right now on "america this morning," guilty on all counts. r&b superstar r. kelly is convicted of sex trafficking he to prey on minors. this morning what his former bodyguard is saying and what's next for kelly. a new legal ruling on vaccine mandates for public school workers. as more hospitals enforce vaccine mandates, why the real concern may be in nursing homes. an historic decision by ford revving up investment and creating jobs. what the automaker is saying about electric cars. new details in the gabby petito murder case. what we're learning about the search for her boyfriend, brian

laundrie, and what his family is saying. new overnight, basketball superstar lebron james reveals a contract offer from the nfl. and from the story behind this 6-year-old school picture to a big surprise from david letterman to the goats on the lam going buck wild, it's tuesday, september 28th. good tuesday morning, everyone. we begin with singer r. kelly convicted on all counts of his sex trafficking trial. >> this morning his former bodyguard and childhood friend is responding to the verdict. the allegations go back decades with kelly. he was accused of locking girls inside rooms restricting when they could eat or go to the bathroom. >> after nine hours of deliberations the jury reached its decision. this morning, singer r. kelly once a global superstar now faces the possibility of life in prison. a jury finding him guilty in a

federal sex crimes trial where prosecutors said he used his fame to engage in sex trafficking. >> i have pursued many sexual predators who have committed crimes against women and children. of all the predators that i have pursued, however, mr. kelly is the worst. >> reporter: prosecutors accused kelly of recruiting women and girls for sex holding them against their will and threatening them if they misbehaved. the guilty verdict coming on the first full day of deliberations. >>y lirerful message to men like r. kelly. no matter how long it takes, the long arm of the law will catch upwith you. >> reporter: the singer did not testify, instead his lawyers portrayed him as the victim of, quote, groupies and stalkers. >> of course, mr. kelly is disappointed. >> reporter: kelly sat motionless as the verdict was read. he's denied all accusations claiming his innocence in this 2019 interview. >> somebody sent me something on my phone that said that i hog

tied her. i don't know how to hog tie people. why would i hog tie her? this is not me. i'm fighting for my [ bleep ] life. >> reporter: but prosecutors say kelly was able to abuse people for decades because he surrounded himself with enablers and now the sicker's former bodyguard is speaking out telling abc's linsey davis that red flags were missed. >> when you're in your late 20s and certain things, when you look back on it, yeah, you're like, oh, wow, that -- that makes sense. it troubles me. i'm not going to lie about that. certain things that i really can't talk about that i absolutely wish i had foothold and done something about. >> reporter: kelly faces ten years to life in prison when he is sentenced in may. his lawyers say they will appeal. he also faces similar charges in illinois and minnesota. democrats already scrambling to keep president biden's agenda afloat are now racing

to avert a government shutdown. republicans have rejected a bill to keep federal agencies funded past thursday. they're opposed to raising the debt ceiling. meanwhile, as a vote looms on a bipartisan infrastructure bill, democrats are struggling to lower the price tag on a $3.5 trillion spending package. former president obama told abc's robin roberts he agrees that taxing the wealthy is the best way to pay for it. >> they can afford it. we can afford it. i put myself in this category now, and i think anybody who pretends that it's a hardship for billionaires to pay a little bit more in taxes so that a single mom gets child care support or so that we can make unted by wdfir a something about climate change for the next generation, you know, that's an argument that is unsustainable. >> house speaker nancy pelosi is expected to hold a vote on the

infrastructure bill thursday. turning to the pandemic, a new legal ruling on school vaccine mandates. the decision in new york comes amid growing concern about staffing shortages in hospitals because of health care workers refusing to get vaccinated. abc's alex presha is here with more now. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, mona. a major vaccine deadline hit at midnight for new york state health care workers. it's just the latest vaccine mandate taking effect across the country. [ crowd chanting ] this morning across new york, thousands of health care workers face termination over the state's vaccine mandate. the deadline was midnight. the vast majority of the state's health care workers are vaccinated, but a vocal minority, 16% aren't. >> i'm worried about nursing home staffing. one in five nursing aides have refused to get the vaccine. >> reporter: the governor saying it's a significant deadline. >> it reflects my priority to stop this virus dead in its tracks. we are over it. we are done.

we want to move on, and the only way we can do that is to ensure that everyone is vaccinated. >>orr:nd new ymaate. rorurt decision carhe way for the for ffhe a5: p.ent a deadline similar mandates taking effect across the country. a north carolina health care system fired around 175 staff for being unvaccinated. united airlines has a mandate that goes into effect in a matter of days. now at least seven employees suing to block it from taking effect. and nba star kyrie irving noticeably not at his team's media day in brooklyn on monday, espn reporting it was due to the new york city protocols. irving declining to discuss his vaccination status. president joe biden got his booster shot and urged the millions unvaccinated to get their first shots. >> it can save your life. it can save the lives of those around you, and it's easy, accessible, and it's free. >> reporter: as eligible

