tonight, we have breaking news as we come on the air. this remarkable scene just a short time ago. elon musk holding court in the oval office. what he said with president trump sitting beside him. we also have more than 100 million americans in the line of

these two major winter storms, now hitting tonight and tomorrow. the winter storm alerts up right now, the two separate storms moving right across the country. from the midwest right into the east. a foot of snow in some places already tonight. treacherous driving outside washington, d.c., in virginia, hundreds of accidents. and then, the second storm set to hit. snow and ice, freezing rain from washington, d.c. to philadelphia to new york. ginger zee is right here to time all of this out tonight. then, elon musk holding court, speaking and taking questions for a half an hour or more in the oval office, with the president sitting behind the resolute desk. musk is asked about his access to at least 15 government agencies, what he's doing, is he being transparent? is he policing himself? is there a conflict of interest with his own company having so many government contracts? rachel scott in the oval office, asking many of the questions tonight. also just in, the american prisoner freed tonight from russia. the first images of american teacher marc fogel on a plane carrying him home.

president trump is asked what the white house offered russia in return. the new images now emerging tonight. that deadly collision. two planes, the dramatic video showing the learjet owned by motley crue's vince neil, veering off the runway, smashing into another jet. there are reports tonight the person who died might have been the pilot. authorities so far confirming only that it was a member of the flight crew. president trump with the king of jordan at his side, saying the u.s. is going to take gaza. having said the palestinians would leave, he has suggested jordan and egypt would take in palestinians. how king abdullah responded. the two young american women who survived that shark attack. they had just jumped into the water in the bahamas. what they describe tonight happening moments later. we also have that major recall on canned tuna tonight. the rising cost of chocolate. and america strong here, the 11-year-old who fell through the ice. he was saved. and he was choked up as he thanks the officer.

>> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight" with david muir. >> david: good evening. we begin tonight with these two breaking stories, just a short time ago elon musk holding court in the oval office, standing, taking questions about what it is musk is doing, as president trump sat behind the resolute desk. we're also tracking these two major storms hitting. already hundreds of accidents across multiple states. more than 100 million americans in the path from the midwest to the east. take a look tonight. a state of emergency in virginia at this hour. a ground stop at the baltimore airport. the first storm hitting right now, up to a foot of snow in the mid-atlantic. flash flooding into the deep south at this hour. the second storm striking the midwest tonight and sweeping right across several states, hitting the northeast tomorrow. snow, ice, and freezing rain from washington to philadelphia, new york to boston. the nation's capital in the bullseye at this hour, with up to six inches of snow already. more than 300 crashes in virginia. heavy snow near stanton. drivers in many areas urged to stay off the roads tonight. chief meteorologist ginger zee

is here to time out both storms for us, and abc's stephanie ramos with the treacherous driving already tonight. >> reporter: tonight, a treacherous mix of snow, freezing rain, and ice from a sprawling winter storm wreaking havoc across half the country. whiteout conditions in virginia. up to a foot of snow in spots. multiple tractor trailers stranded along interstates 81 and 64 near stanton. the governor declaring a state of emergency. traffic cameras on i-95 showing multiple accidents near richmond. virginia state police reporting more than two dozen injuries across the state. snowfall rates of an inch an hour in the nation's capital. schools and federal offices shutting down early. and up to an inch of ice weighing down trees across northwest arkansas. huge branches blocking roads in fallsville. icicles hanging off drooping utility lines. in spencer county, kentucky the sheriff's office out on the roads, surveying the conditions all morning. the system stretching from the mid-atlantic all the way to houston, where powerful

thunderstorms inundated roads. david, the snow is really coming down here in d.c. you can't even see the washington monument behind me. up to half a foot of snow is expected here in d.c., and some areas south of the district, they're expected to get even more. and tomorrow, another system bringing the rain. david? >> david: really something there behind you. stephanie, thank you. let's get to chief meteorologist ginger zee, tracking it all for us again tonight. hi, ginger. >> reporter: hi, david. west virginia to virginia, we're already seeing a foot-plus in snow totals, if you go just an hour north of roanoke, for example. iron gate picked up 12-plus. and it's still snowing. and that's why, as stephanie said, we could see a few more inches yet tonight before it all leaves tomorrow morning. it will also buoy north, so philadelphia gets more, new york city, even coastal connecticut would pick up a trace of snow overnight. then, i want to point your eye to kansas city. because by tomorrow morning, it's a mess for that morning commute. chicago will get going late morning. they're looking for 3 to 6 inches. 2 to 4 is detroit.

