she was hit in the chest and killed. he describes it as an accidental shooting. tonight the investigation. the public official who has resigned after pictures emerge of him on halloween wearing a shirt that says katrina victim. and a school superintendent trying to use her own health insurance to help a sick kid. who had been missing school because he had no insurance. she speaks out right here tonight. good evening. it's great to have you with us here on a thursday night. we begin tonight with new developments. just a short time ago, the president signaling he might be willing to reopen the government for three weeks while they continue to debate his border wall. at this hour, republican and democrat leaders in the senate are trying to broker some sort of deal. the white house had initially said late today the president would reopen the government for a time if there was a significant down payment on the wall. but a short time later, with our jon karl in the room, the president signals that down payment was just one idea. so is there movement tonight? our senior white house correspondent jonathan karl to lead us off. >> reporter: compromise brewing? tonight president trump tells us he is open to a temporary deal to reopen the government and didn't rule out supporting it without money for the border wall. would you support a temporary spending bill without money for the wall? just to reopen? >> i wouldn't be happy with it. i wouldn't be happy. we have a lot of alternatives. >> even if it has no wall money? does it have to have wall money? >> look, look. i have other alternatives if i have to. i'll use those alternatives if i have to. we want to go through the system. we have to have a wall in this country. >> reporter: this comes less than 24 hours after the president backed down from his showdown with house speaker nancy pelosi over his state of the union address. now the president told us the speaker's demand that the speech be delayed until after the shutdown was over is, quote, reasonable. >> what she said, i thought, was actually reasonable. we'll have the state of the union when the shutdown is over. >> when do you think that's going to be? >> that, i can't tell you. that, i can't tell you, but we have a lot of alternatives, but we need border security. >> reporter: the president's comments on day 34 of the shutdown come amid new accusations the white house is turning a blind eye to the 800,000 federal employees about to miss another paycheck. people like these coast guard workers, lining up at a food pantry in connecticut. >> how about mac and cheese for the kids? >> reporter: commerce secretary wilbur ross is under fire for these comments earlier today. >> there are reports there are some federal workers who are going to homeless shelters to get food. >> i know they are, and i don't really quite understand why. the 30 days of pay that some people will be out, there's no real reason why they shouldn't be able to get a loan. >> reporter: democrats calling ross, who is a billionaire, a modern day marie antoinette. >> they have wilbur ross saying he doesn't understand why. when he was asked about people going to food lines and pantries, he said he doesn't understand why they have to do that. is this a let them eat cake kind of attitude, or call your father for money? >> of course all of this developing as we come on the air tonight. jon karl at the white house. the president said senate leaders from both sides of the parties are trying to hash out some sort of a deal tonight. as we saw right there, speaker nancy pelosi is holding some of the cards here. and down payment for the border wall to reopen? >> reporter: speaker pelosi continues to insist that money for the border wall should not be part of any agreement to reopen the government. the same time, you have the president insisting the wall must be build one way or another. he said there are alternatives and one of the alternatives still under consideration, trying to bypass congress declaring a national emergency. david? >> thank you. all of this comes, day 34 of a shutdown. more than a month. we have never seen this in our country before. as the political battles play out, the real pain for families across the country. many of the families sending the messages to "world news tonight." some rationing medicine and others pleading with banks for their mortgage. steve osunsami continues his reporting. this isn't politics. these are people's lives. >> reporter: the air traffic controllers union tell us tonight that their members are at a breaking point. that the stress of the job and no paycheck are just too much, and that "mistakes are being made." >> my worry now is how to keep it. >> reporter: dan mccabe helps keep the skies safe in atlanta. when we first met his family, they were trying get the mortgage company to let a payment slide. tonight he's beyond frustrated. >> as far as where we stand today, i just don't have words for it, i'm disgusted. >> reporter: the struggle of these everyday americans grows larger, and the voices grow louder every minute this shutdown drags on. >> i received my last paycheck december 31st. >> tomorrow i will miss my second paycheck. >> i haven't been paid in over 33 days. >> reporter: tonia, in colorado springs, tells us she could lose her home. >> just thinking that this house that we've been making payments on for, 15, 16 years, we could lose it. we could lose everything. >> reporter: mallory at u.s. fish and wildlife in wisconsin, is rationing insulin. >> when the shutdown occurred i only had a few vials of insulin left in my refrigerator. i thought, okay, i can't really afford the $300 co-pay for more so i'll just make this insulin last as long as i can make it last. >> reporter: tim in suburban detroit can't