How could that happen . And oprah for president . The media mogul is asked once again about possibly running for the white house. She said one time, she thought she was unqualified but not anymore. What shes saying ahead in the skinny. It is thursday, march 2nd. Announcer from abc news, this is world news now. Kind of think theyve already started a Political Action committee for oprah. Not yet. I think that a lot of people would say, they would welcome a president oprah winfrey. A lot of people would welcome it. I dont think shell need a Political Action committee or go fund me because she will be able to fund it herself. She has other things she wants to fund. Thats the thing. We will delve into the oprah 2020 prospects later on in the skinny but lets delve into the realities of the Trump Administration 2017. And the breaking news coming from attorney general Jeff Sessions to step down as we learn that he spoke twice with the Russian Ambassador to the u. S. , all of this of course, the Justice Department says the conversations took place in july and september during the height of russias alleged Hacking Campaign aimed at what they call influencing the president ial race but sessions had flatly denied it during his confirmation hearing. Abcs Serena Marshall has more. Soar reen serena, good morning. Good morning. Thats the big question here. That flat denial during his hearing. The Justice Department is saying there was nothing misleading about Jeff Sessions testimony. Sessions met with Russian AmbassadorSergei Kislyak both privately and in a group setting. The Justice Department says sessions meetings were in his capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services committee. Sessions wa as a top adviser to President Trump during the campaign and as attorney general. Hes now overseeing the allegations that Trump Campaign staffers were in contact with the russians. This is what he had to say under oath during his confirmation hearing. If t nina affiliated with the Trump Campaign communicated with the russian government in the course of this campaign, what you do . Senator franken, im not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and i did not have communications with the russians. And im unable to comment on it. Overnight, sessions released this statement, i have never met with any russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. I have no idea what this allegation is about. It is false. But democrats arent buying it ran some of them are now calling for his resignation. It sounds to me there is a difference of opinion here, one saying listen, specifically sessions saying, i did not contact the russians regarding the Trump Campaign. The key words being regarding the campaign. The campaign, exactly. It has to do with that campaign versus his ability as part of the Senate Armed Forces committee. The Washington Post contacted 20 of th Senate Armed Forces committee and none of them met with anyone from russia. So then there becomes that question on why did he. In his defense, i can see them pointing out he also met with dozens of ambassadors from different countries. He did. I saw the lis including hungary. Many other countries. So you know, it is part of his role as a senator, as well. Especially as a Senior Member of the Armed Services committee of course, definitely part of his role. But he also at that time was part of the campaign. He was out campaigning with trump. He was part of that entity that is being investigated and that his agency as attorney general would be responsible for conducting any further or bringing any charges that result from that fbi investigation. So the senators are saying and the Democratic Senators especially are calling for him to step down saying he cant oversee this investigation given he had those contacts. And their big thing is under oath about contacts with russia, especially after that whole fallout with former National Security adviser michael flynn. Those are accusations that it was perjury. The other side is that he was specific about not contributing to the campaign. Thank you so much. Does appear he might have to recuse himself just to make sure. Its not going away. Absolutely, thank you. Moving on now, some powerful rallies in the stock market. It has rolled around the world with major markets across asia posting gains overnight. Those advances follow wall streets surge to record highs. The dow opens this morning above the 21,000 mark for the first time ever. And the other major averages start at record highs, as well. Abcs Rebecca Jarvis with the reasons for the rally. Reporter optimism is a powerful force when it comes to stocks and investors right now are optimistic about change coming from washington in the form of lower taxes and fewer regulations. They are heartened after President Trumps address and that has sent stocks up, the dow election day, the typical 401 k adding as much as 11,000 since then. What happened ahead . Well, were in the midst of the longestrunning bull market in the history of time. Since march of 2009, stocks have tripled and the biggest risk ahead is washington not delivering on wall streets expectations. If that