here's phil lipof. >> reporter: he's been one of the best drummers of all time, with hits like "pour some sugar on me." def leppard has sold more 100 million records worldwide. all the money that comes with it, those who know rick best tell you that's not what's most impressive about him. to really understand that, we need to go back to the '80s. rick joined def leppard when he was just 15. by the time he was 21, the band was a huge success. rick was on top of the world. >> hi, we're def leppard on mtv. music television 24 hours a day. >> reporter: and then, you buy a corvette. >> ah, yeah. >> reporter: december 31st, 1984. an afternoon drive in that corvette would change the course of rick's life. the crash happened fast. it was a violent rollover. his right arm broken. his left arm gone. this picture taken of rick the first day out of the hospital. it would be the first day of the rest of his life. relearning how to do everything from water-skiing and shooting pool to playing drums with just one arm. the band stood by rick, and when he was strong enough, def leppard went on recordi

phil lipof joins us now from the west side highway here in new york city. phil, we know that oil prices have already started to come down. how will that affect gas prices over the coming weeks and months? >> reporter: well, linsey, with oil prices, there's never a guarantee. anything can happen globally. however, transportation experts tell us if oil prices stay where they are today, we could see a reduction of anywhere from 15 to 30 cents a gallon over the next 2 to 4 weeks. linsey. >> phil, thank you. >>> and another important factor as millions hit the road is, of course, weather. let's get straight to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, linsey. good news -- we don't have a crippling storm on the docket, but a couple of systems will impact travel. here's the first one. the front itself is sliding across lake erie, down through pittsburgh, back across parts of tennessee. that will push east. some rain heavy at time but brief across the i-95 corridor. then winds kick up tomorrow, and colder air, lake effect snow for sure. lo

phil lipof seeing how this hospital is gettin ready firsthand. >>> plus how the vaccine battle is heating up nationwide. firehouses left short-staffed. what's next in the showdown? >>> the final sprint in the virginia governor's race, a major test for democrats ahead of the midterm elections. the race now neck and neck in a state president biden won by ten points. >>> the deadly shooting on the set of the movie "rust." cinematographer halyna hutchins laid to rest tonight, and alec baldwin speaking out on camera for the first time. >>> and tonight the terrifying attack on a metro train, more than a dozen people stabbed. the suspect allegedly dressed as the joker from "batman." >>> and america strong tonight. how one family's halloween attraction is helping our nation's military heroes. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >>> good evening, everyone. thanks so much for joins us on this busy sunday. i'm linsey davis. we begin with president biden on the world stage tackling global clay mat change. just moments ago the president speaking fr

>> all right, phil lipof back in new england, a region he knows well. phil, thank you. meteorologist rob marciano back with us tonight trackig it all and this new system now. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. this system is the one that hit the west coast and it was a two-fold system, it is now and the most impactful side of it is the severe weather side. we've had multiple tornadoes across southeast texas. you see it on the radar scope, that tornado watch up until at least 10:00. gets to pensacola, maybe takes a reprieve tonight, then fires back up tomorrow morning, tampa to jacksonville, charleston by 5:00. the parent low then scoops up that front and brings it into d.c., baltimore, philly, new york. heavy rain, maybe thunderstorms. could see flooding in this area tomorrow night. david? >> all right, we're watching it right here with you. thank you, rob. >>> we're going to turn now to the pandemic tonight, with the fda expected to authorize a vaccine for children 5 to 11 at any moment. tonight, news on a potential fourth shot, another booster for immunocompromised peo

phil lipof mosse their lights last night in memory of stephen sondheim, and a revival of the show "company" opens tonight on broadway. he died at the age of 91. >>> a jury in texas has awarded a record $300 billion to a family whose loved ones were killed in a drunk driving crash. a corpus christi woman and her teen granddaughter were killed by a drunk driver who had consumed at least 11 drinks. he also died in that crash. the family's lawyers say they know they'll never collect any money but it sends a message about the high cost of drunk driving. >>> now to the developments in the sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell. jurors have been shown new images of maxwell and jeffrey epstein, appearing to be a happy couple. a third accuser took the stand. here's erielle reshef. >> reporter: these newly-released images of ghislaine maxwell embracing jeffrey epstein. prosecutors presenting these photographs during the socialite's sex trafficking trial as they try to paint the two as partners in crime, with maxwell allegedly leveraging her glamorous lifestyle to recruit girls for sex with epste

