tonight, nearly a foot and a half of rain, dangerous flooding and mudslides in washington state. winds gusting up to 82 miles per hour. hundreds forced from their homes. a couple standing on their furniture as the water is rising. that system now moving across the country and the big shift in temperatures all the way east. ginger zee is standing by. president biden in new hampshire on his bipartisan win on infrastructure, at a rusted bridge on the so-called red list. and tonight, how local newspapers across this country are spelling out just how sweeping this will be for roads, bridges, airports and internet broadband in this nation. the very difficult and graphic images in the ahmaud arbery case. the medical examiner testifying about the gunshot wounds to arbery's chest and body and what he revealed. arbery's mother so distraught, she had to leave the courtroom. overseas tonight, our team on the scene of the violent clash involving migrants at the border separating belarus and poland and why western leaders are very concerned with what they're seeing. ian pannell at the border tonight. back here at home, the deadly collision on the tracks. three people killed, a woman and two children, when a train slams into a car. in boston, the united passenger plane catching fire as the gate. this was at logan airport. and amy robach from antarctica tonight with the emperor penguins. what scientists want you to know. and amy takes the polar plunge. all part of the tradition on this voyage. good evening and it's great good evening as we come on the air in the west tonight. and we begin tonight with deliberations all day now in the trial of kyle rittenhouse, facing charges in the shootings of three people, two of them were killed, during police protests in kenosha, wisconsin. today, the unusual scene when the judge had kyle rittenhouse himself pulling numbers from a lottery-style drum at random to ultimately determine the jury that would decide his fate. in the end, seven women and five men, one person of color. the prosecution argued this can't be self-defense when you create the provocation, that there's no self-defense against a danger you create. the defense arguing it was self-defense, arguing rittenhouse thought his life was in danger. rittenhouse facing five criminal counts and if convicted on the most severe charge, he faces up to life in prison. the jury today requesting extra copies of the judge's instructions that run some 36 pages long. and tonight, as we await a verdict in this case, some 500 national guard troops are standing by outside kenosha. our senior national correspondent terry moran leading us off from kenosha tonight. >> reporter: in the courtroom in kenosha today, a striking moment. kyle rittenhouse, facing life in prison if he's convicted on the most serious charge, drawing the numbers himself at random, determining which of the 18 jurors who watched the entire trial will decide his fate. >> number 9 and number 52. >> reporter: in the end, those jurors, seven women and five men. one of the 12 is a person of color. rittenhouse faces five felony charges, from first degree intentional homicide, the most serious charge, to reckless endangerment. so the jury must look at each of the three shootings, two of them deadly, rittenhouse committed that night last year. each one captured on videotape and testified to by witnesses. >> i thought the defendant was an active shooter. >> reporter: this case carrying unmistakable political overtones. those protests sparked by a police shooting and the defense clearly trying to put the protesters themselves on trial. >> the rioters, the demonstrators who turned into rioters, those are the individuals who bring this forth. they were pushing, firing dumpsters, destroying property. >> everything this community went through, the only person who shot and killed anyone was the defendant. yes, there was property damage. no one's here to defend that. you cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create. >> reporter: this small city still traumatized by that night. the local sheriff today issuing a statement saying he sees no reason for curfews or road closures and wisconsin's governor urging people to remain peaceful. >> let's get right back to terry moran tonight. a couple of things today. that drawing of the numbers determining the jury by rittenhouse himself, i don't ever remember seeing that, have you? and the second question, of course, the jury, asking for more copies of the instructions? >> reporter: that's right, david. on kyle rittenhouse choosing the numbers, i've never seen a defendant do that. many lawyers i've talked to have never seen that. it's usually the court clerk or the judge, but this judge, as we've seen, has his own ways. as for what the jurors are looking for, they did it in two stages. the first thing they wanted, the law of self-defense. and of how a defendant gives it up if they provoke the attack. that's