Air is finally beginning to retreat. 240 million of us, looking for the thaw. But were learning, tonight, about some new hazards ahead, as the temperatures rise. A lot of pipes are bursting. Watery roads. And the blizzard proving this storm is not going quietly. So, who had the toughest day today . Abcs linzie janis starts us there. Reporter the polar vortex may be retreating, but not before one final, howling blow. Blizzard conditions in western new york, shutting major highways. Its been horrible. Ive seen plows, like county plows, in the ditches. Reporter in hamburg, just south buffalo, theyre digging out drifts up to five feet. Its supposed to be 50 degrees by the weekend. What does that mean . Well, that means now weve got to watch out for flooding. Once the snow starts to melt, especially with the frozen ground, the water just starts running. Reporter that wind and cold, turning the Niagara River into more of a glacier. Ice breakers called in to help. Looks like something out of national geographic. Reporter for millions, the big thaw is causing big problems. A broken pipe in davenport, iowa, turned to ice in seconds. My tires are, like, literally frozen to the ground. Reporter when pipes thaw, they can burst. And when the water melts, thats when it starts leaking. This massive water main break near atlanta this morning turned telephone poles into ice sculptures. It was kind of the recreation of the movie frozen. Reporter so many frozen fountains in the south. Even a pool. But in charleston, a glimmer of hope melting. But as the snow and ice slowly disappear, an assessment of the damage. Theres been at least 21 deaths. Plus, a huge economic impact. Child care costs, plus lost wages for employees who had to stay home. And home heating prices are expected to rise 13 over last year. Crews here in hamburg have been digging out the town all day. Then, bringing giant truckloads of this dirty snow down to lake erie to be dumped. Theyre hoping by putting it here theyll avoid flooding as the big warmup comes. Diane . Still braving the cold for us. Thank you, linzie janis. How fast is the cold air retreating . Abc meteorologist ginger zee with the forecast. Ginger . Even faster than it came in. Thats great news for a lot of people. Weve all been suffering. A lot of folks. We looked at that length yesterday. 2,100 miles, if i get it right. And now, its less than half of that. Closer to 1,000. So, it is going quickly. And the numbers go with it. Let me show you this, diane, because so many folks want to know, when do i start to be tolerable . Well, by thursday, looking at 30s there in that aqua color. 40s and 50s. It pushes to the north. And friday into saturday, we go above average. For so many folks, midatlantic and northeast. Boy, that looks great. So, who gets the prize for the longest time in the cold . Yeah, the longest time, the biggest population. Were going to give it to green bay because right after that game that so many of us were watching, they did not have the coldest nfl game. But they got close. And then, right after that point, they went sub zero and stayed there for 62 hours. 62 hours. Okay, ginger. Our thanks to you. And our hats go off to their true grit tonight, as we cover the nations weather. We turn, next, here to an uproar, tonight, surrounding one of the most popular and most colorful Political Forces in the country. Governor Chris Christie of new jersey. They play tough politics in new jersey. But did christies aides deliberately create huge traffic jams on the nations busiest bridge . And why . The governor says hes furious tonight. Inside the firestorm, abcs Senior National correspondent, jim avila. At lower level, look at that. Starting to get concerned about that. Reporter its the week of september 9th. Traffic in ft. Lee, new jersey, just across the worlds busiest bridge from manhattan, is dangerously gridlocked. Four daysstraight. Emergency vehicles, commuters, school buses. I got there and it was piled up all the way back on the street. And i was, like, 20 minutes late for School Every Day for that week. Reporter today, a series of emails and Text Messages reveals that ft. Lees pain was deliberately engineered in a fit of political retribution by members of governor Chris Christies office, who triggered this mess with one short order to the agency that runs the George Washington bridge. Seven little words. Time for some traffic problems in ft. Lee. Two weeks later, these cones mysteriously appear. Blocking off two of the three lanes from ft. Lee to the bridge. The Ripple Effect is swift and dramatic. Cars back up for miles. A fourhour delay to get to manhattan. And ft. Lee comes to a standstill. The police chief cannot believe it. Disturbing to find out that people who are supposed to be protecting public actually impaired public safety. Reporter why did this happen . Ft. Lees mayor, a democrat, who refused to endorse governor christie as he swept to reelection on the platform of bipartisanship, wondered the same thing. I apparently got somebody