abc's phil lipof has the story. >> reporter: this morning, 20 years after the worst terror attack on american soil, so many who were there that day are still getting sick. and there is a push to let people know the victims compensation fund is still available to them. >> unfortunately, we continue to get calls every day that somebody was diagnosed with cancer, that somebody has passed away from a 9/11 illness. >> reporter: phil's brother lou was an nypd detective who responded that day. >> it wasn't until 15 years later that lou was told that he had a 9/11-related cancer. he had cancer of the liver and it was stage 4 because it had metastasized. >> reporter: he died in 2019 but not before testifying for the need for the fund to widen its ability to help. alongside comedian jon stewart this was lou shortly before he died. >> i should not be here with you, but you made me come. i will not stand by and watch as my friends with cancer from 9/11 like me are valued less than anyone else. >> reporter: the 9/11 victims compensation fund was set up just 11 days after the attack. its original

abc's phil lipof is outside the governor's new york city office with the details. phil, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, dan. it was a call to a "new york" magazine reporter. it lasted 80 minutes. inside that call the governor talked about everything from his future to his legacy, even said he felt philosophical just three days out of resigning his office, though he never spoke directly to any of the 11 women who are accusing him of sexual harassment. this morning, new york governor andrew cuomo is speaking out for the first time since announcing his resignation. in an interview with "new york" magazine cuomo says, i feel like i did the right thing. i did the right thing for the state. it is a stunning fall from grace after a state attorney general's report found sexual harassment allegations against him credible. but with just days to go before leaving office, cuomo remains defiant telling the magazine he would win any impeachment case saying he would have made the state legislature look like a ship of fools, but he didn't want to put the state thro

here's abe's phil lipof. ♪ hit me like a bomb honey come and get it on ♪ ♪ living like a lover ♪ >> reporter: for over 40 years, rick allen has been the drummer of one of the best-selling rock bands of all-time with mega-hits like "pour some sugar on me." def leppard has sold over 100 million records worldwide. all the money and fame that comes with it, but still those who know rick best say that's not what's most impress benefit him. to really understand that -- we need to go back to the '80s. rick joined def leppard when he was just 15. by the time he was 21, the band was a huge success. and then -- >> you buy a corvette. >> ah. yeah. >> reporter: december 31st, 1984. an afternoon drive in that corvette would change the course of rick's life. the crash happened fast. it was a violent rollover. >> as the car rolled, the seat belt came undone. and the seat belt took my arm as i was flying out through the car. >> reporter: his right shoulder broken, his left arm gone. this picture was taken of rick the first day out of the hospital. it would be the first day of the rest of his life. relearnin

. >> and i'm phil lipof. andrew is off today. we begin with the chaos after the bombings outside kabul's airport. the deadliest attack on u.s. forces in afghanistan in a decade. >> at least 13 u.s. service members were killed, 18 were wounded, but the death toll among afghan citizens is expected to rise with reports now saying up to 90 afghans have died. >> here at home flags are being flown at half-staff as the race to evacuate americans grows even more frantic. >> flights resumed overnight, and we begin our coverage with abc's faith abubey. faith, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you guys. as we learn more about those attacks in kabul yesterday, a new report says the u.s. military actually gave the taliban a list of americans who need to be evacuated. this morning, the u.s. military is bracing for more potential attacks in afghanistan after thursday's deadly bombings outside kabul's airport. the militant group isis-k, a sworn enemy of the taliban, now claiming responsibility. >> isis-k is saying we're here and we

