tonight." two days until super tuesday. but first, a racially charged controversy for donald trump. critics claiming trump refused to condemn the ku klux klan. don't tell me he doesn't know who they are.e. >> now, trump fighting back. hill little clinton in a landslide win in south carolina. >> i believe that america is great. right now. >> sanders admitting he was decimated. but vowing, he's not out. rookie officer killed. the female police officer gunned down on her first day on the job. the call f help that turned adly. and what we're learninggonight about the alleged gunman. trapped in midair. the nose dive crash that ended like this. the 87-year-old pilot trapped for hours. how rescuers finalal got him out. countdown to the oscars. on the red carpet, and behind the scenes. the controversy. the chris rock factor.

the award's new w ok. and good evening. thank you for joining us on this sunday. and we are counting down to the oscars tonight, and super tuesday, just two days away. the high stakes showdown. republican front-runner donald trump, under fire tonight. the race issue exploding. critics demanding he denounce the ku klux klan. marco rubio on a relentless attack, calling trump a conman. as ted cruz goes even further, suggesting trump won't release his tax returns because of possible mob ties. abc's mary bruce starts us off tonight. >> donald trump! >> reporter: tonight, donald trump on the defensive, forced to explain this answer when asked if he condemns the ku klux klan and its former grand wizard, david duke's call to vote for trump. >> i'm just talking about david duke and the ku klux klan here. >> i don't know david duke. i don't believe i've everr met him. and i just don't know anything

>> reporter: the backlash was swift. his rivals pouncing. >> we cannot be a party who nominates someone who refuses to condemn the ku klux klan. we cannot be a party that does that. >> reporter: tuesdayed cruz tweeting, really sad. you're better than this. kkk is abhorrrrt. trtrp fired back, noting this previous response. >> i didn't even know he endorsed me, david duke endorsed me? okay, i disavow, okay? >> reporter: trump is poised to win bigig on s ser tuesday. trump boosted eded by his huge endorsement from chris christie. the new jersey governor was challenged today. >> y y endorse the ban of having noncitizen muslims -- >> no, i'm saying that's only one piece of an overall approach. >> you disagree with you? >> i said that very plainly. >> reporter: with just two days until the next contntt, the rival campaigns have turned into attack machines.

releasing his tax returns, speck speculateing about what he's hiding. >> there have been multiple media reports about donald's business dealings with the mafia. >> reporter: hetrump says he plans to release the tax returns, julgs not now. and tom, marco rubio hoping to get more momentum heading into tuesday, but he has a long way to go. and making it harder, donald trump just nabbed another big endorsement. he now has the backing of alabama senator jeff sessions. tom? >> all right, mary, thank you. now, to the democrats. hillary clinton, riding that wave of momentum into super tuesday. clinton winning south carolina by almost 50 points. ceiving huge support from a record turnout among black voters. bernie sanders vowing not to give up the fight, promising to challenge clinton until the very end. abc's d did wright withh the clinton campaign in arkansas tonight.

today, a scene straight out of abc's "scandal."." thector that plays the president made a show of telling her about donald trump's latest gaffe. >> you heard about his latest. >> what did he do now? >> he didn't know who david duke was. >> oh, that's pathetic. >> reporter: clinton's huge victory in south carolina has put a new spring in her step, heading into super tuesday. she has more delegates and more momentum than bernie sanders, as sanders freely admitted to george. >> we got decimated, george. we got decimated. >> reporter: clinton's mood, buoyant. >> i'm actually kind of looking forward, if i'mortunate enough, to be the nominee, debating any one of them. >> reporter: she's also pointedly making nice. creating a contrast with some of the republican rhetoric. >> i think we need more love and kindness. >> reporter: now, postof the super tuesday states are right

