us on this interactive show, tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. not again. this new winter storm now brewing from the middle of the country all the way east. and the news just in tonight, russia responding to the u.s. first tonight, right after that crippling nor'easter, now this new storm moving in quickly. winter alerts already up tonight across 17 states from texas all the way up to new york. up to a foot of snow expected in some areas. texas bracing for a potentially dangerous ice storm. nearly three feet of snow already in parts of massachusetts. rob marciano standing by to time out this new storm. also tonight, news on the pandemic. what the u.s. is now seeing in at least 40 states. and the states where icu beds are still scarce. and tonight, here in new york city, the new anti-viral drug to fight covid. they will now deliver to your

home. and why is it? short supply in other regions of the country? the breaking headline involving russia and the rising tensions with ukraine. tonight, russia has just responded to the u.s. and the major phone call now planned for tomorrow. ian pannell with late reporting from ukraine. the battle brewing tonight over the next supreme court justice. after president biden promised to nominate the first black woman to the court, some republicans calling it offensive. but we go back in history tonight, what ronald reagan promised on the campaign trail before his 1980 collection. his campaign promise and his argument that it was long overdue. the judge rejecting a plea deal tonight in the federal hate crime trial of one of three men already convicted in the killing of ahmaud arbery. they had hoped to serve in federal prison, not in state prison in many believe conditions could be worse. what the judge has now said. the heartbreaking death of a former miss usa, an attorney, a tv correspondent. what authorities have now revealed and what her family is now saying tonight.

linsey davis is here. the scathing new report. british prime minister boris johnson and the 16 parties during the pandemic. tonight, what the prime minister is now saying. joe rogan responding to the firestorm over covid misinformation. neil young and joani mitchell pulling music from spotify. america strong tonight. rosie the penguin at an american see. and the connection with the children. good evening and it's great to start another week with all of you at home. and that breaking headline tonight, russia responding to the u.s. just a short time ago. on covid, what they're seeing in 40 states now. and news on the anti-viral covid pill being delivered in new york city. but we're going to begin tonight that yet another major winter storm is taking aim. and it comes right after the deadly nor'easter that slammed

into the east. tonight, winter storm alerts stretching across 1,500 miles from the middle of this country all the way east. tonight, that new storm track set to barrel across 17 states from texas all the way up to new york. 60 million americans in its path this week. and it will hit many parts of the east, still digging out from the crippling nor'easter. blizzard conditions from atlantic city to new york to massachuset massachusetts, on the cape. one to two feet of snow from the jersey shore to long island to new england. a record-tying single dale snow total in boston. 23.6 inches, just shy of two feet of snow in boston. the dangerous storm surge and icy waves, homes encased in ice along the massachusetts coastline. these images. and tonight, just as they dig out from the snow, now this new round of major storm, bitter cold moving across much of the country. senior meteorologist rob marciano, can't catch a break, either. he's still live in boston tonight with the timing and the track of this new storm. hey, rob.

>> reporter: hey, david. we just started really digging out of this thing. now here comes an even bigger winter storm that's going to effect a hue portion of the country. here's where the alerts are, across the midwest. winter storm warnings from illinois in through lower michigan. those will expand. this thing gets started tomorrow night in colorado, then spreads into the midwest by wednesday morning. heavy snopes from wichita, kansas city, st. louis, reaching up into detroit. and that icy mix in dallas, memphis, the ohio river valley and into the northeast on friday. as far as snow is concerned, we could see over a foot of snow from middle missouri in through lower michigan, but we're always concerned about this ice. could be significant from dallas to them fissimemphis, cincinnat. we'll talk more about those impacts tomorrow. david? >> all right, rob marciano, and great reporting all weekend long, rob. we turn now to the pandemic and to a promising sign tonight and we need it. 40 states now reporting cases are coming down.

