to tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. an arrest warrant issued for russian president vladimir putin for alleged war crimes. the international criminal court accusing vladimir putin of abducting children from ukraine and sending them to russia. the kremlin firing back, calling the warrant outrageous and unacceptable, saying it does not recognize the court and its decisions are legally void. ukraine applauding the move, saying the wheels of justice are turning. the warrant issued ahead of next week's meeting between putin and china's president xi. james longman in ukraine and martha raddatz reporting from washington. here at home, the fbi announcing they prevented a chilling st. patrick's day plot. a suspect arrested, accused of threatening to kill police officers in yonkers, new york,

during tomorrow's parade. aaron katersky stand >>ne week aftellse of silicon valley bank, its former parent company now filing for bankruptcy. the stock market sliding just 24 hours after a group of banks unveiled a $30 billion rescue plan for first republic bank. the new report claiming first republic executives sold $12 million in stock months before the crash. the severe storm system and where it's headed tonight. at least two tornadoes, including a confirmed ef-1 damaging homes and businesses in texas. winds up to 110 miles per hour. an arctic blast now on the way. below-zero wind chills tomorrow morning. our weather team tracking it all. new concerns tonight about tiktok. sources telling abc news the justice department is launching an investigation into the owners of the popular social media app over allegations of spying. a new report on the possible origins of covid-19. an international team of

scientists reportedly finding genetic links tying the pandemic to another animal in china, leading to more questions about other virus theories, including a possible lab leak. here in new york, the good samaritan helping police take down an armed man carrying two loaded guns. and on this st. patrick's day, the lucky charmers bringing joy across the country. good evening, and it's great to have you with us on this friday night. i'm whit johnson in for david. we begin tonight with the international criminal court issuing an arrest warrant for russian president vladimir putin, a new effort to bring him to justice for alleged war crimes committed during the war in ukraine. the icc in the hague accusing vladimir putin of abducting or forcibly deporting children from ukraine and sending them to live in russia. putin holding a security council

meeting in moscow today. the kremlin firing back at the court, calling the warrant outrageous and unacceptable, saying it does not recognize the icc and its decisions are legally void. a research report out of yale identifying 6,000 ukrainian children taken to russian facilities since the start of the war, including orphans. the icc without its own police force making it very unlikely putin will be arrested any time soon. but the warrant further isolates him and russia from the rest of the world. the warrant issued just days before china's president xi meets with putin in moscow, his first visit since the invasion of ukraine more than one year ago. james longman leading us off from ukraine. >> reporter: tonight, humiliation for vladimir putin. the international criminal court issuing an arrest warrant for the russian president, seeking to put him behind bars. judges at the hague alleging putin has committed a war crime for the unlawful transfer of

children, from occupied areas of ukraine to the russian federation. >> it is forbidden by international law for occupied powers to transfer civilians from the territory they live in to other territories. children enjoy special protection under the geneva convention. >> reporter: the u.s. state department says thousands of children and perhaps over a million adults have allegedly been forcibly deported from ukraine to russia. but the foreign ministry in moscow has brushed off the warrant, calling the court's decisions legally null and void. the arrest warrant perhaps just the beginning of the international community's efforts to bring putin to justice. vice president kamala harris last month accused russian forces of committing crimes against humanity in places like bucha, citing murder, torture, and rape. as i'm standing here talking to you, i'm looking at one, two, three, four, five bodies in this tiny room in this basement where ukrainians say people have been tortured. and i can see their hands behind their backs.

it is a truly apocalyptic scene. it's just absolutely horrific in here. this is what ukraine says is happening across the country. yet today, presenting himself as a commander not criminal, announcing he'll host china's president xi on monday for a state visit. the kremlin saying the two leaders plan to sign joint declarations deepening, quote, strategic cooperation. putin hoping that translates into assistance on the battlefield that his depleted forces badly need. but xi has positioned himself as a peacemaker in recent weeks, and he can't do that if, as some fear, he does the kremlin's bidding. also today, after months of asking, ukraine now being promised fighter jets. poland and slovakia in the last 36 hours have become the first two nato allies to promise immediate delivery of soviet-era mig fighter jets. >> james longman joining us now from ukraine. james, several world leaders supporting that arrest warrant for vladimir putin, and the white house responding tonight. >> reporter: yeah, that's right,

whit. the national security council issued a statement a short while ago to abc news saying there is no doubt that russia is committing war crimes and atrocities in ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible must be held accountable. >> james, our thanks to you. let's get right to abc's chief global affairs correspondent, martha raddatz. martha, how rare is this kind of arrest warrant for a world leader? and what impact could it have on putin and russia going forward? >> well, whit, putin is by far the most powerful person ever issued an arrest warrant by the international court. he joins the ranks of people like the late muammar khadafy of libya. and that was 12 years ago. but many warrants are official leaders and some affiliated with al qaeda. even though an arrest is not going to happen any time soon if ever, and even though russia does not recognize the court, this is a cloak of shame that will stay with him forever. on a practical note. it could limit his travel overseas and it

