>> right now on "america this morning," breaking news. the new announcement about covid vaccines and booster shots and the johnson & johnson shot. the new data this morning. plus, the big city mayor caught dancing in a club without a mask violating the city mandate. how she's defending her actions. breaking overnight, new developments in the gabby petito case. the 22-year-old missing after a road trip with her boyfriend. this morning for the first time a park ranger who saw gabby just before her disappearance explains what she saw and what was so troubling. developing news from the cia. new concerns about the mysterious illness known as havana syndrome affecting dozens of americans overseas. now there's word that someone traveling with the cia director has fallen ill. new details overnight about

the investigation into this video. u.s. border agents in texas on horseback confronting migrants while appearing to use horse reins as whips. the response this morning. a major new test for the controversial abortion law in texas. our legal expert explains what is next. and from the new season of "dancing with the stars" to peyton manning making news during monday night football to a big surprise at your local car dealership, it's tuesday, september 21st. ♪ beep, beep and beep, beep, yeah ♪ good tuesday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii. mona is off. we begin with the breaking news about covid vaccine booster shots. johnson & johnson releasing new data this morning. >> the company says a second shot of its vaccine dramatically increases the vaccine's

effectively. >> it comes just one day after new data concerning the pfizer vaccine and kids as young as 5 years old. abc's ike ejiochi is here with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, andrea. millions of more americans are one step closer to being eligible for the covid vaccine. this morning, a critical step in getting more americans vaccinated. pfizer announcing its vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5 through 11 after testing the vaccine on more than 2,200 young participants. pfizer says the vaccine causes minimal side effects and the dose is one-third of the amount given to people 22 and older. >> it's always a challenge in clinical trials. ultimately i think this doesn't really matter that much. what matters is if you're 11 or 12, you're going to be betting the dose that is safe and effective. >> reporter: and breaking news on the johnson & johnson vaccine. the company announcing new

results from its booster trial saying a second shot of its vaccine dramatically increases its effectiveness. figures show the two states with the highest vaccination rates now have the lowest number of covid hospitalizations, massachusetts and vermont. in washington state, the governor is now requesting federal staffing to support overwhelmed hospitals. vaccination rates are high in washington, but officials say a lack of staff is adding to the strain along with an influx of patients coming from neighboring idaho. >> any help is going to be good. our staff is stressed. they are overworked. ♪ >> reporter: in california, the mayor of san francisco is defending this moment caught on camera. she was seen inside a nightclub dancing and singing without a mask, despite the city's indoor mask mandate. >> when you go to a restaurant, do you sip and put your mask on,

sip and put your mask on? the reality is what we're asking people to do is go out, enjoy our city, but also be mindful that covid is still out there. >> reporter: meanwhile, big news when it comes to foreign travel. the white house says foreigners will be able to fly into the u.s. again starting in november if they show proof of vaccination and a negative covid test. however, the new policy does not include travel from canada or mexico. andrea? >> okay, ike. thank you. now to the growing mystery surrounding the gabby petito case. she's the 22-year-old last seen on a road trip with her boyfriend who is now missing. we have several developments this morning including what a search warrant turned up and what a park ranger in utah saw just before gabby's disappearance. the investigation into the gabby petito case taking another dramatic turn as new evidence reveals growing tensions between gabby and her boyfriend brian laundrie. >> and it's so sad because she might be alive today. >> reporter: on monday the fbi swarmed laundrie's family home in florida one day after agents

in wyoming found human remains believed to be petito. police are calling laundrie a person of interest in her disappearance after he returned from the couple's cross-country road trip on september 1st without gabby. laundrie refused to speak to investigators and has not been seen since last tuesday. the former host of "america's most wanted" john walsh accuses laundrie's family of enabling him. >> when he showed back up with her van and he laid around the house for ten days, he could have scrubbed that van. i bet the fbi didn't find much in that van. >> reporter: now a search warrant is revealing the odd final text message to her mother. can you help stan? i just keep getting his voice mails and missed calls. that's gabby's grandfather and it shows there appeared to be more and more tension between her and laundrie. in the meantime, authorities released the 911

call made when someone claimed to have seen a domestic dispute between the couple days before gabby was last seen. the caller says he saw laundrie slapping gabby. >> we drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl. >> he was slapping her? >> yes, and then we stopped, they ran up and down the sidewalk. he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off. >> reporter: but that report appears to contradict the police report, which says no one reported that the male struck the female to the officers. >> it just was chilling to see that those cops didn't get the information that the person who called in was so concerned that he pulled over a tourist, and called 911 because he saw this guy beating the heck out of gabby. this is classic domestic abuse. he's terrorized her not to tell the cops that he was the aggressor, the slapper and puncher. >> reporter: and now a park rarng w ranger who responded to that 911 call is speaking out. she says she warned gabby that her relationship with brian seemed toxic. melissa hulls tells "the deseret

