that's it for abc 5:00. we thank you for your time. we will see you again tonight we're following several breaking stories. first, jared kushner's secret talks. the president's son-in-law and his alleged plan to set up back channel communications with russian officials as the president comes home from his first overseas trip to face a political tsunami. terminal chaos. the major airline suspending all flights around the world. tens of thousands of travelers going nowhere. what's behind the massive shutdown. hate crime killing. the suspect accused of stabbing good samaritans to death when they tried to stop him from badgering a muslim woman. hunted. a great white shark knocking a kayaker into the open ocean. and the surprise rescue no one saw coming. plus midnight rider. the sudden death of a rock icon.

tonight we look back at the life and music of gregg allman. ♪ not going to let them catch the midnight rider ♪ and good evening. i'm tom llamas. thanks for joining us. we begin with the latest bombshell awaiting president trump when his plane touching down in washington later tonight. new questions about son-in-law jared kushner and his alleged plan to set up back channel communications with the russian government. this latest controversy looming as the president and first lady wrapped up their international trip. walking hand in hand across the tarmac in sicily to air force one. president trump calling the trip a home run in his remarks at the naval air station. abc's david wright starts us off at the white house. >> reporter: abc news has confirmed president trump's son-in-law jared kushner did try

to establish a back channel with russian officials during the transition according to sources. but sources insist kushner's effort was focused on the u.s. response to syria and other policy matters. an initial meeting took place in december at trump tower according to sources. kushner sat down with retired lieutenant general mike flynn and russian ambassador sergey kislyak. these details may explain why kushner has come under scrutiny by fbi investigators looking into russian meddling in the election and possible collusion by trump associates. today the president's national security adviser pushed back on any suggestion that kushner's dialogue with the russians was anything out of the ordinary. >> no. i mean, we have back channel communications with a number of countries. so generally speaking about back channel communications, what allows you to do is communicate in a discreet manner.

>> that's not how the former cia director sees it. >> this is off the map. i know no other experience like this in our history certainly within my life experience. >> mike flynn who attended that initial meeting was fired as national security adviser for his subsequent interactions with that same russian ambassador. and his lying to white house officials about it. >> i asked for his resignation. he respectfully gave it. >> that was after the fbi exposed flynn lied to the vice president about what he and the russian ambassador discussed. it's important to note that during his initial meetings with the russians kushner was a private citizen with no official role in government and no security clearance. he was a trusted adviser to his father-in-law. >> stand up jared, say hello to the crowd. c'mon jared. jared is a very, very successful real estate man in new york. i'm proud of jared. >> about the time kushner was

meeting with kislyak trump was still mulling over what role to give him in the administration. >> i would love to have jared helping us with deals on other nations and see if we could do peace in the middle east. he's very talented. he's a very talented guy. >> the president quick to praise his son-in-law. david wright joins us live from the white house. some other family members are in the news for meeting with gop leaders to discuss strategy. >> reporter: sources tell us the president's eldest two sons don jr. and eric held a two-hour strategy session here in washington on thursday at the republican national committee headquarters in washington. they were here to discuss political strategy going forward tom. >> all the trumps staying in politics. the president on his way home at this hour seen here at the g-7 summit on the last leg of the trip. president trump turned statesman

and disrupter through a collide scope of countries. abc's senior white house correspondent cecelia vega has been traveling with the president every step of the way. >> reporter: the president visiting u.s. service members at a naval air station in sicily for his final stop after five countries and nine days. >> i've got to get the lipstick off. >> reporter: the president was in a celebratory mood. despite that political crisis back home. >> i'm trying to figure out who was in the helicopter coming in. it may be justin from canada. >> reporter: he's calling the trip successful. >> i think we hit a home run no matter where we are. >> reporter: but some other world leaders in those g-7 meetings came to a different conclusion. the u.s. was the lone holdout on climate change, not signing on to strong commitment to the 2015 paris climate agreement, even after several days of behind the scenes lobbying and a personal appeal from the pope, the white house says the president's views are still evolving. he says he'll make his final

decision next week. germany's chancellor angela merkel calling the discussion quote, very dissatisfying. president trump the only g-7 leader to not have a post summit press conference. instead, he gave a greatest hits list to those service members. >> money is actually starting to pour in to nato from countries that would not have been doing what they're doing now had i not been elected. i can tell you that. >> reporter: from that historic landing in saudi arabia the birth place of islam to his visit to the western wall, that meeting at the vatican with pope francis, president trump may be riding high now until that is he is back in washington tonight where he lands in the middle of a political firestorm. and all of these allegations about russia have the white house considering a change in strategy. they are now looking at creating a rapid response team to push back and they may be holding fewer press briefings.

