abc's bazi kanani following the developments from washington. bazi, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis. good morning, reena. again, this was the first democratic debate with just two candidates on the stage and with just days to go until the next the top two democrats face-to-face for the last time before the new hampshire primary. >> i think it's time to end the your campaign have been carrying out. >> reporter: the candidates clashing over charges of not standing up to wall street. >> i helped lead the effort against deregulation. >> reporter: while hillary clinton dodged a question about releasing the transcripts of her paid speeches to banks and big corporations. >> i will look into it. >> reporter: she showed her muscle on foreign policy. >> i fully, fully concede that secretary clinton, who was secretary of state for four years, has more experience, but experience is not the only point. judgment is. >> a vote in 2002 is not a plan to defeat isis. >> reporter: bernie sanders again refused to go after clinton for her e-mail cont

there's a three-hour delay opening federal government offices in washington, d.c., this morning. the weather is about to make a dramatic turnaround. we get more from abc's megan hughes. >> i was cleaning up the area in city hall so nobody slips and falls. >> reporter: up and down the east coast, slippery side walks made for wobbly walking. on the roads, the coating of ice left drivers scrambling. to get traction. in pennsylvania, derek fair was driving down route 29 in valley forge when he went off the road, just missing this tree. >> i'm trying not to hit the guy in front of me. i just kind of tried to turn. i just came off the road. >> reporter: north carolina's wintry mix caused more than 1500 car accidents in less than 24 hours. the 1200-mile-long winter storm is also creating trouble at airports. red dominated the departures board at charlotte-douglas international. close to 1600 flights canceled monday. >> i'm done. i'm done. i'm done. i'm ready for summer. >> reporter: the snow, ice, and rain are madging north up the east coast. 17 states seeing winter weather alerts, with

we get the latest now from abc's megan hughes in washington. good morning, megan. >> reporter: kendis, reena, good morning. all six remaining gop candidates will be in south carolina today where as you mentioned donald trump remains on top and on the attack. donald trump calls in on stephen >> i can think off the top of my head three things you said cbs will not let me repeat. >> reporter: though he foul evo clean up his dirty language. >> poor bush, he comes out. he goes, well, i don't think that donald trump can beat hillary clinton but i can. i say, well, why aren't you beating me? >> i don't care what donald trump says. the guy is a complete loser. >> reporter: jeb bush making news with a one-word tweet, america with a picture of his own gun, his name printed on the barrel. the new york daily news going after bush with the headline dolt .45. the latest poll shows bush, rubio and cruz all trailing. trump with a 16-point lead in the palmetto state. on the democratic side hillary clinton with a nearly 20-point advantage. both candidates appear

latest on the showdown in washington. >> reporter: good morning. justice scalia's vacancy on the court is sure to be a big topic of discussion on the campaign trail today. we've got several candidates campaigning in south carolina while here in washington, we wait. within an hour of the supreme court confirming scalia's death, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell declared that this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. made it clear he's ready to >> i plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibility to name a new successor. >> reporter: both sides have reason to fight. how it could shift the balance on the supreme court, which without scalia is split 4-4. >> so now, this next appointment will be critical for some important decisions that are coming down the pipe. >> reporter: including decisions regarding abortion, immigration. that adds a new dimension to >> it is outrageous that republicans in the senate and on the campaign trail have already pledged to block any replacement that president obama nominates. >> reporter: rep

reena, kendis. >> okay, bazi kanani live in washington. bazi, thank you so much. >>> in the meantime, by the way, the republican battle for new hampshire is quickly turning into quite a horse race. >> the latest poll has donald trump enjoying a wide lead ahead of his two closest competitors, marco rubio and ted cruz, but the other candidates are upping their game and pulling out all the stops. overnight a first for jeb bush's campaign. >> it's great to be back in new hampshire. >> former first lady barbara bush making an appearance in new hampshire. >> he's everything we need in a president. >> for the third time in her life the 90-year-old hitting the campaign trail for a presidential candidate named bush. >> he's not a bragger. we don't allow that. but he's decent and honest. his dad and i are very, very proud of him. >> also in new hampshire this morning, donald trump stepping up the pace. >> this is really crunch time. >> at one of trump's rallies because it was so packed. abc's tom llamas was there. >> so right now we're outside the t

