. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. turning to our lead story, there are still more questions than answers about what happened to malaysia airlines flight 370. >> malaysian authorities yesterday declared it crashed in the south indian ocean, killing all on board but they still don't know for sure, and any proof of the crash is going to have to wait at least another day. abc's clayton sandell has the latest. >> reporter: it's been a cloudy, rainy day here in perth, australia, but 1500 miles offshore, the weather is so bad that the air and sea search for malaysia 370 is now on hold. today all of the search planes here are grounded. the search for any sign of that missing boeing 777 is having to wait as a storm system passes through a search area that stretches across one of the most remote and unforgiving places on earth. winds are forecast to be 50 miles an hour. even ships in the area are being moved out of the worst rough seas with swells around 13 feet. that includes the australian navy ship the "success."

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. the search for the missing malaysia airlines jet is producing confusion, frustration and grief. but not a single piece of evidence as to what may have happened. in kuala lumpur people gathered for a candlelight vigil, singing and praying for the 239 people on board that missing plane. >> malaysia airlines saying the search for the missing jumbo jet expanded to include the west side of the country from the beginning. one of the biggest questions is the disappearance. is it an act of terrorism? here is abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: the fbi is urgently trying to find out why those imposters used stolen passports to get on malaysian airline flight 370. sources tell abc news the fbi is planning to compare fingerprints and photographs of those at the airport to those of known terrorists. fingerprints on stolen passports reveal tantalizing clues but the passports do not necessarily indicate terrorism but are often

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> i'm john muller. day as we say thank you so much to marci and welcome back diana tomorrow. you've been such a hit. everybody is going to miss you so much. >> i'm going to miss being here. >> such enthusiasm, great attitude. such a pleasure to be around. >> it has been so wonderful sitting next to you and learning from you and everyone here, honestly. >> leave it to marci to give the credit to everyone. we will have the high jinx with you before you leave. >> all right. we begin with the grim discovery at the site of that massive mudslide in washington state. more bodies recovered from the wreckage. >> the community in mourning turned out for a candlelight vigil as the death toll is expected to go on climbing. akiko fujita has the latest from the scene. good morning. >> reporter: john and marci, crews recovered two more bodies overnight, bringing the death toll up to 16. but officials say there are eight other fatalities, bodies they will try to recover later today, so you can expect that death toll to

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller. we begin with big changes to obamacare. thousands of americans will get to keep their plans at least for a bit longer. >> tahman bradley has the details and quick reaction from washington. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: marci and john, these changes would affect 1.5 million people. up the new guidelines those people will get to keep their old plans for two more years even if they don't meet the requirements of the new law. it helps insurance customers but helps democrats a political problem in the fall elections. that's why they were kritly criticized. the president is rewriting laws around the election calendar, but the white house says the decision was not political. without this change, john and marci, there would have been a wave of cancellations of health care plans before the november election. >> all right, tahman bradley live in washington. thank you. >>> all right now, our other major story, an intense diplomatic effort aimed at resolves the crisis in ukraine. >> secretar

i'm john muller. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. latest developments in the missing malaysian flight 370. >> the u.s. has sent its most sophisticated sub hunter, the p-8, in the search effort in what is most likely the area the plane most likely went down, south indian ocean, far west of australia. this, as even more evidence mounts, that the disappearance was deliberate, and that whoever was at the controls was experienced in the cockpit. meanwhile, as abc's bob woodruff reports from malaysia, the focus is intensifying on the crew. >> reporter: we've now learned the pilots did not ask for any extra fuel for the flight and made no special request to fly together, making the idea of a conspiracy between them less likely, but much is still unknown. investigators going in and out of the gated neighborhood of the 53-year-old pilot, zaharie ahmad shah, security guards keeping reporters from getting in. so you're not allowed to let any media in? no way? authorities are concentrating on the flight simulator he put together himself and kept

