from "baywatch" to reality tv, before they were the toast of hollywood, they were, who? a revealing look at some of the nominees. this is abc "world news tonight." reporting tonight from los angeles. good evening. thanks for joining us on this saturday for a special edition of "world news tonight." i'm tom llamas reporting from los angeles. and we begin with the latest developments into russia's meddling into the presidential election. a leading republican congressman now calling for a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation into possible contacts with russia. and just moments ago, the president announcing on twitter he'll be breaking a white house tradition. we start with abc's david kerley in washington. >> reporter: a new call tonight for an independent investigation. as president trump battles the media and reports of ties to russia. >> we are fighting the fake news. it's fake, phony, fake. >> reporter: "the new york times" reported earlier this month the trump campaign h connected to that country's intelligence community. now, a senior republican house member is calling for a special prosecutor to investigate, saying the attorney general must recuse himself. >> jeff sessions, who was on the campaign. you'll need to use the special prosecutor's statute and office to take not just to recuse -- you just can't give it to your deputy. >> reporter: not only did the white house unsuccessfully ask the fbi to rebuff that report, tonight we've learned the white house also reached out to republican chairs of the intelligence committees, which are investigating such contacts and asking them to talk to reporters. representative devin nunes did. according to a spokesman, he told reporters he "couldn't find evidence" of "the times" report. senator richard burr, also contacted by the white house, did not comment. but his democratic colleague mark warner says he has "grave concerns" about the white house effort. tonight, the national >> we inherited a national debt that has doubled in eight years, think of it, $20 trillion, it's doubled. >> reporter: that is true. but the tweet today, suggesting the media has not reported the national debt went down by $12 billion in his first month, comparing that the $200 billion in president obama's first month is misleading, because donald trump inherited. more fallout from the battle with the media. president trump a guest will not sit at the head table as president. "i will not be attending the white house correspondents' association dinner." >> david joins us live from the white house. the white house correspondents association responding to the statement. putting out this statement, saying they still look forward to dinner, saying it's a celebration of the first amendment. he encouraged his supporters to hold a rally. he got a response from sanders. >> tom, the president tweeted that if everybody who voted for him had their own rally, it would be the biggest rally of them all. bernie sanders responded, they did. it wasn't. he tweeted side by side pictures from the inaugurations of trump and obama. >> all right, david, thanks so much. next to the pivotal moment for the democratic party. leaders duking it out to choose a national leader. a bitter and divided party from still reeling from a big white house defeat. abc's gloria riviera. >> reporter: the democrats in a boisterous fight tonight over who will lead their embattled party. [ chanting ] >> reporter: the winner, tom perez, obama's former labor secretary, edging out minnesota congressman keith ellison, who's a muslim, a prog the first to take a trump run for presidency seriously back in july of 2015. >> this man has some momentum. we better be ready for the fact that he may be leading the republican ticket next. >> reporter: in a show of unity, perez offering ellison the deputy job, and siding with him when it comes to investigating donald trump. >> you're now seeing republicans calling for a special investigation of what happened in the run-up to the election. and i think there has to be an independent investigation. >> reporter: perez takes over after last year's scandal of leaked e-mails forced the resignation of debbie wasserman schultz. it's a tough road ahead. what does today mean? >> today is a new beginning. we move guard today. >> reporter: after last november's crushing defeat of hillary clinton, the party now wouts its most powerful leaders. obama in new york this week cheered like a winning candidate, highlighting the vacuum left behind. president trump chimed in on the race results this afternoon on twitter. he offered his congratulations to perez but through in a jab saying he couldn't be happier for perez or the republican party. tom. >> gloria riviera. much more on all this tomorrow on "this week" with house democratic leader nancy pelosi. now to the homicide investigation in houston, texas. and the manhunt under way. police say a collision at an intersection overnight erupted in gunfire, killing a little girl who was traveling in the car with her mother. abc's adrienne bankert with more. >> reporter: tonight, a manhunt and a mystery as to who shot and killed this third grade honor student. police say early this morning, two or three cars were speeding down this houston road. one, this white pontiac