alex presha on the campaign trail. >> linsey: also tonight, the biden white house weighs its options after alabama's supreme court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children. what this means for the future of ivf. >> linsey: the bold promise from ukraine's president stating we will win as the war enters its third year, with russian forces advancing in the east, the ukrainians are now pleading for more aid from the u.s. claiming the next month is crucial. our james longman right alongside president zelenskyy asking if he's lost faith in america. >> linsey: a kentucky college student dead, another student now under arrest, accused of killing him. the latest in a series of campus murders. >> linsey: nationwide vigils for nex benedict who died after an altercation at school. new video from inside the school building and from the hospital as well as their mother's painful call to 911. >> linsey: we now know the cause of a deadly fire in new york city. one person killed, more than a dozen injured. the dramatic rescues by firefighters. >> linsey: new calls to end court storming after star duke basketball player is injured by the college campus tradition. important news for anyone looking to buy a home. is the housing market coming back? and is now the time to buy? >> and on the edge of history, the umpire ready for the majors and the figure skaters who have become an inspiration on the ice. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >> linsey: good evening, everyone. thanks so much for joining us on this sunday. i'm linsey davis. one day after donald trump trounced nikki haley in her home state, the former south carolina governor is pledging to stay in the race at least through super tuesday. while the republican winner in south carolina has historically gone on to become the party's nominee in all but one primary since 1980, haley remains defiant. telling supporters it's not the end of our story. but there is growing pressure for her to step aside. >> in former trump's victory speech, he said he had never seen the republican party so unified and did not mention haley by name. trump now appears set to lock in enough delegates for the republican nomination. his looming legal woes did not deter south carolina primary voters. in fact, 61% of the republicans surveys said they would consider trump fit to be president even if he was convicted of a crime. why is haley still hanging on. alex presha leads us off from the campaign trail. >> reporter: tonight, donald trump barrelling into tuesday's michigan primary fresh off a 20 point victory in south carolina. >> now there's a spirit i have never seen. >> reporter: he's now the first non-incumbent republican presidential candidate to sweep iowa, new hampshire, and south carolina. >> i have never seen the republican party so unified as it is right now. >> i said earlier this week, that no matter what happens in south carolina, i would continue to run for president. >> reporter: nikki haley vowing to continue on at least until super tuesday. a defeat in the state she once governed is a blow. she lost by a wider margin than in new hampshire. her path forward's narrowing and she's facing increasing pressure to drop out. the republican party chair here saying, "we need to unite our party" and "put donald trump back in the white house." >> in 10 days, 20+ states and territories are going to vote. let them vote. america doesn't do coronations. >> reporter: and the trump campaign is motoring into michigan burning through cash. year-end disclosures showing his political fundraising committees spent more than $50 million on legal fees related to the former president in 2023. exit polling from south carolina showing that 61% of republicans surveyed would see him fit to be president even if he were convicted of a crime. trump campaigning over the weekend saying these investigations have gained him support in the black community. >> we have all seen the mugshot. and you know who embraced it more than anybody else? the black population. it's incredible. >> those comments drawing swift backlash over the weekend from haley and many others. alex presha joins us now from charleston, south carolina. many are asking why haley is remaining in the race when the cards are clearly stacked against her. >> reporter: one of the big reasons is nikki haley still has quite a bit of campaign funding. she's got big ad buys through super tuesday. now, nicky haley was able to pick up three delegates here in south carolina, but the fact remains her path to a nomination is increasingly narrow and looking ahead to the michigan primary, she's down 60 points in the polls there. linsey. >> alex presha for us. thank you. >> linsey: we turn to a topic that is once again front and center on the campaign trail, reproductive rights. president biden is weighing possible responses to the alabama supreme court's recent, ivf ruling that declared frozen embryos are people. abc white house correspondent maryalice parks joins us now. officials say the president is limited here in what he can do. >> reporter: that's right. in terms of new policy, it's possible the administration can do something on the edges. the white house team says they're looking at potential executive actions but fundamentally, they say congress needs to act to put back in place a nationwide right to reproductive care. it's hard to imagine this congress getting any new law like that passed. despite public support, two years ago, we saw 195 republicans vote against a bill to protect access to birth control, and right now today, there's 125 republicans including speaker of the house mike johnson who are signed on to a bill called the life at conception act. that would protect life at