let's get the latest now from abc's phil lipof right here in new york city. phil, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, dan. that mandate was supposed to take effect monday. the court's ruling only deepens the divide between those who agreed with the mandate and those who disagreed with it. students have been in class in new york city, and more than 1,100 cases of covid found in students. more than 500 cases found in teachers. this morning, the battle over vaccine mandates is heating up in the country's largest school district. >> i'm going to be terminated. it's going to be my last day. >> we're going to lose possibly 10%, 15% of staff which means larger class sizes in already overcrowded, unsafe classrooms which will mean less safe schools for our students. >> reporter: the mandate which was supposed to take effect monday would have allowed the city to suspend employees without pay if they didn't comply. 10,000 teachers remain unvaccinated, according to our ac station wabc. covid cases are rising among students and staff members, ringing in a conc

i'm phil lipof. britney spears' lead attorney calls it a decade-long nightmare, and today it ended. the judge ordering removal of the singer's father from control of her finances and her personal affairs. her fans couldn't be happier. here's abc's kaylee hartung. >> this is a really big deal. >> reporter: this is the moment britney spears and her fans have been waiting for. >> i'm so pleased and proud to say jamie spears is no longer conservat conservator. >> reporter: after more than 13 years, a los angeles judge suspending britney's father, jamie spears, as head of her conservatorship, saying the toxic environment described by the pop star required it. >> this is the goal, britney's very happy, therefore i'm very happy. >> reporter: the judge did not dissolve the conservatorship, appointing a temporary conservator recommended by the singer and her attorney. >> this is what she wanted. >> reporter: in court jamie's attorney said there's not a shred of evidence to support his suspension, but today's ruling brings britney one step closer to the freedom she's been fighting for. suppor

fauci said today about booster shots, here's phil lipof from new york. >> reporter: tonight, doctors and nurses across the country preparing to offer covid vaccinations to children ages 5 to 11, as soon as the first two weeks of november. an fda panel set to review pfizer's data tuesday to determine authorizing the two-dose shot. >> in the meantime, the administration is working on the operations and the logistics. so as soon as we have both the fda authorization and the cdc recommendations, there will be vaccine out there, so children can start rolling up their sleeves. >> reporter: 28 million children in the u.s. would be newly eligible. pfizer's early trial data showing the vaccine, one-third the adult dose, is nearly 91% effective against symptomatic illness in young children. also reporting zero cases of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, occurring most often in young men a few weeks after the second shot. >> the younger age group had less severe side effects than even the older kids. that's probably because it's a smaller dose. >> reporter: renee and miguel chavez's

. >> i'm phil lipof in for andrew this morning. we begin with breaking news. the director of the cdc issuing a statement overnight. she is making new recommendations about covid vaccine booster shots. >> and her recommendations are differen from those issued late yesterday by a panel of cdc advisers. the difference concerns frontline workers like health care workers, grocery store p pleas and eachers. abc's ike ejiochi is here with all those details. ike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, mona. that cdc advisory panel said basing boosters off occupation will only lead to more confusion. the cdc director felt otherwise. this morning, cdc director dr. rochelle walensky overruling parts of an advisory panel's decision regarding booster shots paving the way for tens of millions of more americans to get inoculated. dr. walensky releasing a statement this morning, i believe we can best serve the nation's public health needs by providing booster doses for the elderly, those in long-term care facilities, people with underlying medical conditions and for adults

. >> phil lipof, thank you. >> coming up, we catch up with our own michael strahan to discuss his historic journey to where few have gone before. f an, is a walk through your history. do you remember who this is? it's a gift that surprises you, moves you, and bonds you. ...papa? i can see the nose and everything. she was the original strong woman. i know. this holiday, give the gift of family. give the gift of ancestry®. ♪ my hygienist cleans with a round head. give the gift of ancestry®. so does my oral-b my hygienist personalizes my cleaning. so does my oral-b oral-b delivers the wow of a professional clean feel every day. ♪ you pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. so take care of that heart with lipton. because sippin' on unsweetened lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. (burke) this is why you want farmers claim forgiveness... [echoing]op chuggin'. claim forgiveness-ness, your home premium won't go up just because of this. (woman) wow, that's something. (burke) you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks.

