>> all right, whit johnson. whit, thank you. >>> next tonight here, a flight from new york to california diverted to denver after an alleged troubling attack on a flight attendant. the passenger allegedly punching that attendant and here's abc's trevor ault now. >> reporter: tonight, disturbing new details about the american airlines passenger accused of punching a flight attendant. a source familiar with the investigation telling abc this was an unprovoked attack. the flight attendant accidentally bumping that first class passenger in the aisle and apologizing. the man later walking to the allegedly punching her twice and returning to his seat as if nothing happened. the flight from new york to california diverting to denver. >> boo! >> reporter: american's ceo calling this "one of the worst deplaces of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed." >> this type of behavior has to stop, and the best deterrent is aggressive criminal prosecution. >> oh, lord! no! >> reporter: the assault marks the latest in a staggering

>> all right, whit johnson leading us off tonight. whit, thank you. i know many questions at home with millions of americans who got moderna and johnson & johnson still waiting on these boosters. let's get right to dr. ashish jha, dean of the brown university school of public health. dr. jha, always great to have you here. you know, it seems this blueprint for the moderna boosters today recommended by this panel, very similar to what we saw with the pfizer boosters. 65 and older first, along with 18 and older if you have a health condition or a job that puts you at higher risk. one thing i thought was interesting, though, today, moderna's booster will be given as a half dose, 50 micrograms. that's compared to 100 micrograms in their first two shots. so, why a half shot when we were getting a full shot of pfizer for a booster? was moderna a more powerful shot to begin with? >> yeah, so, david, thank you for having me back. first of all, they absolutely follow the same blueprint, same groups of individuals, high risk people getting the booster. and the

whit johnson. and whit, the fda saying yes to boosters. the cdc now meeting so what's the timeline here and what's this news, boosters potentially soon for everyone 40 and older? >> reporter: david, that cdc advisory panel will vote on recommendations for boosters tomorrow. then the cdc director will give the final sign-off and millions more americans could be eligible by this weekend. and as you noted, there are reports that the fda is also considering booster shots for everyone 40 and older, but that likely won't be addressed until next month. david? >> all right, whit johnson with us again tonight. thank you, whit. >>> we're going to turn now to that very difficult scene playing out in a florida courtroom today. parkland school shooter nikolas cruz taking responsibility for the worst school shooting in u.s. history. cruz standing there, pleading guilty to 17 counts of murder. and then speaking directly to the heartbroken parents in that courtroom. tonight, how the parents reacted and abc's victor oquendo was there. >> reporter: standing

>> all right, whit johnson with us again tonight. thank you, whit. >>> we're going to turn now to that very difficult scene playing out in a florida courtroom today. parkland school shooter nikolas cruz taking responsibility in one of the worst school shootings in u.s. history. cruz standing there, pleading guilty to 17 counts of murder. and then speaking directly to the heartbroken parents in that courtroom. tonight, how the parents reacted and abc's victor oquendo was there. >> reporter: standing before the judge, the parkland school shooter listened as every victim's name was read, every count listed and made his plea. >> count 16, murder in the first degree of jamey guttenberg. how do you wish to plea? >> guilty. >> count 17, murder in the first degree of peter wang. how do you wish to plea? >> guilty. >> reporter: anguished families of the victims wiping away tears. then nikolas cruz spoke directly to them for the first time. >> i am very sorry for what i did and i have to live with it every day. and if i were to get a second ch

>> all right, whit johnson on the breaking news from the cdc. whit, thank you. we know many of you at home have questions tonight. so, let's bring in dr. ashish jha, dean of the brown university school of public health, back with us tonight. dr. jha, always great to have you with us. two kwey questions here tonight. you've been saying this, that this vaccines are working. the efficacy holding up pretty well, but what does the data show already? how much more protection do you get from these boosters? >> good evening, david, yes, thanks for having me back. the boosters are really helpful. the vaccines are working well in preventing severe infections, we are seeing breakthroughs and we see very clear evidence now that boosters make an enormous difference in reducing those infections. >> i wanted to ask you about this small study we've been reporting on here this weekend envalving the johnson & johnson one-hot vaccine. this particular study shows that mixing and matching with an mrna vaccine, pfizer or moderna, one of their boosters, and that the study saw signific

whit johnson back with us tonight. and, whit, we know this younger group of children 5 to 11 would get the smaller dose of the pfizer vaccine in two shots three weeks apart. the cdc almost always follows suit with this final approval so how soon could we get that final green light, the yes and then the shots? >> reporter: david, just a couple more steps to go here. next tuesday a cdc advisory panel will meet and then vote on specific recommendations for the pfizer vaccine in kids 5 to 11 years old. if that goes as expected, the cdc director would then sign off and we could see the first shots administered by wednesday, david. >> whit johnson leading us off here on a friday night as always. thank you, whit. >>> we're going to turn next tonight to former new york governor andrew cuomo pushing back tonight after being charged with that misdemeanor sex crime. the spokesman now calling the move politically motivated by a sheriff, quote, seeking headlines and not justice. tonight that sheriff before the cameras saying there

