making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, the crisis rocking the white house. members of the president's team accused of having constant contact with russian officials during the campaign. details on the bombshell new report. and more fallout surrounding the resignation of national security adviser michael flynn. what did the president know about his contact with russian officials and the growing calls from lawmakers for a full investigation. assassinated, the half brother of kim jong-un killed with a poison spray. the two women police are looking for now. and the sentimental favorite at the westminster dog show snaps best in show. we will show you the results. all about rumor.

and we do say good wednesday morning, everyone, and it is a busy one. we're going to start with the breaking news, and it is potentially huge. the biggest crisis the trump administration has yet to face. >> we have learned overnight that trump aides were in contact with suspected russian intelligence officials during last year's campaign. "the new york times" says there was, quote, repeated contact in the year before the election, but it adds that there is no evidence that trump aides and russians actually cooperated to influence the election. >> and about 12 hours before news of those contacts with the russians broke, there was this exchange between abc's jonathan karl and the white house press secretary. it's critical. listen. >> you still say definitively that nobody on the trump campaign, not even general flynn, had any contact with the russians before the election. >> my understanding is that what general flynn has now expressed is that during the transition period, well, we were very clear that during the transition period he did -- he did speak with the ambassador. >> i'm talking about during the campaign.

>> i don't have any -- there's nothing that would conclude me that anything different has changed with respect to that time period. >> and in january the president denied that he or anyone in his campaign had contact with russian officials before the election. >> we will be following all these major developments on that part of the story. meanwhile, there's also outrage about some other communications with russia, which actually led to the resignation of national security adviser michael flynn. >> yes, so at issue with this particular end is flynn's call with the russian ambassador to the u.s. before president trump's inauguration. abc's stephanie ramos is following those developments from washington. >> reporter: details are still emerging from the resignation of president trump's national security adviser general michael flynn. >> the evolving and eroding level of trust as a result of this situation and a series of other questionable instances is what led the president to ask for general flynn's resignation. >> reporter: we've now learned president trump knew about flynn's conversations with the russian ambassador to the u.s.

for nearly three weeks and also knew that flynn deceived the vice president and the public about those calls. >> those conversations that happened to occur around the time that the united states took action to expel diplomats had nothing whatsoever to do with those sanctions. >> reporter: but they did. intelligence agents had been listening in on the ambassador's calls and discovered that sanctions were discussed. the justice department told the white house that flynn wasn't telling the truth and believed russia could blackmail flynn by threatening to expose his lie. >> the first part of it was clearly to understand the legal aspect of this. >> reporter: it wasn't until friday that flynn changed his story and apologized to the vice president for misleading him. on air force one that night, the president was asked about it. >> i don't know about it. i haven't seen it. what report is that? >> reporter: by monday night flynn's resignation letter was received. and apparently vice president mike pence was kept in the dark about all of this. no one at the white house told

pence about the details of flynn's calls with the russian ambassador. he was in the know once the story broke in "the washington post" late last week. kendis, diane, back over to you. >> stephanie, thanks. sure to be an interesting day at the white house briefing room today. >> it's been an interesting 25 days. and amid all this pressure there's also growing concern between members of congress to get some answers on all of this. the top lawmakers on the senate intelligence committee are pledging a cooperative effort in their investigation of the trump administration's potential ties to russia. others on capitol hill are taking a more measured approach. abc's mary bruce has the details. >> reporter: amid growing questions about the trump team's ties to russia, from senate republicans deep concern. >> obviously there's an administration that is in significant disarray as far as national security is concerned. >> reporter: top republicans like senate majority leader mitch mcconnell say it's, quote, highly likely the senate will investigate michael flynn's conversations with russian officials.

