breaking overnight on "world news now," another powerful storm targeting the gulf coast. >> also this morning, the warning for parents looking to get their young children vaccinated. plus, the hospital that will stop delivering babies after too many staffers resigned instead of getting the covid vaccine. after a weekend of remembrances from coast-to-coast, what the fbi just revealed about 9/11 and the al qaeda leader that many thought was dead appearing on video. what he said. california voters decide tomorrow if the governor should be recalled. what the latest polls show as president biden arrives there today. plus, we're kicking off the week-long series, "america strong." the woman behind tiktok's most heartwarming surprises. how a community of kind, has helped change the lives of

nearly 200 deserving strangers. and the moment that had a stadium full of people in awe. and people below scrambling below to save that cat. see how they did, on this monday, september 13th. i've been to hard rock stadium and seen many miami hurricanes games. i have never seen anything like that before. >> i feel like people say cats have nine lives because they get themselves into situations like that. >> yeah. >> and you were not on the internet this weekend if you did not see that video. >> uh-huh. >> i had 1,000 questions like, what was the cat doing there? like -- >> where did the cat go afterwards? >> where did the cat go afterwards? if you want to talk about unity and something bringing all people together -- >> and the way those 'canes fans came together to save that cat's life. >> you would think someone

scored a touchdown. >> well -- >> ooh. >> there weren't a lot of touchdowns in that game, on the field. let's just say that. that might have been the catch of the game. we'll get to that and the full video and the ending to that story. we begin with the already storm-battered gulf coast getting set for another drenching all because of tropical storm nicholas. >> residents and officials along the texas/louisiana coast, are taking the slow-moving storm seriously, making preparations with nicholas expected to gain strength over the next day. louisiana declaring a state of emergency. >> nicholas is moving north overnight, with expected landfall tonight into tomorrow morning. by that point, it is expected to be a strong tropical storm or a category 1 hurricane. >> the storm rain and storm surge are the most dangerous part. places can see 20 inches this week. inches is expected around galveston, houston and we'll keep an eye on it all week. there's pushback against efforts to vaccinate more americans. an upstate new york hospital

will stop delivering babies after staffers resigned instead of getting the vaccine. several others may quit over the mandate. the hospital says it's unable to safely run the unit. and today, new york city public schools are reopening for in-person classes, with no option for remote learning. abc's janai norman has a word on the virus and the word of caution from fda. >> reporter: the fda out with a new warning to parents -- don't give children under 12 the covid vaccine, until the agency gives authorization, saying, in part, children are not small adults. >> we may see a smaller dosage. because of that, we shouldn't be out there racing to get a vaccine that may not be appropriate for different age groups. >> reporter: still, children make up one in four new infections, raising fears as millions of students head back to in-person learning, including in new york city, the nation's largest school district. across the u.s., the delta variant not slowing down.

the crush of covid patients overtaking icus in seven states, leaving little room for other emergencies. the president able to reach 80 million unvaccinated americans, mandating businesses with more than 100 employees to require vaccinations or enforce weekly testing. that new sweeping measure met with swift criticism from 19 republican governors. >> this is an unprecedented assumption of federal mandate authority that really disrupts and divides the country. >> reporter: we spoke to a doctor who said there are anxious parents going to pediatricians trying to get kids under the age of 12 vaccinated. that's what's driving the fda warning. the fda chief saying late last week, that he is hopeful that vaccines for kids 5 to 11, will be under way by year's end. janai norman, abc news, new york. >> janai, thank you.

the biden administration remains under scrutiny over what went wrong in afghanistan. secretary of state antony blinken is set to testify on capitol hill today and tomorrow. he will be grilled by house and senate lawmakers on the chaotic exit that ended the war as america spent the weekend marking 20 years since 9/11. president biden made good on his pledge to declassify some documents on the terror attacks. and now osama bin laden's successor has reappeared. this morning, the man who took over for osama bin laden, resurfacing after rumors of his death. al qaeda leader, ayman al zawahiri appearing on a video released on the 20th anniversary of the september 11th attacks. zawahiri, who had not been heard from in years, discussed the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan but did not discuss the taliban return to power, suggesting the tape was recorded earlier this year. over the weekend, the taliban raising their flag over the presidential palace in kabul.

