right now on america this morning, bombshell claims about the cia's investigation into the origins of covid 19. what we're learning about allegations that cia analysts were offered hush money payments to alter their conclusions. >> breaking overnight, kim and putin face to face the north korean dictator and the russian president meet with their high stakes meeting could mean for ukraine and for national security in the us. >> the manhunt for convicted

killer turns violent near pennsylvania. what authorities are now saying about the search for this escaped murderer and what he just stole. >> weather alert. the urgent flood threat in the northeast this morning. hours after an emergency is declared and oversees more than 5000 people presumed dead after this flooding catastrophe. >> in washington, house speaker kevin mccarthy launching an impeachment inquiry into president biden. what happens next? >> taylor swift's big night. >> it's too much. >> why she was star struck on stage. >> and later, a birthday bonanza. meet the mom who gave birth to three kids on the same day in three different years from abc news in new york. >> this is america. this morning. >> good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. good morning. >> i'm rhiannon ally. we want to begin with eye-opening new allegations about the cia's investing nation into the origins of covid 19.

>> abc news has confirmed the cia is now looking into accusations that some of its analysts were offered hush money to alter their conclusions about the virus. these claims came from a whistleblower and are coming to light as members of congress demand answers. abc's lionel moise has the details. >> this morning, the cia confirms it's looking into accusations that several members of an agency team tasked with covid pandemic analysis were paid significant hush money to shift their position regarding the origins of the virus. two republican lawmakers have sent a letter to cia director william burns claiming that a senior level current agency officer came forward alleging the payoff . they say, according to the whistleblower, the seven officers were assigned to the cia's covid discovery team and six of the seven members of the team believed the intelligence and science were sufficient to make a low confidence assessment that covid 19 originated from a

laboratory in wuhan, china. the letter claims only one person on that team who was most senior believed that covid could have been transmitted from animals to humans, but that to come to the eventual public determination of uncertainty. the other six members were given a significant monetary incentive to change their position. the whistleblower did not explain the payments or who might have made them. the cia tells abc news. we are committed to the highest standard of analytic rigor, integrity and objectivity. we do not pay analysts to reach specific conclusions. the origins of covid have been the subject of several congressional hearings for cdc director dr. robert redfield earlier this year testified he was excluded from discussions because he believed the lab leak theory warranted investigation. >> i was told to me that they wanted a single narrative and that i obviously had a different point of view. >> dr. anthony fauci called that accusation untrue. in june, the

office of the director of national intelligence said the cia and another agency were unable to decide on where they think covid's origins lie, as both hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting. this new letter is asking for documents related to the covid discovery team's creation communications about covid's origins and records of any financial bonuses. the letter is asking for that information to be turned over by september 26th. rhiannon andrew. >> all right, lionel, thank you. meanwhile, kim jong un and vladimir putin have kicked off their high stakes meeting at a spacex launch center in eastern russia. they're expected to discuss a weapons deal with russia seeking more ammunition for the war in ukraine. kim has offered unconditional support for what he calls russia's sacred fight. when asked whether russia will help north korea build satellites, putin said, quote, that's why we've come here. north korea could also get help for its nuclear program.

police near philadelphia have established a new perimeter as they search for a convicted killer who escaped from prison nearly two weeks ago. >> more than 500 officers have now joined the manhunt for danilo cavalcante, who is believed to be carrying a stolen rifle. police are using helicopters, mas horses, dogs, even armored vehicles hoping to track him down. we've got this suspect contained in an area. >> we're putting all of our resources on it. all of our assets are being deployed. and i know that this is a moment of deep worry and anxiety all across pennsylvania. >> police say cavalcante stole a rifle from a garage after confronting a homeowner. they say he also ditched his prison shoes and stole a pair of work boots. there is a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. >> house speaker kevin mccarthy is defending his decision to launch an impeachment inquiry into president biden. he says it will allow congress to get answers about the business

dealings of the president and his son, hunter. but even some republicans are still skeptical. abc's m wynn has more from washington. m good morning. >> good morning, andrew. speaker mccarthy is opening an impeachment inquiry into president biden without a full house vote to begin one and without concrete evidence of any abuse of power by the president . but this morning, house speaker kevin mccarthy has launched a formal impeachment inquiry against president joe biden, yielding to mounting pressure from right wing republicans in congress. mccarthy saying americans deserve answers about whether biden benefited from the business dealings of his son, hunter. when pressed for proof. mccarthy died. >> all i said is an impeachment inquiry allows us to get answers to the questions that republicans have been investigating. >> the president for nine months and have not found any concrete evidence of misconduct by biden when he was vice president. but less than two weeks ago, mccarthy said he wouldn't open an inquiry unless the full house voted for one. but after several

former president trump's congressional allies threatened to boot him as speaker, mccarthy changed his tune, sources say trump recently discussed an inquiry with several house republicans. other gop members admit there isn't any direct evidence of wrongdoing. >> have you seen any hard evidence that president biden did any wrongdoing here? >> two months? we are developing that. >> the white house quick to condemn mccarthy's move as extreme politics at its worst. >> it's based on the fact that he is being attacked from his right and he's throwing them red meat. it shows how illegitimate this inquiry really is. >> democrats also calling it a sham. >> there is not a shred of evidence that president joe biden has committed an impeachable offense. >> others on capitol hill openly mocking the impeachment inquiry. >> oh, my gosh. you know. oh it's devastating. oh, don't do it. please don't do it. senator oh, no. oh, no. >> it would take a majority, a