but some republicans are more reluctant. >> and that seems to have resolved itself with the white house taking some decisive action. >> reporter: congressman jason chaffetz, the chair of the house oversight committee, vigorously led the investigation into hillary clinton's e-mails but says he has no plans to investigate flynn's ties to russia. >> we've been asking for months for basic oversight, but our chairman, jason chaffetz, has not lifted one finger. >> reporter: chaffetz is, however, investigating whether white house counselor kellyanne conway crossed a line by promoting ivanka trump's brand on television. >> i fully -- i'm going to give a free commercial here. go buy it today, everybody. >> reporter: this as chaffetz demands answers into these pictures, the president and the japanese prime minister at mar-a-lago huddling with advisers after learning north korea launched a missile. club members witnessing it all, some posting pictures on facebook raising security questions. >> you'll look at mar-a-lago, you'll look at kellyanne conway

and the ivanka brand but not at the trump team's ties to russia. >> at this point i am holding out all my options. >> reporter: mary bruce, abc news, washington. >> mary, thanks. and the president is scheduled to hold a joint news conference at noon eastern today with prime minister benjamin netanyahu as he visits the white house. no doubt reporters will be asking questions about these allegations surrounding russia. also president trump expressed some strong support for israel and its settlements in disputed territories. that will be another big topic. he has pulled back now on that somewhat calling for peace talks with the palestinians and criticizing some plans to expand the settlements. we have breaking news out of malaysia. police there have made an arrest in connection with the assassination of kim jong-nam, the half brother of north korean leader kim jong-un. the 46-year-old told hospital workers before he died he had been attacked with a chemical spray at malaysia's main airport. they now have a vietnamese woman

in custody in connection. he was once expected to succeed his father. he and his brother were bitterly divided over those succession conflicts. still ahead, the severe weather moving across the south already spawning several tornadoes. and, plus, a toddler shot and killed in chicago days after two other children were shot. the governor of illinois now announcing steps today aimed at stopping the violence. more on the fallout over michael flynn's resignation. the new video surfacing overnight showing flynn with vladimir putin and the russian spy ship just 70 miles off the u.s. east coast.

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over the entire southeast this morning. it could produce strong wind gusts and thunderstorms, hail, as well as possibly some tornadoes. the greatest threat is for south georgia, north and central florida and the south carolina coast. >> and that same system produced at least five tornadoes in the houston area yesterday. dozens of homes and trailers were damaged or some even destroyed. trees were uprooted, and power is still out for many people there. the severe weather likely contributed to the fatal crash of a student on her way to school, as well. other students and teachers at area schools took shelter in hallways. to the west coast now and thousands of evacuees are returning home after evacuation orders near california's oroville dam were lifted overnight. rain remains a threat over the next several days, so the area remains under an evacuation order. crews continue to work around the clock. the area's being monitored by drones carrying cameras and the federal government has also approved funding to assist with rebuilding.

in chicago a toddler is a victim of the latest surge in deadly gun violence. a 25-year-old man was also killed in that drive-by shooting and a pregnant woman was injured. the entire incident was live streamed on facebook. police say the man was a known gang member. the boy's death follows the shooting of two little girls in separate attacks over the weekend. 11-year-old takiya holmes, who was shot in the head, died from her injuries on tuesday, and 12-year-old kanari gentry bowers remains in critical condition. the coast guard is no longer looking this morning for a cruise ship passenger who fell overboard off the bahamas. the 24-year-old man reported missing monday morning. the ship's security video shows the georgia resident going overboard from the 11th deck about six hours earlier. the coast guard spent more than nine hours searching for him. from the ocean to the skies, the number of canceled flights has fallen to record lows in 2016. that's according to a new report from the federal government. u.s. airlines also reduced the amount of luggage lost or mishandled.

travelers also made fewer complaints. when we come back, millions of dollars worth of jewelry stolen from alanis morissette's home. the new details coming in. and harrison ford's landing scare. see the mistake he made while flying that caused him to just miss a packed commercial plane. i'm excited to continue embracing the unknown. some prove age is not a limit. i fight more than ever for my charity. ...the more i live... ...the younger i am. advanced génifique by lancôme. every serum drop infuses youthful radiance throughout the skin. patented until 2029. advanced génifique. lancôme. customize your free 7-piece gift. available now at macy's. ♪

