that's what's making news right now on "america this morning," breaking news, the new crisis on the southern border. authorities overwhelmed. thousands of migrants now trying to enter texas. the crowds exploding in size in just the last 24 hours. conditions going from bad to worse. what we're learning about who's in that crowd. breaking overnight, allegations of a stunning betrayal by a top pilot for boeing. did he deceive government regulators looking into safety issues with the 737 max jet? the plane involved in two crash disasters that killed more than 300 people. this morning the reported confession. a crucial day in the pandemic. fda advisers meet to discuss who if anyone should get booster shots. what we're expecting today and the new data.

where's gabby petito? the search for the florida woman last seen on a road trip with her boyfriend takes a new turn. police now revealing two women were murdered not far from where petito traveled. abc news exclusive. singer r. kelly's longtime assistant speaking out as her former boss stands trial for sexual abuse. what she's revealing about kelly's behavior at home. and accuracy at the drive-through. the new way to make sure fast food chains never mess up your order again. good friday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> and i'm faith abubey. mona is off. and we begin with breaking news. a new crisis along the southern border. >> in just the last 24 hours border patrol officials have been overwhelmed by a massive surge of migrants at the texas border setting up camp under a bridge in squalid conditions.

>> u.s. officials say they are urgently sending more agents and more water and toilets to del rio, texas, amid fears the situation could get out of control. this morning, new chaos at the border. more than 10,000 migrants flooding from mexico into texas seeking asylum. sources say most are from haiti. the influx attributed to their recent earthquake and political instability. u.s. border officials are overwhelmed. >> what you see behind me are individuals that have not even been processed or detained. these individuals are just waiting to get detained. >> reporter: to stay out of the brutal sun, the migrants are camping under this international bridge outside del rio, texas. >> this is as bad as i've ever seen it. there is no southern border. there are literally thousands of migrants that have come and there's tens of thousands on the way. >> reporter: the crowd doubling in a 24-hour period growing from just a few hundred people earlier this week to what's now a humanitarian crisis. the former acting secretary of homeland security tweeting, this

is absolutely insane. conditions growing more squalid by the hour with limited access to food and water. it's just the latest challenge for border patrol, which has seen urging numbers of migrants for months. more than 208 apprehensions reported in august down slightly from july. but it is four times higher than at the same time last year. and that number could climb even higher after a federal judge ruled thursday that the biden administration can no longer use a trump era health law to expel migrants without allowing them to seek asylum and republicans are blasting president biden for not securing the border. the governor of texas says he tried to shut down six border crossings yesterday but was blocked by the white house. police at the u.s. capitol are bracing for possible violence at a rally tomorrowed aim at supporting the rioters who stormed the capitol. with fencing back in place, the department of homeland security is warning about online threats, potential lone wolves

and groups that could cause trouble. former president trump released a statement in support of the capitol rioters saying, quote, our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly. he called tomorrow's rally a setup suggesting it will be used to criticize republicans no matter what happens. breaking overnight, a pilot who allegedly misled regulators about safety issues on boeing's 737's max jet may not face federal charges. "the wall street journal" reports former boeing test pilot mark forkner is expected to face criminal charges in connection with the safety probe. the max jet involved in two crashes in 2018 and 2019 which left 346 people dead. forkner was boeing's lead contact for pilot training including training on the software blamed or the crashes. we turn now to the pandemic and today is a crucial day. an fda panel is meeting to vote on booster shots and will debate who if anyone should get them

and the meeting comes a day after some important new data was released and abc's alex presha is here with more. >> reporter: hey, andrew. this decision by the fda on those booster shots has huge implications, nine states are hitting record hospitalizations. today the critical decision on covid booster shots is in the hands of the fda. their health expert set to review pfizer's data to decide whether americans with that vakz will need a third dose. new data out of israel making a compelling case showing it provided ten times more protection against covid-19 and severe disease. the effectiveness in people 60 and older even stronger. some at the fda are questioning whether the shots are truly needed for everyone. >> this data is persuasive, quite persuasive to me that it would be wise to give boosters to people over the age of 60. i am not convinced this data is pervasive to give boosters to everybody. >> if the fda gives

pfizer's boosters a green light, a cdc panel will address the matter next wednesday. those third doses could be available by late next week at the earliest. the cdc also out with some good news. forecasting covid cases will likely decrease about a month from now, but right now the delta variant is still dominating. 2,000 deaths reported on wednesday. the highest single day total in seven months. many icus filled with the unvaccinated like joe gammon who spent a month in a coma. >> not getting the vaccine could cost you your life. >> reporter: hospitals in idaho so burdened they can now ration care if needed. in montana health care workers being pushed to the brink. >> all these people who are dying that didn't get vaccinated are wishing they got the vaccination, and it's wearing and it makes us angry. >> reporter: president biden's blasting republican governors who vowed to fight press proposed vaccine and mask mandates. >> it's the worst kind of

