Good evening. And its great to have you with us here on a thursday night. And we begin with that moment of justice in charleston. Dylann roof, found guilty on every count after those nine worshippers invited him to join them in prayer in that charleston church. The same jury will now decide if he gets the death penalty. And theyll make that decision, knowing the stories of each of his victims. Abcs Steve Osunsami in that courtroom as the verdict was read. Reporter that word, guilty, means so much tonight, to the families of the victims who crowded a courtroom on the fourth floor of this courthouse. To people watching across the country expecting to see justice. Hatred was on trial and it lost. Guilty 33 times. 22yearold Dylann Storm Roof was hauled away in this black van. Reverend Sharon Risher is the daughter of ethel lance, one of the nine people he executed in the basement of this historic black church, in the name of so called white supremacy. Mama. Mama. They got it right this time. They got it right. Reporter before their verdict, jurors saw again this backyard video. Roof recorded it himself. Prosecutors told jurors to watch how he practiced with the phonebook. They say thats how he killed many of the parishioners. Standing over them as he shot them dead. Felicia sanders was one of three people praising the lord tonight that she survived. She watched roof kill her aunt and her son. He said he didnt have any friends, but he had nine friends sitting in the church that night. Reporter prosecutors say he laughed about the shooting nine times in this fbi confession. What kind of gun did you use . A glock 45. Reporter but he wasnt laughing today. He stood silently, while families wept. In the words of prosecutors, he chose to take their lives. He chose to break their bodies. But he doesnt get to chose who they were. They were more than black americans, they were mothers and sisters, fathers and brothers. The type of church folk who would tell a killer that they forgive him at a court appearance. We have no room for hate, so, we have to forgive. Reporter but some of families tonight begged us to make this clear many of them want him to die. And Steve Osunsami with us tonight from charleston. Steve, the next step, of course, the jury deciding whether he gets the death penalty, and dylann roof is representing himself . Hell be able to question witnesses and survivors . Reporter the answer to that question is yes, david. Hell be able to question the two survivors who testified here at trial. But i can tell you, after having met them, that they will be able to more than hold their own. Roof is fighting the death penalty. That was his big argument from the start, and that fight begins here in earnest in january. David . Steve osunsami covering the case from the start. Next tonight here, to a major new storm, coast to coast, and the brutal cold already turning deadly tonight. Winter weather alerts in more than 30 states now from california, clear across to maine. In portland, oregon, look at this. The school bus sliding out of control and smashing into that truck. In pennsylvania, dozens of cars colliding, shutting down i80. And in buffalo, new york, tonight, blizzardlike conditions. Abcs gio benitez is in lackawana, new york. Reporter tonight, that arctic blast and blinding snow, making driving dangerous for millions out on the roads. Part of interstate 80 shut down in western pennsylvania, after a chainreaction crash involving nearly 60 vehicles. Luckily, no one was killed. Along the great lakes, whiteout conditions. Meteorologist janessa webb, from our cleveland station wews, urging viewers to stay home. Youre likely to get into some kind of accident, as visibility is very low. Reporter thundersnow in new york. Along with it, high winds, gusting up to 60 miles per hour. Delaying flights on both coasts. And the coldest december temperatures in years. In chicago this morning, it felt like 19 below. In those temps, frostbite can set in in less than 30 minutes. And in ohio, a man was found dead on his porch, his house keys in his hand. Behind that cold, more snow. Nearly a foot on the way in some places, from a new storm that paralyzed the pacific northwest. In portland, residents watched helplessly as this school bus slid down an icy hill. Oh, look out look out reporter crushing multiple vehicles below. Our Neal Karlinsky is there. The big problem here in portland is the hills. These are just some of the cars that were abandoned overnight, creating such gridlock, by 10 00 last night, some kids were still stuck in their schools. Reporter other children in the area getting stranded on the bus ride home. We came to go up to a stop up there, and the bus got stuck. Reporter all eventually making it home. And gio benitez joining us live just outside buffalo, new york. Theyre used to the lake effect snow there, but tonight, the real concern is combining that snow with this cold . Reporter absolutely, david. Because were going to be seeing some more lake effect snow tonight. Youre feeling that