right now on "america this morning" -- two major developments in the fight against the omicron variant. israel, rolling out a fourth covid vaccine shot. will the u.s. follow? >> wo word that the u.s. military is in the works of a new vaccine. americans coast-to-coast, frustrated over the lack of testing. will president biden's new plan be enough? our experts weigh in. safety in the skies. new concern of the rollout of the 5g wireless network. the urgent new warning from boeing and how millions of travelers can be affected. the jonbenet ramsey mystery, back in the news. the new way the police hope to

find the 6-year-old's killer. new hope for the truck driver sentenced to 110 years in prison for this crash. millions have signed a petition to protest the sentence. what is happening now? plus, caught on camera, this horrifying moment as an escalator malfunctions. and the umpire accused of being drunk on the indictment. and the tom brady impersonat impersonator. to the downside of holiday bonuses. it's wednesday, december 22nd. good wednesday morning, everyone. >> we want to begin this morning with the fight against the omicron variant. >> the cdc warns the number of covid infections in the next few weeks could be higher than all of the other peaks we've seen during the pandemic. and even though omicron appears to be less severe, the sheer number of cases could overwhelm

hospitals. california will require health care workers to get a booster shot. and new york city is paying people $100 to get a booster. >> the u.s. army is developing a vaccine that is for all of the variants. defense number 1 wrapped up this month. when it comes to the current vaccines, there's new questions about whether we'll need a fourth shot this winter. this morning, countries around the world are racing to fight the spread of omicron, the highly contagious variant reshaping the pandemic. israel is ready to distribute the fourth dose of the vaccine for people over 60. the prime minister tweeting, as we did with the booster in the delta surge, we intend to be active and groundbreaking. the world will follow us. >> before the rise of omicron, we knew it would need to be one more round of boosters. omicron is very swift spread could be coming here in the next

few months. >> reporter: it appears omicron can evade vaccine. but a booster shot restores protection. the fda is going to authorize pills to treat covid, made by pfizer and merck. that authorization could come as soon as today. >> we all want this to be over. >> reporter: on tuesday, president biden outlined his plans to fight the surging cases, including the deployment of 1,000 military personnel to help in overwhelmed hospitals, and testing sites. and the distribution of 500 million free at-home covid tests. the spike in infections just days before christmas is fueling massive demand for testing. these vehicles snaking around a drive-through testing site in miami. and from new york to los angeles, people waited in these lines for hours. justi >> it's pretty busy in there. it moves. >> reporter: this morning, the white house is offering few

specifics in how the free at-home tests will be distributed. saying americans will be able to order them through a website next month. and that website will be able to handle high demand. reporters pressed the president on whether the shortage of testing is a fiailure for the administration. >> no, it's not. covid is spreading so rapidly. it just happened almost overnight. just in the last month. >> reporter: many health officials are criticizing biden for claiming this surge of cases was not anticipated. >> many of us did predict we would have a winter surge, even though we didn't know the specifics of omicron. and for more than a year, many of us have been calling for a significantly ramped-up home testing that is -- that we were nowhere near. >> reporter: demand for testing is so high right now, chains like cvs and walgreens are limiting the number of at-home tests that customers can buy.

demand for testing has led to reports of price gouging. tests that cost around $20 are being sold for $70 or more online. delta airlines is warning the omicron variant could create disruptions at the airline. it's asking the cdc to shorten the time that fully vaccinated people must isolate after a breakthrough covid infection. the period is ten days. delta wants it lowered to five days. federal investigators are now heading to the scene of a deadly plane crash involving a cessna and a person who was p paragli paragliding. the debris field is extensive. >> reporter: a bizarre midair crash near houston. a small plane colli colli collii paraglider and then plummeted to the ground. the cessna came down with this shooting range. >> i could hear the plane coming over and the motor.