crashing into this honda accord, her 8-year-old de'maree adkins in the backseat. >> i said, are you okay? she was asleep. she never even knew what happened. >> reporter: moments later, police say someone pulled out a gun, bullets flying into the backseat hittinge' >> had to be a case of road rage, i don't know. my daughter's innocent. she didn't deserve it. >> reporter: the little girl was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive. >> she's gone. i'll never be able to wake her up in the morning for school. we always had conversations. and she always said, mom, i love you. >> reporter: authorities now on the hunt for the shooter and those involved. police saying de'maree and her mother were innocent bystanders. >> she's an innocent child, i mean that's the worst kind of victim. >> reporter: de'maree's family in anguish over the loss of their little girl who they say had a bright future and loved playing the violin. >> my daughter was full of life, happy girl, witty, smart, she was a -- just a fun-loving person. i can't watch her grow up. >> an incredibly sad story. adrienne joins us now. cameras and could they possibly hold any clues as to what happened there? >> yes, tom, there are cameras in the area. they hope video evidence leads them to the shooter in this heartbreaking crime. tom? >> adrienne, thank you. next to the tragic death on a college campus. at least eight students arrested. state police in connecticut say this 19-year-old girl lost her life following an off-campus fraternity party. abc's eva pilgrim picks up the story. >> reporter: tonight, eight university of connecticut students facing charges after the tragic death of a fellow student. >> on scene nothing showing. >> reporter: investigators said firefighters were responding to a call when their suv accidentally ran over this 19-year-old had fallen asleep against the fire house garage door. >> it was kind of like, i don't know, i took aback. i was really surprised by it. i'm in the system. >> reporter: the a death on blunt injuries to the head and torso. the emergency call turned out to be false alarm. two students allegedly stealing a fire extinguishers. both now facing charges. that's it. six students at an off-campus fraternity party facing charges after providing alcohol to her. though in the arresting document, one witness saying she showed up to the party with a water bottle filled up with white wine. while another one said, there was a table set up in the driveway and the bouncer was checking i.d.s. there were wristbands for those over 21. >> it's about sending a message, holding people accountable and recognized when you give someone alcohol it can lead to deadly consequences. >> reporter: the students posted bond and are due in court in march. tom. >> eva, thank you. now to that deadly poison attack overseas. offici tonight of any trace of deadly chemicals. officials say one female suspect was paid $90 for her role in the bizarre incident and police say she still maintained she thought it was still all a reality show. abc's alex marquardt reporting. >> reporter: malaysian police tonight in protective gear sweeping for remaining traces of toxins in the kuala lumpur airport terminal, where kim jong-nam, the older, estranged half-brother of dictator kim jong-un, was murdered. in surveillance video of the attack, a woman is seen rubbing her hand on the north korean's face. another woman then did the same. tonight, both are in custody. one, an indonesian, now claiming she thought the liquid she was given was "baby oil," that it was part of a tv prank show for which she was paid around $90 in cash. instead, it was vx, the deadliest nerve agent in the world, classified as a weapon of mass destruction. >> it's one of the most lethal creations that man has ever come up with. >> reporter: just a drop of vx can be fatal, causing muscles to contract violently, inducing nausea andom as kim jong-nam reported the attack and then collapsed, the women allegedly washed their hands, one of them vomiting, and made their escape. some experts believe the reason the two female attackers weren't seriously harmed by this nerve agent was that they each had one of the two necessary compounds that make up vx. separately harmless, but together, can be extremely deadly. tom? >> thank you. a system with strong winds now moving east. hail making its mark south of washington, d.c., take a look there. storms sweeping from north carolina to new england. with dramatic lightning strikes like this one in hatfield, pennsylvania. senior meteorologist rob marciano in our new york studio tracking it all. rob, some 30 million people in the path right now. >> that's right. rum bling over top of our new york studio. off the jersey shore. the northern flank is still strong. heads into new england. it should weaken overnight. big changes on the way -- this is all in response of the record heat fueling these storms. that will be over as cold air moves in behind it. it will feel like the teens and 20s tomorrow. meanwhile, thankfully out west it's been somewhat drier. some showers around oscar primetime there around 4:00 p.m. temperatures in the 50s. not horrible. but not ideal certainly for you hot shots out there in tinseltown. >> thanks so much. we want to turn to the