this morning on "world news now," president trump changing his tune. >> after forcing the resignation of his national security adviser, the president is refusing to answer questions on the subject saying only that the media are to blame and calling that general that he just forced out a "wonderful man." our chief white house correspondent breaks it all down. >> new details on the controversial cabinet pick who suddenly pulled his name and why video surfacing of his ex-wife once on oprah may have something to do with did. and it's a dangerous scene in san francisco. people have been evacuated from multiple buildings after a concrete slab got loose dangling over the city streets. meet the mermaids. we're not talking about erielle and her flounder friend. these are real life mer folk. women and men who would prefer us to try on their

how they enjoy themselves. also, they don't have any shoes. >> it looks fun. >> it does. >> finns to the left, finns to the right. it is thursday, february 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." ♪ >> got a little into the little mermaid there. we will get more into the whole mer mania coming up. we start this morning with president trump changing his tune on the resignation of national security adviser michael flynn. the white house initially said flynn was ousted for losing the president's confidence. >> well, the president now defending flynn blaming instead the intelligence community and the media for his dismissal. he refused to address reports of repeated contact between his campaign and russia during the election season. abc's jonathan karl at the white house. >> reporter: president

trump welcomed the third foreign leader at the white house in less than a week. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. but overshadowing the visit the sudden firing of the man at the center of his national security team, michael flynn. just 24 hours ago, the white house said flynn was ousted for because had he lost the confidence of the president after deceiving the vice president about lis conversations with the russian ambassador. >> general flynn is a wonderful man. i think he has been treated very, very unfairly by the media, as i call it, the fake media in many cases, and i think it's really a sad thing that he was treated so badly. >> reporter: yet it was the president who fired him, and his press secretary said trump did so decisively. >> 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: the so-called "series of questionable instances" included flynn's failure to tell the truth about

russian ambassador in december on the same day the obama administration slapped new sanctions on russia for meddling with the election. but now the president is expressing more outrage about leaks in the newspapers than about flynn's behavior. blasting the intelligence agencies that now report to him, tweeting, "the real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by 'intelligence' like candy. very un-american." >> i think it's very, very unfair what's happened to general flynn. the way he was treated and the documents and papers that were illegally -- i stress that -- illegally leaked. very, very unfair. >> reporter: but during the presidential campaign, then-candidate trump reveled in leaks when they were about someone else, hillary clinton. even praising a group responsible for some of the biggest leaks of classified u.s. intelligence in all of american history. >> wikileaks, i love wikileaks! it's been amazing what's coming out on wikileaks. this wikileaks is like a treasure tro.

>> reporter: the president refused to answer questions about reports that several people on his campaign team were in contact before the election with suspected russian intelligence officials. at his press conference, he called only on conservative news outlets. no russia questions, but we tried. >> mr. president, can you guarantee that nobody on your campaign had any contact with the russians? mr president, any questions on russia? mr. president? >> reporter: so the question still looms. during the transition, abc's cecilia vega tried to pin him down. >> did you or anyone in your campaign have any contact with russia leading up to or during the campaign? nothing at all? >> reporter: no trump said. not at all. after general flynn was fired, we asked sean spicer -- >> can you still say definitively that nobody in 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

transition period -- well, we were very clear that during the transition period, 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. >> reporter: the turmoil in the white house combined with the national security council shake-up has some key republicans in congress worried about the chaos and dysfunction in the west wing. >> you don't know who is in charge, this flynn situation, the whole environment is one of dysfunction in the trump administration. >> reporter: and the concern is not limited to washington. speaking at a conference, the general in charge of the military's special operations command said, "our government continues to be in unbelievable turmoil. i hope they sort it out soon because we're a nation at war." >> the president is going to switch gears this weekends and do his first re-election campaign event. it's officially billed as a

florida, on saturday. a rally. jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. and you saw senator mccain there but he's not the only republican in congress moving to try to get answers. >> house oversight committee chairman jason chaffetz is asking the inspector general to immediately investigate the leaks that led to flynn's removal. earlier this week he resisted taking action on the issue and the senate judiciary is now asking for information about flynn including details about his communication with russian officials. in a major departure from long-standing u.s. policy, president trump now says he would be open to a one-state solution to the israeli/palestinian conflict. >> during the joint news conference with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, the president said he would support one state or two state, whichever makes both parties happy. he also put netanyahu on the spot urging him to hold back on settlements in the west bank. >> as far as settlements i'd

like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit. we'll work something out. but i would like to see a deal be made. let's seat what we do. >> let's try. >> doesn't sound too optimistic. good negotiator. >> that's the art of the deal. >> high stakes diplomacy. last night while meeting with senate leaders netanyahu avoided answering questions whether israel was willing to hold off on those settlements. he would only say he will continue working toward an understanding that's a quote here consistent with the pursuit of peace and security. the trump administration is now searching for another candidate for labor secretary. andrew puzder bowed out yesterday amid intense scrutiny which included an old video of his ex-wife making this spousal abuse allegations on oprah. mary bruce has the details. >> reporter: the first trump cabinet pick to go down. facing mounting opposition from republicans. andrew puzder

