flying out today alone. sobering new covid projections heading into the holidays. the cdc warning hospitalizations and deaths expected to increase for the first time in months. the u.s. on pace to see nearly 15,000 deaths in the next two weeks. hitting a total of 800,000 before christmas. massachusetts, michigan and minnesota among states seeing an alarming surge in patients. authorities on alert over the holiday. a crowd of millions expected for the return of the macy's thanksgiving day parade right here in new york city. the fbi warning of new cyber threats over thanksgiving. american businesses and government agencies told to beware of hackers following ransomware attacks over previous holidays. your money. black friday deals available right now. huge sales on laptops, air fryers and air pods. and with major stores closed on thanksgiving, record sales online expected tomorrow. and america strong tonight. the 8-year-old boy with the powerful thanksgiving wish to feed others. that wish granted and more. good evening, it's great to have you with us on a busy wednesday night. i'm whit johnson, in for david. and we begin with that verdict in the ahmaud arbery case. three white men found guilty of felony murder. arbery, a young black man, was shot and killed while running through their neighborhood. the prosecutor saying he didn't have to stop just because they told him to. the jurors, 11 white, one black, agreed. travis mcmichael, his father gregory mcmichael and their neighbor, william "roddie" bryan, each convicted of felony murder and other charges, all now facing life in prison. ahmaud arbery's mother praying as the verdict came in, weeping after it was read. a defense attorney consoling lee mcmichael after the conviction of her husband and son. outside cheering among the supporters of the arbery family. they had held vigil for days. attorney ben crump celebrating with ahmaud's parents. his mother saying her son will now rest in peace. lawmakers across the political spectrum saying justice has been done and that the jury system worked. abc's steve osunsami leads us off in brunswick, georgia. >> i understand we have a verdict. >> reporter: people around the world were tuning into this courthouse in south georgia, watching the moment live. >> count one, malice murder. we the jury find the defendant, travis mcmichael, guilty. >> reporter: and with those words, the concerns many had about the nearly all-white jury went away. >> count two, felony murder. we the jury find the defendant, greg mcmichael, guilty. count three, felony murder. we the jury find the defendant, william r. bryan, guilty. >> reporter: after a little more than 11 hours in a quiet room, jurors came out and convicted the three men who murdered ahmaud arbery in february of last year. a killing that prosecutors say would have never happened if the 25-year-old were white. inside the courtroom, the faces of two mothers filled with tears. the mother of travis mcmichael, who fired the fatal shots. and the mother of ahmaud arbery, who never stopped pushing authorities to find justice for her son. arbery's father let out such a scream for joy, the judge had him removed from the courtroom. >> guilty. >> oh! >> reporter: they were feeling that same joy outside the courthouse. people told us it feels a little safer tonight to be black in georgia. >> i was jumping up and down, like, i was -- i'm happy, i'm happy. finally, we got justice. >> reporter: travis mcmichael, seen here leaving court in shackles, was convicted of all nine charges against him, including malice murder and aggravated assault. he's seen here in this disturbing cell phone video shooting ahmaud arbery dead. his father gregory, a former police officer was convicted of felony murder and all but one of his charges. he's seen here getting out of the back of the pickup truck that they used to chase their victim down. even the neighbor, who they met just that day, who joined in the chase and recorded the cell phone video, was also convicted of felony murder. william "roddie" bryan was convicted of all but three of his charges. their lawyers tonight say that they're sorry. >> these men are sorry for what happened to ahmaud arbery. they are sorry that he is dead. >> reporter: the minimum sentence for murder in georgia is life in prison. they're looking at life in prison for all three of these guys. >> well, that's not my concern. they created -- like my grandmama said, "you made your bed, you sleep in it." >> reporter: the prosecutor convinced jurors that the three white men made what she kept calling "driveway assumptions" about arbery, because he was black, and was seen walking around an unsecured construction site in the neighborhood. she came out tonight to a hero's welcome. >> the jury system works in this country and when you present the truth to people and they see it, they will do the right thing. >> reporter: it's exactly what the streets were demanding in the summer of protest that surrounded the killings of ahmaud arbery and another black man, george floyd, who was murdered in minnesota. arbery's mother came out tonight thanking those who prayed and protested, saying that this thanksgiving will be bttersweet. >> back in 2020, i never thought this day would come. but god is good. now quez, which you