and tonight our reporter talks to his former roommate. rescued. the american trapped in the cave in turkey freed just moments ago. we'll show you the moment his stretcher is pulled up the fda approving new covid booster shots as cases are rising when will they be available? more major medical news does a key ingredient in popular cold medicine actually work and remembering the 9/11 attacks the health battles so many firefighters are still waging, 22 years later. ♪ >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt good evening i'm tom llamas, in for lester tonight we begin with the all-out race against time playing out in morocco. the window for finding survivors is quickly closing after that devastating earthquake killed more than 2,800. but there are some signs of hope. this was a rescue earlier today. survivors pulled from the rubble three days after the earthquake hit. and look at this new aerial showing just how extensive the destruction is and just how challenging the task is for rescuers and tonight we're also getting new video of the moment the 6.8 magnitude quake hit. here it is you can see people fleeing in fear, running into the streets as debris falls all around them. we begin tonight there in morocco with matt bradley. >> reporter: tonight high in the atlas mountains glimmers of hope survivors brought out on stretchers somehow making it out alive after the most powerful quake to hit morocco in over a century. this man clutching his two daughters. his other two children were killed. these were the horrifying moments when this massive 6.8 magnitude quake struck friday night, sending customers pouring out of a restaurant, buildings crashing down this man managing to escape just before the roof caved in. here in the middle of a performance a wedding band feels this rattling and rushes out we traveled to one of the hardest-hit areas in the countryside you can smell the death here between 90 and 100 people were killed in this village alone, and they're no longer looking for survivors. she says this is her bedroom right here [ speaking in a non-english language ] four members of hanan's family were killed in the earthquake she says everybody was taken out. right now they're looking for things they're looking for their identity cards and other things they need in mountain villages like this one the construction materials are rudimentary. as you can see, faced with a magnitude earthquake like this they didn't stand a chance in some cases the remaining homes are so fragile that aid helicopters caused further damage tonight morocco's government is facing criticism over the pace of the response many struggling to reach remote areas batua lost seven members of her family and her home but she still has an abundance of kindness. she insisted on making us tea but her son abdul kareem fears for the future he tells us without more help from the government this whole village may simply disappear. he says that all they're asking for is that the government rebuilds their homes and gives them food. that's it. they're not asking for much >> matt joins us tonight from morocco matt, timing is critical, as you know. and the moroccan government is only accepting aid from four countries what about the u.s.? >> reporter: well, tom, the u.s. says they've offered to assist but so far that offer hasn't been publicly accepted. meanwhile, people here tell us they're waiting on the government to provide basics like housing. tom? >> and we hope that aid reaches them okay matt bradley leading us off tonight back here at home we turn now to hurricane lee. it has restrengthened to a major category 3 hurricane. nbc meteorologist bill karins joins us now. and bill, we have a bit of breaking news here boston's now in the cone >> yeah, we've expanded this northwards now including areas of nova scotia getting into the main coastline and boston and the cape and the islands are now included in the cone now, the storm will be much weaker then than it is now. and it will look a lot different. almost like a powerful nor'easter with a large wind field but we will miss bermuda, and then it looks like it will make its way on friday night into saturday towards the gulf of maine. all of our computer models are up here now, none of them are going directly into new england. but the storm itself is going to be expanding in size. so even if the center of the storm is 200 miles to the east, we could still see winds over 50 to 60, maybe even 70 miles per hour on areas of cape cod and with leaves on the trees that's a big difference in what we'd deal with in the winter time. we could have significant power outages, even without a direct hit and we'd better hope this thing doesn't trend closer to the u.s. coast in the next couple days. >> that's true and we'll stay tracking it all week bill, we thank you for that now to that manhunt for an escaped killer in pennsylvania police acknowledging today they no longer have a defined search area after he slipped through their perimeter and changed his appearance george solis is there