should play toclintotos strengths. but it plala into the expectations game, so, if bernie sanders is able to score a few big unexpected wins, well, the momentum of this race could change again. tom? >> and david,n that point, let's get r rht to abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. jon, what's senator sanders' path to stop clinton at this point? >> reporter: well, it's a narrow path. he has noto show that he can win in the south. and then, he has his eyes on the prize of california. the biggest delegate stake of all. that's not until june, and if he doesn't do better before then, he will be out of it.. >> we're less than 4 4 h hrs from the voting on super tuesday. do you think this kkk controversy hurts donald trump? >> reporter: we don't know. on one hand, he's retweeted white supremacists in the past and not faced a backlash, but this could be different. look at the way his rivals poupsed on it and look at the way he felt a need almost

clarify to say, yes, i disavow. republican primary voter will tolerate a lot, but i don't think they will toll rate outright racism. >> all right, jon, thank you so much. stay with abc news for full coverage on super tuesday. special editions of "good morning america" and "world news tonight", george stephanopoulos and the entire powerhouse political team on the air, beginning at 10:00 p.m. eastern, tuesday night. and we do move on nowo virginia, thehe deaeay police shooting making national headlines tonight. a rookie officer shot and kille her first day on the job. two other officers wounded. her police cruiser today turned into a memorial. you see it there, with black bunting, a wreath placed on the hood. the alleged gunman, an army staff sergeant, assigned to the pentagon. abc's gloria rivieran the investigation tonight. >eporter: tonighgh a police department in the tight knit community it serves devastated by a shocking loss. prince p

>> when news came that she passed, it was -- it hit us. we weren't expecting it at all. >> reporter: authorities say the ofofcer responded to a 911 call, reporting domestic abuse. >> i just want to be clear. do we have officers involved in a shooting? >> we have three officers that have been shot. >> reporter: it was herenhis ququt upscale neighborhood that rookie cop ashley guindon and two others approached that front door. police say almost immediately the suspect confronted them, opening fire, and they all went down. >> i saw the officer laying right there, holding his leg, i figure he got hot. >> reporter: neighbor zakhar risch harris saying he heard three gunshots. the suspect, ronald hamilton, assigned to the pentagon. hamilton's wife was found dead inside the home. the two other officers are

now, officer guindon's squad car, draped in black to honor the rookie lost too soon. ronald hamilton is expected to appear in court tomorrow. he is facing two murder charges, murder in the first and capital murder, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. tom snl. >> all right, gloria, thank you. overseas now, the fragile cease-fire in syria. reports of russian air strikes hitting targets in the cities of aleppo and raqqah. syrian families caughgh in the middle, hoping the truce holding long enough for much needed humanitarian supplies to arrive. abc's alex marquardt in the region for us tonight. >> reporter: air strikes today in northern syria. just one o o a g gwing numbebe of incidents threatening this fragile truce. both sides accusing the other of violating the ease-fire. but tonight, it has largely held for a second day. the fight continues against isis and al qaeda, but in much of syria, there's a calm that

still at risk, the almost half a million people living under brutal sieges. in one town, local doctors say dozens have died from starvation. we tried to visit today, with government permission, but were turned away, told that mortar and sniper fire made it too dangerous. but the united nations is now trying to capitalize on the quiet, to ramp up deliveries of aid across the country. if the truce holds, they say, ey can do more, better and fafaer. that willle tested tomomrow morning with the first convoys scheduled to go out since this temporary cease-fire started. alex marquardt, abc news, damascus. back here at home, a plane crash in pennsylvania. take a look at this. the 87-year-old pilot plunging into the trees, reporting engine trouble just after takeoff, suddenly trapped in midair. abc'c'phillip mena on the rescue effort to get him back on the ground. >> reporter: dangling from the branches, this small plane left hanging from a tree, nose down, after a frightening crash.