the heart of this case. and then they wanted it all. so, they're being methodical, like most jurors do. david? >> terry moran into the night there and tomorrow, we'll see you right back here tomorrow, terry, thank you. in the meantime, we turn now to the pandemic and that major news on booster shots for everyone 18 years and older. abc news learning tonight that the fda is expected to approve them this week by friday. tonight, about a half dozen states have moved forward already with boosters for 18 and older. and the news on that new covid pill, pfizer requesting the fda authorize its anti-viral pill that pfizer says is 89% effective at preventing hospitalization and death. and big news tonight on new year's eve in times square. here's abc's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: tonight, we're learning the fda is planning to authorize pfizer booster shots for all adults by friday. a cdc panel is scheduled to meet at the end of the week, with a new wave of vaccines going into arms as soon as this weekend. to slow a winter surge, a growing number of states have already gotten ahead of cdc guidelines and made boosters available to all adults. but even in those states, some people say the mixed messages haven't made it easy to book a shot. >> they're like, "yeah, we don't care what santa clara county says, we only care what the cdc says." i'm not going to lie. i'm a very honest person. >> reporter: some health experts say the patchwork booster rollout isn't working. >> frankly, the cdc and fda have made a major strategic mistake. they have made the booster guidance so confusing that people don't know who should be getting a booster and who shouldn't be. >> reporter: but in new york, where boosters are now open to all adults, a hopeful sign. this new year's eve, times square will once again welcome back crowds who can show proof of vaccination or a negative covid test. and tonight, pfizer is formally asking the fda to authorize its new anti-viral pill, after early trial results showed it cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89%. unlike monoclonal antibody treatments which are given through an iv, the pfizer pill can be taken at home for five days after testing positive. another anti-viral pill from merck could be authorized first by the end of the year. >> vaccine still is our best weapon, but these pills are that second line of defense and that will be important to millions of people. >> yeah, we've heard from so many that these pills could really be a game-changer. stephanie ramos back with us tonight. and stephanie, i wanted to get back to these booster shots for all adults 18 and older. we know the fda has been weighing a request from pfizer and abc news learning tonight that authorization for boosters for adults 18 and older could come by week's end? >> reporter: right, david. we're learning tonight the fda could green light moderna boosters at the same time as pfizer. a government official tells us both options are on the table and we could see these vaccines after the cdc panel makes its recommendation on friday. david? >> all right, stephanie, thank you. we're going to turn now to the state of emergency tonight after that storm hammered the northwest, washington state. hundreds forced from their homes. winds gusting up to 82 miles per hour. flooding rains and high winds right there. this semi tipping over on the deception pass bridge, stopped by the guardrail. that driver was unharmed. a family of five, these images tonight, their dog, too, all rescued from their flooded home in a front loader. several rivers at this hour at major flood stage and this system moving across the country and a major temperature swing. but first, will carr on the emergency right now in washington state. >> reporter: tonight, hundreds of families are out of their homes and at least one person is missing. nearly a foot and a half of rain pummelling parts of washington state over several days. north of seattle, a race to ter. >> it's pitch bl blowing. i have a 20-foot boat and the current was yarding it into the telephone poles and stuff like that. >> reporter: coast guard helicopters dropping baskets, rescuing a baby and nine more people near the town of forks. in everson, stephanie vigil and eric walker trapped in their home with their dogs. >> come on. you can do it, let's go. >> reporter: standing on their furniture, pleading for help. finally rescued through their window by heavy equipment. >> we finally got out, guys! >> reporter: everson police still searching for a man swept away on main street monday. the storms fueled by 82-mile-an-hour wind gusts toppling huge trees. landslides blocking major interstate 5. those high winds now fueling wildfires in colorado. back here in washington state, those winds have died down but we're still at a major flood stage and you can see those bags of sand. we're expecting more rain in the forecast later this