the biden/trump rematch? and what some nikki haley voters are already saying tonight. will they go for trump, will they vote for biden? our team is here. also tonight, the deadly explosion at an industrial facility outside detroit. the young man killed, a quarter mile away, struck in the head. from new york city to boston, the new storms taking aim. tonight, flood watches just posted from new york up through new england at this hour. what major cities will get hit with. the horrific plane crash in nashville. five people killed, including three children. the pilot reporting engine power failure, trying to land on interstate 40. tonight, the biden administration and this push for a cease-fire in gaza. but what hamas is now saying tonight. back in the u.s., and texas, the raging and deadly wildfires. now at least six fires burning. and tonight, we have learned a fire chief has died of a heart attack fighting these fires. tonight, there is news coming in, a suspected shark attack, an 11-year-old girl bitten while swimming. the remarkable discovery off the northeast coast tonight. a rare gray whale considered extinct in the atlantic. and on this super tuesday, former first lady michelle obama wa weighing in now on that speculation that she would be willing to jump into the race for president if needed. good evening, and it's great to have you with us here on this tuesday night. super tuesday across this country. the biggest day of voting until the november election. millions of americans in 15 states voting today. donald trump hoping to sweep every state, up against nikki haley, hoping to pivot to the general election. tonight, the exit polls. one of the questions, what will nikki haley supporters do come november? going into tonight, donald trump far ahead of his only remaining challenger. he could come very close to clinching the nomination, barring some major surprises tonight. another big question, of course, how long will nikki haley stay in this race? look at the map tonight. on the republican side, voters in 15 states casting their ballots. tonight, 865 delegates up for grabs. 36% of the total delegates at stake. the first polls closing a short time from now. among the questions i mentioned asked in the polls, nikki haley's supporters asked, how will they vote come november? this is preliminary exit poll data tonight coming in from virginia, north carolina, california. haley supporters asked, in the presidential election this november, will you vote for the republican nominee no matter who it is? in north carolina, 78% of haley supporters said no. in california, 69% said no. and in the key battleground of virginia, 68% of haley supporters said no, they would not vote for the republican nominee, no matter who it is. that is a potential hurdle for donald trump moving forward. we have it all covered, beginning with rachel scott on the campaign trail for us. >> reporter: tonight, from massachusetts to virginia, texas to california, millions of voters lining up to cast their ballots. donald trump hoping to nearly lock up the republican nomination with a super tuesday sweep. more than 850 delegates up for grabs. >> we want to send a signal that we're coming. this freight train's coming. >> reporter: this could be the last stand for trump's last republican challenger, nikki haley. >> it is time for a new generational leader who can leave the negativity and the baggage behind. >> reporter: but today across the country, many republicans voters firmly in trump's camp. from retired teacher deborah pergerson in north carolina -- >> he's conservative. he was pro-life. and i think he did a whole lot for the country when he was president. >> reporter: to joseph hudson in tennessee -- >> trump is -- is a very coarse individual, but at least he knows how to run the country. i think he'll make a strong president again, as long as he stays focused and does not become vengeful. >> reporter: still, in mobile, alabama, charles bolton, who has voted for trump before, is voting for haley this time. >> the guy scares me to death. he is so far off with his comments and his radicalism. >> reporter: president biden on the ballot in 15 states tonight, facing nominal opposition. still biden urging democrats to turn out as a show of strength to kick off the general election against trump. >> i guess the single most important message is that our democracy is at stake. literally our democracy. >> reporter: that message sinking in with william brinkert, a retiree from massachusetts. >> i think that the history of trump, the lawlessness he's exhibited, his threats of reprisal if elected -- i think are serious concerns. i think all of his actions, historically, undermine democracy. >> reporter: in alabama, social worker jessica rush anxious at the prospect of a trump return -- >> unfortunately, the racist remarks he has made, the bigotry against women and a lot of people of color, so -- it -- i'm uncertain with him. he gives me anxiety. >> david: let's get right to rachel scott, live from mar-a-lago in florida, where the former president is tonight. rachel, we know former president trump already signaling this primary is over, even if it's not officially over. he's now turned to the general election, focused on president biden. >> reporter: yes. dr donald trump said he doesn't care if nikki haley stays in this race or drops out. he