the pilot. 87-year-old herbert bartell, waiting hours to be saved. authoritits say he had just taken offff and ran into trouble. >> he tried to do a u-turn, but he lost control and it went into the trees. >> reporter: stuck up in the tree, bartell managed to call 911, butut it took nearly four hours to get him down, because of all the branches in the way. >> he was in very good spirits the whole time there. he was conscious, alert, oriented the whole incident. >> reporter: bartell escaped with only minor injuries. >> think by the end he was a little apg shus to get out. >> reporter: phillip mena, abc news, new york. now, to a troubled cruisi ship back in the headlines. anthem of the seas, the ship damaged after sailing into hurricane-force winds earlier this month, forced to turn around mid-trip this weekend, returning to new jersey because of a severe storm in its path. and n n to hollywood. the academy awards about to get

the star power building on the red carpet. the biggest celebs in the business about to arrive. everyone pking their favorites to win. abc's amy robach at the dolby theater. >> reporter: hello, tom. we're right here in t thick of it. the movers and shakers of the film industry and the stars are starting to make their way in and we congratulate all of the nominees. but this year, so much of the attention is on those who were not nominated, the lack of diversity among the nominees, setting off a firestorm. host chris rock making it clear, he will not shy away from the controversy, tweeting, "see you sunday #blackout #oscar ss" so many are wondering, just how far he will go. we're going to have it all and we're going to have interviews with some of this year's nominees, of course. and, all in our oscar preshow countdowowto the oscars. that's coming up, right after "world news tonight," tom.

course, that was robin roberts, not amy robach. much more comin up on the oscars later. still ahead night. danger on thehe roadways. drivers forced to do more than keep their eyes on the road. debris frying right at them. how to stay safe. and protests erupting in an american city. the police shooting sparking outrage. the investigation under way. what if f e piece 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 yourom pnmococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may evenenut you in the hosostal. even if you have already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine,

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through your windshield. amanda mcdonagh was driving with her 2-month-old saturday when ice flew off the car in front of her. >> and his whole sheet came off and just shattered our windshield windshield. >> reporter: luckily, no one was hurt. but tom, driving on an indiana highway last week, came inches from death. >> it's a little sore. >> reporter: when a five-pound metal spring came off a semi, sailing through his windshield. it happens more than you think. debris triggering roughly 50,000 crashes a a ar. claiming nearly 450 lives. to prevent accidents like this one, caused by a mattress landing in the road, experts say the best thing you can do is be aware. >> trust your instincts. increase your following distance. make sure that no vehicles are beside you, which gives you ample room in casee you have to veer into another lane.

have that escape route, experts say the best thing to do is to drive through that debris and try not to slam on your brakes. tom? >> linzie, thank you. >hen we come back, a halftime show surprise. what was in this gift-wrapped box that had one little boy jumping for joy? an arena full of basketball fans on their feet. and this year's oscar statues. the winners may notice a change. why oscar's looking a bit more buff. with my moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. thinking a aut what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, incling tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fafal infections and cancers, incncding lymphoma, have happened;

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broomstick. that person, a 16-year-old black male, was shot and is now in critical condition. shortly after, an angry crowd began hurling rocks at police. several arrests were made. several witnesses are being questioned as the case are under investigation. the mayor calling this a tragedy. >> reporter: terning to sports now. a record night on the basketball court. the g gden state warriors steph curry launching the game-winning shot from about 35 feet away. remarkable. less than a second left in overtime when that happened. and curry breaking the record for most three-pointers in a season with 288, tying the record for most three-pointers in a game last night with 12, and beating oklahoma city along the way. even other nba stars stunned. lebron james saying "never before seen anyone like him in history." he's having a great season. now to a little boy showered in gifts by his favorite basketball team. the phoenix suns wanted to cheer him up, who had been missing his father, soldier deployed for a long time.

and guess who popped out? >> daddy! >> that reaction. that hug says it all. the crowd erupted watching the emotional reunion. no doubt, the best present ever. now, to the academy awards and it looks like oscar may have a personal trainer. the actual statue is getting a makeover this year. they've been revamped with more muscles, refined jaw line and hairline. looking good. the subtle features l lm more 1929. they will also be hand cast in bronze, like the originals, before getting that 24 karat gold finish. and more oscars ead. those acceptance speeches. tonight might be a little different, and a little shorter. turning up the music never really works when the oscar winners are in the moment. so, the academy has a new plan this year to help speed things up. question -- will it work? (croheering) abdominal pain.