wind, you can probably hear the howling right now, were getting those strong gusts. Were going to be seeing some more wind. And then, whats most concerning are those temperatures. Right now, it feels like 3 below zero here. Yeah, we can see the Christmas Lights there blowing in the wind behind you, gio. Thank you. Lets get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee, tracking the cold and this new storm. Hey, ginger. Reporter hey, david. It is brutal out here tonight, and its going to get colder, yes, for many folks. Lets get straight to the map. The winter storm warnings are in place. Thats where snow is on the way for many folks, but its the wind, plus that cold that is dealing with North Carolina all the way to maine. Those high Wind Warnings in parts of the northeast. Some of the gusts topping 40, 50 miles per hour. The meat and potatoes of that cold settles in friday, and it doesnt get a whole lot warmer, especially behind this beast. That snowstorm that is coming across the country will leave snow behind in south dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, michigan. Thats friday night. Then, it moves to the northeast, just in time for Holiday Travel by saturday. David . Ginger zee with us tonight. Ginger, thank you. We turn next this evening to the bombshell headline. Was russian president Vladimir Putin involved himself in the russian hacking during the president ial campaign . The u. S. Intelligence community tonight saying, he was. Out to stop hillary clinton. Was it a vendetta . Intelligence sources now saying putin feared greater sanctions if clinton became the next president. So, what now . With president elect trump, who says he doesnt buy it, and these are the very intelligence agencies he will soon depend on. Abcs chief investigative correspondent brian ross tonight. Reporter as Vladimir Putin arrived today in japan, his spokesperson laughed off reports that the russian president personally directed the hacking attack on the american election. But tonight, u. S. Officials say they are convinced that the man who came to power as a kgb colonel helped to run the brazen Cyber Espionage campaign. Thats not something they say lightly. Thats something they say when they do have a smoking gun. Reporter all triggered by putins bitter dislike, authorities believe, of hillary clinton, and her threats to impose new sanctions against russia. She had been critical of some of the actions that putin had taken, and he did not hide his hostility toward her. Reporter today, from his skyscraper office in new york, president elect donald trump continued his Twitter Defense of the kremlin and scorn for anyone speaking ill of the russians. If russia, or some other entity was hacking, why did the white house wait so long to act . He wrote. Why did they only complain after hillary lost . But thats not true. The Obama Administration did act well before the election, with a statement in early october from 17 intelligence agencies, including the cia, that the only russias seniormost officials could have authorized these activities, which the white house said today meant putin. Pretty obvious that they were referring to the seniormost official in russia. Reporter clinton herself raised the russian hacking issue again and again during the campaign. Theres no doubt now that russia has used Cyber Attacks against all kinds of organizations in our country, and i am deeply concerned about this. I know donalds very praiseworthy of Vladimir Putin, but putin is wrong. Reporter sending trump into angry denial. It could be russia, but it could also be china. Could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds. Reporter its the same line he used just four days ago, as president elect, even after being briefed by u. S. Intelligence officials about the russians. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. Reporter but american authorities tonight say putin and those around him will become targets of the fullfledged fbi investigation of the cyber attack. If you mess with america, well mess with you back. Reporter and now, a leading republican senator says the russians did more than just attack hillary clinton. They attacked americas democracy, and should be punished for it. And if we dont stand together as a nation, we will be next. This story is not going away. Brian with us now. We just heard from senator graham there, but brian, weve all seen the images now of rex tillerson, the choice for secretary of state, the champagne shared with Vladimir Putin, but this choice for secretary of state, hes going have to face some questions about whether or not he believes putin was involved in this hacking. Reporter absolutely. Tillerson developed this close relationship as the ceo of exxon. Senator graham says unless tillerson acknowledges that russia was behind the attack, he will vote no on his nomination. David . All right, brian ross with us again tonight. Brian, thank you. Today was the day president elect donald trump promised to hold a press conference to answer questions