politics because it's putting the lives of citizens of their states especially children at risk. >> reporter: the message from many of those republican led states, we'll see you in court. 24 attorneys general have warned president biden over potential litigation that they might file due to his proposed vaccine mandates. andrew. >> alex, thank you. well, congress wants to hear from the ceos of big oil accused of misleading the public. top executives at exxonmobil, bp, chevron and shell have been asked to testify next month. lawmakers say these companies are making big profits while spreading disinformation about climate change. the organization greenpeace secretly recorded an exxonmobil lobbyist admitting the company tries to undermine climate change legislation. >> did we aggressively fight against some of the science, yes. did we hide our science, absolutely not.

you know, we were looking out for our investments. >> well, exclusive son mobile has condemned the lobbyist and says it's committed to fighting climate change. a once prominent south carolina lawyer has now been charged with trying to hire someone to kill him. police say alex murdaugh wanted to stage his own murder so his son could collect a $10 million insurance policy. his lawyer told a judge that murdaugh's addiction to opioids is to blame. >> anyone wants to see the face of what opioid addiction does, you're looking at it. this is a horrible, horrible disease. >> murdaugh is charged with insurance fraud. his alleged accomplice is charged with assisted suicide. it comes as authorities investigate the killing of murdaugh's wife and son back in june. they're also investigating the death of murdaugh's housekeeper. and turning to the weather, heavy rain triggered flash flooding around washington, d.c. and northern virginia. several people had to be rescued from their flooded vehicles, but no injuries were reported. more rain is expected today. wildfires in california's

sequoia national park are forcing crews to wrap some of park's giant trees in fire resistant blankets. games could endanger the ancient trees in just a matter of days. and time now for a look at your friday weather. so lots of rain in the forecast across the southeast today. the heaviest will be along the gulf coast with possible flash flooding. storms are also expected in the midwest and plains and rain will move into the pacific northwest. checking today's high temperatures, 64 degrees in seattle. 70s in the northeast today and 89 degrees in both chicago and miami. speaking of south florida, take a look at this rainbow that appeared over parts of miami. they're expecting more rain today. that is a beautiful sight to see down there in south florida. coming up, the 39-year-old u.s. women's soccer star proving she still has it. and also ahead, the search

for gabby petito. the woman missing after going on a road trip with her boyfriend. it takes a new turn. is the case now linked to a double murder? and breaking overnight, a message about politics from supreme court justice clarence thomas.

. a landmark performance for u.s. soccer star carli lloyd. just one month after she noun announced her retirement lloyd, who is 39 years young, scored five goals as the u.s. routed paraguay 9-0. that's a single-game record for u.s. soccer. we turn now to the florida woman missing since going on a road trip and police say her boyfriend is now a person of interest in that case and now investigators are looking into a possible link between this case and a double murder. here's abc's andrea fujii.

>> reporter: this morning a potential new lead in the search for gabby petito, last seen in utah while traveling with her boyfriend. police are looking into a possible connection between her disappearance and the murder of these two women, crystal turner and wife kyla schulte. the newlywed couple were found shot at a campsite near moab, utah. one of them reportedly telling a friend about a, quote, creepy man around their camp. they were last seen alive on august 13th. just one day earlier also in moab gabby petito and her boyfriend brian laundrie were seen in this police body cam video arguing on the side of the road. >> what's going on? how come you're crying? >> we've just been fighting this morning. going through some personal issues. >> reporter: police say at one point it got physical, with petito the aggressor. no charges were filed. less than a week later the couple were seen in salt lake city checking out of a hotel. the next day her mother says petito told her they were in

wyoming heading to yellowstone. a week later on september 1st laundrie arrived home in florida without petito. >> two people went on a trip, one person returned. and that person that returned isn't providing us any information. >> reporter: police say laundrie is not cooperating. petito's family pleading for help. their attorney reading this statement to laundrie's parents. >> as a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us? if you or your family have any decency left, please tell us where gabby is located. tell us if we are even looking in the right place. >> reporter: this morning laundrie's sister responding. >> obviously, me and my family want gabby to be found safe. she's like a sister and my children love her. and all i want is for her to come home safe. >> reporter: the fbi is now joining the case. an attorney for laundrie says he's advised his client to remain silent during the

investigation. andrew? faith? >> andrea, thank you. supreme court justice clarence thomas is defending the independence of the court in a speech at notre dame thomas warned against destroying institutions just because they don't give us what we want. he said the justices are not ruling based on personal preferences or religious beliefs. well, coming up, an abc news exclusive. a former assistant to singer r. kelly breaks her silence as the music mogul stands trial for sexual abuse. also ahead, a potential shopping nightmare for the upcoming holiday season. we're for those who love to discover. who know an open mind... is the only kind. who are their own personal stylist. who know where to escape, even just for a moment. who don't need a fortune to find a gem. and who know when you spend less, you can discover even more. and never, ever stop discovering. spend less. discover more. at t.j. maxx.