mad at me. Those emails are pretty damning. Reporter emails showing that despite Chris Christies claims otherwise, his staff was cheering as ft. Lee suffered. Is it wrong that im smiling . No. I feel badly about the kids. The aides response, they are the children of buono voters. State senator Barbara Buono was christies democratic opponent at the time. Im done remaining silent. We need apologies. We need explanations. Reporter and in a statement this afternoon, an apology. Governor christie says what he saw today is unacceptable. He is outraged and saddened. He was misled, he says, by a member of his staff. And while the governor says he wont tolerate it, he did not announce any firings today. Diane . All right, jim. Its hard to believe today. Thank you so much. And tonight, a u. S. Navy helicopter has crashed off the coast of virginia beach, plunging the five Service Members onboard into the 42degree waters below. Three crew members were rescued. One was killed. A search is under way for the fifth, who is still missing. And this news comes 24 hours after that other u. S. Military helicopter, also on a routine training mission, crashed in england. The four u. S. Service members onboard that one died. And the president , today, marked a milestone in american history. The war on poverty, 50 years ago today. President lyndon johnson, issuing a challenge to the nation. This administration, today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in america. That was 1964. The poverty rate in america at the time was 19 . By the time johnson left office in 1969, the number had dropped to 12 . And today, it is back up at 15 . And now, to the trip overseas thats become an international sideshow and possibly hurting the attempt to free an american held captive. Dennis rodman in north korea. Today, he sang happy birthday to the countrys brutal dictator. Heres abcs bob woodruff with a family asking for help. Happy birthday to you reporter birthday serenades rarely draw international criticism, unless youre Dennis Rodman singing to the dictator kim jongun. Rodmans present, bringing a team of exnba players for a game. This is for his birthday. This is his gift. I love the guy. The guy is my friend, forever and ever and ever. Reporter this is rodman third trip to north korea. But this time his socalled basketball diplomacy is getting people angry back home. Its because of his comments yesterday on cnn attacking kenneth bae, an american missionary held prisoner in north korea for 14 months. Can you understand what he did in this country . What did he do . You tell me. What did he do . You tell me. You tell me why hes held captive. Reporter today, baes sister told us shes furious. He certainly is not in any kind of position to pass judgment on kenneth bae. Hes uninformed. And its just outrageous. Reporter as a missionary, kenneth bae brought tour groups to north korea. He was arrested for alleged crimes against the state. But there are no details beyond that. When we traveled there, kim jonguns forces kept us tightly controlled. What did he tell you . Dont go here. Reporter stay within five feet of each other . So, strangely, Dennis Rodman is the closest american to the dictator. Kenneth baes sister also told me today that she once thought that rodman would actually help her brother. She called his agent today. But shes not gotten any word back from them at all. An anguished family. Thank you, bob woodruff. And next here tonight, an abc news investigation. Inside fukushima. Three years after that earthquake and the tsunami that caused the meltdown. Tonight, we want to show you how bad the radiation is. And ask if they are doing everything they can to keep it from coming toward the united states. Abcs cecilia vega takes us into the hot zone. Reporter this used to be a Thriving Community of farms and fishing villages. Until march 11th, 2011. Japans largest earthquake ever. The tsunami that followed engulfed entire villages, flooding the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. And triggering a nuclear catastrophe. 2 1 2 years later, we gain rare access to examine the fallout by land and by sea, to find out if fukushima is still a threat to the rest of the world. Near the plant, a 12mile stretch of evacuated land still teems with radiation hot spots. This is the permit we have to get. Locals call it the nogo zone. We can go. On the other side, ghost towns, where time just stood still. This better work. We suit up, armed with radiation detectors to tell us when were in danger. We go inside fukushimas ground zero to see the unprecedented cleanup under way. Though critics are skeptical the power plants embattled operator, tepco, is up to the task. The closer we get to the ruins of the meltdown, our radiation detectors climb. On another hot spot. It is a serious warning. Tepco told us we can only spend one hour inside the plant. Any more time and we risk harmful radiation exposure. Radiation right here alone, about 2,000times higher than outside fukushima. 