right now on "america this morning," ghislaine maxwell convicted. >> justice has been done. >> jeffrey epstein's former companion facing decades behind bars after a jury found her guilty of sex trafficking. the survivors reacting overnight as we hear from maxwell's family. severe storms on the move. major damage reported overnight in the south where multiple suspected tornadoes hit. this all coming amid holiday travel chaos as flight cancellations climb due to crew shortages. one airline saying to expect disruptions for weeks. worse than ever. the nation now averaging more covid infections than at any point in the pandemic. the world health organization's new warning about omicron and delta and what health experts are saying about celebrating on

new year's. plus, breaking overnight, a tiger mauls a worker at a florida zoo. the latest from the scene. and the knicks win the game but are foiled by a typo. can you spot what's wrong with this jersey? and taylor swift's legal request. why she's asking a judge to just shake it off on this thursday, december 30th. ♪ i'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake it off, shake it off ♪ good thursday morning, everyone. we begin with new reaction on the guilty verdict for ghislaine maxwell. the close confidante of jeffrey epstein. >> the victims in her sex trafficking case say they are grateful for the verdict. prosecutors dade she recruited underage girls to be abused by jeffrey epstein. her defense team is vowing to appeal her conviction. >> but this morning maxwell

faces what amounts to the rest of her life in prison. this morning, prosecutors are calling it a, quote, great day for justice after a jury found ghislaine maxwell guilty on five of six federal charges including the sex trafficking of minors. the 60-year-old maxwell showed no reaction when the verdict was read before two u.s. marshals walked her out of the courtroom. she now faces up to 65 years behind bars. >> a unanimous jury has found ghislaine maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable. facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children. crimes that she committed with her longtime partner and co-conspirator jeffrey epstein. >> reporter: it's a stunning fall from grace for the british socialite who once rubbed elbows with world leaders and royalty. the longtime companion of jeffrey epstein was described by prosecutors as his partner in crime. the government accusing her of being a serial predator who helped epstein sexually abuse

underage girls arguing she lured young girls to epstein's homes and invited them to give him explicit massages managing the details to the lotion and oils. at the heart of the prosecution's case, four accusers, who say they were recruited and groomed by maxwell when they were teenagers. one accuser only known by carolyn saying satisfaction with maxwell's conviction is tempered by the knowledge that the other co-conspirators have yet to be held responsible for their involvement in jeffrey epstein's extraordinary criminal enterprise. her defense claiming she was being used as a scapegoat for epstein in an attempt to discredit other accusers claiming they were motivated by money. maxwell's family releasing a statement overnight saying, quote, we believe firmly in our sister's innocence and a defense attorney for maxwell speaking outside the court after the verdict. >> we have already started

working on the appeal and we are confident she will be vindicated. >> a sentencing date has not been set. the other big story, severe weather racing across parts of the south. at least two suspected tornadoes hit alabama where new video shows significant damage in the town of winfield. most of the damage appears to be in the downtown business district, but a few homes were also hit by the storm. eight people were trapped in a pizza bar after a roof collapsed. but no injuries are being reported. a closer look at the forecast coming up in just a few minutes. the severe weather and the nation's covid surge are creating a one-two punch resulting in travel chaos this holiday week. airlines have already canceled hundreds of today's flights. that's after a week of over a thousand flights per day being scratched. jetblue is proactively reducing its schedule through january 13th citing rising covid cases. flight attendants say it's all making a difficult situation that much worse. >> we are seeing a lot of people who are out sick but also people

whose anxiety is rising again. it's really adding a lot of stress and strain all the way around. >> seattle's sea-tac airport has had the highest number of canceled flights in the world fr two straight days. that's led alaska airlines to urge people taking nonessential trips to postpone their plans. >> that surge disrupting travel pushed new cases nationwide to nearly 280,000 per day, an all-time high. nearly 2 million americans tested positive this week. that's about three people every second, and there's growing concern about another spike as the country celebrates the new year. abc's em nguyen has the latest from washington. em, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. mona. yeah, the fda has actually authorized two new over-the-counter at home covid-19 tests. one manufactured by seimen's was given the okay and another on christmas eve. this will bring tens of millions