careful consideration and discussions with my family, i am withdrawing my nomination for secretary of labor." the fast food ceo was plagued from the start. under fire for his personal life. this 1990 tape screened for senators on capitol hill. his ex-wife in disguise on oprah, describing what she claimed was their abusive marriage. >> that was the most frightening thing was leaving because once i made that break and once i made it public, and remember, my ex-husband was a public figure. everyone knew him and knew what he was doing and once i made that public, he vowed revenge. he said, i will see you in the gutter. >> reporter: she later recanted her allegations, and puzder has strongly denied them. professionally puzder's been accused of disparaging workers, once suggesting he prefers robots to human labor saying, "they're always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation." also taking aim at his own fast food employees. >> my first memo was no more people b

>> reporter: it became increasingly clear many republicans were on the fence. senator tim scott of south carolina tweeting he had "developed serious concerns" about puzder's nomination. that nomination now dead, and democrats are celebrating. >> you fought this pretty hard. >> we, it's not just a victory for me, it's a victory for millions of workers been this is the secretary of labor, labor, not the cretary of corporate america. >> democrats are now setting their sights on another trump cabinet nominee raising concerns about nick mulvaney for budget director. so far, just one republican is opposing. that vote is up later today. mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. one more r note from the capitol hill, ashton kutcher got serious during an appearance on capitol hill. >> cutcher became emotional while pleading with the foreign senate relations committee to help ends human trafficking. cup offer who cofounds an international anti-human trki

some of the horrific images he's seen while traveling around the world to help abused children. >> there was one bit of humor just before he began his testimony. he fielded a comment from senator john mccain. >> i also want to thank ashton. you're better looking in the movies. >> and he said that his wife mila kunis agrees that he's better looking in the movies. >> yet, she married him. he looked pretty good there had on capitol hill. >> cutcher and mccain have been working together quite a bit on this topic. this isn't the first time they've seen each other. >> he says this is something close to his heart. coming up, what caused the loud bang on an airliner and caused the plane to circle back to the artd and what we're learning this morning about the damage that plane suffered? later, we're checking out the annual mermaid convention. here what two professional mer folk have to say about their unusua

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charlotte, nearly 50 people on board got off the plane safely before the plane was sprayed with foam. no injuries reported. and wearing ha new details about the death of kim jong-un's half-brother. police arrested two women in connection with the case after king jong nam was apparently pointed by a pair of an sassince on monday at an airport in malaysia. this is the scene in north koreaing this morning, the military putting on a show of force at a massive outdoor event. soldiers pledged loyalty and paid tribute to former leaders on the birthday of one of their former leaders. kim jong-un did not attend is the event. a flu round of storms now moving onto the west coast could drop between 2 and 6 inches of rain. in northern california, crews have been scrambling to drain water from the lake behind the damage add oroville dam. they're also trying to bowl tr the eroded stillway. for now they're confident the structure will hold up but further north, a mud slight in

triggered a power outage. officials warn more mud slides likely throughout the weekend. and in san francisco, a 2,000-pound concrete slab that was threatening to fall from the roof of a high rise has been stabilized but emergency officials say evacuation orders of nearby buildings will stay in effect at least until later today coming up in our next half hour, why so many people may not show up for work today. we have some details on the social media driven campaign calling for a day without immigrants. hear who is being asked to participate and what else they're being asked not to do today. >> first a look inside mer mania, a convention of mermaids and mermen. one of the largest mer folk gatherings in this merry world we live in. >> ferfolk, huh? >> yeah. till sick, huh? i'll tae it from here. >> yeah. merfolk,

wow, that sort of blind-sided me. and it clears my terrible cold symptoms. ahh! this is awkward. new mucinex clear & cool. feel the menthol burst. while powerful medicine clears your worst cold symptoms. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this.