1,500 highlyradioactive fuel rods inside this pool. They have to move them outside of the reactor and into a safer location. It is a vital, some say first step to shut down this plant. A process that will take 40 years. And heres what tepco says its doing to stop the radiation from entering the pacific. Under this concrete, theres a chemical barrier that prevents the water from floating out. These steel tanks right here, another barrier. And that orange buoy over there is a silk fence, another barrier. Three right here to keep contaminated water from going into the ocean. Will you ever know how much contaminated water has made its way from this power plant into that ocean . Tepcos spokesman tells me, its difficult to give an accurate number. So, we joined a team of scientists on the hunt for answers. What they say they find, radiation 1,000times higher than before the meltdown. Though, its still below the legal limit for swimming and drinking. Can the damage thats been done be repaired here . Or is it too late . Its not too late, he says. But japan cant do it alone. We need help from the rest of the world. And theyre not alone. We meet oceanographer and radiation expert Ken Beusseler in fukushima, where hes come to examine the fallout. The japanese government claims radiation is contained in this small harbor outside the plant. But this team of scientists says they measured radiation linked to fukushima more than 70 miles away. Trace amounts of radiation have been detected in blue fin tuna caught near california. Although experts say americans shouldnt worry. Radiation dilutes as fish migrates to the u. S. I think the fear of whats happening outside the local area has been exaggerated. Americans dont worry to swim in our beaches. To eat our fish. Not too far from here, the fish are safe, i think is overblown. Reporter the cleanup goes on. But what about the damage we cant see . Radiation on land and in the ocean that could be japans invisible enemy for generations. Cecilia vega, abc news, fukushima, japan. And by the way, we did check with some leading radiation experts here in the u. S. Who tell us so far no tests on the west coast have shown the levels of the kind of cesium radiation that would implicate radiation from fukushima. And you can see a lot more of Cecilia Vegas reporting, tonight on nightline. And still ahead right here on world news something about dinner out. Could you get a days worth of calories in one appetizer . A surprising, new report about dinner in some of the most popular family restaurants. And later, an incredible moment for a young boy. The happy ending he deserves. Just watch. Well see you in two minutes. [ male announcer ] this is kevin. To prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, hes agreed to give it up. Thats today . [ male announcer ] well be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. I was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. And now ive got to take more pills. Yup. Another pill stop. Can i get my aleve back yet . For my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easyopen red arthritis cap. Im here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. [ all gasp ] oj, veggies youre cool. Mayo . Corn dogs . You are so outta here aah cause im reworkin the menu, keeping her healthy and you on your toes. [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of greattasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. I see you, cupcake uhoh [ bottle ] the number one doctor recommended brand. Ensure®. Nutrition in charge™. [ bottle ] the number one doctor recommended brand. Imany Cold Medicines may raisee your blood pressure. Thats why theres Coricidin Hbp it relieves cold symptoms without raising blood pressure. So look for powerful Cold Medicine with a heart. Coricidin hbp. Afghanistan, in 2009. On the u. S. S. Saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once its earned, usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. Because it offers a superior level of protection. And because usaas commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. Begin your legacy. Get an Auto Insurance quote. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. I have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i cant rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels dont unstuff your nose. They dont . Alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. What a relief it is. Next, here tonight, we have some Important News for the next time you take your family out to dinner. A new study shows how you can be clobbered by calories in unexpected ways at some popular restaurants. More calories than youre supposed to have in a day. And abcs linsey davis looks at whats on your plate. Reporter ah, dinner out. But hold the fork. The cheesecake factorys pasta carbonara with chicken, almost 2,300 calories. Thats more calories than youre supposed to eat in an entire day. Same with the applebees riblet platter weighing in at 2,100 calories. Todays study looked closely at some of the meals we eat at whats called fullservice chain restaurants. The researchers found the average adult meal at these restaurants, an entree, side dish, and half of an appetizer averages about 1,500 calories. Add in a beverage and half a dessert, and youre talking a whopping 2,020 calories. Again, remember, youre only supposed to only have 2,000 calories all day. The numbers seem to come as a surprise to many. How many calories do you think are in a jack daniels chicken sandwich . 