week. david? >> all right, will carr, what a 24 hours for them. and let's get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee tracking the system on the move and this major temperature swing, as well. hey, ginger. >> reporter: hey there, david. it is slicing right through the middle of the nation as we speak. that cold front pushing the winds upwards of 74 miles per hour in the dakotas. check out the southern end of it, where albuquerque had a second day in a row of record high temps but also red flag warnings. so, the fire danger is high, but it is warm. at least for one more day, from the thumb of michigan over through western pennsylvania. look at those numbers for tomorrow afternoon. but don't get used to it, because you are going to slip and rip those temperatures about 20 degrees down from washington, d.c. to new york city to end the work week, david. >> yeah, real whiplash. we're thinking about the folks in the northwest tonight for sure. ginger, thank you. now, to president biden in new hampshire, michigan next, all on a tour, getting the message out on his bipartisan win on infrastructure. today at a rusted bridge in woodstock, new hampshire. that's on the so-called red list. and tonight, how local newspapers across this country are reporting on just how sweeping this will be for roads, bridges, airports and internet broadband in this nation. projects across all 50 states. here's abc's rachel scott. >> reporter: today, president biden traveling to new hampshire, in an effort to show americans his new infrastructure law will improve their lives. >> despite the cynics, democrats and republicans, we can work together. we can deliver real results. >> reporter: the president standing in front of a decrepit bridge that's been marked as dangerous and in need of urgent repair for nearly a decade. in new hampshire alone, there are more 215 bridges in poor condition. >> this may not seem like a big bridge, but it saves lives and it solves problems. every mile counts, every minute counts in an emergency, and folks, this is a bridge that's been structurally deficient for years. >> reporter: the massive infrastructure investment making front pages across the country. "infrastructure funds on way to michigan, $10 billion." in montana, "$3 billion for roads, airports, water projects." in ohio, "bill makes rail line possible." and in new york, "no subway fare hikes or service cuts." funding for new electric vehicle charging stations, broadband internet and clean water projects now on its way to states. >> every american, every child should be able to turn on the faucet and drink clean water. >> reporter: at wilkins elementary school in jackson, mississippi, help can't come soon enough. the conditions are so dire, students do not have access to working restrooms. they have to leave the classroom and wait in line to use port-a-potties outside. >> we should have access to clean running water, we should have access to inside restrooms where our children can go and relieve themselves and not have to go outside into the elements. >> reporter: is the water at the school safe for students to drink? >> we don't drink the water, we provide bottled water for our boys and girls. so, no, ma'am, it is not safe. >> reporter: the president is also hoping to build momentum for the rest of his domestic agenda, that $1.7 trillion social spending bill. democratic leadership wants a vote on that bill in the house by the end of the week, but david, it faces an uphill battle in the senate. >> rachel scott live on the hill tonight. rachel, thank you. and now, to the trial of three georgia men in the death of ahmaud arbery. the prosecution resting its case today after some very difficult moments in court. arbery's mother leaving the courtroom amid images of arbery's autopsy. the medical examiner testifying on the gunshot wounds and what he said. here's steve osunsami. >> reporter: the pictures were too much for ahmaud arbery's mother, who is seen here looking down, as a medical examiner showed jurors how her son was shot to death on this street in south georgia. the pathologist described a brutal killing, sharing this disturbing photo of what was a white t-shirt that arbery was wearing. and testifying that between five and ten of his ribs were broken in the gunfire in february of last year. >> what was ahmaud arbery's cause of death? >> ahmaud arbery died of multiple shotgun wounds. >> reporter: the three white men charged with his murder have plead not guilty, saying they were making a citizen's arrest under then georgia law. even though their suspicions, that arbery was a thief, have never been confirmed by police or surveillance videos from a neighborhood construction site. lawyers for travis mcmichael, who fired the fatal shots, are arguing that arbery was killed because, in their view, he tried to grab mcmichael's gun. >> is it consistent with the wrist wound for mr. arbery to have grabbed the