afford to finish his home repairs. >> at what point do i resign from this agency? i can't continue to afford to fund my family on my savings and continue to pay for myself to go to work. i love the work that i do and i need to have an income to do it. >> reporter: in very personal messages to abc news, they don't ask for sympathy, they ask for washington to solve this. the administration officials under mine that the government families will get paid when the government reopens. but they say none of that will undo the damage. david. >> we will stay on this. steve, thank you. we will move on to a deadly rampage in a florida bank tonight. we have learned that all five victims were women. one of them, a mother of seven. and tonight, what the gunman's former girlfriend has revealed. abc's foreign affairs correspondent tom llamas is in sebring, florida, tonight. >> reporter: today, 21-year-old zephan xaver facing a judge and formally charged in with five counts of premeditated homicide murder. police say the alleged shooter walked into this suntrust bank with a bulletproof vest and a 9 millimeter handgun, forcing the four employees and lone customer to the ground, shooting them execution style. all five victims were women. just moments before the shooting began, 76-year-old victor sparks tried entering the bank, but the doors had already been locked by the alleged gunman. >> i was so thankful for the fast response. i would say in probably three minutes, there were eight police cars there. >> reporter: police then ramming the entrance when he refused to surrender. at that point were you under the assumption the victims may still be alive? >> we'd hoped the victims were alive. >> reporter: but it was too late. and now a young woman who says she's the shooter's ex-girlfriend says she warned people about his alleged desire to kill. >> talking about guns, and wanting guns, and he wants to hurt people physically. >> reporter: tonight, police releasing the names of three of the victims. marisol lopez, a teller at the bank. cynthia watson, the lone customer. and ana pinon williams, who had just started working there a few weeks ago, and a mother to 7 children. >> loving her was easy. living without her will be hard. >> tom llamas with us from sebring, florida. we know there is no motive. there is one person who did manage to escape? >> david, we just learned that incredible piece of information moments ago. police tell us there was a bank employee who was in the back of the building in a break room. and when this person heard the gunshots, they took off running, calling 911 along the way. investigators do not have a motive yet. what they do have is video surveillance. and they will show it's a calculated mass shooting and not a bank robbery. david? >> just an awful story. tom llamas, thanks to you tonight. we will turn now to a desperate search for a 3-year-old, casey hathaway. he vanished from his great grandmother's yard two days ago. and tonight, we hear the call to 911 and the new hurdle that the searchers now face. here's abc's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: the frantic search for 3-year-old casey hathaway hampered by weather. heavy rain and strong winds pounding the rural eastern north carolina county where the young boy was last seen playing in a backyard tuesday, according to his great grandmother. and tonight we're hearing the 911 call she placed soon after he disappeared. >> what's going on there? >> we lost my 3-year-old grandson. he walked in the woods back there, and we can't find him. 3-year-old grandson. >> reporter: she tells the dispatcher he was playing with two relatives, but he never made it back in the house. >> it's been at least 45 minutes 'cause we've been looking all in the woods for him. >> reporter: officials are treating this as a missing persons case and are hopeful casey is found safely. >> there is no such thing as an insignificant lead for us. our number one priority is getting casey home to his family. >> reporter: david, only professional search teams are out looking for casey because of safety concerns. nearby residents have been told to look in sheds and storage vehicles. in hopes he is looking for shelter. david? the storm up the gulf coast to the northeast. flood and wind alerts along the i-95 corridor, long delays at the airport in new york and boston. damage from a possible tornado in lake county, florida, tonight. and the one person killed in a chain reaction accident in long island and downed trees and power lines in massachusetts. coming behind it, an arctic blast. senior meteorologist rob marciano is tracking it all for us. hey, rob. >> reporter: the winds have been ripping here and now the cold front is nearly clear of the u.s. coastline. check it out on the radar. new england with the rain. wind gusts, 70 miles per hour, some snow behind it. the bulk of the snow is near the great lakes, warnings for buffalo, new york, and michigan. look at the cold air, minus 22 in chicago. dangerous cold for a windchill. and cold as 9 in nashville and it slides to the east saturday morning. teens, new york, philly, boston, below zero and a shot of cold air the middle of next week. david? >> whiplash next week with the temperatures. thanks to you. 24 hours after the president's long time lawyer and friend michael cohen suddenly revealed he would not testify to the american people because of threats he says from the president, the subpoena to michael cohen. some democrats say they recognize his fear, but they have made it clear they want to hear from him any way. here's abc's kyra phillips. >> reporter: tonight michael cohen served with a subpoena. the president's former attorney and fixer ordered to testify on capitol hill. sources say it will be behind closed