were the case, you might see stocks tumble. Rebecca jarvis, abc news, new york. Our thanks to rebecca. Turning now to the weather, the midwest recovering from more than two dozen tornados there week. At least three people died from the severe storms with hundreds of homes and businesses can destroyed or damaged. Strong winds at Social Security headquarters near baltimore, this is in maryland, tore off a section of the roof and a satellite dish injuring one person. But illinois was hit hardest with at least three category 3 tornados, two people were killed when an uprooted them in a backyard in at ta wa, illinois. Residents will be looking for treasured possessions and cleaning up along that rubble. So that storm system is moving east as they do, bringing with it a big change in the weather. Lets get the forecast from accuweathers justin povick. Good morning, justin. Adrienne, kendis, thanks and good morning to you. That very intense storm system now is off the eastern seaboard. We are still concerned about some some howling winds throughout the day that could also potentially be damaging. As we venture into the afternoon, colder air pouring its way off to the south and to the east. Definitely talking about coat weather at this point. And that chill will be fell all the way down into the southeast. This is a big change here especially in to the Sunshine State of florida. Talking about some chilly breezes here, as well along interstate 10. Meanwhile the northwest drying out at least here into california. Further northbound though, there towards seattle and portland. Adrienne, kendis. Thank you so much, justin. Oklahomas risk of earthquakes is now about the same as the San Francisco bay area according to usgs. Sizologists say oklahomas risk is manmade triggered by fracking. This has been a story for years. The underground injections of huge volumes of wastewater from oil and gas drilling. Instead they say San Francisco bay areas problem stems from its proximity to the active san andreas fault. California facing a tab of about 50 billion for flood control. Officials are asking for federal assistance. After nearly six years of drought, the state has been swamped by torrential rain and near record snowfall. Much needed but of course, its caused widespread flooding. And than severely damaged oroville damage last month causes massive evacuations. The damage has decimated roadways and the daniels are estimated at nearly 600 million so far. The rain and snow has virtually ended californias drought. New figures show its definitely over for 83 of the state. And for the first time in four years, not one area in california is considered to be under extreme drought xwnz. A big celebration for california. Yes. All right. We can water our lawns again. Right. Without the guilt. We mentioned stocks moments ago. Anyone with investments may receive lots of statements in the mail. This is comes from orlando where a man found a huge hall of documents in a dutch sister that are included names, Social Security numbers and lots of other sensitive financial information. No word how it all got there. To avoid a similar fate, consider investing in a shredder. My aunt would pour hot water on her bills. Is that what she did . She didnt want to invest in a shredder. She would make them wet so you couldnt read the ink. I put mine out there. I please. Anyone who has taken a walk on a beach found something buried in the sand. The questions that follow are usually what is this . Is it worth anything . Some folks strolling on the beach in freeport, texas, found this 8x8 unidentified object. It was a piece from a european rocket called the arian 5. Instead of burning up, it broke off over the atlantic and made its way onto the gulf of mexico beach. So its a good thing to ask those questions. I would have thought it was a big rusty piece of metal. Coming up, a fight at walmart, a stolen vehicle and a very muddy suspect. The hitech police work that used a thermocam to nab the one who got away. The new celebrity contestants of dancing with the stars theyve been unveiled. Theyre ready to dance. Now were hearing who the sports betters are putting their money on. Youre watching world news now. Announcer world news now mucinex clear and cool. Mucinex clear and cool. Ah whats this sudden cooling thing happening . Its got a menthol burst. You can feel it right away. Wow, that sort of blindsided me. And it clears my terrible cold symptoms. Ahh this is awkward. New mucinex clear cool. Feel the menthol burst. While powerful medicine clears your worst cold symptoms. Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. Mthat stuff only lasts a few hours. Or, take mucinex. One pill fights congestion for 12 hours. Guess i wont be seeing you for a while. Why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex lasts 12 hours . Lets end this. Ialmost everything. You know, ke 1 i n 10 houses could get hit by an expensive septic disaster. But for only 7 a month, ridx. Hey, searching for a great used yeah you got it. Just say show me millions of used cars for sale at the all new carfax. Com. I dont want one thats had a big wreck just say, show me cars with no accidents reported pretty cool i like it thats the power of carfax® find the cars you want, avoid the ones you dont plus you get a free carfax® report with every listing start your used car search at carfax. Com im good. . I just took new mucinex clear and cool. Whats this sudden cooooling thing happening . Its got a menthol burst. You can feel it right away. New mucinex clear cool. Your worst cold symptoms. Lets end this. About a half mile south of the accident, i got somebody crawling in the ditch on the shoulder. Come on, crawl, crawl. You dont see this often. Heat sensor video of an alleged crook crawling, trying to get away. He didnt. He was wanted in connection with a fight at a walmart in north Daytona Beach area. He fled the scene. In an allegedly stolen vehicle, then apparently got in the an accident and then the helicopter guided some officers to where the suspect was hiding along a road. They took the suspect into custody. Pretty nice to see that thermo video. Yeah, it is. Mcdonalds, speaking of heating things up, looking to beef up their sales with mobile ordering and curbside pickup. It will offer both plus mobile payment at all restaurants by the end of the year and start expanding its deliver Service Services so you can get mickey ds at your home. The kiosks will be able to pull up customer profiles and their favorite meals. A big day at the george w. Bushs president ial library in dallas where an exhibit of the former president s art is opening to the public. The exhibit is called portraits of courage, a commander in chiefs tribute to american warriors featuring 66 full color portraits and the fourpanel mural all painted by former president 43. Look at that one. All of those in the paintings are members of the military who served the nation since the 9 11 attacks. This is a chance to honor and to help heal, help bridge the divide between the m civilians. The portraits will be on display at bushs museum through october. They are also featured in a new hard cover book. Very cool. Yeah, love that hes taking that up. If hes bridging that divide, we need him back in washington to do some painting. Hes been painting for a while. Yeah. All right. When we come back and not paint by numbers. No. No. Oprah winfreys new response about whether she may run for president. The oddson favorites for the new season of dancing with the stars. No, kendis will not be on this season. Darn. The skinny is next. Darn. The skinny is next. Sick, huh . Im good. I just took new mucinex clear and cool. Whats this sudden cooooling thing happening . Its got a menthol burst. You can feel it right away. New mucinex clear cool. While powerful medicine clears your worst cold symptoms. Lets end this. Skinny, so skinny and cant you just imagine what the dnc or the campaign would sound like if oprah ran in 2020 and the speech the nomination speech . You get a car, you get a car. Or oh. You sound just like her. Yes. You know, people are like we need to feed the hungry. Shes like yes, i love bread. She doesnt say that. Yes, she does. She loves bread. Oh, does she. Okay, well so do i. In an interview with bloomberg television, she said before President Trump won the election she thought she was unqualified. I actually never thought that that was i never considered the question even a possibility. I just thought, oh. Oh. Right, because its clear that you dont need government experience to be elected president of the united states. Thats what i thought. I thought, gee, i dont have the experience. I dont know enough. Now im thinking oh. Oh. That response got a lot of reaction. But then we heard the rest of oprahs statement. No, that wont be happening. But i mean i did used to think gee, you have to know so much more than i thought you had to know. But anyway despite her phenomenal run on tv and her hollywood stripes, winfrey says her proudest achievement remains the founding of her girls school in africa. Regardless of your party affiliation, its Pretty Amazing to see somebody who is a reality star become president of the united states. You go from like one mode of life to the next. Take that and put it in your personal life. Heres your oprah moment. Be inspired by that. By oprah doing it or donald trump doing it . By donald trump doing it. Who would have thought . Next the big news from the upcoming of dancing of the stars. The contestants include some pretty big names. Simone biles, bachelor nick viall, former olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan and tv legends like charo and mr. T. Wow. Already, the sports betters have putting biles at the very stop followed by glee star Heather Morris and Nancy Kerrigan. In the middle of the betting range is nick, charo and rashard jennings. And the long shots mr. T and former cubs catcher david ross. Season 24 of dancing with the stars premieres monday, march 23. Im hoping mr. T gets in the top three. I pity the others. Next to our first peek at brad pitt in his latest role looking all Anderson Cooper and stuff. The 53yearold slowing a lot of gray. A new teaser for the war machine. Will get the job done. May i help you . No, finish your phone call. The war can wait. War machine is a new