right now on america this morning, a possible new clue in the search for a convicted killer on the run. new details on how he was able to escape from a pennsylvania prison. >> covid concerns growing as more kids head back to school with doctors are seeing. and what we're learning about the new covid booster shot expected soon. >> learning his fate, the former leader of the proud boys is sentenced for his leading role in organizing the january sixth

attack on the capitol. what he now acknowledges about that day to get ready to pay more at the pump. >> the new decision by saudi arabia and russia impacting prices could convicted double murderer alec murdoch get a new trial? >> the new claims about jury tampering and what legal experts are now saying. >> plus, seeing pink, why flamingos n.a. showing up in several states, not used to seeing them and later, the hero college quarterback fresh off a big win, tries to get out of a homework assignment at. >> please let me turn in my homework. lake the response from his professor. from abc new york this is america this morning. >> good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> good morning to you. i'm rhiannon ally. we want to begin with a possible new clue in the manhunt for a convicted killer who escaped from prison. >> authorities in pennsylvania have reported new sightings of the fugitive and the search area has expanded. here's abc's morgan norwood this morning.

>> the urgent manhunt for escaped murderer danilo cavalcante entering its seventh day. the search zone expanding in a pennsylvania forest after new reports of footprints in the area. the possible clue just a few miles from where these trail cameras captured images of him in longwood gardens, a sprawling botanical attraction outside philadelphia. >> the photos confirmed that cavalcante has not changed his appearance, but also that he has obtained a backpack. >> police say cavalcante slipped through a nearby perimeter but believe he's still lurking nearby. >> we realized within just a few hours where he was, and so he's not had a tremendous amount of time to, uh, to move a long distance. >> we're learning more about how cavalcante may have broken out of the chester county prison. officials have not said how, but the philadelphia inquirer reports that a source inside the prison says cavalcante climbed onto the roof from the exercise yard, then ran across the roof and dropped down to a less

secure area, fleeing the prison grounds. from there, the source says this was nearly identical to how a previous prisoner escaped only months ago. state police and the district attorney's office declined to comment on that report. and the prison did not return our request for comment. cavalcante was previously sentenced to life in prison for killing his girlfriend in front of her children, and with cavalcante still on the run overnight, one nearby school district closed again today. >> everybody is like a little bit nervous, i guess. >> the district attorney and state police have now opened investigations into that escape. andrew rhiannon morgan, thank you. >> and we're watching closely a new tropical storm in the atlantic. forecasters say tropical storm lee will grow into an extremely dangerous hurricane by friday with winds up to 145mph by sunday. forecast models show lee staying north of the caribbean, but a landfall in the us remains possible. we turn now to covid 19 cases and

hospitalizations are on the rise just as more kids return to school today from masking to testing, many parents have questions this morning. >> a rising number of covid cases sparking new concern just as students fill classrooms across the country. new york state is sending schools, covid tests and masks and districts in kentucky and texas have briefly suspended in-person classes after a surge in cases. >> it's tough to say covid is back when in reality it never really left. we're just much better prepared to deal with it. >> covid hospitalizations nationwide have increased more than 15% in one week. still hospitalizations are only about half of what they were this time last year. a new booster shot, which is expected to protect against severe disease and death from a new variant, could be available soon. the fda is expected to approve the booster within the next week, and the cdc is expected to soon follow. >> i think it's important for

people to start viewing this, almost like we view the influenza vaccine where it's going to be tailored every fall to the best of scientists ability to capture the dominated circulating strain. >> doctors are also warning, don't throw out expired at home testing kits because the fda has extend added when certain brands expire. the agency has posted a list of new expiration dates on its website site. meanwhile, some health care facilities in new york and california have now reinstated mask mandates as a precaution, president biden showed up to a medal of honor ceremony wearing a mask yesterday, one day after the first lady tested positive. but he removed the mask while giving an award to an 81 year old veteran. the white house says biden has tested negative and doctors say at least right now, the latest covid variant appears to be no more dangerous than previous strains. >> now to washington and the longest prison sentence yet in connection with the january 6th

attack on the capitol. the former leader of the proud boys learning his punishment after acknowledging that january 6th was a, quote, national embarrassment. abc's m win is here now with the details. m good morning. >> good morning, andrew. yeah, tarrio is the final proud boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive punishment . his attorneys are vowing to fight the sentencing. this morning, former proud boys leader enrique tarrio going to prison for 22 years after orchestrating his far right. extremist groups attack on the capitol in a failed bid to thwart the transfer of power after donald trump lost the 2020 presidential election. it's the harshest sentence handed down among any of the more than 1100 individuals charged. so far in connection to january sixth. prosecutors had asked for 33 years that they're getting pretty high sentences. >> i think sends a huge signal about about the importance of vindicating the harm that was caused on january 6th. >> tarrio was not present at the

