tonight -- breaking news. as we come on the air. fired fbi director james comey about to go public. abc news learns when the former fbi director could now testify, and what he's willing to talk about involving president trump. pierre thomas with late details. crossing the line. the outrage tonight over comedian kathy griffin and that gruesome image. tonight, cnn fires her. performances canceled. and the first lady, melani the emergency on board. heavily armed police taking down a passenger accused of rushing the cockpit, claiming to have explosives. the deadly shootout inside an american car dealership. two bounty hunters find their fugitive. he's armed. how this ends. and lebron james. the racial slur sprayed across his home. what he said just moments ago about race in america.

and america strong tonight. diane sawyer returns to a place so many of you will remember. and the victory you made happen. good evening. it's great to have you with us on a very busy wednesday night. we begin with the headline late today, former fbi director james comey will testify before the american public likely in the coming days about his interactions with president trump. the special counsel now leading the russia investigation, robert mueller is not rejecting his appearance. congress wants to know, did the president demand loyalty? did he ask comey to go easy on former national security adviser michael flynn? abc's pierre thomas leading us off with what he's learned tonight. >> reporter: abc news has learned one of the most dramatic congressional hearings in recent times could come as early as next week, with former fbi director james comey breaking

his silence, testifying in an open session before the american people about president trump -- and those memos comey kept after his meetings with the president. those sources telling abc news that so far, special counsel robert mueller has not objected to comey testifying, provided that he does not discuss evidence in the investigation into russian meddling. what comey is likely to talk about is president trump. according to sources familiar with his thinking, comey wants to be transparent and will respond to questions about his relationship with the president, and, more importantly, those private meetings -- the dinner. the phone calls. the president once joking about comey -- "he's become more famous than me." senators specifically want to know if the president sought a pledge of loyalty from comey early on, and if the fired fbi director was pressured to go easy on former national security adviser michael flynn. comey's supporters have been fuming, angry at the president

after he allegedly called comey a "nutjob" to russian officials visiting the oval office. comey is expecting to be able to have his say. >> pierre thomas with us. you also learned that the house intelligence mitt tee has issued subpoenas as part of their investigation. >> david, that's right. the congressional investigations continue to expand. seven subpoenas, former national security adviser michael flynn forced out after just 4 days on the job and michael cohen, trump's friend and personal attorney. david. >> pierre, thank you. next this evening, outrage from all sides after that video of comedian kathy griffin and this gruesome image. today, cnn firing her and the first lady melania trump adding her voice to the legions who say this is more than just crossing the line it was down right disturbing. here's tom llamas. >> reporter: tonight, comedian kathy griffin is out of a job because of this disturbing image

depicting the president decapitated. the president tweeting, my children, especially my 11-year-old son barron, are having a hard time with this. sick! and first lady melania trump saying as a mother, a wife, and a human being that photo is very disturbing. griffin ultimately apologized. >> i sincerely apologize. i'm a comic. i crossed the line. i move the line. then i cross it. i went way too far. >> reporter: but that apology apparently not enough for cnn. the cable news network terminating her contract to held new year's celebration. >> reporter: chelsea clinton condemning it. >> never funny to joke about violence toward anyone. >> tom llamas with us live. the secret service continues its investigation. >> they are, david, and they're not happy about this. writing in a statement, each

alleged or perceived threat has to be investigated thoroughly. david. >> tom llamas with us tonight. tom, thank you. president trump meanwhile expected to make a key decision very soon. one watched closely on capitol hill and really across the world. even the pope waiting to see what the president will do. he's about to decide whether the united states will remain part of the paris climate deal. is he leaning in one direction already? >> reporter: president trump today said he's close to making that much-anticipated decision. >> any decision on the paris climate deal mr. climate president, are you close? >> very soon. >> are you leaning toward getting out? >> you're going to find out very soon. >> reporter: behind the scenes, sources tell abc news the president is likely to pull out of the landmark deal. inside the white house, feverish last-minute negotiations on both sides. chief strategist steve bannon pushing for withdrawal, along

with 22 republican senators. daughter ivanka pushing to stay in the deal. big names like apple's tim cook and tesla's elon musk calling to lobby president trump too. musk threatening to resign from white house advisory councils if the president backs out of the deal. >> a lot of it is a hoax. >> reporter: that was president trump on global warming during the campaign trail. >> it's a moneymaking industry, okay? >> reporter: aides now say his views are evolving. if the u.s. withdraws from the climate accord, it would join the company of nicaragua and syria, which haven't signed and create yet a new test for already-strained relations with germany's angelea merkel and france's emmanuel macron. but tonight, the president seems poised to dismiss the advice of even the pope to make good on that campaign promise. >> we're going to cancel the paris climate agreement. >> so let's get to cecilia vega live tonight from the white house. when do we expect a decision. >> the president today david said it could happen very soon. behind the scenes lobbying is

