tonight, breaking news. bracing for a major nor'easter. authorities now warning, this could be a life threatening storm. hurricane-force wind gusts. the storm from the carolinas up through d.c., philly, new york and boston. wind gusts in some places surpassing 70 miles per hour. also tonight, jared kushner. president trump's son-in-law and senior adviser holding meetings with banks and lenders inside the white house. in one case, a job at the white house was discussed for one of the men. then large loans from those wall street companies to jared kushner's family business. what's going on? tonight, the nuclear warning to america. russian president vladimir putin and his new threat. giant images of missiles raining down on florida, saying to the world, you'll listen to us now. breaking developments in the case of the young mother who

vanished from her home while she was getting ready to take her children to day care. what authorities are now revealed tonight. and the major collision turning deadly today. several rigs and cars erupting into flames. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a thursday night. and we begin with that powerful nor'easter set to slam the east coast. 70 million americans from north carolina all the way up to maine, about to get hit with this. two systems merging to create this nor'easter. hurricane-force wind gusts in some places, more than 70 miles an hour. heavy snow and flooding rain, high tide and a full moon adding to the danger. we have the track of this storm tonight. abc's gio benitez leads us off from massachusetts tonight. >> reporter: tonight, homes are boarded up and residents are racing to fill sandbags with a massive nor'easter bearing down on the east coast. evacuations underway in massachusetts, officials warning -- >> we expect to lose homes during this storm. if you are in one of those

areas, you need to get out. >> reporter: january's nor'easter brought hurricane force wind gusts, massive waves and devastating flooding. from record tides even reaching sea walls. they're worried this one will be even worse. >> people should be concerned. this is going to be a very long duration storm. we're expecting at least three high tides with the accompanying winds. >> reporter: in scituate, julie barry hoping those sandbags will keep her salon business dry. >> be prepared, yeah. we weren't last time, so, trying a little harder this time. >> reporter: much of the nor'easter's energy coming from strong storms that pummeled the south, shutting down roadways across arkansas. in dallas, water rescues from car s stranded in torrential flooding. >> and gio benitez live with us. reported on these coastal storms often there. and gio, i gather there's already talk of evacuations tonight? >> reporter: that's right, david. they want everyone out of here by 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. we're looking at a possible

four-foot storm surge. wind gusts up to 75 miles an hour. and even the national weather service now says that this could be a matter of life or death. >> all right, gio benitez leading us off, thank you. the effects of this are will be being felt. the commute in the morning will be treacherous. rob marciano is live from new york city tonight. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. it will be a different scene here tomorrow, i guarantee you that. an epic storm is shaping up. look at all the alerts. from maine, all the way down to georgia. our inland low is about to punt its energy to the coastline. that's when things are get kicking overnight. the rain moves into the big cities in the morning and the stronger this storm gets, the heavier the snow on the backside will be. the winds are going to be ripping. 50, 60 miles an hour. i-95 travel going to be a nightmare. one to three inches of snow for new york. up to a foot in some of the higher hills. this storm, the wind and the coastal flooding, big-time flooding will continue through saturday and those certainly will be the hallmarks of this storm. david? >> a much different scene this time tomorrow night. rob marciano, our thanks to you.

we're also tracking a major weather threat in the west tonight. heavy snow starting in the sierras. up to six feet expected. blizzard warnings with winds up to 100 miles an hour. tonight, mandatory evacuations have been ordered for the burn-scarred area of santa barbara and montecito. we'll be following that, as well. in the meantime, we turn next tonight to the white house. just 24 hours after we learned president trump's longest-serving aide, hope hicks, is out. tonight, growing on jared kushner. tonight, new reporting about jared kushner and meetings with banks and lenders inside the white house. and then, the loans to the kushner family business that came after. now, the questions surrounding all this. abc's senior white house correspondent cecilia vega tonight. >> reporter: with the white house in turmoil, tonight, the president's own son-in-law facing growing scrutiny. according to "the new york times," two major wall street companies loaned jared kushner's