. >>> in washington, d.c. a final farewell begins today for the late supreme court justice antonin scalia. his body will lie in repose in the great hall of the supreme court. he died on saturday during a trip to texas. president obama and the first lady will pay their respects at the court this afternoon. and vice president joe biden will attend scalia's funeral mass tomorrow but biden says he has no interest in replacing the justice. the vice president said he has no desire to sit on the high court even if he was asked but he also said, you never tell a president for certain you wouldn't do anything. the vice president also saying the president should not nominate a replacement. >>> the u.s. has hit north korea with more sanctions because of its nuclear program. president obama is quietly signing the punitive measure overwhelmingly approved by congress last week. it comes as the u.s. and china are in delicate negotiations over new u.n. sanctions. one senate sponsor of the u.s. measure hopes that china will no

the voters in the granite state angry at washington, worried about the economy and looking for honesty not electability emerging from the pack of republican governors a surprise >> if you don't have a seat belt go get one. we're going to shake this country from top to bottom. >> reporter: the fight for third in the gop race is between ted cruz. >> your victoto night has left the washington cartel utterly terrified. >> reporter: jeb bush. >> it looks like you all have reset the race and for that i thank you. >> reporter: and marco rubio who admitted saturday night's debate was his downfall. >> listen to this, that will never happen again. >> reporter: a tough night for democratic front-runner hillary clinton who promised supporters she's marching on to the nomination. >> now we take this campaign to the entire country. we are going to fight for every vote in every state. >> reporter: her opponent proved he won't be so easy to shake off. so, today is on to the next one, south carolina. the state's gop primary is set for next weekend but new jersey governor chris christie is headed home t

news, washington. >>> this morning's other big story. a new wave of bitter attacks from donald trump heating up the campaign trail in south carolina. >> he's firing off at former president bush as he stumps for his brother. he's calling ted cruz unstable and dishonest and hinting at a possible third party run. it's "your voice, your vote." we get the latest from lana zak. >> reporter: the man known as bush 43 was on the campaign trail trying to make younger brother jeb bush 45. >> we need someone to fix the problems that cause the anger and frustration. and that's jeb bush. >> reporter: and jeb needs the help. the south carolina republican primary on saturday could be his last stand against front-runner donald trump, who owns a double-digit lead. in polls there. trump has been on the warpath against the bushes. >> the world trade center came down during your brother's reign. i've heard for years, he kept the country safe after 9/11. what does that mean after? what about during? i lost friends in that building. >> reporter: trump attackin

police. >>> washington has given the green light to the first u.s. factory in cuba in more than half a century. an alabama company hopes to build about 1,000 tractors a year in cuba. by this time next year. the tractors will be built for individual farmers. also the morning, an agreement will be signed allowing regularly scheduled airline service between cuba and the u.s. >> all right. let book. >>> here's a diamond hard to believe. take a look. there it is. all 440 carats of it. it was found in a mine in the african country of angola. the biggest ever found there. the diamond is worth as much as $14 million. >> it almost doesn't look real, does it? >> it doesn't. it came one day late, two days late for valentine's. >>> when we come back, the air scare forcing a plane to turn around after smoke streamed into the cockpit. >>> talk about a quick delivery. with very little warning. the pregnant mom giving birth with very little warning. life's short, talk is cheap. i'll be working while you sleep. still don't think i've got a brain? you think a resume's

you can choose between two washington dealmakers. or one proven consistent conservative. >> now, there were just 30 delegates at stake in nevada. up next for candidates is super tuesday, march 1st. 11 states will vote and nearly 600 delegates are up for grabs. >> late morning there in las vegas where they're still counting some of the votes. our thanks to lauren there. >>> the republicans are fanning out now. trump to virginia today. others to texas. >> as for the democrats, hillary clinton and bernie sanders looking to sway voters in the battleground state of south carolina. that's ahead of saturday's primary. >> the candidates did take part in a town hall event last night. we get the latest right now from abc's kenneth moton. kenneth, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, shgs, kendis and reena. hillary clinton was fired up after a federal judge ruled the former secretary of state's top aides should testify over her use of private e-mail, but ahead of this weekend's democratic primary in south carolina, the focus was on african-