fierce right now. one environmental group tells me they called the white house 30,000 times this afternoon alone. >> the lobbying on both sides tonight. our thanks to you, cecilia image coming in after a terrifying incident on board a passenger plane just off takeoff from melbourne, australia. here's abc's david kerley. >> reporter: australian airport security, heavily armed, quickly carrying the subdued passenger off the jetliner. a dramatic end to a short flight. just after take off from melbourne, the malaysian airlines crew tells the captain a passenger is trying to breech the cockpit door, as the pilot recounted to controllers. >> screaming to have an explosive device, tried to enter the cockpit, has been over powered by passengers, however, will try and land and have the device checked out. >> reporter: that device apparently some kind of power pack. a half hour after taking off, the jet is back in melbourne with security officers barking commands to passengers.

>> everyone in their seats. put your heads down. >> reporter: police suggest the suspect has a history of mental illness. passengers are being put up for the night and will continue their flight to malaysia tomorrow. >> thank you, david another disturbing moment that led to an emergency land here at home. a jetblue flight from new york to san francisco, diverted after a passenger smelled smoke. they traced the smell to a carry-on bag. with a charred lithium ion battery. the plane eventually continued on to san francisco. overseas tonight, to afghanistan, one of the worst attacks in years and it comes just as president trump decides whether to send more u.s. troops. a devastating suicide truck bombing in kabul. the moment was captured on an office surveillance camera. the rush-hour blast killing at least 90 people and more than

400 injured. here's abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: the death toll was so large, the destruction so vast, that even for this country at war for well over a decade, the loss was staggering. in the early morning hours, the massive truck bomb ripping through what is supposed to be one of the most secure parts of kabul. the moment captured here from inside an office building. so powerful the blast shattered windows a mile away. buildings were leveled. bodies scattered. cars incinerated. "there are people inside the car still alive, but the door is stuck" this man yelled. among the wounded, diplomats. this is the german embassy, heavily damaged in the blast. eleven american contractors at a u.s. military facility nearby also hurt, but not seriously. no one claimed responsibility, but the afghan government

strongly suspects the taliban, despite the group's denials they had anything to do with it. >> and martha raddatz with us tonight. you mentioned those minor injuries of the american at a nearby u.s. military base. you spent a lot of time there. this comes as president trump now considers whether to send more troops to afghanistan. >> the pernt gone has drafted a number of proposals which could mean thousands of additional troops. adding to the already 8,000 there. next tonight, new images of that groundbreaking u.s. anti-missile test. launched from an island in the pacific. 4,000 miles away in california the interceptor rocket emerging from an underground silo. within an hour the interceptor destroying that missile. next tonight, to lebron james, speaking out just a short

time ago, police say a racist slur was spray painted across his home. james is preparing for the nba finals. talking about his family and about race in america. here's abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: on the eve of game one of the nba finals, cleveland cavaliers star lebron james is speaking out about vandalism at his l.a. home. >> my family is safe. at the end of the day they're safe and that's the most important. >> reporter: the front gate spray-painted with the "n" word. >> racism will always be a part of the world, part of america, you know hate in america, specially for african americans is living every day. >> reporter: the graffiti on his estate has since been covered up. >> being black in america is tough. and we got a long way to go. you know, for us as a society and for us as african-americans

until we feel equal in america. >> reporter: the lapd is investigating the incident as an act of vandalism and a possible hate crime. they also have e reason to believe the entire incident may have been captured on surveillance video. next this ening, to never before seen images and they're difficult. inside the massacre at the pulse nightclub in orlando. body camera images from the police who bravely rushed into the club, climbing through a broken window. abc's brian ross with what they saw and what they heard and tonight, right here, exclusive interviews with those brave officers. >> reporter: this is what orlando police officers saw and heard as they raced inside the pulse nightclub. [ gunshots ] >> reporter: the bodycam videos capturing the urgency of the hunt for the active shooter. >> i see shadows moving.

>> reporter: officers unable to tell who was a victim, who was a shooter. >> okay, come out. >> reporter: this video comes from the body camera worn by officer graham gage. >> right when we were about to go in, we were starting -- we were still hearing shots. >> reporter: and there's the haunting sound of the victims' cell phones ringing, unanswered. >> and i mean multiple phones just lying in pools of blood. knowing that it's someone's loved one trying to get a hold. >> reporter: as the club patrons who survived race for safety outside, the shooter, 29-year-old omar mateen, retreats to a back bathroom, holding hostages, and calls 911 to say he has bombs. >> i'll tell you this, they can take out a whole city block almost. >> reporter: police are advised to pull back. >> just so you guys know in the building, you may not want to stay there. >> reporter: but not a single officer retreats. then the final breach.

mateen comes out shooting. one officer is hit. >> probably within an inch of losing his life. >> no question the bravery of these officers. after the shooting, there were questions raised about the timing of the whole response and whether or not there was any way officers could get in there more quickly. >> these videos shed incredible courage of these officers on the scene. the againfire stopped after ten minutes. they had to proce proce proce po caution. much more from inside the pulse nightclub on a special edition of "nightline" later tonight on abc. much more ahead on "world news tonight" on this wednesday -- the deadly shootout inside an american car dealership. fugitive armed. gunfire erupting.