family business more than half a billion dollars after executives had multiple meetings with kushner in the white house. one of those executives even discussed the possibility of a white house job. a spokesman for kushner's lawyer says the president's senior is adviser "has had no role in the kushner company since joining the government," adding that kushner "has followed the ethics advice he has received from all of his work which include the separation from his business and recusals when appropriate." kushner is often seen at his father-in-law's side, but he rarely speaks publicly. >> i have not sought the spotlight. first in business, and now in public service. >> reporter: but in recent days, he hasn't been able to avoid the spotlight. as part of a west wing shakeup by chief of staff john kelly, he lost his top secret security clearance. and according to "the washington post," officials. >> multiple foreign governments have discussed ways to manipulate kushner by taking advantage of his lack of foreign policy experience and financial troubles.

the kushner family business is struggling raise money for the manhattan skyscraper at 666 fifth avenue that jared kushner bought for nearly $2 billion. much of it still sitting empty. is jared kushner becoming a distraction given all the controversies that he's been at the center of in recent days? >> look, jared is still a valued member of the administration. and he's going to continue to focus on the work that he has been doing. >> reporter: the turmoil engulfing the white house, not just about kushner. the president's long-time aide and close confidante, hope hicks, resigned. and tonight, new questions about the fate of jeff sessions. after the president once again lashed out at his attorney general on twitter, this time, sessions fired right back, defending his integrity. and then, he was photographed at dinner with deputy attorney general rod rosenstein, another frequent presidential target. washington dubbing it, "a show of solidarity." does the president want to get rid of his attorney general? >> not that i know of. >> reporter: the president is furious at sessions. behind closed doors, sometimes

calling him mr. magoo. amid the chaos, one man who has been under fire seems to have weathered the storm. john kelly with some dark humor today, in a visit with former colleagues at the department of homeland security. >> i miss every one of you, every day. [ laughter ] but i did something wrong and god punished me, i guess. >> a lot of laughter in that room. cecilia vega from inside the white house tonight. and cecilia, the white house is trying to contain speculation late today about yet another possible high profile departure? >> reporter: yeah, david. sources tell us that national security adviser h.r. mcmaster is expected to leave his job as soon as this spring. there have been long-running tensions between mcmaster and the president over what many here view as mcmaster's abrasive style in some oval office meetings. but just a few minutes ago, officials here at the white house tell us there was just an oval office meeting between the two men that just wrapped up and the president told mcmaster he is doing a great job, david, they are calling this speculation fake news. >> cecilia vega inside the

briefing room, where she was asking the questions today. thanks to you. the white house and the country learning of that new threat from russian president vladimir putin. his nuclear warning to the world and to the u.s. and those images he used of missiles raining down on florida. putin declaring, you'll listen to us now. here's abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz tonight. >> reporter: putin's annual state of the nation was provocative and threatening. giant screens showing missiles raining down on florida, and what was billed as an "invincible" intercontinental cruise missile. a nuclear-powered cruise missile, which putin claimed cold travel around any obstacle. and for anti-ballistic missile systems, he claimed, unstoppable. the missile shown headed toward the west coast of the united states. "no one has listened to us," putin said, "you'll listen to us now." a u.s. official tells abc news the missile is not yet in

production, but the former vice chairman of the joint chiefs says there are concerns. >> the thing that distresses me, they've obtained a high assurance that their attacks would be successful, by going to higher speeds and coming from different directions. >> reporter: of course, president trump has done little to turn down the heat. >> i want this, our nuclear arsenal, to be the biggest and the finest in the world. >> reporter: putin's announcement also comes just days after the head of the national security agency said the u.s. has not done enough to punish russia over election meddling. >> they haven't paid a price, at least, that's sft to get them to change their behavior. >> martha, the threat of the knew nuclear weapons, some are going to say this seems reminiscent of the cold war. are we looking at another one here? >> reporter: david, if this keys going in the same direction, it could certainly turn into that, but neither country really wants that to happen again. and for putin's part, david, this is also about appearing

