solve six rubiks cubes. Thats incredible right there. Whoa. Way to go. I wouldnt try this obviously. I cant even do it. Not underwater. Check out this mob of kangaroos chilling in front of somebodys house. Why call them a mob . This morning on world news now, the massive explosion that came without warning. Dozens are dead in beirut, and top leaders are pushing back at what President Trump said about the blast. Here at home, torn apart. Isaias leaves behind damage from South Carolina to maine. Power outages affecting millions. Parents get creative with a very public punishment for their 14yearold son who took their car for a joyride. Speaking of parents and rules, the big headline about whos the boss . Its the classic 80s sitcom getting a reboot. Thats later this half hour in the skinny. Its wednesday, august 5th. Tony danza, Alyssa Milano, whos the boss . Tony, samantha, angela, mona. Rest in peace, mona. Love that actress, yes. Great cast. We will see whos interested and whos not. We will. Well break that all down for you. Right now were going to begin with breaking news from overnight. It will take days to clean up the damage from isaias. No longer even a Tropical Storm, its now mostly in eastern canada. Up and down the east coast, isaias leaves behind flooding and wind damage. The utilities say it will take a massive effort to restore electricity. Overnight, nearly 4 million Power Outages along the east coast. After isaias tore a path of destruction, this tree smashing into a home in massachusetts. I couldnt imagine anything this large coming down, and the way its come down, totally uprooted the thing. Reporter in philadelphia, the Schuylkill River is projected to crest today over 15 feet, its highest level in more than 150 years. Tuesday, rescuers outside the city pulled these kids to safety from a secondstory window. Im pregnant, ive got an obgyn appointment. I left maybe a little bit before 10 00 and it was definitely not like this. Reporter joseph hicks says the wind destroyed his delaware home as his family took shelter inside. As we were approaching the basement, i saw the tree lifting up out of the ground. Opertyt point, i s so i can replace a house. Reporter but the storm turning deadly for others. In maryland, a fatal accident when a tree fell onto a car. In queens, new york, one man died after being crushed in his truck by a fallen tree. In North Carolina, two People Killed after a tornado slammed into a neighborhood. We took shelter, just my son and i, were here. We ran to the center of the house and got in the closet. Then it was gone as quick as it started. Reporter along the North Carolina coast, these boats are now piled on top of one another like toys in a tub. Oh my god reporter in new jersey, the powerful winds toppling the steeple of this church. Our cameras capturing the moment a sparking power line exploded just as abcs Stephanie Ramos was conducting an interview. This is basically a result of the storm. Power lines down, causing power lines and explosions in the neighborhood. Reporter many vacationers taking the storm in stride. As with Everything Else in 2020, we had a storm to contend with. The half dozen deaths from the storm appear to be vehicle related. Either falling trees or cars swept away by floodwaters. Overseas, a day of mourning in lebanon. That country reeling from a deadly explosion that killed at least 100 people and injured thousands in beirut. President trump calling it a terrible attack. Lebanons Prime Minister linked the blast to 2,700 tons of Ammonium Nitrate stored at a warehouse. Abcs ian pannell has more. Reporter this was the moment an entire city shook to its core. As a massive explosion erupted in beirut port. The blast occurring around 6 00 p. M. Local time. Eyewitness video showing a fire and a series of smaller detonations. Unconfirmed reports suggesting perhaps fireworks. But what happened next was far bigger. A devastating explosion sending a Mushroom Cloud across the city. The fronts of buildings ripped off. Cars, shops, apartments shattered. The streets showered with debris for miles around, as bloodied and shellshocked citizens staggered through blackened streets. Hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties. The Lebanese Health minister saying scores are dead and thousands injured. The health care system, already overwhelmed by rising covid infections, and an economy in freefall. The questions begin about what caused the blast and whos responsible. Right now evidence suggests that this was just a tragic accident. The countrys interior minister saying that highly explosive material may have been kept at the site, later suggesting that it could have been Ammonium Nitrate, a common ingredient in bombmaking, and if kept in sufficient quantities, capable of causing a blast of this size. Ian pannell, abc news, london. Ian, thank you. In washington, theres some Hope Congress can reach a deal on a new coronavirus stimulus package before lawmakers begin a monthlong break friday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell says he might be willing to accept an extension of the 600 per week payments, but hes looking for some compromises from democrats. The latest round of benefits expired last friday. President trump is facing new criticism, accused of downplaying the coronavirus death toll saying, quote, it is what it is. The u. S. Is approaching 4. 