big story here in los angeles the academy awards, tomorrow night the splashy celebration of the best in cinema, certainly not stranger to politics. but some are saying this year may be shaping up to be one of the most political in memory. it's the season when hollywood and politics collide and meryl streep threw the first punch last month at the golden globes. >> hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners, and if we kick them all out, you'll have nothing to watch but >> reporter president trump punched back -- tweeting, "meryl streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in hollywood." >> meryl streep, i think, kind of opened up the opportunity for other winners, other nominees to speak out. >> reporter: just yesterday, the united talent agency foregoing their annual oscar party, holding a rally instead. here's actress jodie foster. >> we know that the first attack on democracy is an assault on free expression and civil liberties. >> reporter: but past academy awards themselves might be the best predictor of what's in store for us. >> we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. >> reporter: marlon brando even famously rejecting his academy award for his role having an actress of american indian descent make his point for him. >> and the reasons for this american indians today by the film industry. >> reporter: should fireworks fly tomorrow night, we could hear from president trump himself. he's used oscar night to vent in years past, once live-tweeting, "the oscars are a sad joke, very much like our president. so many things are wrong." some of the president's supporters showed up today. do you exhibit anyone to win tomorrow night and to support president trump? >> i talked to trump supporters within the industry and they have almost a reticent to speak out. they just don't want the blowback. >> should be a very exciting night. much more ahead on "world news tonight" this saturday. a fire at a country club. what the expected arsonist did that landed him behind bars. plus, a developing story we're following. several injured in a multiple shoot incident. we'll have the latest. what was the worst movie of the year? the razzies have spoken. i know you're my financial advisor, about selling some of it. my dad gave me those shares, you know? he ran that company. i get it. but you know i think you own too much. gotta manage your risk. and you've gotta switch to decaf. an honest opinion, even if you disagree. with 14,000 financial advisors it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. w...i was always searching for ways to manage my symptoms. i thought i had it covered. then i realized managing was all i was doing. when i finally told my doctor, he said humira was for people like me who have tried other medications,... but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief... ...and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections... ...including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers,... d, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions,... ...and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb,... ...hepatitis b, are prone to infections, ...or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. if you're still just managing your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. come close, come close. i like that. 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(laughs) that was my movantik moment. my doctor told me that movantik is specifically designed for oic and can help you go more often. don't take movantik if you have a bowel blockage or a history of them. movantik may cause serious side effects, including symptoms of opioid withdrawal, severe stomach pain and/or diarrhea, and tears in the stomach or intestine. and about medicines you take. movantik may interact with them causing side effects. why hold it in? have your movantik moment. talk to your doctor about opioid-induced constipation. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. back now with our "index" developing story we're following right now. a multiple shooting incident in ohio. at least four rushed to the hospital after being shot in howland, ohio. it happened this afternoon. police are still investigating what triggered the violence. let's head to hawaii for the firehose of lava. the rare flow on and off from the beginning of the year. and the man dubbed the world's worst skier. a venezuelan cross-country skier bumbling his way through a competition in finland. get this, he's never practiced in snow. venezuela blaming france because not allowing him to train. the razzies marking its worst. the anti-hillary clinton documentary, hillary's america, named worst film. and "batman v superman" took home some dishonors. all right, up next -- do you know which oscar nominee got her start on "baywatch" or on reality tv? stay with us. every social occas. so the the broom said, "sorry i'm late. i over-swept." 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[ laughs ] thank you, jim. thanks, everybody. how you doing? good to see y'all. uh, you've got to go. yes, i do. hi! get ready, everybody. assuming you want to win some money, i guess. i don't know. "college life" is the category for our first "toss up." go ahead, vanna. ♪ [ bell chimes ]