republican leaders said again today in the "washington post" wait until after the presidential election. outside a makeshift memorial, one slamming the majority opinion as pure apple sauce. and another, likens to the aphorisms of a fortune cookie. >> and the president is working on his nominees? >> yes, we're told he will be working on that over the weekend, and he's also called senate leaders democrat and republican that he's begun the process. >>> we'll move on to the powerful windstorms across america tonight. in missouri, the wind whipping flames into fire tornadoes. let's get right to rob. the winds and the warmup this weekend. over 100,000 without power in northern illinois. some of the debris in chicago will be blown around. this is all powering up a huge warmup. 77 in dallas. 56 in new york city. enjoy this weekend, because next weekend will have several systems. >>> much more to come on "world news tonight." a stunning demand at an american airport. >>> and are you passing up free money? >>> look at this, the close call on the school bus. students watching helplessly, as the bu

choosing not to indict that officer, and abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas, live in our washington bureau tonight. what comes next? >> reporter: david, tonight, the justice department is going to a federal judge to force the city of ferguson to overhaul its police department. a blistering press conference this evening, the attorney general has just accused the ferguson police of, quote, racial bias against african-americans, calling the practices egregious and routine in that city that saw so much racial unrest in the summer of 2014. this new lawsuit comes after ferguson city council last night rejected a deal the city had negotiated with the justice department. lynch announced she is suing less than 24 hours later, highly unusual, david. >> all right, pierre thomas with the live developments on ferguson tonight. pierre, thank you. >>> now, to the extreme weather 11 states under winter weather alerts, record-breaking cold on the way in the east. record-breaking heat in the west at the same time. images coming in from outside cleveland tonight. slick roads there. a major pileup, par

. >>> and jon, as you know, there was another major washington. antonin scalia at the supreme court. tonight, senate republicans ruling out taking action on anyone president obama might nominate. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell say, quote, "presidents have a right to nominate, just as the senate has its constitutional right to provide or with hold consent. in this case, the senate will withhold it." mcconnell adding later, he isn't inclined to hold the courtesy meeting with the president's nominee. jon karl reporting that the president still plans to pick a nominee in the next two to three weeks. >>> to a troubling new headline tonight involving the zika virus. new cases here in the u.s. the cdc is now investigating 14 cases that they say may have been spread through sexual contact involving men who had visited areas with zika outbreaks, infecting their female partners. two of those women are pregnant. investigators are still working to confirm the links between the virus and birth defects in babies. >>> there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this tuesday. the

david kerley, abc news, washington. >> frightening images tonight. david, thank you. >>> when we come back, we switch gears. the major star that will appear at the super bowl on sunday. >>> also, look at this. another plane story tonight. this one, under water, off the coast of florida. the effort to get out before it sank to the bottom. >>> and then, the house exploding into flames. the husband getting to his wife with just moments to spare. where this happened, when we come back. osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture... i can tell you prolia is proven to help protect bones from fracture. but the real proof? my doctor said prolia helped my bones get stronger. are your bones getting stronger? do not take prolia if you have low blood calcium, are pregnant, are allergic to it, or take xgeva . serious allergic reactions, such as low blood pressure; trouble breathing; throat tongue swelling; rash, itching or hives have happened in people taking prolia . tell your doctor about dental problems, as severe jaw bone problems may happen, or new or unusual

. >> pierre thomas tonight with us from washington. thank you, pierre. >>> next tonight, president obama and russian president have vladimir putin cementing a cease-fire deal in syria on saturday. some groups saying they will sign on, but no word from the syrian regime. both sides agree that attacking isis would still be okay. the terror group taking responsibility for two bombings on sunday, alone. >>> next, back here at home and to a troubling new look inside the v.a. health care system in this country. an army veteran trying to make an appointment, but as you're about to see, he was trapped in an endless loop. millions have seen it already, and abc's david wright, getting answers tonight. >> please hold while you are being transferred. >> reporter: if you've ever had this experience, press one. >> please enter your social security number. >> reporter: frustrated consumer here? who served in afghanistan, documenting himself trying to get an appointment at the v.a. >> hello. welcome to the -- >> i spent two days in the office, my coll