of new tests in the united states amid another growing wave of covid-19 cases. this morning a tsunami of new covid-19 cases. in the last week alone the u.s. seeing 1.9 million new cases meaning around three people test positive for the virus every second across the country. the u.s. averaging 277,000 new cases a day, more than at any other point during the pandemic. the white house reporting a 126% increase in cases over the last two weeks. new york state seeing another record-breaking day with more than 67,000 new covid cases. health experts predict daily cases across the country will climb even higher. dr. jha telling cnn -- >> no doubt we'll at least half a million. we might hit a million a day. >> reporter: now more than

84,000 americans including edgar and marilyn are in the hospital with covid. >> when i breathe it hurts. when i cough it hurts. >> reporter: the silver lining hospitalizations remain lower than previous surges though the rate of admission mostly due to kids not being vaccinated. >> with the sheer number of infections we are going to see unfortunately pressure on our hospital systems. >> reporter: covid testing lines wrap around blocks for hours in some parts of the country as the shortage of tests persists. >> i've been waiting here for about two hours now. >> reporter: this as the cdc and dr. anthony fauci defend the agency's decision to shorten its recommended isolation time for asymptomatic covid patients from ten days to five without requiring a negative covid test. >> you can get people safely back out in a five-day period so long as they wear a mask if they are without symptoms. >> reporter: early data suggests the rapid antigen tests may have reduced sensitivity to the omicron variant though they still do detect it, this as the

white house helps prepare over 500 million at home tests for any american who wants one though they're likely not going to be available till mid-january. >> em, thank you. president biden and vladimir putin have scheduled a phone call for this afternoon at putin's request. it would be their second conversation this month aimed at defusing tensions over ukraine. up to 100,000 russian troops are still massed along the ukrainian border raising fears of an invasion. the state department has reiterated u.s.' support for ukraine's independence and asking the supreme court to hear its case seeking to end the trump era remain in mexico policy. the request comes after an appeals court ruled that it was illegal to terminate the policy which requires migrants to stay in mexico and not enter the u.s. while their applications for asylum are being processed. all right. time now for a look at your thursday forecast. good morning. stormy skies across the southeast to start your day on thursday. even before the sun comes up, isolated tornadoes possible.

heading into the northwest another one to three inches of snow, a cold day on thursday on the i-5, seattle more snow. portland too heading toward new year's eve kind of snowy and wet in the west and in the southeast kind of stormy, rain on friday should stay north of boston. looking ahead to new year's eve midnight in times square, 48 degrees and cloudy. not too bad. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin coskren. coming up, the 14-year-old suspect on the run now wanted by police for capital murder. also ahead, breaking news overnight from south florida. a tiger is shot and killed at a zoo after it attacks a worker. why the incident is already being compared to harambe. and later, the secret

we're back with a new york man's fall through a cellar door on a sidewalk. he suffered injuries to his shoulder, back and legs in last month's incident and says he hasn't worked since. the door has been replaced and the building's owner was fined because of the accident. now to the tragedy for a family in ohio. police say a father shot and killed his teenage daughter after he thought she was an intruder. it happened early wednesday morning in columbus. police say 16-year-old janae hairston walked into the family's garage around 4:30 and her father opened fire after he believed she was a burglar. no charges have been filed. the case will be reviewed by the county prosecutor. outside dallas police are searching for the 14-year-old suspect in a triple killing. detectives say abel acosta should be considered armed and dangerous. he allegedly killed three other teens at a convenient store in garland sunday. acosta's father is also under arrest. he's accused of being his son's getaway driver.

next a zoo in naples, florida, is closed today following a tiger attack on a worker. deputies shot and killed the animal after the man went into an unauthorized area. now the case is being compared to the shooting of harambe. this morning an investigation is under way in southwest florida wherever a tiger attacked a maintenance worker at the zoo. >> the tiger is still inside the tiger's cage. >> reporter: they say a maintenance worker at the zoo put his hand inside and and andd still had his arm in the tiger's mouth forcing the deputy to shoot the animal. the tiger named eko has died. >> really cool. tigers in general are cool. >> reporter: the 8-year-old tiger was a star attraction so zoo with less than