this just south of washington, d.c. and fell through t ice. firefighter aaron lovell used a laddero crawl out onto the ice but it cracked and he fell into the water. luckily the water was pretty shallow and he managed to grab hold of the lab. the dog is recovering this morning at a veterinary clinic. >>still ahead sent home before the big game. a denver bronco connected to a pross ki institution sting. >>> getting new details in the investigation of a murder of a 13-year-old girl and the growing concerns about kik, a messaging app used by the victim and suspect. >>> plus, midair scare, an explosion rocking a plane blowing a hole in its side. the dramatic video of panied jane didn't like restrictions. not in life. and not when it came to watching her calories. why settle on taste? jane thought. that's why jane loves light & fit greek nonfat yogogt. burstingith rich creamy awesomeness and 12 grams of protein. all for 80 calories. no settlininhere. what else does jane love? that you could win a fitbit flex from light & fit. learn more on speciall

good morning washington. toss to eileen winter storm warning in effect for all counties west of i-95 through 10am. winter weather advisory in effect for d.c. and counties east of i-95 through 10am. flood watch in effect for the entire viewing area through 11pm. today: heavy rain through early afternoon. breezy and milder. highs: 46-54 winds: se -> w 10-15 g 25 mph tonight: mostly cloudy. some refreezing possible. lows: 27-34 winds: nw 5-10 mph mostly cloudy. seasonable. highs: 45-49 winds: nw 5-10 mph as our stormwatch coverage continues-- federal agencies are operating on a 3 hour delay- with option for unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework concerns over icy weather are also prompting several school closings and delays this morning. in virginia-- schools in spotsyvania county and fauquier county are closed this morning. joining them-- loudoun county, prince william county, shenandoah county, and rappahannock county schools-- all closed. in maryland-- calvert county, allegany county, charles county, and s

roads may will slippery in the northern rockies. >>> airport delays in washington, d.c., philadelphia, new york, and boston. >>> smoke in the cockpit on a flight out of reagan national airport. 16 minutes after takeoff, it was back on the ground at nearby dulles airport. >> they were forced to put on oxygen masks. by the time the jet was landing, it seemed as if they had an idea what happened. >> we don't have any fluid or anything dripping. it seemed to be kind of an oily smoke. so, it was, i think, one of the motors. >> no word yet about the exact cause of the smoke. all six crew members on board the plane were treated at a hospital and have been released. no passengers were injured in that. condition after his garbage truck fell down an elevated highway exit ramp. that fall more than 100 feet into the parking lot of park. no one on the ground was hurt. >>> more trouble for university of missouri professor who was suspended last fall after a confrontation with a student journalist. melissa click was suspended with pay and performed community service after that incident that took pla

fernando: but if there' s this impasse, and this log jam again in washington, do you think that could actually help trump? in other words, by showing dysfunction in washington and disgust with both parties, could that motivate people for him? amber: yeah, i think you' re absolutely right. quite frankly, anything that happens in washington, politicians on the campaign trail, especially outside of washington like donald trump can s and you' re absolutely right that american disgust of congress right now is high. approval ratings of congress is low, this doesn' t help congress' case at all to make the argument that they can function. and someone like donald trump and possibly only donald trump at this point on the campaign trail, can say, you know what, i' m going to be the one that is going to come in and shake all this up, get great people on the supreme court, the best nominees only, the hugest people, the senate is going to agree to them, they' re going to be so happy to vote on my nominee. people like those, arguments and i think you' re absolutely right, this could end up benefitin

abc's bazi kanani has the latest now from washington. good morning, bazi. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. good morning, reena. hillary clinton and bernie sanders appeared separately at that televised town hall last night where we may have gotten a preview of the points they'll try to make in their debate tonight. differences in new hampshire. >> i think an objective assessment would say that there is more excitement and energy in our campaign. >> reporter: bernie sanders argues he is more electable than hillary clinton, defends his plans to raise taxes to pay for universal health care. >> so we're going to pay a little more in taxes but you're no longer going to have to pay private health insurance premiums. >> reporter: and promises a progressive political revolution. >> we will raise the minimum wage. we will have health care for all people. >> it's very hard to see how any of his proposals could ever be achievable. >> reporter: clinton fights back against sanders' charges that she's a moderate not a progressive. >> i'm a progressi

good morning washington. today: windy. mostly cloudy with isolated showers possible. highs: 48-55 winds: sw -> w 15-25 g 40 mph tonight: decreasing clouds. still windy. lows: 28-34 winds: nw 10-20+ friday: mostly sunny. breezy and chilly. highs: 38-44 winds: nw 5-15+