the medal of freedom in washington, the honor today. also, the wild police chase. police officers jumping out of harm's way. look at this. dash cam video. officers nearly hit by the suv. the driver trying to make her desperate getaway. how they finally stopped her. >>> there is news tonight coming in about the zika virus. the first confirmed case in another american city. we'll have the latest. >>> and new trouble tonight for that cruise ship that sailed right into those hurricane ones. why tonight, it is now being forced to turn around again. and now, another problem onboard. we'll be right back. ece of kale could protect you from diabetes? what if one sit-up could prevent heart disease? one. wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease. pneumococcal pneumonia. if you are 50 or older, one dose of the prevnar 13 vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may even put you in the hospital. even if you have already been vaccin

pthat's what washington, d.c. pdoes. pthe memorized 25-second speech pthat is exactly what his padvisers gave him. p>> reporter: and then, rubio psaid it again a third time. p>> here's the bottom line. pthis notion that barack obama pdoesn't know what he's doing -- pthere it is. pthe memorized 25-second speech. pthere it is, everybody. p>> well, that's the reason that pthis campaign is so important. p>> reporter: ohio governor pjohn kasich, now on the rise in pnew hampshire, says he sure pisn't scripted. p>> i think people want to know pyou a then authenticity today, more than pthey ever have. p>> and jon karl is with us ptonight. pi want to get back to donald ptrump, telling you tonight he pdoesn't have to win big, if he pwins by just one vote, that will pbe good enough for him? p>> reporter: well, the polls are paccurate, he'll win by a lot pmore than that. phe's led every public poll in pthis state for seven months and pleads the latest by double pdigits. p>> jon karl with us live ptonight. pjon, thank you. p>>> and a

gusts strong enough to flip this trailer on new york's george washington bridge. >> we have a vip ship that's run aground here. >> reporter: and off new york's rockaway beach, seven crew members were rescued from this fishing boat after 12 foot waves ran it aground. the coast guard finally air lifting those fishermen to safety. david, so many close calls. and despite all of this devastation, here in lancaster, pennsylvania, no injuries and no deaths. but a schoolhouse was leveled here, and even so, workers here believe they will rebuild it in a week. david? tonight, the republican showdown this evening, and the big question -- can any of donald trump's opponents take him down before super tuesday, just five days away now. tonight, trump already taking aim, not just at his rivals, but at a former presidential candidate, mitt romney. romney, of course, faced his own questions about taxes during his run. and tonight, the former president of mexico, unloading on trump, and trump's insistence that mexico would pay for that wall on the border. and a telling new poll this evening from marco r

that's what washington, d.c. does. the memorized 25-second speech that is exactly what his advisers gave him. >> reporter: and then, rubio said it again a third time. >> here's the bottom line. this notion that barack obama therit is. the memorized 25-second speech. there it is, everybody. >> well, that's the reason that this campaign is so important. >> reporter: ohio governor john kasich, now on the rise in new hampshire, says he sure isn't scripted. >> i think peopl wanto know you a thenauthenticity today, more than they ever have. >> and jon karl is with us tonight. i want to get back to donald trump, telling you tonight he doesn't have to winbig, if he wins by just one vote, that will be good enough for him? >> reporter: well, the polls are accurate, he'll win by a lot more than that. he's led every public poll in this state for seven months and leads the latest by double digits. tonight. jon, thank you. >>> and as you pointnt out, jon, manyyes on senatorarco rubio after saturday night's debate. under fire, as you