and, boom, i heard the crash. that was probably a half-mile away. >> reporter: one witness said the plane went into a nosedive, crashing 20 feet from where he was standing. >> i heard the engine coming down and i thought it was someone doing test runs. a split-second later i see theco plane go down. >> reporter: the plane was headed to victoria, texas, about 140 miles away. >> there was no smoke. didn't look like gas leaking whatsoever. it was terrifying. >> reporter: investigators say the paraglider's body was found in a nearby neighborhood. and part of the parachute was find ten miles away. paragliding is a sport where a pilot sits in a harness. on average, a paraglider can soar up to 15,000 feet, using wind currents. it's unclear what led to tuesday's collision. local media reported that the

spot was a popular spot for gliders. the ntsb will now investigate. boeing and airbus are urging the biden administration to delay the rollout of the 5g network next month. the new technology could pose a danger but causing interference with the plane's vital instruments. the head of several airlines have riaised concerns that 5g could trigger flight delays. at&t and verizon dismiss the concerns. today is day three of jury deliberations in the kim potter manslaughter trial. the former police officer that shot dauntae wright during a traffic stop. jurors are concerned they may not reach a unanimous decision. stephanie ramos is covering the trial. >> reporter: the jury wanted to know what happens if they cannot agree on a ho taken to get there.

the judge responding by reading them the jury instructions and telling them they need to discuss the case with one another and, quote, deliberate with a view towards reaching agreement. >> the judge has approved a request to remove potter's gun from an evidence box so jurors can hold it. a tow truck driver who was reprocessing a vehicle was shot. a wounded driver was hospitalized and police are looking for two more suspects. police in colorado says dna testing could help solve the murder of jonbenet ramsey. the 6-year-old was found murdered in her family home 25 years ago. boulder police are looking into whether dna test canning be used in the investigation. tests done in 2008 on dna found on jonbenet's clothing pointed to an unexplained third party, not her parents or brother. time, now, for a look at

your wednesday weather. >> good morning. the storm that hit florida with heavy rain and wind on tuesday, going up the coast on wednesday. we're concerned with slippery roads. watch out for icy conditions with light rain and subfreeziin temperatures, outside of the major cities in the northeast. in the west, travelers beware. rain, flooding and mountain snow will be big headaches out there. as we look at your late week forecast, thursday, friday, troubles in the west and the north. in the east and the south, you're looking good. i'm kevin cosgren. coming up, the man who survived a helicopter crash at sea by swimming for 12 hours. >> incredible. first, travel trouble what we are learning about this huge brawl at a major u.s. airport. and a major development as a truck driver is sentenced to 110 years in prison for a deadly

crash tries to get his sentence reduced with the help of millions of people onl

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chaos at the airport in miami. two men were arrested after this brawl with police. an unruly passenger grabbed an airport transportation cart from an employee, and fought officers who arrived on the scene. he faces battery and other charges. another man is charged with trying to pull police away from the first suspect. >> that video is incredible. also caught on camera, a terrifying escalator malfunction on the boston subway system. many riders on the bottom were returning from a patriots football game. nine people were injured and some are suing boston's transit authority and a contractor who recently performed maintenance

on the escalator. we have an update on the truck driver that's inspiredd millions of people to sign a petition to get his sentence reduced after a deadly crash in californk colorado. the prison sentence and the truck driver responsible for this pileup, is being reconsidered. a jury considered him for the wreck when his big rig slammed into dozens of stopped cars, killing four people. he claimed the brakes failed. but the jury found him guilty on 42 counts, includng vehicular homicide, leading to the prison sentence of more than a century. >> i don't know why. >> reporter: he made a passionate plea at his hearing. but the judge said his hands were tied because of minimum sentencing laws in the state. now, nearly 5 million people have sipped a petition calling

the punishment unfair. truckers are threatening to stop moving goods to and from colorado. and kim kardashian tweeted, saying she is praying that the governor commutes his sentence. >> they are adding their name to the petition. >> reporter: the prosecutors in the case, have faced criticism for celebrating the conviction, while making a trophy out of a truck brake shoe. now, the district attorney has filed a motion, asking for a reconsidering of the sentencing. his attorney says he deserves a sentence that matches similar cases. >> what people are facing for this type of case. anything from six months to two years is what they are facing. >> families of the crash victims call the 110-year sentence appropriate under the law and say they are the real victims. coming up, foul play. the umpire who apparently had too much to drink before a game.

also ahead, a surprise in the mail. a box full of cash shows up in one man's office. a letter inside and the lingering history. [upbeat pop music throughout] [upbeat pop music throughout] clerk: hello, how can i? sore throat pain? ♪honey lemon♪ try vicks vapocool drops. in honey lemon chill. for fast-acting sore throat relief. wooo vaporize sore throat pain with vicks vapocool drops.

