we're not looking for a new cold war. >> martha raddatz joining us from washington now. and martha, there are hundreds of balloons above the u.s. every day, we know that. and today, president biden calling for new regulations to help keep track of them all. >> reporter: that's right, whit. the president wants to establish a better system to keep track of these balloons and update rules for launching them, not only in the u.s., but globally. none of that will be easy, and none of that will happen quickly, whit. >> all right, martha raddatz for us, thank you. >>> next tonight, a special grand jury in georgia is recommending perjury charges after their investigation into attempts by former president trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. the former president did not testify, but a number of his key supporters did. and without releasing names, the grand jury said there may be evidence that one or more of them lied. here's abc's chief washington correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: the georgia special grand jury investigating election interference by former

all right, martha raddatz, thanks for having me to your town, for a change. thank you. >>> we are here, by the way, on the eve of president biden's state of the union address. it comes amid americans growing concerns over the economy, the war in ukraine, these new tensions with china, among other things. let's get right to our senior white house correspondent mary bruce live over at the white house tonight. ma mary, the president and the white house, of course, pointing to victories along the way, from the bipartisan infrastructure law set to create thousands of jobs, rebuild bridges and highways, and, of course, this new unexpected jobs report in the last couple of days, much better than expected. but mary, given the polling, even from abc news and other outlets, the president knows that americans aren't feeling this. >> reporter: he does, david. but the president will argue that the economy is heading in the right direction and that his policies are working. we expect him to highlight that stunningly strong jobs report last month, the unemployment rate at a

martha raddatz with us from washington. martha, back to these three other objects. it would seem the administration still doesn't know much about these three flying objects. any idea how long it will take to find them, locate them, and if they are weather balloons or scientific balloons, as you pointed out there, for scientific study, do the agencies or the people that send them up have to register that information anywhere to let someone know they're flying these things over the u.s. and elsewhere? >> reporter: well, david, we saw the chinese balloon get shot down off the coast of south carolina, but these other three are in very remote locations and weather has been an issue in the recovery, so, that could take awhile. and no one has reported weather balloons missing, but there are well over 1,000 launched every day worldwide, close to 200 here in the u.s. alone, and they don't have to file a flight plan unless they're near an airport or information is requested, but they do notify before they are launched, and then they are on their own, david. >> well, there's o

martha raddatz right had here with me tonight on what she's learned. >>> here in washington, president biden on the eve of his state of the union address, after that very promising jobs report, and after some key victories, including that bipartisan infrastructure law. the white house knows many americans still are not feeling this. what we've learned about his address. and mary bruce is standing by live at the white house. >>> tonight, two suspects under arrest for allegedly plotting to attack five electrical substations. the city they were about to target, officials say. federal prosecutors say one suspect is the founder of a neo-nazi group. >>> the close call on the runway. two planes less than 100 feet apart. a southwest passenger jet told by air traffic control it could use a key runway, but there was a fedex jet coming in for a landing on the same runway. tonight, we've learned how close those planes came. gio benitez with new reporting. >>> and america strong tonight. the second grade class and what they just witnessed. this was a lesson unlike any other, and you have to see it.

>> all right, martha raddatz on this story again tonight. martha, thank you. >>> back in the u.s., that severe weather moving across the country. snow and wind alerts from mississippi all the way up to maine tonight. at least four reported tornadoes in mississippi and louisiana. this one about an hour north of new orleans. the winds ripping apart this mini mart and gas station. first responders checking for people trapped in damaged homes, and, of course, the system arriving in the northeast tonight. senior meteorologist rob marciano in louisiana tonight tracking it all for us. rob? >> reporter: david, remarkably, the man that was in this house when the tornado came overtop of it survived with little injure. but to give you some perspective how active it's been this year, with winter tornadoes. since january 1st, we received nearly three times the normal amount of tornadoes. and the energy from this system now getting into the great lakes and the ohio river valley. wind warnings up there, 60-mile-an-hour gusts. we've got power outages, we co