strong domestically. the presidential election in russia is just weeks away. david? >> that's right, on the eve of that election. martha, thank you. next to the fallout here at home after that meeting just yesterday at the white house on school violence and guns. president trump agreeing with the democrats in the room on several ideas, including universal background checks. he also brought up raising the age to buy weapons like the ar-15. but the reaction from many republicans was immediate, and tonight, what they're now saying. as democrats say they're going to hold the president to his word. here's abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: a day after he vowed to push for bold action on gun violence -- >> we have to do something about it. we have to act. >> reporter: the president's high hopes are already hitting a familiar reality on capitol hill -- no consensus, no action. >> i hope this doesn't end up like the immigration debate, where we end up having votes and end up with nothing to show for it. >> reporter: some of the president's most reliable republican friends in congress, said point blank they couldn't support some of the ideas he

embraced. take his proposal to seize the guns of anyone identified as a possible threat, even without a hearing. >> i like taking the guns early. take the guns first, go through due process second. >> i love my president. i supported him. i still support him. but he and i are going to have to disagree on this idea of due process. >> reporter: republicans are also cool to the president's call for universal background checks and for raising the age to buy a rifle, poll sills opposed by the nra. >> some of you people are petrified of the nra. you can't be petrified. they want to do what's right. >> reporter: republicans didn't like that. >> i think he's -- it's a little hyperbole. >> reporter: the nra didn't either. >> i thought it made for really good tv. but i thought some of what was discussed is going to make for really bad policy. >> reporter: gridlock on guns is nothing new. but president trump told the lawmakers, he is the one that can change that. >> you have a different president now. >> well, listen --

>> you went through a lot of presidents and you didn't get it done. >> mr. president, it's going to have to be you that brings the republicans to the table on this, because right now, the gun lobby would stop it in its tracks. >> i like that responsibility, chris. i really do. i think it's time that a president stepped up. >> reporter: the democrats in that room loved it, but have doubts on whether the president will follow through. >> question is, was this words or is the president going to put some action behind it? >> let's get to jon karl at the white house tonight. jon, we were all watching that meeting play out on television. lawmakers in that room, president trump saying he wants this legislation now, that he doesn't want to wait. but one day later, you're hearing a different tone from the white house? >> reporter: well, we seem to hear different tone from the white house press secretary, where the president said, it's important to act now, sarah sanders said today, this is going to be an ongoing process. we don't expect something to happen overnight. that said, aides say this is a top priority for the president, he met again with the victims of school shootings here today at the white house, his message to them is that he's going to get something done. >> all right, jon karl, our

thanks to you again tonight. president trump also taking action today on trade, imposing stiff tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from other countries. blaming those countries for destroying those industries here at home. but could his move lead to higher prices on products here, even cars and trucks? stocks falling sharply on the news. the dow jones losing 420 points to close at 24,608. so, let's get right to abc's chief business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis tonight. what's rattling investors on this one? >> reporter: david, the primary concern is, while this is helpful to u.s. steel and aluminum companies, it also means that the cost for u.s. manufacturers on those materials go up, and that could ultimately get passed along to consumers. so, take the ford f-150, for example. the engine is made here in the united states. the travns mission is made here. it is assembled here. but some of the aluminum in that car comes from canada. and as that price goes up, the company ultimately has to make a decision, what do we do? do we pass that cost along to

consumers? think of anything that involves a car. beer, soda. think of building materials. all of those costs start to go up in the case of these tariffs. >> we'll be backing this. rebecca, thank you. and one more note tonight involving your money. we've been tracking the spending by members of the president's cabinet, taxpayer dollars, and tonight here, housing secretary ben carson under pressure for his spending on office furniture, including a dining set for $31,000. they're not canceling that order, but how do they explain the price tag in the first place? abc's mary bruce, tracking your money tonight. >> reporter: it's the department that's supposed to look out for the poorest americans, but tonight, the housing agency is under fire for its own alleged lavish spending. >> there's a lot more money in the private sector than there is in the government. does it mean that the government isn't still going to be a major player, but we just want to make sure we get bang for the taxpayers' dollar. >> reporter: a spokesman says housing secretary ben carson

