and we do say good morning on this thursday. that big moment happening right now today, the first face-to-face meeting between the new administration and a russian leader. >> secretary of state rex tillerson sits down with russia's foreign minister in a meeting that could offer some guidance about how president trump intends to deal with moscow. >> this comes as more lawmakers are demanding answers into the trump team's russian ties and as president trump tries to shift the blame. today for the first time a high level trump administration official will come face-to-face with a russian authority when secretary of state rex tillerson meets wist russian counterpart in germany but it's the secret meetings with trump campaign officials and russian operatives that everyone is talking about. everyone except the president. >> mr. president, can you guarantee that nobody on your campaign had any contact with the russians? mr. president, any questions on russia? mr. president -- >> reporte russian revelations as the administration is still reeling from the dismissal of national security adviser michael flynn for deceiving the vice president about his conversations with the russian ambassador. instead of refuting the flynn allegations, the president went on the attack. >> general flynn is a wonderful man. i think he's been treated very, very unfairly by the media as i call it the fake media in many cases. and i think it's really a sad thing that he was treated so badly. >> reporter: taking that cue house republicans now calling for an investigation into the leaks surrounding the ouster of flynn, not the actual communications themselves. overnight top committee chair jas jason chaffetz calling for others to get involved. others are concerned about the disfunction at the white house this week. >> you don't know who is in charge. there's this flynn situation. the whole environment is one of dysfunction in the trump >> reporter: the president's answer, announcing overnight his first reelection campaign rally scheduled for this weekend in florida. so less than four weeks in looking forward to 2020. he has a lot on his plate adding to his list a new secretary labor nominee. >> andrew puzder is withdrawing his nomination stemming from a messy divorce and an interview he did on "oprah." >> reporter: good morning. andrew puzder's nomination hearing was supposed to start today but that all changed when he became the president's first nominee to withdraw his nomination. puzder, the ceo of the company that owns hardy's and carl's jr. said after careful consideration and discussions with my family i am withdrawing my nomination for secretary of labor. he's been under fire for his personal life after this video surfaced of his ex-wife in 1990 taping of "oprah." she's seen wearing a disguise talking about their messy divorce and describing what she says is domestic abuse. >> that was the most frightening thing was leaving. once i made that break public and remember my husband was a public figure, everyone knew him and what he was doing and once i made that public, he vowed revenge. he said i will see you in the gutter. >> reporter: senators also questioned puzder's business record. he once said he prefers robots over humans because, quote, they're always polite and never take a vacation. puzder also faced questions after admitting he employed an undocumented housekeeper. he says it was an honor to be considered and the white house has not yet announced a replacement nominee. back over to you. >> that's stephanie ramos live in washington for us. stephanie, thanks. in a departure from previous white house policies president trump is backing away from support for palestinian statehood. with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu the president said he would support one state or two, whichever makes both parties happy. he also put netanyahu on the spot suggesting he hold back on settlements in the west bank. >> as far as settlements i'd like to see you hold back on settlements or a little bit. we'll work something out. but i would like to see a deal be made. so let's see what we do. doesn't sound too optimistic. good negotiator. >> that's the art of the deal. >> i guess he read his book. overnight while meeting with senate leaders netanyahu dodged questions about the settlements saying only that he would continue working toward an understanding that he says is consistent with the pursuit of peace and security. the u.s. military is keeping an eye on a russian spy ship that's been moving along the east coast. it was last seen about 30 miles from america's biggest submarine base in connecticut believed to be the fourth that russian spy ships have hovered u.s. navy bases. it has remained in international waters. breaking overnight new arrests in the murder of kim jong-un's half brother. police in malaysia arrested at least two more people in connection with the case after kim jong-nam was apparently poisoned by a pair of assassins. two women sprayed a chemical in his face. kim