200 members of his species left in the wild. the zoo posting this video about eko last year. >> they're actually critically endangered. we want to make sure the news gets out and people learn about these animals because we want to protect them and keep them around. >> reporter: the incident is already drawing comparison to the 2016 incident when a gorilla harambe was shot dead after he grabbed and dragged a 3-year-old who climbed into his enclosure. one would have thought we would have learned from the loss of harambe. now he's join the by eko, the malaysian tiger because another human decided to do something abundantly stupid. the worker was authorized to clean rest rooms and the gift shop but not animal enclosures. he was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries. eko was the only tiger at the naples zoo. he has lived there since 2019. coming up, taylor swift hits back after a lawsuit claims she stole lyrics. what she's asking a judge.

what she's asking a judge. also, a dog owner dragged by it's amazing... he's talking about motorcycle insurance, and people love it. of course, they love the savings they're gonna get with geico, but... it goes beyond that. you. deserve. to save. ha — heard that before. you. deserve. to save. i know. i need you to hear me. you deserve to save. i deserve to save! i mean he has a way of making you feel...seen. bundle car and motorcycle insurance and save at geico.com. (swords clashing) bundle -had enough?rcycle -no... arthritis.e here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. all the serums out there. this is the #1 in the world. revitalift hyaluronic acid serum from l'oréal. it seriously hydrates to visibly replump skin and reduces wrinkles. effective for all skin tones.

revitalift hyaluronic acid serum from l'oréal paris. i recommend nature made vitamins, because i trust their quality. they were the first to be verified by usp, an independent organization that sets strict quality and purity standards. nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. when they're sick, they get comfortable anywhere and spread germs everywhere. nature made. wherever they rest protection nothing kills more viruses, including the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect. i may have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. or psoriatic arthritis. but we are so much more. we're team players and artists. designers and do-it-yourselfers. parents and friends. if joint pain is getting in the way of who you are, it's time to talk to your doctor about enbrel. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop permanent joint damage. plus enbrel helps skin get clearer in psoriatic arthritis. ask your doctor about enbrel, so you can get back to your true self.

play ball! enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common. or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. visit enbrel.com to see how your joint damage could progress. enbrel. eligible patients may pay as little as $5 per month. ♪ shake it off shake it off, shake it off ♪ we're back with taylor swift. she's now asking a judge to dismiss a copyright lawsuit of her hit "shake it off." two pop stars accuse the star of stealing it from a song they

wrote for 3lw. they take opposition with the lines, players going to play and haters going to hate. now, to the man recovering in california, after he was injured trying to save his pet during a dognapping incident. the man was pulled 200 feet as a crook's car sped off. now, he is pleading for his dog's return. >> reporter: this morning, dramatic surveillance video showing the moment a man was dragged along the pavement in los angeles, as thieves stole his dog. >> i'm distraught. i don't even -- someone has just ripped my heart out. >> reporter: robert marinelli was walking his french bulldog, lucca, in west hollywood, tuesday, when he saw a car on the street. a man jumped out and grabbed lucca, knocking him to the ground. >> he pushed me out, slammed the door. and they sped away and dragged

me with them almost 200 feet down a gravel road. >> reporter: marinelli called police. he just got out of the hospital and is pleading for 8-year-old lucca's safe return. >> he has medical issues and diet restrictions. he is missing one of his toes because he had cancer. so, he's not really the kind of dog that is going to fetch a lot of money at this point. >> reporter: french bulldogs are one of the most popular and expensive dog breeds in the country. they can cost upwards of $5,000. so, they are often a target of dognappers. in february, two of lady gaga's french bulldogs were stolen and the dog walker shot. the incident caught on surveillance video. >> reporter: the dog walker survived and the dogs were returned two days later. five people were arrested. marinelli hopes the same for lucca and is offering a $10,000 reward. >> just surreal. i hope they will see clear to return luca to us.