♪ up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay au day in the sun ♪ ♪ wandering free, wish i could be part of that world ♪ >> okay. so. >> here's the part of our world you probably never heard of. the growing community of merfolk. >> now we wish we had. that's mermaids and mermen gagering recentl

in north carolina for the annual mermania convention. in one of the largest gatherings in the world for people who identify themselves as half fish. more up"up all nightline" with abc's juju chang. >> reporter: no shirt, no shoes? no problem. welcome to nc mermania 2017. >> hi. >> reporter:up, this is a mermaid convention, mer folk both amateurs and polls diving in for a weekend of fun, flare and fins. these diehards are making waves. wowing in tails that can cost up to $5,000. all brought together by a shared albeit unique hobby. dubbed nova sigh reen, the virginia mermaid hannah teaches and s nationwide making a splash online with 20,000 instagram followers but she's quick to acknowledge that

uncommon gig. >> a lot of people really don't understand what i mean when i say i'm a mermaid. i know i'm making -- i really enjoy dressing up as a mermaid and entertaining children, swimming in coral reefs and doing special things not a lot of people get to do. >> reporter: they say it's better under the sea and these guys really mean it. here at one of the largest mermaid gatherings in the world, we meet chris, an actor turned merman who has been part of this community for the past four years. >> i would call a professional mermaid a giver of dreams. >> chris says a big motivator for him is upping the image of men in the merfolk industry. 300 participants from around the globe have traveled to this meetup to socialize is, check out the latest gear. >> these are our $3,000 silicon tails. >> reporter: and to attend seminars about all things mermaiding.

hannah says at its core, the convention is about bonding with friends. >> everyone who comes here has the same love for mermaids and the same love for the water. we really understand each other and we understand the commitment and creativity that it takes to be a mermaid or a mer mann. so i've made so many friends that i can truly say they are my best friends. >> reporter: friendships that go a little deeper both above and below the surface. for "nightline," i'm juju chang in new york. >> this is not a cheap hobby, by the way. they invest, those fails can cost upwards of $5,000 because you have to have a good one. >> you do have to have a good tail. man, but the top part you don't have to worry about. >> that is true. also for a wet gig where they actually have to swim around like we saw, they can make upwards of $95 an hour. >> what are we doing here. >> i don't know i'm going on ebay and ordering a fin immediately. >> i don't know what's more

erielle. >> you kind of look hotter there than in person. you know your heart loves megared omega-3s... but did you know your eyes, your brain, and your joints really love them too? introducing megared advanced 4in1... just one softgel delivers the omega-3 power of two regular fish oil pills... so give your body mega support with megared advanced 4in1. i'm good. i just took newl take mucinex clear and cool. ah! what's this sudden cooling thing happening? it's got a menthol burst. you can feel it right away. wow, that sort of blind-sided me. and it clears my terrible cold symptoms. ahh! this is awkward. new mucinex clear & cool. feel the menthol burst. while powerful medicine clears your worst cold symptoms.

let's end this. >> not just a victory for me, a

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ronger enamel. crest 3d white. of it is time for your mix on this thursday. and if only it was this easy for us adults getting a job. a 7-year-old girl who is really cute, chloe bridgewater is from the uk, see her dad there. so she wrote a handwritten note to the ceo of google after her dad started talking about how cool the company is. it was a really long note she wrote to the ceo. you see it there. she says my dad says i can sit on bean bags and ride slides and ride go carts in a job at google. i look forward to receiving your job application. she got a real response from the ceo. >> she addressed the letter dear google boss. >> yes. dear future google

>> like how she's focus how her expertise can best be the company. >> apparently her dad had been talking about google and how great of a workplace it is. >> very cool he's communicating with his daughter that way and some dads are also going viral for having a different kind of communication with their daughters joining them in ballet class at a northeast philly school. and the philadelphia dance center posted this video which has now gone viral. 2.5 million views, big shoutout to the dads wearing the tutu. that has been the one getting the most attention. >> understandably. that just came from his closet. he didn't even have to buy that. >> look at those beautiful pointed toes. >> busy at the barre class. beset your eyes on the coolest thing you'll see all day. this is wrong crystal known as red panda. hold your breath

hold your breath. wait for it. >> i'm already impressed. >> wait for it. >> that looks really difficult. what else in. >> hold on. hold on. you have to let it simmer. >> this is amazing. >> yes. >> and oh, yeah. >> no way. >> yes. so she is popular throughout the college and pros for halftime show. she was in the northwestern university game yesterday, and she performed this. people came just to see her play. okay. can you do it. >> oh, it was close. it was close. >> all right. well, now my cat is going to seem a lot less impressive. we'll go to him anyway. everybody talks about dogs can fetch. this cat can fetch. this dog in serbia is proving yeah, we can. he fetches a rubber band the same way a dog fetches a toy or stick, people are now loving the cat. >> i'm going to up the

this morning on "world news now," facing tough questions as we learn more about the trump campaign's contact with russian intelligence. the president refusing to take questions on the subject even after tweeting about it. we'll preview what may be discussed today as a new secretary of state meets his russian counterpart. >> meanwhile, president trump welcomed prime minister benjamin netanyahu at the white house after making headlines after saying he's open to a departure from a pillar of u.s. foreign policy. why businesses across the country will be closed today. >> it's a show of solidarity, part of the day without immigrants protest. sinesses are taking part. le mariah carey, making her first public appearance since her first performance since her new year's eve debacle on times