know him as ahmaud, i know him as quez. he will now rest in peace. >> amen! >> powerful words from arbery's mother outside the courthouse there. steve osunsami is back with us now and steve, some believe this case could have a ripple effect on the justice system across the country. arbery's death already prompting a change in georgia law. >> reporter: that's right, whit. the three men who were convicted today were hoping to use a citizen's arrest law to try and keep themselves out of prison and as we saw today, that didn't work. ahmaud arbery's death lit a fire under lawmakers at the georgia state house on both sides of the aisle who removed that law completely from the books. whit? >> steve, our thanks to you once again for your coverage throughout this trial and the case. let's get right to abc's chief legal analyst dan abrams. and dan, two of the defendants, greg mcmichael and william bryan, were not found guilty of the most serious charge, malice murder. but travis mcmichael was. could you explain those differences between the verdicts? >> yeah, the jurors basically assigned slightly different blame to the different defendants. travis mcmichael not only chased down ahmaud arbery, but he also was the one who shot and killed him. he was convicted of all the charges including the highest, malice murder. greg mcmichael, his dad, who was involved in chasing down arbery, came armed but didn't end up shooting him, was not convicted of that single count of malice murder, but of all the rest, including all the felony murder changes. and william bryan, the friend who was behind them, convicted of all the felony murder charges except for one, because apparently the jurors didn't believe that he was specifically responsible for an aggravated assault involving the shotgun. >> and dan, the legal issues are not over for these three men. they're back in court early next year. >> right. federal civil rights charges and that case will begin next year. an entirely different trial for these three men. >> all right, dan, thank you so much. we appreciate it. more to come on this. and be sure to tune into a special "20/20" friday night, "nowhere to run: the ahmaud arbery story." an in depth look at this significant and high profile case. that's 9:00 p.m. eastern, right here on abc. we turn now to the other major headlines we're following this wednesday night. americans on the move for the thanksgiving holiday. nearly as many as before the pandemic. more than 48 million people expected to drive. a look here at the new jersey turnpike this afternoon. more than 4 million expected to take to the skies, as well. long lines at the miami airport. but this week, travelers are also confronting the highest gas prices in years and covid rules at the airports. abc's transportation correspondent gio benitez with the holiday rush. >> reporter: tonight, more than 48 million americans hitting the road for thanksgiving. part of the biggest holiday travel rush since the pandemic began. >> we started at 9:30. >> p.m.? >> p.m. >> every time we go to see grandma in delaware, we're usually on the road before 4:00, 5:00 a.m. >> reporter: drivers making the trip to see relatives paying the highest prices in seven years. the average for a gallon of regular soaring to $3.40 a gallon. more than a dollar higher than just a year ago, when demand was lower because of the pandemic. prices in the northeast jumping 60%. and approaching $5 a gallon to california. millions more packing airports for the holiday. >> it's nice to be able to go freely wherever you want. >> we're going to visit my sister and from there go to disney world. >> we're super excited. >> reporter: the tsa screening more than 2 million travelers a day for the past week. >> kind of freaking out a little bit, worrying about getting to my plane on time. >> reporter: the tsa says it expects sunday to be the busiest travel day of the year as people head home, with an estimated 2.4 million passengers catching flights. parking lots filling up at some major airports with customers told to reserve spots ahead of time. as for the weather, travelers can expect clear skies and no major storms impacting their plans. and whit, if you're driving for the holiday, the best times to get on the road are tonight after 9:00 p.m. or tomorrow morning before 11:00. whit? >> gio, we appreciate the tips, thank you. we move now to the pandemic and concern that the holiday could fuel another covid surge. the cdc now forecasting that hospital admissions and deaths will rise in the next four weeks. also tonight, a new poll finding that 2 in 3 americans will spend thanksgiving with friends or family outside their immediate households and about half of them say that will include people who are not vaccinated. here's abc's erielle reshef. >> reporter: on the eve of thanksgiving, a sobering forecast from the cdc. a new model projects covid hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise. >> thanksgiving can represent a real superspreader event for many parts of this country, ultimately exacerbating a surge and likely leading to unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths. >> reporter: nearly 15,000 americans could lose their lives to covid in the next two weeks, with the country reaching a staggering 800,000 