[singing] i will rescue you serve developing stories as we come on the air. at least eight people are dead including a mother and child after historic flooding in kentu kentucky. >> plus, the high level talks that could reshape europe and the middle east. >> cent's governor is calling it one of the most serious weather events in a decade. many deaths are attributed to people being trapped in flooded

cars. officials say they have made more than 1,000 water rescues. up to a half foot of rain has washed out roads and sent cars into ditches. a tree crashed through a roof in georgia. hundreds of flights have been canceled. thousands more delayed. our weather team is following it all, including high winds in the east and a bitter cold blast in the week ahead. >> president trump takes in the daytona 500 while overseas crucial talks begin. israel's prime minister praises what he calls a bold vision to resettle gaza. secretary of state marco rubio calls for hamas to be eradicated. negotiations on ukraine's future expected soon. russia's invited and ukraine's president is also demanding a seat at the table. also tonight, a deadly attack in austria is now being called an act of terror. six people were stabbed, a teenager killed. police say the suspect from syria was inspired by isis. the justice department fires more than a dozen immigration

judges as the trump administration moves to shrink the federal government. the firings come despite growing backlog of millions of pending immigration cases. five arrests are made in a shocking and brutal murder. the victim was a transgender man who police say was tortured for months. authorities are calling it a horrific crime. flu activity is now at a record level in the u.s. with nearly 30 million cases this season. why experts say there's still time to get vaccinated. >> plus, the bitter rivalry on the ice. three fights in nine seconds as the u.s. battled canada. >> on the road to the oscars, who took top honors at the bafta awards, and the emotional home run, why the coach called it one of the most inspiring things he's ever seen. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >> linsey: good evening, everyone. thanks so much for joining us on this sunday. we begin tonight with a massive storm system sweeping across

much of the east. at least nine people killed, more than 100 million americans are under alerts for cold and snow. eight people were killed after historic flooding in kentucky, including a mother and her 7-year-old child. the governor is calling it one of the most serious weather events in a decade. this drone video captured the devastation, entire communities submerged under water. president trump has already approved an emergency disaster declaration. severe storms rimmed through central alabama. at least one confirmed tornado, and much of the northeast including worcester, massachusetts, is getting a wintry mix of snow, ice, and rain. hundreds of thousands are without power as frigid temperatures move in. our weather team is standing by with the forecast, but first, faith abubey leads us off from atlanta. >> reporter: tonight, a fatal blast of severe weather pummeling the eastern u.s. as dangerous flooding, powerful winds, and wintry conditions wreak havoc from the gulf coast to new england. at least eight people killed in

kentucky, including a child. after more than six inches of rain battered parts of the state. prompting more than 1,000 water rescues over the weekend, nearly the entire state under flood warnings. >> look at the number of people we have already lost and the damage. this is one of the most serious weather events we have dealt with in at least a decade. >> oh, this is never going to get fixed. >> reporter: this road in pikeville, kentucky, badly damaged. nearby, an suv washed off the road into a ditch. the torrential rain turning to heavy snow in parts of the state. officials urging residents to avoid the hazardous conditions. >> right now, we need everybody home and not on the roads, as we're in a search and rescue phase. we need our vehicles out on the road, and it's dangerous for you to be out on the road. >> how big was the tree? >> about 100 foot. it was a tall tree. >> reporter: meanwhile, in florence, mississippi, jimmy armor showing us the damage

inside his grand parents' home after high winds crashed a large pine tree through the roof. >> we were all sitting here in the living room. the rain started and it almost sounded like a freight train coming through. >> reporter: tonight, the system now sweeping east. flooding threatening buildings in hurley, virginia. crews and residents outside of boston digging out, up to six inches of snow accumulating in parts of the state. and linsey, parts of kentucky bracing for a second gut punch. another foot of snow possible by thursday on top of the flooding emergency. meantime here in georgia, tens of thousands still in the dark. a man killed here overnight after powerful winds toppled a tree on to the house behind me. >> linsey: our thanks to you. that severe weather is also causing healthcares for those flying over the presidents day holiday. let's bring in perry russom in washington, d.c. tonight. how much of a disruption are

these storms causing for air travel? >> reporter: strong winds are causing issues. about 150 flights have been delayed and dozens more canceled. more than threne00 flights have been canceled and more than 8,000 have been delayed. major hubs in chicago and atlanta hit with the most delays, and tonight, we're looking at major cities in the northeast as the storms pass through. boston and new york affected. nearly half of the flights out of laguardia airport have been delayed. a busy time in the skies with presidents day weekend. we'll have to see how long the weather lasts. >> linsey: thank you. let's get to abc meteorologist somara theodore. when can we expect the next round of winter weather? >> reporter: well, linsey, the cold air moving in at the top of the week and the next snow storm moving in wednesday and thursday across the country. let's take a look. the storm we have been dealing with is now beginning to exit. in its wake leaving behind extremely staung winds.

