the major storms turning deadly tonight. a sheriff's deputy killed by an out of control vehicle. mudslides, flooding, giant holes opening up, forcing drivers to turn back. the new controversy tonight involving actor liam neeson. what he said about who he wanted to kill. and the other well-known actor tonight discovered dead. and now, the mystery. good evening. and it's great to have you with us on a very busy monday night. and we begin tonight with new images of the deadly plane crash in california. authorities revealing new details about the five people killed when that plane slammed into a home just after takeoff. dash cam video showing the final moments, the plane bursting into flames in midair, then crashing into that neighborhood. the pilot and four people inside the home were ll they were holding a super bowl party. the pilot's identity revealed during a news conference just a short time ago, and abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman leading us off. >> reporter: tonight, those new images, that plane bursting like a meteoroid above southern california. look closely. you can see it was in free-fall before erupting in flames. >> oh! >> reporter: investigators now say witnesses report seeing the tail and wings break off. residents ducking plane parts raining down on their neighborhood. >> whoa. i look up and i just see debris flying everywhere. and part of the plane flew down into the garage like a torpedo and just hit the garage and blew up. >> reporter: one piece of exploding debris from the twin engine cessna smashed into this home. the flames dozens of feet high. >> it went up so fast, there was nothing you could do. >> reporter: this man trying to put out a fire with a gardening hose. multiple homes damaged from the wreckage, propellers scattered on lawns. windows shattered. in this video, you can hear the debris still popping off. with folks yelling, "get back." five people killed in the crash. the pilot, a retired chicago police officer, and those four family members inside that home? they were all attending a super bowl party. and david, one challenge for investigators here is going to be the scale of the debris field. it covers four blocks, at least 15 homes were hit by flying debris from that plane. and one of the factors that i'm told investigators will certainly examine is the weather. there were thunderstorms and heavy rain showers in the area at the time of the crash. david? >> all right, matt gutman leading us off tonight. matt, thank you. tonight's other major headline, the all-consuming firestorm swirling around virginia governor ralph northam. the governor overwhelmed by calls to resign, the list growing, over a racist photo from hiss m medical school yearbook. the image shows one man in black face, the other dressed as a member of the ku klux klan. governor northam first admitting he is one of the men pictured, then denying he's in the photo. tonight, the governor is now asking his own cabinet for more time to decide his next move. abc's chief national affairs correspondent tom llamas in richmond tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the calls for governor ralph northam to resign are growing. but the virginia democrat refusing to step down. the trouble started when this racist photo emerged from his medical school yearbook page. at first, northam confirmed he was one of the two men in the photo, but the next day -- >> i believe then and now that i am not either of the people in that photo. >> reporter: but then, northam admitted he had appeared in black face once before, during a dance contest in 1984, where he dressed as michael jackson. >> i had the shoes, i had a glove and i used just a little bit of shoe polish to put on my cheeks, and the reason i used a very little bit is because, i don't know if anybody's ever tried that, but you cannot get shoe polish off. >> reporter: and when a reporter inquired if he could still moonwalk, the governor seemed to want to try. >> are you still able to moonwalk? >> inappropriate circumstance. >> my wife says, inappropriate circumstances. >> reporter: our zachary kiesch asking him this question -- >> do you think as a grown adult that it's problematic that you need to have it explained to you that black face is offensive? >> no. you know, i'm not a person of color and people of color experience different things, it affects them different ways. >> reporter: nearly every politician in virginia has called on northam to resign. so have virtually all the democrats running for president. and if he ultimately takes their advice, lieutenant governor justin fairfax is next in line. >> i believe that the governor has to make the decision that's in the best interest for the commonwealth of virginia. >> and tom llamas joins us tonight from outside the virginia governor's mansion in richmond. and tom, governor northam, i know, met with his cabinet earlier today, and tonight, you've learned he's still resisting calls to resign? >> reporter: david, we know he met with his staff last night and this morning and he's still refusing