on the ground for us >> reporter: authorities tonight revealing the manhunt for danelo cavalcante contained to one park just days ago is now wide open. >> unfortunately, we don't have a containment area right now. so that's another -- you know, another concern and another challenge. >> reporter: over the weekend the elusive cavalcante somehow escaped that park, sneaking past 400 members of law enforcement, stealing this van, abandoning it and vanishing once again. authorities now say cavalcante's sister has been detained by immigration officials but would not say if she's helped her brother. >> she has failed to cooperate, and so there was no value in law enforcement keeping her here at this point >> reporter: police are warning against anyone assisting him >> we will prosecute you fully for those actions. >> reporter: franco rosa used to live with cavalcante what was he like as a roommate >> super quiet guy very shy wouldn't talk much he wouldn't start a conversation >> reporter: they were roommates until cavalcante moved out the day before he murdered his ex-girlfriend in 2021. has he made any attempt to reach out to you >> no. nothing at all and i hope he won't do it and if he does i'll call the police right away >> reporter: but he has reached out to others this is cavalcante on a doorbell camera on saturday night trying to contact a former co-worker. his image drastically changed from when he escaped prison now clean-shaven authorities now say the search is entering the, quote, long game but they believe cavalcante is only growing more desperate. >> the more resources, the more tools we bring to bear, we will ultimately capture him. he doesn't have what he needs to last long term >> and george, at this point do police believe the fugitive is even still in pennsylvania >> reporter: yeah, they do, tom in fact, they still believe he's right here in chester county, even with no confirmed sightings of him since this weekend. tom? >> okay. george solis for us. we want to head back overseas now to the breaking news out of turkey that just came in. just a short time ago rescue crews successfully brought back to the surface an american scientist who's been trapped in a cave more than a week molly hunter has more. >> reporter: tonight, the extraordinary moment rescuers have been waiting for as american scientist mark dickey is hoisted to the surface >> it is amazing to be above ground again >> reporter: in the last video of dickey underground inside turkey's deep morca cave he's wrapped tightly to a stretcher, cocooned so he doesn't slip as rescuers bring him through the final feet of a mammoth 3,400-foot journey to the top. in the last few hours the stretcher rocking and heaving but making steady progress on the pulley system. the 40-year-old new jersey native, an experienced caver, suffered from severe gastrointestinal bleeding about ten days ago the news reached the surface saturday september 2nd. and the first medical team to reach him said he was in serious life-threatening condition. remarkably, they performed a blood transfusion. >> as you can see i'm up, i'm alert, i'm talking. but i'm not healed on the inside yet so i'm going to need a little -- a lot of help to get out of here >> reporter: when he stabilized, the complicated rescue mission began on saturday and tonight the nearly 200-strong team delivering him to safety tom, just incredible scenes in the taurus mountains. mark dickey is out he's safe. the plan is for him to be assessed on site, then airlifted by helicopter to a state hospital in nearby mersin, turkey tom? >> okay. great they got him out. molly, thank you and another major story we're following. the fda today approving updated covid booster shots to protect against new variants miguel almaguer with more on when they may be available and who should get them. >> reporter: tonight's fda authorization is a major step towards new booster shots after the cdc meets tuesday vaccines from moderna and pfizer could go into arms by the end of the week. drugmakers say boosters should increase protective antibodies against the latest strains including ba-286 the cdc says the mutation shows the ability to infect the protected and even those who've already had covid. but it doesn't appear to be more severe. >> what this booster will do is protect us against severe disease. hospitalization. and the data so far indicate that the booster is well matched to those strains. >> reporter: though national covid cases are no longer tracked, some states are reporting a rise, though not a worrisome wave, in new infections hospitalizations are up nearly 16%, even though 97% of adults have some level of protective immunity. >> i was extremely exhausted, and just like bad congestion. >> reporter: college senior lu maestri just caught the virus as she returned to school just like many adults have at work and at large venues >> last week a lot of my classes were empty because a lot of kids were reporting that they were sick >> reporter: while the federal government will no longer pay for booster