being sent to ukraine can do. back here at home tonight, the masks have come off for travel, but the justice department is now appealing. so, we press dr. jha tonight, now the white house covid-19 response coordinator. could this confusion have been avoided, should americans be wearing masks still on planes? also tonight, we ask about the news on vaccines for children under 5. dr. jha from the white house tonight. the emergency unfolding at this hour across several states. more than a dozen fires now burning. the tunnel fire in arizona tripfuling in size. hndreds of families fleeing their homes. kaylee hartung in the fire zone. in new york city tonight, the arrest in the gruesome case of the mother of two found in a duffel bag. what they're now saying about the suspect. the january 6th investigation. donald trump jr. is now expected to meet with the house committee. the alarming images tonight of mike tyson seen repeatedly punching a passenger on a jetblue flight. the investigation now under way. queen elizabeth tonight celebrating her 96th birthday. robin roberts here with nba legend magic johnson on his triumphs, from basketball to business. and tonight here, we remember a beloved colleague here at abc news. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a thursday night. and we begin tonight with the war in ukraine, at a critical moment. russia making it clear it is si setting its sights on eastern ukraine. vladimir putin has set up a bomb cade around that steel factory we've been reporting on here. fighters refusing to surrender to the russians. putin has declared victory in mariupol. president biden saying there is no clear evidence of that. and tonight, the u.s. is sending another $800 million in military aid and weapons. the president coming before cameras at the white house today expressing his outrage at the brutality of russia's campaign. the war crimes, the atrocities, the president said. the president vowing putin will never succeed in taking all of ukraine. tonight, putin surrounding that plant, ordering the plant to be sealed off so that, quote, not even a fly comes through. the mayor of mariupol tonight telling abc news ukrainian troops will not surrender and that u.s. military assistance is reaching them. and tonight, president biden also revealing a new program to welcome ukrainian refugees, calling on americans to sponsor the refugees. abc's james longman tonight inside ukraine with the harrowing stories. the ukrainians trying to get out of mariupol, facing multiple russian checkpoints and what they say the russians did. james inside ukraine again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, as russia presses its offensive in eastern ukraine, the u.s. announcing another $800 million in military aid to help the ukrainians fight back. >> this package includes heavy artillery weapons, dozens of howitzers, and 144,000 rounds of ammunition. >> reporter: there's also $500 million more to help fund ukrainian government operations, including salaries and social programs. the military package is a substantial one, including 72 howitzers and the vehicles to tow them. it includes 121 tactical drones, similar to switchblade, but a new type developed in part by the u.s. air force to meet specific ukrainian needs in this war. biden said he's almost exhausted his authority to provide military aid and would go to congress next week for more money to keep the weapons flowing. >> to modernize teddy roosevelt's famous advice, sometimes we will speak softly and carry a large javelin, because we're sending a lot of those in, as well. >> reporter: it all comes as russian president tputin today declared victory in mariupol, even though he called off an attempt to storm the last stronghold held by ukrainians in the city. instead, the russian leader ordered a blockade of the azovstal steel factory so nothing can get in or out. russian drone video showing the extent of the damage. mariupol's mayor told abc today that u.s. military assistance is reaching ukrainian fighters in the city, and they have no intention of surrender. are there 1,000 people left in the plant now, or what's the number? he said 1,000 civilians are also in that steel plant, and they're running out of what they need to survive. 100,000 people remain stuck in the city, but today, for the first time in more than a week, a handful managed to get out. vitaly was among them. we met him as he struggled with his few remaining possessions. his bus stopped repeatedly by russian checkpoints, he says. soldiers there intimidating and humiliating those on board. russians were taking your fingerprints? "yes, they took photographs from the front, from the sides," he says. "they were grabbing me by my hands, by my neck." he's crying. he's had a long journey. finally a chance to rest. tell me, who have you left behind in mariupol? "my son, and his wife," he says. "i was living underground for 25 days." his granddaughter went through hell witheflyost tay itent oea ? look at your face, you can't stop smiling. "i'm happy that we're here," she says. "i soul is happy for meeting you," says vitaly. my soul is happy for meeting you, as well. >> a rare moment of joy in the middle of a war zone. james longman back with us from eastern ukraine. and james, weer with on the air earlier today as president biden was revealing this new military aid to ukraine, in fact, when we came to up, you had just talked to ukrainians who were able to get out of marimariupol, they w some of them we just saw there. i was struck when they describe what they faced at multiple russian checkpoints. >> reporter: yeah, they had to get through as many as 20 