news we'll be here at 4 a.m. >> we are on this. stay tuned. world news is next. >> for sandy and all of us here, thanks for joining us tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. the white house, the letter they just sent to speaker pelosi. late today, they raised the takes. their refusal now to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. and the witness blocked from answering questions today. and tonight, we have new reporting here, the person on the inside. the white house official on that call with ukraine. the whistle-blower saying that person then spoke with him, describing the president's call as, quote, crazy and frightening. also tonight, troop movement already as president trump defends his sudden decision to withdraw u.s. troops from a key part of syria, after a phone call with turkey's president. and tonight, turkey's president now signaling an attack against the kurds, our u.s. allies in fighting isis. the headline late today. the first mother and father

sentenced together in the college admissions cheating scandal. how long they'll serve now in federal prison. and after felicity huffman, tonight, the prosecutor and the rare interview. his messnow to actress lori loughlin and what she could face. the arrest in dallas tonight. the hunt for others after a key witness in the amber guyger trial is shot and killed. what police have now revealed. here in new york city, the first vaping death. this time, a 17-year-old. the cdc tonight now alerting airline passengers after a flight attendant possibly exposed them to hepatitis on several flights. and the other aviation headline. authorities tonight looking at this video obtained by flyer talk on a jet bridge. members of a flight crew in a fight. and tonight, the moment seen by millions. ellen and former president george w. bush at a cowboys game. what happened on social media after, and tonight, ellen and the bushes now responding. good evening and it's great

to have you with us here on a tuesday night. and we begin with that breaking headline. the white house just a short time ago raising the stakes in the impeachment inquiry, sending a letter to speaker pelosi. tonight, the white house declaring it will not cooperate with the impeachment investigation, and they explain why. and all this comes on the same day the administration suddenly blocked a key witness from testifying. the u.s. ambassador to the european union, who had been working behind the scenes on ukraine. and take a look at this tonight. the new polling on all of this. 58% of americans now support opening the impeachment inquiry. but what was this late move by the white house today, this letter just a short time ago? abc's mary bruce leads us off from the hill tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the white house declaring they will not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry, writing in a letter to house speaker nancy pelosi that the investigation is "dangerous, illegitimate and a violation of fundamental fairness." it comes just hours after the state department blocked a key witness from testifying just

minutes before he was scheduled to appear. u.s. ambassador to the eu, gordon sondland, a no-show. >> the failure to produce this witness, the failure to produce these documents, we consider yet additional strong evidence of obstruction. >> reporter: on twitter, the president insisted he would love to send ambassador sondland to testify, "but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court." trump's top defenders quick to echo his words. >> what we see in this impeachment is a kangaroo court, and chairman schiff is acting like a malicious captain kangaroo. >> reporter: text messages turned over to house investigators show ambassador sondland worked behind the scenes to facilitate the president's push to get ukraine to investigate his 2020 rival, joe biden. when trump withheld $400 million in military aid, america's top diplomat in ukraine told sondland it's "crazy to withhold security assistance for help

with a political campaign." but sondland stood up for trump, responding, "the president has been crystal clear -- no quid pro quos of any kind," but then added, "i suggest we stop the back and forth by text." in a statement, sondland's lawyer says he is "profoundly disappointed that he will not be able to testify today," noting the ambassador had agreed to appear voluntarily and had already traveled from brussels >> mr. secretary, why did you instruct ambassador sondland not to testify? >> thanks a lot, good morning. >> reporter: democrats accuse the state department of stonewalling. if there is no wrongdoing here, isn't that all the more reason why he should be allowed to come up and testify? just answer all of your questions? >> yeah, there is no wrongdoing. the two guys on the call, no quid pro quo whatsoever. >> mary bruce with us live on the hill again tonight. and mary, as you reported there, the white house late today declaring that they will not cooperate with this impeachment inquiry, so, where do house democrats go from here? >> reporter: well, david, just moments ago, democrats issued a subpoena for ambassador sondland, but they are going to have to make a decision.

do they try to fight this out in the courts, or instead go straight to impeachment? we know democrats want to move quickly here. some say they feel they already have sufficient evidence. and david, democrats have made it very clear, they feel the president is obstructing, and that could be another article of impeachment. david? >> mary bruce leading us off again tonight. mary, thank you. and there is one more note on all of this tonight. new reporting here on what triggered the impeachment investigation. the insider at the white house, the official who listened in on the president's call with ukraine. the whistle-blower saying that that person then described the call as, quote, crazy and frightening. here's abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: tonight, abc news has learned a white house official who listened in on the president's phone call with the president of ukraine described it as crazy and frightening. this, according to the whistle-blower at the heart of the impeachment inquiry. >> it's perfect. the call was perfect. >> reporter: it was on that call president trump told the ukrainian president, "i would like you to do us a favor" and asked him to investigate a

