The one thing so many passengers did that helped them escape the this jet in flames. Good evening. And its great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. And we have several breaking headlines. First, the alerts up right now, tornado watches across several states. A tornado hitting houston. More than a dozen twisters reported across the region already. And now, were watching a deadly line of storms on the move. 18 million americans in the path in the coming hours. Its not just tornadoes its the damaging winds, some reaching 90 miles an hour. Straightline winds destroying homes. Ginger zee is live in the storm zone with the track tonight and abcs phillip mena is in hardhit rockwall, texas. Reporter a dangerous storm system triggering tornadoes in texas for more than 24 hours moving east. Oh, my gosh. Reporter 14 tornadoes reported across a nearly 250mile stretch of the state. This morning, flash flooding and a Tornado Warning in americas fourth largest city. College students in houston sheltering in place. Look at that, it fell on top of that truck. Reporter powerful winds toppling trees. A confirmed twister knocking over this carport. One woman lucky to be alive after a roof shingle hurled through her car windshield. Relentless rounds of Severe Weather slamming texas. Overnight, baseballsized hail shattering car windows. It got glass all over my kids and it hit my daughter in the back of the head. Reporter storms roaring through the dallas ft. Worth area in the middle of the night. This Security Camera capturing the moment straightline winds struck rockwall. Driving rain waking up chris kinnamon, who raced to protect his family. I ran downstairs, woke them up, and got them into a closet as the windows were breaking and everything. Reporter thankfully, just one person injured. But outside of oklahoma city, a truck driver killed after high winds overturned his vehicle. And east of lubbock three Storm Chasers were killed in a car crash after Police Say One of their vehicles ran a stop sign. And phillip mena joins us live. Phillip, its not just the tornadoes but theres a real concern of those straightline winds theyre just as destructive . Reporter thats right, david. Investigators are still out here surveying. But at this point they do believe that was straightline winds over 95 Miles Per Hour that caused all of this damage. The only person who was injured in this neighborhood lived at the home behind me. But tonight, were told hes expected to be okay. David. Thats good news, phillip mena leading us off tonight. And as were on the air, there are several states in the path of this powerful system. Tonight, ginger zee is in the city of memphis. One of the cities telling people to be ready in the hours ahead. Hey, ginger. Reporter hey there, david. A steamy night here in memphis. Ahead of the storms that will attack here tomorrow. But its tonight where we head south and west of me in louisiana, parts of texas, arkansas, missouri, parts of kansas and oklahoma, where tornado watches have taken over. I want to bring you that convected outlook. Damaging hail and the winds and of course, tornadoes. This all moves east. We time it out. And its really tomorrow afternoon and evening that i want to hone in on that line that goes through paducah, down through memphis, over to just west of nashville between 3 00 p. M. And 7 00 p. M. Tornadoes hail, wind. Dont take this one lightly. A week of Severe Weather. We turn next here tonight to the scare on capitol hill today. A driver slamming into a police cruiser. Officers then opening fire. The car had been driving erratically near the capitol. And for a time, authorities did not know what they were dealing with. Abcs senior justice correspondent Pierre Thomas on the hill tonight. Reporter fear this morning that the capitol was under attack. A suspicious driver heading toward police. We heard a shot followed by two quick shots after that. Reporter this all started around 9 22 a. M. When Authorities Say an erratic and aggressive driver, during a traffic stop, made a uturn, nearly hitting officers, then rammed a police cruiser. Police opening fire in pursuit. Once the shots were fired, thats when the police converged. They were just coming out seeming like from nowhere. Reporter it was all over in seconds. Authorities arresting a 20yearold. Sources telling abc news she has a history of Mental Illness. Parts of the capitol were put on lockdown today. But no one was injured. There was another vehicle incident involving gunfire in 2013, where a woman struggling with Mental Illness rammed a white house gate before being chased and then shot by police. Just last year, a suspect is shot after pulling out a gun in the capitols visitor center. And Pierre Thomas live with us from washington. Pierre, police just announcing charges tonight . David, seven counts of assault on a police officer. And this is an ongoing threat. D. C. Officials have told us every week two, three people are referred to