checkpoints manned by russian soldiers, david. we heard they were humiliated and intimidated at every one. even made to strip, where soldiers looked for tattoos that suggested military affiliations. and there is concern now tonight, david, for those thousand civilians stuck in the basement of that steel plant, now sealed off by russia. david? >> the world now watching that factory. james, thank you. and of course, we heard that list of weapons as part of this new wave of help from the u.s. let's bring in martha raddatz tonight, and martha, we saw that russian video showing the damage in mariupol. the blockade around the steel factory. ukrainians inside that james just mentioned. i'm curious tonight, what can these weapons, what can these new ghost drones accomplish? >> reporter: david, the pentagon is sending this brand new kind of drone just out of development, they say will work well in eastern ukraine. it is called the phoenix ghost and is similar to the switchblade drone, that kamikaze-like drone that can be carried in a backpack, launched from anywhere. they are laden with explosives and guided to their targets remotely. the pentagon says the phoenix ghost is designed to deliver a punch. david? >> martha raddatz with usmartha. in 2 the meantime, we turn w to the pandemic. with millions traveling on planes and most public transportation without masks after a federal judge in florida struck down the travel mask mandate, we've seen the joy from so many and still concern from others over the health of their loved ones, children, with new covid cases jumping across 30 states. so tonight here, what the justice department now appealing this ruling, what does this mean? could the rules change again and could this confusion have been avoided? post in the biden w at his new - administration, we pressed him late today on the confusion and on what they're seeing right now with new cases jumping across most of the country. dr. jha, of course, now the white house covid-19 response coordinator, dr. jha, thanks for being here tonight. you've seen the confusion all over the country. you saw the relief, the joy from so many when they heard they could take the masks off. the concern from others for their family, for their children. so, bottom line here tonight, is this justice department appeal right now an effort to get americans to put the masks back on right now? or is this about preserving the cdc's authority moving forward at critical moments down the road if we face more threatening turns in the pandemic? >> yeah, david, so, first of all, thanks for having me back. i think there are two sets of issues. first is that public health decisions like this should be made by public health scientists. and cdc had made a decision that masks were useful, and it was deeply disappointing to see a federal jung step in and take that decision away from public health scientists. the appeal, no question, a major goal of the appeal is to make sure that the cdc has the authority and the ability to protect americans during health crises like this. and whether that is used now or used later or in a future pandemic, it's essential that the cdc be able to retain this ability to do things that are going to keep americans safe. >> is there going to be an effort or a stay or something similar to try to halt this strikedown of the mandate in order to get the masks back on right now? >> you know, i think in terms of the legal strategy that's really being sorted out by the department of justice. >> but from a health perspective, do you want the masks back on? >> yeah, look, the cdc scientists were very clear that masks should be on right now while they're doing an evaluation. and i think that assessment is right. and so i think that that is what should be happening right now. >> doctor, i'm curious, was the cdc was the administration tracking the possibility that this florida two-week extension, if you knew acthe lel cas on the rple wh cdc scientists asked for two more weeks to assess what's happening with the ba.2 subvariant and we all thought that was very reasonable, and that's why the cdc made the decision to extend it, knowing that that's the right thing to do for the american people. and i think that's what f fundamentally factored into the decision. >> i want to ask you, given what you're seeing with the omicron subvariants across this country, the spike in cases in more than 30 states, are you concerned that that folks taking off the masks because of this federal judge and the ruling out of florida that this could provide a false sense of security given the numbers you're seeing? >> yeah, the numbers are concerning, obviously. as you said, david, cases are up in 30 states. hospitalizations are starting to tick up. we're going to want to watch this carefully, and the cdc is very clear, right? whether they are right now, whether the authority is in effect or not, their strong recommendation is that people should be masking up on planes. people should be masking up on mass transit. i think they're right about that and that's what we should be doing. >> one last piece of news before we get you go tonight, dr. fauci confirming that regulators are now considering waiting to authorize both the pfizer and moderna vaccines for kids under 5 at the same time. can you confirm this? and if so, how soon could we see vaccines for children under 5 in this country? >> yeah, the timeline on this has always been driven by when, you know, when we have the evidence and data from the trials, when that information gets submitted, but to the fda and when the fda scientists review it. that's what we should be doing. we should be, i think, guided