tested now? the fallout after the republican debate. trump defending his own words on that stage. >> and he referred to my hands. if they are small, something else must be small. i guarantee you, there is no problem. i guarantee you. >> the urgent effort to block trump. with many asking, is this the friday commuter nightmare. the storms. several chain reaction crashes. snow and ice sweeping through. the next system we're watching already. the cdc now on the scene tonight. the mystery illness in the heartland. a rare infection. more than three dozen cases. 18 people have died. and breaking news in the erin andrews case. what we've just learned. good evening. great to have you with us on a friday night. we begin with the new headline

the l.a. police confirming they are testing a knife found on his former estate. chased by police for hours in the white ford bronco. the weapon never found after two found stabbed to death. the jury finding o.j. not guilty. but amid reports this is not consistent with the murders, but it's being tested. matt gutman is in brentwood, california, tonight. >> reporter: tonight that knife, another tortured twist in the o.j. simpson case. the lapd today saying the knife was allegedly found by a construction worker on o.j. simpson's property during in the late 1990s, and are investigating whether it could be connected to the brutal stabbing of his ex-wife

friend ron goldman in 1994. >> this individual wanted to turn it over to law enforcement. >> reporter: the lapd says this knife is now being carefully scanned for possible dna evidence, which could take weeks. the shocking part -- an lapd officer, now retired, was allegedly handed the knife by a construction worker and held onto it for 18 years. is this another case of the lapd or an lapd officer mishandling evidence in the o.j. simpson case? >> i certainly hope not. but it certainly is very concerning to us. that a police officer, whether retired or active, would not know to submit and turn in evidence or what is believed to be evidence. >> reporter: during the trial, the lapd was found to have mishandled evidence and never found the murder weapon, believed to be a small knife that played an outsized role in the 1995 trial. >> this is a rage killing, and he's using a knife because he is there to settle a personal score, a personal vendetta that he has.

i hope they test it, i hope it turns out to be the weapon. it would be one more nail in simpson's coffin. the o.j. frenzy today trending "people vs. o.j. simpson" is currently airing on fx. >> we've got two victims in brentwood. on bundy drive. it's pretty brutal. >> reporter: also reminding us of simpson's house, that epic slow-speed chase through l.a., and of course that yearlong trial. o.j. was acquitted of the murder, but was convicted in 2008 in an unrelated case, and is eligible for parole next year. law enforcement official tell us this could be bogus. investigators checked into and investigated up to 150 knives. none of them had dna matching

>> this knife was discovered nearly 20 years ago. it's just now being tested? >> that would mean that no matter what they found, they would have a real problem using this for anything substantive. you have a guy giving it to another guy, who holds it for more than a decade. serious chain of custody problems. >> and if they were able to find dna on the knife, they can't re-try o.j. simpson. >> right, double jeopardy. he could confess tomorrow, no trial. and voters in five states weighing in tomorrow. and tonight, the fallout from the fiery republican debate filled with person attacks. just minutes into the debate,

his hands and personal attacks on him. but he was also challenged on his shifting positions. and after the debate, appearing to change positions again. tom llamas in new orleans. >> reporter: tonight, donald trump flaunting that debate shocker like a badge of honor. >> they actually said, "be presidential." i said, "does that mean that i can't fight?" so when little marco spews his crap about the size of my hands, which are big, the size of my hand. so i looked at him, i said, "marco." >> reporter: this is what trump said to senator marco rubio just six minutes into the debate. >> he hit my hands. nobody has ever hit my hands. look at those hands. are they small hands? [ laughter ] and he referred to my hands, if they are small, something else must be small. i guarantee you there is no problem. i guarantee you. >> reporter: 20 minutes later, an all-out name calling blitz. you, sir.

>> let's see if he answers it. >> i will. don't worry about it, marco. don't worry about it. don't worry about it, little marco, i will. >> let's hear big donald. >> don't worry about it, little marco. >> gentlemen. >> you ought to -- >> gentlemen, you have got to do better than this. >> reporter: today, david asking senator rubio if he regrets dishing out the personal attacks himself. >> you have young children. do you regret where this has gone? >> look, i regret the way the campaign has become, absolutely, because donald trump, for the last year, has made it one of the most vulgar spectacles in american political history. >> but do you regret engaging on that level? >> look, i think sometimes when someone is as offensive as he is repeatedly, he needs to get a taste of his own medicine. >> reporter: but amid it all, senator ted cruz casting himself as the adult in the room. >> megyn, let me just ask the voters at home, is this the debate you want playing out in the general election? the stakes in this election are too high.

