tonight, the coronavirus and the alarming new numbers and the questions over this new variant. the u.s. now heading into fall with four times more covid patients hospitalized than last fall. some hospitals now at a breaking point. in idaho, where they're now rationing care, forced to decide who gets treated first. we're with ems workers tonight responding to covid calls and the number of them coming in from the unvaccinated. more than 1 in 4 new covid cases now children. and tonight, the new mu variant, now seen in at least 28 states and concern over whether it could evade vaccines. and are booster shots coming soon? dr. jha is here to answer your questions on it all. also tonight, here in the northeast, still recovering from those deadly floods and tornado, tonight, the new severe storm threat. flash flood watches across the

northeast. what to expect from washington, d.c. to philadelphia to new york. and the new tropical storm taking aim at florida. rob marciano timing it all out. the fbi and the new video tonight of the suspect wanted for allegedly placing pipe bombs outside the dnc and rnc headquarters the night before the january 6th riot. what they have now revealed and pierre thomas standing by. overseas tonight in paris, you'll remember that awful terror rampage killing 130 people. targeting bars, restaurants, the bataclan concert hall. tonight, what they're now calling the trial of the century now under way and what the lead suspect shouted in court today. back here at home, the former prosecutor arrested and charged in the ahmaud arbery murder case. the young man shot and killed while jogging through a neighborhood last year. authorities now accusing the prosecutor of allegedly using her position to protect the three men charged with shooting and killing him.

after more than 130 years, virginia's statue of confederate general robert e. lee comes down. and as we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11, robin roberts and the woman rescued after 27 hours in the rubble. the last person rescued. and you'll hear from her tonight. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. the northeast bracing for a new round of severe storms tonight. flash flood watches are up and it comes, of course, after those deadly storms already. so rob marciano is standing by with the track here in just a moment. but we are going to begin tonight with that staggering new the steep rise in covid. hospitalizations in the u.s. now four times more than what the u.s. was seeing last fall. 1 in 4 cases in children. and that new variant, the mu variant, now reported in at least 28 states. as millions of students go back to school, concern growing over the numbers.

authorities are now seeing new case rates among children, surpassing that of adults. child hospitalizations now at their highest point yet, about 365 children admitted to the hospital for covid every day. and of course the school board meetings. the fights over masks and law enforcement now needed in some places. in pleasant hill, missouri, deputies breaking up a dispute. more than 100,000 adults hospitalized for covid tonight. the pentagon now sending in help for hospitals in three states, alabama, arkansas and idaho. in fact, our cameras with ems crews in boise. the city's chief paramedic calling this, quote, a really long mass casualty incident. they say nearly all of their patients are unvaccinated. tonight, 73% of people 12 years and older have now received one dose of the vaccine. president biden will address the nation tomorrow on the virus and dr. jha is standing by right here tonight on this new variant and on boosters. are they coming?

abc's kaylee hartung leading us off from boise tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the country heading into the fall with four times more patients fighting covid in hospitals than a year ago, over 100,000. in idaho, one of the least vaccinated states, some hospitals now rationing care as a last resort, running out of critical equipment, space and staff. forced to make tough decisions on who gets treated first. >> we don't have enough staff. nurses are leaving because they're burned out and we simply don't have enough people, we don't have the manpower to take care of these patients. >> reporter: paramedics in boise telling us nearly every patient with covid symptoms they're taking to the hospital is unvaccinated. this is the busiest ems station in the state of idaho and there they go, out on another call. >> this covid virus has been kind of like a really long mass casualty incident that just goes on and on and on. and so, it's definitely been tough on my people. >> reporter: and with each day, mounting concern for the millions of children back in the classroom. >> if they can't be vaccinated, you can help by getting yourself vaccinated to protect that child