all stages including the moment of fertilization. it really comes down to a political debate. and democrats are putting this case in alabama front and center in their campaign messaging. pointing to the fact that former president donald trump pushed to get anti-abortion justices on the supreme court and other anti-abortion judges on federal benches. linsey. >> widespread implications here. maryalice, thank you. >> linsey: overseas now, ukraine's president zelenskyy is vowing victory against russia, even as russian forces are gaining ground on the battlefield. and russia intensifies its attacks. missiles and drones hit targets throughout the country. these images are from eastern ukraine. zelenskyy is making an appeal to the west once again for more military aid and what he had to say specifically about the u.s. abc's james longman from ukraine. >> reporter: tonight, with russia's invasion of ukraine now entering its third year, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy and his top security officials holding a major press conference in kyiv to mark the anniversary, vowing to win the war and disclosing ukrainian casualty figures for the first time. claiming 31,000 ukrainian troops have been killed since the war began, far lower than recent u.s. estimates of 70,000. zelenskyy also saying ukraine, which is running low on weapons and ammunition, requires military aid from the u.s. within a month. that aid currently held up in congress. after the event, i pressed zelenskyy on whether the u.s. aid will arrive. mr. president, can i ask you about aid from the u.s. congress? are you worried about not getting it? >> i think that the guys will decide -- will make a good decision. for us very important. a little bit hurry up for them, yes. >> reporter: have you lost faith in the u.s.? >> no, no, no. no, no, no. they are great people. and i count on your people. they will push everybody. >> reporter: so putting on a brave face, but the war here is not going well. he still thinks that aid will get through congress. it comes as russia makes some of its most significant battlefield gains in months. officials touring the strategic city of avdiivka in eastern ukraine, captured by russian forces last week. they're now pushing to secure nearby towns. white house officials telling abc's martha raddatz it's vital for congress to approve an aid package. >> this is not about a shortage of will, martha. this is about a shortage of bullets. and, if we can fill that shortage of bullets, ukraine can stand up brave and courageous and take the fight to the russians. >> reporter: over the last two years, ukraine has not wanted to comment on casualty numbers, preferring instead to project strength. that president zelenskyy did today, perhaps demonstrates how serious the situation here is. linsey. >> a change in strategy there. james, thank you. >> we turn to a tragedy in rural kentucky. an 18-year-old university student is dead, a 21-year-old student is now under arrest. it's the third case of fatal violence on campus in the past two weeks. here's abc's morgan norwood. >> reporter: tonight, friends and family struggling to understand why 18-year-old kentucky college student josiah kilman was murdered, allegedly by his schoolmate. >> it's indescribable. it's suffocating, you know, for this to happen to him of all people. >> reporter: police arresting 21-year-old charles escalera saturday. escalera now facing murder and burglary charges. police called to a campbellsville university dorm room early saturday where kilman was found unresponsive. kilman taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. kilman's longtime soccer coach remembering him as a role model. >> he was such an exceptional human being that shined a really bright light. >> reporter: authorities identifying escalera as the suspect, releasing these surveillance images of him. the campus placed on lockdown. by evening, police taking escalera into custody after getting a tip from a local farmer. >> he had located a male in his barn while he was feeding. >> reporter: kilman's death is the latest deadly incident involving college students across the country within the past two weeks. nicholas jordan facing murder and other charges in the shooting deaths of his roommate samuel knopp and knopp's friend celie rain montgomery at the university of colorado. and jose ibarra going before a judge saturday, charged in the killing of augusta university nursing student laken riley on the university of georgia campus. in a statement, federal officials say ibarra is a citizen of venezuela and was arrested in 2022 after unlawfully entering the u.s. linsey, as for the campbellsville murder, that suspect held on a $2 million bond. police have not said how josiah died but that community is grieving. there's a hope and healing service held on the university's campus tonight. linsey. >> our hearts go out to them. morgan, thank you. >> linsey: vigils are held tonight for a 16-year-old oklahoma student who died one day after being attacked in a high school bathroom. nex benedict identified as nonbinary and was repeatedly bullied. authorities are investigating the circumstances of the death, but authorities say that was not the result of the attack. more now from abc's jaclyn lee. >> reporter: tonight, vigils across the country to honor the non-binary teenager who died one day after getting into a fight with several students in oklahoma. >> sadness and anger are my two main emotions right now. this should not happen. >> all children deserve to be loved and accepted and celebrated for who they are. >> reporter: newly released surveillance video shows nex benedict walking into a bathroom at owasso high school. a faculty member soon follows and