americans roll up their sleeves for the pfizer booster, the cdc director trying to calm concerns. >> walk, don't run to your booster appointment and we will come and get -- look at the data for moderna and j&j in very short order. >> reporter: and this delta variant continues to affect children. last week the u.s. recorded its fifth consecutive week of more than 200,000 new pediatric cases. mona. >> alex presha, thank you. more than $50,000 in reward money is being offered as authorities in florida search for anrun since friday. he shot deputy joshua moyers during a traffic stop. the local sheriff says residents should be prepared to protect themselves from mcdowell any way they can. >> if you're in a home and he breaks in your home and you have a gun, blow him out the door because he's like a rabid animal. he will kill you. >> mcdowell's father says his

son suffers from ptsd. the fbi says the number of murders in the u.s. rose by nearly 30% last year compared to the previous year. that's a record increase. experts say people not going to work during the pandemic and a surge in gun sales were two major factors. a historic announcement by ford. the automaker is creating more than 10,000 jobs to build electric cars. it's building four new factories, the biggest ever manufacturing investment in ford's history. the company says by 2030 electric vehicles will be 40% of its sales. we're learning the names of two more people killed in saturday's amtrak derailment in montana. our station in jacksonville, florida, says don and marjorie varnadoe were on a cross-country trip celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. an illinois man was also killed. investigators say the train was traveling just below the speed limit. they're studying the black box and camera footage in hopes of learning why it derailed. >> time now for a look at your tuesday weather.

storms have been rolling through the northwest. this downpour was in tacoma, washington. a possible tornado was reported north of portland, oregon. now, that weather system has been no help to fire crews battling this wildfire near sequoia national park in california. more than 130 square miles have burned. and looking at the radar, rain is also expected today in the rockies and the southwest and heavy rain is possible from san antonio to houston. checking today's high temperatures, hot in the plains, 70s near the great lakes and in the northeast. coming up, the new step being taken to address a major gas shortage overseas. also ahead, the urgent search for a missing college student from florida. the man police called a person of interest turns up dead. and later, truthfully, it's frustrating to see how fast dust reappears. but dusting with a cloth is a pain. and dealing with a bulky vacuum.. . is such a hassle.

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back now with long lines at gas stations across the uk. the shortages are blamed on a lack of delivery truck drivers and fallout from brexit. the british military is now on standby to supply drivers for fuel trucks. costco is the latest retailer trying to head off delays by renting its own container ships. now, the company has chartered three ships to import products from asia as it faces supply chain problems and rising costs triggered by the pandemic. home depot and walmart are doing the same amid fears that shipping backlogs could cause big delays this holiday season. a new twist in the search for a missing college student from florida. a man described as a person of interest has been found dead. abc's megan tevrizian has the latest. >> reporter: this morning the urgent search to find a 19-year-old college sophomore from florida missing since friday. >> miya, this message is for you. i know you're alive.

i know you're out there. we love you. >> reporter: miya marcano, a student at valencia college, was last seen at this apartment complex in orlando where she lives and works. >> she would never not be in contact with them, would never >>epte t ce took a unexpected turn yesterday when a man police described as a person of interest, armando manuel caballero, was found dead from an apparent suicide. caballero was a maintenance man at the same apartment complex where marcano works. >> he had demonstrated a romantic interest in miya. this was repeatedly rebuffed by miya. >> reporter: authorities say caballero entered marcano's apartment with a maintenance issued key 30 minutes before she finished her shift, and they say he had no work-related reason to enter. >> we're still trying to investigate all the circumstances behind this. >> reporter: marcano's family

remains hopeful she's alive. >> miya, any time something should happen, fight, because we have your back. we cherish you. you are the family's princess. we miss you. >> reporter: authorities say they suspect foul play. a $5,000 reward is being offered for a tip leading to marcano's safe return. andrew, mona. >> megan, thank you. and new developments in the gabby petito murder case. the fbi is scaling back the search for petito's boyfriend brian laundrie at a nature reserve near his family's home. in a new statement laundrie's family said they don't know where brian is, and they deny helping him avoid police. coming up, from basketball to football, lebron james reveals an offer he receivedl. but first thot ronald r big win in ronald r big win in court.'ve got that story coming] .

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unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. wback, now, with an out-of-control truck, crossing several lanes of traffic without hitting another vehicle. the truck stopped in another building. this happened in australia. no one was injured. it was unclear why that driver lost control. back in this country, the dea is warning about a sharp increase of fake prescription drugs with fentanyl and meth. there were pills that were made to look like real medications on

the black market. the dea wants social media platforms to crack down on drug sales. a senate hearing inspired by britney spears is scheduled on capitol hill. lawmakers are looking how to reform conservatorships, like the one spears' father used to control her life and finances. the documentary accuses him of spying on spears in her bedroom. an accusation that her lawyer says requires investigation. we look at john hinckley, the man who tried to assassinate ronald reagan. he was released from a psychiatric hospital years ago. but the latest decision is coming under fire, including from reagan's daughter. growing backlash over a judge's decision to release would-be assassin john hinckley jr. hinckley shot president ronald reagan, press secretary james brady and two others. a jury found him guilty, releasing him to a psychiatric