and then you see how that severe storms are on the southern end. they now have a hazard of tornadoes. new orleans, jackson, mississippi, birmingham, alabama, tomorrow afternoon and evening. we will start as a little burst of frozen precipitation in the northeast, but then it transitions to rain. and speaking of rain, david, there's another storm on thursday we're watching in southern california that could bring those burn scars and all those people hit so hard by those fires recently 5 to 10 inches in some of the foothills. >> david: wow. we'll be watching that, as well. ginger, thank you. we turn now to that remarkable scene at the white house just a short time ago. elon musk standing in the oval office. president trump sitting behind the resolute desk. and it was elon musk who held court for more than half an hour. how musk describes what it is the trump white house is doing, defending his access to at least 15 government agencies and counting. elon musk was asked if he's being transparent, if he's policing himself, and if there's a conflict of interest, given musk's own company has contracts with the pentagon. our rachel scott asking many of the questions. >> reporter: tonight, an extraordinary scene playing out in the oval office.

president trump sitting at the resolute desk, and standing next to him, elon musk and his young son. holding court for roughly a half an hour. >> your detractors -- >> what? >> including a lot of democrats -- >> i have detractors? >> you do, sir. >> i don't believe it. >> say that you're orchestrating a hostile takeover of government, and doing it in a nontransparent way. what's your response to that criticism? >> well, first of all, you couldn't ask for a stronger mandate from the public. the public voted -- we have a majority of the public vote voting for president trump. we won the house, we won the senate. the people voted for major government reform. and a lot of times, you know, people, they don't get what they voted for, but in this presidency they are going to get what they voted for, and that's what democracy is all about.

>> reporter: musk, the world's richest man with billions of dollars in federal contracts, has been given enormous power. his department of government efficiency already accessing at least 15 agencies. >> mr. musk, the white house says that you will identify and excuse yourself from any conflicts of interest that you may have. does that mean that you are in effect policing yourself? what are the checks and balances that are in place to ensure there's accountability and transparency? >> well, we actually are trying to be as transparent as possible. in fact, our -- we post our actions to the doge handle on x and to the doge website. so all of our actions are maximally transparent. in fact, i don't think there's been -- i don't know of a case where an organization's been more transparent than the doge organization. so -- the kind of things we're doing are i think very simple and basic. these are not individual judgment decisions. these are about simply having sensible checks and balances in the system itself to ensure that taxpayer money is spent well.

so it's got nothing to do with, say, a contract with a company of mine at all. >> reporter: but if there is a conflict of interest when it comes you to you yourself, for instance, you've received billions of dollars in federal contracts, when it comes to the pentagon, for instance, which the president i know has directed you to look into, are you policing yourself in that? is there any sort of accountability, check and balance in place that would provide any transparency for the american people? >> well, all of our actions are fully public. so if you see anything, you say, like, wait a second, hey, elon, that seems like maybe that's, you know, there's a conflict there, i don't think people are going to be shy about saying that. they'll say it immediately. >> reporter: including you yourself? >> yes. transparency is what builds trust. not simply somebody asserting trust. not somebody saying they're trustworthy, but transparency, so you can see everything that's going on. and then you can see, am i doing something that benefits one of my companies or not? it's totally obvious. >> and if we thought that, we would not let him do that segment, or look in that area.

if we thought there was a lack of transparency or a conflict of interest. >> reporter: but i followed up. >> if you have received billions of dollars in contracts from the pentagon and the president's directing you to look into the department of defense -- >> which we definitely need to do and are going to do, at the president's request. >> does that present a conflict of interest for you? >> no. because you'd have to look at the individual contract. first of all, i'm not the one, you know, filing the contract. it's people at spacex. >> reporter: musk and trump have complained several of their plans are stalled in the courts, raising concerns the administration may defy a judge's orders. today, the president told me that won't happen. >> if a judge does block one of your policies, part of your agenda, will you abide by that ruling? will you comply with that order? >> we'll always abide by the courts. and then i'll have to appeal it. but then, what he's done is he slowed down the momentum. >> reporter: as musk's team tears through government agencies, musk today acknowledging he has sometimes posted misinformation about their findings. >> well, first of all, some of the things that i say will be incorrect and should be