i want to bring in abc chief global affairs martha raddatz. martha, it was a striking moment, the president thanking poland but sobering words about what could be a very long road ahead. >> and it could be, we've seen the refugees so many times. my first experience crossing the border right after the invasion, and seeing those mothers and wives say good-bye to their husbands, sons and fathers who stayed to fight. 8 million refugees left ukraine but what is very heartening, so many came back. so many wanted to stay in ukraine, fight for and support their country. >> i know you're traveling after this report tonight. martha, thank you very much. martha raddatz, ian pannell, mary bruce, thanks to the team in the war zone tonight. >>> other news in the u.s., a major coast-to-coast storm, 38 states, 150 million americans from california through the midwest, all the way to the northeast, heavy rain, blizzards in some places, wind, ice, severe storms. look at pictures tonight. whiteout conditions for drivers in fargo, north dakota. a potentially hist

>> martha raddatz again tonight. thank you, martha. >>> we turn next tonight to the case making national headlines, the father who authorities say abused and manipulated his daughter's classmates and others, even staying in his daughter's dorm at sarah lawrence college. tonight here, the chilling details of the abuse. that father is now facing 60 years in prison, and two of his victims are now speaking out to our linsey davis. >> reporter: tonight, we're hearing from two of the victims of lawrence ray, the father convicted of manipulating and terrorizing his daughter's friends. why didn't you leave? >> i was so scared. he wouldn't let me sleep. he controlled what i was eating. he would yell at me. he would beat me. and he took away everything that made me me. >> reporter: ray imprisoned on crimes of extortion, sex trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy, among other charges. in 2010, he crashed at his daughter's dorm at sarah lawrence college in new york, gaining the trust of her friends. later moving to new york c

martha raddatz with us from washington. martha, back to these three other objects. it would seem the administration still doesn't know much about these three objects. any idea how long it will take to find them, locate them, and if they are weather balloons or scientific balloons, as you pointed out there, for scientific study, do the agencies or the people that send them up, have to ridge st information somewhere? >> reporter: well, david, we saw the chinese balloon get shot down off the coast of south carolina, but these other three are in very remote locations and weather has been an issue in the recovery, so, that could take awhile. and no one has reported weather balloons missing, but there are well over 1,000 launched every day worldwide, close to 200 here in the u.s. alone, and they don't have to file a flight plan unless they're near an airport or information is requested, but they do notify before they are launched, and then they are on their own, david. >> well, there's one answered tonight. martha, thank you, as always. >>> next tonight here, we are back

martha raddatz with new reporting. >>> just moments ago, the first look tonight at what president biden will tell the american people later this evening. the address in prime time, the state of the union here on abc. the president before congress and the country, and mary bruce live at the white house. >>> there is also breaking news from memphis at this hour in the tyre nichols case. we have new reporting tonight. what one of the officers allegedly did. pierre thomas is here. >>> also, the war in ukraine tonight. ukraine claiming the last 24 hours have been the deadliest for russian forces since the start of the war. the numbers not confirmed. and tonight, where ukrainian troops are now training on those first german tanks. >>> back in the u.s., the deadly train collision. an amtrak train with passengers onboard and a tractor trailer. >>> the alarming images. authorities say a tesla driver apparently asleep at the wheel, going more than 50 miles per hour. the driver following, honking the horn, trying to wake them up for 15 minutes. >>> your health tonight, and a potential breakthrough

>> martha raddatz live in washington again tonight. thank you, martha. >>> overseas tonight and to turkey, where we learned of two miracle brothers today, nearly 200 hours after the earthquake hit, pulled out alive. and tonight, why turkey's president erdogan is now under fire after supporting the push to forgive construction violations in the past, long before this earthquake. james longman from turkey tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the astonishing rescue in turkey. two brothers trapped for nearly 200 hours. 17-year-old muhammad and later, his older brother baki. and tonight, with turkish officials issuing more than 130 arrest warrants for contractors and developers accused of shoddy construction, president erdogan under fire, critics pointing to videos like this. erdogan praising legislation pushed by his own political party that forgave construction violations without forcing property owners to bring their buildings up to code, saying it, quote, solved the problems of hundreds of thousands of property owners. and experts say turkish