that omicron has peaked in their states. they hope they're coming down the other side of this now. but the u.s. still averaging 543,000 new cases every day. cases in children going down last week. this is the first time since thanks giving they've seen this. but still, that number, 808,000 children testing positive over just the last week. and authorities with a warning tonight about getting churn vaccinated, saying we're still in this, and to protect against any new possible variants. 15 states tonight are reporting icu beds still in short supply. and here in new york city, the news that they plan to deliver the new anti-viral drug to fight covid right to your home, if you need it. of course, the question tonight, why is it in short supply in many other parts of the country. abc's aerielle reshef here in nw york tonight. >> reporter: tonight, a dramatic fall in new covid infections across 40 states and territories. cases down 32% since the peak of the omicron surge. infections in kids dropping,

too, for the first time since thanksgiving, down nearly a third. but doctors stress that unvaccinated children remain vulnerable to omicron or any other variant that could emerge. >> these kids need us to help them get vaccinated. they need us to get the adults in their lives vaccinated. >> reporter: less than 38% of kids 5 and over who are eligible are fully vaccinated. and those under 5 still can't get the shot. nationwide, hospital admissions are falling, too, but 15 states are still running low on icu beds. tonight, more than five months after pfizer got full approval for its vaccine, the fda following suit for moderna. >> a lot of people want to know why it took so long. but also, i hope this adds trust to the general public that the fda did a really good, rigorous evaluation of the safety and efficacy data. >> reporter: and this week, new york city will start a home delivery program of those new ant anti-viral pills for people who have prescriptions. >> new york is one of the only places in the nation where we are doing this free delivery.

>> reporter: but across the country, supply is scarce. an analysis by abc news found three-quarters of u.s. counties had run out of paxlovid, the new drug touted as a game-changer. >> the volume has been just mind blowing for the last three to four weeks and just absolutely insane. hundreds to thousands of people vying for about, you know, 40 to 50 treatment slots per day. >> reporter: even with an average of half a million new infections every day, there is growing debate over when to loosen mask mandates. starting tomorrow, san francisco will end its indoor mask rule for people who are up to date on their vaccinations, at offices and gyms. but in los angeles county, a mask mandate is still in effect. so there was backlash after these photos showing governor gavin newsom and l.a. mayor eric garcetti not wearing masks at yesterday's ram game. the pictures posted on magic johnson's instagram. newsom and garcetti both say they wore a mask at the game, only removing it briefly. >> i was trying to be gracious and took the mask off for a

brief second, but i encourage people toe continue to wear them. >> all right, erielle reshef back with us tonight. and i wanted to get back to that ant anti-viral drug for covid, news it's going to be delivered to homes in the new york city area, but i know there is concern tonight it's in short supply in many other parts of the country? >> reporter: that's right, david. the omicron surge has simply outpaced supply for this drug. the states are allocated the amount of their drugs based on their populations, but in some cases, the demand is higher. about 265,000 of these treatments were rolled out in january. that's expected to get ramped up to 20 million by september. we're expecting this will be more widely available by the spring. david? >> all right, let's hope so. erielle, thank you. and now to the breaking headline involving russia and the rising tensions with ukraine. tonight, russia has now just responded to the u.s. with a major phone call now planned for tmorrow. and the u.s. sounding the alarm today at the u.n. abc's senior foreign correspondent ian pannell in ukraine with late reporting

tonight. >> reporter: tonight, american and russian diplomats clashing at the united nations over the buildup of troops near ukraine. the u.s. ambassador to the u.n., linda thomas-greenfield, describing the situation as urgent and dangerous. >> this is the largest, hear me clearly, mobilization of troops in europe in decades. and as we speak, russia is sending even more forces and arms to join them. >> reporter: the russian delegation trying to block the meeting from the get-go. the ambassador accusing the u.s. of "whipping up tensions." >> translator: you are almost calling for this. you want it to happen. you're waiting for it to happen. >> reporter: today, president biden insisting ongoing diplomatic efforts are nonstop, but adding -- >> we are ready no matter what happens. >> reporter: although some russian forces have pulled back after completing exercises, yet more equipment and troops appear

to be moving towards ukraine's borders, even though the kremlin says they have no plans to invade. many ukrainians are taking no chances and are getting ready for the worst. if putin's forces really do move on kyiv, the city may well rely on these volunteer forces to defend them. these are ordinary men and wome not even with real guns to rehearse for war. why do you think people in america should care about what happens in ukraine? >> we should stop putin before we receive much more difficult and dangerous situation for the europe and for the united states. >> our ian pannell continues to report on the ground from ukraine and ian, the kremlin responding, we know, in writing late today to the u.s. we know the u.s. had made no such promise that ukraine would never join nato and now russia's response?