8 million cases with nearly 157,000 americans killed by covid19. Now the focus has switched to schools, with many trying to open their doors this month. Heres abcs megan tevrizian. Reporter this morning, the struggle over when to go back to school intensifying. Scenes of crowded hallways at this Georgia School sparking new concern about the spread of coronavirus among students. This interactive map from the New York Times shows how many people could show up to school unknowingly infected during the first week of classes. Counties in orange indicate at least 5 infections for every 1,000 students and school staff. Red, more than ten. If you have a lot of community spread, then the probability of you having a positive person return to school, or anywhere, for that matter, is going to be higher. Reporter madison county, texas, set to restart classes august 19th, is reporting the highest risk in the nation. And according to the times analysis could have an estimated 420 covidpositive people roaming the halls. In mississippi, shown almost entirely in red, some families already sending their kids back to class. The governor imposing new safety measures. Today i will sign an executive order that requires the use of masks by all adults and all children in our schools. Unless theres a medical reason not to. Reporter hes also delaying inschool instruction for older children. In arizona, teachers are protesting plans to resume facetoface classes. Im scared that somebodys going to die. Reporter one school near phoenix struggling after one teacher died. Others now in quarantine. I believe that students, our staff, their families, are going to be in danger. Reporter today in chicago, Public Schools are expected to announce plans to switch to an allremote semester amid a strike threat from the teachers union. This preschool in california is taking a creative approach to keeping kids safe. Students given hula hoops to help them social distance. Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator dr. Deborah birx says the country is making new strides in controlling the virus. But she warns we should brace for a wave of new deaths in the next two weeks. On tuesday, President Trump claimed once again that the u. S. Is better off than other countries when it comes to the death rate, but then he added this qualifying statement. Well, a lot of our numbers were based on that new york had a very tough time, as you know, new york, new jersey. When you take that out, our numbers are among the lowest. Reporter the president now accused of downplaying the nations 156,000 deaths during this interview with axios on hbo. They are dying, thats true. And you it is what it is. Reporter it comes as many businesses struggle to stay safe. One Restaurant Owner in san diego says people are still refusing to wear a mask. We cant enforce. We dont have the skills. Were not trained. Reporter but amid all the struggles, stories of survival. This covid patient in new york is finally home after spending 132 days in the hospital. When i went down, it was only 150,000 cases. When i woke up, they told me 2. 5 million. I was like, what . Are you serious . Reporter in sports, defending u. S. Open Champ Rafael Nadal has announced hes skipping this years tournament because of coronavirus concerns. The worlds top womens tennis player, ashleigh barty, says she will also skip the tournament because of covid. The u. S. Open will begin later this month. Kenneth, mona . All right, megan, thank you. Now to the statue fail in italy. Check out this guy posing for a picture in a museum outside venice. He jumps onto the base of a 200yearold statue, and he breaks off some of its toes. The man, who lives in austria, reportedly told police it was a stupid move. He may face charges. Museum officials found the missing pieces for those that dont know, that statue is of Napoleon Bonapartes sister pauline. He tore off the toes . He just had to. Sir, i implore you, stay away from the statue of david. Yeah. Please. Coming up, where snow is falling right now this morning. What . Plus the creative punishment that one couple came up with for their 14yearold son, who took their pricey range rover. He took the range for a joyride. Later, Tony Bennetts 94th birthday blowout. The famous names that are celebrating the music legend. Never never change over time, you go noseblind to the odors in your home. background music but others smell this. upbeat music thats why febreze plug has two alternating scents and eliminate odors for 1200 hours. Breathe happy febreze. La la la la la. Were back with a blast of winter in tasmania, australia. Emergency services say they were overwhelmed with calls for help and icy roads and fallen trees caused by high winds made driving difficult. The Winter Wonderland didnt prevent this soccer team from practices. Back at home, an equally unusual sight played out in one neighborhood in phoenix, arizona. One rebellious teenagers antics went a bridge too far for his parents. Our own will ganss is here with more on his unique punishment. Thats right, you guys. Mr. And mrs. Martinez were celebrating an anniversary, out of town, when they got a phone call from the police about some bad behavior which was the latest in a string of incidents from their son, angel. This time they really put the tough in tough love. Despite his name, Angel Martinez is in big trouble this morning. The 14yearold taking his parents range rover for a joyride while they were out of town celebrating their anniversary. Though he does have a pretty solid excuse for why he did it. I washed the car, like hand wash. And i was like, i dont have anything to dry it, so im going to take it for like one spin, so like it dries. Reporter no towel, no problem. Eh, not so much. His parents getting a call from police that he was speeding ghb. His parents came up with this unusual punishment. We took all his stuff out, his room is 100 empty. And were just giving all his stuff away. Reporter angel sitting in the driveway with a sign that reads sorry i stole my parents car and was speeding. Its kind of weird, but like i think its fair punishment. Reporter his clothes, tv, bedroom set up for grabs, for free. Mostly to apologize to our neighbors, too. He could have ran someone over. Something really bad could have happened. Reporter all of it went, faster than even angels range rover did on his joyride. Dad says this is all about pumping the brakes on angels life in the fast lane. Trying our best to keep him out of trouble, make sure he understands things like this will not be tolerated. Thats a nice bedroom set. So although angels parents didnt kick him to the curb entirely, his bedroom set was scooped up by a passerby, so hell be sleeping on the floor or the couch, at least for the foreseeable future, you guys. Great lesson, but i would have taken