and announcing new rules for women, who are banned from schools in the '90s. now, the taliban says female students will o study. but classrooms will be segregated by gender. this coming as the fbi declassifies a report, detailing contacts between saudi officials and some of the 9/11 hijackers. >> the report identifies five saudi officials, who were for three years, worked -- prepared for the al qaeda terrorists to arrive in the united states, worked with al qaeda terrorists, gave them everything they needed. >> reporter: according to the heavily-redacted documents, a saudi diplomat, living in los angeles, assisted two of the hijackers. the diplomat described the man as two significant people to an associate, more than one year before the attacks. and the documents show another saudi government employee spent the night at a hotel with another man connected to one of

bin laden's top lieutenants. the report makes no conclusion whether saudi arabia's government was involved but families of 9/11 victims want answers. >> for 20 years, the saudi government has relied upon the united states government to bury the facts and protect them and hide their culpability from the world. and that ended last night. >> the saudi government denies any involvement in the attacks. the fbi is expected to release more documents in the weeks and months ahead. in less than 24 hours, californians will decide if gavin newsom will stay in office. president biden will be in california to campaign for the fellow democrat. the opponent with the most support would become the new governor if newsom doesn't get more than half the vote. leading that group is larry elder, who insists california wants a change. >> my path to victory is the fact that people are unhappy

with the way this man is governing california in the last two years. >> this election is a matter of life and death. public health is on the ballot. >> virtually all polls show voters want to keep newsom. his replacement would serve out until 2023. interesting events overseas this weekend, starting with a concert in one of the most remote places in the world. >> musicians were playing in a volcano pit in russia's far east. one called it the most unusual concert environment he's performed in. completely understandable. >> meanwhile, more than 4,700 miles away in paris, the l'arc de triomphe was wrapped in plastic. it was done by famed artist cristo. it was unveiled on saturday and will be there until early next month. concert in a volcano, yeah. >> not dangerous at all. >> i don't think -- yeah. a little bit. that's part of the appeal.

i wonder what the acoustics must be like. >> there it is again. look how cool. honestly, it's pretty cool. >> molten rock. >> the first rumblings i hear, i'm gone. >> you ain't outrunning that. it's over. you might as well -- >> like "dante's peak" all over. >> like the band on the "titanic." just take it in. >> just play the violin. oh, lord. that's what you're going to hear when i'm running. >> you said it was cool. i agree. i wasn't there. coming up, the big announcement overnight from britney spears. plus, we're kicking off our week-long series "america strong." this morning, a real-life queen of hearts who is proving that kindness is contagious. and later, the cat that appeared to use all nine lives. how this ended. you're watching "world news now."

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prince andrew. the lawsuit filed by virginia guufre had charges when she was a teenager. the trial filed by a teenager. he is not expected to participate in today's virtual hearing. giuffre and her attorneys are expected to detail the difficulty they had serving andrew with the lawsuit itself. back here at home, a legal victory for britney spears has paved the way for even bigger news from the princess of pop. she has been popped the question. this morning, pop star, britney spears, announcing her engagement to long-time boyfriend, sam asghari. the 39-year-old flashing the four carat diamond ring. the word, lioness, engraved on the ring's band. >> look at that. you like it? >> reporter: the engagement coming after the high-profile legal fight took a turn last week. spears' father suggesting the court end her conservatorship, which controls her finances and her personal life.

>> happy friday, everybody. >> reporter: now, fans are in a zy, wondering if a baby brtany could oh, by,y >> reporter: in june, the singer told the judge she wanted to marry the 27-year-old actor and start a family. and in a recent interview in "forbes," asghari saying, quote, i want to take my career to the next step, when it comes to acting. i want to take the next step in my relationship, as well. i don't mind becoming a father. i want to be a young dad. legally, spears can get married. but it must be approved by the conservatorship. the decision to end the conservatorship rests with the judge. if the judge will agree, we could get clues at the next court hearing scheduled for september 29th. >> just saying, i happened to be on instagram when she announced it. she put a video out with the ring. woo. congratulations. >> put a ring on it. to our knowledge, this is her second marriage. after first marriage, with kevin federline, that she had two kids with. i mean, they've been together

for a minute. >> yeah. she looked very happy in the video. >> she looked very happy. congratulations to her. i will say, the number one comment that was right under her picture, that everybody was liking, actually from actress octavia spencer, who simply said, get a prenup. make sure to get a prenup. that was it. got to say it. coming up, the shocker in the nfl. in a brand-new installment of "sports with mona." >> that's me. but first, why this very special tiktok star is being called the reigning queen of kindness. this morning, she's our own "america strong." you're watching "world news now." 's