>> reporter: yeah, that's right. state department confirming they've got this written response from russia in their hands. it's their response to america's security proposals over ukraine. we don't know the contents of the letter but what we do know is that secretary of state blinken is speaking with russian foreign minister lavrov tomorrow and you have to imagine this is going to be the main topic of conversation. david? >> ian, thank you, again. back here at home tonight and to this political battle now brewing over the next supreme court justice. president biden, of course, promising to nominate the first black woman to the court. some republicans now calling that offensive, the promise. and tonight, what republican presidents have promised in the past. ronald reagan and his campaign promise before the 1980 election. and his argument back then that his promise was as long overdue. rachel scott on the hill tonight. >> reporter: tonight, as president biden narrows down his pick for a supreme court nominee, some republicans are taking aim at his pledge to appoint the first black woman to the bench. >> the fact that he's willing to make a promise at the outset,

that it must be a black woman, i goto say, that's offensive. it's actually an insult to black women. >> reporter: senator roger wicker of mississippi comparing the president's pledge to affirmative action. >> the irony is that the supreme court is at the very same time hearing cases about -- about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination. >> yes. >> and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota. >> reporter: but neither of those senators objected when former president donald trump announced he would pick a woman to succeed ruth bader ginsburg. >> it will be a woman, a very talented, very brilliant woman. we haven't chosen yet, but we have numerous women on the list. >> reporter: when ronald reagan ran for president in 1980, he too campaigned on a promise to make history. in his case, by nominating the

country's first female justice. >> one of the first supreme court vacancies in my administration will be filled by the most qualified woman i can possibly find. it's time for a woman to sit among our highest jurists. >> reporter: of the 115 supreme court justices in american history, 108 have been white men. only five have been female. a black woman has never even been nominated. >> he will choose and nominate someone who has impeccable credentials and is eminently qualified. there's no question in his mind that there is a wealth of qualified talented black women to choose from. >> reporter: and a key democratic senator says it's about time. >> i don't look as it being politicized. i look at it for being basically just a balance that needs to be done to represent who we are as a nation. >> reporter: the president says this is long overdue, and some republicans appear to be keeping an open mind, including senator lindsey graham, sprazi praising j. michelle childs. she is on the president's short list. david? >> rachel scott on the hill for

us. rachel, thank you. next tonight here, a judge in georgia rejecting a plea deal in the hate crime trial of one of the men already convicted in the killing of ahmaud arbery. they hoped to serve in federal prison, not state prison, where where many believe conditions could be worse. what the judge said today. steve osunsami in georgia. >> reporter: a federal judge tonight is dashing the hopes of travis and gregory mcmichael, who were trying to avoid a federal hate crimes trial for the murder of ahmaud arbery, and spend most of the time they've already been sentenced to in a federal prison, which is usually less dangerous than a state prison, especially for a former police officer. >> we the jury find the department greg mcmichael guilty. >> reporter: in november, the father and son, along with their neighbor william "roddie" bryan, were all convicted of murdering the black 25- year-old on this tree lined street in south georgia. they were each sentenced to life in state prison, but only the neighbor, mr. bryan, was allowed the possibility of parole. in a deal that was agreed to by federal prosecutors, the mcmichael were hoping this federal judge would allow them to plead guilty to one of the

hate crimes charges, and in exchange, allow them to spend their next 30 years in a federal prison. >> i'm not surprised that the mcmichaels are concerned about their safety in a georgia state prison. i think they wanted to go to a federal prison because they felt it would be safer and those prisons tend to be a little bit nicer." nicer. >> reporter: late today, the judge rejected the deal for travis mcmichael and essentially his father, too, saying she didn't like being held to a 30-year sentence. the family of ahmaud arbery was firmly against this, too. >> it's disrespectful. i fought so hard to get these guys in state prison. it's very disrespectful. >> reporter: ahmaud arbery's family says these men deserve state prison, which happens to be the place where the u.s. department of justice is current you will investigating whether this state does enough to protect pruzer ins from other prisoners. the judge in this case is asking the men if they still want to