Mental Health services, after showing up near the capitol hill or the white house. Pierre thomas covering this. The other major story on capitol hill tonight, the congressman under scrutiny. Even some members of his own party now wondering if he can truly lead an independent investigation into russian meddling and any possible collusion. Our correspondent oneonone with devin nunes, asking him about his mystery visit to the white house grounds. The intelligence he revealed to the white house first. Will he reveal his source . Abcs mary bruce on capitol hill. Reporter tonight, even some republicans are losing patience with the man running the house investigation into russias interference in the election. Has he lost credibility . Are you concerned he cant lead an impartial investigation . I think so. I really do. Reporter and now, theyre looking to the senate to lead the charge. It seems like the issue has become pretty polarized in the house. Reporter House Intelligence Committee chairman devin nunes, who was on the trump transition team, came under fire for rushing to brief the white house on information he uncovered. We then learned that the day before he had a secret meeting with a source on white house grounds. Still not going to share your source . Look, ive answered these questions over and over again and will continue to do that but theres nothing new to report. Reporter on monday, White House PressSecretary Sean Spicer promised to look into who that source was. Today, he said he still didnt know. I have asked some preliminary questions and i havent gotten answers yet. I think theres but so, no, i dont have anything further on that. Reporter on good morning america, even one of the president s closest allies is criticizing nunes. Do you think congressman nunes should recuse himself . Listen, thats a very, very personal decision about what congressman nunes thinks is best to do for him. His constituents and the good of the investigation. So, governor, you dont have a problem with the congressman going to the white house first with intel before his own committee and no problem with his mystery meeting on white house grounds just 24 hours before that . It wouldnt have been the way i would have done things but i dont know if that means he has to recuse himself or not. Thats a personal decision that the congressman has to make on his own. Reporter with his House Committee stalled. The senate is plowing ahead with its russian investigation. The republican and Democratic Committee leaders eager to show a united front. I have confidence in richard burr that we together with the members of our committee are going to get to the bottom of this. If you get nothing else from today you can take that statement to the bank. Reporter they made clear to distance themselves from the embattled house inquiry. Any circumstance in which you wouldnt share with mr. Warner your sources on this investigation . He usually knows my sources before i do. And ive also got his cell phone. Reporter when we caught up with nunes he said his committee doesnt play by those rules. When warner and burr say they always share all their sources, they have each others cell phone numbers . I would question that thats the case, yeah. Reporter doesnt apply to your committee though . No, no. Thank you. Mary, it seems those two senators, democrat and republican standing by side by side, leading the investigation on the senate side, trying to make it clear today, no such chaos in their committee, when do they hold their first hearing, tomorrow . David, that first hearing is tomorrow. Despite the president s claims that the russia story is a hoax, but they insist theyll go wherever the intelligence leads them. So far theyve reached out to 20 witnesses, including jared kushner, the president s soninlaw. David. Mary bruce live on the hill for us. Mary, thank you. And this question for the white house tonight, was he joking or not . After something President Trump said last night to a roomful of senators at the white house. And there was someone else who said something last night making news, the president s onetime rival, Hillary Clinton, whose own joke revealed a lot about what shes thinking right now. As we learn of a new official role for ivanka trump. Heres abcs jon karl. Reporter could there be a Second Chance at health care . Heres what the president had to say at a reception with democratic and republican senators and i know that were all going to make a deal on health care, thats such an easy one. So i have no doubt that thats going to happen very quickly. I think it will actually. I think its going to happen. Reporter but that drew laughs and the press secretary said today it was just a lighthearted comment. But just to clarify, was he joking when he said that making a deal on health care would be an easy one . I think if you watch the tape, it was a lighthearted moment, jonathan. Reporter he wasnt the only one joking a little bit last night. I am thrilled to be