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he told reporters, my time to die hasn't come yet. >> incredible story of survival. back in this country the humane society in nebraska has removed nearly 600 animals from one home near omaha including exotic birds and snakes. many of the animals were in poor health. charges are pending against the man who lives there. a perfectly preserved fossil of a baby dinosaur still in its egg is offering new clues about the evolution of birds. the 66-million-year-old skeleton is being studied in china. scientists say there are many similarities to a bird including the dinosaur's posture. >> that's pretty cool too. we turn now to a surprise in the mail. a college here in new york received a box full of cash, lots and lots of cash, and now there's a mystery everyone wants to solve. >> i've never seen this kind of money before in my life. >> reporter: dr. vinod menon,

chair of the physics department at the city college of new york opened this package recently and got the surprise of his life. >> it was bubble wrapped. i opened the bubble wrap and there was all this money. >> reporter: the box sat there for nearly a year unopened and unsecured. inside, stacks of 50 and $100 bills. a grand total of $180,000. >> i close the thing up, held it on my chest, called up the dean. >> reporter: dr. memon had not been in his classroom since march of 2020. when he finally returned there it was, a cardboard box mailed in the fall of 2020. the sender, a mystery. the package does have a return address, but a person by that name at that address in florida does not exist, and a letter inside the box offers only one obvious clue. the donor is apparently a former student. the letter thanks the school for the excellent opportunity that led to a long, productive, immensely rewarding scientific career. >> the person doesn't want to come forward. i respect their decision to do so. >> reporter: the physics and

math department have now decided to use the money to award two full undergraduate tuition scholarships worth $7,500 for the next 12 years. >> it is wonderful in so many ways. >> the fbi was notified just to make sure that everything was legit. in sports the nfl played games on a tuesday for just the fourth time since 1948. the rams were trailing the seahawks until cooper kupp caught two touchdown passes leading l.a. to a 20-10 win and in the other game, the eagles beat washington, 27-17. now, an adult beverage at a baseball game isn't usually a problem unless you're the this ump in mexico was removed by his colleagues because they thought he was drunk. he was stumbling and making obscene gestures to the crowd. coming up, quite possibly the most outrageous divorce settlement we've ever seen. also ahead, how a man looking to profit off tom brady was caught red-handed.

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♪ time to check "the pulse." we begin with holiday bonuses. it is nice to get one. there is a downside. >> it turns out that americans have been quitting their jobs in record numbers. we've heard this. but experts say some holiday bonuses will only make that problem worse. some are predicting a second great resignation. the first due to the pandemic and people changing their priorities. >> now, people are making new year's resolutions. and some say with extra cash in hand, more americans will be saying, i quit. next, a divorce settlement unlike any other. >> a british judge has ordered the ruler of dubai to pay his ex-wife $730 million. the daughter of the king of

jordan fled to the u.k. in 2019. and it offers a glimpse at their lifestyle. >> it includes $15 million a year for security. $350,000 to just maintain show horses. and the list of expenses, we learned the couple once spent $2 million on strawberries. >> i price check on the grocery store to give them back. next, a man trying to profit from tom brady's name is busted for fraud. >> the new jersey man bought a ring from another member of the patriots. he used that order for more of them, clamg iming he was gettin them for brady's family. >> he sold one ring for $330,000. now, he's facing up to 92 years in prison. next, an eye-crashing holiday display outside of new york city. >> it brings a song to life.

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omicron. governor newsom announcing sweeping new state actions. >> the organizers of this gathering did everything right. >> a north bay omicron outbreak at a fully vaccinated holiday party. leaders seeking -- taking steps to ensure this is not a sign of what is to come. reggie: a slippery commute, standing water in a lot of spots. tracking it all. you are watching abc seven mornings live. mike: good morning. we are off this marathon run of wet weather started last night. the heaviest of this batch is over. the unfortunate news is that there is a lot of standing water

this morning.