. >> and i'm phil lipof. andrew is off today. >>> the cdc is set to vote on pfizer's booster shot, this coming after the fda authorized a third shot for millions of americans at high risk of the disease. abc's ike ejiochi joins us with the very latest. ike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, mona. health experts say pfizer's third booster shot will mean more protection for the most vulnerable. this morning, the food and drug administration approving pfizer's booster shot for seniors and high risk american adults. though the cdc will likely come out with specific guidance this week, fda acting commissioner janet woodcock giving us an example of who they have in mind for the shot. health care workers, teachers, child day care staff, grocery workers and people in homeless shelters among others. >> hopefully director wollensky will give final recommendations at who is at high risk including those above the age 65. for everyone else we just need more data. >> reporter: americans who receive moderna or johnso

abc's phil lipof is in new york. >> reporter: tonight, cnn host chris cuomo is not only out of a job, but now facing an allegation of sexual misconduct. debra katz, an attorney for the accuser who wants to remain anonymous, did not give details about the alleged misconduct, saying her client's decision to come forward began when she watched chris cuomo say this on his show in march about the sexual harassment allegations against his brother, then governor andrew cuomo. >> i have always cared very deeply about these issues. >> reporter: katz says in a statement, "hearing the hypocrisy of chris cuomo's on air words and disgusted by his efforts to try to discredit these women, her client retained counsel, and last week, they reported the allegation of misconduct to cnn." a spokesperson for chris cuomo saying, "these apparently anonymous allegations are not true." cuomo's termination comes on the heels of text messages released by the new york attorney general's office last week, which show the "primetime" host used his media connections to help prepare his brother as accusers came forwar

here's phil lipof. >> reporter: tonight, with key discussions set for this week about who should get a booster and when, the nation's top infectious disease doctor trying to clear up confusion. >> i'm not disappointed. i think the process worked. >> reporter: the administration tonight defending its august announcement that booster shots for all fully vaccinated adults could start as soon as this week. but an fda panel instead recommending pfizer booster shots only for americans 65 and older, as well as those at high risk of severe covid, six months after their second shot. >> dr. pearlman voted no. dr. gann voted no. this vote did not pass, since the majority voted no. >> reporter: the vote throwing a snag in president biden's booster plan. >> we wanted to be ready. these are the kinds of things that, when you make a decision, you don't snap your finger, and it gets rolled out the next day. >> reporter: the white house insisting they're following the science, and urging all americans to do the same, not to rush out for a booster before it's your turn. saying new data potentially bac

phil lipof has the story. >> reporter: tonight, new vaccine mandates across the country set to go into effect.o largest school district, any teacher who does not have at least one shot by tomorrow will be out of a job. >> i felt shocked, surprised, heartbroken. my students messaged me friday. i am not allowed to talk to them, even though i gave them a heads-up that this is it. >> reporter: and while there remains opposition, the overwhelming majority, at least 93% of teachers, have had at least one shot. well above the national average. >> i cannot imagine giving up my 24-year career because i didn't get a vaccine. because we do not have enough space for the schools to fully social distance. this would be safer for all of us. >> reporter: the city saying it has an army of vaccinated substitutes ready to step in. and it's not just new york. connecticut's mandate for state employees set to take effect monday night. the national guard on standby to fill in any critical shortages. and in california, the governor becoming the first in the nation to mandate the shot for all public school stu

here's phil lipof. >> reporter: tonight, with the deadline just hours away for all new york state health care workers to get vaccinated, officials are taking drastic action to prepare for mass firings and staff shortages. governor kathy hochul preparing to bring in out of state workers, even the national guard, to help. an estimated 72,000 hospital workers are not fully vaccinated. nurse trisha sebastian is one of them. she remains defiant. >> we're not monsters. we're not selfless. we're just trying to do what's best for our families. the majority of the nurses i've spoken to that remain unvaccinated are sticking to their guns. >> reporter: this comes just days after a federal judge temporarily blocked new york city public schools from implementing a similar vaccine mandate for teachers and staff. matt baker, a high school math teacher in brooklyn, had covid and lost a fellow teacher to it. he supports the mandate. >> my concern is that students have already started to build relationships that they haven't had in the last 18 months. and then those relationships are going to come tearing