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apply today. back now with a new type of rooftop garden in thailand. taxis sitting around empty since the start of the pandemic are now being used to grow fruits and vegetables. >> back in this country the pandemic is triggering a new problem, a possible shortage of gifts for the holiday season and it's all because of a traffic jam at sea. this morning, retailers are taking drastic new steps to avoid a shortage of gifts this experts warn it may be hard for santa to get you everything on your list. >> no, want >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. >> reporter: pandemic related supply chain issues are fueling concerns about a toy shortage and now toys are stuck at sea because of major traffic jams at the port of california. >> it is a problem from the loading docks in china all the way to the retailers' loading docks in the united states.

the biggest part of it being extraordinarily expensive and taking much longer than it ever has. >> reporter: the number of ships waiting to dock in los angeles and long beach hitting a new record. as of wednesday, 146 ships were at 2 ports, 88 were still in drift areas waiting to dock. now walmart, target and home depot are chartering their own private cargo vessels to make sure merchandise arrives on time. the message to consumers, buy your holiday gifts now. >> whatever becomes the hot toy of the season in the next month or two may not be there in huge quantities. >> meanwhile, holiday sales are expected to grow by 7% this year. singer r. kelly's longtime assistant is speaking out after testifying at kelly's sexual abuse trial. diana copeland says that kelly once confronted her for allowing one of his live-in girlfriends to, quote, escape. she spoke to abc's michael strahan. >> how would you describe him as a person?

>> he's charismatic. people kind of say he has two personalities because when you meet him, he has, you know, he's a really personable person. if you see him angry, that's a whole different person. >> copeland says she did not witness any of the alleged abuse, r. kelly is charged with. we have more of this interview coming up later on this morning. "jeopardy!" has named its new hosts for the rest of the year. ken jennings will share duties wth mayim bialik. mike richards left due to controversial remarks about women and minorities. thursday night football came down to the last play twice, giants fans look away. a game winning field gold by washington went wide but the giants were offsides, so washington got another chance and, guess what, it was good. washington wins, 30-29. coming up, better accuracy at the fast food drive-through. also ahead, more zebras are on the loose. why hide your skin if dupixent

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♪ time to check "the pulse." we begin with a welcome change at the drive-thru. >> a tech startup is using computer vision to get your fast food order just right. the company installs overhead cameras to scan restaurant kitchens to make sure workers are preparing your orders correctly. >> the cameras can reportedly spot 85% of errors, and the company just raised $10 million in funding. next, a growing problem in this country apparently. zebras getting on the loose. >> and the latest case was in wisconsin. two zebras escaped and took off down the road near green bay. they were chased into a field by a garbage truck driver and then captured. >> but in maryland several zebras have been roaming free for like two weeks after escaping from a farm. animal control says zebras are tougher to catch than you might

think. next, the new list of world record breakers. >> the guinness book is out with its new edition. oliver roe is the tallest teenager in the world. the canadian is seven feet five inches tall. he's 15 years old. meanwhile, a woman from africa now holds the record for the most skips over a person's own hair in 30 seconds. >> also on that list these two pets were the fastest five meters on a scooter by a dog and a cat. and finally our series "america strong" is highlighting good people doing good things, and this young man is a great example. >> yesterday we showed you this video of the great catch at the phillies game. well, he realized a little girl nearby was trying to get the ball as well and was very upset. >> so he made her day and gave her the ball. >> when i looked to my left, i see her crying and i'm just thinking in my head like i can't keep the ball. just do nice things for people. don't be a mean person because you have people say phillies fans they're not really the nicest people. and i'm just like just be a nice person. >> just be a nice person.

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ikea. >> building a better bay area. this is abc 7 news. >> now at 5:00, the future of

booster shots in america. it is a third shot safe and effective? >> a local school district on the verge of mandating vaccines for students 12 and up. the steps it is taking to convince kids it is safe. >> she is like a sister. my children love her. >> the urgent search for gabby petito. we are hearing from her boyfriend's family. >> let's take a live look outside now. some rain on the way in some parts of the area. when we could expect that wet weather this weekend. >> good morning. it is friday, september 17. you are watching abc him seven mornings. >> happy friday. happy friday. we made it. i know we are excited about the potential of rain. >> i am excited about the timing. most of us will be inside saturday