>> whit johnson leading us off on a friday night. whit, thank you. >>> we have just learned tonight that former president bill clinton will spend at least another night in a california hospital. his doctors are saying, he is, quote, on the mend after being hospitalized for an infection that put him in the icu. overnight, hillary clinton seen leaving after visiting her husband. and tonight here, what we've now learned about his condition so far. abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman outside the hospital in california tonight. >> reporter: tonight, bill clinton battling infection at a southern california hospital and speaking on the phone with president biden, who late today delivered an upbeat assessment. >> he's always been the comeback kid. he's getting out of the hospital, everything's going well. >> reporter: the 75-year-old clinton was admitted tuesday after feeling overly fatigued during his first west coast trip since the pandemic began. an aide telling abc news clinton was diagnosed with a urological infection, which

all right, whit johnson, thank you. >>> now to that major headline on president biden's domestic agenda. word coming in late today that a key part of the bill and a popular one, paid family and medical leave, may now be out. senator joe manchin against it. rachel scott on the hill. >> reporter: as democrats scramble to make a deal before president biden heads out to europe, tonight, word his plan for paid family and medical leave will likely be out of the final bill. it's something the president has promoted for months. >> we're one of the few industrial countries in the world that doesn't have paid leave. so that when you stay home to help that person, to take care of that person, you're still getting your pay. >> reporter: but west virginia senator joe manchin, who has the power to kill the entire bill, is firmly opposed. >> to expand social programs when you have trust funds that aren't solvent, they're going insolvent. i can't explain that. it doesn't make sense to me. i just can't do it. >> reporter: progressives outraged. much how much of a setback would that be? >> oh, if paid le

i'm whit johnson. for david and all of us, have a great tonight.

johnson back with us here tonight, and whit, with the sign-o the cdc director, then how soon could we see these boosters roll out across the country? >> reporter: david, some people will be able to go out and get these booster shots as early as tomorrow at pharmacies, vaccinatn dss the country. the white house insists there is enough supply in the pipeline for all eligible adults to be able to go out and get a booster shot when they need them. david? >> all right, whit joh the breaking news fromyou at hoe questions tonight. so, let's bring in, as always, dr. ashish jha, dean of the brown university sh. back with us tonight. dr. jha, always great to have you with us. two key questions tonight. first, we know, you've been saying this here all way, that these vaccines are working. the efficacy holding up pretty well, but what does the data show already? >> goodh more protection do yovi yes, thanks for having me back. the boosters are really helpful. while the vaccines are working well in preventing severe infections, we are seeing breakthroughs and we see very clear evidence now that boo

i'm whit johnson. for david and all of us, have a great night. announcer: building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc7 news. kristen: it's this exclusive abc7 video that went viral that's part of a much bigger story. but san francisco leaders hope they can rewrite the ending. i'm kristen sze. larry: i'm larry beal. you're watching on abc7 hulu live and wherever you stream. five walgreens stores in san francisco will shut down. they're spread out across the city. you can see the location across the screen. kristen: the company says it's because of crime. this could be a part of something bigger. that's why we have phil joining us tonight to give us some perspective. larry: but first, colonel bernard because san francisco's mayor, colonel is holding out hope that walgreens will change its mind at the last. colonel: yeah, the mayor is hoping that some of the stores willsider. but walgreens says they have no choice to close those stores. >> we're going miss it >> shoppers upset over the pending closure on clement street

i'm whit johnson, in for david. and we begin with that deadly movie set tragedy. actor alec baldwin firing a prop gun, killing the movie's cinematographer and wounding the director. tonight, the production has been halted and the investigation is under way. baldwin is one of the producers of the western called "rust," filming in the desert on the outskirts of santa fe, new mexico. the projectile striking the director of photography, who was airlifted to the hospital but did not survive. she leaves behind a husband and a son. the director also wounded but treated at a hospital and released. images of a distraught alec baldwin after the incident. today he tweeted, there are no words to convey my shock and sadness, and saying he had reached out to hutchins' husband. tonight, amid the grief, we're learning the crew complained about safety on the set, saying there were at least two accidental discharges in the last week. abc's kaylee hartung leads us off in santa fe. >> reporter: tonight, abc news obtaining a search warrant into the horrifying movie set shooting.ppolic