>> all right, martha raddatz on this story again tonight. martha, thank you. >>> back in the u.s., that severe weather moving across the country. snow and wind alerts from mississippi all the way up to maine tonight. at least four reported tornadoes in mississippi and louisiana. this one about an hour north of new orleans. the winds ripping apart this mini mart and gas station. first responders checking for people trapped in damaged homes, and, of course, the system arriving in the northeast tonight. senior meteorologist rob marciano in louisiana tonight tracking it all for us. rob? >> reporter: david, remarkably, the man that was in this house when the tornado came overtop of it survived with little injury. but to give you some perspective how active it's been this year with winter tornadoes, since january 1st, take a look at this graphic. we received nearly three times the normal amount of tornadoes. and the energy from this system now getting into the great lakes and the ohio river valley. wind warnings up there, 60-mile-an-hour gusts. we

>> martha raddatz live in washington again tonight. thank you, martha. >>> overseas tonight and to turkey, where we learned of two miracle brothers today, nearly 200 hours after the earthquake hit, pulled out alive. and tonight, why turkey's president erdogan is now under fire after supporting the push to forgive construction violations in the past, long before this earthquake. james longman from turkey tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the astonishing rescue in turkey. two brothers trapped for nearly 200 hours. 17-year-old muhammad, and later, his older brother baki. and tonight, with turkish officials issuing more than 130 arrest warrants for contractors and developers who are accused of shoddy construction, president erdogan is also under fire. critics pointing to videos like this. erdogan praising legislation pushed by his own political party that forgave construction violations without forcing property owners to bring their buildings up to code, saying it, quote, solved the problems of hundreds of thousands of property owners. and ex

secretary of state anthony blinken telling abc's martha raddatz -- >> we've been watching this very, very closely. we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to russia in the war against ukraine. >> reporter: secretary blinken speaking face to face with his chinese counterpart this weekend, saying helping russia would have serious consequences for u.s./china relations. equipment shortages are hampering russia's forces as they struggle to encircle the eastern city of bakhmut. troy offenbecker is a former american marine, now fighting for ukraine as a volunteer in the devastated city. what is the situation there? >> so, it's been pretty bad on the ground. a lot of casualties. >> reporter: troy telling abc news, this video shot in december shows the fierce fighting in the city. bakhmut now another ukrainian city known around the world for horror, after vice president kamala harris promised to hold russia accountable for its brutality. >> and there is no doubt these are crimes against humanity. >> reporter: in kyiv, mayor vtali kilitchko

martha raddatz leads us off. >> reporter: the unidentified flying object about the size of a small car was first spotted in the skies over alaska last night, the military sending up fighter jets to check it out. and this afternoon, the commander in chief giving the order, shoot it down. >> do you have anything to say about the object shot down over alaska, mr. president? >> reporter: the pentagon still knows little about the object. it is now sitting on the arctic ice waiting to be recovered. a senior official describes it to abc as cylindrical and silverish gray. >> it was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight. out of abundance of caution at the recommendation of the pentagon, president biden ordered the military to down the object. and they did. >> reporter: the military says the object was unmanned and we are told it appears to be floating, not being steered or propelled like the chinese spy balloon. no word on who sent this object up or what it was doing. >> we do not know who owns it, whether it's state owned or corpora

martha raddatz is live in washington. >>> here in turkey and syria, the second wave of horror, the we arrive on the scene moments,r silence. and tonight, the 10-day-old baby rescued from under the rubble, the mother saved too. hear the urgent call for humanitarian help. the homeless here, the crush of patients in the hospital, now more than 23,000 dead. ian panel right here with me tonight. >>> there is also breaking news tonight involving both former president trump and former vice president pence. sources telling abc news former president trump's legal team turned over another item marked classified found at mar-a-lago and a laptop belonging to a trump aide also retrieved by federal authorities. tonight the fbi searching the home of mike pence and what they found there. pierre thomas reporting from washington. >>> tonight the white house confirming president biden will travel to poland to mark one year since the russian invasion of ukraine. russia releasing a barrage of more than a hundred missiles today targeting power plays in ukraine and what u.s. is helping them do. >>> back hom