out of the woods and in the company of so many inspiring women. And there is no place id rather be than here with you, other than the white house. Reporter after the laughs, Hillary Clinton unloaded on republicans and their failed health care bill. When this disastrous bill failed it was a victory for all americans. Reporter nevertheless, republicans in the house are now saying they really do want to try again. I think were closer today to repealing obamacare than weve ever been before. Reporter the president isnt ready to take the lead, but he says he is willing to work with democrats. Today, a long list of Senate Democrats said they are ready and willing to work with the president but only if repealing obamacare is off the table. Were willing to engage with people. I think they understand his principles. We need to repeal the law and replace it with Something Better. I understand what reporter but theyre saying they want you to take full repeal off the table. I understand what they want. But again, its not just a oneway street. All right, lets bring in jon karl. Live at the white house. Jon, you learned something else. The world saw that image of ivanka trump beside angela merkel. Some asking, why is she there . Does she have a role . Now you learned that shes getting a role . She said she was just coming to washington as a daughter but shes clearly doing much more than that. Last week the white house said she would have an unofficial role at the white house. Now, today, they are saying it will be an official role. Her title will be assistant to the president. She wont be taking a salary. David, shell be considered a government employee, bound by the same ethics and conflict of interest rules. All right, jon karl at the white house. Jon, thank you. You saw we interviewed new Jersey Governor Chris Christie from the white house today as he joins President Trump in his effort to fight opioid addiction. But his two top aides were about to learn their punishment back home. After shutting down the bridge, trapping commuters, school buses on americas busiest bridge, prosecutors had made the case it was all an act of political revenge to benefit governor christie that affected so many drivers trapped. Heres abcs linsey davis. Reporter as Chris Christie joined the president today at the white house to tackle the issue of drug addiction, back in new jersey two of his former associates were sentenced to federal prison. Two years for bill baroni, a year and a half for bridget anne kelly, for causing a fourday traffic jam at the nations busiest bridge. An act of political revenge prosecutors said, against a mayor who refused to endorse christie for reelection. Kellys fate may have been sealed in that nowinfamous 2013 email time for some traffic problems in fort lee. Today the mother of four vowed to appeal. This fight is far from over. I will not allow myself to be the scapegoat in this case. Reporter at trial kelly and baroni each suggested governor christie knew more about the lane closures than he has publicly acknowledged. President trump made the same case during the campaign. He knew about it. He knew about it. Totally knew about it. Reporter christie has long denied wrongdoing and he was never charged in the case. For prosecutors there was never a smoking gun that ever implicated him. David. Linsey davis with the George Washington bridge behind her. Linsey, thank you. We turn now to breaking developments. A story coming in from texas at this hour. The Deadly Church bus crash on the highway there. A headon collision with another vehicle. Many of the passengers did not survive. Heres abcs clayton sandell. Reporter pictures from the scene show the terrible aftermath. A church van and a pickup truck colliding headon in the middle of this texas highway. Bodies under sheets could be seen lying in the roadway. Before firefighters loaded them in a hearse. The collision happening late this afternoon on a remote stretch of highway about two hours west of san antonio. The van belongs to the First Baptist church the pastor there at the church said they were coming home from a bible study retreat. Online, the church telling parishioners we understand there have been some fatalities. Police tell us one person on the truck and 14 people in that church van. Tonight, Police Confirm 12 people were killed in the crash. Clayton, our thanks to you. Theres still much more ahead tonight the deadly Home Invasion, three masked intruders. The homeowners teen son armed. Youll hear the calls to 911 and the selfdefense law being put to the test. The emergency landing, the passenger jet erupting into smoke and flames right there and the one thing so many people on board did that got them off that jet in time. And take a look at this image tonight, the hiker who stepped into hot water after this. Rescuing a malnourished bear cub here in america. 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He sounded very shocked and very scared. Reporter early afternoon