who can't be vaccinated. >> reporter: 1 in 4 new covid cases are now in children. 2,200 kids are fighting the virus in hospitals. in georgia, 4-year-old addison wishart dying from covid a day after she was diagnosed while she was recovering from surgery. usree bhattacharya and her husband teach at the university of georgia. they worry about bringing the virus home to their 5-year-old daughter, who has a rare medical condition. the associate professor pleading with the board of regents for mandatory masks on campus. this weekend's football game could draw 92,000 fans to the bulldogs' stadium. >> what will i do if something happensto her? will the board be giving me an answer then? i'm begging them. i'm begging them to do the right thing. enough of politics, enough ideology. let's make good scientific decisions. >> reporter: in pleasant hill, missouri, deputies breaking up a dispute over masks when a school board passed a new mask mandate. >> we need to go back to a mask

mandate. with the way that the virus is spreading and how it's affecting children now. >> reporter: in miami-dade county, florida, the teachers' union reporting 13 school district staffers have died of covid in the last three weeks. officials say none of them were vaccinated. tomorrow, president biden is expected to lay out a six-step strategy to boost vaccinations and stop the spread of the delta variant. just as experts are closely tracking a new rare variant, called mu, now confirmed in 28 states. early evidence suggests it might be more resistant to vaccines, but today, dr. fauci making it clear, delta is still by far the most troublesome variant in the u.s. >> we have mu here and it's getting suppressed by delta. delta's 99% plus in the united states. >> and kaylee hartung joins us now from idaho. and kaylee, it's certainly not just idaho when it comes to children and what they're seeing across this country. authorities now reporting new case rates among children now

surpassing that of adults? >> reporter: yeah, that's right, david. children between the ages of 5 and 17, they're getting infected at a higher rate than any other age group. and since school started back in july, 960,000 children have tested positive for covid. david? >> all right, kaylee hartung tonight. kaylee, thank you. you heard dr. fauci say there, we must remain focused on the delta variant here in this country, still spreading and quickly, particularly among children. but there is also concern over this new variant, the mu variant, first seen in colombia. and still major questions about the potential for booster shots, a third shot. so, let's get right to dr. ashish jha, dean of the brown university school of public health. dr. jha, always great to have you with us. first, we heard dr. fauci reiterate there that the delta variant is still the vast majority of the cases we're seeing in the u.s., but on this new variant, the mu variant and questions if it could possibly resaid vaccines, give us a reality check here tonight. what do we know so far about this variant and how concerned are you? >> yeah, david, thank you for

having me back. you know, we're still learning a lot about this new mu variant. so far, i don't see any evidence that this variant is going to be able to displace delta, the very contagious delta variant. still the concerning one. and also, i really do believe our vaccines are going to hold up well even against this new variant. so, more to learn, but right now, i'm not excessively concerned. >> in the meantime, dr. jha, we know president biden is expected to address the nation tomorrow on this next chapter in the fight against the virus. we're now seeing 1 in 4 cases in this country involving children. but we also know that the administration has also said by mid-september, september 20th, we could see the rollout of boosters in this country, a third shot. i guess the question, is this inevitable, are boosters coming? >> yeah, you know, the science on boosters is really coming into focus. and at this point, i think it's very clear that older people, frail elders, people with chronic diseases, clearly need that third shot. it's becoming a three-shot regimen. whether young healthy people do or not, i think that's a little less clear.

i think we're going to have clarity from fda and cdc probably in the next ten days to two weeks. >> do you suspect the pfizer shot comes first because they put in for it first? >> i do. i do. i think pfizer comes first and moderna probably follows in the week or two that follows. >> all right, dr. jha, thank you, as always. in the meantime, we move onto the other news and here in the northeast tonight, millions now bracing for more severe weather. flash flood watches in effect at this hour and of course, it comes just 24 hours after president biden was here in new york and in new jersey, touring the damage after tornadoes and flash floods after ida. late today, we learned of a new tropical storm threat also forming in the gulf. florida on alert. so let's get right to senior meteorologist rob marciano, tracking it all for us tonight. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. more rain in the northeast. not what towns want to hear as they just begin their recovery process. but that's what's coming. look at the radar. flash flood watches that are posted for new jersey, new york, eastern pennsylvania, down to baltimore and the radar is just lit up. that's heavy rain within those