calls to resign. the governor has said if he feels he no longer can lead, he will step aside, but david, it appears at this point, he has not reached that decision. david? >> tom llamas, our thanks to you. we're going to turn next tonight to an abc news exclusive. on the eve of the state of the union, we are just back tonight from afghanistan. our interview with the u.s. commander in america's longest war, on talks with the taliban. is there an end-game in sight? will some of the 14,000 u.s. troops be coming home? we are one-on-one tonight with general scott miller, who gave us rare access to what american special forces are doing to help the afghans fight the taliban. tonight, right here, images of this assault on the taliban just weeks ago. their hands in the air. and what was discovered at that site. overnight, president trump said of afghanistan, he wanted to bring u.s. troops home. tonight, our trip, our interview with the four-star general leading the fight. we board a black hawk helicopter waiting for us in kabul, afghanistan, with the top u.s. commander, four-star general scott miller, who has taken over here at a pivotal moment in america's longest war. he was among the first american soldiers deployed here after 9/11. you ever think that, you know, right after 9/11, when you were here, that you'd be back here all these years later as the commander? >> absolutely not. i didn't think it'd be 17, 18 years later. >> reporter: general miller is flying us over the mountains south of kabul. he is about to show us what could be a crucial part of any possible end-game here. we land and are taken to camp commando, where special forces are at work. the afghan forces training with american eyes watching. under general miller, the afghans, with support from the coalition, have accelerated the fight against the taliban. these are rare images captured by american forces of a raid on the taliban just weeks ago. afghan special forces, backed by the americans, storming this taliban prison. taliban fighters with their hands in the air. they are about to rescue their own troops, who had been held captive by the taliban inside that prison, chained to one another. they cut through shackles to set them free. and what is remarkable here is that even as they target the taliban with deadly force, the u.s. is also now negotiating wi the taliban, trying to end this war. >> the political talks, i do think, are positive. i've talked about this fight multiple times and it is a fight. neither side will win it militarily, so, if neither side is going to win it militarily, you have to move into a -- towards a political settlement here. >> reporter: do you think those political talks with the taliban are a key part of any end-game here? >> absolutely. >> reporter: there have been reports that the president would like to see a drawdown of u.s. troops here in afghanistan. has there been any order to do that yet? >> no. i -- first off, i have the authorities, i have the capabilities that i need, from the u.s. and the coalition standpoint, to work with our afghan partners. at the same time, as a commander, i'm always trying to bring the footprint down, bring our force structure down. >> reporter: and the u.s. commander made it clear, he's a general, not a policy-maker, and says he'll follow his chain of command and the president. we're flying over kabul here in afghanistan, of course, america's longest war. and they'll tell you here that part of any end-game for u.s. forces here, making sure that the afghan forces are prepared to fight the insurgency. and that insurgency now includes isis. you are looking at images they captured of afghan special forces just weeks ago, with help from the americans, the coalition. they are fighting isis, not in syria, but in afghanistan, supported with u.s. air strikes. and unlike the taliban, isis has no desire to negotiate. this four-star general has no desire to lethchked. general miller making it clear, there is no end-game here with safe havens for terrorists. >> in 2001, it was very clear to the world what we were doing in afghanistan. and in 2019, there still are national interests that needed to be safeguarded. >> general miller telling me they will continue the assault on the taliban even as the talks move forward. they will keep up the pressure. and the escalating assault on isis, he is determined to make sure any possible safe havens like the ones that existed on 9/11, are destroyed. we turn now to the blistering report citing information reportedly from inside the white house. schedules raising questions about president trump's work schedule. axios obtaining the president's private schedule for the past three months, showing about 60% of the time is made up of so-called executive time. so, what does that mean? and tonight, the white house now blasting the leak as a, quote, disgraceful breach of trust. here's abc's senior national correspondent terry moran tonight. >> reporter: president trump returning to washington late last night, was hunkering down today, prepping for the state of the union. but