i'm whit johnson in new york. have a great night. dion: we like that sound. fans simply thrilled as the giants clinch the nl west this afternoon. highlights and the joys of victory experience in the stands. >> he was yelling. he was saying shark. he was saying help. dion: a man in the water near bodega bay shares his experience witnessing a shark attack. quick action by witnesses to save the victim's life. marathon. a car on the course. witnesses described the scene. >> building a better bay area. this i >> got him. dion: got him is right. a winning moment built on 107 games. the city celebrates as the giants become nl west champions. good evening and thank you for joining us. you are watching abc 7 news at 5:00 on abc 7, hulu live, and wherever you happen to stream. right away, let's get to team coverage of the giants' nl west championship win. we start with chris alvarez, live for us at oracle with a look at the moments that led up to the giants' 11-4 victory. reporter: welcome to oracle park. all is quiet now, but this place has been rocking all weekend lo

>> all right, whit johnson on this again tonight. thank you, whit. >>> next this evening, a school shooting in memphis. a teenager opening fire in a stairwell. a 13-year-old boy in critical condition. here's abc's steve osunsami. >> reporter: parents at this south memphis grade school tonight just can't believe this is happening again in america and happening to them -- a teenage boy brought a gun to school and shot a 13-year-old student. >> they have a student that has been shot. possible suspect responsible is still inside the school. >> reporter: shortly after 9:15 this morning, memphis police had to race to cummings elementary school. with 500 students on lockdown, police swept the school searching for the child with the gun. >> the shooting occurred in a stairwell inside the school. and from the video evidence that we've reviewed, there were no other students around. >> reporter: police believe the boy with the firearm is also a 13-year-old student at the school and say he somehow left the school in a car. at this baptist church

whit johnson, thank you. that mandate remains in place, but we do want to get back to the potential covid pill from merck. so let's bring in dr. ashish jha, dean of the brown university school of public health. coming to us tonight from california. always great to have you. the fact that merck would stop this trial early after finding the pill, they say, cut hospitalizations and deaths in half, if this science holds up on this, this could be significant. >> good evening, david. thanks for having me back. absolutely. this is enormously important. you know, we've all been waiting for an oral pill that could reduce the severity of this illness. this might be it. we'll see what the full data looks like, but it's going to be an important tool in the fight against the pandemic. >> you know there are already concerns from some who fear that people will hear about this potential pill coming and ask, why get the vaccine if the pill will cut severity in half? >> yeah, you know, look, the pill is important, but vaccines

the new cdc study just out tonight and abc's whit johnson leading us off. >> reporter: tonight, that long-awaited fda greenlight. the pfizer vaccine authorized for 28 million children between the ages of 5 and 11. >> their ability to make an immune response actually in some ways is often better than it is in adults, and that's one of the reasons we were very gratified with the pfizer-biontech covid 19 vaccine that we could actually use a smaller dose. >> reporter: at just a third of the adult dose, the vaccine was found to be 91% effective against symptomatic illness, with some reporting mild side effects like sore arm, fever and headache. the first 15 million doses now expected to ship out within hours to doctors' offices, pharmacies, hospitals and clinics so they are ready to go into arms as early as wednesday after an expected signoff from the cdc. 11-year-old evie and 9-year-old grant koerner participated in pfizer's trial. >> this vaccine has been incredibly well researched and the importance of trying it on younger kids 5 through 11 age group was really just about getting the d

jha is here, and here's abc's whit johnson here in new york. >> reporter: tonight, a potential game changer in the battle against the virus. the first antiviral medication specifically designed to treat covid-19. pharmaceutical giant merck announcing that trials show its new drug, molnupiravir, may cut the risk of hospitalization or death in half. >> this is a pill you can take at home and will significantly reduce the risk that you either ultimately are hospitalized or more importantly, that you would ever face the unfortunate outcome of death. >> reporter: the drug consists of 4 pills taken every 12 hours for 5 days, beginning soon after testing positive. the trial included 775 patients with mild to moderate covid who had at least one risk factor for severe disease. after 29 days, no deaths reported in patients who received the drug, compared to eight deaths in patients who got a placebo. the drug also appeared to be effective against variants of concern like the delta strain. >> take something which is such a devastating disease like covid-19 and hopefully turns it into something that's