shots, most americans will be covered by private insurance or medicare. local clinics are also expected to offer the roughly $120 shot for free while many new infections are mild, tonight there is concern a winter wave could be near if americans don't take precautions or get protection >> and miguel, you reported there cases slowly rising in some pockets of the country. so who should be getting a booster? >> reporter: well, tom, tomorrow the cdc's going to outline who should get a booster, but many experts believe all adults will be encouraged to get a shot, especially if they haven't been vaccinated in some time tom? >> okay. miguel almaguer for us miguel, thank you for that today it was a day of memorials and ceremonies across the country, marking 22 years since the 9/11 attacks. rehema ellis reports tonight from ground zero ♪ >> reporter: once again a solemn day of remembrance. bells tolling at 8:46 and 9:03, the moment when terrorists attacked the world trade center 22 years ago. >> alvin peter capelman jr. >> reporter: then the emotional reading of nearly 3,000 names of those who died that day. >> and my poppy, gerard patrick sprang, firefighter from rescue company 3 i miss you and love you. i wish you got to take me fishing we love you, poppy >> reporter: in attendance vice president kamala harris but president biden under criticism from conservative outlets for being the first president not to be at the white house or a memorial site on the anniversary. instead he was visiting troops in alaska >> i join you on this solemn day to renew our sacred vow never forget never forget >> reporter: and the tragedy is still present in so many families' lives to this day as they're struggling with lingering health effects from the attack 341 members of the fire department have died from 9/11-related illnesses. almost as many as those who died 22 years ago. >> he was great. >> reporter: jim brosi's father joseph was one of them. he died from lung cancer this year >> lieutenant joseph brosi. engine 88. >> reporter: and his name was added to a memorial wall at fdny headquarters >> i walk through those hallways looking at names of people i worked with, people i knew and the one thing you never want to see is one of your own family ♪ >> reporter: pain for lost family members both fresh and lingering. >> i just hope you're proud of who i've grown up to be thank you for loving us, dad, and thank you for being my dad >> reporter: tonight a nation honoring a promise to never forget rehema ellis, nbc news, new york >> we thank rehema for that and we will never forget in just 60 seconds, two major sports stories we're following tonight. the nba star arrested for assault, and the coach of a college football team suspended over allegations of sexual harassment stay with us we are back now with breaking news out of the sports world. nba star kevin porter jr. has been taken into police custody, and he will be charged with assault and strangulation. that according to two senior law enforcement officials. the houston rockets guard allegedly attacked his girlfriend in a new york hotel also developing tonight, michigan state suspended its head football coach as part of an ongoing investigation after he was accused of sexually harassing a rape survivor. maggie vespa has the details. >> reporter: tonight one of the highest-paid coaches in college football sidelined amid an off the field scandal. >> i have suspended mel tucker without pay. >> reporter: calling it an interim measure, michigan state university sunday suspending head coach mel tucker over an allegation he sexually harassed victims advocate brenda tracy. her claim dates back to april of last year after she spoke to the team about preventing sexual violence. according to a "usa today" investigation citing her title 9 complaint, she claimed she was later on the phone with the coach when he made sexual comments about her and masturbated. in a statement tucker said "tracy's allegations of harassment are completely false," characterizing the phone call as "a mutual private event between two adults living at opposite ends of the country. nbc news has not independently reviewed the complaint. >> so this morning's news might sound like the msu of old it was not >> reporter: michigan state leaders said new developments prompted them to suspend tucker less than two years into his $95 million contract. >> we are focused on prevention work with men. >> reporter: tracy lectures collegiate athletes nationwide on preventing sexual violence after her own brutal assault in oregon in the '90s, allegedly by multiple college football players. about her encounter with coach tucker telling "usa today," "the idea that someone could know me and say they understand my trauma but then reinflict that trauma on me is so disgusting to me. students here on campus are frustrated by this news it comes just five years after that half a billion-dollar settlement with victims of gymnastics doctor larry nassar. msu leaders say a formal hearing on this matter is set for next