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez.s that the worst of the freezing cold, for at least this area, might be over. >> hopefully there's a light at the end of the tunnel, right? >> fingers crossed because we begin with the punishing deep freeze settling in from the midwest to the east coast. >> the day after a winter storm made a mess from the nation's capital and beyond, many americans will be waking up to subzero and single digit temperatures. more on the snow from abc's ryan owens. >> reporter: going nowhere fast. thousands caught on the highway. it looks like minnesota, but this is texas. how long have you been stuck here? >> about four hours. i've got work at 3:00 in college station, so, looks like that's not happening. >> reporter: the biggest backup was south of dallas on interstate 45. a line of cars and semis stretched 30 miles. some had to spend the night in their cars. texas weather is known for its extremes, but this is crazy even for here. on saturday it was 81 and sunday in dallas, 24 hours later, 19 and slee

i'm john muller. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana following on "world news now." abc news has learned u.s. officials now believe the fate of malaysia flight 370 was not an accident and the search area for the plane has been dramatically expanded. more details in a moment. >>> compromise reached by five partisan group of senators could pave the way to reinstate long-term unemployment benefits. it is unlikely to clear the full senate but the house is still a question. still, it is being called a breakthrough. >>> former british tabloid journalist said his source for secrets about prince charles were principle des dess diana h. he admitted this during the phone-hacking scandal. >>> chicago is set to battle a rat infestation as the city thaws out. crews are spreading out poison. one lawmaker wants to hire a company that uses a special liquid to sterilize the pets. those are some of our top stories on this friday, march 14th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >>> good morning, everyone. we begin this half hour with ne

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller.in with that breaking news in the search for flight 370. here's what we know right now. the p8 poseidon, america's most advanced submarine hunter, is over an area where objects possibly related to the missing plane have been spotted by satellite. >> prime minister tony abbott has announced the discovery and said they have been diverted to the area to try to find the objects. >> two possible objects related to the search have been identified. i can inform the house that australian air force orion has been alerted to attempt to locate the objects. >> an emergency ship in the area has responded and is also on the way to the scene. the australian maritime safety authority says the possible pieces of debris, one of which is said to be as much as 78 feet long, have been spotted approximately 1500 miles southwest of perth, australia. abc's david curley has been following the search for flight 370 from the very beginning. >> david is joining us now to give us some perspective on where this is

i'm john muller. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez.s today with the russian foreign minister over the conflict. he flew on kerry's plane to paris hoping to be part of the talks. >> the u.s. and 14 other nations are forming a military observer mission to monitor the situation in crimea where pro-russian troops have taken control. that's where we find abc's terry moran. >> reporter: at the air base, ukrainian troops unarmed march toward the russian guns. as they march, they sang their national anthem. ♪ >> reporter: confronting the russians who have seized control of their base, under the ukrainian flag they came. the russians yelled, then fired. warning shots but the first shots fired here, then negotiations and the ukrainians withdrew, heads held high. it was a day of high tension. russia test-launching an icbm like this one, a scheduled launch, but still a statement. >> mr. kerry, welcome to ukraine. >> nice to see you. >> reporter: in kiev, ukrainian capital 500 miles away, secretary of state kerry walked the street where scores of u

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. we begin with high-level talks aimed at putting an end to the tense situation between ukraine and russia. >> secretary of state john kerry meeting with russia's foreign minister in paris this morning. kerry is also speaking with ukraine's foreign minister who hitched a ride to france on secretary of state's plane. abc's tahman bradley is following it from washington. >> reporter: the u.s. and other nations are still trying to defuse the volatile standoff in ukraine. in crimea, tensions remain high. with russian and ukrainian troops staring each other down walking the streets of kiev yesterday kerry saw the shrines where ukrainians died in last month's protests. the secretary blasted vladimir putin's invasion of crimea. >> it is not appropriate to invade a country and at the end of a barrel of a gun dictate what you are trying to achieve. >> reporter: putin says he ordered troops in to protect ethnic russians. president obama warned russia is violating international law. >> president p