barely mentions her lately at his campaign events. the former president now focused on the general election, and drawing that direct contrast with president biden, ahead of that likely rematch in november. david? >> david: rachel scott leading us off, thank you. let's bring in abc news political director rick klein at the big board tonight. donald trump focused on president biden. president biden focused on donald trump, and rick, let's get right to the numbers, because if the election were held today, if this is another rematch here where does the race stand? >> yeah, david, it's going to be a very tight race. three recent polls showing donald trump with a very slight edge in the race for president. it's going to be a long and very close campaign. and the entire campaign is going to come down to just these seven battleground states. this is where is battle is going to be fought. and so key in this is going to be the independent voters. many of them voting for nikki haley tonight, and many of them saying they are skeptical of donald trump. if haley gets out of the race tonight, the battle will be on for these independents and donald trump is going to have his work cut out for him. >> david: a lot of focus on nikki haley's supporters this super tuesday evening and where they will go come november, if, again, if, she gets out of this race. let's bring in mary bruce here on the desk with me, because mary, you've learned president biden has said to his campaign, we need to go after donald trump much more aggressively, and when biden supporters look at the numbers that rick just showed us, donald trump leads in just about every major poll of the last week or two. >> this is really paiftal moment. the biden campaign is viewing this as the kickoff to the general election. and we've seen president biden really ramping up his attacks against donald trump, taunting him as a loser. the president is clearly trying, and relishing, getting under donald trump's skin. but in talking with the campaign, they think that voters haven't fully registered that we are again likely headed for this trump/biden rematch, so, they see this as a moment to again lay out really what is at stake here, to try to crystallize the critical differences between trump and biden, and, of course, president biden's going to have big opportunity to do that with the state of union address. >> david: thursday. and you'll be with us here tonight for super tuesday results. thank you both. linsey davis will be here, the entire power house political team will be here for live coverage of super tuesday. the races, the issues, of course, the polling, where things stand in each one of the key battlegrounds. and, of course, as the results come in, we'll have them live. 10:00 p.m. eastern, right here on abc. but in the meantime, we turn to the other news this tuesday night, that deadly inferno outside detroit. a warehouse full of vaping supplies catching fire, triggering deadly explosions. debris flying, injuring a firefighter and killing a teenager a quarter of a mile away. abc's alex perez is on the scene tonight. >> reporter: tonight, multiple investigations now underway after this massive building inferno triggered powerful explosions in the far suburbs of detroit, launching debris as far as two miles. a 19-year-old fatally struck in the head. >> we're receiving multiple calls. flames are above the roof. >> reporter: the blaze erupting just before 9:00 p.m. monday at a vaping supply business. enormous flames turning the night sky orange. thunderous booms heard for miles. >> it sounded like bombs, like fireworks, but seeing that red in the air, we knew there was some kind of fire. >> reporter: hundreds of small blasts -- canisters of butane and nitrous oxide -- exploding, sending shrapnel in every direction. a firefighter suffering minor injuries after a canister crashed through his windshield. tonight, authorities say a 19-year-old, who was nearly a quarter of a mile away, was struck and killed by that flying debris. >> one of the projectiles did hit him, hit him in the head. and he did make it to the hospital alive. but he succumbed to his injuries >> reporter: firefighters today working to extinguish the flareups. the smoldering building completely leveled as investigators slowly sift through the rubble. tonight, authorities investigating whether the business violated code by storing those flammable canisters on-site, as they work to pinpoint what caused the blaze. >> they were not permitted to have the can sterps in the building. they were illegally in that building. >> reporter: and dave, you can see the aftermath behind me here. that's what's left of the building in the distance there. and if you look closer to me here, you can see all of the can sterps still scattered in this parking lot. authorities say they have tested the air and water supply, and thankfully, both remain safe. david? >> david: all right, alex perez on the scene for us tonight. thank you, alex. next here this evening, from new york city to boston at this hour, new flood watches just posted, with yet another new storm taking aim at the northeast tonight and tomorrow. rain already across the northeast today. another system now out of the south, heading north at this hour. a deaf kilt evening commute again tomorrow along i-95. a third system arriving for the weekend. heavy rain and flash flooding in new orleans. the pictures tonight. the storm now heading north, as well. senior meteorologist rob marciano timing it all out for us. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. half an inch of rain today, that's primed the pump for the bigger rain coming tomorrow. look where it is across the southeast. this has more of a tropical feed. heavier rains in atlanta will ramp up tonight. it's really going to be coming down hard. riding up that front in the appalachians. that good watch, new jersey, i-95, all the big towns. southern new england. look at the commute tomorrow afternoon. really coming down. ponding on the roadways. we're going to see flooding here, all the way up through new england, as well. it's still a mess of a different kind in the west. more snow coming there. this one coming, though, thankfully, won't be measured in feet, we're going to get a lot of rain here tomorrow, david. >> david: rob, thank you. we turn now to the horrific plane crash in nashville. the pilot reporting engine power failure, unable to reach the airport, then crashing on interstate 40. five people were killed, including three children. here's gio benitez. >> reporter: tonight, chilling video capturing this single-engine airplane attempting to make an emergency landing in nashville monday night. but the plane crashing alongside interstate 40 and bursting into flames, killing all five people on board. moments earlier, the distressed pilot can be heard radioing air traffic control, saying his engine had shut down. >> my engine turned off. i'm at 1,600. i'm going to be landing -- i don't know where. >> reporter: the plane traveling from mount sterling, kentucky, outside lexington, to nashville. authorities say two adults and three children were on board. all canadian citizens. air traffic controllers clearing the runway at john c. tune airport for an emergency landing, but the pilot saying he's too far away. >> runway two, runway two. cleared to land. >> i'm too far away, i won't make it. >> reporter: the plane then crashing into this grassy median. first responders rushing to the scene. >> they were met with heavy flames and fire, smoke in the area showing from that crash site. >> reporter: today, the pieces of charred and fwtwisted metal carefully moved for further analysis. >> we're going to basically put the airplane back together in a three dimension format on the floor of the hangar, which can help us determine what actually caused the failure of this engine. >> reporter: and dave, david, investigators say they're going to be looking into the pilot's history. they want anyone with video of the crash to come forward. david? >> david: gio, thank you. next tonight here, jury selection is now under way for the father of a michigan school shooter who killed four classmates in 2021. james crumbley is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter for his son ethan's deadly attack. his wife was found guilty on the same charges, the first parent to be convicted in connection with a child's mass shooting. she is set to be sentenced on april 9th. now, to the race to negotiate a cease-fire between israel and hamas. with the holy month of ramadan less than a week away now. president biden increasing pressure for a cease-fire in gaza, but what hamas is now saying tonight. abc's tom soufi burridge from the region again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, time running out to reach a deal for a cease-fire in gaza, with president biden saying israel has made a, quote, rational offer, and now, it's down to hamas. >> the hostage deal is in the hands of hamas right now. >> reporter: today, hamas saying it will not accept an agreement without the "complete withdrawal" of israeli troops. israel refusing, instead, offering a six-week cease-fire, with 40 hostages freed in return for the release of hundreds of palestinian prisoners. president biden warning of the potential for further violence if the war continues during r rama ramadan, which begins at the end of this week. >> israel and jerusalem, it could be very, very dangerous. >> reporter: today, israel's prime minister hoping to dial down tensions, announcing they won't restrict the access of worshippers into the al aqsa mosque in jerusalem during the start of ramadan. today, more u.s. and jordanian air drops -- 36,000 meals. this time, into northern gaza, where the u.n. says hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of famine. israel saying more aid trucks are getting in, insisting distributing the aid inside gaza is the real problem. even though people are potentially starving on the ground, you don't have the ability to get the aid to people quickly? >> the u.n. needs to increase its ability so more aid can reach the gifrnt parts of the strip. >> reporter: and david, president biden saying we'll know in a couple of days if a deal is going to happen. talks involving hamas are said to continue in cairo tomorrow. david? >> david: tom, thank you. this evening, the philippines is accusing china of, quote, dangerous maneuvers in a disputed area of the south china sea. drone video from the philippines coast guard showing two chinese vessels using several water cannons on a small boat carrying supplies to philippine troops in the region there. the smaller boat colliding with one of the chinese vessels. when we come back here tonight, the raging and deadly wildfires in texas. now at least six fires burning. the images tonight. also news coming in this evening about a suspected shark attack now, an 11-year-old girl bitten while swimming. and michelle obama tonight, on this talk that she might jump into the race for president, in a moment. kidney disease... ...there are places you'd like to be. like here. and here. not so much here. farxiga reduces the risk of kidney failure which can lead to dialysis. ♪far-xi-ga♪ farxiga can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, an allergic reaction, or ketoacidosis. when you have chronic kidney disease, it's time to ask your doctor for farxiga. because there are places you want to be. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. ♪far-xi-ga♪ nature's bounty hair growth. help grow thicker, fuller hair with just one capsule a day of advanced hair complex. conquer hair thinning... ...and fall in love with your hair all over again. only from nature's bounty. generalized myasthenia gravis made my life a lot harder. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. ♪ vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive. in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. ♪ most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule is designed just for you. in a clinical study, the most common side effects included urinary and respiratory tract infections, and headache. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. vyvgart can cause allergic reactions. available as vyvgart for iv infusion and also as vyvgart hytrulo for subcutaneous injection. additional side effects for vyvgart hytrulo may include injection site reactions. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart. tonight, six large wildfires continue to burn across the texas panhandle. the smokehouse creek fire destroying roughly 1.1 million acres. flames burning down homes, killing livestock and crops. the fire chief in the hard-hit town of fritch dying of a heart attack while battling a structure fire today. former first lady michelle obama once again shutting down speculation on whether she would jump into the race for president if needed. she made it clear, as she has before, she supporting president biden and vice president harris, and will not be running for president. her spokesperson says she's expected to act as a campaign surrogate for president biden and vice president harris. arizona senator kirsen cinema has decided she will not seek re-election in arizona. in a high stakes battle with control of the senate at stake, the former democrat durr turned independent bowing out. she trailed. when we come back here tonight, the suspected shark attack, an 11-year-old girl bitten. and then, the stunning sight off the northeast coast tonight, what they think they have discovered. like a porcelain doll. if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and are at high risk for fracture, you can build new bone with evenity®. ask your doctor if you can do more than just slowing down bone loss with evenity®. want stronger bones? then build new bone; evenity® can help in just 12 months. evenity® is proven to reduce spine fracture risk by 73%. evenity® can increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from a cardiovascular problem. do not take evenity® if you have low blood calcium, or are allergic to it. serious allergic reactions and low blood calcium have occurred. tell your doctor about jaw bone problems, as they have been reported with evenity®. or about pain in your hip, groin, or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. don't let a break put you on a shelf. talk to your doctor about building new bone with evenity®! mucinex nightshift starts working at bed time to fight your worst night-time symptoms. how could you? and leaves your system fast. by the time you wake up, you're ready to take on the day. try it and feel the difference. mucinex nightshift, it's comeback season. (♪) we come from a long line of cowboys. (♪) when i see all of us out here on this ranch, i see how far our legacy can go. (♪) (man) what if all i do for my type 2 diabetes isn't enough? i see how far our legacy or what if... (vo) once-weekly mounjaro could help. mounjaro helps your body regulate blood sugar and can help you eat less food. 3 out of 4 people reached an a1c of less than 7%. plus people lost up to 25 pounds. mounjaro is not for people with type 1 diabetes or children. don't take mounjaro if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop mounjaro and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, vision changes, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis and gallbladder problems. taking mounjaro with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. tell your doctor if you're nursing, pregnant, or plan to be. side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can cause dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. (man) i can do diabetes differently with mounjaro. (vo) ask your doctor about once-weekly mounjaro. personalized financial advice from ameriprise can do more than help you reach your goals. -you can make this work. -we can make this work. it can help you reach them with confidence. no wonder more than 9 out of 10 of our clients are likely to recommend us. ameriprise financial. advice worth talking