could isolate him further. of course it does come in the middle of the war with ukraine and right after the u.s. released that video showing the reckless behavior of russian pilots and right before he is to meet with china's president, which could limit what china will do to assist russia in the war in terms of providing weapons. whit? >> martha raddatz and again james longman, our thanks to both of you on this developing story today. meantime, back here in the u.s., authorities revealing a chilling plot targeting st. patrick's day. the fbi arresting a suspect in yonkers, new york, accusing him of threatening to kill police officers during tomorrow's parade. the suspect allegedly posting alarming messages on social media. authorities also say he has a history of threatening police. here's abc's senior investigative reporter, aaron katersky. >> reporter: tonight, on this st. patrick's day, the fbi arresting this axe-wielding man for threatening to attack police officers marchaty' paick'day parade in yonkers.

>> the message is clear. it will be taken seriously, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. that's what we do. >> reporter: in online posts, federal prosecutors say ridon kola mentioned jihad, referenced isis, and expressed support for sayfullo saipov, who carried out the 2017 bike path terror attack in new york city that killed eight people. saipov was recently sentenced to life in prison. earlier this month, court records quoted a message kola allegedly sent to yonkers police saying, i will crucify yonkers cops and their bosses all along mclean avenue. it will be a horror scene. mclean avenue is where saturday's parade steps off. a few days later, kola posted this picture of himself with an axe and a caption in albanian that says, "come on, judas, i'm waiting for you." kola has been ordered detained by a judge. whit, we spoke to the mayor who told us this is not going stop the community from celebrating irish americans. the parade is on tomorrow in yonkers as scheduled.

>> many encouraged to hear that news. aaron katersky, thank you. next, concern over the stability of america's banks still being felt across the u.s. and wall street today one week after the collapse of silicon valley bank. its former parent company now filing for bankruptcy. the dow falling 384 points just 24 hours after a group of banks unveiled a $30 billion plan to rescue first republic bank. a new report claiming first republic executives sold $12 million in stock months before the crash. here's abc's erielle reshef. >> reporter: tonight, wall street closing out the week with a rocky ride, stocks plunging nearly 400 points even after that $30 billion rescue of the troubled first republic bank by the country's biggest banks. >> there's still a lot of angst in the marketplace. i think there are some investors worried that we may see a bank failure or two this weekend. >> reporter: president biden today pushing congress to impose tougher penalties on executives

at failed banks, including giving regulators the power to claw back gains from their stock sales. >> i'm going ask congress and the banking regulators to strengthen the rules for banks to make it less likely this kind of bank failure would happen again. >> reporter: it comes after a report from "the wall street journal" that executives at first republic sold $12 million in stock in the months leading up to its crash. but that bank is still operating, and those executives are still in charge. first republic telling us they have no comment on those stock sales. >> i feel confident the regulators are looking at this, and again, i would be surprised if they weren't. >> reporter: today the parent company of silicon valley filing for bankruptcy as the department of justice and the s.e.c. investigate its leadership. ceo greg becker sold nearly $3.6 million dollars in stock just days before the bank collapsed. sources tell abc news the fbi is looking into whether there is evidence of insider trading.

and, whit, the white house is also asking congress to empower the fdic to impose fines on those executives from failed banks and to bar them from holding jobs in the industry. whit? >> erielle reshef, thank you. next tonight, the severe weather threat in the south after that cross-country storm unleashed a tornado and large p. at least two confirmed tornadoes hitting texas, including an ef-1 touching down in irving with winds up to 110 miles per hour. whiteout conditions blinding drivers in southwest minnesota. trucks jackknifing on the highways. that system moving out, and now a major cold blast coming right behind it. let's get to abc's meteorologist somara theodore with more on what we could expect. >> reporter: good evening. we're continuing to track that cold front, and along its leading edge, more storms popping up in the florida panhandle as well as rain in the i-95 corridor overnight. that cold air is going to come in with a vengeance as we head through the weekend.

wind chills will be below zero saturday morning and we're starting the see freeze watches and alerts being sounded off for much of the southeast. the cold air continues into sunday morning with wind chills feeling like the single digits in many areas. you know, whit, this comes on the heels of a rather warm end to the week for a lot of east coast, so it's important they keep that winter gear on deck. >> somara, thank you, and this is your first report here on "world news tonight". we're thrilled to have you. welcome to the team. we turn now to the increasing scrutiny over tiktok. sources tell abc news the justice department is launching an investigation into the owners of the popular social media app for allegedly spying on journalists. the news follows an apparent warning from the biden administration to ban tiktok if its chinese parent company doesn't sell its stake. here's abc's chief justice correspondent, pierre thomas. >> reporter: tonight, the china-based company that owns tiktok under investigation by the fbi for allegedly spying on

american citizens. sources telling abc news the justice department is looking into whether bytedance, tiktok's parent company, was tracking and mining information about reporters who cover the tech industry. this as the nation's top intelligence official warns that tiktok makes americans vulnerable to spying. >> one-third of americans get their news from tiktok every single day. one-sixth of american youth say they're constantly on tiktok. that's a loaded gun. >> reporter: the fear? that tiktok has been vacuuming volumes of personal, detailed information about all those users, information that could be exploited by china to manipulate what americans think. and sources tell abc news the biden administration is threatening to ban tiktok completely unless the chinese owners give up their stake. but some lawmakers say just ban it now. >> for me, personally, i think they need to be gone. you know, china is our number one adversary. we need to protect ourself.