that headboard, sorry, angel. Thanks, will. When we come back, guess which 80s classic is set to get a reboot . And we go back, back to the beginning of a laguna beach reunion. The skinny is next. Im living for this one. Ramatic . Try olay skin care. Just one jar of microsculpting cream has the hydrating power of 5 jars of a prestige cream, which helps plump skin cells and visibly smooth wrinkles. While new olay retinol24. Provides visibly smoother, brighter skin. For dramatic skincare results, try olay. And now receive 25 off your purchase at olay. Com brand power. Helping you buy better. There is more to life than i dont know the words to whos the boss . I can hum it, though. Time for the bower family. Whos the boss . Which ran on abc for eight years, is about to get a reboot. Variety has confirmed a Sequel Series is in the works with original stars tony danza and Alyssa Milano on board to reprise their roles as tony and samantha. The new show will take place 30 years after the events of the original series with samantha now a single mother and living back with her father in the bower house. So far, no bowers original cast members involved. Yet, yet. Well see what happens. Alyssa milano for me. Next to a throwback from not that far back. Reality star Kristin Cavallari and former nfl quarterback jay cutler announced their divorce, but cavallari seems to be cuddling up to an old flame. She says, lets go back to the beginning. She shared this snap, a little reunion with her ex high school sweetheart, steven colletti. Their romance was documented on laguna beach. Steamy, yall. That was a series which followed the lives of eight teens attending laguna beach high school. But mo wches every single listen, i immediately after this news went to youtube to watch highlights. Hollister skirts, flipflops for me. Were team lc over here. Im living for this, it gave me life. Also heidi, right . No, thats the hills. That happened after. Was that a sequel . Elsie moved to gosh, i have to tell you everything. Yes. I have the dvd set, just borrow a dvd player and ill give to it you. Borrow a dvd player, okay, well find someone. Youre excited about this. Yes. Them getting back together. Okay. You guys, even though we didnt like them together, we do now. Im sureheeyre wir, together. Next to the Health Benefits of finding the right man. Tiffany haddish is now confirming shes dating common. Its apparently doing her a whole world of good. On a recent podcast, haddish dating the rap star, shes dropped 20 pounds, and she explained shes way happier and feels more confident in herself. Haddish went on to say this is hands down the best relationship ive ever been in. Knock on wood, right . Hes been very complimentary about her newly shaved head, because you know, shaved heads get it done. Okay. In the right ways. Theyve got that in common, you know. Yall know what im talking about. We get it. Next to the couple whos made a living off of dreaming up ways to make old things new again. Now theyre giving their old know show a refresh. Chip and Joanna Gaines hit series fixerupper is set to return to tv on the new Cable Network magnolia. Finally, Martha Stewarts birthday celebration. She rang in 79 in style with an intimate luncheon at her estate in maine. Gourmet caviar, oysters, a creamsicle ice cream cake made by her daughter alexis. Thats one Birthday Party i would not miss at all. Leaving with a full stomach. Coming up, guess who turned 94 . Guess who turned 94 . 94 . And looking to buy Life Insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. What are the three ps . The three ps of Life Insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. A price you can afford, a price that cant increase, and a price that fits your budget. Im 54. Alex, whats my price . You can get coverage for 9. 95 a month. Im 65 and take medications. Whats my price . Also 9. 95 a month. I just turned 80. Whats my price . 9. 95 a month for you too. 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Reporter tony bennett marking a milestone this week turning 94 years old. I will feel a glow just thinking of you reporter and so many famous names celebrating him. Im in heaven reporter lady gaga saying happy birthday, you hold such a special place in my heart. And sting. Just thinking of you and the lived your life tony bennett, happy birthday. Reporter leslie odom jr. And his message. Not only have you managed to preserve your voice, that glorious voice, that godgiven instrument that you have, youve also preserved your joy for decades. Reporter and we remember what tony bennett once told me not so long ago about the secret of a long life. Ive never worked a day in my life, because i love what i do. I just love the fact that im getting away with it. Reporter and stevie wonder. Tony bennett thats for all time 94 and doing fine reporter tony bennett posting this message for all those who remembered. Thank you for making my 94th birthday so special. Our thanks to david, and good to see mr. Tony bennett there. Theres a reason all those celebrities came out to celebrate him that way on social media. Hes a nice guy, and he is a class act, that tony bennett. Definitely. Him and lady gaga not too long ago had a collaborative album as well. Shes a huge fan of his and wanted to make that happen, and they did. It was almost a reinvention of herself, as well. I suggest you listen to that. 19 grammy awards, sold over 50 million records. Mr. Tony bennett, take us out. Happy birthday. Morning path of destruction. She thought that she was going to drown. Trees down. Homes destroyed. The death toll rising after Tropical Storm isaias. Tornadoes touching down. Millions left in the dark. And now, one big city bracing for the worst flooding in more than a century. The devastating blast in beirut. The explosion heard 150 miles away. New images of the aftermath. Dozens of buildings leveled. At least 100 people dead, thousands injured. New details on what caused it. The struggle to reopen. Crowded hallways spark new concern as more students return to class. The new study predicting the number of children a t