was once viewed as a possible successor to his late father. mother nature has a new test for the oroville dam in california. a storm system could bring another two inches of rain to the area this morning. crews are still trying to solidify the dam and the damaged spillway. the water level in the lake there has dropped more than 20 feet since officials began releasing nearly 45 million gallons per minute. the storm over oroville is going to bring heavy rains all along the west coast as well from san francisco up to portland, oregon. some areas could see as much as 6 inches of rain. in the east new england is the weather system stretches from new york all the way to maine and as much as a foot could call in some parts. still ahead the new method predicting autism before age 1. the murder mystery after two 13-year-old girls were killed while on a hike. we have details on the search for their killer and surveillance video of the man police now want to speak with. plus, thousands of people in tokyo are donating their phones. what it has to do with the next summer olympic games. z2a0gz zi0z y2a0gy yi0y in san francisco a 2,000-pound concrete slab threatening to fall from the roof of a high-rise has been some streets were re-opened and evacuations were ordered in most buildings. a nationwide boycott today called a day without immigrants. the idea is to skip work, stay home from school and hold off shopping to show how important immigrants are to the economy. hundreds of businesses will be closed as a result today. the protest comes as a response to president trump and his pledge to increase the deportation of undocumented immigrants. a mexican born woman has taken refuge in a denver church hoping to avoid deportation. jeanette vizguerra has lived and worked in the united states for 0 years but skipped a routine check-in. she had two misdemeanors including one making up a social security number to get a job. >> this punishment ripping a human being out of her family, shipping her to a country she has not been in for 20 years is absolutely obscene what she did. >> supporters rallied in front of the immigration center where officials denied her request to stay in the u.s. they say vizguerra became an enforcement priority because of her two misdemeanors adding a judge issued final deportations for her back in 2011. troubling news about hate groups in the u.s. according to the southern poverty law center they rose for the second straight year in 2016. the center's annual report shows an increase of about 3%. it blamed that rise on the mainstream of far right rhetoric by donald trump's presidential campaign. well, facebook is getting into job postings. some new features allow businesses to post openings and those seeking work to search for them. they're aimed at small and medium-sized businesses that sometimes struggle to find the right people to hire. businesses can pay for ads that will boost the reach of their job listings. and this was the scene in tokyo this morning. people handing in their order to gather two tons of gold, silver and bronze, maybe you know where this is going. the medals will be used to create thousands of medals that will awarded at the tokyo summer olympics in three years. the project is all about promoting sustainability. >> so that's my startech and my nokia. oor. are the medals going to ring? >> cool. a plane forced to make an emergency landing after hitting, well, wait till you see. overnight the reaction coming in from passengers. lucky escape. a police officer narrowly avoids being in the path of a tornado. for lower back pain sufferers, the search for relief often leads... here... here... or here. today, there's another option. drug-free aleve direct therapy. a tens device with high intensity power that uses technology once only available in doctors' offices. ntrol the intensity, and helps you get back to things like this... this... or this. and back to being 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(child giggles) symbicort. breathe better starting within 5 minutes. get symbicort free for up to one year. visit saveonsymbicort.com today to learn more. watch this. a security camera rolling when a police cruiser raced across a school parking lot just ahead of texas. the officer did make it to safety with only moments though to spare. that twister was one of six to touch down in that area. some major trouble spots for this morning's commute. especially on the west coast where heavy rain is already falling. also expect some icy roadways in the upper northwest. flying, weather-related airport delays possible in san francisco, boston and new york. the case of two missing teenage girls in indiana now considered a double homicide investigation. the bodies of liberty german and abigail williams discovered near a creek. they disappeared after going hiking on monday. >> police are asking for help in identifying someone they want to interview about the case. abc's alex perez has more. >> reporter: mystery in a small town. indiana authorities