>> he will have a lot to deal with when he lands. thank you. we'll have more on all of this tomorrow on "this week" when martha raddatz goes one-on-one with homeland security secretary john kelly and house intelligence ranking democrat adam schiff. to the other breaking news we're following tonight. the airport terminal overseas. a massive stand still on this busy holiday weekend. computer issues grounding flights causing a total shutdown at two key airports in new england paralyzing plans for travelers. many americans. those delays ricochetting all around the world and what triggered that outage matt gutman is in london. >> reporter: that computer glitch grounding the fleet at heathrow and gatwick airports. the shockwaives of the shutdown rippling wide. over 300 flights cancelled and 200 delayed. the misery etched on the faces of thousands stuffed in the terminals, stuck in lines that seemed as long as runways.

this one stretching outside and around the corner. >> we have been at the airport for three hours now and haven't made it through bag dropoff. >> reporter: as in the u.s., this one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year here. the airlines blaming it on a massive i.t. system failure caused by a power outage with screens flickering out, cancellations had to be scribbled on whiteboards. on the tarmac row after row of british airways planes crammed into every available parking space at the airport. jets idling for hours on the taxiways, babies crying, miserable passengers milling in the aisles. we saw that chaos only intensifying. you're evacuating the building? >> yes. >> reporter: a few thousand in there? >> yes. >> reporter: a few thousand people still inside. how are you getting them out of there? [ inaudible ] >> reporter: the website is back online but the fallout could last a lot longer. >> this will not only cost british airways tens of millions of dollars but because it's the

high travel season it will take weeks to sort it out and get back on a normal schedule. >> reporter: it's been so chaotic. it still can't say how many passengers have been affected. the airline says flights should resume tomorrow. experts are blaming this on antiquated computer systems they say haven't been switched out but only patched up over the years. tom. >> let's hope they get it fixed. more than 300 flights cancelled. oregon in what police suspect a possible hate crime. police say this man verbally attacked a muslim woman on a train when good samaritans came forward to help. he ended up stabbing them to death. federal investigators involved . abc's marci gonzalez reports. >> reporter: the fbi looking into whether hate crime charges will be filed against an alleged white supremacist accused of stabbing two good samaritans to death in portland. on a commuter train. >> reporter: first stabbed in the neck. the other in the stomach.

>> reporter: it started around 4:30 friday afternoon when two women boarded the train and jeremy christian went on a hate-filled tirade. >> got out to the country that he doesn't like muslims because they're criminals. >> reporter: witnesses say two men stepped in trying to calm christian down explaining the suspect pulled out a knife and attacked them. >> then i see there's just blood everywhere. looked like every punch that i saw was actually a stab. >> reporter: police say 53-year-old ricky best died at the scene and 23-year-old taliesin myrddin namkai meche died at the hospital. the suspected killer only making it a few blocks. >> he's refusing to drop the knife. >> before he was arrested. >> shoot! >> reporter: the 35-year-old has a criminal record and a man identifying himself as jeremy christian. >> i'm the dude that promoted shooting anyone that tries to disarm you. >> reporter: is shown here at a freedom of speech rally giving a nazi salute and yelling racist

expletives. tonight the men he's charged with murdering are being called heroes. a third victim was also stabbed in this attack. we're told his injuries are not life-threatening. tonight christian is held without bail. expected in court on tuesday. tom. >> all right. thanks. police in england releasing the first images of the manchester concert bomber from the night of the attack. the pictures from a surveillance camera showing salman abedi what he looked like shortly before he killed 22 people at an ariana grande concert. police are hoping this could lead to more information about him. two more arrests in the bombing. 11 people in custody in connection with the blast. to the severe weather threat. millions of americans from texas to virginia in the danger zone this holiday weekend. take a look at this hail in kansas. and this time lapse video of a supercell in colorado. abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano joins us from the indy

