tested positive for covid. what the judge said after what palin has said about vaccines. tonight, new york city's new mayor launching a major crackdown on gun violence following a deadly police shooting. one offer killed, one fighting for his life. a rookie police officer eight months on the job taking down that gunman. the cruise ship with american passengers. a u.s. judge issuing an arrest warrant for the ship, reportedly for unpaid fuel bills. that ship ferrying passengers back to the u.s. instead of docking here. the news coming in tonight, the tragedy for the baltimore fire department. three firefighters killed after a building partially collapses. a fourth firefighter in critical condition. tonight, authorities say amid scams against seniors, the grandmother who turned the tables on the alleged scammer. what she did, what she gave him, to his surprise. we're tracking a fast-moving system tonight, all the way to the northeast. wind chills 35 below zero in some places. and news tonight about bob dylan. and what he's saying about it all. good evening and it's great to start another week with all of you at home. and we begin tonight with fast-moving developments as tensions mount over russia's military buildup along ukraine's border. tonight, president biden putting 8,500 troops on, quote, heightened alert, ready for rapid deployment to potentially support nato forces in europe. late today, the president holding a secure video call with european leaders. it lasted one hour, 20 minutes. the president a short time ago calling it a very good meeting. with total unanimity with all the european leaders. the white house tonight saying the leaders discussed preparations to impose, quote, massive consequences and severe economic costs if russia moves. amid concern over a possible russian invasion, the u.s. state department now ordering the families of all american personnel at the u.s. embassy in ukraine to leave the country. more than 100,000 russian troops are now stationed along the border with ukraine. some of those russian troops taking part in joint military operations in belarus. here in the u.s. tonight, airmen at travis air force base in california, and dover air force base in delaware, loading up military and weaponry to help ukraine. and what the ukrainian president just said about moves by the u.s. to get families of u.s. embassy personnel out of that country. he called the move premature, urging calm. our chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz leading us off tonight. >> reporter: with more russian troops massing on ukraine's border, navy vessels in the baltic seas, and russian fighter jets heading to belarus, ukraine's neighbor to the north, the pentagon tonight placing 8,500 u.s. troops on "heightened alert" for possible rapid deployment to back nato allies in eastern europe and the baltics. >> the united states has taken steps to heighten the readiness of its forces at home and abroad so that they are prepared to respond to a range of contingencies, including support to the nato response force if it is activated. >> reporter: the president talking with european leaders on a secure video call late this afternoon. >> i had a very, very good meeting. total unanimity with all the european leaders. >> reporter: that meeting followed one with his national security team at camp david over the weekend. biden could have deployed those troops to nato immediately, but stopped short of that. >> i want to reinforce that as of now, the decision has been made to put these units on higher alert and higher alert only. no decisions have been made to deploy any forces from the united states at this time. >> reporter: the u.s. troops which would be part of that nato force would include ground combat units, reconnaissance, and aviation forces. we joined u.s. fighter pilots on a nato exercise when russia was building up forces in the baltics after it annexed crimea from ukraine. we're flying over estonia but just over to the east, to the right, is russia. we heard russian pilots warn the the border.n 2016 not to cross - nato saying its show of force was a critical deterrent. but now, with more than 100,000 russian troops on ukraine's border, the possibility of war seems greater than ever. and while the u.s. has ruled out sending troops into ukraine itself, the u.s. is shipping hundreds of thousands of pounds of ammunition and lethal aid to ukraine, and evacuating some diplomatic personnel and families, saying an invasion could occur at any time. but ukraine's president tonight said the embassy departures were unnecessary and premature, and is urging people to remain calm. >> and martha raddatz with us tonight. martha, we heard there in your reporting that the president could have deployed the 8,500 troops immediately, but obviously, he's chosen not to do that, at least right now. and we know u.s. authorities believe the potential of having more nato forces brought into eastern europe is what makes putin most uncomfortable? this would appear to be part of their ongoing strategy to warn that this, could, in fact be coming. >> reporter: it is, david. they want to pressure putin, but not provoke him or give him a reason to invade, because despite putting these troops on heightened alert, the white house said today that president biden and the european leaders are still hoping for