doors. it comes just a day after he canceled his public testimony, th citing concerns over "ongoing threats against his family" from the president and his lawyer. the president suggesting his cohen's father-in-law who should be investigated. >> he should give information maybe on his father-in-law, because that's the one that people want to look at. >> reporter: and rudy giuliani suggested he might be a criminal without any evidence. >> it's okay to go after the father-in-law? >> of course it is. his father-in-law has millions and millions. i'm telling you, he comes from the ukraine. this reason that is important is, he may have ties to something called organized crime. >> reporter: the president denies he's threatened cohen. >> no, i would say he's been threatened by the truth. he's only been threatened by the truth. >> let's get to kyra phillips live from us in washington. i know you just talked with michael cohen's lawyer. will he comply with the subpoena? >> well, michael cohen's lawyer telling us tonight they hope to have reasonable terms, ground rules and a date. that date likely to be scheduled before march when cohen reports to prison for a three year sentence. david? >> kyra, thank you. just 24 hours after the trump administration said it will no longer recognize venezuela's president, retaliation, telling the american diplomats, and telling the diplomats to keep their children close, don't send them to school. there is news moving on this at this hour. let's go to martha raddatz reporting in. martha? >> reporter: the u.s. has made tleer v clear the maduro regime does not have the authority to order american diplomats in the u.s. in venezuela since the president does not recognize maduro as president. but tonight, the state department is ordering nonemergency employees to leave venezuela, it comes among the escalating chaos and a night of looting and violence. but despite the ordered departures, the u.s. embassy will remain open, david. >> martha, thank you. and tonight, florida's secretary of state has resigned. after images of him in black face emerged. it has came after the tallahassee democrat newspaper said he was wearing a costume as a hurricane katrina victim in a halloween party in 2005. he sempbed for 14 years as a county supervisors. he had a record of expanding voting rights. he was appointed secretary of state last month. >> there is much more ahead on "world news tonight" this thursday. the police officer who shot his fellow officer. she was hit in the chest and killed. he describes it as an accidental discharge. tonight, news on the investigation. the earth gave way. in one neighborhood, the ground shaking. they thought it was an earthquake. families racing out. what was it. and the school superintendent arrested after using her own health insurance to help a student missing school who didn't have insurance. she speaks out. lots more news ahead. if you have psoriasis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats moderate to severe plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla,75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. 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(vo) snap and sort your expenses to save over $4,600 at tax time. quickbooks. backing you. breathe freely fast, with vicks sinex. my congestion's gone. i can breathe again! ahhhh! i can breathe again! ughh! vicks sinex. breathe on. thanks to move free ultra 2in1... i keep up with this little one. see the world with this guy. and hit the town with these girls. in a clinical study, 4 out of 5 users felt better joint comfort. move free ultra. movement keeps us connected. welcome to monowi, nebraska, population one. me. i'm mayor, secretary, treasurer. every decision you have to make yourself. four out of five women will become solely responsible for their finances. i like the independence and every woman should have that, you know? i make my decisions, and if they're wrong, i live with them. if they're right, then i'm very proud of myself. plan your financial life with prudential. bring your challenges. next tonight here, we have reported on a skyrocketing cost of health care in this country. tonight, a school superintendent in indiana has been charged after trying to get a sick student who had been missing school medical care using her insurance. he was not insured. here is abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: the superintendent of schools in elwood, indiana, says she has learned her lesson after being charged with insurance fraud. >> i'm not saying i was right. i'm really sorry. i was scared for him. >> reporter: according to police, casey smitherman went to the home of a sick student and took him to a medical center where she used a false name, claiming he was her son. she then admits to driving him to a pharmacy, where she had a prescription filled for an antibiotic because the student doesn't have insurance. >> i have a student i've been helping, and he was sick, and i believed it was strep throat. >> reporter: she says she's helped the boy before even buying clothes for him. but when the student reportedly told a teacher, who told the school nurse, smitherman turned herself in to police. >> i would love to go back to that moment and redo it. i'm kicking myself, why didn't i do this, why didn't i do this? >> reporter: she has reached an agreement can the county prosecutor and the fraud charges will get dropped. she is calling it a mistake with good intentions and the school board is standing by her. allowing her to keep her job. >> the problem with health care in the country. thank you. the woman officer shot and killed by a fellow officer. what he says tonight. the investigation. amazing news thmpbing about jayme closs who escaped after 88 days. loody, and