here's abc's phil lipof from outside of the governor's new york city office. >> reporter: tonight, new york governor andrew cuomo speaking out for the first time since announcing his resignation. in an interview with "new york magazine," cuomo saying, "i'm not a martyr" and "i feel like i did the right thing. i did the right thing for the state." it's a stunning fall from grace after a state attorney general's report found sexual harassment allegations against him credible. but even during his resignation announcement, cuomo maintained that in his mind, he never crossed the line. >> i have been too familiar with people. my sense of humor can be insensitive and offputting. i do hug and kiss people casually. women and men. i have done it all my life. >> reporter: and with new york lawmakers announcing they will suspend the impeachment investigation into the governor due to his resignation, cuomo, who has just days left in office, tells the magazine he would win an impeachment case and he would have made the state legislature look "like a ship of fools." the assembly speaker says, "this e

here's phil lipof. >> reporter: tonight, haitian authorities telling abc news that 17 missionaries were kidnapped overnight by a gang in haiti. the haitian government saying they suspect the 400 mawozo gang is responsible. ohio-based christian aid ministries confirming that among the missionaries were 16 americans and 1 canadian. five of them children. all on their way back from a visit to an orphanage. the state department saying it's aware of the kidnapping reports and that the welfare and safety of u.s. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the department of state. >> the first few hours are very critical in any hostage taking. >> reporter: former fbi agent and crisis management expert richard frankel was involved in negotiating the release of a u.s. missionary from haiti in 2005. >> haitian gangs have been kidnapping since the early 2000s, if not before that. their intent is to make money. they are doing these kidnappings for ransom, for money, no politics are involved. it's not terrorism. their goal is to make as much money as they can from the hostage taking. >> repo

phil lipof reports. >> reporter: tonight, new york city looking more like it did pre-pandemic. the world's largest marathon back after a two-year delay. >> our whole mantra has been welcome back. let's run this city. let's be back, let's come together. >> reporter: 30,000 runners required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test before the race. and tonight, the white house not backing down as the justice department vowing to defend the biden administration's vaccine mandate for all businesses with 100 employees or more after a federal appeals court blocked it this weekend, questioning its constitutionality. >> it's good for people's health and for the economy. that's why these requirements make so much sense. >> reporter: federal officials aso promising to ramp up the vaccination effort for children ages 5 through 11 this week. starting monday, new york city opening pop-up vaccination sites at all public schools where kids in that age group can get the shot. in chicago, mayor lori lightfoot is closing schools friday so parents can have time to vaccinate their kids if th

phil lipof has the story. >> reporter: tonight, confusion and chaos at airports across the country. tens of thousands of southwest airlines passengers stranded after their flights were canceled. the airline cancelling more than 1,000 flights today, on top of 800 saturday. >> i got an email at 5:00 this morning telling me my flight was canceled. >> reporter: in el pase, tanya sanchez was heading to dallas for the cowboys game. but at the airport, more red on the boards than anything else. in denver, ryan lacy says he waited more than three hours in this line to rebook his flight. >> we were originally going from denver to orlando. and now we're going denver to tampa. we're not quite sure how we're going to get to orlando yet. >> reporter: in a statement, southwest saying we've continued diligent work throughout the weekend to reset our operation. with a focus on getting aircraft and crews repositioned to take care of our customers. the airline blaming weather and air traffic control for the mass cancellations. but the faa saying there have been no major air traffic control issues sin