a diplomatic resolution. david? >> all right, martha raddatz leading us off tonight. martha, thank you. we turn now to the pandemic. authorities are urging caution tonight, but they are optimistic about what they're starting to see in parts of the country where the omicron variant hit first. cases down 10% nationwide. the average in a week. but 19 states tonight are reporting that cases are still rising, at least 10%. and they urge, do not let your guard down. the country still averaging 700,000 new cases every day. and a record number of cases in children. more than a million children testing positive just last week. and in new york city tonight, sarah palin here for a trial. the judge revealing she has tested positive. what he said today after what palin has publicly said about ever getting a vaccine. here's abc's kaylee hartung. >> reporter: tonight, health authorities are cautiously optimistic about the numbers they're now seeing in parts of the country. the regions that saw the omicron spike first now showing signs they might be turning the corner. new cases are now plateauing or falling across 31 states. >> i think there's a lot of room for optimism right now. many parts of this country are rounding the corner in this epidemic and starting to see that easing pressure of cases. >> reporter: but authorities urge caution, saying, do not be complacent. pointing to the numbers. still, nearly 700,000 new cases a day. still higher than any time in the pandemic. and hospitals in many states are still crushed. and deaths from covid, which always lag behind case numbers, are still rising. an average of nearly 2,000 lives every day. and the teams struggling on the front lines want people to know this is not over. >> nobody is exaggerating this. these are the sickest patients that we've seen in our entire careers. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci saying he is encouraged by these numbers, too. but that we cannot let our guard down. we must be prepared for other possible variants. but acknowledged what he's seeing in this turn is encouraging. >> things are looking good. we don't want to get overconfident, but they look like they're going in the right direction right now. >> reporter: in los angeles, more than 600,000 students are now required to upgrade from cloth to well-fitting masks with a nose wire. in virginia tonight, the new showdown over masks. seven school boards are suing the new republican governor, glenn youngkin, to stop his new order, which now makes masks in schools optional. it comes as the first free n95 masks promised by the white house have now been handed out. this supermarket in iowa. and some of those free at-home covid tests now arriving ahead of schedule. at least 53 million americans have visited the covidtests.gov site since it launched. marcy taylor is one of them. >> signed up on tuesday and then received it on friday, earlier than i expected. >> reporter: this shipping center outside los angeles delivering 8.5 million tests today. so, if 20 truckloads full of rapid tests are going out every day, why is there still a backlog? >> well, because the receiving part, from the airport, because of covid, because of short of manpower. we get an airplane landed at l.a.x. and then it got stuck there for four, five, even a week. it is frustrating, but we're doing this with a passion. >> reporter: and tonight in new york, the former governor of alaska making headlines. sarah palin in new york to start her defamation trial against "the new york times" testing positive for covid, halting the trial. it comes after she's rallied against vaccines. judge jed rakoff saying, "she is, of course, unvaccinated." palin has said, "it will be over my dead body that i'll have to get a shot." she also reportedly had covid last march. >> in the meantime, we turn to other news. as we were coming on the air tonight, kaylee, the fda pulling back authorization for some treatments when it comes to omicron and covid? >> reporter: yes, david. the fda confirms that regeneron and eli lilly's therapies are no longer authorized for use in the u.s. because researchers found that they don't work against omicron. there is monoclonal antibody treatment available from glaxosmithkline that has been found to work, and we also have those anti-viral pills that are effective. david? >> kaylee hartung with us tonight. kaylee, thank you. we turn now to the epidemic of gun violence in this country, and to the chilling case here in new york city, an office killed, another fighting for his life. and tonight, new york city's new mayor now launching a mayor crackdown on gun violence. here's abc's phil lipof tonight. >> reporter: tonight, alarming new details about the gunman who police say shot two new york city police officers, killing jason rivera and gravely wounding his partner wilbert mora. >> this is what police are up against. he could have emptied out his 40 and still had another automatic assault weapon for every responding officer that responded. >> reporter: mayor eric adams revealing the suspect allegedly had multiple weapons on friday night as police responded to a domestic violence call. a third officer firing back, hitting that suspect, who died today. the police union identified that third officer as sumit sulan. the mayor now rolling out his blueprint to end gun violence. >> we