his white house tonight is grappling with that unprecedented leak of nearly every day of the president's private schedules for the past three months. trump's private schedules leaked to axios, the washington d.c. news organization, reveal nearly 60% of trump's scheduled time has been spent in unstructured "executive time." only 15% in formal meetings, less than 8% attending events. aides say the president often schedules spur of the moment meetings and sometimes keeps them off his official schedule. press secretary sarah sanders telling axios, "president trump has a different leadership style than his predecessors and the results speak for themselves." but the real shock here is the level of disloyalty this leak represents. madeleine westerhout, trump's executive assistant, tweeted, "what a disgraceful breach of trust." >> so, let's get to terry moran, he's live at the white house tonight. and terry, president trump this evening, making international headlines for comments he made about american troops in iraq. the president saying he wants to keep a military presence in iraq in part to, quote, watch iran? >> reporter: that's right, david. the president has long said he wants to bring americans home from iraq, as he does in afghanistan, and now he says, however, that a small contingent could remain inside iraq to watch iran and the rest of the region. the state department, however, says the mission hasn't changed, it's to go after isis. and the government of iraq said he hadn't asked permission. the prime minister saying, "do not pursue your own priorities, we live here." david? >> terry moran tonight. terry, thank you. and, of course, abc news and our powerhouse political team will have live coverage of the president's state of the union address, and, of course, the democratic response. that's tomorrow night, 9:00 p.m. eastern, right here. but in the meantime tonight, we move onto the other news, and the deadly storms in the west. heavy rain and flood alerts in southern california at this hour. powerful storms triggering landslides. the images unbelievable tonight. drivers unable to make it through washed out roads in eagle rock right there. and then whiteout conditions shutting down i-80 from applegate to the nevada state line. and this evening, the snow paralyzing planes in seattle. that system now moving east with snow, ice and rain. and here's abc's will carr tonight. >> reporter: tonight, powerful winter storms are wreaking havoc up and down the west coast. in and around seattle, police are helping push some drivers to safety, while others slide down hills, unable to stop. >> you can see, there are four cars lined up, all of them lost control. >> reporter: the weather forcing schools to close while delaying or canceling more than 500 flights at seattle's airport. in california's sierra nevada mountains, the stormed dumped up to eight feet of snow in just 48 hours. this new storm moving in after a deadly weekend. dramatic high water rescues, mudslides and flash floods sweeping across southern california. in ventura county, a first responder killed by an out of control vehicle after he stopped to help another crash. and a giant sinkhole swallowing this construction equipment, the driver rescued. tonight, first responders are on high alert. there's more dangerous weather in the forecast. we're expecting rain and snow through tuesday. david? >> will carr tonight. will, our thanks to you. let's get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee, tracking it all. she's live tonight along the george washington bridge. ginger, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. can you imagine getting 72 inches of snow in just 24 hours? they did that in june mountain, california, and it's still snowing in the sierra. look at those blizzard warnings. you could see another two feet of snow and winds gusting to 100 miles per hour. there are winter storm warnings all the way down to los angeles, outside of l.a. in the mountains, and san diego in the mountains. look at the futurecast here. this is going to take you through time-wise what the two low pressure systems mean on the screen. in the rockies, it's more snow. when you go east, with that first low, chicago gets ice tomorrow night. so, you could really see some problems on the roadways into detroit, toledo, even cleveland by wednesday morning. all ahead of that, some major warmth. we've already had a dozen daily record highs set today and tomorrow, we could see more, david. >> just about everyone welcoming that. all right, ginger, thank you. there is news tonight in the trial against notorious drug lord el chapo here in new york city. jury deliberations are now under way. joaquin guzman is accused of murder plots, drug trafficking and money laundering. prosecutors say he smuggled 200 tons of cocaine into the u.s. the defense claims he's the victim of a conspiracy. the jury remaining anonymous because of safety concerns in that trial. and to the economy tonight, and news on jobs this monday. general motors with a new round of layoffs. the company says it began eliminating about 4,000 jobs today, it's part of a previously announced plan to cut 15% of its work force. gm is also planning on closing five plants in the u.s. and canada. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this monday. the new controversy involving liam neeson. what the actor said about who he wanted to kill and what he's now saying tonight. also, the other well-known actor discovered dead, and now the mystery. we'll have more on that. and the midair scare on a passenger plane. pilots forced to suddenly turn back after what was reported in the cockpit. we'll have more on that. a lot more news ahead tonight. wirethat's not right.nth? it's right, all right. now, chunky-style milk? that's not right... i choose chunky-style milk because it has the wholesome chunks growing kids need, unlike smooth-style milk. ♪ hey, guys! save some chunks for me! that's not right. kinda like your wireless bill. mint mobile is easy, online and just $20 bucks a month. right now, buy one month and get two months free at mintmobile.com. smile dad. i take medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol. but they might not be enough to protect my heart. adding bayer aspirin can further reduce the risk of another heart attack. because my second chance matters. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i can't tell you anything about myself. but believe me... i'm not your average consumer. that's why i switched to liberty mutual. they customized my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. and as a man... uh... or a woman... with very specific needs that i can't tell you about- say cheese. mr. landry? oh no. hi mr. landry! liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ do i use a toothpaste that whitens my teeth, or one that's good for my teeth? now i don't have to choose. from crest 3d white, the whitening therapy collection with new spearmint and peppermint oil. it gently whitens, plus it has a fortifying formula to protect your enamel. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. we're going to turn next tonight to the controversy involving actor liam neeson. the popular actor is under fire tonight for comments he made during an interview. what he said about wanting to kill someone. here's abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: a brutally honest admission from actor liam neeson in an interview with "the independent," promoting his latest movie, "cold pursuit," where he plays a man seeking revenge. >> i'm going to kill him. >> reporter: he says he understands the rage that can drive a person to revenge, sharing his own real-life reaction to hearing that a woman close to him was raped. >> i asked, did she know who it was? no. what color were they? she said it was a black person. >> reporter: the actor says he actually carried a billy club-like weapon called a cosh. >> i went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping i'd be approached by somebody. i'm ashamed to say that. and i did it for maybe a week, hoping some black [ bleep ] would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know, so i could kill him. >> reporter: neeson says he now realizes just how awful his behavior was. >> it was horrible, horrible, when i think back, that i did that. and i've never admitted that. >> reporter: this happened 40 years ago, but has just been revealed now. and online, this has sparked a bit of a backlash, some calling his comments racist, but neeson says he's hoping this can be used as a teachable moment. liam neeson will appear on "good morning america" tomorrow, david. >> linsey davis tonight. linsey, thank you. when we come back here, the dramatic day in court. an accused cop killer after a deadly police standoff. we'll have more on that. also, the well-known actor discovered dead. where he was found, and now, the mystery tonight. nd now, the mystery tonight. feeling unsure? what if you had some help? introducing the new 2019 ford edge with the confidence of ford co-pilot360™ technology. the most available driver assist techonology in its class. the new 2019 ford edge (man) don't ...go...down...oh, no! aaaaballooned your car. call meeeee! (burke) a fly-by ballooning. seen it, covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ to the index of other news tonight. and new details about a standoff outside cincinnati that left a police officer dead. 23-year-old wade winn appearing in court today after barricading himself in an apartment for 12 hours, at times live-streaming on instagram. prosecutors now say winn faked suicide then opened fire when authorities attempted to enter the building to help him. 20-year veteran detective bill brewer was killed. a second officer was injured. that suspect could now face the death penalty. a passenger plane was forced to turn back after reports of an odor in the cockpit. >> we've got smoke and fumes and we're currently investigating. >> american 1060, roger. would you like to declare an emergency? >> american 1060, yes, ma'am, we would. >> the american airlines flight to newark safely landing back in miami. two pilots and three flight attendants were treated at the airport. one flight attendant was taken to the hospital. there is no word what caused those smoke and fumes. a famous soap opera star has died. los angeles police called to the home of kristoff st. john sunday where they found the actor's body. his long-time role as neil winters in the cbs open "young and the restless" earned him an emmy. the cause of death is under investigation. he was just 52. when we come back here tonight, the soldier and the dog who protected him. years later, the image you have to see tonight. the reunion. 