let's get right to phil lipof at the haitian york with the latest. good morning, phil. >> reporter: good morning, whit. yes, 17 being kidnapped by a gang in haiti. according to an audio message from the ohio-based christian basedministries, first reported by "the new york times," the group was going home after building an orphanage. the one minute message also says the u.s. embassy is working with mission's field director whose family and another individual stayed at the ministries base when the others were being abducted. this is just the latest incident in a country that is having an alarming surge in gang-related kidnappings. they have recorded 600 kidnappings so far this year with 117 of those kidnappings taking place in the last month alone. the abduction trouble far from the only crisis. haiti is facing political turmoil. it's intensifying after that country's president was assassinated in july. a month later in magnitude earthquake killing more than 2,200 people and destroying more than 100,000 homes. whit? >> phil, thank you so much. for more

abc's phil lipof is following the latest developments. phil, good morning to you. >> reporter: whit, good morning to you as well. thousands of locations all across the country have begun to administer those booster shots like this duane reade behind me on the upper west side of manhattan. but as you mentioned, the vaccination rate in the nation has begun to drop, so the cdc says she's boosters have now become an additional line of defense against covid. this morning, booster shots are officially under way for up to 20 million eligible americans. in texas, long lines of people ready for their booster shot at this san antonio mall. carol carson says the almost 2 1/2-hour wait was worth it. >> i think everyone should get their booster shot as soon as possible. >> reporter: the cdc now recommending boosters for frontline workers, residents of long-term care facilities, people 18 and older with underlying medical conditions and people 65 and older. >> it's hard to acknowledge i'm over 65 but i'll be getting my booster shot. >> reporter: while

abc's phil lipof joins us with more. good morning, phil. >> reporter: good morning, eva. this is far from your usual death investigation. a mother, a father, a 1-year-old all found dead with no obvious signs of what killed them. however, investigators are working with a theory this morning that, as you said, a toxic algae bloom could be to blame. this morning, investigators in california are facing a mystery. what killed a family of three found near a remote hiking trail? according to investigators, john gerrish, his wife ellen chung and their 1-year-old daughter were reported missing after going on a hiking trip in the sierra national forest. after a 12-hour search, rescue teams found the family dead along with their family dog. >> we have a healthy family including their canine, you know, deceased and so we're looking for answers. >> reporter: answers that so far have been elusive. investigators say they initially believed the family of three died from carbon monoxide poisoning as there are old mines nearby but are now considering toxic algae blooms as a potential cause

lipof joins us with more. phil, good morning and happy halloween. >> reporter: good morning, gio, and happy halloween to you. if you are watching from across the country and have never been to new york city, the village halloween parade is as good an excuse as any to get here. it was canceled last year, so there's sure to be some extra pentup spookiness this year. as for decorating, whether you're in a new york city apartment or the suburbs, creativity is the word. this morning, our little ghosts and goblins are waking up with a full day of halloween fun in front of them, and they will love this. tony dematteo's churchville, new york, home display is so big and impressive it has its own website. >> this halloween display is probably the biggest one i've ever done. it's the culmination of a full year of work and planning. >> reporter: 15 ambush lane is near buffalo. and in new jersey -- >> we have count dracula once again backing us up. >> reporter: just outside philadelphia, this home on burning tree road is a

abc's phil lipof joins us live from new york city's laguardia airport. good morning, phil. >> reporter: good morning, eva. welcome to terminal b at laguardia. a little bit busier than usual, but while travel is down from last year, still during a pandemic after a hurricane, millions are expected to travel. as you pointed out, tsa screened 2 million people alone on friday. highest numbers since august 15th. we still have days to go. let's look at the numbers. we'll begin in the air. united tells us 2 million customers are expected to fly between thursday and tuesday. american has 26,000 flights planned between thursday and monday. travel app tripit says reservations to florida are up 200% even as the sunshine state has the second highest number of covid cases in the country, just behind california. if you plan to drive, here's some information to help you plan. the best and worst times to be driving, worst time between noon and 4:00. best time before 10:00 a.m. you still have a little time to get out there and beat the rush. tomorrow, labor day, worst tim