will not surrender our city to the violent few. >> reporter: new york governor kathy hochul also announcing an interstate task force, including law enforcement agencies from nine northeastern states and the atf. nationwide, a sharp rise in gun violence. already this year, excluding suicides, more than 1,100 people have died, including at least three members of law enforcement. just this weekend in chicago, 8-year-old melissa ortega killed by a stray bullet walking with her mother. her family says the third grader had just come to the u.s. in august from mexico for a better life. and in harris county, texas, police are now searching for the man who allegedly gunned down 47-year-old corporal charles galloway during a traffic stop. david, a few details from the mayor's plan. plainclothes officers and an anti-crime unit dispersed throughout the city. also, checkpoints around the city. places like port authority, to stop the guns that flow up and down the east coast in that so-called iron pipeline from getting in. david? >> all right, phil lipof tonight. phil, thank you. we're going to turn now to the cruise ship with american passengers. a u.s. judge issuing an arrest warrant for the ship, reportedly for unpaid fuel bills. that ship then not returning to the u.s., ferrying passengers back to the u.s. instead. here's abc's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight, the "crystal symphony" is a luxury cruise ship that may be on the lam, after a federal judge issued a warrant to seize the ship. it was scheduled to return to florida on saturday, instead, diverting to the bahamas. >> the captain came over the public address and he said, ladies and gentlemen, i have another announcement to make, and that is that we are not arriving in miami tomorrow. >> reporter: the passengers put on ferries sunday back to fort lauderdale. according to a complaint obtained by our affiliate wplg, fuel company peninsula petroleum claims crystal cruises owes them $4.6 million in unpaid fuel bills, dating back to last year. >> we were all very scared. we didn't know what was going to happen. until this morning, we did not know if we were going to get off the ship. >> reporter: the cruise line telling abc, "this end to the cruise was not the conclusion to our guests' vacation we originally planned for." and this comes just days after crystal cruises suspended all sailings following a bankruptcy filing by its owner. the cruise line telling abc news they can't comment on pending legal matters. david? >> victor oquendo with us tonight from florida. victor, thank you. we turn now to the january 6th investigation and the chairman of the house committee revealing that former attorney general bill barr has been talking to the committee. here's jonathan karl tonight with what he's learned. >> reporter: while several members of former president trump's inner circle have refused to cooperate with the january 6th committee, his former attorney general, bill barr, has spoken to committee investigators. barr could be a key witness. in an interview for my book "betrayal," barr told me he investigated allegations of election fraud and told trump flatly they were b.s. >> if i found something, you know, i had no motive to suppress it. but my suspicion all the way along was there was nothing there, that it was all [ bleep ]. >> reporter: that including trump's claim that voting machines were rigged. >> you could tell me all you want to about, you know, this could have been hacked or, you know, whatever, but it's a counting machine. so, you just reconcile the two. there's a pile right there. how many ballots? 1,000. >> reporter: right. >> now let's see who they're for. there's been no discrepancy reported anywhere. >> reporter: a source familiar with barr's conversation with the committee tells abc news that investigators asked him about a draft executive order obtained by politico that would have authorized the pentagon to seize voting machines. it's unclear who wrote the order, but it was dated december 16, two days after barr left office. he told the committee he didn't know anything about it. the order was never signed, but according to multiple sources, trump discussed it in a meeting oval office meeting with white house officials and lawyer sidney powell. barr could be a star witness as the committee holds public hearings in the coming months, but david, i'm told that the committee has not yet asked him if he'd be willing to testify in those public hearings. >> all right, jonathan karl at the capitol tonight. jonathan, thank you. in minneapolis, meanwhile, opening statements in the federal trial of three former police officers charged with violating george floyd's civil rights. j. alexander kueng, thomas lane, and tou thao are accused of ignoring their training and failing to take action to save floyd's life, as fellow officer derek chauvin pinned him down. chauvin already pleaded guilty to federal charges after being convicted of state murder charges. in washington, the supreme court has agreed to hear a high stakes case on whether race can be considered in college admissions. the court is taking up lawsuits against harvard and the university of north carolina that claim they illegally discriminate against asian american applicants. a decision against those schools by the new conservative majority could