300 calories. Actually, 1,220. Reporter studies find that many meals at these sitdown, fullservice chains have even more calories than meals at Fast Food Restaurants. In fact, you could actually have two mcdonalds quarterpounder with cheese value meals with fries and a 16ounce coke, for the same calories as friendlys loaded waffle fries, which is considered an appetizer. One of the biggest factors, portion size. We put a fast food meal and sitdown chain restaurant dish on the scale. And look. Almost onethird of a pound more. That doesnt surprise me. You can go into a Fast Food Restaurant and come out with a reasonably appropriate level of calories. Reporter and while these restaurants do offer lower calorie options, just a little food for thought for the next time your family plans that dinner out. Linsey davis, abc news, new york. And when we come back, look closely. Can you solve the mystery . Is this the rock n roll legend in the news tonight . Look closely. See you in our instant index. It never holds my body hostage. It treats me with respect. It may seem strange, but people really can love their laxative. Especially when its miralax. Unlike other laxatives, miralax activates water to work in 3 ways hydrating, easing, and softening, to unblock your system naturally. So you have peace of mind from start to finish. Whats not to love. Its also the 1 doctor recommended brand. Love your laxative. Miralax. Became big business overnight . Like, really big. Then expanded . Or their new product tanked . Or not . What if they embrace new technology instead . Imagine a companys future with the future of trading. Company profile. A Research Tool on thinkorswim. From td ameritrade. A Research Tool on thinkorswim. Explaining my moderate to severe so there i was again, chronic plaque psoriasis to another new stylist. It was a total embarrassment. And not the kind of attention i wanted. So i had a serious talk with my dermatologist about my treatment options. This time, she prescribed humiraadalimumab. Humira helps to clear the surface of my skin by actually working inside my body. In clinical trials, most adults with moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis saw 75 skin clearance. And the majority of people were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer have happened. Blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening Heart Failure have occurred. Before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. Ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. Tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. You should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. Make the most of every moment. Ask your dermatologist about humira, today. Clearer skin is possible. Our instant index tonight begins with a birthday fit for a king, the king, elvis presley, who would be 79 today. At graceland, despite unusually cold weather, fans turned out to pay tribute. And tonight, a picture has surfaced which is a kind of mystery. Take a look. What do you think . Is this boy a young elvis . 13 years old, 1948, tupelo, mississippi, his boyhood home. The hooded eyes. The neck thats slightly cocked. And from the rock n roll legend to a legend in the making. Meet aidan fisher, who met his favorite band by chance on an elevator and dared them to let him play. They did. Listen. 11 years old. An epic moment in moxie and talent. And guess who was there, joining the rest of america on jury duty today. Supreme Court Justice elena kagan. She was also called, by the way, in 2011. A fellow juror snapped this shot of her. Right there. Three years ago and back on jury duty again today. And tonight, next, a miracle moment for a little boy. Join in on the big occasion. E,. [ rattling ] thats one smart board. What else does it do reverse gravity . [ chuckles ] split atoms . [ whoooosh ] hey, how is that atomsplitting thing going . [ rattling ] [ electronic whistling ] oh [ zap ] a smarter way to shop around. Now, thats progressive. Call or click today. A man who doesnt stand still. But jim has afib, atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. That puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. For years, jims medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. But now, with onceaday xarelto jims on the move. Jims doctor recommended xarelto. Like warfarin, xarelto is proven effective to reduce afibrelated stroke risk. But xarelto is the first and only onceaday prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesnt require routine blood monitoring. So jims