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller. >> we begin with the deadly mudslides in washington state and desperate search for survivors. >> as the search and rescue progresses around the clock, the death toll is climbing. up to eight people dead and more than a dozen unaccounted for. these pictures show the scale of the mudslide. an entire side of the mountain gone in just seconds. abc's neal karlinksy has the latest. >> reporter: pictures from above show the full scope. it's as if half a mountain slid down on this rural community. a slide measuring a square mile in size. this is the carnage. this right here in front of me was the highway. home video from the ground makes it hard to tell there used to be anything here. survivors had to be plucked out by helicopter. >> the helicopter medevacing the mom and child, 5-month-old baby, out of here. still alive. >> reporter: that baby is hospitalized in critical condition. beneath all this mud, a residential street called steelhead road. officials say it's simply not there anymore. >> a lot of people that were very cared

i'm john muller. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. to our top story this morning. the intense explosion in new york's east harlem that reminded some people of 9/11. but there are no signs of foul play, just a horrific tragedy. that was probably a gas explosion. >> the fire department released these close-up pictures of the scene where at least four people have been killed. devin dwyer has the latest from the scene. good morning, devin. >> reporter: good morning, john and marci. this tragedy rattled the nerves of anyone who lived in an older building that is fed by natural gas. the explosion came so fast, so violent and so frightening. a desperate search for the missing. >> i just want to know if my daughter is fine. >> reporter: after a massive explosion leveled two five-story buildings in new york city's harlem neighborhood just before 5:00 in the morning. 9:30 in the morning. residents described an ear-popping blast that blew out windows, collapsed ceilings and sent residents fleeing for safety. >> our hearts go out to all of the fa

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez.n with the cia investigation into whether some of its agents may have spied on high-level lawmakers. >> now the head of the cia says there's no truth to the allegations but the claim is picking um steam on capitol hill. here is abc's jeff dillon. >> reporter: it was a top secret interrogation program for movies like "zero dark thirty." >> your life is going to be very uncomfortable until you give me the information i need. >> reporter: and it was aimed at pushing terror suspects to the breaking point in hopes of getting critical information. now a shocking question. was the cia actually spying on a senate committee investigating the secret programs? abc news learned the cia's up specter general has asked the justice department to investigate whether the agency was improperly monitored in the senate intelligence committee. long simmering tensions reached a boiling point. a review of the cia secret detention and interrogation programs used after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. senators have

. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. we begin with that tense one-hour phone call between president obama and russian president vladimir putin. it is the second time in less than a week the two leaders have talked about the crisis in ukraine. president obama urged a diplomatic solution while proposing a pullback of russian troops. >> putin upped the ante saying ukraine's government is not lem and the conversation did little to quell the violent protests in ukraine. abc's tahman bradley live in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: john and marci, good morning. this standoff has taken a dangerous turn. secretary of state kerry returns home without a solution as vladimir putin digs in. with the crisis in ukraine rapidly escalate -- >> the slightest miscalculation could see it spiral out of control. >> reporter: -- the united states is offering vladimir putin a diplomatic solution. president obama is proposing direct talks between ukraine and russia. russian forces returning to their bases and international

. >>> good morning, i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> good morning, i'm marci gonzalez in fores on "world news now." china said this this morning. it has checked the background of citizens on flight 370 and found no links to terror. this is as the search intensifies. there are thousands of miles of ocean. more details in just a moment. >>> u.s. and european allies have begun the first round of sanctions over russia's actions in ukraine and crimea. sanctions designed to put pocketbook pressure on russian leaders. >>> man and ms. yellow lab, safe and sound. they capsized off the texas coast. luckily they were able to sit on the top of that little boat as they waited to get saved. >>> and tonight mega millions jackpot is expected to reach $400 million with a one-time payout of $224 million after taxes. there hasn't been a winner since january 3rd. these are some of our top stories on tuesday, march 18th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >>> good tuesday morning, everybody. we begin this half hour with the ongoing mystery over malaysia airlines flight 370. >>

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez.ad this half hour, from the oscars, from the big surprises, the letdowns, all the fashion and glitz. be sure to stick around all morning. >> i give it a big thumbs up overall. >> i'm impressed you watched the whole thing. >> from start to finish. that's dedication. >> it is. >> and i actually enjoyed it. >> how about that? >>> we begin with a major story developing overseas. on day four of what the u.s. is calling russia's invasion of the ukrainian region of crimea. >> russian troops still in unmarked uniforms digging in for what looks to be a long stay. secretary of state john kerry travels to the ukraine tomorrow. abc's terry moran is there. >> reporter: by sea the russian navy poured in more forces. on the roads, russian troops were on the move. on the border between crimea and the rest of ukraine, russian soldiers were spotted digging trenches, a sign they're here to stay. and nearby, in russia itself, full scale military exercises were under way ominously. for ukraine's new prime