martha raddatz standing by tonight on where they were, what they flew over, and when. >>> tonight, the alex murdaugh trial, charged with killing his wife and son, and why the courthouse was suddenly evacuated today. >>> the interviews right here tonight and the chilling details of abuse. the father who authorities say moved into his daughter's college dorm. now facing 60 years in prison for assaulting and terrorizing her classmates and friends. linsey davis tonight speaking with two of the victims. >>> president zelenskyy and his surprise visit today, and what he asked for. the emotional plea. >>> and the king of the court. lebron james making history, and what he told our michael strahan. >>> good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. we are just back from washington and president biden's state of the union address. the president's reaction tonight to all that heckling, and that moment between mitt romney and george santos. also the severe storms hitting at this hour. the tornado watch right now, we'll get to it. >>> but we begin tonight with the desper

mary bruce and martha raddatz joining me here in warsaw tonight, ian pannell live in kyiv. >>> in the u.s., a major winter storm, 38 states on alert,

martha raddatz in washington. >>> also tonight, the georgia special grand jury recommending perjury charges linked to testimony about attempts to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results by former president trump and his

what secretary of state blinken tells our martha raddatz in a one-on-one interview, and his warning to china about potential consequences if beijing provides lethal aid for russia's war in ukraine. >>> on the ground. fema now on the scene in ohio at the site of the train derailment and massive toxic spill. the residents demanding answers about the safety of their air, their water, and the train company now facing a class action lawsuit. >>> a "gma" parenting alert after the tragic death of an 11-year-old boy in florida two weeks after what at first may have seemed like a minor injury. the latest warning from the cdc as similar cases in children now on the rise. a medical expert on what you need to know to keep your kids safe. >>> caught on camera. this man flung off a catamaran in a high-speedboat race. his incredible survival, and what he told his crew members after they pulled him to safety. >>> take flight. as more travelers get ready to take off, it's time to spring into action to get the best flight deals for a spring getaway. we'll tell you how to land the deal of your vacation d

martha raddatz in washington. >>> also tonight, the georgia special grand jury recommending perjury charges linked to testimony about attempts to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results by former president trump and his

martha raddatz is live in washington.

martha raddatz is live in washington. >>> here in turkey and syria, the second wave of horror, the aftershocks and tremors.

s intelligence gathering that have been exposed new reporting from our martha raddatz. still no power six days after the ice storm in texas, growing outrage over the outages , residents are taking matters into their own hands. safety concerns surrounding social media sites like facebook marketplace after a man was shot , trying to buy something he saw online, the warnings from police and the better business bureau about scams plus the big news overnight about the big $754 million powerball jackpot and later what happens when you book your dream vacation overseas? but instead of sydney, australia. you book a trip to cindy montana, one man, surprisingly positive experience. from abc news in york. this is america this morning. good tuesday morning, everyone i'm andrew timber, and i'm jacqueline lee. we begin with the disaster unfolding overseas, the most devastating earthquake in a century hitting turkey and syria. 5000 people were confirmed dead overnight. the weather is hampering the frantic search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble of thousands of buildings. video

liz: and coming up, martha raddatz on the ground in ukraine in the war zone, speaking with the mayor of one city and reporting what life is life for ukrainians amid russian aggression. still ahead, scouts for social justice. the group of girl scouts focusing on freedom and justice, and the story behind each badge. and here is a look outside this morning. this is right now. rainy start. another storm system coming. we will check in with lisa when we get back. more paper being crumpled music: “i wish” by skee-lo boom! sound of paper balls landing in bins office workers cheering music stops why do we shoot baskets with paper balls? for the same reason we play scratchers from the california lottery. because a little play can make your day. logo scratches on ♪ entresto is the #1 heart failure brand prescribed by cardiologists. it was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb.

