what the data shows about following a johnson & johnson shot with either pfizer or moderna. and an fda panel expected to vote on more booster recommendations by the end of the week. and for the first time since the start of the pandemic, the biden administration reopening america's borders to all fully vaccinated travelers next month. the monster wildfire in california threatening more homes and an oil refinery. the fast-moving fire burning across more than 15,000 acres. thousands now forced to evacuate. flames cutting off the 101 freeway. matt gutman on the fire line. tracking dangerous storms in the west. heavy rain and snow, whiteout conditions in some areas. at least nine reported tornadoes touching down in the plains. the new threats tonight. rob marciano timing it all out. breaking news overseas. images coming in following a deadly bow and arrow attack. several people killed, others wounded. the fda issuing new guidelines on how much sodium we consume. the message to food manufacturers, restaurants, and school cafeterias. and actor william shatner making history. >> i hope i recover from this. >> at 90 years old, becoming the oldest person to fly into space aboard blue origin's new shepard capsule. good evening. it's great to have you with us on a wednesday night. i'm whit johnson, in for david. we begin with the crisis in america's supply chain. empty shelves, long waits, and rising prices as the holiday crunch fast approaches. tonight, president biden vowing to act. bringing business, labor, and shipping companies together to end the bottleneck. we've been reporting on the cargo ships waiting for days to unload. once on land, more delays. not enough truck drivers to move the goods. shoppers finding bare shelves. all of it contributing to rising prices, especially painful at the pump. and this just in, a large fire breaking out near shipping containers at the port of los angeles. tonight, that same port has agreed to operate around the clock. workers will put in longer hours, and shipping companies will speed up deliveries. cecilia vega leads us off. >> reporter: tonight in long beach, california, at what should one of the busiest ports in the country, a fleeoftt. containers stacked high, waiting to be unloaded. the bottleneck leading to a crisis in america's supply chain. now facing skyrocketing prices and bare store shelves, president biden is vowing to act. >> we're going to help speed up the delivery of goods all across america. >> reporter: in the midst of the global pandeic, the cost of shipping containers needed to move goods from asia to the u.s., soaring. plus a shortage of workers, from longshoremen on the dock to truck drivers, all leading to scenes like this. empty shelves at tim metcalfe's grocery store in wisconsin. >> the supply chain issues we're having are really kind of from soup to nuts. >> reporter: he says he's seeing price hikes across the board, and he's not alone. americans are paying more for everything, from diapers to new cars, up more than 8%. and clothes, up more than 3%. and it could get even worse as the holidays approach. >> with the holidays coming up, you might be wondering if gifts you plan to buy will arrive on time. >> reporter: americans are looking at shortages on things like toasters, sneakers, bikes, and toys. >> there are certain things that are not coming, that will not be here. i know a lot of toy makers that we have talked to across the country have looked into renting their own planes, putting things on trains, renting their own trucks. it's been dramatic. >> reporter: tonight, the white house praising news that the port of los angeles will now run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. union workers will put in longer hours and shipping companies like u.p.s., walmart, and fedex will increase overnight hours to get the goods on to store shelves. >> the commitments being made today are a sign of major progress in moving goods form manufacturers to a store or your front door. >> cecilia vega joins us from the white house tonight. as we see this rising inflation, you're learning tonight that seniors will soon get more money in their pockets through social security. >> reporter: yes, a nearly 6% cost of living boost. we haven't seen an increase like this in nearly four it's supposed to offset some of the price hikes. >> we're hoping that makes a difference. cecilia, thank you. now to the pandemic. a new study on mixing and matching vaccines coming on the eve of a key fda meeting on booster shots. preliminary findings indicating that getting a booster different from your original vaccination is likely safe and effectve. and up next for that panel, pfizer's vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds. the white house telling governors to get ready to vaccinate kids in that age group early next mounth. and the u.s. working vaccinated travelers next month, one more sign that we may be turning the corner. here's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: tonight, preliminary results from a highly anticipated study finding that when it comes to boosters, mixing and matching vaccines is likely safe and effective. the study from the national institutes of health looking at