debunked conspiracy theory about democratic emails and also joe deand his son. according to the whistle-blower, the white house official on the call reached out to him the next day and was, quote, visibly shaken. the whistle-blower says the official told him the call was "completely lacking in substance related to national security." the whistle-blower documented the conversation in a two-page memo and turned it over to the intelligence community's inspector general. >> so, let's get to jon karl, live at the white house tonight, as well. and jon, what are you learning from your sources inside the white house? are they trying to figure out who this person is on the inside who spoke with the whistle-blower? >> reporter: well, david, the president has made it perfectly clear that he wants to know who was talking to the whistle-blower. he's even suggested that person is effectively a spy who should be severely punished. but here's the thing. i've spoken to several senior white house officials about this, none of them say they know of any effort to actually find out who that person was. in fact, i just spoke to a senior official a few minutes

ago and said that they have no evidence there is any effort to find out who was talking to the whistle-blower, at least not for now, despite the fact that the president clearly would like to know who that person is. >> all right, jon karl with us. jon, thank you. now, to fast-moving developments after president trump suddenly decided to pull out u.s. troops from a key region of syria, which would leave kurdish fighters, who were our allies in the fight against isis, defend for themselves against turkey. tonight, turkish troops are already gathering at the syrian border, ready to move in against those kurdish fighters. and this evening, the turkish president has indicated an operation is imminent. he's also been invited to the white house. abc's senior foreign correspondent ian pannell from istanbul. >> reporter: tonight, turkey moving its war machine into place. long convoys of military hardware and special forces up to the border with syria. setting the stage for a military invasion targeting the kurds. president trump now facing a fierce backlash for pulling back american troops straight after a phone call with president

erdogan of turkey. president trump accused of abandoning a key partner in the fight against isis. >> at some point, we have to bring our people back home. and that's what we're doing. >> is it a firm decision, sir? >> it's always a firm decision. >> reporter: the president standing by his decision, today insisting in a tweet, "in no way have we abandoned the kurds, who are special people and wonderful fighters. we are helping the kurds financially/weapons." but without the close protection from u.s. troops at the border, kurdish forces are far more vulnerable to a much stronger turkish army. for years, we've followed the kurds in their fight against isis, here battling street by street to liberate the city of raqqah. the u.s. coalition is working with, they are the foot soldiers and we're moving up to their forward base. this kurdish womas leading a band of soldiers, no body armor, no tanks or humvees. that very night, she was killed in battle, one of 11,000 kurds who paid the ultimate price

defending their homeland and protecting america and europe from isis. tonight, more than 10,000 isis militants sit in syrian prisons under the watch of kurdish guards. so, what happens if those kurds are forced to leave those isons and fight the turks? david on the ground asking about the threat of those fighters. >> there are reports, up to 10,000 isis fighters are being held by american-backed forces right now. what do you do with those fighters? >> it's a really good question, and it's a tough question to get after. so, we've got to get the countries to take ownership of their folks who came here into the battlefield, take them back and figure out how to bring them to justice. >> now even bigger questions about those fighters. ian joins us from istanbul, and ian, as you pointed out there, one of the major concerns are the thousands of isis fighters being watched, secured by our kurdish allies. we had access to those prisons in our reports just weeks ago. some of the prisoners telling us, if they get out, they want to go after america. so, if they get out, what's the concern on the ground there

tonight? >> reporter: absolutely, david. a very real danger. and what makes it even worse is that the kurdish forces are now saying that if turkey cross over the border, then they're going to pull back their troops from the areas around the prison, other newly liberated areas, to try and reinforce the front lines. and also this evening, the former head of american forces in the middle east writing that president trump's decision threatens to undo five years worth of fighting against isis and also undermine america's credibility. david? >> a lot of moving parts on this, as well. ian, thank you. back here at home tonight, a new sentencing in the college admissions scandal. the first mother and father sentenced together. how long will they serve in federal prison? and tonight, the prosecutor in a rare interview speaking about felicity huffman also set to go to prison and his message tonight to actress lori loughlin. here's eva pilgrim. >> reporter: tonight, a jail sentence for greg and marcia abbott. a month behind bars after pleading guilty to paying $125,000 to boost their daughter's college test scores. it comes just days after the lead prosecutor in the varsity

blues scandal talked to our affiliate wcvb about felicity huffman's recent sentence of two weeks behind bars. >> she took responsibility almost immediately. she was contrite. did not try to minimize her conduct. i think she handled it in a very classy way. >> reporter: the actress pleading guilty to paying a $15,000 bribe to have her daughter's s.a.t. scores altered. >> i think it sent a clear message to the other parents involved that there really is a good chance that if you're convicted of the offense, you're going to go to prison for some period of time. >> reporter: huffman is one of 15 parents who've pleaded guilty. so far, seven have been sentenced to prison time, ranging from two weeks to five months. actress lori loughlin and her husband, accused of paying a half million dollars to get their two daughters into usc, are fighting the charges. >> if she's convicted, we would probably ask for a higher sentence for her than we did for felicity huffman. i can't tell you exactly what that would be.

