has voted for donald trump twice. mr. garvey, you voted for him twice... as your own man, what is your decision? garvey is wrong for california. but garvey's surging in the polls. fox news says garvey would be a boost to republican control of the senate. stop garvey. adam schiff for senate. i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message. >> david: tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. just in, the fbi informant charged with lying about president biden, his son hunter, and ukraine. what that informant has now revealed about getting false dirt from russian intelligence. also tonight, the passenger jet flying over the u.s. the emergency landing because of what they saw on the wing. first tonight, the breaking developments just in involving the fbi informant charged with lying. the informant republicans relied on for accusations regarding

president biden and his son, hunter. tonight, what's been revealed. pierre thomas standing by with late reporting. the united flight from san francisco to boston making an emergency landing in denver. passengers looking out the window, seeing chunks of the wing missing in midair. the abc news exclusive tonight. after donald trump was fined nearly $355 million in his civil fraud case, tonight, the exclusive interview. new york state attorney general letitia james saying she's now prepared to seize donald trump's assets, including his buildings, if he doesn't pay the money. aaron katersky with the interview. president biden tonight promising major new sanctions against russia following the death of putin critic alexei navalny. martha raddatz overseas. the major storm slamming california. first responders pulling flood victims to safety. the winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. this system set to move right across the country. matt gutman in the storm zone. the major headline tonight that will affect women and families who turn to ivf to have a baby. the unprecedented ruling tonight by alabama's highest court,

determining frozen embryos qualify as people. what this could now mean for women and their doctors. tonight, the mother who gave parenting tips to millions of parents online now sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for abusing her own children. the major merger tonight affecting americans and their credit cards. capital one buying discover. also just in tonight, the 911 calls, five cyclists attacked by a cougar. and later here, the student and what he was missing until the bus driver stepped in. you have to see the photo tonight. america strong. >> david: good evening as we come on the air in the west tonight. we come on the air with several developing stories. that passenger plane flying over the u.s., the emergency landing. what they saw on the wing of that plane. but we do start with the news just coming in tonight, the former fbi informant charged

with lying about president biden and his son hunter and ukraine. that former informant in court late today. the informant, who made claims about hunter biden and his father, alexander smirnov is his name, and tonight, what authorities now say the informant has told them about his connections to russian intelligence officials who he says were feeding him information. late tonight, the special counsel saying he must be kept behind bars, arguing he is a flight risk. here's our chief justice correspondent, pierre thomas, leading us off tonight. >> reporter: tonight, federal prosecutors say the former fbi informant accused of spreading lies about joe and hunter biden has admitted that officials associated with russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about the president's son. the informant, alexander smirnov, was arrested last week and is being charged with lying to the fbi, claiming that the bidens accepted a $5 million bribe from burisma, the ukrainian energy company where hunter biden once sat on the board. house republicans have used that story as a justification in

their efforts to impeach president biden. prosecutors now calling it a fabrication. in a new court filing, special counsel david weiss describes smirnov as a longtime fbi informant of ten years, who spoke with his handler nearly every day. and alarmingly, they note that his efforts to spread misinformation about a candidate of one of the two major parties in the united states continues. in fact, special counsel weiss claims that smirnov was actively peddling new lies that could impact u.s. elections after meeting with russian intelligence officials in november. tonight, smirnov is asking a judge to release him pending trial. but prosecutors call him a flight risk, saying he has access to more than $6 million, and noting that his ties to foreign intelligence agencies could resettle him outside the united states if he were released. david, the special counsel believes smirnoff is a flight risk and wanted him in jail pending trial. tonight, a federal judge is

ordering him released under strict conditions. he must give up his passport, he must wear an ankle monitor, and he is not allowed to travel overseas. david? >> david: pierre thomas leading us off here with the breaking news. pierre, thank you. we turn now to that emergency onboard an united flight from san francisco to boston. 165 passengers onboard. the crew of the boeing 757 reporting damage to one of the wings that happened right after the plane took off and that appeared to get worse as they were in the middle of that flight. what passengers saw through the window. the pilot forced to make an emergency landing in denver. here's trevor ault tonight. >> reporter: tonight, tense moments onboard this united airlines flight. a boeing 757 making an emergency landing, this video showing damage to the wing. >> touchdown any second. and the nightmare will be over. >> reporter: chunks seen missing from a broken slat. kevin clarke recording that video, saying he sensed something was wrong as the flight took off. >> plane takes off, and all of a sudden, i hear this loud, violent vibration. >> reporter: one passenger

