making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, the attorney general facing a firestorm despite his denial during confirmation hearings jeff sessions did have meetings with the russian ambassador during the campaign. the calls for his resignation growing overnight. what the white house is now saying this morning. record run. the stock market hits another milestone. the outlook for today, what's behind the surge and why it hinders on the government following through on promises. severe storms on the move. warm weather fueling strong winds and heavy rains. you can see and hear it there. where it's heading right now. and officially a couple, the widow of joe biden's son now dating the former vice president's other son. what the family is saying overnight about the romance.

and we do say good morning, everybody, on a thursday. that breaking news from washington, attorney general jeff sessions facing growing calls to reveal what happened during his two meetings with the russian ambassador to the u.s. >> the conversations taking place before the election as russia was accused of meddling in the presidential race. at his confirmation hearings, sessions denied under oath that he had communicated with the russians regarding the trump campaign. >> word of the meetings fueling new calls for sessions to recuse himself from the investigation into contacts between russia and the trump campaign and some democrats say he should step down. overnight attorney general jeff sessions under fire. at least one new york tabloid calling it a bombshell. at the heart, this exchange, sessions in sworn testimony at his senate confirmation hearings. >> if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the trump

campaign communicated with the russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do? >> senator franken, i'm not aware of any of those activities. i have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and i did not have communications with the russians and i'm unable to comment on it. >> reporter: this morning the justice department confirmed sessions did, indeed, have contact with russian official, not once, but twice during the campaign. most recently as senator. sessions reportedly met privately with the russian ambassador in his capitol hill office last september but overnight releasing a statement saying, i never met with any russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. i have no idea what this allegation is about. it is false. this, of course, follows other revelations of top trump officials with ties to the russians. national security adviser michael flynn resigning after lying about his communications with the russian ambassador, as well. and now top democrats are pouncing including minority

leader nancy pelosi and elijah cummings calling for sessions to step down. >> i can tell you one thing, i know just based upon all the information that i have read and heard this evening, it sounds like he did not tell the truth. >> reporter: overnight republican senators grilled as well about the russian contacts. >> i don't know. it may be an innocent contact. i don't know if he has to disclose everybody he's ever talked to. a special prosecutor. >> i think we have to know more about it before we can make a judgment. >> reporter: this morning white house officials are calling these new reports part of a partisan attack. and one more thing, that statement from the white house also says that sessions met with the ambassador in what they're calling an official capacity as a member of the senate armed services committee, which they say is consistent with his testimony. meanwhile, white house lawyers have instructed president trump's aides to preserve any materials that could be connected to russian interference in the election. the directive following a request by senate democrats, but an administration official told

abc news the white house is simply taking proactive steps to push back against false and politically motivated attacks. new details this morning about president trump's revised travel ban. the new executive order on immigration, which remains on hold, is expected to remove iraq from the list of banned countries. sources say defense secretary james mattis and others are concerned that keeping iraq on the list could hinder the fight against isis. it's still not clear when the president plans to sign it. a warning overnight from former president george w. bush, eaking at the ronald reagan presidential library in california, bush said the country's isolationist tendency is dangerous to national security. this comes as the trump administration faces questions about its commitment to international partnerships. >> the world is a dangerous place and, again, this may be taken as criticism of one of my successors, and i don't really mean it to be. there is a lesson, however, when

the united states decides to not take the lead and withdraw. >> bush also defended the media from criticism saying the nation needed an independent press but added that it needs to be accurate. the president's speech this week boosted stocks. all of the major stock averages opened this morning at their highest levels ever, ever. the dow starting above the 21,000 mark for the first time after climbing 303 points. analysts say the more moderate tone of president trump's address to congress helped fuel the rally. the president's plan for lower taxes and less regulation also is helping. and the dow is up more than 15% since election day, and in the last four months it has added to the average 401(k) as much as $11,000. a lot of happy investors this morning. abc's rebecca jarvis on what's ahead. >> reporter: we're in the midst of the longest running bull market in the history of time. since march of 2009 stocks have