corrected, so nobody's going to bat 1.000. i mean, any -- we will make mistakes. but we'll act quickly to correct any mistakes. >> reporter: and david, there in the oval office, it was clear just how powerful elon musk is in this white house. and tonight, we're learning he's about to be even more powerful. the president signing an executive order that directs all federal agencies to work with musk and his team to cut staffing and limit hiring. it also gives musk the broad authority to decide which positions in this federal workforce should or should not be filled, david. >> david: all right, rachel scott right there in the briefing room tonight. rachel, thank you. another story unfolding at this hour. an american freed from russia. tonight here, the first images of american teacher marc fogel, seen on his flight back home. the u.s. has said for years he was wrongfully detained after his arrest for having medically prescribed marijuana. he was serving a 14-year prison sentence. the trump administration tonight saying they negotiated an exchange. president trump was asked what russia got in this deal. here's jonathan karl tonight.

>> reporter: these are the first images tonight of pennsylvania teacher marc fogel, smiling, finally free after spending the last 3 1/2 years in a russian prison. fogel was arrested in moscow in august 2021. airport surveillance video shows the moment a police dog flagged fogel's luggage, leading to a search. fogel's family says he was carrying a small amount of medically prescribed marijuana, but he was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony. fogel's 95-year-old mother malfine says she received a surprise call from her son this morning, with the news he was finally coming home. >> we just need to get him home and hug him and hold him and i think there will be a lot of tears. >> reporter: the white house says fogel was freed as part of an exchange with russia. tonight, when our rachel scott asked president trump what the u.s. gave the russians in return, he didn't directly answer, but talked about the need to end the war in ukraine. >> not much.

no, they were very nice. we were treated very nicely by russia, actually. i hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war. >> reporter: the exchange that led to fogel's release was negotiated by donald trump's special envoy to the middle east, steve witkoff, who flew to moscow on his private plane. that is the first known visit, to russia by a senior u.s. official since the russia invasion of ukraine. president trump said on sunday he had a conversation with vladimir putin, though he didn't say when that conversation or conversations took place. david? >> david: all right, jonathan karl in washington with that late development as well. jon, thank you. president trump with jordan's king abdullah at his side today. the president saying the u.s. is going to take gaza. he has already said the palestinians will leave. he has doubled down on that. and he has said that jordan and egypt will take them in. what jordan's king abdullah said today. and our mary bruce asking president trump how the u.s. can take gaza, given its sovereignty.

>> reporter: tonight, sitting next to king abdullah of jordan, a key leader in the arab world, the president saying the u.s. won't buy gaza, they will take it. >> how is the u.s. going to own gaza? your white house has made clear taxpayer dollars won't be used for this, so what money are you going to use to buy gaza? >> we're not going to buy anything. we're going to have it. we're going to keep it. and we're going to make sure there's going to be peace. >> reporter: but reporters pressing him. >> what does that mean? >> no reason to buy. there is nothing to buy. it's gaza, it's a war-torn area. we're going to take it. we're going to hold it, we're going to cherish it. >> reporter: i asked him how. >> mr. president, take it under what authority? it is sovereign territory. >> under the u.s. authority. >> reporter: but palestinians don't want to leave their homeland. >> where exactly do you want them to live? >> well, it's not where i want them to live, it's going to be where we ultimately choose as a group, and i believe we'll have a parcel of land in jordan, i believe we'll have a parcel of land in egypt. >> reporter: but egypt and jordan have rejected those

calls. instead, the king today announcing of the 2 million palestinians living in gaza, jordan will take in 2,000 sick and cancer-stricken children. >> well, i think what we said, i have to look at the best interest of my country. >> reporter: now, after their meeting, the king said he was firm and, quote, reiterated jordan's steadfast position against the displacement of palestinians in gaza, adding this is the unified arab position. and egypt is also sending a clear message tonight. president al sisi was slated to meet with president trump later this month but he has now postponed his trip indefinitely. david? >> david: a lot happening in washington, and look at that scene behind you tonight. mary, thank you. tonight, new images of the deadly collision, a learjet owned by motley crue's vince neil, landing and then slamming into that other jet. mola lenghi in scottsdale tonight. >> reporter: tonight, dramatic video capturing the collision of this learjet aircraft. the small plane seen veering off the runway as it touched down in scottsdale, arizona. and slamming into a parked