>> reporter: marinelli says he hopes luca's distinctive feature of his right paw, with three toes, will help someone recognize him. the l.a. county sheriff's department is investigating. mona? andrew? >> let's hope luca is found. in sports, we're hearing from brooklyn nets star kyrie irving for the first time since he was told to stay away from the team. that was back in october because irving refused to be vaccinated. he still refuses to be vaccinated. now, he is back at practice, after being called in action, amid the nets' shortage of player. because irving is still unvaccinated, he says the time away caught him by surprise. >> i understood their choice to say, if you're not going to be vaccinated, fully vaccinated, you can't be a full participant. and i knew the consequences. i wasn't prepared for them, by no stretch of imagination. >> how is irving back? he will only play in road games because of covid restrictions in new york. his first opportunity for game time is next wednesday.

bowl week continued in college football. wednesday's games included the cheese-it bowl. in orlando, clemson got past iowa state. to celebrate the win, clemson players showed head coach dabo with a bath. >> yeah. coming up, a tale of a squirrel that terrorized the town on christmas day. also ahead, the embarrassing mistake by the new york knicks. can you spot that problem? i've lost count of how many asthma attacks i've had. but my nunormal with nucala? fewer asthma attacks. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection-site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your doctor about nucala. find your nunormal with nucala.

(swords clashing) -had enough? -no... arthritis. here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete balanced nutrition for strength and energy. woo hoo! ensure, complete balanced nutrition with 27 vitamins and minerals. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ how did olay top expensive creams? with 30 gralike thistein. with hydration that beats the $100 cream in every jar of regenerist retinol24 collagen peptide new vitamin c and the iconic red jar can't top this skin shop now at olay.com

want more from your vitamins? at nature's bounty, we give you more. more immune support. with the only vitamin c that lasts 24 hours. more restful sleep. with the first-ever triple action sleep supplement. we put more of our brains into helping your heart. we give you more wellness solutions backed by rigorous science than we ever have before. nature's bounty gives you more, so you can live bountifully. ♪ time to check "the pulse." we start with a nutty situation in the u.k. >> all because of a rodent's rampage. a squirrel went nuts in wales. a group documented the holiday

chaos. these are real injuries. >> one woman says the squirrel bit her, her friend and her cats. all 21 attacks in 2 days. it happened before it was trapped. next, the embarrassing spelling mistake in the nba. it happened to emanuel quickleyy >> look at the jersey..- someone changed around the "i kwn" and the "c." . it reminds of the misspelling of toronto. even wayne gretzky had the "z" replaced by the "s" once. >> it's the toronto one for me. the way you take your coffee may be in your dna. >> a study finds people who metabolize coffee quickly, they like dark chocolate over milk chocolate. researchers believe that is driven by a genetic variant.

[upbeat acoustic music throughout] find your rhythm. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. welcome to allstate. where you can pay a little less and enjoy the ride a little more. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

now, get new lower auto rates with allstate. because better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. all the serums out there. this is the #1 in the world. you're in good hands with allstate. revitalift hyaluronic acid serum from l'oréal. it seriously hydrates to visibly replump skin and reduces wrinkles. effective for all skin tones. revitalift hyaluronic acid serum from l'oréal paris. did you know there are surfaces in your home that look clean but a closer look shows there are often layers of invisible dirt left behind. try mr. clean magic eraser for a deep down hygienic clean. magic eraser removes the messes you can see as well as more of the dirt and grime you don't. all you do is wet, squeeze and start erasing dirt and grime all around the house and try magic eraser sheets for a deep clean in hard to reach places that you can toss when your done. mr. clean magic eraser. for a deep down hygienic clean all around the house.

(swords clashing) -had enough? -no... arthritis. here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. wow, no braces, everything's hands free. i wasn't so lucky. invis is not your parent's braces. invis is faster than braces and the clear aligner brand most trusted by doctors. invisalign.

>> good morning. you are watching abc seven mornings live. >> we will start with a look at our forecast with lisa. good morning. >> we are cold, but the with us and should be clearing to bring sunshine today. yesterday, the rain did not want to leave. it lingered. now way into southe