saying they saw what looked like paint peeling from the wing. the plane was carrying 165 passengers from san francisco to boston monday afternoon, but the crew reporting that possible issue choosing instead to make an emergency landing in denver. >> next thing you know, the pilot's walking down the aisle. he walks past my seat, couple seats back, and looks out the window. minute later, he comes on the p.a. system and announces that we've sustained substantial damage to the slat. >> reporter: the plane landing safely. crews then seen assessing the damage. and tonight, the faa now investigating the incident with this boeing 757. it comes only a month after that door plug blew off an alaska airlines boeing 737 max-9. >> this incident has nothing to do with other boeing incidents we've seen. this is an older airplane, but it's a very reliable airplane. so, the faa will look at, was it a fatigue problem? did it happen just because the airplane is old and had been used quite a bit? or was there some problem with

the maintenance? >> reporter: david, boeing had no comment on this latest incident, but united tells us after the plane landed safely in denver, they got another aircraft to fly those passengers on to boston. david? >> david: trevor ault tonight. trevor, thank you. we're going to turn now to the abc news exclusive tonight. after donald trump was fined $355 million in his civil fraud case, tonight, new york state's attorney general letitia james saying she is prepared to seize donald trump's assets, including his buildings, if he doesn't pay the money. abc's aaron katersky one-on-one tonight with the attorney general. >> reporter: four days after a judge ordered donald trump to pay $355 million for a decade of fraud, new york attorney general letitia james says she's prepared to do everything she can to make sure the former president pays his fine, including, she told us, seizing the buildings that bear his name. >> if he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will

ask the judge to seize his assets. >> reporter: trump was held liable for exaggerating his wealth and inflating the value of his real estate so banks would give him low-interest loans. trump insisted the banks liked doing business with him. they said, "no victim, no one got harmed, the banks got paid back. so, no harm, no foul." why is that not the case in your view? >> so, financial frauds are not victimless crimes. he engaged in this massive amount of fraud. it wasn't just a simple mistake, a slight oversight. the variations were wildly exaggerated, and the extent of the fraud was staggering. >> reporter: trump said the penalty against him would drive other businesses out of new york. >> we'll appeal. we'll be successful. i think, because frankly, if we're not successful, new york state is gone. >> reporter: but the state's attorney general told us she's not worried. >> and last i checked, tourism is up. and wall street is doing just fine. >> reporter: even with an impending appeal, trump must

either put all $355 million in escrow with the court or post a portion of it as a bond with interest. and david, tonight, the attorney general is telling us she is determined to make trump pay, even if it means seizing this building or others long in the trump portfolio. david? >> david: aaron katersky with the exclusive interview tonight. aaron, thank you. tonight, president biden promising major new sanctions against russia, following the death of putin critic alexei navalny. and navalny's mother tonight and her emotional plea outside that prison in the arctic. martha raddatz from ukraine again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the white house preparing substantial new sanctions to hold russia accountable for alexei navalny's death. >> we'll have a major package announced on friday. >> reporter: the sanctions will target kremlin defense industries and sources of russian revenue. this comes as navalny's mother today made a heartbreaking plea outside the arctic prison where her son died, demanding vladimir putin hand over his body.

>> translator: i address myself to you, vladimir putin. the resolution of this question depends only on you. let me finally see my son. >> reporter: it was a plea repeated today by navalny's wife yulia, who says she believes her husband was poisoned and that vladimir putin is ultimately responsible. russian officials insist it will be at least two weeks before the body is turned over, after it has been examined for cause of death. and letters navalny reportedly wrote while in prison have now been shared, showing concern not just about putin, but about the u.s. election, saying donald trump's "agenda and plans look truly scary. what a nightmare," he wrote, adding that "trump will become president" if president biden's health suffers. on the battlefield, putin's forces are making notable gains. ukrainian soldiers forced to withdraw from the town of avdiivka after a months-long

struggle. and unknown numbers of fighters captured and staggering casualties. at this hospital filled with the most severely wounded from the brutal battle -- 20 years old -- we met the mother of this young soldier, roman, in the icu with dozens more injured in the fight. "you never know how hard it is until your own son is hurt," she told me, calling this war a meat grinder. and david, as this war is about to enter its third year with tens of thousands of deaths, a ukrainian soldier told me today, despite the losses, they are all still ready to fight to the death to defeat russia. david? >> david: all right, martha raddatz reporting inside ukraine again tonight. thank you, martha. back here in the u.s. tonight, the major storm slamming california. this system set to move right across the country. california again today battered by a new round of heavy rain, flood watches from the bay area down to los angeles to san diego before it heads east. tonight, the families rescued,