high wind alerts with gusts up to 60 miles per hour possible. also, extreme cold alerts. this bitter cold diving deep. 35 degrees below zero in bismark monday morning. single digits in oklahoma city. as far as the snow goes, we'll start to see the snow track across places like kentucky on wednesday. arriving in the mid-atlantic and northeast by thursday. just in time for that critical thursday morning, morning commute. linsey. >> linsey: such an onslaught of the winter weather these days. thank you. > secretary of state marco rubio is on a mission that could change europe and the middle east. in a meeting between rubio and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, netanyahu praised what he calls president trump's bold vision for gaza. both agree that hamas must be eliminated. here's abc's senior white house correspondent selina wang. >> reporter: tonight, president trump visiting the race track, greeting nascar fans at the

daytona 500 in florida. as senior members of his administration are overseas pushing an agenda that aims to redraw the map in the middle east. secretary of state marco rubio meeting with israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu, seemingly on the same page about what's next for war-torn gaza. >> secretary rubio and i discussed president trump's bold vision for gaza. >> reporter: trump insisting the u.s. take over gaza, force out palestinians, and develop the remaining real estate. promising to build the riviera of the middle east. the plan sparking outrage both at home and around the world. rubio defending the president's position. >> it may have shocked and surprised many, but what cannot continue is the same cycle. >> reporter: while also calling for the complete destruction of hamas. >> hamas cannot continue as a military or government force. they must be eliminated. they must be erad kalted. >> reporter: those comments potentially complicating an

already delicate situation. the cease-fire deal would bring all of the remaining hostages home. tonight, the trump administration turning to another crisis with more senior officials heading to saudi arabia to begin negotiations to end the war in ukraine. members of the trump team expected to meet with russian officials there, but ukrainian president zelenskyy says he wasn't invited. zelenskyy adamant his country must have a seat at the table. >> i will never accept any decisions between the united states and russia about ukraine. never. >> linsey: joining us now is our senior white house correspondent selina wang. how are senior allies reacting? >> reporter: they're concerned they'll be left out of the peace making process and they fear the trump administration could reach a deal that fails to deter russia and secure lasting peace. linsey. >> linsey: selina wang from the white house for us. thanks so much. now to that deadly terror

attack in austria. 14-year-old was killed and five others were injured during a stabbing ramp page. the suspect was inspired by isis. the grieving community held a vigil for victims. more now from abc's lama hasan. >> reporter: authorities tonight saying the suspect behind a horrific knife attack in austria was inspired by isis. officials say a 23-year-old syrian man using a folding knife began stabbing people indiscriminately, killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding five others. three of them are in intensive care. many praises a food delivery driver, also syrian, for stopping the attacker by ramming his car into him. interior minister saying the suspect has links to isis and radicalized himself online and is now charged with murder and multiple attempted murders. this incident is the second

suspected isis inspired attack in austria in recent years. according to authorities in 2020, a man carried out a deadly attack in vienna armed with an automatic rifle and fake explosives. tonight in austria, many gathering at a makeshift memorial in the main square. a memorial in munich days after a car was driving into a crowd killing a mother and her 2-year-old daughter. german officials investigating whether the driver had ties to any extremist networks. linsey, this latest attack in austria is triggering a strong response from the country's far right party. they're calling for a rig krs crackdown on asylum. >> linsey: thank you. back here in the u.s., over the weekend, more than a dozen immigration judges were fired. it's part of a sweeping attempt to reduce the size of the federal government, but it comes amid an immigration crackdown and a backlog of nearly 4 million cases. more now from abc's morgan norwood. >> reporter: tonight, as

president trump and elon musk reshape the federal government with mass layoffs triggering anger and confusion among federal employees, abc news learning the doj quietly fired more than a dozen new immigration judges without cause. just days before they were set to be sworn in. according to the union representing them. the sweeping shakeup dismissed 13 immigration judges in training, two judges already on the bench, and five other midlevel managers that also hear immigration cases. their union saying in a statement, the firing of immigration judges when we need more judges to enforce our immigration laws by this administration is a perfect example of hypocrisy. the move comes amid a massive backlog of 3.7 million cases and in the middle of an immigration crackdown coast to coast. for seven days, abc news was on the front lines from community groups patrolling the streets for signs of i.c.e. in l.a., to d.c., where immigration lawyers are working around the clock, and san diego, where the coast guard is ramping up helicopter

patrols. i.c.e. says it arrested more than 8200 people between january 22nd and january thunnest, but i.c.e. has stopped releasing updated numbers and a fraction of those detained were released back into the u.s. because of a lack of resources. days ago, trump's border czar expressing frustration with the number of i.c.e. arrests. >> if he doesn't come through, i'll be back in new york city and i'll be in his office, up his butt saying where the hell is the agreement we came to? >> reporter: homan meeting with eric adams and says he's agreed to work with the trump administration while they increase teams conducting operations in the city. >> we're doing that, increasing the targeting. >> reporter: and linsey, back to those fired judges, there's growing concern this move will only deepen the delays within the immigration system. for perspective, each of those judges processing anywhere between 500 to 700 cases per year. linsey. >> linsey: morgan, thank you. now to the brutal and tragic death of a transgender man in