tripled and the biggest risk ahead is washington not delivering on wall street's expectations. if that were the case, you might see stocks tumble. >> that was rebecca jarvis for us. overnight most of the major averages across asia posted gains. and stock futures are indicating another positive open for stocks right here in the u.s. we're going to turn our focus now to the killer storm system that spawned a swarm of tornadoes in the midwest. well, it is now in the east. strong winds from mississippi to connecticut may damage homes and other buildings and knock over trees. that's what happened near charlotte where a massive tree fell causing major damage to two homes. incredibly no one was injured. the storm system also brought high winds and hail to the nashville area. you can hear it there. some buildings were damaged and there was debris on roadways. let's find out what's in store today from that storm system. accuweather's justin povick tracking it all. justin. >> kendis, adrienne, thanks and good morning to you.

now that storm system responsible for all the severe weather and the tornadoes well off the coast at this point, but now we're talking about some gusty winds, and this could cause some travel delays of its own. along with that, we're also going to be talking about some much colder temperatures, in fact, this is going to be the coldest air mass we have seen in quite some time continuing into friday along with perhaps some snow showers in spots. kendis, adrienne. >> just when you packed away your winter gloves and coat. >> i know. all right, well, still ahead, who is now banned from the oscars following that epic blunder from the show? >> yeah, that awkward moment. and maybe an awkward affair. joe biden's son reportedly dating the widow of his late son beau. what the former vice president is saying this morning. a woman drives her car into a lake. we're going to tell you who she is blaming for that.

well, this frightening scene from the florida panhandle where a second floor condo balcony collapsed injuring 11 people. neighbors say a birthday party was under way there when that balcony came crashing down. emergency officials say the injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. a major development in the murder investigation of the estranged half brother of north korean ruler kim jong-un. overnight authorities in malaysia saying they are releasing a north korean man who was being held in connection with that fatal nerve agent, that poison attack on kim jong-nam. a reason for the man's arrest was never given. he's being deported because he doesn't have valid travel documents. and the wife of the orlando nightclub gunman has been

ordered released from jail as she awaits trial. noor salman is charged with helping omar mateen plan the attack which left 49 dead. a judge says salman is not dangerous and there's no proof she has ties to isis or holds extremist views. her release was delayed so prosecutors can appeal. the arrest of a woman in mississippi raising questions about president trump's claims that he's only targeting the bad ones in his immigration crackdown. so, after her father and brother were picked up by immigration agents, daniela vargas made a public statement on their behalf. but wait till you hear what happened next. >> today my father and brother await deportation while i continue to fight this battle as a d.r.e.a.m.er to help contribute to this country which i feel is very much my country. >> well, moments later after that, vargas herself was arrested. and now she faces deportation. she was brought to the u.s. from argentina as a child and was granted temporary legal status by daca, something that is deferred action for childhood arrivals. immigration officials say her arrest complies with federal

law. two accountants have been banished for that oscars blunder. brian cullinan and martha ruiz were tasked with standing backstage during the ceremony and making sure presenters received the right envelopes. at the end of the night cullinan handed warren beatty the wrong one. you saw that. if you haven't, you saw it on your facebook feed. neither will ever work at the oscars again. the two remain partners at pwc which has been handling the oscar voting for 83 years but maybe not much longer. the academy is going to review that relationship. i kind of feel bad for them. i mean i understand it was their job, but it's like, ooh. >> one job. >> yeah, one job. when we come back, the desperate search to find a young nurse's killer. overnight the family pleading for help. plus, new surveillance video. and a tiny animal causing big problems. what was found on that plane delaying the flight for hours. eeks. ekes. ergies.