aircraft. >> the airport is shut down. >> reporter: the jet traveling from austin, texas yesterday afternoon. officials say one member of the flight crew was pronounced dead at the scene. three others were taken to the hospital in critical condition. emergency crews working for hours to free one person from the wreckage. the learjet's landing gear seen separated from the aircraft. >> it appears that the left main gear failed upon landing, resulting in the accident. >> reporter: the learjet is owned by motley crue lead singer vince neil. the rock star was not on the plane, but tmz reports his girlfriend broke five ribs in the crash and is now recovering in the hospital. and tonight, with reports that the crew member who died may have been one of the learjet's pilots, neil's lawyer stating, "mr. neil's thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved." well, david, tonight the ntsb is investigating, working to determine an exact cause for this collision. david? >> david: mola, thank you. we are now hearing tonight from the two american women attacked by a shark in the bahamas. here's eva pilgrim.

>> reporter: tonight, two florida women bitten by a shark in the bahamas sharing new details about those terrifying moments. >> it was very scary, and the fear of, like, thinking, you know, you're going to die in the moment. >> reporter: 20-year-old riley decker and 24-year-old summer lehman were boating with friends in bimini bay when they decided to go for a swim. as they were about to get back on the boat, riley says she felt a tug on her leg. >> all i was screaming was, i don't want to die. definitely a lot of fear and panic was running through my brain. >> when i actually got -- i didn't realize that i got bit until they started screaming that my foot was, like, shredded, and there was blood everywhere. >> reporter: their friends pulling them onboard. the two eventually airlifted to hospitals in florida. riley has undergone two surgeries so far. her family saying she will need at least a third. david, riley and summer say they swam in that bay countless times over the years, and tell me they've never seen sharks in those waters. david? >> david: we're glad they survived this.

eva, thank you. president trump's justice department has instructed federal prosecutors to drop the case against new york city mayor eric adams. today, the mayor thanking the doj for ending what he called a cruel episode, but the doj did not weigh in on the mayor's guilt or innocence. when we come back tonight, the major recall for canned tuna. multiple states. and another plane crash tonight. this one just missing a home. we'll have more here in just a moment. ara” by björn jason lindh ♪ [metal creaking] [camera zooming] ♪ [window slamming] woman: [gasps] [dog barking] ♪ woman: [screams] ♪ [explosion] [explosion] ♪ [lock clicks shut]

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finally tonight, the 11-year-old and his thank you. tonight in west long branch, new jersey, police officers running toward a frozen lake, where an 11-year-old boy had just fallen through the ice. >> i'm coming for you. >> reporter: officer david brosonski tying a rope around himself and without hesitating getting into the frigid water. bravely wading out 75 feet to get to that boy. officer brosonski slowly, carefully carrying the boy back. the officer would learn the boy's name is ben, and he learned that ben was cutting across the lake, he thought it was entirely frozen. he was trying to get home to walk the dog. >> you okay? >> david: ben was rushed to the hospital. he's okay. and tonight, just days later, the reunion. >> very happy you're here.

>> david: and ben deciding to write a letter to the officer who saved him. >> you put your life on the line to save me. i owe you my life. sincerely, ben santos. >> david: tonight, ben and his family, and likely the family dog, all grateful. >> i'm really thankful for him to save me, and how he risked his life to help me. i'm very thankful for that. >> david: we're thankful to that officer, too, and we're glad you're okay, ben. i'll see you tomorrow. good night. bad crash into a fremont barber shop. there's more than cosmetic damage that needs to be fixed. >> doing the math for sf unified, how can the school district save $114 million plus? >> well, if you don't have a feedback loop, we'd have to if you. >> antics and reporters in the oval office not from president trump, but from elon musk.

>> i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. we're about to go from showers and snow to a level three storm. i'll have an hour by hour timeline. plus the warnings coming up. >> always live abc seven news starts right now. >> new at six. a really close call for a barber in fremont. take a look at what happened at the barber shop where he was working. look at this. he was slightly hurt when a car plowed into the building this afternoon. this is the mission barber shop on mission boulevard. police say the crash happened when one vehicle t-boned another, sending the car into the barber shop. the building is now redtagged and will reopen once it's determined to be structurally safe. good evening. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. now, we can't blame wet roads for that crash, but more storms are coming. that could cause problems. and the changes start tonight. >> let's bring in abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel. >> sandhya, it's a level one storm tonight. but that's going up on thursday, correct? >> that's right. it will go to a level three on thursday. let's take