on the hunt for a killer after the horrifying murders of 13-year-old abigail williams and 14-year-old liberty german. about 1:00 p.m. monday a family member dropped the girls off for a hike along near delphi, indiana. at 2:07 liberty snapchatting the picture and a loved one went to pick them up but never showed up. by 12:15 tuesday their worst fears confirmed. >> they were found deceased back here in the woods. >> reporter: overnight authorities releasing this image of a man they'd like to speak with. investigators believe he was on the trail around the same time as the girls. alex perez, abc news, dell if i. >> alex will be live with the latest on "good morning america." those tense moments for flyers as an american eagle flight makes an emergency landing after, get this, striking a deer. during takeoff. deer? the mississippi bound jet started leaking fuel and returned to the airport in charlotte, passengers and crew members nearly 50 people got off the plane and the plane was sprayed with foam. the damage to the right wing of the aircraft clearly visible. >> it wa it didn't just sound low, it was boom. we saw smoke and checked the landing gear and made sure everything was out and we landed safely. >> so, the deer didn't make it, obviously, but everyone on board was okay. but get this, it might seem like a rarity but there was a similar collision between a deer and 737 in charlotte a few years ago. >> they sure is wasn't a moose. that is a big deer. >> a little farther north. researchers, they have made a major breakthrough in detecting autism. a new study finds that brain scans might help predict autism in infants before symptoms appear. researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to examine the brains of high risk infants and able to correctly predict 80% of those who would later meet the criteria. so change is coming to the buildup to march madness for this time -- first time in office former president obama met with espn to f bracket for the men's and women's ncaa basketball tournament. >> so espn asked about continuing that tradition with president trump but the white house has respectfully declined the offer. >> ah. >> as for last night's nba basketball which the president clearly will not be betting on here are some highlights with our friends at espn. >> good morning, welcome to "sportscenter" in los angeles. stan verrett along with neil everett. the top two teams still looking like it. >> i wanted to do blazers/jazz because there was a guy in a stockton jersey. got overruled. the warriors, four all-stars, oh, yeah, they do. one of them is klay thompson. one of them is steph curry. skinny pop. one of them is kevin durant. sonic blast. the other one is draymond green who was ejected. javale mcgail playing the role of green. warriors win by many. how about cavaliers. taking on the pacers. dick vitale and bill walton helping to call the game. >> lebron, get them out of here. >> lebron james and kyle korver. yeah, check out james working on glenn robinson. look at the footwork. 31 points. kyle korver. >> you know who he looks like. >> who? >> ashton kutcher. >> yeah. look at this, korver just got there but he's not afraid, six threes for him. cavaliers win 113-104. jazz beat the blazers, 111-88. >> had to get that in. all we got, back to you. >> up next in "the pulse," wait till you hear what was found inside an old tv just before it was turned into scrap. see what happens when a wife donates her husband's shirt with something very valuable in the whoops. smartphones? o m g ten years later, nothing's really changed. it's time to snap out of it. hello moto. snap on a jbl speaker. put a 70" screen on a wall. get a 10x optical zoom. get excited world. hello moto. moto is here. the moto z with moto mods. get a moto z play droid for only $5/mo. no trade-in required. and the golden retriever tare very different.er they eat, digest, and process energy differently. at 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alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can be more active. ask your doctor about lyrica. wait... wait... perfect. at del monte, corn is packed at the peak of freshness with just water and a dash of sea salt. nothing else. so it's all-natural and delicious. ♪ time to check "the pulse" starting with a little girl would has big dreams. >> that's right. khloe bridgewater's dad said she became obsessed with the idea of working at google. this after learning that employees there enjoy pks like bean bag chair, go-carts and -- >> i don't blame her. imagine if she knew about the free snacks. she wrote to them and asked for a job and surprise, surprise, she got a response from google's ceo. >> more than most job applicants. >> he told her he looks forward interviewing her when she finishes school. >> dear google boss as she titled. sometimes hiding places can be a little too good. >> a canadian man put more than 100,000 grand inside an old tv three decades ago. then forgot about it and gave the television to a friend. that