upstate new york. police say the 24-year-old sam nordquist was tortured for weeks before his remains were discovered in a field. he had been reported missing by his family. five people are now charged with his murder. here's abc's ike ejiochi. >> reporter: tonight, five people have been arrested and charged in connection with the disappearance and brutal murder of a 24-year-old transgender man from minnesota. a crime police are calling beyond depraved. >> this is one of the most horrific crimes i have ever investigated. >> reporter: police say sam nordquist arrived in the finger lakes region in september, staying in a hotel with others. on february 9th, new york state police launching a missing persons investigation for nordquist following a welfare request from family. on february 13th, police executing a search warrant at the hotmotel room, later findin human remains believed to be those of nordquist 15 miles away in a field.

investigators finding evidence suggesting nordquist was tortured and sexually assaulted for months. >> sam was subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture. in a manner that ultimately led to his death. >> reporter: police arresting and charging a woman as well as kyle sage, patrick goodwin, and 19-year-old emily motyka with second degree murder. tonight, sam's family heartbroken. >> i don't understand why someone would do that to another person. sam was amazing and would give the shirt off his back to anyone. >> reporter: investigators are working to understand the relationship between the five suspects and nordquist, and prosecutors have yet to rule out prosecuting the murder as a hate crime. >> linsey: thank you. now to the record-setting flu season. the cdc is reporting more than 30 million cases. 32 states are reporting high or very high activity. let's bring in abc's reena roy.

what are you learning tonight? >> reporter: well, linsey, respiratory illnesses are at a high level really across the country. in facts, the rate of people going to the doctor for flu-like symptoms is the highest since the swine flu outbreak in 2009. the cdc estimating 16,000 deaths from the flu so far this season. nearly 70 of those in children. fatal flu cases surpassing covid deaths this week for the first time since the pandemic started. walgreens saying they have seen a more than 200% jump in flu antiviral medication prescriptions compared to the same time last year. and flu season likely continued for weeks or even months. public health specialists reminding people it's not too late to get the annual vaccine which has been shown to reduce severity and duration of an illness. >> linsey: so many under the weather lately. reena, thank you. >> there's still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this sunday. why shakira was forced to cancel a concert on short notice, and how a hockey game turned into fight night.

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♪ your own personal jesus ♪ ♪ ♪ someone to hear your prayers, ♪ ♪ someone who's there. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ reach out and touch faith ♪ . to the index now. hockey fans expected fireworks when the u.s. took on canada in the four nations faceoff saturday night, and boy, did they get them. a fight broke out on the opening draw. as soon as that was over, another one started, and one more moments later. three fights in the first nine seconds of play. once things finally settled down, the u.s. went on to win 3-1. next, awards season rolls on with the baftas

mikey mattsson won for honora. adrian brody won for the brutalist. the best picture award went to conclave. they're all nominated for the oscars and you can watch the 97th academy awards sunday, march 2nd, right here on abc. when we come back, why hitting this home run meant the world to a young player. i was stuck. unresolved depression symptoms were in my way. i needed more from my antidepressant. vraylar helped give it a lift. adding vraylar to an antidepressant is clinically proven to help relieve overall depression symptoms better than an antidepressant alone. vraylar is not approved for elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis due to increased risk of death or stroke. report changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts to your doctor. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles or confusion which may be life-threatening or uncontrolled muscle movements which may be permanent. high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, weight gain and high cholesterol may occur. difficulty moving, tremors,

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that comes along with it. with the swiffer powermop. finally tonight, a flood of emotion after one swing of the bat. opening night for the auburn tigers on friday was especially emotional for outfielder cade bulieu. before the game started, he ran out onto the field, dropped to

his knees, and removed his hat to offer a prayer for his mother stacey, who died only hours earlier. >> stacey passed away this morning after a battle with cancer. our hearts and all of baseball are with the bulieu family during this time. >> reporter: one of his first calls following her passing was to his coach to tell him he was still planning to play that night. so that evening in front of a record crowd in tigers home field in the sixth inning, he went up to the plate and this happened. >> right center. it's deep. it's gone. he hit it out of here. >> you know, some things just transcend the human experience. and how sports can bring everybody together. >> reporter: uplifted by his

teammates, cade and his courage are an inspiration to us all. what a moment no doubt in memory of mom. thanks so much for watching. i'm linsey davis. david muir back here tomorrow. until then, good night.

janai: hey, everyone. get ready to meet curious and captivating baby animals. this is "oh baby!" on today's episode of "voyage to the southern hemisphere," we go underwater to discover an electric blue shapeshifter. and we'll climb up into the trees to meet one species that specializes in cuddling and another that just can't help but go exploring. plus, a whale of a story. all that and more just ahead on,