month. tom? >> okay, maggie, thank you. we're back in a moment with new questions about cold medicine does it even work? every business deserves a great deal. that's why comcast business is launching the mobile made free event. with our business internet, new and existing customers can get one year of unlimited mobile for free. it's our best internet. powered by the next generation 10g network and with 99.9% reliability. plus one line of free mobile for an entire year. it's the mobile made free event-happening now. get started for just $49.99 a month. plus, ask how to get one free line of unlimited mobile. comcast business, powering possibilities. welcome back for years we were told an ingredient in many cold and sinus medicines like sudafed and nyquil was safe and effective. but now there are serious questions about whether it works at all anne thompson tonight with what the fda is now looking into >> reporter: it is a key ingredient in many popular over-the-counter medicines like sudafed p.e., dayquil and nyquil severe. phenylephrine, or p.e. but a growing body of evidence claims p.e. doesn't work as a decongestant when taken orally in a pill or liquid. dr. purvi parikh is a new york city allergist. >> do you recommend oral p.e.? >> no, actually. especially because recent studies have shown that it's not very effective at all. >> reporter: this week an fda advisory committee will have its say, evaluating evidence including from the agency's scientists that say while safe orally administered p.e. is not effective as a nasal decongestant it didn't clear betsy yates's head >> it just wasn't working and i was miserable. >> reporter: if the fda pulls the generally recommended safe and effective designation from oral p.e., you're going to have to turn to your pharmacist for medicines available without a prescription but that are kept behind the counter that medicine contains pseudoephedrine. that's what betsy used >> you can tell the difference between the sudafed that you get from behind the counter versus what's just available on the shelf. >> reporter: the otc manufacturers group says oral p.e. should stay, arguing taking the drug away could cause people to delay or forgo treatment dr. parikh says there are better options >> they should switch to those 24-hour oral antihistamines, those nasal steroids or nasal antihistamine sprays >> all right, anne joins us now on set. so anne, the 24-hour antihistamines and the nasal sprays, you reported there they're better options but as far as the oral p.e. are there side effects? >> there are, tom. headaches, nervousness, sleeplessness are all side effects but the question before the fda is not whether it's safe but whether this drug actually works and we could get word tomorrow >> okay. big news all right, anne, we appreciate all your reporting. up next, the secret message tennis superstar coco gauff's dad had written on his shirt. all part of the story she's been writing her whole life we'll explain right after this break finally, she's queen of the court and still a teenager tennis champion coco gauff. tonight, how she's been dreaming and preparing for this moment her whole life. imagine at 19 winning it all coco gauff taking home the u.s. open women's title. >> i'm just thankful for this moment. like i don't have any words for it, to be honest >> reporter: imagine being humble enough to praise your heroes, even when it's your moment coco, the youngest american to win the u.s. open since serena williams in 1999 >> serena's serena she's the g.o.a.t. i mean, i'm not -- i would hope to do half of what she does, but i'm not going to compare myself to her. she's someone i looked up to. >> reporter: imagine thinking about playing center court since you were a child that's 8-year-old coco dancing in the stands of arthur ashe stadium. ♪ imagine finally making it there then losing. after facing reigning champ naomi osaka. imagine being 15 and confronting defeat while the world watched. then imagine training harder, playing better, and making it to the u.s. open finals for coco's family, there from the very start of this journey, her dad's shirt said it all "imagine." >> she was gifted as a child. she always strived to do her best. >> reporter: for the little girl who we watched grow up on the court she had imagined this moment her whole life now needing a moment to realize she was no longer dreaming. >> i think just imagine, just imagine that your dreams can come true and you've just got to keep working for it >> reporter: for coco her family and her fans just imagine what's next. >> and coco, we are rooting you on that's "nightly news" for this monday. thank you so much for watching i'm tom llamas in new york for all of us here at nbc news, have a great night. . right now on "nbc bay area news tonight," a huge sinkhole impacting several blocks in san francisco. >> it was like a heavy, heavy, like, sound of yosemite park, you know, the waterfall, and it was just endless, endless. >> how did it get so bad, and what's it going to take to fix it? plus -- >> you