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fuel it fuel your hair. because strong is beautiful. you can bring yourneed yourb-game instead. you're just subbing for mrs. tindall's fifth-grade class. [laughter] yeah, that's not gonna work. bring out your best you with the refreshing taste of tropicana. watch as three brave men come to the rescue of a 16-year-old girl stranded in a frozen lake outside of portland, maine. she had fallen off the back of a snowmobile. the driver of the snowmobile then entered that frigid water twice trying to get her but just couldn't reach her. luckily, these three good samaritans then rushed in with some rope, a little bit of teamwork, a lot of guts and

managed to get her out safely. >> and quite brave, they were. well, president trump is likely to face questions about his campaign's contacts with suspected russian intelligence officials today at that news conference you mentioned. it is scheduled for noon eastern time and sources familiar with the matter tell abc news u.s. officials became concerned about those contacts before the election and started to investigate. >> a new report overnight in "the new york times" says there was repeated contact in the year before the election, but no evidence at this point of actual cooperation to influence the election. and this video surfaced overnight showing michael flynn attending an event in russia with russian president vladimir putin in december of 2015. >> and we shouldn't read too much into the video, and there's no information about what flynn and putin may have discussed during their time together at that event. in the meantime, a series of puzzling military moves by russia raising new national security questions this morning. a russian spy ship was spotted in international waters off the coast of delaware heading north. that ship is reportedly outfitted with a variety of high-tech equipment designed to intercept intelligence signals and a u.s. official has

confirmed to abc news that russia has secretly deployed a new cruise missile in an apparent violation of the inf treaty signed back in 1987. a friend of the san bernardino attackers has agreed to plead guilty to federal terrorism charges. enrique marquez is the only person formally charged in connection with the 2015 shootings that killed 14 people. he was a longtime friend of sayed farouk. marquez also admits to buying the guns used in the massacre. farouk and his wife were killed by police just hours after the attack. an elite division of the los angeles police department is investigating a major theft at the mansion of singer alanis morissette. police say the thieves took an entire safe that contained $2 million worth of jewelry. the eight-time grammy winner was not home at the time. morissette is known to flaunt her vintage jewelry collection on social media. aviation authorities are investigating a close call involving harrison ford. the 74-year-old actor landed his single engine plane on a taxiway instead of a runway passing right over an american airlines

jet that was waiting to take off. it all happened monday at john wayne airport in southern california. ford apparently didn't realize he had made a mistake. >> all right. let's limit his flying to the millennium falcon from now on, shall we? time now for some sports including nba action. >> let's check in with our guys at espn. >> good morning, america. max and the coach here with you. busy tuesday night. channing frye would get the start. he would have 21, and andrew wiggins, former number one pick by the cavs, he had a 41-point night. how about derrick williams, pending contract, full time player for the cavs, lebron loves it. lebron had 25 and 14 assists, kyrie also had 25. nice win for the cavs, 116-108. the kings have won three straight looking for a fourth against the lakers. demarcus cousins was big time, one-point game. a minute to go, boom. the lakers would respond from long range. lou williams looks at his

defender and fires. at the other end darren collison. watch cousins with two lakers on his back. he's fouled. make the first free throw, second one out. the lakers had two time-outs. they don't call it. williams to win it, got a decent look but not good enough. four in a row, cousins, 40 points, 12 rebounds. >> he's max. i'm the coach. that's all the damage we can do. have a great wednesday. >> all right, we'll take it from here. up next in "the pulse," overnight "sports illustrated" has announced who will grace the cover of its swimsuit issue. >> it's the model's third time on the cover. and best in show, the big winner at the westminster kennel club dog show. holding you back or is it your allergy pills? break through your allergies.

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♪ i say oh what a bea ♪ i say oh what a beautiful morning yeah ♪ ♪ yes what a wonderful day ♪ i got a beautiful feeling i got everything ♪ ♪ i got everything ♪ whoo everything's going my way ♪ >> good morning, america. a lot of news to get to this morning. ♪ rumor has it ♪ rumor has it ♪ rumor has it perhaps one of the best songs with rumor in it, and rumor has it, and it is true. rumor does have it. that's the name of the nation's new top dog. >> that's right. the 5-year-old german shepherd is only the second of her breed to win best in show for the

westminster kennel club show in its 140-year history. kind of surprising considering the german shepherd is actually consistently the second most popular breed in the united states. >> after the labs, of course, and rumor is named after -- you're hearing it -- adele's song "rumor has it." now, the dog was expected to win last year and then retired, but when she came in second, her owner decided to enter her one more time, and it's a good thing that she did. now it's off to the retirement home in wisconsin, but before that, rumor will make an appearance at the "gma" times square studio later on this morning. >> her owner says it's time for rumor to find a husband and make puppies. >> and the funny is, you know, "gma," the times square tss gets a number of celebrities, steph curry, big stars down there. this is the most popular day. >> no one could be more excited than they are to meet rumor. >> exactly. so we now know that kate upton is on the cover of this year's "sports illustrated" edition. the announcement was made on "jimmy kimmel live," and upton told the abc late night host she only found out about it the day earlier.