>> reporter: and that prosecutor signaling a deal is still on the table, but saying he's pushing for jail time no matter what. if they can't make a deal and this case goes to trial, he says he will ask for a tougher sentence. david? >> eva pilgrim, thank you. next tonight, an arrest in dallas in the murder of a key witness in the amber guyger murder trial. the hunt continues for others. and tonight, what authorities are now saying about this. and the judge in the case is now speaking, too. abc's marcus moore again tonight. >> reporter: an urgent hunt tonight for two suspects wanted for the murder of joshua brown, a key witness in the trial of former dallas police officer amber guyger. police tonight saying brown was killed during an alleged drug deal gone bad with three men, one of them shot and in custody. and they're pushing back against speculation brown's death was tied to his testimony. >> i assure you that is simply not true. >> reporter: and tonight, the judge in that trial shedding light on this moment. >> can i give her a hug, please? please? >> reporter: and why she allowed

the brother of botham jean to hug his killer. >> when he said the second "please," i just felt like i could not deny him this. >> reporter: judge tammy kemp also facing criticism for the hug she gave guyger, too. >> when i looked at her and saw how she was hurting, of course i agreed to give her a hug. >> reporter: she also received backlash for giving her a bible. wiping away tears, judge kemp says she would do it again. at least one group has filed an ethics complaint over the judge giving amber guyger that hug and bible. david? >> all right, marcus, our thanks to you again tonight. and next this evening, to the most prolific serial killer in american history. we reported on him here last night, and tonight, the fbi is ing tional victims. help in abc's steve osunsami with fbi video tonight of the killer's chilling confessions. >> north little rock, tell me what the girl looked like. >> oh, man, i loved her. >> reporter: he is now considered the most murderous

serial killer this country has ever seen, and tonight, federal authorities are posting his jailhouse confessions online, hoping to jog memories and discover clues that lead to the remains of his victims. >> she was like partially concealed by vegetation. >> reporter: samuel little has confessed to strangling 93 women between 1970 and 2005 and the fbi believes all of his confessions are credible. some of the bodies were never found. he was already serving a life sentence for three murders in the 1980s. on "60 minutes," he was not shy about what it felt like to kill. >> you know that she's fighting for her life and i'm fighting for my pleasure. >> reporter: he remembered many of the details like it was yesterday and has even drawn these pictures of his victims for investigators. little explains that he killed sex workers or people with drug addictions because he thought they wouldn't be missed. david? >> all right, steve osunsami, thank you. it would appear china tonight is now strong-arming the nba. all of this after a tweet from the general manager of the

houston rockets supporting hong kong's pro-democracy protesters. china is now refusing to air nba games. here's tom llamas. >> reporter: tonight, china putting the full-court press on the nba. their main broadcasting network refusing to air two preseason nba games and appearing to threaten their billion dollar-plus contract with the league. it all started with this tweet from houston rockets gm daryl morey. "fight for freedom, stand with hong kong." morey showing support for the pro-democracy demonstrators battling the chinese-backed leaders of hong kong. >> daryl's tweet has hit what i would describe as a third rail issue. >> reporter: china castigating the rockets for the tweet, demanding they, quote, correct error. >> we apologize, you know? we love china. >> reporter: that sentiment outraging many american fans and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. but today, nba commissioner adam silver trying to balance the

league's $4 billion interest in china with american values. >> we are not apologizing for daryl exercising his freedom of expression. >> reporter: the chinese state broadcaster firing back, saying, "we believe that any speech that challenges national sovereignty and social stability is not within the scope of freedom of speech." david, commissioner silver will be in china on wednesday for those preseason games. he hopes to meet with government officials to help diffuse this conflict. david? >> all right, tom llamas with us tonight, as well. thank you, tom. and there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this tuesday. the alarming surveillance just in. authorities now looking at this video tonight obtained by flyer talk. on a jet bridge, members of a flight crew in a fight. here in new york city tonight, the first vaping death. this time, a 17-year-old. and tonight, the moment seen by millions. ellen and former president george w. bush at a cowboys game. what happened on social media after, and tonight, ellen and the bushes now responding. a lot more news ahead here.