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? 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. carla is living with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. she's also taking prescription ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor, which is for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole was significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus letrozole. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. carla calls it her new normal because a lot has changed, but a lot hasn't. ask your doctor about ibrance. the #1 prescribed fda-approved oral combination treatment for hr+/her2- mbc. saved an average of $412," syou probably won't believe me. but you can believe this, real esurance employee nancy abraham. look her up online. esurance, it's surprisingly painless. ways to lose stubborn belly fat: metal vibration therapy. ( ♪ ) (glass breaking) (gasp) not cool. freezing away fat cells with coolsculpting? now that's cool! coolsculpting safely freezes and removes fat cells with little or no downtime and no surgery. results and patient experience may vary. some common side effects include temporary numbness, discomfort, and swelling. ask your doctor if coolsculpting is right for you and visit coolsculpting.com today for your chance to win a free treatment. (music blaring) for your chance to win a free treatment. (vo) imagine a visibly healthin 28 days. purina one. natural ingredients, plus vitamins and minerals in powerful combinations. for radiant coats, sparkling eyes, and vibrant energy. purina one. 28 days. one visibly healthy pet. finally toni finally tonight here, america strong. the soldier and his partner on the battlefield, reunited. the army specialist and his dog. army specialist joe steinbeck served in afghanistan with tess, trained to detect bombs. they were partners. they were inseparable. for a year and a half, tess protected joe and his troops from hidden explosives. he was separated from tess when he returned home in 2013, treated for ptsd, he has been trying to adopt tess ever since. >> the last time i saw her was right when we touched down back in america from our deployment and got five minutes to say good-bye to her. >> reporter: and finally, over the weekend -- >> there she is. >> reporter: after nearly six years, this was the moment. they were reunited in connecticut. tess is now retired from service. they are together again at joe's home in indiana. tess and that bond returning in an instant. >> it feels like it's been a lifetime, but it also feels like it was just yesterday that i said good-bye to her. give me a kiss. just having her around, i mean, i can't tell you, i mean, the past two nights, i've already slept better. >> reporter: tonight, joe tells us his goal now is to reunite other dogs with their partners from the front lines. a noble effort. the reunion nearly six years in the making. tess is home. i'm david muir. i'll see you tomorrow night from washington. good night. what a sight to see. snow in the bay area. more than a light dusting. >> a mix of winter precipitation here in the bay area. showers and snow in the high peaks. i'll have a look. >> good news on the search for a missing couple that went camping in the national forest. before the storm hit. as you can see live doppler 7 is busy tonight. tracking a light storm bringing more than rain. it's bringing snow as well. >> a snow is falling as low as 1,000 feet in the bay area. that is cold. we're seeing mostly light flakes here. it's a different story in the higher elevations. >> i 80 is closed due to white out conditions. this view from the cal tran camera proves how bad the conditions are. highway 50 is also closed. >> there's too much snow for ski resorts and the windy conditions. take a look. it has blizzard conditions. alpine meadows is closed because of quote unsafe conditions. >> the big story is snow here in the bay area. the latest on that. >> all right. we have seen snow already today and now sfwoo the evening hours. in the high peaks. and some of those not so high. you can see how active the storm is. with numerous pockets of showers and locally heavy downpours. and lighter rain in other places indicated by the green. look at the pink and white showing up indicating snow. how about the snow down around mount hamilton. going on for quite sometime. a look at the storm impact scale. it ranks 1. for tonight and tomorrow morning we'll continue to see showers