for that, and all the latest on the current state of covid, abc's phil lipof is outside a testing center in new york city. phil, good morning. >> reporter: will, good morning to you. coming off of christmas, one of the biggest gathering holidays in our country, medical experts say they're concerned that we're going to see more positive covid cases, and that is on top of the surge that we are already in. this morning, covid infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are on the rise as the highly transmissible omicron variant spreads. new york doubling its daily positive case numbers in just a week, and ohio recording 443 deaths in just 24 hours. an infectious disease physician of tufts medical center in boston says the numbers are high, but not unexpected. >> we're going to find more children, more elderly, more vaccinated, more everything with covid when covid cases are this prevalent. >> reporter: in miami, long lines for testing on christmas day. florida reporting nearly 100,000 more cases last week than the week prior, and more long lines in charlotte. >> i have been here for three hour

phil lipof is here with the efforts to get things going before the holidays. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. economists are describing a snowball effect here. you have pandemic related worker for carg fm ovse shs li up ts and now isruck bolenee afctg the d's economic are expected to get worse in the coming days and months. ships are backlogged and now a looming trucker shortage. the american trucking association estimates prior to the pandemic the industry was short 60,000 drivers, that number only increased with retirements and not being able to train new drivers because trucking schools have closed. >> everything shut down, people were laid off and nothing was flowing. getting things from ships onto trucks, trucks onto full freight to half freight, those transition points are where we are seeing gaps. >> reporter: prices and wait times are up, small businesses taking a big hit. for the owner of one apparel business, it is a race against the clock for seasonal items. >> we're seeing delays. i'm seeing delays of two months, month and a half, tw

abc's phil lipof is in new york city with the story. phil, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, gio. this rare disease you're talking about found in many kids with covid is certainly worrying for any parent. this pediatric surge we've been seeing coming just weeks before possible authorization of a vaccine for kids 5-11. this morning, the u.s. preparing for the potential rollout of covid-19 vaccines for kids as early as november 3rd. pfizer, the first drug company to request emergency authorization use of its vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds. "the washington post" reporting the government is ready to send out up to 20 million pfizer vaccines as soon as it's authorized for that age group. also saying doses will be distributed based on a state's population of eligible children. many parents apprehensive about vaccinating their kids. >> with kids it's kind of a scary -- it's a little bit scarier than an adult. who know how it will affect their growth going forward. >> reporter: others relieved. >> she's like when can i get the vaccine, da

abc's phil lipof is in new york city with the story. phil, good morning. >> reporter: stephanie, good morning. the sheriff who filed that forcible touching charge against former new york governor andrew cuomo this morning is defending how he filed that charge. albany county sheriff craig apple says he has overwhelming evidence against cuomo, but the former governor's team is accusing the sheriff of seeking headlines and not justice pointing to the fact that the sheriff filed that misdemeanor charge without telling the district attorney or the alleged victim. >> our investigators have sifted through hundreds of documents, if not thousands, executed several search warrants and executed -- and interviewed numerous witnesses, including our victim. >> reporter: according to the complaint, cuomo forcibly and intentionally placed his hand under the blouse of his accuser and onto her intimate body part intentionally and for no legitimate purpose. the alleged victim in this complaint is unnamed, but cuomo's former executive assistant brittany co

abc's phil lipof is here with more. phil, good morning. >> reporter: whit, good morning to you. no detail so far this morning on that sexual misconduct allegation against chris cuomo, but it did come as you say just a day after he was suspended from cnn for trying to help his brother, then-new york governor andrew cuomo during his sexual harassment investigation. this morning, the host of cnn's top-rated primetime show is out. >> i know where the line is. i can respect it and still be there for my family which i must. >> reporter: cnn finding that line crossed. chris cuomo fired following an inquiry over how he helped his brother, new york governor andrew cuomo, during a sexual harassment investigation. overnight, a cnn spokesperson telling "the new york times" when new allegations came to us this week, we took them seriously and saw no reason to delay taking immediate action. "the times" reporting that on wednesday, one day after cuomo was suspended, the network was approached by a prominent lawyer about a client with an allegation of sexual misconduct against chris cuomo. a sp