>> reporter: tiktok officials have said in recent days that they are addressing the privacy concerns of americans and that forcing the china-based parent company to divest would not address the security concerns raise by u.s. officials. whit? >> pierre thomas, thank you. overseas tonight, massive protests for a second day on the streets of france. thousands angry over president emmanuel macron's decision to force through a pension reform bill, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. protesters clashing with police in paris. some throwing rocks and fireworks. officers in riot gear using tear gas to clear the crowd. more than 300 protesters across france detained so far. next tonight, a new report on the possible origins of covid-19. an international team of scientists reportedly finding genetic links tying the pandemic to another animal in wuhan, china. it raises even more questions now about other covid theories, including a possible lab leak. here's abc's stephanie ramos.

>> reporter: tonight, new evidence that covid-19 may have originated from natural animal to human transmission after new analysis suggests a link from the virus to raccoon dogs at china's wuhan market. >> this is another big brick in a huge wall of evidence pointing to this market as the epicenter and to wildlife as the source of this pandemic. >> reporter: the findings first reported by "the atlantic" after researcher michael worobey and a group of scientists analyzed new data uploaded just days ago into a global database by researchers at china's cdc. that data including swab samples taken in and around wuhan market back in january of 2020. >> we found some pretty interesting things, including raccoon dog and other mammal dna and samples that have sars-cov-2. >> reporter: the preliminary findings and data not yet

published or peer reviewed. tonight, the w.h.o. and experts say the findings are strong evidence but do not prove conclusively raccoon dogs transmitted the virus to humans or had covid-19 themselves. >> this data do not provide a definitive answer to the question of how the pandemic began. >> reporter: the news coming amid fierce debate over where the virus came from. the department of energy now joining the fbi saying with low confidence they suspect the pandemic most likely started with a lab leak in china. whit, this is raising questions again about transparency. when it comes to the origin of covid. chinese researchers reportedly uploaded that data and then for some reason took it down after that international team was able to analyze it. the w.h.o. is now calling for china to release any and all information relating to covid-19 and its origin. whit? >> stephanie ramos, our thanks to you tonight. when we come back, the

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coming together to celebrate st. patrick's day. in savannah, georgia, the georgia state patrol honor guard marching past city hall. in new york city's parade, the fdny's emerald society pipes and drums performing for the crowd. in boston, massachusetts, at mass general for children and brigham and women's hospital, the nicu dressing up their young patients in hopes of charming their families and bringing some smiles. 5-week-old aadvik. 13-day-old penelope. nurse sarah. >> we love to help our families enjoy their stay in the nicu, which can be a hard time. >> reporter: nurse alison, too. >> they bring joy to us getting to be part of these special moments. >> reporter: and in del rio, california, look at these lucky charmers. rescue dogs bruce, dale, and jey dressed in green. each one jumping up to say hi. for years now, their owners dressing them up for st. patrick's day and special occasions, hoping to raise

awareness for rescue dogs. here they are with their brother ziggy enjoying some dog friendly ale and setting a leprechaun trap, pot of gold and all. tonight here -- >> hello! wishing everybody a very happy st. patrick's day. >> reporter: anna with a sleepy bruce, dale, and joey. >> we love to encourage people to rescue, to adopt, to foster, to donate, to volunteer. >> reporter: while back in boston, a message from the nicu floor. > happy st. patrick's day! >> and happy st. patrick's day to all of you. i'm whit johnson in new york. have a great night.

>> the student stabbed and taken to the hospital another one taken into custody right here in the bay. plus, sam whitten is known wide. if sam quinn can do it it can be done anywhere else. >> and new role for california's oldest princeton and it is a -- prison and it is a controversial one. >> a taste of winter but it is not done yet. abc7news at 6:00 starts right now. building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> the big story prison once home to the worst of the worst of california's criminals will soon be a place to get better. >> thank you for joining us. we are talking about san quentin prison. it will not be death row anymore it will be a lower security prison focused on

rehabilitation, education, and training. governor newsom laid out the plan today. >> we change the name of the facility and we will formalize that in the next year or two to be san quentin rehabilitation. >> there are a lot of perspectives and opinions. that is why we have team coverage on the topic. suzanne spoke to the father of poly class the killer is on death row in san quentin and he does not want him anywhere else. >> lock innocent citizens from them. >> when it comes to public safety and politics it is not a new question. abc insider frontier brings us that perspective. >> are reporter begins the team coverage to explain what will change for now. >> yeah, to notorious killers