chief global affairs anchor martha raddatz is tracking that and the three other suspicious objects that were also shot down. nice to see you again, martha, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, rebecca. some good news this morning. searchers off the coast of south carolina have recovered a big part of the payload from that massive chinese spy balloon that u.s. fighter jets shot down. that is the most important part of the balloon and its sensors and antennas and all the technical gear that investigators will be piecing together. the pentagon saying there is no question that the chinese were trying to spy on the u.s. as for those other three flying objects, the administration will not say publicly that they are balloons, but a senior u.s. official telling me they suspect they are weather balloons. there are well over a thousand weather balloons launched around the world every day including nearly 200 here in the u.s. and they do not have to have a flight plan. those three objects have not been found as yet because of weather conditions, but one thing is certain according to the white

chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz is tracking the story from washington. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, george. this morning as you said, good news. pieces of the balloon have now been recovered with u.s. navy vessels swarming that debris field with divers, cranes, whatever they can use to find what is left of that suspected spy vessel to try to solve this deepening mystery. this morning, critical recovery efforts under way for fallen debris from the suspected chinese spy balloon. >> blast one. that is a take kill. >> reporter: the air force confirming that is the voice of the pilot of that f-22 fighter jet that brought down the balloon craft saturday just off the coast of south carolina. in a new statement, u.s. northern command saying, the balloon was brought down within sovereign u.s. air space and over u.s. territorial waters to protect civilians while maximizing our ability to recover the payload. now the u.s. navy conducting active recovery operations of the seven-mile-long debris field. experts hoping to analyze the suspected surve

martha raddatz will interview president biden's national security adviser jake sullivan, and house foreign affairs committee chair michael mccaul about u.s. support to ukraine one year after russia's invasion. plus, a clip from david muir's interview with president biden on "this week." eva? >>> now to comg eemic food aid of americans. the temporary program due to end on march 1st, many fearing the consequences for struggling families. abc's alexis christoforous joins us with more. good morning, alexis. >> good morning, eva. this morning, nearly 30 million americans bracing for a significant cut in their monthly food stamp benefits. after nearly three years, the federal government is ending pandemic-era payments for the low income families on the supplemental nutrition assistance program or snap. 18 states have already ended the extra snap benefits. the rest of the country will do the same march 1st. the average household will now lose $95 a month for groceries, but depending on family size and income, some will lose hundreds of dollars a month in food assistance. the boost has been a life

i'm joined by our chief global affairs anchor martha raddatz in martha, remarkablesplit screen on the world stage as i mentioned vladimir putin's already speaking at home in russia, not talking about president biden referencing him by name, but certainly with a message for the u. s it was aimed right at the u. s. he spoke for about an hour and 45 minutes. he blamed the us for starting this war, he said of ukraine. they were just basically following their western masters talked about as you said that that nuclear start agreement and threatened that they would start nuclear test believing the u. s would start them soon as well. you talked with secretary of state antony blinken on this week sunday morning, and he signaled before this from the biden administration, multiple members of the administration now signaling a real conservative growing concern that china may be considering offering lethal aid. to russia, and he said that would be crossing a real line here. they said it would be crushing real line. they know china in public says we don't want to be involved in this, but they belie

this morning, he spoke one on one with martha raddatz on this week. he says there are growing concerns over china's involvement with russia. >> i shared a growing concern that china is considering providing legal support to russia in its aggression against ukraine. i made clear, as president biden has with president xi, that would have serious consequences in our own relationship. liz: this highly anticipated meeting took place in germany will both attended the munich security conference. a baby born under the rubble of a collapsed building in syria is in good condition. the baby was underneath her collapsed home for 10 hours, still attached to her mother's umbilical cord. you probably saw the story. her mother did die. ava was the only member of her family to survive. at least 46,000 people are dead in syria and turkey from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled the region. here at abc7news, we are committed to building a better bay area. sometimes, that means setting out on missions to work in other parts of the world. this morning, we meet medic