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at least three tornadoes sped through tennessee yesterday. the first day of peak tornado season including this twister in cool springs south of nashville. homes and businesses damaged. trees and power lines knocked down. no injuries were reported. road conditions in tennessee should be fairly good this morning but further north near the great lakes, roads could be slippery. drivers should watch for standing water in northern florida and washington state. snow in the cascades and northern rockies. if you're flying airport delays are most likely in boston and new york. the search is intensifying for a killer who brutally stabbed a young nurse in nashville, tennessee. >> tiffany ferguson dedicated her life to helping others. she was found murdered in her home just a couple of days ago and police believe her killer was caught on camera. abc's eva pilgrim is in nashville. >> reporter: police on the hunt for the man seen in this surveillance video who they suspect fatally stabbed 23-year-old tiffany ferguson in her nashville apartment early tuesday. the video shows the hooded figure walking near the wedgewood park apartment complex

around 5:20 a.m. according to police, the suspect attempted to break into several cars before checking for unlocked apartment doors eventually making his way into ferguson's home raiding it for valuables and stabbing her to death. the intensive care nurse had been out with friends the night before. her sister telling abc news she'd been having problems with the lock on her door. ferguson's roommate waking up to her screams rushing to her room where she found her friend suffering from multiple stab wounds. eva pilgrim, abc news, nashville. >> according to ferguson's sister, the police have questioned several people, but no one is in custody. much more on this story later on "good morning america." former vice president joe biden's son is now dating the widow of his other son, the late beau biden, according to a new report. "the new york post" reporting that hallie biden and hunter biden began seeing each other after hunter separated from his wife just months after beau's death.

"the post" also saying the new couple has the full support of the former vice president and his wife jill. seven baltimore police officers are under arrest accused of operating a racketeering conspiracy. federal prosecutors say the officers stole money from citizens, filed false police reports and inflated their time sheets. now, because of the arrests, local prosecutors say they have dropped five criminal cases brought by the officers who are now charged in that racketeering conspiracy. here's a basic driving tip, using a gps is no substitute for looking out your window. police say that's how a woman ended up in an eastern pennsylvania lake. she was paying way too much attention to the map on her phone and not to where she was driving. it's a twisting road that requires a lot of attention. she wasn't hurt, but it's certainly the talk of the town. all right. so, it was not your average delay. and i should point out the boeing 777 is one of the world's largest airplanes flying from london to san francisco with hundreds of passengers on board and somehow one tiny little mouse was able to upset all of that. their british airways flight landing in california several hours late, yes, because of that

mouse on board the plane. they were originally meant to fly on. the plane had to be replaced because of safety concerns like the mouse possibly chewing through the wires. i did the math. that delay apparently cost british airways more than $300,000. a tiny little mouse. sorry, siri. >> and siri said that's crazy. >> i was checking. i was doing the conversion. thank you. well, speaking of excitement, there should be no apologizing for the basketball motion you're about to see. >> let's get right to it right now from our guys at espn. >> good morning. it's "sportscenter" from los angeles. stan verrett, neil everett, your anchors on duty. we got a great college game. we got a great nba game to show you. >> i'll do the college game. >> all right. >> back to school, man. so, it's northwestern hosting michigan. northwestern has never made the ncaa tournament. they've hosted one, but they've never made one. and michigan is going to kill their -- no, they're not. we're going to overtime.

no, we're not going to overtime because we have 1.7 seconds left. so, northwestern had a chance. michigan had a chance. now we're going to go to overtime because with 1.7 you have next to no chance. oh, wait, rewind, rewind. dererk pardon from nathan taphorn. northwestern wins. joe lunardi says they're a lock. all right, here's the great nba game. lebron james' cavaliers taking on the celtics, the one-two match-up. >> reading "the godfather." >> -- in the eastern conference. >> that's great. >> isaiah thomas reading the defense. kyrie irving, how did he do that? >> yeah. that was unreal. >> he had 28 points in the game. there goes thomas, he gets fouled there. made both free throws and put the celtics up two. so, cavaliers trying to tie or take the lead. lebron james had a triple-double in the game and deron williams, ame with the cavaliers, he can't hit it, and the celtics win it, 103-99. >> you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