thunderstorms and those thunderstorms as they move through with this cold front into some humidity, we could have damaging winds and maybe an isolated tornado. it should move through rather quickly, but again, very saturated ground, so, flooding could very well be an issue tonight. tropical storm mindy. been watching this in the northern gulf. get through apalachicola later on tonight and across parts of georgia and south carolina with tropical storm force conditions and then scooting out to sea. but here in the northeast, the next six to eight hours, david, will be critical. >> yeah, we will take it seriously. rob, thank you. next tonight here, the fbi now releasing new video this evening of the suspect who they say placed pipe bombs at the rnc and at the dnc the night before the january 6th riot. tonight, newly disclosed surveillance showing the suspect, they say, sitting on a bench outside the dnc headquarters. authorities also revealing something else. key details about the suspect's route and timing. here's our chief justice correspondent pierre thomas now. >> reporter: tonight, the fbi releasing new video in their urgent effort to find that dangerous would-be bomber who

allegedly planted multiple explosive devices the night before the january 6th insurrection. >> usa! usa! >> reporter: video from a newly-disclosed camera angle showing the still unidentified suspect outside the dnc headquarters in washington, d.c., calmly sitting on a bench before planting the first of what authorities say were two pipe bombs that could have been lethal. the fbi animation showing the suspect walking around the block, then circling back and then mysteriously disappearing. only to re-emerge eight minutes later, roughly a quarter mile away, near the rnc headquarters, where another pipe bomb would be placed in an alley. >> essentially, they are trying to come up with some new way of encouraging people to void leads, because it does not appear that they have a great many leads to go on. >> reporter: the fbi conducting more than 800 interviews and reviewing more than 23,000 pieces of video to find a suspect who was meticulous in concealing his or her identity. despite making more than 600 arrests after the january

6th insurrection, the fbi still unable to identify that suspect seen walking with an unusual gait, wearing a face mask, glasses, gloves and a hooded sweatshirt. >> pierre thomas staying on this from the start, back with us tonight. pierre, i know there's some urgency with authorities trying to find this person with this new rally set to take place in washington, d.c., in the coming days in support of the january 6th defendants. >> reporter: david, that rally in just ten days is being led by people calling those arrested in january political prisoners. law enforcement would feel a whole lot better if they could catch this dangerous would-be bomber before then. david? >> pierre thomas tonight. pierre, thank you. we turn now to the earthquake in mexico tonight. strong aftershocks have now been reported. the powerful 7.0 magnitude quake hitting near acapulco. at least one person killed, buildings shaking. hundreds of thousands without power tonight. people running into the streets for safety. the quake was felt in mexico city more than 230 miles away. to afghanistan tonight, and

to the effort to resettle thousands of our afghan allies who fled the country and questions over children separated from their parents. secretary of state antony blink in touring the military base in rgermany where many refugees are simply waiting now for what comes next. our chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz back with us tonight. and one of the many questions remaining, what will happen to the hundreds of unaccompanied afghan children who were evacuated by u.s. forces. >> reporter: well, david, we all saw those heartbreaking images of parents passing their children over razor wire to get them out of afghanistan and while many, including that baby, were reunited with parents, we've learned there are still some 300 unaccompanied afghan children who are now in germany or in qatar. some of them separated in the chaos of those evacuation flights, others whose parents were left behind. of those 300, only about a dozen have been reunited with their families, but the u.s. and