didn't ask for his staff to spend more than $31,000 on opulent dining furniture for his office. well above the $5,000 limit. tonight, that order, canceled. carson is one of six trump administration officials under scrutiny for allegedly wasting your taxpayer money, funding trips, first class tickets, even a $30,000 secure phone booth for an office. just weeks ago, a scathing report found veterans affairs secretary david shulkin misled ethics officials and cost taxpayers $122,000 on a european tour. in july, shulkin and his wife traveled to copenhagen and london. 3 1/2 days were spent in official meetings. the rest of the ten-day trip, mostlysightseeing. they even went to wimbledon. >> i went and i did not lock myself in the hotel room. i went out and i went to various historic and other sites. every penny of that was paid for

by me. >> reporter: investigators say shulkin and his wife treated one v.a. staffer as a personal travel kons rarj. then, there's treasury secretary steve mnuchin who took this costly government jet to kentucky, where he and his wife viewed the eclipse. the head of the epa, scott pruitt, has been criticized for his frequent first class travel. but tonight, he says, from now on, he'll be flying back in coach. as for secretary shulkin, he has since paid back the government the cost of his wife's travel and those wimbledon tickets. david? >> mary bruce, you'll stay on it. there's still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this thursday. the major collision on the highway turning deadly. several trucks and cars erupting into flames. also ahead, new developments in the case of the young mother who vanished from her home while she was getting ready to take the children to day care. and a deadly house explosion tonight. and we've now learned this will effect 3,000 homes in that

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there are new developments in the search for a young mother in virginia. tonight, a chilling discovery, and here's abc's linzie janis. >> reporter: tonight, a tragic end to the desperate search for this missing virginia mother of two. >> detectives have now switched their gears in this case from a missing persons report of suspicious nature to a homicide. >> reporter: investigators say they were led to the body of 23-year-old terry lynn st. john by a suspect now in custody. >> the body was positively identified approximately 20 feet off the road. >> reporter: the young mother vanishing from her home early tuesday morning while she was getting ready to take her kids to day care. her front door left wide open. >> no family deserves to go through this. >> reporter: investigators say the suspect told deputies he strangled the mother until she stopped breathing. detectives say they contacted 23-year-old suspect alvin

keiser, described as an acquaintance of st. john's. david, police say they believe the suspect acted alone. he has been charged with first degree murder. david? >> thank you, linzie. when we come back, the major recall. the popular kitchen device at risk of catching fire or melting. and that fiery crash on the highway. several rigs and cars bursting into flames. we'll be right back. alice is living with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. she's also taking prescription ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor, which is for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole was significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus letrozole. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death.

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finally tonight here oushgs countdown to the oscars. and the magic behind the movie revealed. tonight, could oscar gold be taking shape? "the shape of water" with the most nominations, 13. sally hawkins' character touching the glass. she's nominated for best actress. the director, guillermo del toro, also up for an oscar. and tonight, how he brought that creature to life. shooting some of the scenes underwater. and using light to make it seem like they were under water in other scenes. >> bring the light up a foot. >> reporter: the director revealing how they pulled off that underwater feat. >> we have puppeteers

puppeteer-ing every object and then they land. >> reporter: and the other secret revealed. the creature starting from sketches and sculptures to the full body mold. uv lights and paint to make it glow. putting on the suit and zipping it up. the eyes and goggles. sand the man inside. the creature moving octavia spencer nominated for best supporting actress. >> when i saw the creature for the first time, the fins, the gills, the scales, it's remarkable. you really do believe you're looking at a real life merman. >> reporter: but whether any of them will be looking at oscar, we'll find out sunday night. the oscars, sunday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on abc. i'm david muir. i hope to see you right back

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this is "jeopardy!" today's contestants are a technical writer and manager from minneapolis, minnesota... an editor from levittown, pennsylvania... and our returning champion -- a data analyst from nashville, tennessee... whose 1-day cash winnings total... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!" -- alex trebek! [ cheers and applause ] thank you, johnny. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. welcome, everyone. $12,199 is a little below our average for winnings by "jeopardy!" champions, so my wish for these three players today is that the categories that come up are very much to your liking,