gun and the gun been pulled back by mr. mcmichael when it was fired? >> that's possible. >> reporter: there are three sets of defense lawyers and they begin their case now starting tomorrow morning. it's clear they plan to show there were other people in that neighborhood, not just their clients, who were worried about crime, but what's not clear is how they plan to address concerns that the reason why this victim was seen as suspicious is because he was black. david? >> all right, steve osunsami in georgia. thank you, steve. overseas tonight and to the tensions escalating at the border between belarus and poland. thousands of migrants and all of this has the attention of western leaders, growing increasingingly alarmed with what they're seeing. violent clashes erupting between polish border forces and the migrants and our senior foreign correspondent ian pannell is right there tonight. >> reporter: tonight, tensions erupting along the poland/belarus border. hundreds of desperate migrants reportedly encouraged, and some claiming to be forced, by belarusian police to attack polish border forces. the poles responding with water cannons. stun grenades also going off, though it's unclear who detonated them. poland accusing belarusian police of giving them to the migrants, a sign of how this crisis is escalating. belarusian dictator alexander lukashenko, angry at eu sanctions, is accused of trying to foment a crisis on europe's doorstep as payback. the eu says his authoritarian regime has for months lured migrants to belarus, many of them iraqis and syrians, with the promise of helping them across the border. this is what the crisis looks like on the ground. a harrowing video given to abc news by polish human rights activists, showing a kurdish woman collapsed near the border with hypothermia. you can hear her struggling to breathe. she's now in hospital in a serious condition. and some are dying. at a lonely graveyard in the freezing woods near the border, a young syrian man is buried. a friend says ahmad al hasan drowned, because he was forced by belarusian guards to cross the river to poland even though he told them he couldn't swim. ahmad was just 19. david, migrants we've spoken to allege a clear pattern of coercion by belarusian police. they say they've been beaten by them, forced to attack polish border guards, even help to make illegal crossings. but tonight, they're as stranded and desperate as ever and david, the temperatures here are plummeting. david? >> all right, ian pannell on the worsening situation, live from poland tonight for us. ian, thank you. and when we come back, the deadly collision here at home. a train and a car, inside a woman and two children. and the united passenger jet catching fire at logan airport. these are the faces of listerine. the face of millions of germs zapped in seconds. the face of clean. the face of whoa! some are of intensity, others joy. all are of... various: ahhh... listerine. feel the whoa! now to that deadly collision on the tracks under investigation tonight in gary, indiana. police say a woman and two children were killed when a freight train slammed into their car. witnesses say the driver might have tried to get around the gates and beat the train across the tracks but then the collision occurred. when we come back tonight, the united passenger plane catching fire at the gate at logan. usually looks something like this. but what if it didn't? what if it looked like a family truck that powers a family home? 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we look into the future of the workplace. one local companies are changing and if you can keep your pay if you move somewhere less expensive. >> the longtime california congresswoman jackie speier will not run for reelection. she is joining us live. >> anyone 18 and older who is fully vaccinated for the past six months can a booster shot. we will tell you why appointments are hard to get. abc 7 new starts right now. >> moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. >> when you think about san mateo county, you have to think about congresswoman speier. she is truly beloved by her constituents. >> she's the uepitome of a leader, what we hoped for when we elect someone. >> for decades, jackie speier spoke on behalf of the bay area. tonight after announcing she will not seek reelection, she will join us live to talk about it. i'm liz kreutz. dan: i'm dan ashley. jackie speier's life and politic began in the late 1970's as an aide to congressman leo ryan. 43 years ago, she survived an ambush in jointnestown where she joined ryan to help people from a cult. ryan and another were killed. speier badly wounded. >> i pretended to be dead but they came and shot us at point blank range. the congressman was shot over 40 times and i was shot five times. liz: after that, she vowed to dedicate her life to public service if she survived. she quickly fulfilled that promise and