news," i was imploring with her to re-evaluate the relationship asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path. hulls adding, this wasn't a good day for anybody. we thought we were making the right decision when we left them. the attorney for the laundrie family had scheduled a news conference for today but said he canceled it after speaking to the fbi. breaking overnight, another reported case of havana syndrome. this time coming close to the head of the cia. sources say an intelligence officer experienced symptoms and needed medical attention while traveling with cia director william burns to india. cnn was first to report the incident, which reportedly angered burns. it's not clear if the delegation was targeted. a similar incident involving americans in vietnam last month forced vice president kamala harris to delay her flight. previous victims have reported neurological symptoms possibly consistent with microwave energy. president biden addresses the u.n. general assembly to address covid and climate

changes. his speech comes amid growing fallout from the afghanistan withdrawal and a submarine deal with australia that has angered the french. the u.n. is asking world leaders to be vaccinated. a mobile vaccination clinic has been set up, but the president of brazil is not vaccinated. he was seen eating pizza outside of a restaurant in new york where proof of vaccination is needed to eat indoors. now to the crisis on the border and growing outrage over border patrol agents on horses confronting migrants trying to enter the u.s. it comes as u.s. officials vow to ramp up deportation flights. this morning, new details after this video showed u.s. border patrol agents on horseback charging at migrants trying to enter the u.s. from mexico. an agent can be seen here using what appeared to be long reins in a whipping motion to force one migrant back. the images now prompting an outcry in washington. >> i can't imagine what the scenario is where that would be appropriate. it's obviously horrific, the footage.

>> reporter: overnight the department of homeland security launching an investigation tweeting, the full investigation which will be conducted swiftly will define the appropriate disciplinary actions to be taken. more than 14,000 mostly haitian migrants have already crossed the rio grande and are being held under this bridge near del rio, texas, in squalid conditions. authorities now working to process all of them as homeland security steps up deportation flights to haiti. >> our borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey. if you come to the united states illegally, you will be returned. >> reporter: the dhs secretary defending the deportations under the trump era title 42, which allows for the expulsion of migrants due to covid concerns. the biden administration is exempting unaccompanied minors and many families. texas governor greg abbott blames the crisis on the biden administration and has requested a federal emergency declaration. time now for a look at your uesday weather.

despite dangerous fire conditions in northern california, the giant trees in sequoia national park have been saved thanks to fire-resistant wrapping at their bases. two fires burning in that area have burned 80 square miles. most of the eastern u.s. gets some rain today and strong storms could cause flash flooding around the eastern great lakes. it'll be dry from the plains to the west coast and checking today's high temperatures on this last full day of summer, 88 in los angeles, only 68 in denver, 85 in miami. coming up, a major test for the new abortion law in texas. also ahead, what we're learning about the damage from that volcanic eruption on an island in the atlantic. and later, caught on camera, the race car driver behind the wheel when the gas pedal gets stuck.

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more than 100 homes have been destroyed by lava from the volcano erupting on the spanish island of la palma in the atlantic. 5,500 residents have been evacuated. there are concerns about lava reaching the ocean, which could form plumes of toxic steam. back in this country the first major test for the new abortion law in texas. two lawsuits have been filed against an abortion doctor who admits violating the law. here's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning a texas doctor who admits defying the state's new abortion law is now facing two lawsuits which are the first known challenges under the constitutional law. dr. alan braid opened the door to the lawsuits when he told "the washington post," i acted

because i had a duty of care to this patient, as i do for all patients and because she has a fundamental right to receive this care. the two plaintiffs are disbarred attorneys from out of state and neither claim to be anti-abortion. one was previously convicted of tax fraud in arkansas. >> in some ways this is a plaintiff who makes perfect sense in light of the way the law is drafted. no connection to the issue, no connection to the parties, no connection as far as we can tell from the complaint to texas at all and yet may well have the ability the way the law is drafted to go to court and to have the court actually hear his case. >> reporter: the new law bans abortions once a heartbeat can be detected in the embryo, which is typically six weeks before many women know they're pregnant. the law calls for private citizens to report anyone who helps a woman get an abortion and rewards them with $10,000 for reporting the crime. the supreme court's roe v. wade decision in 1973 gave women the right to choose an abortion up to generally around 24 weeks.

dr. braid writing, i believe abortion is an essential part of health care. i have spent the past 50 years treating and helping patients. i can't just sit back and watch us return to 1972. >> this texas prohibition on abortion after about six weeks is clearly unconstitutional, right? no one disputes that, even texas admits the law is unconstitutional under roe versus wade and planned parenthood versus casey. the question is when this u.s. supreme court has before it this law or a law like it whether it will change the constitutional law of abortion. >> reporter: dr. braid could be fined at least $10,000 if he is found guilty. meanwhile, the supreme court has agreed to take up a different abortion case regarding a mississippi law. oral arguments in that case are now scheduled for december 1st. andrew, andrea. >> megan, thank you. and coming up, the sticker shock at car dealerships. this time it might be good news. also ahead, "jeopardy!" host