vote on the house floor to impeach the president, something that's currently a long shot. only three presidents have ever been impeached. andrew johnson, bill clinton and donald trump. twice. rhiannon. all right. >> thank you for that. new details this morning about the looming workers strike. the associated press reports the union may stage targeted strikes at a small number of factories if no contract deal is reached before friday's deadline. the uaw is demanded a 46% pay raise, but has reportedly lowered that number as talks continue to. >> we turn overseas where more than 5000 people are now feared dead in the latest catastrophic flood event. this one even more tragic than the several other disasters we've seen just in the last couple of weeks. this morning, more than 5000 people are presumed dead in libya with another 10,000 people unaccounted for after heavy flooding caused two dams to collapse. emergency workers have recovered 1500 bodies in the city of derna. people there

reported sounds similar to explosions as the dams gave way. rescue was delayed in reaching the city after three bridges were also destroyed. a hurricane like storm triggered the flooding, hammering libya's coast, dumping 16in of rain. climate change, a potential aggravating factor here. >> the un saying that rising sea levels are leaving libya's low lying coastline more vulnerable to flooding. >> the storm coming during an unprecedented month of climate disaster was in the first 11 days of this month. at least eight major flood events have occurred across four continents in southern europe. china brazil and the us. experts say climate change is not the cause of storms unleashing the rainfall, but the storms are forming in an atmosphere that's becoming warmer and wetter, making them more destructive. the us is sending emergency funds to relief organizations to help support libya. >> and back in this country, the northeast is bracing for even more flooding rain this morning . massachusetts has declared an emergency after nine inches of

rain fell on monday, forcing evacuations in the city of lemonster. sinkholes are being repaired in two. local dams have been stabilized. >> with that, let's take a look at your wednesday forecast. it. >> good morning, travelers. beware today and tonight from boston down to new york city, flash flooding, even a few tornadoes can't be ruled out. meantime, all eyes on hurricane lee. it's a major hurricane about 600 miles east of miami, florida. it will move north as a hurricane eventually off of the coast of new england this weekend. and there will be impacts with wind and rain. we could see 80 mile an hour gusts this weekend in cape cod, higher gusts in downeast maine i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin corcoran. >> coming up a cruise ship runs aground near greenland. >> also ahead, the debate over banning certain books in schools turns heated and racy on capitol hill and how the so-called indian jones of the art world

found a stolen van gogh in a bag from ikea

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love, dad. on gma. we're back with a luxury cruise ship stuck in greenland. >> the vessel with 206 passengers and crew ran aground. no one is in danger and there's no major damage. but the closest rescue ship may not reach them until friday. >> well, as the new school year begins, more teachers and parents are getting involved in the debate over banning books that may be inappropriate for kids. us senators are also taking up the issue, too. the debate over banning books got contentious on capitol hill yesterday. >> to all the parents out there who believe there's a bunch of stuff in our schools being pushed on your children that go over the line. you're absolutely

right. >> authoritarian regimes ban books, not not democracies. >> illinois secretary of state testified before a senate committee to promote an illinois law that prevents banning books. >> our libraries have become targets by a movement that disingenuously claims to pursue freedom. >> some republican led states have restricted certain books where kids have access to them. most of the books include stories about racism, sexuality or gender identity. florida removed nearly 400 titles last year. the hearing turned racy at one point as louisiana senator john kennedy read explicit scenes from two of the banned books. >> the words you spoke are disturbing, especially coming out of your mouth is very disturbing. we are advocating for parents, random parents, not to have the ability under the guise of keeping kids safe, to try and challenge the world view of every single manner on these issues. >> you're getting conceptual

game. >> i'm not getting conceptual. >> democrats and republicans did agree some books are inappropriate for children, but they were unable to agree on who has the responsibility to censor the books. parents or the state. >> they should be removing these. shame on them if they don't. and shame on those who want to groom children sexually . >> no one is advocating for sexually explicit content to be available in an elementary school library, but no parents should have the right to tell another parent's child what they can and cannot read in school or at home. >> california recently passed and followed illinois, passing a bill that prevents schools from banning books. a van gogh masterpiece has been returned three and a half years after it was stolen from a museum near amsterdam. >> the painting, known as spring garden, was dropped off inside a bag from ikea. a dutch art detective known as the indiana jones of the art world is credited with tracking it down. the museum says the artwork is still in good condition. the thief was arrested a year after

the heist, and the man who had the painting apparently said it was too much of a headache to hang on to. so he let it go. >> coming up, a rhino goes on the attack at a popular zoo. >> also ahead, just in time for cold and flu season, the fda says some popular decongestants don't work. our medical experts don't work. our medical experts explain next [bones cracking] ♪ (tense music) ♪ one aleve works all day so i can keep working my magic. just one aleve. 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief. aleve. who do you take it for? ( ♪ ♪ ) start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. (vo) wish you knew what your cat was feeling? tthe tidy cats innovation lab does! introducing our latest litterventions. tidy care alert, for health monitoring.