about. tonight, authorities are investigating a possible shark attack in hawaii. an 11-year-old girl bitten on the foot by a small shark while swimming at a popular surfing spot in oahu. her parents taking her to the e.r. she is expected to be okay. authorities believe it's the first shark attack in hawaii this year. tonight, denver broncos quarterback russell wilson is looking for a new team. the broncos telling him they will release him later this month. he signed a five-year contract for more than $242 million, that was back in march of 2022. when we come back here tonight, the remarkable discovery off the coast of massachusetts. tonight, scientists were so surprised, they had to circle around again to make sure they were seeing what they thought they were seeing. wealth managemt knows it's easy to get lost in investment research. get help with j.p morgan personal advisors. hey, david! ready to get started? work with advisors who create a plan with you, and help you find the right investments. so great getting to know you, let's take a look at your new investment plan. ok, great! this should have you moving in the right direction. thanks jen. get ongoing advice; and manage your investments in the chase mobile app. (vo) for over 50 years apurina cat chow has beents helping cats feel at home. with trusted nutrition, no wonder it's the number one dry cat food in america. come home to cat chow. before my doctor and i chose breztri for my copd, i had bad days. [cough] flare-ups that could permanently damage my lungs. with breztri, things changed for me. breztri gave me better breathing. starting within 5 minutes, i noticed my lung function improved. it helped improve my symptoms, and breztri was even proven to reduce flare-ups, including those that could send me to the hospital. so now i look forward to more good days. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. can't afford your medication? astrazeneca may be able to help. ask your doctor about breztri. salonpas lidocaine flex. a super thin, flexible patch with maximum otc strength lidocaine that contours to the body to relieve pain right where it hurts. and did we mention, it really, really sticks? salonpas, it's good medicine. feeling ughh from a backed up gut? miralax works naturally with the water in your body to help you go... ...free your gut. and your mood will follow. for 8 grams of fiber, try new mirafiber gummies. and finally tonight here, a remarkable sighting off the coast of massachusetts. tonight, the incredible discovery, a rare gray whale off the massachusetts coast. the species believed to be extinct for 200 years in the atlantic. marine buy yolists spotting the gray whale just 30 miles south of nantucket. the large tail out of the water. gray whales can weigh 60,000 pounds. distinguishable by their lack of a dorsal fin and gray and white spotted coloring. the scientists were so skeptical of the sighting at first, they circled the area for nearly an hour to confirm the encounter. and right here tonight -- >> hi, david. >> david: new england aquarium resea research technicians. >> i took a photo of it, i showed it to kate, i said, i don't want to say what this is out loud, because i don't think you'll believe me. >> and it sounds completely crazy, because they are not supposed to exist in these waters, but it was 100% a gray whale. >> repor >> david: scientists pointing to the northwest passage in the arctic as the likely route that whale took. >> gray whales are found in the paci pacific, but this crossed through alaska into the atlantic ocean. >> david: the mystery that scientists hope to study and solve. >> we are hoping to get back in the air and do another survey soon, and who knows what we'll see. >> david: a remarkable sight, indeed. i'll see you tonight, 10:00 p.m. eastern for super tuesday results. good night. i'm just doing my duty. generally, i think you should get off your butt and vote. i want to see changes. >> i know a lot of folks think that their their vote does not count, but it definitely does. >> it's so important to try and get people to come out to vote and to exercise their ability to do so. >> i love that we're always finding ways to make it easy to vote in california for anyone who's watching and hasn't voted yet. you have until 8:00 tonight to get to the polls. >> it's super tuesday, and those polls will be open for about four more hours. good afternoon. i'm kristen sze and i'm julian glover. >> polls are getting ready to close at some polling places across the country. it's not just the presidential primary here in california. we have a senate race, local propositions and more for voters to decide. >> polls will be open until 8:00 tonight. you can take your mail in ballot there, or to a drop box or to a county election office, as long as it's delivered by eight. if you prefer to mail it, your ballot must be postmarked today and you can still register to vote with a provisional ballot as well. we have team coverage. abc seven news reporter anser hassan is in the east bay. lauren martinez is in the south bay. but let's begin in san francisco with abc7 news reporter j.r stone. hey j.r . >> kristen. certainly a sense of energy and excitement here in san francisco. now when it comes to turnout numbers for this super tuesday, about average compared to what we normally see here in the city. >> right now we've