potentially end affirmative action in college admissions. to the economy tonight, and a wild day of trading for the market. the dow plunging more than 1,000 points at one point over concerns over inflation, possible interest rate hikes, and ukraine. the dow then making a stunning rebound just before the closing bet today, finishing up 99 points after all, closing at 34,364. when we come back here on this busy monday night, news coming in about three firefighters killed in baltimore, trapped in a partial collapse. we're also tracking that fast-moving system tonight all the way to the northeast. helping them discover their dreams is one of the best parts of being a parent. one of the most important is giving them ways to fulfill them. for over 150 years, generations have trusted the strength and stability of pacific life. because life insurance can help protect and 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talk to your doctor and say yess to linzess. learn how abbvie and ironwood could help you save on linzess. to the index of other news tonight and bob dylan selling his entire recorded music catalog to sony music. the deal includes all of his albums dating back to 1962. tonight, billboard reporting it could be worth $200 million. dylan, who has a long history with the company, says he's glad his recordings, quote, can say where they belong. he sold his songwriting rights to universal music two years ago for an estimated $300 million. tonight, this story. a grandmother turning the tables on an alleged scammer on long island. 73-year-old jean ebbert receiving a call from a man claiming to be her grandson, saying he needed $8,000 in bail money. she contacted police to report it. the suspect coming to collect the money not knowing the envelope she gave him was stuffed with cut up paper towels instead of cash. you can see there, officers then tackling the suspect right there in the front yard. don't mess with her. when we come back here tonight, the u.p.s. driver and his message to the couple with a new baby, and what a response he got in return. what a response e got in return. with my hectic life you'd think retirement would be the last thing on my mind. hey mom, can i go play video games? 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tonight, the simple act of kindness now growing. it is america strong. just outside atlanta, u.p.s. driver dalen harrell had been delivering packages to this home with a stork outside, holding a baby boy. dalen, who had just had a baby boy, too, devereaux, wanted to wish that family well. >> if this is the it's a boy house, i hope all is going well with your newborn. i had a child around the same time you guys did. and i just hope everything is going good. god bless, happy holidays. >> jessica and matt kitchell live there with their newborn chancie, and they saw that message. they wanted to thank him. they posted the video online and asked if anyone knew him. the response was immediate. three days later, dalen back at the home, this time meeting the family and baby chancie in mom's arms. jessica and her family making a care package for dalen and his family. and it didn't stop there. mom jessica sharing dalen's baby registry online and instantly, books, clothes, toys. all after that u.p.s. driver's kindness. those gifts from around the country taking up half the truck. as many as 15 packages a day. and tonight, he tells us, they are still arriving, many from americans all over this country, right on dalen's doorstep. the diapers, the high chair, and right here with us -- >> hi, david. >> -- dalen on that simple act of kindness, his message, and the gift now given to him. >> i just hope that it continues to be a positive domino effect and people just take from this to be kind and love thy neighbor. >> we just loved his message of kindness and congratulations to both families and their new babies. good night >> another wrinkle to the covid tonight. a study debunks a vaccination myth and reveals a new concern about infections and fertility. >> thank you. > we have a hard battle. >> yeah. >> words of encouragement and support. today the national head of the teachers' union visited local schools to see how covid protocols are going. and caught in the middle, a move to crack on fraud payments leaves some legitimate claims unpaid. 7 on your side helps one desperate family. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. >> scary to think that it is never about that, it is about intimidation. >> anti-semitic flyers found in several san francisco neighborhoods and in other states. hindgood evening and thank you r joining us, i am ama daetz. dan: thank you for joining us. this is one of dozens of flyers that were found in san francisco over the weekend. >> anchor liz kreutz tell us the flyers appear identical to flyers found in several other cities across the country, and become amid a nationwide rise in anti-semitic incidents. >> there were a few littered across the sidewalk. liz: in pacific heights, residents are on edge after finding anti-semitic flyers placed around the >> it was weighted down with some rice and it had a flyer that said the entire covid agenda is jewish. reporter: this woman who is jewish and asked that we not share her last name, notice thed around pacific avenue, near baker street. others reported seeing them near union