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choose the online shopping category morning even better with dulcolax we are back now with a really tragic story. >> a deadly rhino attack at a zoo in europe. a female zoo keeper was killed in the rhino enclosure at the zoo in austria while trying to medically treat the animal. her husband, who is also a zookeeper, was injured. and the zoo is now investigating . >> it's almost that time of year. and as we head into the cold and flu season, the fda says some forms of the most popular nasal decongestants don't actually work. abc's andrea fujii reports on the doubts surrounding an ingredient in several over-the-counter medications. >> this morning, some popular

decongestants on the market for decades don't actually relieve congestion. that's the finding of an fda advisory committee which says over-the-counter oral phenylephrine or p does not alleviate nasal congestion any more than a placebo. p is one of the ingredients in sudafed. p dayquil and mucinex. >> it just took some time for more studies to be done in more people to really say with confidence that this drug really doesn't do what it's intended to do. >> doctors say taking oral p is not harmful, but proves to be ineffective because it's processed by the body before it reaches the nasal passages. as of now, drugs containing p will remain on store shelves as the fda considers whether they should remain on the market. >> currently, the fda has deemed just the oral phenylephrine to be ineffective so that nasal spray will still be effective, will still be available. >> the trade group representing manufacturers of over-the

counter drugs called the decision disappointing. doctors say it's important to note that the other ingredient found in medications with p, including pain relievers and cough suppressants, are still effective. so how should you pick a decongestant? eight doctors say read the labels. >> it's always good to look for, you know, 24 hour antihistamines as some examples, you know, are like allegra, claritin, zyrtec, all of those, you know, lasts for 24 hours. they actually help treat the symptoms, you know, whereas phenylephrine did not the fda did not reveal a timeline as to when it will decide if drugs with oral p will stay on the market. >> rhiannon andrew all right. >> andrea, thank you. coming up, taylor swift's big night. >> plus, meet the mom who gave birth on the same day in three birth on the same day in three different years the pandemic may be over, but unfortunately covid-19 isn't going anywhere. in fact, it's still among the top five leading

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who do you take it for? on gma. time >> we begin with something that made us both smile. boy, bands of the 90s. one of them back on stage and it all happened at the mtv mtv video music awards where in sync reunited last night. >> justin timberlake and the guys haven't been seen together since 2013. they presented the best pop award to taylor swift, and even she was starstruck. >> i'm not doing well pivoting from this to this like i had. i had your dolls. i like what like are you doing something? what's going to happen now? what are you. there's something they're going to they're going to do something. and i need to know what it is. hard hitting questions in sync did not reveal any future plans. >> as for taylor swift, she also won for video and song of the year. >> congrats to her. meanwhile, swift may have a new love

interest, but reports indicate she may be seeing kansas city chiefs star travis kelce. stay tuned. you know, i'll stay on top of that story. speaking of football, it's now confirmed aaron rodgers is out for the season with a torn achilles. >> so what are the jets going to do? some fans want the team to call tom brady, but the jets coach says monday night's game proves they can win without rodgers. >> the game scored nearly 23 million viewers. a new record for espn monday night games now the cost of friendship being a bridesmaid. >> yeah. >> one new report found it can now cost get this on average up to $1,800. the dress, the shower , the gift, it all adds up so quickly, one wedding expert told gma, don't be afraid to say no to your friends. finally birthdays that are easy to really easy to remember for a couple in florida, they now have three daughters born in three different years. >> but all on the same day. little juliet, along with her older sisters, jasmine and jessica, were all born on september 3rd. dad says when

juliet arrived, everyone was shocked and it was like deja vu all over again. >> and the word started spreading around the hospital and all the nurses already knew about it. and even the security downstairs. when i used to go out down there, i heard them talking about us. >> oh, look at the sweet little babies. >> as despite having the same birthdays, each girl has her own birthdays, each girl has her own personal detect this: living with hiv, i learned that i can stay undetectable with fewer medicines. that's why i switched to dovato. dovato is a complete hiv treatment for some adults. no other complete hiv pill uses fewer medicines to help keep you undetectable than dovato. detect this: most hiv pills contain 3 or 4 medicines. dovato is as effective with just 2. if you have hepatitis b, don't stop dovato without talking to your doctor. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking dofetilide. this can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. if you have a rash or allergic reaction symptoms, stop dovato and get medical help right away. serious or life-threatening lactic acid buildup and liver problems can occur.

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she lives her issue with averon advise us because we have protocol and we have a way that we run our ship in this protocol. oh now, at five intense moments at a bay area school board meeting over flying the pride flag at school, the district now deciding to ban all flags from being flown on campus except the us and state flags and more vaccine developments ahead of your next booster shot. >> moderna out the major announcement overnight as the fda and the cdc light updated booster shots for anyone over the age of six months. >> and speaking of the fda, some of the most popular over-the-counter nasal decongestants are now being reviewed by fda advisory committee claims