we had to pretty much rip the car open and pull him out. head trauma, broken limbs. just thought, i don't think this guy is probably going to make it. ♪ (911 operator) 911, what's your emergency? (news anchor) this is a violent tornado... my roommate, he saw me laying face down on the ground, and he thought i was dead. i cracked the windshield. ripped my face wide open. in my mind i was thinking, i'm going to have to bury my child. if they would have arrived, even just a hair later than they did, i wouldn't be playing football because i wouldn't be here today. just a true miracle to be alive. ♪ at fidelity, we make sure you as well as all the things you want to do. because when you're ready for what comes next, the only direction is forward. for people 50 and older at average risk. i'm here for an important reason. colon cancer screening. there's a bunch of places where screening wouldn't be easy. like here. or here. nope! but here's a place you can screen for colon cancer anytime. with cologuard. in private. without any special prep. there really is no place... like home. cologuard is not right for everyone, so ask your doctor if it's right for you. starts with looking buiat something old,nk and saying, "really?" so we built capital one cafes, with savings and checking accounts you can open from here in 5 minutes. this is banking reimagined. what's in your wallet? 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you can grow your retirement savings with pacific life and create the future that's most meaningful to you. which means you can retire, without retiring from life. having the flexibility to retire on your terms. that's the power of pacific. ask your financial professional about pacific life today. you might or joints.hing for your heart... but do you take something for your brain. with an ingredient originally discovered in jellyfish, prevagen has been shown in clinical trials to improve short-term memory. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. itso chantix can help you quit "slow turkey." along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting. chantix reduces the urge so when the day arrives, you'll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix. you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in... behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or life- threatening allergic and skin reactions. decrease alcohol use. use caution driving or operating machinery. tell your doctor if you've had mental health problems. the most common side effect is nausea. quit smoking "slow turkey." talk to your doctor about chantix. finally tonight here, america strong. the police deputy paying her respects and the perfect stranger showing his respect too. that's police deputy tiffany dile from alabama saluting an officer, the procession moving by. what she didn't realize, the man standing behind her, a perfect stranger, saw her in the rain and held his umbrella over her. >> i didn't know he was there. my peripheral vision was cut off with my hat. i was in my moment. paying my respects to sergeant carter. >> they had never met, and deputy dile wanted to thank him. >> it meant a lot. in ways that you can't really even put into words. >> our station in birmingham, abc 33 and their viewers trying to find him and they did. >> hi, nice to meet you. come here, give me a hug. >> that procession affecting both of them. listen to what he tells the police deputy in the pouring rain. >> it was one of the most powerful and emotional displays i have ever experienced. and i am so impressed that you were out there, and you were paying your respects. >> people do care about us. it can be easy to get jaded in this job. so it's nice to see the good in people. to be reminded of that. >> the good in people. there's a lot of it. i'm david muir. hope to see you right back here tomorrow. good night. now from abc 7, live breaking news. >> over a year since the north bay wildfire, and today cal fire says pg&e did not cause the worst one, the tubbs fire. >> where are you at? >> flames raced from calistoga to santa rosa, burning down thousands of homes and claiming 22 lives. >> homes were destroyed. lives were destroyed. lives were lost. >> reporter: cal fire has blamed pg&e for all of the other north north bay wildfires. the looming liability is pushing the utility towards bankruptcy. des today's announcement change that? >> this does not close out all of these lawsuits. this does not end that deliberate a process for remuneration for accountability more broadly defined. >> good evening and thank you for joining us. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. up until last year's camp fire, the north bay wildfires were the deadliest and most destructive the state has ever seen. >> late at night on sunday, october 8th, 2017, claims, fanned by extreme winds, merged into six massive fires, burning more than 200,000 acre, destroying 8900 structures and killing 44 people. >> half of those who were killed were killed by the tubbs fire. today's cal fire report clears pg&e of blame for this fire and says private electrical equipment is responsible for it. >> let's begin our team coverage with the abc 7 news i-team's dan noyes who is live in the newsroom. dan? >> ama and dan, the cal fire report made pg&e's stock jump, but attorneys for the victims say it doesn't change anything, that pg&e is still on the hook. the cal fire investigative report released today shows that just hours after the tubbs fire started, an investigator identified the possible ignition point. a home on a ten-acre plot on bennett lane in calistoga, owned by an elderly woman who was out of town at the time. the fire did not start with the pg&e equipment, that the tubbs fire was caused by a private electrical system