sucked right into the fight. >> donald, please, i know it's hard not to interrupt. >> it's not what you said in the op-ed. >> breathe, breathe, breathe. >> lying ted. >> you can do it. you can breathe. i know it's hard. i know it's hard. but just -- >> when they're done with the yoga, can i answer a question? >> you cannot -- i really hope we don't see yoga on this stage. >> well he's very flexible so you never know. >> reporter: tonight, trump flip-flop. asked why he recently endorsed the idea of visas for highly-skilled foreign workers, even though his campaign website says those visas would, quote, "decimate women and minorities." >> i'm changing. i'm changing. we need highly-skilled people in this country. if we can't do it, we will get them in. >> you are abandoning the position on your website. >> i'm changing it, and i'm softening the position because we have to have talented people in this country. >> reporter: but minutes after the debate ended, another

position on their website, the one trump had just run away from, still stands. quote, "no exceptions." the question is, will any of this inconsistency matter? the establishment is trying to wrestle this nomination away from you. what are you doing to make sure that doesn't happen? >> well, look, we have a lot of delegates. and we'll have a lot more i think after this weekend, and i think probably going into next weekend. big leads almost everywhere. >> tom llamas, with donald trump after the debate. tom with us from louisiana now. and ben carson, suspending his campaign now, tom? >> that's right, david. at one point, he was a major player in the campaign. but then it faded away. dr. ben carson today saying, people love me. they just won't vote for me. >> thank you. and many asking, is the winner after that republican debate hillary clinton? the clinton team made it clear

here's jonathan karl. >> reporter: as that debate got uglier and uglier, hillary clinton's team took to twitter, mocking the gop meltdown. using images from her face-off against republicans in congress. and this -- "how many more of these do we have to sit through? asking for a friend." >> the republican presidential, i don't know what to call it. i guess debate. there were so many insults flying back and forth, it was hard to keep track. >> i thought i was watching a sixth-grade recess fight. i don't know what to make of that deal last night. i just was speechless. >> reporter: while some democrats are happy the gop spectacle has drawn attention controversy, there's also cause for concern. just look at super tuesday. a record 8.5 million republicans turned out to vote, compared to fewer than 6 million democrats. yet. believe me, i will start soon.

could be tough to beat. >> and jon with us live. right now, the clinton campaign telling you, they're prepared to go one-on-one with trump? >> the clinton team is proceeding with the notion that trump will be the republican nominee. while they believe he's a deeply flawed candidate, they believe he could be much tougher to beat than the polls suggest in a general election. >> thanks. next, to a dangerous commute after a major storm system swept up the east coast. click roads causing spinouts. this one, on i-93 in new hampshire, traffic backed up for miles. here's linzie janis with the pictures. >> reporter: tonight, drivers who thought they were done with winter dealing with one more blast. snow squalls triggering this

hampshire, sending ten people to the hospital. authorities shutting down the interstate. a major effort to salt roads not enough to stop wrecks during the morning commute. in lancaster, pennsylvania, this icy bridge causing a 14-car pile-up. two people hospitalized. officials warning drivers, bridges and overpasses are often up to six degrees colder than the regular road. and to be aware of thin ice. here, police officers saving a dog. it could be a slick commute as roads turn icy.

investigating the trail of a mysterious and deadly bacteria. here's alex perez in wisconsin. >> reporter: hunting for the outbreak of a rare blood infection. this doctor has been tracking the outbreak of elizabethkingia. since november, 44 cases. 18 people have died. >> if they are related, we have to look for a common source. >> reporter: the victims, mostly 65 or older. many, sick with other illnesses. symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, and skin infections. most concerning for officials, the victims are scattered across 11 counties.

but doctors say it's resistant to many anti biotics. and the jury is about to get the case in the erin andrews case. here's eva pilgrim. >> reporter: closing arguments today in the erin andrews case. lawyers arguing whether the to blame for that secretly recorded naked video that went viral. insurer of his customer's safety. >> reporter: andrews suing her stalker michael barrett as well as the owners and managers of that marriott for $75 million, claiming the hotel made it easy for barrett to figure out her room number and get a room next door to hers so he could shoot video of her getting out of the shower. >> barrett couldn't have done it without the negligence of the nashville marriott. >> reporter: andrews breaking down on the stand during the two-week trial. >> do you believe you will ever get over this?