others working hard to find those parents, but there is some good news tonight for evacuees. the u.s. will accept up to 95,000 afghan evacuees right here in this country. david? >> all right, martha raddatz on this again tonight. thank you, martha. and now to paris tonight, and the dramatic moment playing out in court after that horrific terror attack, you'll remember we covered here. 20 men accused in that 2015 attack, rifles and suicide bombs targeting a soccer stadium, the bataclan concert hall and neighborhood cafes, leaving 130 people dead. well tonight, the trial finally now starting in a specially-built courtroom, amid heightened security. the lead suspect shouting in court. here's our foreign correspondent james longman in paris. >> reporter: the paris terror attacks ripped at very the heart of this city. in november 2015, ten masked gunmen and suicide bombers laid siege to a soccer match, sprayed the city's crowded cafes and restaurants with bullets, and at this rock concert --

brought the music to a stop with murderous gunfire. 90 people died here at the bataclan theater. 130 people were killed in total and more than 400 wounded. all but one of the attackers died. several detonating suicide vests. authorities say salah abdeslam threw his away and ran. that prompted a massive manhunt. david reporting on the aftermath of the attacks. >> you can actually see the memorial that's been growing by the hour here in paris. people coming out to all of these sites to remember all of those who were lost. >> reporter: five months later, the suspect finally captured. a van believed to be carrying abdeslam arrived at a specially-built court in the heart of the french capital this morning. he and 19 other suspects are on trial, accused of helping provide guns, cars and planning for the largest ever isis attack in europe. abdeslam has refused to speak to investigators about the assault and was defiant today in court, shouting at the judge. and when asked to state his profession, declared, "i

abandoned any profession to become a combatant of the islamic state." at one point, someone in the section of the court where victims and their relatives sit, shouted back at abdeslam, "130 people were killed." >> and james longman with us live from paris. james, we certainly remember bringing this broadcast after that extraordinary scene playing out, the loss, the human toll. and now all these years later, we're seeing extraordinary security for this trial. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, david. security here is very tight. authorities doing what they can to prevent another attack during this very high profile trial. and it is france's largest ever trial. 300 lawyers, 1,800 plaintiffs and all this set to play out over nine months at least. david? >> we're glad you're there in paris for us. james, thank you. back here at home tonight, one of america's largest confederate monuments no longer towering over the city of richmond, virginia. there were cheers this morning when the statue of general robert e. lee was lifted off the pedestal where it has stood for

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rubble, i promise i will do your will and i would change my life. >> reporter: as night fell, rescue teams desperately continued to dig, searching for signs of life. did you have any sense of time, how much time had been passing? did you know if it was night, if it was morning? >> no. i felt cold at one point, very cold, i was shivering, my body was like shivering. >> reporter: by morning on september 12th, they were still searching as genelle lay trapped beneath them. >> i felt like i was going to give up and i could hear the noises coming up and, "i see someone, i see someone, she's alive, she's alive." and i could hear them coming closer and, like, above me. somebody grabbed my hand. "i got you." >> reporter: firemen finally

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coronavirus vaccine booster shots is expected to happen within weeks. tonight, you're what some bay area counties discussed today to make that happen. ama: we are six days away until the recall election, governor gabbard newsom -- governor gavin newsom getting help from vice president kamala harris. either lunch? has to do with covid and quarantine, coming up. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> the combination of winning efficacy times a virus that is much better at its job than the old one, that leads to more cases and a real need for boosters. ama: a real need for boosters, according to this doctor. we could just be weeks away from

getting those shots here in the bay area. good, thank you for joining us, i am ama daetz. dan: i'm dan ashley you are watching abc 7 news, live on abc 7, hulu and wherever used stream. being fully vaccinated might not be enough. several bay area health departments met to discuss how the covid-19 booster rollout will work noble -- locally. we spoke with health officers from moraine, san mateo and marine counties. reporter: plans for everything from mass vaccination sites to expanded vaccine clinics are underway across the bay area. even if pfizer's booster receives fda approval in a couple of weeks, some health officers do expect the rot to start in california until early october. pfizer at's covid-19 booster

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