♪ play with the queen ♪ play with the queen of hearts knowing it ain't really smart ♪ all this week, we are

spotlighting stories of resilience, as america gets back to work and school amid pandemic challenges. >> this morning, we are starting with the real-life queen of hearts. our own will ganss has her story. hey, will. >> reporter: hey, mona. it started as something small. now, the venmo challenge has wracked up 1.7 million follows on tiktok and hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> oh, my god. thank you so much. >> absolutely. >> thank you. >> reporter: lexy burke is tiktok's reigning queen of kindness. although, she would be uncomfortable with that title. >> if it weren't for everyone wanting this and wanting to help somebody, it would be nothing. i would be nothing. >> reporter: when the pandemic started, lexy launched her version of the venmo challenge. >> the fact we're still doing this almost 20 months later is just insane. >> reporter: inviting her 1.7

million followers to donate whatever spare change they have, that lexy collects and pays forward to unsuspecting and totally deserving strangers. >> people love to see the direct impact it has on someone. >> it was the hardest year of my life. it was the hardest during covid. >> you guys, i don't even know what to say. >> reporter: from ride share drivers, to those in the service industry. >> my husband, he's really sick. >> you're taking care of him? >> yes, sir. you have to keep going. >> we're going to tip you $1,355 today. >> really? >> yes. >> reporter: raising more than $200,000 so far, to surprise almost 170 strangers.

usually in and around nashville. ♪ >> reporter: more often than not, that kindness proving contagious. >> i'm definitely going to celebrate. cheers. thank you. >> reporter: does it surprise you that folks are still so giving this far into what has been such a difficult year for so many people? >> yes. still want to be a part of it. i always said, since day one, i'll be as strong as y'all want me to. and it keeps going. and it's crazy. >> reporter: from the thousands donating their spare change, to the hundreds of deserving strangers hustling to make ends meet, lexy's community of kindness, truly "america strong." what to you makes a person strong? >> ooh. that's a great question. i think that just resilience is what makes a strong person. that's what this venmo challenge is. sharing each other's stories and encouraging each other. we've all been there at some point. and telling them it will be okay. >> thank you, tiktok. >> thank you, tiktok. after this video, we going to disney world. >> reporter: lexy's challenges

have inspired several separate gofundme campaigns. to get some of them cars and an apartment in one case. proof that when all of us pitch in, we can make a big difference. one of the other cool things that lexy told me her and her husband, austin, who is typically behind the camera, both have a background in the service industry. when she said, we've all been there, she means it. she's been in their spot. that's why she understands what a lot of the folks might be going through. >> she means it. the real-life version of the fairy godmother and john quinones, all in one. what would you do? >> this is one of the best uses of tiktok that i've seen. it beats the milk crate challenge. >> how would you know? how would you know? >> will tells us. >> exactly. >> all right. coming up, sports, with mona. >> that's me. talking about nfl history to start us off.

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♪ ♪ ♪ time, now, for "sports with mona," with our very own resident athletics expert. not the one with the sports communication degree. but mona. >> that's me. all right. i'm going to tell you guys what happened. it was a jam-packed weekend of sports. we're jumping right in to aaron rodgers and the packers, suffering a devastating blowout in jacksonville. things got so bad for the star qb he was eventually replaced in the fourth by jordan locke, marking the second stringer's season debut. >> it was mop-up duty. the packers had no chance in this game for some reason. the final score was 38-3.

th last time the saints beat a team with that score, that team went on to win the super bowl. just saying. >> ooh. bring on the swiffer wet jet, right? mop 'em up. and only the first week of the nfl regular season. but that didn't stop history from being made at the jets/panthers match-up in charlotte. maia chaka became the first black woman to referee an nfl game. >> it is a privilege to represent women and women of color in the sport. a big moment for her, indeed. college football fans in iowa are voicing where they stand on the ongoing celebrity no-bathing debate. >> the self-proclaimed bath skipper, ashton kutcher, yes, we're still talking about that, appeared on espn's "college gameday," when the crowd turned towards the actor, demanding he take a shower. >> i'm working on a new charity project. it's called outside one. and the whole idea is -- >> i think the fans from both teams were chanting that in

unison. that was his hometown crowd. kuchar is an avid hawkeyes fan and attended the university of iowa in 1996. his team ended up winning 27-17. now, to a nail-biter in miami gardens that played out on the field a little bit. but we're talking about the one in the stands. >> a cat was spotted dangerously dangling from the upper deck of the stadium during saturday's hurricanes/mountaineers game. >> the video wasn't doing it justice how tall this fall would be. you'll see it in a second. the cat's dangling. >> someone is trying to reach out and grab the cat. >> oh. >> but a couple of other hurricane fans get an american flag together. they save the cat, raise the cat up, in a very "lion king"/simba moment, and the crowd erupts. they are cheering.

not so much for the product on the field but for this moment

right now on "america this morning," vaccine whabacklash. this morning the new message from the fda on vaccines and when the shot could finally be available for children. all eyes on nicolas, the tropical storm that is taking aim at the drenched gulf coast. some areas could get 20 inches of rain and we time out the storm. >> the fbi declassifies a new document from the 9/11 vaegz. what it reveals about saudi arabia's time through the attack and a new leader of al qaeda resurfaces after years of silence. >>