>> reporter: the video has been viewed by almost 17 million people. andrews maintaining this incident has caused lasting, emotional scars. >> this could have been stopped. >> reporter: davdi, the case soon in the hands of the jury. they will decide if the hotel bears any of the blame and if andrews is entitled to any of the millions she is seeking. david? >> thank you. still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this friday. new cases of the zika virus in the west. and el chapo, was he here in the u.s., and no one knew it? and the family watching from across town as their family was being robbed. the app that you can have on

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next tonight here, the images captured as a family watched thieves breaking into their home. they were across town as it was happening. tonight, a simple app that can help you watch over your home. here's linsey davis. >> reporter: imagine watching this scene play out on your cell phone. three burglars climbing through your window as you watch from miles away. that's exactly what happened to yina navarro brown. >> i was scared. >> reporter: yina was at work when the motion sensor went off on her cell phone, thanks to canary, a home security system that sends audio and video to your smart phone. within ten seconds, all three guys are scared away. these disturbing events are becoming more visible due to an influx of sales of cameras you can view remotely. 5.5 million were sold in 2015. a 240% increase since 2012. in april of 2014, two parents in houston caught this burglar on camera snooping around their

back in florida, tampa police have already caught one and are still looking for the others. linsey davis, abc news, new york. >> thank you. when we come back, the media mogul and the surprise wedding. and the new cases of zika in the u.s. and tonight, we remember the genius that helped bring one "star wars" character to life. keep moving. i know! try laxatives. been there, done that. my chronic constipation keeps coming back. i know. tell me something i don't know. vo: linzess works differently from laxatives. linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation or chronic constipation. it can help relieve your belly pain, and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements that are easier to pass. do not give linzess to children under six and it should not be given to children six to seventeen. it may harm them. don't take linzess if you have a bowel blockage.

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that report coming from el chapo's daughter. the kingpin, recaptured in january after seven months on the run. media mogul rupert murdoch and former model jerry hall married today at london's spencer house. this is the fourth marriage for the 84-year-old murdoch, whose massive media empire includes 21st century fox. hall, once the longtime companion of rolling stones frontman mick jagger. and a passing to report tonight. tony dyson, who built the original r2-d2 has died. the beloved character appearing in the "star wars" franchise. r2-d2's creator. when we come back, the young boy, who has an entire force behind him. who is our person of the week?turkey jerks."

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kids learn to be brave and curious and all kids speak the language of bug. "hey cortana, find my katydid video." oh! this is so good. if you're trying to teach a kid about a proboscis. just sketch it on the screen. i don't have a touch screen on my mac, i'm jealous of that. you put a big bug in a kids hands and change their world view. [ laugh ] your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis.

move to a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts, and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. ask your rheumatologist

persons of the week. think about this number. one-third of all children in middle school are bullied. tonight, the story of a young boy you saw here. many of you reacted to it. and so did his grandmother. behind her. our persons of the week. >> 1, 2, 3. >> three sheriffs from bibb county, georgia. smiles on their faces after bringing smiles to someone else. this call was different. the deputy, the first to respond. teenagers bullying a 9-year-old

>> they kept pointing at his shoes, and you could see his sock outside his shoe, they were worn out. >> the deputy went to the home of the teenager leading the bullying. >> i asked his grandmother what size shoe does he wear. >> she told her partners. they were going to buy size 7 shoes, splitting it three ways. >> i handed them to him, and he had a smile that would just light up a room. he kicked his old shoes off, took them out of the box, and put them on his feet, took off running. >> and adam sending a message from school today. >> hi, david, i'm loving my new shoes.

>> he's got a smile like denzel washington. thank you for watching on a friday night. i'm david muir. i hope to see you right back here on monday.

from sony pictures studios, it's america's game! wheel... of... fortune! ladies and gentlemen, here are the stars of our show -- pat sajak and vanna white! just applause. thank you, jim. thanks, everybody.

you're too kind! stop it. goodbye. hi, everybody. good to see you. get ready. your time has come. woman: oh, boy. [ laughs ] "oh, boy" is right. woman: oh, boy. "phrase" is the category. it's a $1,000 puzzle. off we go. [ bell chimes ] john. say hello to everybody. that's it. yes, sir. nice, john. good job. good job. thank you. nicely done. perfectly enunciated. [ laughs ] john malosh, right? yes. is from stroud township, pennsylvania. what part of the state is that? it's right on the eastern -- eastern border with new jersey. delaware river is our separating. yeah, sure. uh, married man? married with my lovely wife, ann, going on 46 years.