about how he will separate the Family Business from the white house. No press conference, but there was a tweet. Abcs tom llamas at trump tower tonight. Reporter tonight, president elect donald trump dismissing questions over this image. His children meeting with americas top tech leaders. Eric, ivanka and don jr. , working on the transition, while also involved in the Family Business. Were going to be there for you. Reporter today, trump fighting back on twitter. The media tries so hard to make my move to the white house, as it pertains to by miss, so complex, when it actually isnt. But today was the day trump was supposed to explain it all. He said so himself, tweeting, i will be holding a major News Conference in new york city with my children on december 15th to discuss the fact that i will be leaving my great business in total. But thats been canceled, his team says, because the whole process has been complex. Lawyers and protocol officers, at great expense of the trump family, frankly, trying to figure out how best to structure and how best to comply with protocols. Reporter while trump says his sons will run the Family Business, its looking like his daughter, ivanka, could have a role in the white house. Something she once said would not happen. Im going to be a daughter. p strongly about, but not in a formal administrative capacity. Reporter but now, ivanka, and her husband, jared kushner, seem headed for prominent roles. I think that we would benefit tremendously by having them inside the administration. And tom llamas with us live again tonight from trump tower. And we should mention the Trump Transition Team has acknowledged the press conference they did not hold today, theyre promising it now sometime in january . Reporter thats right, david. They said theyre moving this announcement to january to give their legal team ample time to follow the proper protocols. Now, we do also want to point out, even though president elect trump has done oneonone interviews, including with myself, its been 140 days since hes done a News Conference. David . Tom llamas, our thanks to you again tonight. We move onto other news now, and the Airline Emergency in chicago. A bird strike forcing a Southwest Airlines flight to land back at midway airport. The pilot reporting the strike just after takeoff. Abcs david kerley covers aviation for us. Reporter it was right at takeoff from chicagos midway airport. Declare emergency. Departure, were declaring emergency, southwest 105. Reporter the pilots of the vegasbound southwest jet want to get back on the ground. Yes, sir, immediate return, please, 105. Reporter with fire crews standing by, a safe landing. I believe we ingested a bird due to the vibration and the passenger report. Do you see any fire or anything out there . No, we see nothing from the rear of the plane. Reporter bird strikes can mean the loss of an engine, or two, as depicted in the movie sully, about the miracle on the hudson. And there are more of them, because bird populations are soaring. Just the number of geese up nearly 140 since 1990. Also today, an american Airlines Flight had to divert to little rock because a passengers ecigarette malfunctioned. Malfunction usually means it was smoking or burning. David . Thats another concern. David kerley, thank you. We turn tonight to the children of aleppo. The city has now fallen to the syrian government. There are evacuations under way. Families that have been trapped. And a harrowing message tonight from a group of children in an orphanage, and their plea to the world for help. Abcs alex marquardt, who was just in syria, from beirut tonight. Reporter crowds swarmed the bright green buses today. Finally, a break in the fighting and a ticket to survival for thousands of eastern aleppos desperate civilians and defeated rebels. There were the old, too weak to walk. The young, wounded and in wheelchairs. Families carrying whatever they could. Some overcome with emotion at leaving their homes. Aleppo is our mother, this young man said, god willing, we will be come back. These residents and fighters are now being driven 13 miles west into rebelheld territory. Hoping to be among them, these 47 orphans, who posted a video, begging for help getting out of aleppo. We hope to live, eat and drink like other children, the young girl says, please save us. Tonight, theyre still among the masses jostling for a place on those buses, hoping to escape tomorrow. The red cross says, tonight, these evacuations could take several days. We dont know exactly how many people are in eastern aleppo. In retaking all of this city, president assad today called it history being made. This is a decisive victory for the assad regime. David . Alex marquardt again tonight. Thanks, alex. There is still much more ahead on world news tonight this thursday. The stunning headline. The scare for some american First Responders. Hundreds of firefighters and paramedics taking part in a terror training program, but were they mistakenly exposed to ricin . Also tonight, the water ban in an American City. Families told not to drink from the taps. Schools closed. And word of trucks now hauling in hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. And later, right here tonight, celebrating craig sager. His jackets as colorful as his personality. The legendary broadcaster remembered in his own words tonight, and the hilarious moments from the court. You got to see them, coming up. , isnt it time to let the real you shine through . Introducing Otezla Apremilast . Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. And the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Otezla may increase the risk of depression. 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Reporter authorities warning the more than 300,000 people not to bathe or drink their tap water, after a chemical used in asphalt may have contaminated the citys water supply. The city is requesting state assistance. Reporter protesters interrupting city officials. What do we want . Clean water. When do we want it . Now reporter since july of 2015, the city has had three boil water notices, following other incidents of contamination. And Corpus Christi not alone. Problems with keeping the nations Drinking Water supply clean was highlighted in flint, michigan, where a state of emergency was declared after residents didnt have clean Drinking Water for years. David, theyre shipping in 100,000 cases of water and each family, only allowed two cases. In the meantime, testing continues on the citys water supply. David . Kayna whitworth reporting in tonight. Kayna, thank you. When we come back, celebrating the life of a legendary broadcaster tonight. Also, there is news this evening involving firefighters and paramedics. Were hundreds exposed to ricin . And of course, we reported on those deadly fires in tennessee. A major headline coming in from dolly parton. Right after the break. May not always be clear. But at t. Rowe price, we can help guide your retirement savings. So wherever your Retirement Journey takes you, we can help you reach your goals. Call us or your advisor t. Rowe price. Invest with confidence. Same nose. Same toughness. And since hes had moderate alzheimers disease, the same never quit attitude. Thats why i asked his doctor about onceaday namzaric. avo namzaric is approved for moderate to severe alzheimers disease in patients who are taking donepezil. It may improve cognition and overall function, and may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. Namzaric does not change the underlying disease progression. Dont take if allergic to memantine, donepezil, piperidine or any of the ingredients in namzaric. 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Usa today now reporting they were attending terror response training at femas center for domestic preparedness in alabama. More than 9,600 firefighters, paramedics and students coming in contact with the deadly toxin over the past five years. The facility tonight reportedly blaming a mixup with other bioterror agents. No one has been sickened by the possible exposure. Dolly parton raising millions for fire victims in tennessee. 14 people were killed in those fires. More than 1,300 families lost their homes. Parton organizing a telethon, raising nearly 9 million. Her my people fund promising fire victims 1,000 a month for six months. Parton tweeting, she is overwhelmed by the generosity. Facebook announcing a major effort to crack down on fake news after the election. The Company Giving users a new option to flag posts that appear to be deceptive. Facebook also partnering with Third Party Organizations to factcheck those flagged posts. Abc news will be one of those partners. 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He was the one right there on the left, getting that interview with hank aaron right after he beat the home run record. He covered football, the world series, olympic curling, but it was basketball he loved most. Its a nice suit you got on there, easter past, though. Easter already went by. You take this and you burn it. Reporter he took it all in good fun. He was the fun. Just ask pop, famous coach of the spurs. What was the key . I think they were looking at your suit. Reporter sager would battle leukemia, and it was pop who missed him most. Welcome back, baby. Thank you. Ive been in the hospital for months hoping to do this again. Now, ask me a couple of the nagging questions. Reporter he fought cancer with a smile on his face and he earned respect from the giants. How in the hell you go 30 plus years without getting a finals game . That dont make no sense. Reporter honored at the espys by the vice president. The recipient of the jimmy v award for perseverance, craig sager. Whatever i might have imagined a terminal diagnosis would do to my spirit, its summoned quite the opposite. The greatest appreciation for life itself. Were going to miss him. Thanks for watching here on a thursday night. Im david muir. I hope to see you right back here tomorrow to finish out the week. Good night. Good night