coming up on this week, martha raddatz will speak to senator lindsey graham about china and the shooting down of three and identified aerial objects. they will also talk about the war in ukraine as the anniversary of russia's invasion approaches. watch that full interview on "this week" at 8:00 here on abc seven. locally, happening on 680, all northbound lanes are closed due to repainting work. the northbound lanes between koopman road and a son old boulevard are being impacted. . caltrans posted these pictures. crews were working on the project last weekend and lanes reopened on time. after this weekend, there is one more closure schedule. southbound lanes are not affected. bart crews are releasing more than a mile of track this weekend. that means no trains are running between the rockridge and lafayette stations. bart has a bus bridge available for passengers, and the work wraps up after monday. tomorrow, which is presidents' day, bart will be running saturday service on all lines. parking at all stations is free tomorrow, except for the berryessa station. now to the controversy and c

here now martha raddatz. >>> good morning, and welcome to "this week." president volodymyr zelenskyy declared the first day of the war in ukraine the longest and hardest day in ukraine's modern history. it's been an unbelievably trying year for his country ever since, but also one of resolve. kyiv still stands, and ukraine has taken back roughly half of the land it has lost since the start of the war. as we begin year two, the u.s. announced new sanctions against russia, and another round of military aid to ukraine after president biden's historic trip to kyiv and poland where he declared that ukraine will never be a victory for russia. the leaders of g7 nations met with zelenskyy friday, forcefully calling for russia to stop its ongoing aggression. and around the world, monuments were lit up in blue and yellow solidarity from new york to paris, berlin, to sydney. but what comes next? this morning, we're going to assess the state of the conflict, where it's headed, growing concerns about china's role, and speak with ukrainians on the ground about life un

chief global affairs anchor martha raddatz has the story. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, george. as you know, there were all sorts of theories about these objects from aliens to more spycrafts sent by adversaries, but it turns out they were just likely benign weather balloons, like hundreds of others in the sky. this morning for the first time an official explanation about those three mysterious objects shot down after that chinese spy balloon swept across the country. president biden acknowledging the three flying objects were not a national security threat. >> the intelligence community's current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions studying weather or conducting other scientific research. >> reporter: the administration had deemed the objects a threat to civil aviation, so sent fighter jets to shoot them down. >> smaller than a car. >> reporter: one after another, over alaska, canada and lake huron. the balloons were detected after

our chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz has been tracking this story for us from washington. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, robin. a senior u.s. official telling abc news this morning that they believe they will be able to retrieve the entire payload, that part of the bottom of the balloon that was gathering intelligence. the official said it is damaged but they are confident they can eventually piece it all together. this morning, recovery crews in the atlantic scouring the wreckage field from the chinese spy balloon for sensitive equipment, a debris field the size of more than 15 football fields by 15 football fields. abc news confirming the first pieces of wreckage now at an fbi lab in quantico. saturday's shootdown of the balloon ending its week-long u.s., an f-22 fighter jet l - finally bringing it down just off the coast of south carolina. >> splash 1, the balloon is completely destroyed. >> reporter: an official telling abc that the spy balloon had optical surveillance capabilities as well as the ability to intercept electronic transmissions. there w

chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz is tracking the story. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, george. if you are asking yourself why there are so suddenly many unidentified objects flying around, you are not alone, but after that giant chinese spy balloon crossed the u.s., the administration is taking no chances and have adjusted the radar to catch smaller objects that may enter north american airspace. this morning, questions mounting after more unidentified objects discovered over u.s. and canadian airspace. a third mystery object in just three days shot down by a u.s. fghter jet over lake huron sunday afternoon. according to a senior administration official, this latest object was octagonal in shape, unmanned, and traveling near sensitive sites at an altitude of 20,000 feet. posing a civilian flight risk. first detected saturday as it flew over montana, president biden giving the order to shoot it down once it reappeared on radar out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of military leaders. >> we have been mor