the fight is broken up. the school says it lasted less than two minutes. >> okay so they just up and decided to just start messing with you there was -- there was -- >> yeah because of the way that we dress. >> reporter: police body camera video shows benedict lying in a hospital gurney hours later. the 16-year-old telling an officer that a group of girls were making fun of them. benedict admits to then pouring water on them and things escalated. >> they came at me, they grabbed at my hair i grabbed onto them. i threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser. they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground and started beating the -- out of me. >> reporter: the district says administrators took statements from students and assessed their health. the school recommending one parent take their child to visit a medical facility. parents also given the option to file police reports. >> she's not doing good at all. i need someone here now. >> reporter: in a chilling 911 call the next day, benedict's mother demanding an ambulance. >> my daughter, i don't know what's going wrong. she's posturing and her hands. >> how old is she? >> she's 16. >> okay. >> she fell at school or that she got beat up at school yesterday. i took her to the hospital last night. >> reporter: owasso police saying in a statement that preliminary information from a complete autopsy performed by the medical examiner indicated that benedict did not die as a result of trauma. linsey, the benedict family says they're conducting their own independent investigation. tonight, at a local park in owasso, there will be another vigil. tomorrow at benedict's high school, students plan on staging a peaceful walkout to take a stand against bullying. linsey. >> jacyln, thank you. >> linsey: we're learning more details about that deadly fire here in new york. one person died, 17 others injured. firefighters used ropes to rescue some residents trapped on the upper floors. officials say a lithium ion battery caused the blaze. details now from reena roy. >> reporter: firefighters making daring rope rescues. a 2-alarm blaze erupting in new york city's harlem neighborhood friday. investigators revealing the cause this weekend, saying a lithium ion battery is to blame. >> use aerial ladder or rear fire escape for roof access. >> reporter: you can see people trapped on the top floor of this apartment building calling for help. >> there's a whole bunch of smoke everywhere. you could see all these people, like, waving out of the window and they were trying to escape. >> reporter: rescuers hoisting people out of windows and carefully descending to safety. >> we made our way up to the roof. i told them not to jump, that we're coming to rescue them. >> reporter: the nypd's aviation unit guiding the delicate rescue efforts from above. >> the firefighters had to make three rope rescues, which is something very unusual for us to do at one fire. >> reporter: 18 people hurt, five rushed to the hospital in critical condition. tragically, fazil khan dying from his injuries. his employer posting "we are devastated by the loss of such a great colleague and wonderful person." and the fdny is warning lithium ion batteries a leading cause of fires and fire related deaths here in new york city. linsey. >> reena, thank you. >> linsey: we'll get new home sales numbers from the government tomorrow. anyone in had market for a home knows it's anything but a buyer's market across part of the country. that's shut out many perspective homeowners for years. there are signs that is changing. here's alexis christoforous. >> reporter: tonight, home buyers enjoying something they haven't seen in years. more homes to choose from. as a drop in stubbornly high mortgage rates late last year convinced some homeowners to sell. sales of existing homes rising 3% in january, with the most sales in the south and west. more available homes could bring back buyers, as americans slowly get used to elevated mortgage rates. >> this is not just a one-month lift. it is something we have seen for the last three months. >> reporter: new housing data shows there are nearly 8% more homes for sale compared to a year ago. still, 40% below prepandemic levels. >> so far at least, supply and demand have balanced out in favor of sellers. we have continued to see home prices go up. >> reporter: mortgage rates have ticked up too. but at 6.9%, they're about a percentage point below their october peak. and experts warn it could be years before we get back to those 3% and 4% rates. first-time buyers spent five months looking for a home in seattle, frustrated by low inventory and high prices. >> i was definitely getting a little discouraged. >> the first two offers we put in, we lost out to all cash offers. >> reporter: in early january, things started to change. they're now the proud owners of a three-bedroom home. >> we did have to go over asking price. i believe we weren't the highest offer. it is still pretty competitive. >> reporter: persistently high inflation fueling the recent rise in mortgage rates. but we'll get more clues on the strength of a housing rebound tomorrow with fresh data on new home sales. linsey. >> alexis, thank you. >> linsey: tonight calls for change after duke's star 7-foot center was injured after the blue devils upset loss to wake forest. he was knocked down by a wake forest fan storming the court injuring his knee in the collision that he says was intentional. the incident is renewing calls for oncourt safety. duke's coach is demanding action. last month, iowa star caitlin clark was knocked down when ohio state fans stormed the court after beating clark's hawkeyes. she was not hurt. >> linsey: there's still much more ahead here on "world news tonight" this sunday including a winter warmup. we'll show you where records could fall. >> linsey: and why this could be the year a woman calls the balls and strikes in the major leagues. 