before christmas. hospital admissions are now climbing in nearly half the country. in massachusetts, strained hospitals are reducing elective surgeries. >> we have a half dozen icu patients that are waiting and don't have beds for them yet. >> reporter: michigan hospitals are so overwhelmed that the state is asking for open beds at v.a. facilities. >> it's very concerning about where this will go, especially heading into the holiday season. >> reporter: the rising infections fueled by 100 million still unvaccinated americans mixed with relaxed restrictions, colder weather, and waning protection from the vaccine. mike cook says his parents, who are in their mid 70s, were vaccinated. they were planning on getting a booster shot when they got covid and had to be hospitalized. his father is on a ventilator. >> their body just felt very worn down, so they had been literally in bed for, like, a week. my mother hadn't eaten in over a week. >> reporter: 2 in 3 americans will spend thanksgiving with people outside their households and about half of those say that could include unvaccinated guests. if family members are unvaccinated, immunocompromised or elderly, the cdc recommending wearing masks, possibly gathering outdoors, and getting tested ahead of time. >> one extra layer of protection that you might take is to take a rapid test before you gather together. >> erielle reshef back with us. and erielle, we are also hearing from dr. fauci tonight, saying if the country wants to beat back a winter surge, we need to ramp up booster shots. >> reporter: that's right, whit. and dr. fauci says we need to do that now. he says we're doing a good job, with more than 30 million people already boosted, but we need to get into the hundreds of millions of people boosted and vaccinated. whit? >> erielle, our thanks to you tonight. now, to the deadly christmas parade horror in waukesha, wisconsin. we've now learned the identity of the sixth victim, a child. jackson sparks was just 8 years old. the oldest killed was 81. abc's alex perez with more on the lives lost. >> reporter: heartbreak in waukesha tonight, remembering the youngest victim of the tragedy at the christmas parade. 8-year-old jackson sparks, killed by that suv barreling through the crowd. his older brother tucker still in the hospital. his family saying, "by the grace of god, he is recovering from his injuries." the victims ranging from 8 to 81. three of them members of the dancing grannies, there to delight the families who came out to watch the parade. >> we lost so many of our members. right now, it's very raw. it's very, very difficult. >> reporter: lee owen had three grandchildren of her own. her son chris telling us, "people who knew her loved her." jane kulich described by her niece as "an angel on earth. they were the type of family that went to church on sundays and had family game night on weekends." wilhelm hospel, ginny sorenson and tamara durand, whose husband dave said, "her memory will bring joy to all who knew her." and whit, officials say ten children remain hospitalized as a result of their injuries. the dancing grannies tell me they won't let this tragedy stop them and they hope to one day march again. whit? >> we are thinking about those families tonight. alex, thank you. tonight, the new warning that cyber criminals could be out to take advantage of the holidays and launch ransomware attacks, especially on businesses and critical infrastructure. abc's chief justice correspondent pierre thomas with more on the threat and an exclusive visit to the agency on the front lines. >> reporter: tonight on the eve of thanksgiving and the holidays beyond, the fbi and homeland security now warning critical industries to be on the lookout for crippling ransomware attacks like the one on colonial pipeline that triggered gas shortages along the east coast. in issuing the new bulletin, authorities noting they have seen a troubling pattern this year. attacks during holidays, when they can do the most harm and get the most attention. in addition to colonial, there was a ransomware attack on the meat giant jbs around memorial day that disrupted production across the u.s. >> if you would have asked me that a year ago and said, "hey, paul, what about ransomware?" you know, i probably would have said, "that's not something we do." >> reporter: general paul nakasone, head of the nsa and u.s. cybercommand, now says ransomware is a national security threat that he's zeroing in on. he's established so-called "hunt forward teams" who travel to other nations to help allies identify hackers on their networks and then report back to the u.s. >> once we do that, we share that with the private sector, and that provides a level of inoculation. >> reporter: to cope with the surge in ransomware and other attacks, the nsa is evolving, increasingly engaging with private companies. >> january of 2020, we had noticed some very unique vulnerabilities in microsoft windows 10. we shared that information. >> reporter: and ten years ago, you would have never done that. >> we would never have done it. >> reporter: the nsa director describes an incredibly dynamic, covert battle being waged in cyberspace. and whit, authorities say the number of ransomware attacks targeting the u.s. is up a stunning 300%. >> alarming numbers. pierre thomas for us, thank you. when we come back tonight, concerns for an nfl star. the 911 call and alarming messages sending police and team officials to his house. what authorities are now saying. and why hundreds of thousands in california may lose power on thanksgiving. 