plead guilty. if not, jury selection begins a week from today. david? >> all right, steve osunsami in georgia. thank you, steve. now, to the tragic death of a former miss usa. cheslie kryst, here in new york city. what authorities have now revealed and what her family is saying tonight. here's linsey davis. >> reporter: tonight, the investigation into the death of former miss usa cheslie kryst revealing she jumped from a new york city high rise sunday morning. the medical examiner stating she died by suicide. according to authorities, kryst was last seen on a terrace on the 29th floor of the building. hours before her death, the 30-year-old posting to instagram, "may this day bring you rest and peace." kryst was an accomplished attorney with a masters in business from wake forest university. >> north carolina! >> reporter: she represented north carolina in the miss usa pageant, crowned the top title in 2019. i sat down with her as she

marked a historic win for black women in the top four pageants. how does it feel to be a part of this history making moment? >> it feels amazing. people will sometimes comment on our social media. and they'll say, "why are we talking about your race? like, you guys are just four amazing women." like, yes, we're four amazing women, but there was a time when we literally could not win. >> reporter: she'd place among the top ten in the miss universe competition, going on to become a correspondent for "extra." and on world mental health day 2019, saying this on the miss usa facebook page. >> hey, y'all. i do a lot to maintain my mental health, and the most important thing that i did is talk to a counselor. >> reporter: her heartbroken family writing in a statement, "her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. she cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined." >> her death upsegt on so many levels and linsey davis with us here tonight. she had hitted at her struggles along the way and just a reminder that so many are struggling. >> reporter: she wrote an

article in "allure" last year where she talked about this pressure to overachieve, saying she had to be hospitalized as a as a result of nearly working herself to death. but i was struck by this one line, where she said, "turning 30 feels like a cold reminder that i'm running out of time to matter in society's eyes and it's infuriatinfuriating." >> linsey, thank you. a reminder, as always, the national suicide prevention lifeline, 1800-273-8255, for free, confidential support, 24 hours a day. when we come back here tonight, the scathing new report. the british prime minister, 16 parties in the pandemic. what he's now saying tonight. and two big names pulling music from spotify and what joe rogan is now saying.

if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture, now might not be the best time to ask yourself... 'are my bones strong?' life is full of make or break moments. that's why it's so important to help reduce your risk of fracture with prolia®. only prolia® is proven to help strengthen and protect bones from fracture with 1 shot every 6 months. do not take prolia® if you have low blood calcium, are pregnant, are allergic to it, or take xgeva®. serious allergic reactions like low blood pressure, trouble breathing, throat tightness, face, lip, or tongue swelling, rash, itching, or hives have happened. tell your doctor about dental problems, as severe jaw bone problems may happen, or new or unusual pain in your hip, groin, or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. speak to your doctor before stopping, skipping, or delaying prolia®,

as spine and other bone fractures ha prolia® can cause serious side effects, like low blood calcium, serious infections, which could need hospitalization, skin problems and severe bone, joint, or muscle pain. don't wait for a break. call your doctor now and ask how prolia® can help you. tonight, overseas, the scathing new report investigating 16 parties reportedly held by british prime minister boris johnson and his staff. johnson again apologizing today. the report blasting him for failure of leadership. the parties occurring during a national lockdown. johnson promising to make fixes, dismissing calls to resign. when we come back, the artists pulling music from spot if i, and joe rogan responding to the backlash. but i didn't wait. i could've delayed telling my doctor i was short of breath just reading a book... but i didn't wait. they told their doctors. and found out they had... ...atrial fibrillation. a condition which makes it about five times

more likely to have a stroke. if you have one or more of these symptoms irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue or lightheadedness, contact your doctor. this is no time to wait. hey, bud. i'm always here f. okay. go, dad. [ chuckles ] thanks. no, everyone's passing you in the race. oh. you got it, coach! switch to progressive, and you can save hundreds. you know, like the sign says. [ sighs ] everyone remembers the moment they heard... “you have cancer.” how their world stopped and when they found a way to face it. for some, this is where their keytruda story begins. keytruda - a breakthrough immunotherapy