moderna, pfizer, and johnson & johnson, determining that no matter the booster, all study participants saw a substantial uptick in antibody levels after a booster shot. and for those who got the johnson & johnson shot, the study finding antibody levels were higher if they followed it up with moderna or pfizer versus j&j. >> while this is really exciting, it's based on very small sample sizes. so it gives us a window into, you know, data that we'll see over the coming weeks. >> reporter: but antibodies are only one part of immune protection, and the study did not measure precisely how well each booster protected a person. mixing vaccine boosters is among the data to be presented over the next two days, as an fda advisory panel votes on whether to authorize moderna and j&j's boosters for those 18 and over. tonight, the biden administration's booster rollout off to a good start. >> by the end of today, we estimate that over 7 million americans will have gotten their booster shot, including about 3 million just in the last week. >> reporter: and in a return to normalcy, the u.s. reopening its land borders after nearly 19 months, allowing fully vaccinated tourists and other nonessential travelers to enter from mexico and canada starting in early november. this comes as the white house told governors in a private call to prepare to start vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 in early november. officials say they have enough pfizer pediatric doses for the 28 million eligible children, pending authorization from the cdc and fda. the doses, about a third of what adults get, to be distributed in 100-dose packs to pediatricians, hospitals, and pharmacies. >> we'll make it convenient and easy for parents and kids to get vaccinated. we have the supply and we will be ready. >> reporter: in suffolk, virginia, just a day after her daughter's funeral, a mother speaking out. >> covid is real. and our wish is that people take it more seriously. >> the virus still having a devastating impact on families. stephanie, the next two days will be critical with an independent fda panel meeting on the booster shots. give us a reality check on what to expect. >> reporter: whit, the fda panel is expected to meet thursday and friday to talk about moderna and j&j boosters. the new study offering early reassurance that mixing and matching appears to be safe. >> stephanie, thank you. now to the wildfire emergency in california. the state bracing for a new round of extreme winds. gusts as high as 50 miles per hour fueling a fire in santa barbara county. shutting down part of the 101 hghway for a second milies fce the fire races down the hills towards the see. matt gutman is in california. >> reporter: tonight, with those flames encircling homes, the urgent aerial fight to save them. the alisal fire roaring down from the mountains, chewing through more than 15,000 acres and cutting off one of california's most important freeways, the 101 in santa barbara county. the fire driven by ferocious winds, as we discovered early tuesday. the wind here has been the story. these gusts have been up to 35, 40, even 50 miles an hour. those winds already grounding firefighting aircraft for a time. now shifting. >> it's the most critical time, because the fire will change directions on us. >> reporter: families evacuating through tunnels of smoke and flame on the 101. fire whirls rising skyward. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: burning structures, threatening the ranch patrick brown's family has owned for more than 80 years. >> i put my lifetime in it. i just hope it makes it. >> reporter: this is peak of california fire season. the vegetation is remarkably dry, just as the seasonal winds begin to pick up. there are red flag warnings tomorrow, friday, and saturday in california. >> and nine reported tornades including this one in sharon springs, kansas. up to two feet of snow in the rockies. hazardous driving in wyoming. and texas and oklahoma bracing for the remnants of hurricane pamela. and rob marciano joins us. where is the dangerous weather hitting now? >> reporter: all three systems you mentioned are merging into one giant, slow-moving mess. the center is still across the plains, snow, rain, severe weather, at least one torna tain io the tpi tou tt is mo is lt over from hurricane pamela. downpours widespread tonight and tomorrow. the next 36 hours will be wet before it all moves east. >> rob, thank you. we move to the breaking news from overseas. a horrific scene in norway. a deadly bow and arrow attack. five people killed, two injured. james longman joins us from london. you're getting new information about how this attack was carried out. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, whit. tonight, the suspect is under arrest after this horrific attack that took place south of the norwegian capital, oslo. investigators say he walked around firing a bow and arrow at people seemingly randomly. among the victims was an off-duty police officer. authorities intercepted him 20 minutes after learning of the rampage. they called it a confrontation with police officers. investigators say they believe he's acting alone. the prime minister says it was too early to speculate on a motive. whit? >> james longman with the new develo developmen developments, thank you. and oral arguments about the death penalty sentence of jokhar tsarnaev, saying the trial judge barred evidence about the influence of his older brother on his actions. at today's hearing, the conservative majority seemed inclined to reinstate the death penalty. a new report from the tsa tonight, officers detecting a record number of firearms at airport security checkpoints this year. officers stopping nearly 4,500 passengers from carrying firearms on their flights. surpassing the previous record of just over 4,400 detected in all of 2019. we still have three months to go in the year. now to that historic space flight. blasting off with the oldest person ever to travel into space. science fiction coming true for 90-year-old actor william shatner. returning to earth overcome with emotion. gio benitez was there for the launch, later speaking with the planet's newest space travelers. >> reporter: tonight, history made. "star trek's" captain kirk, william shatner, boldly going to the final frontier and back. >> william shatner. >> reporter: at 90 years old, becoming the oldest person ever to blast off into space. more than five decades after "star trek" began. >> welcome aboard, captain. >> reporter: today, traveling aboard amazon founder jeff bezos' blue origin spacecraft, along with two paying customers, and blue origin's vp, audrey powers. the rocket traveling 66.5 miles over the west texas desert. shatner saying simply, wow. the crew experiencing three minutes of weightlessness before parachuting back down to earth. the whole mission just over ten minutes. afterwards, bezos opening the hatch. >> hello, astronauts. welcome to earth. >> reporter: shatner and the crew emerging. >> to see the blue cover go right by and now you're staring into blackness. that's the thing. the covering of blue, this sheet, this blanket, this comforter of blue that we have around us. we think, oh, the blue sky, and then suddenly you shoot through it all, and you rip off the sheet when you're asleep and you're looking into blackness, into black ugliness. and you look down, there's the blue down there and the black up there. >> reporter: shatner overcome. >> i'm so filled with emotion about what just happened. it's extraordinary. extraordinary. i hope i never recover from this. i hope that i can maintain what i feel now. i don't want to lose it. >> reporter: and right after, we were there with the crew. what made you so emotional up there? >> the absolute startling, unexpected difference between the darkness of space and the blue of earth. out there lies coldness. yes, the mystery of space, but right here lies sustenance, life, nurturing. >> reporter: what do you think you're going to take back from this experience? >> to see something of the difference of life and death. >> the words from captain kirk right there. gio benitez joins us live near the launch site in texas. what is next for blue origin? how are they planning to top this? >> reporter: they have one more flight scheduled this year. more in 2022. but i've got to tell you, you mentioned that emotion there. it wasn't just shatner. all of the crew members say they were crying, and they can't think of a better ambassador for the future of humanity than captain kirk. >> gio benitez, thank you so much. when we come back here tonight, cut the salt. new fda guidelines on how much sodium we consume. proposing changes for food mnufacturers, restaurants, cafeteri cafeterias, and food trucks. 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(jackie) talk to your doctor about austedo...it's time to treat td. td is not ok. visit askforaustedo.com. next tonight, the fda releasing sweeping new guidelines on reducing sodium in food. the agency suggesting reducing the average daily salt intake by 12% over the next 2 1/2 years. researchers say about 70% of excess sodium comes from processed foods and restaurant meals. the fda urging food manufacturers like restaurants, school cafeterias, and food trucks to cut back on their use of salt because of high rates of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. nks. when we come back, the strike threat possibly halting most tv and film productions by monday. . . why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema or atopic dermatitis under control? hide my skin? not me. by hitting eczema where it counts, dupixent helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of eczema. and that means long-lasting clearer skin... and fast itch relief for adults. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can show more with less eczema. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can change how your skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent, i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. fries or salad? salad! good choice! it is. so is screening for colon cancer. when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. hey, cologuard! hi, i'm noninvasive and i detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. early stages. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. 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