500. that racetrack could be in for rough weather, right? >> reporter: certainly monitoring the potential for storms. they stayed to the south across the ohio river and mississippi river. check out the watches. missouri under a pds watch for strong winds, 80 or more miles per hour stretching to the midatlantic and back towards colorado. an active night as the storms dive down to the south and east. at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. tomorrow less severe but more widespread shower and thunderstorm activity. the severe weather should be south of anything. certainly hope it stays that way. tom. >> rob, thanks so much. we turn to some sad news from the world of music. the sudden death of a rock icon. gregg allman passing away at the age of 69. here's abc's ron claiborne with a look back at his life and music. ♪

>> reporter: gregg allman and older brother duane were the driving force behind one of the greatest southern rock 'n roll bands ever combining rock, blues and jazz in a hard driving high energy sound. ♪ inseparable as children growing up in tennessee, duane was the lead guitarist of the original band formed in 1969. gregg played keyboards and was the group's voiced soulful lead singer as he talked about in the documentary "southern rock". >> i started playing and i mean it just knocked me out. i just met some lyrics and did my best to sing it my best. >> reporter: the band would turn out hit after hit including "midnight rider." ♪ midnight rider >> reporter: after duane died in a motorcycle crash in 1971, gregg kept the band together. ♪ i was born a rambling man >> reporter: in 1975 gregg allman married cher.

it was a turbulent union as gregg descended into heavier drug and alcohol use as he told dan rather. >> i went to 14 rehabs. >> 14 rehabs. >> but i didn't go to 15. >> reporter: the couple divorced in 1978. through ups and downs, gregg allman kept going performing and churning out solo and allman brothers albums performing live but this past march he stopped touring because of health issues. tonight the tributes pouring in. ringo starr tweeting rest in peace, gregg allman, peace and love to all the family. and brad paisley, what a legacy gregg allman leaves behind, jam on in the great hereafter. gregg allman died at his home in georgia today, he was 69 years old. ♪ we thank rob for that report and still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this saturday. with memorial day parades approaching, an accident at a parade. what happened when a little boy got too close to a parade float.

an update on his condition. plus a school bus catches fire, special needs students inside. why they owe their lives to the hero driver. and caught on camera, a shark attacks a kayaker in open waters. how he was able to escape. i didn't know where i was from ethnically. so we sent that sample off to ancestry. my ancestry dna results are that i am 26% nigerian. i am just trying to learn as much as i can about my culture. i put the gele on my head and i looked into the mirror and i was trying not to cry. because it's a hat, but it's like the most important hat i've ever owned. discover the story only your dna can tell. order your kit now at ancestrydna.com. when it comes to heartburn... trust the brand doctors trust.

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♪ ♪ ♪ sfx: engine revving ♪ (silence) ♪ back now with the stunning back now with the stunning shark attack caught on camera. the great white knocking a man out of his kayak in the open ocean. here's abc's erielle reshef. >> i've seen a shark attack, i'm filming it! >> reporter: tonight a diver surviving an encounter with a great white shark. >> see that kayak? >> yeah. >> reporter: the shark circling this kayaker moments after knocking him into the water 100 yards off the coast of monterey, california. watch as the shark chomps on the boat like a chew toy, then turns towards the swimmer. >> see the fin?

swimming towards the guy now. >> reporter: on lookers capturing the encounter on camera. >> call somebody, karen. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: the kayaker, experienced diver waved to boats nearby, used a gps tracker and called for help. >> they better hurry. >> reporter: a family in a sail boat seeing him in distress and keeping him calm until the coast guard arrived. >> just make yourself as small as possible. and keep your eyes on that shark. >> reporter: this incident coming amid recent warnings that more sharks are lurking close to the california coast. authorities so concerned they used helicopters and loud speakers alerting swimmers to danger. >> exit the water in a calm manner. >> reporter: the kayaker says his instincts kicked in. he reminded himself don't splash, keep your eyes on the shark and swim away. tom. >> those instincts definitely saved his life. thanks so much. still ahead, a bus catches fire. special needs students aboard.