riot, but prosecutors still say he played a key role, arguing tarrio watched the violence unfold at 2:38 p.m, posting on social media. don't expletive leave this now infamous video showing tarrio meeting with oath keepers leader stewart rhodes and others in an underground d.c. parking garage on the eve of the riot. rhodes, now serving 18 years behind bars. tarrio sentencing comes days after those of other former proud boys members who were also convicted of seditious conspiracy. ethan audin received 18 years. joseph biggs, 17 years, and zachary rael 15 years. >> there will be a day and a time where an appeal will come, and we expect that the appeal to come soon. >> this as the justice department prepares to put former president trump on trial at the same courthouse in washington on charges that he illegally schemed to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, trump's federal

election interference case is set for march 4th, 2024, despite his attorneys efforts to push it back until after the presidential election. it will come one day before super tuesday. andrew. all right. >> thank you. >> the impeachment trial of texas attorney general ken paxton resumes today after he pleaded not guilty to charges including bribery and abuse of office. he faces corruption allegations from fellow republicans. whistleblowers also accused him of retaliation. his wife, who is a state senator, is sitting in on the impeachment trial but will not be allowed to vote. >> attention, drivers. prices at the pump could be rising again. russia and saudi arabia are extending their oil production cuts and that sent oil prices rising yesterday to the highest level since last fall. gas prices in the us are already averaging $3.81 per gallon, the highest for this time of year in more than a decade. united airlines says the glitch that caused hundreds of flights to be grounded yesterday was not a cyber attack. the ground stop lasted about an hour. the

airline blames a software upgrade after historic fires this summer. >> greece is now facing deadly floods. torrential rain swept away cars in the central part of the country. flooding left at least seven dead in greece, turkey and bulgaria. hundreds of tourists were stranded here at home, people from texas to vermont are bracing for extreme september heat today. >> many schools are not equipped with ac. let's check your wednesday forecast. >> good morning. another hot and humid day across the eastern seaboard from new york city to dc. highs will be into the 90s feeling more like 100 to 105. now today into tomorrow, the heat gets squeezed. we'll still be hot and humid even into tomorrow on the eastern seaboard cities. but a big cooldown is coming for the great lakes. meantime, this weekend, we are hot in texas, warm out in the west, and it will be stormy and sticky for the east coast cities this weekend. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin cosgrove.

>> coming up, a new way to diagnose autism even earlier but first convicted murderer alec murdoch asking for a new trial. >> the new allegations of jury tampering and what happens next in a bizarre case of swimming pool vandalism, the substance dropped into the pools from a drone running is awesome. but her moderate to severe eczema

would make her skin so uncomfortable. i was always so itchy especially when i was hot. now my skin doesn't itch as much. now we're staying ahead of her eczema. there's a power inside all of us to live our passion. and dupixent works on the inside to help heal your skin from within. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. so, they can have clearer skin and less itch. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. healing from within is a wonderful thing. ask your child's eczema specialist how dupixent can help heal their skin from within.

care provider every other month . it's really nice not to have to rush home and take a daily hiv pill. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its this . >> someone somewhere in america is about to get $1 million live. >> you see? how did that a million good reasons. >> we are back now with a mystery in new jersey. police say a local business owner used a drone to drop dye into nearby swimming pools, including at a pool at a nearby hotel. he is charged with criminal mischief. there is no word on police made the arrest after tracing that drone back to the suspect's business.

>> new details this morning about convicted killer alec murdoch's request for a new trial. and experts say he may have a good case this morning. some legal experts say convicted murderer alec murdoch has made a strong case for a new trial after his lawyers accused a court clerk of pressuring the jury into a guilty verdict. >> it's a pretty strong case that they're making for a new trial, talking about a clerk of the court, talking to jurors about the case. i mean, the jurors aren't even supposed to speak to each other. >> lawyers for murdoch, a prominent south carolina attorney convicted in march of killing his wife and son, say clerk rebecca hill engaged in extensive, deliberate and self-interested jury tampering. >> the clerk of court had improper private communications with the jurors. the subject matter of those communications was the credibility of the defense. >> murdoch's lawyers say hill tampered with the jury by advising them not to believe murdoch's testimony. and other evidence presented by the defense pressuring the jury to reach a quick guilty verdict. they also claim hill invented a

story about a facebook post to remove a juror she believed might not vote guilty, all to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances. that would not happen in the event of a mistrial after the jury reached its decision, hill read murdoch's guilty verdict, the state versus richard alexander murdoch. >> defendant guilty. >> three months later, hill published a book behind the doors of murders. hill has not responded to the allegations. >> the question is going to be is it true? did she actually do this? and does the court believe it's enough to grant a new trial the standard for a new trial is very high, but this one, if true , might actually make it. >> the state's attorney general now has ten days to respond to murdoch's request for a new trial, a new ai tracking tool could help diagnose autism in children as young as 16 months. >> the device approved by the fda follows the child's eye movements as they watch a video

and detects what the child is focusing on. two studies found that the device helped identify autism in kids before their third birthday. experts say the tool does not replace medical special lists, but works with them .. >> coming up, seeing pink. why flamingos are suddenly showing up in several states. >> but first, how a man wrongfully convicted of rape in the 70s has finally been cleared. his ordeal now making history