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and she's discussing the firestorm surrounding the show. mike richards stepped down as host after his previous comments surfaced which some called offensive. bialik is now sharing hosting duties with ken jennings. in an essay for "newsweek" she says she doesn't wish ill on complexity of these situations is not something that can be summed up easily. >> there's been a dark cloud over "jeopardy!" ever since this whole mike richards debacle. mayim bialik is saying, i'm well aware of the drama, but let's move past that and lets honor the legacy of this iconic show. >> richards was also fired as top producer. okay, we turn now to a quick way to make some big cash. this may be the best time ever to sell your car. this morning, the pandemic and a shortage of computer chips and other car parts are driving up values in the used car market to historic highs. more owners are now selling back their used cars to the

dealerships for more than the original sticker price. >> when i left the dealership it almost felt like i had just gotten in on an under the table deal or something. i can remember calling my boyfriend and being like this feels too good to be true. >> reporter: evan mabie bought his car last year and 15 months later the dealership offered to buy it back. abc's gio benitez spoke to one dealer who says the lack of new car inventory has forced them to do whatever they can to ride out the shortage. >> has that changed your business model at all? >> i mean, it definitely has. one of the things we're looking at is being able to buy used cars from customers who may have extra cars in the family. >> that's interesting because before this happened you were selling a lot of new cars. now you're really focusing on we need to get inventory so we can sell these cars to people. >> exactly. >> reporter: the key to getting the most money, no surprise here, your vehicle needs to be clean and in above average condition.

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says she just wants to move forward from that. >> "the karate kid" actor martin kove is at the bottom after this performance last night. next to controversy involving amazon. the cameras in amazon trucks are costing drivers money. >> the technology running those cameras is reportedly penalizing drivers for mistakes other drivers make, for example, when amazon drivers get cut off the technology thinks they were driving too close and data helps determine driver bonuses. peyton manning made news during his monday night football broadcast with brother eli. >> peyton revealed during his playing days he took extreme measures to keep secrets from his top rival, the patriots. >> every time i played against new england i used to go and talk to my receivers like in the shower in the far corner, i'm like, don't talk about a play next to my locker because i know it's bugged. i know it's got a hot mic in there. >> manning's former coach says they did not discuss much strategy at the patriots stadium.

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checking the top story, a johnson & johnson is out on data with booster shots. a second shot dramatically increases its effectiveness. their booster shot data is now being reviewed by the fda and cdc. update on the body believed to be gabby petito. 22-year-old missing since going on a road trip with her boyfriend. the fbi is poring over evidence taken from the florida home that petito shared with her boyfriend brian laundrie also missing. police say two students shot at this high school in newport news, virginia, monday likely know their attacker. a male was hit in the face and a female hit in the leg. the suspect is under arrest. no word on a motive. today's weather, rain for most of the he's.

the heaviest over the southeast. sunny and dry from the midwest to the pacific coast. and finaly, you don't have to be a human to be "america strong." >> will ganss tells us about a golden retriever helping firefighters on the front lines. >> do i sleep? not really. i think about how i can help firefighters. >> reporter: kerith is a 3-year-old golden retriever on a mission to comfort first responders. >> firefighter wives and husbands and kids who thank me for seeing pictures and videos of their family members i put on social media. it's just so cool. >> reporter: like here at the caldor fire base camp with this group in south lake tahoe or at the dixie firebase camp in chico, california. >> it's so heartwarming. it makes me teary and feel so proud about what i'm doing. >> reporter: her human carmen says the pup has always loved firefighters. and they love her back. >> this one firefighter i saw

said is that kareth and she went like this and started crying. she said, i am so happy to see her and to finally meet her. >> reporter: they take their jobs seriously. >> they're the helpers. they're the ones who help us and they don't ask for help and they need to ask for help. >> reporter: what might be hard to say to a human, kerith just seems to understand. >> she loves firefighters so i decided i would launch a nonprofit to help her love them. we created a certification, a whole process so people could become first responder therapy dogs because there's such a need, and we have, like, 12 teams. >> reporter: on wednesday they are going to sequoia national forest to meet the first responders working there. for more info, check her out on instagram at kerith, the golden retriever. andrew, andrea? >> her instagram is absolutely adorable. >> more than 15,000 followers of which i am one.

>> that's what's making news in america this morning. right now on "america this morning, breaking news, a new announcement about covid vaccines and booster shot, this time concerning the johnson & johnson shot. the new data this morning. plus, the big city mayor caught dancing in a club without a mask violating the city mandate defends her actions. breaking overnight, new developments in the gabby petito case. the 22-year-old missing after a road trip with her boyfriend. this morning for the first time a park ranger who saw gabby just before her disappearance explains what she saw and what was so troubling. developing news from the cia. new concerns about the mysterious illness known as havana syndrome affecting dozens of americans overseas. now there's word that someone traveling with the cia director has fallen ill. new details overnight about the investat