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[ alarm ringing ] there they are! everybody get their banking done? let's go! drive! we got to go! someone's in a hurry. annnd doo-do-do-doooo-do! one mississippi. two mississippi. -can we go!? -yeah! faster! oh, no sirree. you see, i get discounts for my safe driving with snapshot from progressive. you should see my savings -- they're nuts. you told us he was a skilled wheelman. no, i'm a wheelman. it's a family name on my mother's side. -what? -irish. nothing comes close to this place in the morning. i'm so glad i can still come here. you see, i was diagnosed with obstructive hcm. and there were some days i was so short of breath. i thought i'd have to settle for never stepping foot on this trail again. i became great at making excuses. but i have people who count on me so i talked to my cardiologist. i said there must be more we can do for my symptoms. he told me about a medication called camzyos. he said camzyos works by targeting what's causing my obstructive hcm. so he prescribed it and i'm really glad he did. camzyos is used to treat adults with symptomatic obstructive hcm. camzyos may improve your symptoms and your ability to be active. camzyos may cause serious side effects, including heart failure that can lead to death. a risk that's increased if you develop a serious infection or irregular heartbeat or when taking certain other medicines. so do not stop, start or change medicines or the dose without telling your healthcare provider. you must have echocardiograms before and during treatment. seek help if you experience new or worsening symptoms of heart failure. because of this risk, camzyos is only available through a restricted program. before taking camzyos, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including current or planned pregnancy. today with camzyos, i don't lose my breath as often. my symptoms have improved, helping me go from expecting less to experiencing more. my name is mike. and this is my camzyos moment. call your cardiologist today and see if a camzyos moment may be in your future too. look who's auditioning for 'magenta status'. ♪ special rates at hilton hotels. ♪ ♪ get a special rate on your hilton stay! ♪ mom! no need to audition. introducing 'magenta status'. premium benefits from brands you love. (vo) you weren't made for moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. introducing 'magenta status'. but #1 prescribed entyvio is. it's the most prescribed biologic for crohn's and uc. in clinical trials, entyvio helped many people achieve long-term relief and remission. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. although unlikely, a risk of pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection cannot be ruled out. tell your doctor if you have an infection, experience frequent infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. liver problems can occur. ask your healthcare provider about entyvio, the treatment prescribed to more people with crohn's and uc than any other biologic. ♪entyvio, entyvio, entyvio♪ >> linsey: finally tonight, breaking the ice. something special in the nation's capital. >> let's go. >> linsey: these skaters from howard university gliding into history over the weekend as the first ever figure skating team from a historically black university in the country to ever participate in an intercollegiate skating competition. >> i first started ice skating when i was 7. >> the cofounders worked tirelessly for months to get the team up and running. >> we should be able to see our new members, people who have never been on the ice before learning how to skate is the most exciting part of everything. >> linsey: last october, it all came together. the team held its first practice at a skating rink ten miles from campus at 5:00 a.m. sharing these behind the scenes views on their instagram page. >> how are you feeling? >> i feel good. >> reporter: and here they are on the ice today. >> howard university figure skating team. >> reporter: wowing fans at the blue hen ice classic in delaware. blazing a trail on the ice and beyond. h.u. making history. thanks so much for watching. i'm linsey davis. good night. m linsey davis. good night. celebrates the black experience and community's contribution to history and culture. >> i think he's more unhinged. he's more he's less interesting. >> california's governor comes out swinging with some predictions for the upcoming election and left in the dark. local lawmakers say they'll demand answers from p-g-and-e's following power outages that lasted for days. abc seven news starts now. >> always live abc seven news starts right now. with this is a must. >> celebrating the black experience. since the energy is so radiating and highlighting its positive influence throughout the bay area's diverse communities. >> we're coming together for the sole, for the sole purpose of joy and love. it's no better feeling than that. >> oakland embraces its black roots, creating unity in its diversity. during this year's black joy parade. >> it's not just about black, it's about everyone. >> it is a day to highlight all of the positives of oakland. thanks for joining us. i'm j.r stone. you may have seen the seventh annual black joy parade that we stream live today on abc seven news platforms. abc seven suzanne phan says it's more than just a celebration in the streets. it's a week long effort to elevate a community that's sometimes vilified and often overlooked. i love it is my first time. >> i'm so excited.