set recently showed up at a recycling plant north of toronto and workers found the cash. >> here's the thing, canadians are known for being polite. they followed suit and called the police and found the original owner. police hope he puts the money in the bank this time. >> that would be smarter. >> just have to fit it in a flat screen. >> it's worth eight times what it was back then. >> oh. some anxious moments because of a clothing donation that went terribly wrong. linda hoffman plead it at a goodwill near l.a. >> in the pocket of one of her husband's old shirts there was $8,000 in cash. when he realized it was gone he told linda about the money. >> desperate search turned up nothing. the next day a goodwill worker found the cash and returned it. >> not just canadians. americans too. we're nice people. >> they're going to ital morning washington. it's february 16th, and get ready for another cold day in in the dmv. but in just a few moments-- meteorologist eileen whelan will have some very good news about the upcoming weather. new information about a growing divide between president donald trump and u-s intelligence agencies. according to a report in the wall street journal, intelligence officials have intenitonally withheld some sensitive president trump because of concerns about the information being leaked or compromised. president donald trump is blaming the media and "illegally leaked" intelligence information for bringing down his national security adviser michael flynn. members of congress are now calling for broader investigations into alleged connections between president trump's campaign and russia. and president trump could soon send u-s ground troops to syria for the first time. according to c-n-n, the pentagon may recommend deploying americans to fight isis. the president has given the secretary of defense until the end of the month to come up with a plan to defeat the terrorist group. good morning washington. toss to eileen - cold & blustery today - warmer for the holiday weekend - no significant rain changes today: partly cloudy. cold & blustery. highs: 39-43 feels: 24-32 winds: nw 10-20 g 30 mph to lows: 22-29 winds: nw 5-10 mph friday: partly to mostly sunny. light winds. highs: 48-53 winds: wsw 5 mph we are following breaking news in county. a car accident sends two people to the hospital overnight. it happened on the b-w parkway, near route 50. our cameras were on the scene just before 1 a.m. after a car reportedly crashed off the side of the road. police say the driver and a passenger are now being treated for serious injuries. they are expected to survive. he cause of the crash is still under investigation. take a look at your screen-- this is video you'll only see on 7. a distracted driver- pulling away from the gas station- with the nozzle still in the tank!! he ripped the hose right out of the machine! one gas station manager in silver spring told abc-7 it's happening more than you might think. and he says- it's because people are using their cell phones- and not paying attention. the organizers of the women's march are organ demonstration. on march 8 - they're planning what's being called "a day without a woman." more information is expected to come out soon. you may remember the women's march was a worldwide event that drew millions last month. the "day without a woman" follows today "day without immigrants" protest. we will have much more on that-- coming up in a few minutes. around here -- we're all pretty inspired by one of our own reporters. you're used to seeing chief political correspondent scott thuman reporting from capitol hill - and interviewing world leaders. but he recently traded the hill -- for a mountain top... taking a week to climb to the top of mount kilimanjaro!! he documented his entire climb and he's put it together in a story you can find on our website... you'll definitely want to check it out -- just head to wjla-dot-com to watch. back here in the district-- workers in d-c will soon have one of the country's best paid family leave programs. but mayor muriel bowser is not a fan. mayor bowser says she won't sign the bill, but she won't veto it either. the legislation allows up to 8 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. the bill passed the d.c. council with a reviewed by congress. it's xx and we're just getting started. dropping out. a trump cabinet nominee withdraws his name, less than a day before his confirmation hearing. this as president trump lashes out at u-s intelligence agencies. the latest on the turmoil at the white house.. coming up. breaking news overnight maryland. fast-moving flames, prompt firefighters to call for backup. the details.. ahead. good morning washington. - cold & blustery today - warmer for the holiday weekend - no significant rain changes today: partly cloudy. cold & blustery. highs: 39-43 feels: 24-32 winds: nw 10-20 g 30 mph tonight: partly cloudy. lighter winds. winds: nw 5-10 mph friday: partly to mostly sunny. light winds. highs: 48-53 winds: wsw 5 mph