not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. Not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin there is limited information on how xarelto and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. Xarelto is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. Plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the Healthy Foods he likes. Do not stop taking xarelto, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it as this may increase the risk of having a stroke. Get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. You may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto with aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. Talk to your doctor before taking xarelto if you have abnormal bleeding. Xarelto can cause bleeding, which can be serious and rarely may lead to death. You are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. Tell your doctors you are taking xarelto before any planned medical or dental procedures. Before starting xarelto, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. Xarelto is not for patients with artificial heart valves. Jim changed his routine. Ask your doctor about xarelto. Onceaday xarelto means no regular blood monitoring no known dietary restrictions. For more information and savings options, call 1888xarelto or visit goxarelto. Com. And finally here tonight, a little boy who needed some help putting on pressure so he could get what he needed to change his life. And you are part of this moment, this big, new day. Heres abcs dan harris. Reporter when we first met 5yearold carson rubin this past march go find a card. Reporter he was consistently one step behind his preschool classmates. I think he wears himself out trying to keep up with everybody else. Have you ever been to the dentist . I cant hear you. Have you um, have you ever been to the dentist . Reporter carsons doctors said there was a treatment that could dramatically improve his hearing, cochlear implants. Which have had miraculous impacts on some children. Could you hear that . Set, go. Reporter and the rubins Health Insurance company wouldnt cover the implants. What was your reaction . I was shocked. Reporter until we called, and they finally agreed. So, just one month later, carson went in for surgery. We were with him as it got turned on. The wonder of those first sounds written all over his face. Carson, can you hear daddy over here . Uhhuh. Does it sound funny . Uhhuh. Reporter and when we visited a few weeks ago, a dramatic improvement. Thats a dinosaur . No. Its not a dinosaur. Thats a crocodile. Reporter while his speech has yet to catch up to his hearing, he now has no trouble keeping up or making his opinions known. It seems to me like youre hearing and speaking better. Do you think so . Yeah. I can hear you. But these types of snakes usually can bite all different types of animals. Reporter what youre saying is you can hear me. But you dont want to talk about what i want to talk about. You just want to talk about what you want to talk about. Well. Reporter when i first met you, you were really worried that he wasnt going to have that bright of a future. Right. Reporter how do you feel now . That he can do anything he wants to do and be anything he wants to be. Santa. Santa. Reporter dan harris, abc news, monroe, georgia. And its great to have you with us tonight. Well see you at abcnews. Com. Nightline later. And back here again tomorrow night. Good night. Breaking news, exflowings a biotech lab. Youll go live to see what happened, how two people were hurt. Your safety on the streets of san fravenlt alarming rate of pedestrian accidents, what we have discovered many have in common. Three more bay area deaths being blamed on the flu. What one hospital is doing to prepare for a major outbreak. A new look at depths of the drought were facing. Measures being taken by farmers. Its happening south san francisco. There has been an exflowings a biotech company. Good evening. That blast injured two people, one of them, critically the building located on veterans boulevard and oyster point. That is where john alston is right now. John . This is an active situation. Quite a number of trucks still here, they work on this building and try to make sure its safe to open up again, two employees are in the hospital about 100 had to be evacuated. About 3 30, there was an explosion and a fire this a third floor lab at this biotechnology company. There was a fire and explosion, then, more than a dozen fire trucks showed up here. One employe suffered burns to the face. A second had minor burns to the hands. Fire was contained to the area of origin. Chemicals are still inside of the room. There is no danger to the public. Explosion did blow out windows in the lab. This is not the first time they have been to this location there was a flash fire back in may, injuring one um plowy. Because of that, cal osha officials as well as San Mateo CountyDistrict Attorney have investigators here looking at the situation to see if there is a problem here and