why the driver is called a hero tonight. and he fights crime but he's also got game. the incredible jump shot from this officer. that video ahead. that video ahead. s my body of p. proof of less joint pain and clearer skin. this is my body of proof that i can take on psoriatic arthritis with humira. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b,

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ask your doctor about ibrance, the number-one-prescribed, fda-approved oral combination treatment for hr+/her2- mbc. time now for our "index". time now for our "index". a pennsylvania boy in critical condition after a parade float ran over him. the 10-year-old boy walking alongside the float last night when his foot got caught under the tire of the float. police saying he got pulled under the trailer. emt's and medical personnel and the crowd treating him until he was rushed to the hospital. in washington, d.c. a quick thinking bus driver is a hero.

she was able to get four special needs students off her bus after an engine fire broke out. none of the students were injured. the driver and attendant were checked out at a hospital but did not suffer serious injuries. an nypd officer doing his job in a different way. the five-year veteran says he likes to interact with the community. so when he saw kids in the bronx playing basketball, he wanted in. taking the shot from outside the park, he launches that ball over the fence and nothing but net. nice shot, officer james. up next, from homeless to harvard. the uplifting journey one woman took to graduate from one of the world's top schools. an incredible story. stay with us. ay with us. ♪ ♪ that's life. you diet. you exercise.

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finally tonight, the comeback. a woman whose difficult life included drug addiction, homelessness and even worse. tonight she's an ivy league grad. >> i'm sitting here in the yard. about to graduate, let me show y'all all the people. >> reporter: for some this is the pinnacle of education. commencement day at harvard and for one student in a cap and gown studying was the easy part. norma heath's journey to a diploma started in the school of hard knocks. >> takes a lot of hard work but we all could do this. >> reporter: because not long ago, norma hit rock bottom. >> depressed, doing drugs and just wasting my life away. >> reporter: finally, two years ago she showed up at a women's shelter called rosie's place where she found a home and hope starting with tiny steps like just waking up on time each morning. >> i said hey, i want to

graduate from harvard, forget it and the girl said you can do it! >> reporter: then she began taking extension courses at harvard. >> she has drive. she has motivation. i don't think for a second anyone thought this was impossible. >> reporter: this week at the age of 51, norma received a bachelor's degree in psychology. her goal, to help others. >> a lot of people could use the inspiration. i'm thinking about how many lives i'm going to touch. >> reporter: from homeless to harvard. norma heath showing it's never too late to achieve your dream. and tonight we salute her for her incredible comeback. thanks for watching. i'm tom llamas in new york. "gma" and "this week" in the morning and i'll see you back here tomorrow night. have a great evening. need good night. tomorrow night. have a great evening. need good night.

tonight on abc 7 news a boy goes off a water slide shortly before it goes in operation for the first time. a teen risks his life to save his brother. >> and the wash up that is causing quite the stink. abc 7 news starts right now. >> a child thrown off course at an east bay water park slide hours after the grand opening celebration. good evening and thank you so much for joining us. the slide had been open 90 minutes when a ten-year-old flew off the track. more from leslie. >> good news that ten-year-old boy from san francisco was taken to the hospital for precaution,

treated, and released. some bad scrapes but he's okay. let's go to the video of the scene of the accident. the green fly. he rolls on be to the concrete. that three story slide is called the emerald plunge. it is now closed as is the blue slide next to it. they are really steep 80 degrees drops. this is the first day it is open it's called the wave, $43 million to build, hundreds of people stayed here at the park most unaware of the accident and certainly enjoyed the other four slides and pools. the assistant city manager witnessed it all. >> i was standing there. he seemed to be shook but seemed to be okay, came right up and immediately went into the first-aid room and was assessed by staff. his parents were here. >> that boy was treated and rerecented.