that may treat certain cancers. one of those cancers is advanced nonsquamous, non-small cell lung cancer where keytruda is approved to be used with certain chemotherapies as your first treatment if you do not have an abnormal “egfr” or “alk” gene. keytruda helps your immune system fight cancer but can also cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body. this can happen during or after treatment and may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, severe stomach pain or tenderness, severe nausea or vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, eye problems, irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in appetite, thirst, or urine, confusion or memory problems, muscle pain or weakness, fever, rash, itching, or flushing. these are not all the possible side effects. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including immune system problems, or if you've had an organ transplant, had or plan to have a stem cell transplant, or have had radiation to your chest area or a nervous system condition. today, keytruda is fda-approved to treat 16 types of advanced cancer. and is being studied in hundreds of clinical trials

exploring ways to treat even more types of cancer. it's tru. keytruda from merck. see the different types of cancer keytruda is approved to treat at keytruda.com, and ask your doctor if keytruda can be part of your story. to the index and joe rogan responding tonight to the firestorm. kneel young, joni mitchell and other musicians pulling their music from spif i. spotify. >> i don't know what else i can do differently, other than try harder to get people with differing opinions on right afterwards. i do think that's important. >> spotify says it is now place a content advisory notice on any covid content. when we come back here tonight, rosie the penguin, and what she's done for the children.

men put their skin through a lot. day-in, day-out that's why dove men body wash has skin-strengthening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower. [ sneeze ] dove men+care. are you ok? oh, it's just a cold. if you have high blood pressure, a cold is not just a cold. unlike other cold medicines, coricidin provides powerful cold relief without raising your blood pressure be there for life's best moments with coricidin. now in sugar free liquid. inner voice (furniture maker): i'm constantly nodding... ...because i know everything about furniture ...but with the business side...

...i'm feeling a little lost. quickbooks can help. an easy way to get paid, pay your staff, and know where your business stands. new business? no problem. success starts with intuit quickbooks. [♪] if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control®. s and contai high qualn to hle health. try boost® today. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema or atopic dermatitis under control? hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe.

tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can show more with less eczema. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment.

finally, rosie the penguin. tonight, the team at odyssey aquarium in scottsdale, arizona, wants you to meet rosie the penguin. and the difference she's making in lives of children is america strong. born two years ago, the team began to notice rosie was having trouble sitting up on her own. her feet, misaligned. so the aquarium got an idea. to strengthen rosie and her leg muscles the animal care team constructed this sling out of a baby onesie, and some elastic straps. >> hi, rosie girl. >> rosie now sitting upright. >> oh, girl. >> reporter: then, slowly, bearing weight on her legs. >> oh there you go. easy. >> reporter: standing on her

own. flapping her wings. slowly walking, baby steps. >> that's it. good job. >> reporter: and then look at rosie go, walking right beside them. >> you're doing it! >> reporter: eventually walking without any help at all. now lee see meeting children with their own challenges. these children all with special needs connecting with rosie. >> you can see her very unique shuffle. and how she has learned to adapt. >> reporter: olivia walking right beside rosie, then hugging her dad. >> awesome? >> hi, david. >> reporter: the children on rosie. >> i felt like meeting rosie was really inspiring. >> hi, david. >> reporter: and sell ecelest, .

moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> assembly session soon voting on a belt that could stay ace -- create a state health care system. >> you are watching abc 7 news, live on abc 7, hulu live, and wherever you stream. we are monitoring the latest of elements on this and his knives in the newsroom. >> assembly members are meeting right now and shoot student -- should soon be discussing and voting on a bill that could dismantle private health care in california as we know it. everyone would move it to an entirely new program funded by the state. reporter: it is do or die for california's latest push for universal health care. .

the bill would move all californians off their private health insurance onto a publicly funded system. and must get a majority of votes in the state assembly to survive. >> if it passes, cal care will in essence replace private insurance. >> the chair of ucla's health policy and management, he says it most currently resembles health care system in canada. >> it is the canadian system, public funding of private providers through insurance and payments to those providers. >> zero deductibles, no co-pays, no cost for covered benefits. it also means a lot of questions, how will it be paid? >> it will be a very expensive plan. >>