institution. a judge ruled that the 66-year-old can be free from all restrictions next year. the ruling came after his attorney said his client no longer poses a threat. >> there's been a multitude of risk assessments. and the risk of danger is exceedingly low. >> reporter: in response, ronald reagan's daughter, patty davis, writing, i don't believe that john hinckley feels remorse. narcissists rarely do. he and his attorney have worked the system from the beginning. and finding a judge that was sympathetic to them made this day inevitable. and the ronald reagan foundization saying, it's saddened by the court's plan. our hope is that the justice department will file a motion with the court, leading to a reversal of this decision. according to his lawyer, hinckley has been volunteering at a church and sellingfleafleaa he's selling his music on youtube. ♪ it's a long way where i'm going ♪ ♪ but i'm on my way ♪ >> reporter: after the judge's

decision, hinckley's lawyer called it, quote, a great day for mental health. >> what i believe to be the important message in this case, that people that have disease. they can achieve mental stability and become productive members of society. >> hinckley's release could have come sooner. but the judge decided to wait until next year because his mother died and his therapist is retiring. in sports, the cowboys put away the eagles, for returning an interception for a touchdown. dallas won 41-21. >> during the game, we learned that lebron james once considered jumping to the nfl. he confirmed during peyton and eli manning's "monday night football" broadcast, that the cowboys offered him a contract in 2011. he said the seahawks expressed interest. he played football in high school. not all that surprising. coming up, a surprise from david letterman.

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and is 2x more absorbent, so you can use less. bounty, the quicker picker upper. ♪ time to check "the pulse." we begin with animals gone wild. >> we start in atlanta, a prime place for grazing. dozens of goats were on the loose. they had been hired to eat some brush near a supermarket. they escaped their enclosure. good samaritans shepherded them back to where they belong. zebras are still on the run after a month. their speed makes them tough to catch. one was caught on camera running across the road at night. the first grader that always

listens to mom. >> his mom posted his picture on facebook, saying she was shocked that he wore the mask in the photo. mason was told to remove his mask. but he said, no thank you. i always listen to my mom. good kid right there. an unexpected visitor at the media day event at the brooklyn mets. >> it was david letterman, taking on the role of an nba reporter, throwing some curve balls to kevin durant. take a listen. >> why do people call you k.d.? >> my first name is kevin. my last name is durant. >> when you play the pelicans, does it make you giggle? >> yeah. >> no word on why letterman was there or if durant was in on the joke. finally, a special treat in times square. historic open night at the metropolitan opera. >> the curtain went up for the first time in 18 months. and there was a free simulcast outdoors in times square and harlem. >> the performance made historic

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and make the everyday...e. checking the top stories. joint chiefs chairman mark milley will appear before congress to talk about the withdrawal from afghanistan. lawmakers will talk to him about claims that he was so concerned that donald trump would call a military strike, that he called the top general in china. the u.s. is condemning a new missile launch by north korea. the u.s. says the missile was launched from a submarine, matching what south korea did two weeks ago. wells fargo is paying a $37 million fine for allegedly overcharging hundreds of commercial customers. the bank offered incentives for the fraudulent charges. today's weather -- rain in the northwest and in the southern rockies. thunderstorms across texas and showers along the east coast. hot in the plains. and finally, the world war

ii veteran finally meeting his pen pal. >> will ganss has the latest story for our "america strong" series. >> reporter: 12 years ago, a third grader wrote this letter to frank. dear world war ii veteran, if it wasn't for you, we would never have dream. your friend, dashawna priest. they wrote back to dashawna, not knowing if she got it. frank kept his letter all this time. july wanted to do something special. >> they had been looking for her. i don't know. it popped in my head. maybe i can find her. >> reporter: jill, tracking her down. now, 21 years old and only about an hour from where frank and dee live. she serves herself in the army national guard. >> yes. >> honest to god. oh. i love you so much. >> we looked for you for 12

years. >> reporter: dashawna, revealing she kept the letter that frank sent her. spending 2 1/2 hours getting to know one another. >> frank said in his interview, she is like a third daughter to me. >> reporter: the story of the 95-year-old veteran and the 21-year-old who wrote him a letter in third grade, and the woman who brought them together. >> i never thought i would see you. never. >> i'm trying very hard to keep it together right now. what do you makes a person strong? >> keeping a positive attitude through everything that's thrown at you in life. frank said, i couldn't leave this world without knowing where she was and she was okay. you know, caring about someone that you don't know. >> i really do. >> reporter: frank and dashawna talk all the time. and on veterans day, they recognize the vets. this year, dashawna plans to give frank his pin. and she can't wait to introduce

him to her son. andrew? right now on "america this morning," guilty on all counts. r&b superstar r. kelly is convicted of sex trafficking after years of allegations that he used his fame and influence to prey on minors. this morning what his former bodyguard is saying and what's next for kelly. a new legal ruling on vaccine mandates for public school workers. as more hospitals enforce vaccine mandates, why the real concern may be in nursing homes. an historic decision by ford revving up investment and creating jobs. what the automaker is saying about electric cars. new details in the gabby petito murder case. what we're learning about the search for her boyfriend, brian