i'm marci gonzalez.ake it a great day. >>> delta airlines has announced changes to its frequent flyer program after complaints from travelers. the airline is leaving domestic reward travel at 25,000 miles while lowering the requirements on some international flights especially in business and first class. also starting next year, customers will earn miles based on how much they spend not just how many miles they fly. spending is already a factor in loyalty programs with southwest, jetblue and virgin america. >>> the san jose giants are stepping up to the plate to honor a 95-year-old world war ii veteran. on sunday joe bell donned his old uniform to greet participants in a benefit run for the pat tillman foundation. as you can see, the runners loved it going out of their way to shake his hand and joe was quite touched by it. the video has been viewed more than a million times on the internet. the giants loved the video so much they made a trading card of bell and it will be the first happened out in the t

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller. we begin with the deepening mystery of malaysia airlines flight 370. still so few clues about what might have happened. search crews testing an oil slick found in the south china sea and tracking down a possible sighting of a plane part. >> we've learned a woman from the pittsburgh area, a malaysian citizen with a u.s. green card, was also on board. and the airline admits it's not uncommon for passengers to travel with stolen passports. abc's pierre thomas begins our coverage. >> reporter: this is the real luigi maraldi, his passport with that of austrian christian kozel was stolen in thailand months ago. there's an urgent international investigation trying to figure out who used those passports to board flight 370. malaysian officials have looked at surveillance video from security at the airport that show ail of the passengers from the plane. >> i can confirm that we have visuals on them and i can confirm two individuals concerned a details that recorded. >> reporter: the fbi and u.

here is marcy gonzalez with the report. >> high-level resignation at target.he company looking for a new head of technology now that beth jacob has resigned. she held the position during last year's massive data breach which severely hurt the season profits. an airline industry group said the number of passengers flying on major u.s. carriers in march and april expected to be the highest in six years. almost 130 million flyers projected to be on board, improving economy and low fares are among the reasons why. chipotle fans can rest easy. the restaurant's popular guacamole is here to say. they set off a panic they would stop serving certain dishes because of a spike in chances. chipotle says no changes are planned. new sriracha flavored chip is available at walmart. >>> walnut creek is the latest bay area city to ban single use plastic bags. city council voted to ban them at all retail stores and restaurants. beginning september customers must bring their own reusable bags or pay $0.10 to $0.25. they made the ban after they learned they were polluting creek be

i'm john muller. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. where a nine-story apartment building under construction is nothing more than a smoldering pile of rubble. >> the fire broke out around 5:00 last evening. filling the sky with dense black smoke. fire suppressions systems had not yet been installed in the building yet. so flames spread quickly. it threatened other buildings in the area as well. >> from my apartment, i saw the fire, the smoke, i came over here. i walked down here. it was really intense. the flames were really hot. >> fire crews did get a handle on the flames before they could spread. but they will be working until later this morning to put it out completely. one firefighter suffered second-degree burns. >>> our other major story this morning -- the disappearance of flight 370. after more than four days of intense investigation there is still not even a sliver of evidence. >> the search area is expanding and the speculation is nearly spiraling out of control. abc's devin dwyer is following the developments. good morning,

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez.h day of the ongoing search for malaysia airlines flight 370. >> frustration is rising hand in hand with confusion as once again malaysian officials change their version of several key details about the flight. our coverage begins now with abc's david kerley. >> reporter: the mystery of flight 370 came no close to being solved when again the malaysian government -- >> i would like to say -- >> reporter: -- changed the story. so few facts have produced so many theories. the long-time pilot who wrote, it could have been a fire in the cockpit that brought that big turn off the flight path, but u.s. sources say they remain focused on what appears to be a deliberate act, and it is all because of the tidbits of information we do have. as we first reported this weekend, a source says someone programmed the autopilot for that dramatic left turn off the flight path before 1:07 a.m. 12 minutes later, the final radio call to malaysian controllers, reportedly from the co-pilot, "all right, good ni

leer's abc's marcy gonzalez with the "money report." >>> good morning. topping america's money, investors seem to have shaken off fears of ukraine for now. the dow opens ap a 227 point surge, largest gain since december. all three markets scored their best day of the year. radio shack plans to close as many as 1,100 stores. nearly 20% of its locations. the texas-based lech stronks vendor is struggling to survive after posting its eighth straight quarterly loss. united airlines putting workers at security lines to look for people who might be trying to carry oversized bags onboard flights. the airline says it's a move aimed at loading and unloading planes more quickly and not a new policy. >>> and if the president's new budget proposal becomes law, pennies and nickels would go away, or at least made with cheaper metals. previous attempts to kill the penny haven't gone far. it's a and that "america's money." i'm marcy gonzalegonzalez. >>> and heading to washington to compete in the intel science talent search. the eight teens are among 40 finalists trying

. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> 12 days later and still no answers as to what happened to flight 370, but clues this morning from military radar and fishermen are creating new theories. >> abc's nikki battiste is in perth, australia, and she filed this report moments ago. >> reporter: this morning the u.s. navy's most advanced surveillance plane, the p-8 poseidon, has joined aircraft from australia and new zealand. they're scanning a million nautical miles far off the western coast of australia. >> those are really, really treacherous, deep seas. winter is coming. the rescue effort just continues to get difficult by the day. >> reporter: with all the high-tech equipment, it may end up being a human eye that spots any sign of the missing flight. >> it's not even a needle in a haystack. it's a needle in thousands of fields of haystacks. >> reporter: abc's bob woodruff tracked down some malaysian fishermen who claim they saw the plane the night it disappeared in almost the exact spot the plane was thought to have made a left turn off course. >> they said they were here whe

. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> a small washington town is left with sadness and fear this morning as the death toll rises following a massive mudslide. >> eight people confirmed dead. another 18 missing. the view from above shows the size of the slide burying homes in several feet of mud. rescue crews are putting an oblgs xrksz orange x on the buildings they have been able to search. >> tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: the frantic search for people trapped in debris continued through the night. rescuers digging through dangerously thick mud. 15 feet deep in some areas. >> the conditions are muddy. in places, it's like quick sand. other areas are not accessible at this time. >> reporter: pick occurs from above the scene show the scope. this rural community north of seattle buried by a mudslide measuring a square mile. it looks as if a whole side of the mountain came crashing down. >> total devastation. i mean, it's just unbelievable. it reminds me of what a tornado looks like. when it's touched the ground. >> there really is no stick standing in the pat

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. we begin with breaking news. a hit-and-run accident in austin, texas, as a town hosts the hugely popular south by southwest tech and media conference. >> two are dead and two dozen injured after a car plowed into a crowd outside one of the bars participating in the festival. police say the driver was a drunken driving suspect being chased by police. >> the driver continued to drive after crashing through the barricades and hit numerous pedestrians before the vehicle stopped. the driver was taken into custody. >> now, some of the injured are in critical condition much the two people killed were on a moped. tens of thousands of people attend south by southwest. it runs for ten days. the austin music awards were presented last night. we're still working on this story. a full update on "good morning america." >>> our other top story, the latest on the disappearance of flight 370. within the next 34 to 48 hours the uss destroyer "kidd" will join the search. >> new satellite images from china are only adding to the con

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> we begin with new developments overnight in the search for flight 370. the search has shifted to a new area as investigators focus on the background of the pilot and copilot. >> tahman bradley joins us live from washington with the new details. tahman? >> reporter: good morning. the search now covers the very deep indian ocean and 11 countries the plane could have flown over. it could take months, or longer, to find the plane. at least 26 countries have joined the search for the missing malaysia airlines jet. the u.s. using its most sophisticated submarine hunter, the p-8. as the search continues, more evidence that the disappearance was a deliberate act. >> there is nothing out there indicating it's terrorist. something with the pilot and the copilot. that has to be drilled down on. >> reporter: abc news has learned that the flight, 370, that a hard turn of the flight path was preprogrammed into the computer. the data transmission was cut off some time after 1:07. the location transmission cut at 1:21. in the middle of all that, someone

. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez.begin in hollywood, where the oscar afterparties, only some of them might be winding down right about now. >> maybe you're right. among those celebrating, steve mcqueen, who becomes the first african-american director to win for best picture. abc's akiko fujita stayed up all night. she joins us with the highlights. >> reporter: good morning to you. you hear crews breaking down the red carpet. just hours after the show. away from the dolby theater, partying all fight for the stars. a lot of celebrating out here. the big winner? "12 years a slave." >> "12 years a slave." >> reporter: top honors for the slavery odyssey based on an 1853 memoir. brad pitt's production company produced it. >> thank you all. thank you for this incredible honor you bestowed on our film tonight. >> reporter: the film received a best supporting actress nod for lupita nyong'o. >> it has been the joy of my life. [ applause ] >> reporter: "dallas buyers club" a drama about battling aids in 1980s texas cleaned up. j

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller. we begin with the breaking news, australia's department of defense released these satellite images of debris, two objects which may be related to the missing flight. one of the pieces is thought to be as large as 78 feet long. the other, approximately 16 feet long. >> the area where the debris has been spotted is approximately 1500 miles southwest of perth, australia. in that vicinity, the ocean is well over a mile deep, if not more. it's in the area known to mariners as the roaring 40s. southern latitudes notorious for wild weather and waves. an american p 7 poseidon subhunter is searching at the moment. >> it can provide high resolution images and hopefully provide a clearer picture. david wright is on the plane and filed this report on his way to the search scene. >> reporter: this is david wright. i'm aboard a u.s. navy p8 poseidon that's a surge and rescue vessel. it's rescue 74. we're past a search area that's headed towards the south pole from all those due south of kuala lumpu

. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> we begin with the desperate search for that malaysia boeing 777 gone for more than two days now without a trace. >> an american destroyer has joined more than two dozen other ships in the china sea but still nothing to report. >> abc's tahman bradley joins us with more. >> reporter: good morning, john and marci. teams have searched more than 50 nautical miles from where the aircraft was last spotted. u.s. technical experts are en route to asia to assist. search and rescue teams continued scouring the maritime border between malaysia and vietnam lacking for wreckage. a plane spotted a rectangular object originally thought to be the boeing 777s door, but ships could not find it. >> we have not found anything that appeared to be object from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft. >> reporter: authorities are waiting for the result of samples from oil slicks in the south china sea. malaysia airlines told the families of the 239 people onboard to prepare for the worst. american passenger philip wood's mother is still very shocked. >> if you wa

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller. we begin with a fourth day and still no sign of a missing malaysian passenger jet. exhausted families waiting for news in fear and disbelief about how little is known about this plane's disappearance. >> many have gathered at a hotel near the airport in beijing for updates that are few and far between. their anger is beginning to grow as the search for the plane intensifies. our team coverage begins with abc's tahman bradley. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: marci and john, good morning. the search began in the area where the plane went off the radar. now it is expanded into areas this plane could have reached given the amount of fuel it was carrying. malaysian police say this man, a 19-year-old iranian is one of two men who boarded malaysia flight 370 using stolen passports. they believe he was trying to seek asylum in germany and has no ties to terrorism. authorities continue to run background checks on all the passengers. >> we are looking into four areas. one is hijacking, two,

. >> and i'm marci gonzalez. the mystery of flight 370 is now well into its fifth day. with still no sign of the plane, passengers or crew. new video this morning shows japanese soldiers preparing to join the multicountry search crew. they will join the international effort to find the missing plane today as the flight's potential path is causing more confusion. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: the mystery deepens. authorities now say the malaysian airlines jet veered far off course after turning off its tracking signal. >> either the flight crew or there's someone else in the cockpit that is making some decisions that don't really compute. >> reporter: the malaysian military says flight 370 banked hard to the left and then flew for an hour over hundreds of miles of land, never sounding an alarm and cruising into the strait of malaca near a tiny ro rocky island called pulau perak. they searched land and a new stretch of ocean but no sign of the missing plane, krcriticism mounting. >> it's happen hard. >> reporter: new questions about the cockpit crew. t

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller. there is further indication this morning that the disappearance of malaysian airlines flight 370 was not caused by a malfunction but was deliberately done. >> abc's kristin fisher is following the latest from washington. good morning, kristin. >> reporter: good morning, john and marci. well, u.s. investigators say they are now convinced that someone manually intervened with the plane's communication system. this morning american ships are on the move heading to the edge of the indian ocean where u.s. officials say there is an indication flight 370 may have gone down. they're now seriously considering the possibility that the plane's disappearance was not an accident. two sources tell abc news that the plane's two communication systems were shut down separately adding fuel to the theory that this may have been a deliberate act. >> maybe it was a hijacking. maybe it was a pilot suicide. maybe there was some elaborate plan to take this airplane somewhere and do something with it. >> repo

. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> flight 370 will not be found for at least another day after bad weather stopped the search. >> here's the headline in a malaysian newspaper, the darkened front page shows a plane above the words "good night, mh370." >> the malaysian prime minister says there is no doubt the plane crashed into the indian ocean with no survivors. abc's clayton sandell has the latest from perth, australia. >> reporter: it's been a cloudy, rainy day here in perth, australia, but 1500 miles offshore, the weather is so bad that the air and sea search for malaysia 370 is now on hold. today all of the search planes here are grounded. the search for any sign of that missing boeing 777 is having to wait as a storm system passes through a search area that stretches across one of the most remote and unforgiving places on earth. winds are forecast to be 50 miles an hour. even ships in the area are being moved out of the worst rough seas with swells around 13 feet. now, that includes the australian navy ship the "success." now, this is the vessel that was sent yes

. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> a police chief raised the death toll again overnight in the washington mudslide. >> rescuers say 24 people are likely dead, and hopes of finding any more survivors are fading. >> more than 170 people are missing and no one in the mudslide's path has been found alive since saturday. abc's tahman bradley has the latest on the search. >> reporter: along the disaster zone, the rescuers are battling mud and debris and the weather. a flood warning is in effect, and there are fears of another landslide. >> we had a very challenging day today with the rain, and that just further complicated things. >> reporter: the national guard and even dogs have joined the search, but the mud is so dense, it's acting like quicksand. >> they're literally getting stuck, sometimes all the way up to their waist, which means then they need help getting out of that area. >> reporter: experts say the slide was like a mud tsunami traveling as much as 30 miles per hour spread out over one square mile leaving mud 15 to 30 feet deep, the moment of terror captured in fr

. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> we begin with the u.s. military changing its approach to searching for the missing malaysian plane. >> the military is pulling its warship from the "uss kidd" to the international effort. they are now going to rely on aircraft and submarines as the search area expands and the investigation becomes more complex. >> abc's tahman bradley is live in washington with the latest. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: marci and john, good morning. this is truly unprecedented. 26 countries including the u.s. now involved in the search. as we've been saying, satellite data have given the experts a sense of where to look, but the water is so deep. the search for flight 370 has expanded to an area of roughly the size of texas. planes and ships are scouring the extremely deep and remote southern indian ocean. officials say this is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. >> the sheer size of the search area poses a huge challenge. there is very little radar cover, and it's wide open space. >> reporter: investigators sti

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> and i'm john muller. we begin with another show of force and escalating tensions between russia and ukraine. >> overnight russia set its sights on ukraine's warships. new video this morning shows four russian navy vessels blocking a ukrainian ship at a crimean port. >> it is the latest sign that the two countries are on the brink of war. abc's tahman bradley is following the developments from washington. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, john and marci. world powers are urging president putin to withdraw his troops before this situation gets out of control, but so far putin is not backing down. he's saying he's protecting russian interests. with the russian air force in the skies, russian boots on the ground and the russian navy patrolling ports and seas, vladimir putin now controls the crimea region in eastern ukraine. it's a huge escalation raising tensions around the globe. russia says its troops are there to protect russian citizens from the unrest in ukraine sparked by violent protests

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> i'm john muller.cars all morning long, from the winners, the losers, the fashions, the laughs, we'll cover it from "a" to "z." it was a great show. >> i watched it from start to finish. my first oscars. you look lovely, by the way. you look red carpet quality. >> thanks. i wasn't even invited. still i'm waiting. i'm checking twitter to see if i'm called to any red carpet oscar parties. >> we'll have fun on our red carpet set in a little while. >>> we'll start with the major winter storm zeroing in on the washington, d.c. area and mid-atlantic region. nearly a foot of snow expected with a later of ice with rain falling now. most federal offices will be closed today. school is out today as well in washington, pittsburgh and parts of new jersey. >> and estimated 90 million people are being impacted by this storm. in oklahoma city, besides snow, there was thunder, hail and lightning yesterday. producing some dramatic moments courtesy of mother nature. our coverage begins with abc's alex perez. >> reporter