black comedy from netflix about the war in afghanistan. He plays the real life soldier general Stanley Mcchrystal who commanded nato forces before his very public fall. He looks good as a silver fox. Tilda swinton also in it. Tilda swinton also in it. So when i found out medicare doesnt pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. Then i got a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if youre eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. Call now and find out about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. To me, relationships matter. Ive been with my doctor for 12 years. Now i know ill be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, youll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. And virtually no referrals needed. So dont wait. Call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare. And which aarp Medicare Supplement plan might be best for you. Theres a wide range to choose from. We love to travel and theres so much more to see. So we found a plan that can travel with us. Anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only Medicare Supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an Organization Serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. Remember, all Medicare Supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Call now to request your free decision guide. And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. So i know how important that is. Mthat stuff only lasts a few hours. Or, take mucinex. One pill fights congestion for 12 hours. Guess i wont be seeing you for a while. Why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex lasts 12 hours . Lets end this. Ialmost everything. You know, ke 1 i n 10 houses could get hit by an expensive septic disaster. But for only 7 a month, ridx helps break down waste. Avoid a septic disaster with ridx. Im good. . I just took new mucinex clear and cool. Whats this sudden cooooling thing happening . Its got a menthol burst. You can feel it right away. New mucinex clear cool. While powerful medicine clears your worst cold symptoms. Lets end this. Thats not new york. New york new york. All right. There are a few of us these days who cannot say that we arent often distracted even at work by of course, wheres my cell phone. Im looking for it. Two high profile accountants got a little distracted at the wrong time at the wrong place right there at hollywood and highlanded in hollywood. Now they wont ever be back there at least not for the big eve heres abcs nick watt. This is not a joke. Moonlight has won best picture. Reporter sunday nights best picture debacle just claimed its first scalps. The academy confirming Brian Cullinan who gave the wrong card back, neither will his colleague martha ruse. 8 53 00 p. M. , cullinan is snapped backstage building with two cards in his hand. Presumably hes holding the best actress backup card and the best picture card. 90 okay 4 Warren Beatty introduces best picture. Cullinan is snapped backstage on his phone. 0905 he tweets a pic of emma stone. 90, 08. 40, the la la land producers are giving thanks. Matt plouffe, you kicked this off. Two minutes one second later we see cullinan. Im sorry, no, theres a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won best picture. Moonlight won. I opened the envelope and it said emma stone la la land. Pricewaterhousecoopers telling us once the error occurred, protocols for correcting it were not followed through quickly enough. By mr. Cullinan or his partner. The a. P. President Cheryl Boone Isaacs says cullinans distraction caused the error. They walk the red carpet every year. Cullinan called out for his matnate idol mug. Has anyone told you how much you look like matt damon . The academy award. Reporter in charge of the most important moment in the movies. Im nick watt for best picture. Reporter in los angeles. Its why ive gone only to h r block for my accounting needs. You cant go wrong with h r block. You know, everybody makes mistakes though, right . They do but not on the biggest night of the year with millions and millions of people watching. I guess not. Dont miss our updates on facebook at wnnfans. Com. Coming up, more news from abc. I got to send a tweet. Announcer this is abcs world news now, informing insomniacs for two decades. Abc. Announcer this is abcs world news now, informing insomniacs for two decades. Making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, the attorney general facing a firestorm despite his denial during confirmation hearings Jeff Sessions did have meetings with the Russian Ambassador during the campaign. The calls for his resignation growing overnight. What the white house is now saying this morning. Record run. The stock market hits another milestone. The outlook for today, whats behind the surge and why it hinders on the government following through on promises. Severe storms on the move. Warm weather fueling strong winds and heavy rains. You can see and hear it there. Where its heading right now. Officially a couple, the widow of joe bidens son now dating the former Vice President s other son. What the family is saying overnight about the romance