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(tiger) this is the dimension of imagination. cardiologist-prescribed blood ♪hinner. ♪ we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana. to the index. nasa's first of its kind earth defense mission is now under way. a spacecraft is on a collision course with an asteroid about 7 million miles away. the plan is to crash it into the asteroid at 15,000 miles per hour, knocking it off its path. this test run is just in case an asteroid ever actually threatens earth. your money. black friday deals available right now. major retailers offering huge sales already. hundreds of dollars off tvs and laptops. $80 off popular air fryers. amazon and walmart offering deals on air pod pros. with many stores deciding to close on thanksgiving, customers expected to spend a record amount online, more than $5 billion in sales tomorrow alone. and one more thanksgiving tradition returning to new york city. the annual balloon inflation, happening right now just blocks from our studio. huge vaccinated crowds getting an up-close look at the stars of the macy's thanksgiving day parade, including a new baby yoda, also known as grogu, for the fans out there. still ahead, the 8-year-old boy giving thanks and giving boy giving thanks and giving back. boy giving thanks and giving back. today, things can be pretty unexpected. but your customers, they still expect things to be simple. and they want it all personalized. with ibm, you can do both. businesses like insurers can automate it processes across clouds. so agents can spend more time on customer needs. and whatever comes your way, you've got it covered. saving time and improving customer service, that's why so many businesses work, with ibm. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. finally tonight, america strong. thanksgiving inspiration and the 8-year-old boy who saw a need and went to work. tonight, in every corner of this country, communities preparing for thanksgiving tomorrow by giving thanks and giving back. in phoenix, arizona, jarvis reddick and travis williams loading up for a turkey giveaway at their american legion. in whittier, california, pastor dr. joshua smith helping hand out 600 donated turkeys at zoe christian fellowship. and in mansfield, massachusetts, 8-year-old belmond schwartz has been hard at work for months. >> okay, that's all. lift it up. >> reporter: collecting food for people in his hometown. he got the idea after seeing people in need and asking his parents how he could help. >> there are a lot of people who don't have food and i want to help them in any way i can. >> reporter: so belmond started recruiting his third grade classmates, his neighbors, his community, to collect food. and he didn't stop there. grocery stores, target, walmart all donating too. belmond loading up the shopping cart and the family car. the food on their kitchen counter growing. so much of it, donations filling their garage. >> nice and light. >> reporter: the fire department helping get all of it to the local food pantry. >> before thanksgiving, this is going to help a ton of people. >> reporter: the panty now saying they're fully stocked for thanksgiving and beyond. >> this will keep us pretty well stocked through january, mid-february. >> reporter: tonight, belmond and his family telling us their thanksgiving wish is to keep this new tradition going. >> he's already talking about doing it again next year. how do you feel about that? >> i feel great. >> and is it going to be bigger and better? >> yeah, bigger and better. we're definitely going to help more people. >> bigger and better. can't wait. i'm whit johnson. thanks for watching. have a great night and happy thanksgiving >> you've seen crime all across the bay area and now there is a group effort to fight it and haul those accountable responsible. >> getting the family include your pets. tonight, which thanksgiving food you can safely share and the five you can't. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> as we head into thanksgiving, tonight's use is a sober reminder for all of us in the bay area to be grateful for the most basic things in life, our health and our safety. thank you for joining us. news, live on abc 7, hulu live, and wherever you stream. a security guard was shot this afternoon, police are looking for help to find the shooter and are now offering a $7,500 reward. >> as you know it has been an extremely violent week. we are asking if you were in the area, have a business or live nearby to please check your surveillance footage, as you may have captured the crime before, during or after it occurred. dan: police had the guard underwent surgery and is now stable. thieves have targeted news crews many times. >> sky seven was over macarthur boulevard and warren street as officers searched a car that officers from san francisco had pursued into the east bay. the officers had tried to pull the driver over in connection with the felony. police -- patrol car