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every day of your allergy season... ...for continuous relief. with powerful, 24 hour... ...non-drowsy claritin, live claritin clear. every day. finally tonight, you'll notice something different at the oscars when the winners give their speeches. the academy is trying out a new plan, but are the stars really goinin too for it? abc's chris connelly with the story. >> jen for connelly.

big moment in anyone's life. like when jen for connelly won supporting actress in 2002. you don't want to forget anyone. still, nothing sinks the heart of an oscar producer like a litany of thank yous. >> thank you to all of our magnificent cast and crew for their invaluable collaboration and most especially to ron howard and russell crowe. >> there was al pacino, winning in 1993. >> if you indulge me for a moment, i had to write thihi down. >> reporter: not every winner has pacino's star power. so, some get played off. as will farrell and jack black famously sang -- no need to thank your parakeet you're boring look at katherine zeta-jones she's snoring >> reporter: this year's oscar

plan to perk up 2016's 45-second acceptances. a scroll at the bottom of the screen that will name all the names a winner needs to thank, as they explained to lara spencer. >> and they don't have to fumble with a list.t. they don't haveeo find the asses. >> oh, my god. >> it's like, look. you can thank more people, you can thank the same people. >> thank your cat. >> make a statement. >> reporter: the hope is for unmistakable moments of emotion and deeply felt appreciation. the kind that have become part of oscar legend. who could forget cuba gooding jr.? >> i just want to -- oh, here we go. okay, the studio, i love you, and cameron crowe a a tom cruise! i love you, brother! i love you, man! >> reporter: and if the orchestra never has to play anyone off the stage, audiences around the globe will all be feeling, well, really grateful. chris connelly, abc news, los angeles. >> and we hope for many moments like that tonight. well, the excitement is building for the academy awards..

up. don't miss robin roberts' preshow oscar special coming up, and then the 88th academy awards right here on abc. a complete wrapup of the or kafrs on "gma" tomororw rning. david muir right back here tomorrow night. i'm tom llamas in new york. have a great evening.coming up on kckc-tv9 news at 5:30... skies clear tonight with more mild temperatures for monday before wintry mix moves in

donald trump faces backlash for not denouncing white supremacist group, the kuku klux klan, during an interview today. and the city of kalona is asking for more than three million dollars to revitalize its aging community center. you're watching kcrg-tv9. now, from your 24 hour news source, this is kcrg-tv9 news at 5:30. meteorologist chris havely starts us off live from downtown cedar rapids. the wind picked up and itooled off this afrnoon. skies will gradually clear tonight behind the cold front that moved through earlier on sunday. temperatures will fall down to near 30 overnight, cooler than last night. for monday, we'll have a mix x sun and clouds, with more clouds moving in by later in the day. winds will start off from the southwest, but shift to

northwest in the afrnoon. temperatures will be cooling down again behind this boundary, down into the 20s overnight tomorrow night. an area of low pressure will develop along that boundary to our south, giving us a wintry mix and snow for monday night and into tuesday. as it looks now, a trace up to 2'' are forecast. snow will come to an end later on tuesday, witit cooler temperatures for the rest of the week. however, another warm-up is looking likely for next week. tonight: gradual clearing low: 28-34 winds: nw 15-25 alo: 29 dbq: 29 iow: 31tomorrow: p/cloudy, mix possible late high: 52-58 winds: sw 15-25 alo: dbq: iow: 55 a hearing this spring will determine whether a dubuque man accused of murder is competent to stand trial. 20 year-old helmon betwell faces fir-degree murder and first-degree sexual use charges in the death of nancy krapfl. betwell's attorney said he doesn't understand the