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where we have our scientists, but they're expecting 6 to 10 inches of snow and winds up to 65 miles an hour right there in hawaii. >> not pina colada weather. >> no. >> not at all. >> it's heavy bourbon weather. >> right. and, yes, march is summer in antarctica but 64 degrees? we just got confirmation of that high temperature two years ago. if it continues maybe the penguins will trade in their tuxedos for tank tops. >> oh. >> yeah. >> all right. well, alec baldwin has come up with a new way to get his tuxedo out maybe and mock the leader of the free world. >> of course, after impersonating president trump on "saturday night live," baldwin is taking it a step further co-authoring a satirical book that's called "you can't spell america without me: the really tremendous inside story of my fantasic first year as president donald j. trump." >> of course, playing off his "saturday night live" stint. the book will cover things like backroom strategy sessions with white house advisers and triumphs over the dishonest media. you know, there's been a lot of talk about him actually subbing for president trump at the white

house correspondents' dinner which mr. trump has said he will pass on. >> we'll see who is there in april. and if you thought the end of that college basketball game we saw a little bit earlier was exciting, well, a high school game in indiana has it beat. >> yeah, here it is. a missed free throw. the kid throws the ball from 75 feet away, and it goes in. that won a playoff game for the students from central christian academy. >> yeah. >> do it again. >> josh clanton was the hero. can he? can he? risk of stroke due to af, eliquis. eliquis reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin, plus had less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis had both. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding.

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hey, good morning to you. almost friday. it is thursday, march. >> do we always start this early? 4:30 in the morning? >> seems earlier today. >> hope that you are awake and a lot more enthusiastic. we kind of are. mike nicco, how's it going today? >> it kind of builds through the show. doing another dry day, how about that? sunny. our warmest day is right ahead of us. let's take a look at live doppler 7. high pressure bringing us a clear start this morning. it's a little chilly. temperatures in the 30s and 40s on your 12 hour day planner. but look at that. already in the 60s by noon, mid 60s away from the coast at 4:00 and a delightful evening in the low to mid 50s. let's find out if the morning commute's starting off as smoothly. yeah, it's a delightful start over here too, mike, and hopefully it will stay that way for a while. here's a live look at the bay bridge commute as you head into

san francisco. no issues here and the weather definitely helping out with that. daly city. we had a rollover crash a short time ago. southbound 280, looks like that fully cleared in the last few minutes so no blocking incidents to report. we'll take a look at the central valley coming up next. we beginning with breaking news we're tracking in oakland. >> there's a search underway for whoever shot at an off duty officer. jessica at the live desk with the details. >> yes, the good news is from the reports that we've seen this morning, that we don't think that officer was hurt at all. in fact, moments ago, we got this video from the scene here. you can see actually in this video, right after this, you'll see some officers actually walking and searching parts of the highway. we heard that was 880 was shut down north of high street for about an hour just after midnight, according to chp. the car chase then ended in the area of brook dale and 55th streets. that's where it seeps the suspect's car was abandoned in

the yard of a home. the suspect was not found. police used canines to search the area. i'm getting an update saying that search has moved to southbound 80 between 16th and 23rd streets so a search underway right now. we are still waiting to get more additional details on this investigation. things back open on 880 right now so that should not affect your morning commute. reggie, natasha, back to you. and developing news as well. calls for u.s. attorney general jeff sessions to resign. >> this amid new reports he misled senators about russian meetings during his confirmation hearing. live in washington with the latest. >> reporter: reggie, natasha, good morning. we're now learning that the very an who's supposed to be behind y the investigation may have had some questionable contact himself. this morning, attorney general jeff sessions coming under fire for meetings he had with the russian ambassador prior to the election, something he did not disclose when questioned under oath by senator al franken during his senate confirmation

hearings. >> i have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and i didn't have -- not have communications with the russians and i'm unable to comment on it. >> reporter: now the justice department confirms sessions did have contact with russian officials, not just once but twice during the campaign. as first reported in the "washington post". most recently a senator met with the russian ambassador last september but sessions denies any wrong doing. releasing a statement overnight saying, i never met with any russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. i have no idea what this allegation is about. it is false. the allegations against sessions are just the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the trump administration and their ties to russian authorities. already, national security adviser michael finney resigned after lying about his contact with the russians. as attorney general, sessions is in charge of the fbi investigation into the matter, but now even members of his own party say he may need to recuse