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flames. the owner had just pulled up to a gas pump. no one else was on board the boat eventually sank and now a story about justice delayed but finally served after nearly five decades. >> abc's andrew fujii reports on one man's long wait to clear his name after a wrongful conviction. >> on this morning, dna testing has finally cleared a 72 year old man of a rape conviction from nearly five decades ago. the longest conviction in the us ever to be overturned by dna evidence. >> it's been a hard fight, but i thank god that this day is here. >> in 1976, leonard mac was convicted of tying up two high school students in westchester county, new york, and raping one of them witnesses identified mac as the suspect, but the police tactics proved to be unreliable . still, investigators changed mac's clothing to match the suspect's description. and mac's picture was the only black man included in a photo lineup. >> people just don't know how it feels to be accused of something you didn't do. >> despite the former vietnam veteran maintaining his innocence, mac served his seven and a half year sentence behind bars. he tried to challenge his conviction, but the da's office at the time repeatedly rejected

his efforts. it wasn't until the innocence project recently took up his case partnering with the da's office and used a method not available at the time of trial. dna evidence testing those results cleared mac and identified the real suspect, a convicted sex offender who confessed to the crime while the wrongfully convicted sit behind bars. >> the actual perpetrators are free to commit additional crimes in court. >> mac tearfully explained how painful it's been to live with the stigma of his conviction. the judge stepping off the bench to hug mac, said vacating his sentence has been the honor of her career. >> now, i can truly say that i'm free. >> it was leonard mac's birthday yesterday, the day his conviction was overturned. he said that was the best present he could have ever hoped for. as for the real criminal, he's already in custody for a separate crime. andrew rhiannon. andrea thank you. >> and it was another late night at the us open. americans. frances tiafoe and ben shelton

battled for more than three hours. some of shelton serves is once again topped 140mph. he won in four sets. he now takes on novak djokovic and earlier coco gauff cruised to the women's semifinals. she's the first american teen to go this far in the tournament since serena williams in 2001. an incredible feat in major league baseball. >> jose altuve hit a home run in each of the first three innings, last night. the astros beat the rangers 14 to 1. >> coming up, the college quarterback who tried to get out of a homework assignment. >> you have to see his professors respond. plus, new evidence that that six degrees of separation made famous by of separation made famous by kevin bacon is actually true the pandemic may be over, but unfortunately covid-19 isn't going anywhere. in fact, it's still among the top five leading causes of death in the us, right after heart disease and cancer. and covid-19 related er visits are three times higher than the flu.

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check the pulse. >> and we begin with something unexpected. after hurricane italia last week, the storm left behind a flurry of pink flamingos. >> more than 150 of them spread out across eight states. at least eight states as far north as ohio go. >> the beautiful birds were blown in by the powerful winds, likely all the way from their home in mexico's yucatan peninsula. experts call it unprecedented. next, six degrees of separation. scientists say it's not just a game about kevin bacon. >> a new study finds many of us can indeed be linked through six other people. researchers looked at how people balance the costs and benefits of establishing new social connections, and they say those ties eventually create a network in which individuals can link with each other. usually through six other people. >> meanwhile, contrary to the popular phrase, a new study finds opposites do not attract when it comes to relationships. researchers say information dating back 120 years proves that political and religious views as well as education levels, are very similar in long

term couples. along with heights, weights and personalities. next, the husband and wife sparked debate after some drama at the airport, so she ran to starbucks. >> she missed her flight. he was already at the gate. so he boarded the plane without her. and yes, took off. the couple were flying to visit their daughter in college. he shared the story online saying he tried to call her but no luck. she had to buy a new ticket. >> so was he wrong to board the flight? most people online say no. >> they're siding with him. i'm siding with him on this one. >> and finally, a tough lesson off the field for a rising football star. >> duke quarterback riley leonard was celebrating his huge win against clemson. he asked his professor for something and his professor sure responded. take a look. >> professor taylor, if you're seeing this, please let me turn in my homework late because it's due tonight. hey, riley, great game last night, man. >> it was so exciting. congrats to you and all your teammates. but, you know, wesley williams and the other linemen who were in the class, they said they prepared ahead and did it ahead

of time. so why didn't the quarterback so no way, man. no extension. >> he makes a good point after leading duke to that impressive win, leonard wanted an extension on the homework assignment which was due just hours later, but request denied. it has to be worth at least some extra worth at least some extra credit, though kayaking is my thing. running is awesome. but her moderate to severe eczema would make her skin so uncomfortable. i was always so itchy especially when i was hot. now my skin doesn't itch as much. now we're staying ahead of her eczema. there's a power inside all of us to live our passion. and dupixent works on the inside to help heal your skin from within. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. so, they can have clearer skin and less itch. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems

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fire on a freeway on the peninsula. my kids are not coming to school for the rest of this week. >> and if i don't find out what really happened, they won't be here next week either. >> campus closure. a shooting at oakland's skyline high school prompting officials to cancel classes for today. the increase in crime in the city now leading to public safety proposals from residents as new covid 19 vaccine booster. >> what we're learning about the updated shot that's expected to be available later this month, winner alegria macarena. >> hey, macarena. okay >> what? not okay