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next tonight here, our team getting a first-hand look at what scientists say is a clear and alarming sign of climate change. massive glaciers visited by millions shrinking and far faster than expected. abc's james longman takes us 12,000 feet up mont blanc. >> reporter: it's the tallest mountain in western europe and a tourist destination for millions, but tonight, mont blanc and its massive glaciers are in the crosshairs of climate change. where i am right now, this is france. behind us over there, behind mont blanc, that is italy, and switzerland is over there. this mountain sits on three countries, it is truly vast. the glacier on that italian side is breaking apart ten times more quickly than anyone expected, nearly 9 million cubic feet of ice at risk of collapse. the danger zone below has been evacuated. we went up for a closer look. if this part of the glacier cracks off, there would be an

enormous dramatic episode of all this ice tumbling down the mountain. >> yeah, exactly. >> reporter: w a warming climate, say scientists. this frozen ocean, one of many melting glaciers around the world. you could lose two-thirds of the glaciers. >> almost everything will disappear by 2100. >> reporter: and that's just 80 years. >> yeah, yeah, it is. >> reporter: david, everywhere you go here, you see shrinking glaciers. take this one. you can see where the ice was and where it is now. it is normal for glaciers to move, but the point is they're shrinking at an alarming rate. david? >> and we know you'll stay on it. james longman tonight. james, thank you. when we come back, the first vaping death here in new york city, a 17-year-old. and passengers on several flights now possibly exposed to hepatitis. nks, but not here. your money almost seems like it's frozen. with capital one, you can open a new savings account in about 5 minutes and earn five times the national average. open one from here. or here - in a capital one café. plus, there are no fees or minimums

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joint pain, less appetite, vomiting, fever, chills, and rash. ask about prevention. ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13®. to the index of other news tonight. the airline crew fighting at denver international airport. this leaked security video obtained by flyer talk and investigated by police shows two republic airways employees fighting. both charged with assault. they no longer work for the airline. in new york city, the first vaping-related death, a 17-year-old died from a severe lung condition linked to e-cigarettes in the bronx. the 23rd death. and the hepatitis scare for some american airlines passengers. the cdc tonight saying a flight attendant may have exposed them to hepatitis-a on several flights. health officials vaccinating 18 passengers on a flight from san francisco to charlotte last month. they are now notifying passengers on other flights who also may have been exposed. when we come back, ellen and former president george w. bush, seen together by millions. tonight, they're both responding

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with humira, remission is possible. finally tonight here, ellen and president bush. it's the image making headlines tonight, ellen and former president george w. bush at a cowboys game. >> president bush up there with some pretty good company. >> reporter: ellen posting on instagram and showing her audience her own video. she also talked about what happened after they were seen together. social media in a divided country. >> during the game, they showed a shot of george and me laughing together and, so -- people were upset. they thought, why is a gay hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative republican president? didn't even notice i'm holding the brand new iphone 11.

and -- but a lot of people were mad and they did what people do when they're mad, they tweet. but here's one tweet that i loved. this person says, "ellen and george bush together makes me have faith in america again." >> reporter: and she went further. >> here's the thing. i'm friends with george bush. in fact, i'm friends with a lot of people who don't share the same believes that i have. we're all different and i think that we've forgotten that that's okay that we're all different. just because i don't agree with someone on everything doesn't mean that i'm not going to be friends with them. when i say be kind to one another, i don't mean only the people that think the same way you do. i mean, be kind to everyone. doesn't matter. >> reporter: tonight, president and mrs. bush saying they really enjoyed being with ellen and portia. adding, they appreciated ellen's comments about respecting one another. and that they respect her, too. valuable words from ellen with the former president. i'm david muir. hope to see you right back here tomorrow. good night.

breaking news, pg&e is going to start turning off the power tonight to prevent its equipment from starting wildfires. >> as hundreds of thousands of people prepare, state and local officials say this shouldn't be happening. the i-team digs into what's going on. >> i think they're black mailing us. taking action, people prepared to be without power for days. we have coverage on what to do now so you're ready. i'll have a look at the red flag warning for high fire danger and the weather conditions we have right now. good evening. >> within the next six hours pg&e will start shutting off power to customers in the bay area all in the name of preventing wildfires. >> this map shows how widespread an impact it could have on the bay area.

napa, santa clara, sonoma includes areas that could lose power. san francisco is exempt. >> this is a public safety power shutoff. the outage could start as early as midnight and it could last for five days. >> we have coverage tonight so you know how to prepare. >> abc 7 news reporters are fanned out across the bay area. >> all of this is based on whether weather conditions combine to increase the risk of wildfires. you are looking at our east bay hills tower camera. >> we are joined with the forecast. spencer. >> we are fortunate under these conditions that we don't have hot weather. it's chilly right here. let's look at our map here. this red flag warning