i was involved in the sit-ins, the freedom rides, the march on washington, the march from selma to montgomery. but i met hillary clinton. i met president clinton. >> reporter: but sanders today, winning the support of another harry belafonte. >> i think he represents opportunity. i think he represents a moral imperative. >> reporter: all signs the campaign is moving to a new battlefield. the democratic vote, more than 90% white in iowa and new hampshire. but in south carolina, more than half of the democratic vote could come from african-americans. and in nevada, blacks and latinos could make up a third. but sanders acknowledging clinton has a head start. >> she's got the instra tuck sure, the name, the ground game. >> i agree. >> reporter: you bring? >> she's ahead of us. but we're moving quickly. she was ahead of us in iowa and new hampshire. but we caught up. >> and cecilia vega with us live. clinton and sanders both heighting hard for south carolina. tonight, that state's most powerful democrat appears to be torn, choosing his words very carefully? >> reporter: very carefully, david. cong

the violent deaths of a family and their housekeeper in washington, d.c. last year. daron wint, accused of quadruple murder, indicted alone today. 20 charges including murder, kidnapping and extortion. you'll remember that he was tied to the crimes by dna found on a pizza. no one else charged in the crime. >>> in detroit, two planes clipping one another on the tarmac. the wing tip of an american airlines flight clipping the tail of a southwest jet as it was being de-iced today. passengers saying they felt the collision. no one was hurt. >>> in thailand, look at this. a 500-foot cargo ship lost control as it was leaving bangkok harbor. the pedestrians fleeing as they realized the ship isn't going to stop. went right through the concrete path. no one was hurt. >>> and a sheriff in tennessee causing controversy tonight after blaming beyonce after his home was the target of nighttime gun fire. she performed "formation" at the some saw the song's video as a statement against some police. the sheriff says police across this week. no other law enforcement agencies, though,

martin skreli laughing in washington. he sparked outrage when he hiked the price of a life-saving drug by more than 4,000%. >>> next tonight here, the deadly hostage drama in texas. the armed suspect, holding a mother at gunpoint. and you're about to see the split-second decision that saved her. here's abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: what ended with a single kill shot -- [ gun shot ] -- began with a heist at this check cashing store in irving, texas. police say christopher dew not only took cash from the check store, he took a hostage. >> he hit me in the head with the butt of the gun for a little bit. >> reporter: he hauled the mother to the parking lot, where these two officers were already waiting. there's a short standoff. as dew momentarily turns his back to the officer on the left. [ gun shot ] he's dropped. >> oh! shot him! >> reporter: it's caught on video. screaming. that officer makes the decision to shoot in about a second and a half. about as much time it takes for your heart to beat once. >> exactly. >> repor

>> david kerley live in washington, leading us off. david, thank you. >>> now, to the war of words erupting between donald trump comments made by the pope. the pope was asked on his plane about trump's plan to build a wall on the u.s./mexico border. the pope saying the motion is not christian. trump immediately blasting the pope, calling his words, quote, disgraceful. abc's chief foreign correspondent terry moran was on the pope's plane, and here was >> reporter: onboard the papal airplane, a stunning moment. [ speaking foreign language ] >> donald trump. >> reporter: pope francis asked directly about donald trump's plans to build a wall on the u.s./mexico border, and deport millions of undocumented immigrants, speaking from the heart. "a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not christian," the pope said. adding, pointedly, "this man is not christian if he has said things like that." a staggering papal denunciation, and it came after a week of again, preaching a highly charg

martin skreli laughing in washington. he sparked outrage when he hiked the price of a life-saving drug by more than 4,000%. abc's mary bruce tracking him down today. >> reporter: the bad boy of the pharmaceutical world arrived on capitol hill armed with his silence. no comment. and this smirk. >> but he's not going to be answering any questions. >> reporter: you've said you want to berate lawmakers. this is your opportunity to do that, mr. shkreli. for nearly an hour, he grinned, doodled and twiddled his thumbs. as lawmakers laid into him, about that drug price hike. >> do you think you've done anything wrong? >> on the advice of counsel, i privilege. >> reporter: the former ceo, facing separate criminal charges, repeatedly refused to answer. >> i intend to use the advice of my counsel, not yours. >> reporter: irking lawmakers. >> i know you're smiling, but i'm very serious, sir. >> some of what you saw was nervous energy by an individual who very much would like to explain what happened. >> reporter: but moments later, s