by that timeline, making sure we do a good evaluation. i don't know when that evaluation will be done, and i believe that as soon as that evaluation is done, the fda should make a decision. >> potentially by the summer? >> i suspect so, david, but we're going to have to let the data and the process drive the timeline. >> all right, dr. jha, as always, great to have you with us, i see you've upgraded your backdrop from your old office, at least temporary lip. dr. jha, thank you. >> thank you. >> our coverage of the pandemic right here tonight. we turn now to the emergency unfolding across several states tonight, the critical fire danger in the coming hours. at least 13 wildfires across four states at this hour. the tunnel fire near flagstaff, arizona, tripling in size in just 24 hours.toght, hundred he alrey been a abc's kaylee hartung from arizona again tonig, no flagstaff, the tunnel fire still burning out of control and forcing hundreds of families and their animals to flee. >> 153 animals in our care. when you are, you know,, you get of everything from your household pelts to livestock. >> reporter: michelle ryan runs the coconino humane association's shelter. she says she only got seven minutes notice to evacuate. this all happened so fast. >> i just kept telling my daughter, it's okay. as long as we got pets, people and the important photos, the rest of it can be replaced. it doesn't matter. >> reporter: the scope of the devastation, larger than manhattan. dozens of homes destroyed, including the air national guard pilot's home, trevor cooper. >> could see pretty clearly that it was a total loss. >> reporter: powerful winds and dry conditions throughout the southwest, fueling more than a dozen fires. from new mexico to colorado, where a fast-moving fire destroyed multiple homes in rio grande county overnight. and david, we've really been feeling the wind picking up here, signaling that the fire danger is only getting worse. i want to show you this map. that is extreme fire danger from new mexico to colorado. wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour are possible and dry lightning could spark new fires. david? >> could be another difficult night ahead. kaylee hartung in arizona. kaylee, thank you. back here in new york city tonight, an arrest in the brutal stabbing death of a mother of two from queens. her body found in a duffel bag. what authorities have now revealed about the suspect. and here's abc's stephanie ramos tonight. >> david, did you kill orsolya? >> reporter: tonight, a suspect is in custody, charged in the murder of new york city mother of two orsolya gaal. late last night, 44-year-old david bonola, who was wanted for questioning, approaching officers. >> he voluntarily came back to the 112 precinct and made incriminating statements. >> reporter: authorities say bonola worked as a handyman and was having an intimate affair with gaal for the last two years. on friday night, gaal attended a show at lincoln center, returning to her home around 12:20 in the morning. bonola arriving minutes later. >> he is either let in voluntarily or he uses a key he has knowledge about hidden in a barbecue. a heated argument ensues between the two in the basement. a knife is bs brandished. a violent struggle ensues. >> reporter: gaal stabbed more than 55 times, one of her sons upstairs. her older son and husband, out of town looking at colleges. >> mr. bonola then retrieved the hockey bag belonging to ms. gaal's son, placed her in te bag, and as video showed, was seen rolling the body down the sidewalks, leaving a blood trail. >> reporter: that surveillance video a key part of their investigation. police following the blood trail from where gaal's body was discovered back to her house, recovering this knife from the crime scene. david, police say they are not looking for any other suspects at this time. bonola is expected to make his first court appearance later this evening. david? >> stephanie ramos in betweens tonight, thank you. we turn now tonight to the january 6th investigation and donald trump jr. is now expected to mean with the house committee. here's abc's chief justice correspondent pierre thomas with what we have learned tonight. >> reporter: tonight, president trump's oldest son is preparing to meet with the committee investigating the january 6th riot at the capitol. donald trump jr.'s potential testimony comes as the committee in recent weeks has stepped up its focus on president's trump's family with ivanka trump, son-in-law jared kushner, and don jr.'s fiance all testifying. the committee apparently wants to know what they know about planning for the rally and how president trump reacted and responded to the violence. the former president's son was backstage before his father's rally. >> i think we are t-minus a couple of seconds here, guys. >> reporter: and spoke to the crowd that day. >> so stay in this fight. stay loud. don't be suppressed. don't be put in your corner. >> reporter: donald trump jr.'s appearance is expected in the coming days and is voluntary. according to sources, the committee did not subpoena him. david? >> pierre thomas tonight in washington. pierre, thank you. when we come back here, the alarming images tonight of mike tyson seen repeatedly punching a passenger on a jetblue flight. what police are now saying. ruby's a1c is down with rybelsus®. my a1c wasn't at goal, now i'm down with rybelsus®. mom's a1c is down with rybelsus®. 