abc's phil lipof is in new york with more. good morning to you, phil. >> reporter: good morning, eva. and you are right. this criminal complaint puts the governor in an even tougher position. already his legal team was defending him against the new york attorney general's report that came out earlier this week, which was not at all favorable to the governor, and now, as you mentioned, this criminal report filed with law enforcement. this morning, a former employee of embattled new york governor andrew cuomo known now as executive assistant number one is speaking out exclusively telling "the albany times union," quote, what he did to me was a crime. he broke the law. the woman who filed the first criminal complaint against the governor says she was forced to endure a pattern of inappropriate behavior including kissing, hugging and in one instance the governor reached under her blouse and grabbed her breast, the complaint filed with the albany county sheriff's department comes as a new investigation is under way into whether cuo

lipof joins us now with what happened on that plane. phil, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, gio. as that plane as you mentioned was reaching new york, passengers onboard tell us, a another man was acting pretty suspiciously, so much so the pilot called for an emergency landing, and once on the ground, there was no gate, no jetway, just confusion. >> the plane has been evacuated. >> reporter: this morning, an investigation into what happened abroad american eagle flight 4817 after the flight from indianapolis to new york was suddenly evacuated leaving passengers panicked. >> some people were yelling bomb. some people were yelling fire. it's very unclear what was happening. most people were saying, run, go. >> reporter: just before 3:00 saturday afternoon the pilot called for an emergency landing after passengers on the flight raised concern about what they said was suspicious behavior from one person. >> the lady sitting next to him, she had two babies. apparently she was telling him, don't do it, don't do it. something like that

phil lipof for us, thank you so much. we appreciate it. >>> now to britney spears this morning making her own decisions this morning about her life and finances for the first time in over a decade. ac's zohreen shah is in los angeles with the star's reaction to being freed from her conservatorship. zohreen, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, whit. britney was about 26 years old and one of the most famous artists on the entire planet when this conservatorship started. she's now almost 40 and finally free. this morning, pop superstar britney spears is waking up a free woman. ♪ i'm stronger than yesterday ♪ a judge ending the nearly 14-year conservatorship which controlled her life and $60 million fortune. >> this is a monumental day for britney spears. >> reporter: a california judge ruling friday the conservatorship is not required anymore after britney's lawyers said safeguards were in place to protect the entertainer professionally and personally. after the announcement britney posting on instagram, good g

abc's phil lipof is joining us with a look at gas and car rental prices and the best and worst times to go just about anywhere. phil, good morning. >> reporter: all of that right now. good morning, gio. 48 million americans expected to hit the road this coming week. if you are sitting there at home thinking, i'm going to be one of them, we have some information right now that might help you plan your trip. let's start with gas prices. aaa says gas prices have dropped a bit, but just a penny from last week is not going to help you that much. the national average still at $3.41 a gallon. if you are planning to rent a car, average price per day has gone up 66% since last year alone. the most expensive markets, new york city of course, $1.35 a day. charleston, south carolina, $1.23 per day. and while you're out there, here are some roadways and times you want to clear clear of. top three, atlanta, 85 south, wednesday between 1:30 and 3:30 in the afternoon. boston, 93 north between 1:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. to be fair, 93 north could always be a nightmare in boston. chicago 290 west

phil lipof joins us with that. cannot imagine what the last week has been like for this family. >> reporter: no, right, good morning to you, janai. such a devastating and heartbreaking story. 30 years old and gunned down right in front of his girlfriend and their three children. denny kelly jr. was about to restart his professional boxing career. he was headed out to a holiday dinner when those shots rang out. this morning, authorities in maryland are asking for the public's help with their investigation into the killing of a professional boxer who was gunned down in a possible road rage incident while driving with his family. >> the area of branch avenue and st. barnabs road, a shooting. >> reporter: police say in prince harry george county say kelly was killed in front of his girlfriend and their three children on christmas eve. >> every time i close my eyes, i replay in my head. i don't want to close my eyes. >> reporter: she says they were out shopping and kelly was behind the wheel of their suv when they spott