>> there are actually three different covers, but we can only show you one of them here on family-friendly tv if you catch my drift. it's the 24-year-old model's fifth time in the swimsuit edition and the third time on the cover. >> and it also includes some gymnasts including simone biles and aly raisman. and i honestly only read that stuff because of the articles. >> of course. >> yeah. and for the first time in the brand's 31-year history, american girl is now delivering an american boy. logan everett is an 18-inch figure with brown hair, gray eyes and a drum set, which he plays with in his friend's band. >> this dude is a total hipster. mattel is hoping that logan who hails from nashville will appeal to boys and girls. it's also part of a continuing push by the toymaker to make the brand more contemporary. the brand's historically strong sales have grown a little flat in recent years unlike his hair. and valentine's day ended with a thud in san francisco. literally as hundreds of people

took part in the great san francisco valentine's day pillow fight. it's an informal unofficial tradition in the city by the bay. >> the major rule for the free-for-all is not to hit anyone who is unarmed unless that person asks to be hit. participants are also asked to help the city clean up afterwards, and they did. all the feathers are gone from the justin herman plaza at least now but it took a while. >> yeah, but they also encourage you not to use pillows with feathers. >> right. they ask for synthetic pillows. those are easier to clean up apparently. >> yeah, but not as fun. rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis.

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good morning to you on this wednesday, february 15. >> something is happening behind us. do you see this? something is missing. we have the lights on the bay bridge on, on one half, and then the other half, darkness. alexis, what's going on? >> somebody forgot to pay the pg&e bill, i think. i don't know. actually, it really is a mystery. we don't really know what is going on so we'll take a live look at this. it's just kind of a little spooky there. weird feeling. so maybe slow down and just use caution there since it t will b quite o bit when i came in about a an hour and a half ago, there was some road work so i'm wondering if that has something to do with it or if we do have a power outage in the area. it's only the san francisco side. if you are going to be traveling on the east bay there, going up

the incline towards treasure island, those lights are on. so we're working what the cause of this is and trying to get an estimate. it's not a major slowdown. let's check in with drew tuma. we're talking about one final dry day before the storms return and this time tomorrow, we'll be tracking some legislative downpours. live doppler 7 showing you it's a quiet picture, live look from exploratorium camera. you notice we're not completely clear. high clouds streaming in. so throughout the day, the clouds will be thickening. however, it's going to be a mild day, temperatures going into the upper 60s. breaking news in san francisco. this morning, there is a huge police presence, shutting down an intersection near city hall. >> jessica tracking the late. >>-breaking details.

police investigating a murder in san francisco. in fact, we just got that information a few moments ago along with this video. you can see at least two cars also involved in a crash at that intersection. police say when they got to the scene, one person inside one of those cars had head trauma and is dead. in this video, you do see one of those cars up on the sidewalk there. it crashed into a tree as well. there are numerous police out there, including homicide detectives. part of eddie is shut down, so a heads up if that's part of your morning commute. we are now working to get some more information. this morning, life resumes in oroville as some of the 180,000 evacuees wake up in their own beds again. >> however, there is more rain on the way and not everyone is so certai they should unpack. abc7 news reporter jonathan bloom is live for us in downtown oroville. >> reporter: we're starting to see the signs of normal life return in oroville. the gas stations are open, the

roadblocks are down, we saw lights on in the restaurant across the parking lot. of course the return to normal started yesterday afternoon when people were told that they were allowed to return home. some 200,000 people had been ordered to leave on sunday. now that mandatory evacuation order lifted, they're starting to trickle back into town. many of them have been staying in temporary shelters or hotels more than an hour away. some of them said they are worried they could have to leave again. >> we're not sure if we're going to keep our vehicles packed up and ready to go or go ahead and completely unpack, you know? just not quite sure about that one yet. >> i'm still a little wary on it because i don't know with the rain coming in if we're going to go back into evacuation. so we've got everything still packed up. >> reporter: meanwhile, work continues to shore up the oroville dam's crumbling emergency spillway ahead to have the rain expected