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(excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. tonight, authorities are investigating a fight own a jetblue fight involving former boxer mike tyson. video obtained by tmz sports shows tyson repeatedly punching a man while their jetblue flight was still at the gate in san francisco. some witnesses say the passenger was harassing tyson beforehand. a representative for tyson tonight claiming the man threw a water bottle at him. authorities say the passenger refused to cooperate with police. no charges have been filed so far. when we come back here tonight, the queen's 96th bir birthday. robin roberts one-on-one with nba legend magic johnson. and we remember a beloved member of our team. ent, i can du more... crazy commutes... crowd control- have a nice day alex (thanks ms. ellen) ...taking the stairs. that's how you du more with dupixent, which helps prevent asthma attacks. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on-treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. and can reduce, or even eliminate, oral steroids. and here's something important. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. are you ready to du more with less asthma? 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>> my kids, my parents, my brothers and sisters, my laker family, they told me, you're going to be here for a long time. when everybody else was saying i was going to die. and look where i am. meet your fears head-on. when you're going through something, just know that you're not by yourself. >> lifting us up. robin's interview airs tonight on "nightline." it's extraordinary. and "they call me magic" debuts tomorrow on apple tv plus. when we come back here tonight, we remember a beloved tonight, we remember a beloved colleague here at abc news. s. but she's found new ways toy on top of it all. once-weekly trulicity is proven to help lower a1c and it can help you lose up to 10 pounds.iate it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. it's not approved for use in children. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration, and may worsen kidney problems. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. ♪♪ in the future we'll travel to incredible places with the help of magical technology. but what about today? i want my magical future now. ♪♪ i have places to go. ♪♪ rocks to climb. ♪♪ sights to see. and flights to catch... i can't wait for what tomorrow will bring, but in the meantime, let's enjoy the ride... ♪♪ i recommend nature made vitamins, because i trust their quality. they were the first to be verified by usp, an independent organization that sets strict quality and purity standards. nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. way day, wayfair's biggest sale of the year is bigger than eve! for two days only, april 27th and 28th, get the lowest prices on thousands of items for your home. shop outdoor furniture up to 65% off... rugs up to 80% off... and lighting up to 65% off... plus, get bonus savings with a wayfair credit card and free shipping on everything! shop way day our biggest sale of the year. happening april 27th and 28th at wayfair.com. ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need ♪ wealth is breaking ground on your biggest project yet. worth is giving the people who build it a solid foundation. wealth is shutting down the office for mike's retirement party. worth is giving the employee who spent half his life with you, the party of a lifetime. ♪ ♪ wealth is watching your business grow. worth is watching your employees grow with it. ♪ ♪ finally, for so many of us here at abc news who have reported from china over the years, there has always been a true light behind the scenes. a mentor, a treasured friend. chito santa romana was our longtime beijing bureau chief. anyone who reported from china, anyone who made their way to our beijing bureau were touched by his kind calm demeanor. tall, soft-spoken, a lifelong student and scholar of modern china. from the mao era to president xi. from peter jennings, to bob woodruff to martha raddatz, we all remember sitting at the table with chito. one of our colleagues said it best, he was a patient and wise mentor to us all. after retiring from abc, he became the philippines ambassador to china. and upon news of his passing this week, the foreign ministry of china calling him "an old and good friend of ours." he was also a treasured friend of ours here at abc. here with diane during a visit to new york. he was just a few months shy of his second retirement. our thoughts tonight are with his wife nancy and his sons norman and chris. "chito" was 74. thank you, >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> hey, hey, mike, come on. >> punches thrown on a jet blue flight and the men throwing those punches, iron mike tyson. >> a live look outside for you as clouds roll in ahead of more showers expected tonight. >> and more snow in the sierra, good newsor ski resorts hoping to stay open longer. kristen: a shelter-in-place at uc berkeley was lifted after -- two hours ago. around 2:00 p.m., police tracked down a person who had issued threats toward specific people on campus that led to the lockdown. our reporter joins us live with the very latest. >> what a day it has been, the university confirming that the responsible individual has been located by police, bringing a very long, scary day to a close. a threat prompted a huge lockdown on the uc berkeley campus that shut down classes. this was the moment about 145 p.m. when students, staff, and faculty at uc berkeley got the all clear, released from lockdown inside offices and classrooms. >> it was a very frightening moment. he didn't know what was going on because the message was very vague. >> sky 7 was over the mostly deserted campus after shelter-in-place order came d