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then a total of 20 shots in six seconds. >> i'm hiding in a bathroom. please hurry. >> reporter: in the chaos, all three men are killed. hutchinson and the bounty hunters, 33-year old gabrial bernal, and 54-year-old fidel garcia. >> our dealership was the scene of a tragic and unfortunate confrontation. we are relieved to report that all of our employees and our customers are safe and unhurt. >> reporter: tonight, the investigation is under way and the dealership remains closed. clayton sandell abc news denver. when we come back -- new report on your blood pressure and how low it should be. and tiger woods. more on that fuel tanker truck exploding and the backup for miles. look closely. hidden in every swing, every chip, and every putt, is data that can make the difference between winning and losing. the microsoft cloud helps the pga tour turn countless points of data

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showing officers giving woods a field sobriety test. two flat tires, woods admitting he had taken four prezripgs drugs including vicodin the massive highway fire in denver. the injured driver was pulled from the burning wreckage. hundreds of vehicles halted for several hours the new health headline about blood pressure tonight. researchers said lowering blood pressure may further reduce stroke and heart attacks. more on our website. when we come back -- america strong. diane sawyer returning to a place you'll remember. the victory you'll likely cheer about.

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sfwlmpblt finally, america strong. diane sawyer keeping her promise to stay on this philadelphia strawberry mansion high school. once considered one of the most dangerous schools in the country. one student so many of you reacted to. diane with what's happened since. >> reporter: four years ago, our cameras captured the chaos inside a dangerous school called strawberry mansion. students on a hair trigger. we watched the new principal race in to try to break up the fights. >> each day it gets scarier. >> reporter: her name, linda wayman, and she had set out to change the school. >> the one way to help your family out is to educate yourself, right?

>> reporter: and she ended every day with this one thought -- >> and remember, if nobody told you they loved you today, you remember i do. >> reporter: in a major achievement, in her first year, wayman helped get 55 of her 92 seniors accepted to college, like this student, christine holland, who didn't have money for the deposit. >> if i had the $550 -- >> reporter: so her college dream was dying. the unbreakable principal gave in to tears. but four years ago, she didn't know that you, our viewers, were coming to help her change lives. >> when them phones started ringing, oh, my god. somebody besides me actually do care. >> reporter: you sent donations, and that money set up 13 educational funds. one of the recipients -- that shy girl christine holland. well, four years later, look at her now. she was given a full scholarship by philadelphia university. >> i knew i could do it if i was

able to go to school. >> reporter: and now she's not only a college graduate in accounting -- >> christine m. holland. >> reporter: -- she has a scholarship to business school. and there is someone else who is waiting to congratulate her. linda wayman, who has now stepped down as principal of strawberry mansion. and so wayman whispers once again what she used to say to all the kids. >> and remember, if nobody told you they love you today, you know i do. and i always will. >> i love you, too. >> we're cheering on you, christine. that one-time principal linda and her message. thank you diane and thank you for watching. good night. >> announcer: live where you live, this is abc7 news.

>> and there is a traffic mess happening right now in the east bay. big rig carrying hazardous materials. hours later the road is still closed. it's not the only incident that slowed down traffic in the east bay today. the bay bridge was all but shut down today when a man climbed out of his car and onto the bridge. good afternon, and thank you for joining us. i'm alma daetz. >> and i'm larry beil. one of those situations is still happening right now. the big rig overturned on a transition road off of 238 in san leandro. abc7 news reporter melanie woodrow joining us live with a look at what is happening right now. melanie? >> reporter: larry, alma, information just in is that the big rig is now up right, but they are still assessing damage and there is no time estimate f reopened. as you said, this was one of two major back ups in the bay area today. westbound bay bridge traffic was backed up from morning until early afternoon. it began with a truck breakdown noticed by a bridge tow truck driver. >> when he pulled in behind to

render aid is when he noticed the driver of the tow truck climbed out and essentially jumped over the railing and then climbed up to center anchorage. >> reporter: the man initially refused to talk to negotiators. a team of s.f.p.d. negotiators with expertise were called in to assist. around 1:00 p.m., the man climbed down. chp tweeted this picture of him hugging his girlfriend. chp says he'll receive a mental psych evaluation and could face charges. >> he could face from resisting arrest to delaying, blocking traffic. >> reporter: meantime drivers in san leandro were still caught in traffic after a big rig overturned on a connector from northbound highway 880 to southbound highway 238. chp says the big rig spilled a hazardous material resulting in a shelter in place at a cal trans building. the driver had minor injuries. because there was a transof a second spill when