and abc's matt gutman from california. >> reporter: tonight, that firehose of rain and wind drenching southern california. >> there is an atmospheric river -- you can see it just here -- it's moving in and combining with this low pressure. >> reporter: this hillside came down about two weeks ago, plowing through this house, tossing cars, and days of downpours threaten to bring down what's left of it, and additional hillsides like it. in rancho palos verdes, shifting earth causing homes to crack, pulling apart at the seams, including eva albuja's. >> the more water that hits, the more movement we're getting. >> reporter: dozens of homes affected, roads, too. at least two homes declared uninhabitable. >> i've reached out to the governor. it's going to take a lot of engineering, a lot of logistics, and a lot of money. >> reporter: north of santa barbara, california highway patrol's air division helping rescue three people trapped by floodwaters in paso robles. hoisting two to safety and guiding first responders on boats to a third.

all victims are okay tonight. david, southern california's already seen nearly a foot of rain already this month, and it's forecast to continue raining heavily tonight before the system begins to move across the country. tomorrow, it will bring rain from the great lakes to the east coast towards the end of the week. and officials here in los angeles are warning that because the ground here is so saturated, the threat of mudslides will persist for months. david? >> david: yeah, not through it yet for sure. matt gutman, thanks to you again tonight. now to the major headline this evening that will affect women and families who turn to ivf to have a baby. the unprecedented ruling tonight by alabama's highest court, determining frozen embryos qualify as people. what this will now mean for women and their doctors in that state, and what could happen if other states follow suit. here's abc's elizabeth schulze tonight. >> reporter: tonight, an unprecedented decision by alabama's supreme court that could jeopardize families' access to fertility treatments like ivf in the post-roe era. the court making alabama the

first state in the nation to say frozen embryos qualify as children under state law. its chief justice in a concurring opinion citing the bible. the decision means alabama doctors like mamie mclean could be held liable for wrongful death if they discard unused frozen embryos from ivf treatments. >> this ruling is so incomplete. and it leaves those of us who are sitting face-to-face with patients, just with the inability to comment on what is safe and what is legal for them right now. >> reporter: 238,000 families in the u.s. undergo ivf every year. often freezing multiple embryos to increase their chances of a successful pregnancy. >> i truly -- i wanted to scream. i didn't know what to do. >> reporter: gabby and her husband in auburn, alabama, are in the middle of an ivf cycle. they're now considering if they'll need to move their embryos to another state. >> it's a stressful process already. and i don't need the added stress of -- no woman does -- of whether or not this might be

moral to go through to have children, when this is my only path. >> reporter: in a dissenting opinion, justice greg cook writes the ruling "almost certainly ends the creation of frozen embryos through ivf in alabama." this decision opens the door for other states to follow alabama's lead, as reproductive rights across the country have been restricted since the fall of roe. david? >> david: elizabeth schulze with us from washington. elizabeth, thank you. now, to the mother who gave parenting tips to millions of parents online. tonight, she's been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for abusing her own children. in court, her emotional apology to her children. here's kayna whitworth. >> reporter: in a utah court today, a moment of reckoning for a mom who once gave parenting tips to millions online. ruby franke sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for abusing her own children. >> to my babies, my six little chicks, you are a part of me. >> reporter: the disgraced mother of six weeping as she

apologized to her kids. >> how terrifying this must have been for you. you are so precious to me. i'm sorry. >> reporter: the judge then handing down the same sentence to franke's business partner, jodi hildebrandt. >> you terrorized children, and the results have been tragic. >> reporter: ruby franke shot to fame on social media where she shared her harsh parenting techniques. >> i'm not even going to let you eat breakfast until you get your chores done. >> reporter: prosecutors say the women held two of franke's children in a concentration camp-like setting in hildebrandt's home -- denying them food, water, and beds, and forcing them to work in extreme heat. one restrained with duct tape until he escaped. running to a neighbor's house for help. >> he's emaciated. he's got tape around his legs. >> reporter: and franke claims that hildebrandt manipulated her through their mormon faith. now, ultimately, it's up to a parole board to decide how long these women will spend behind bars. david? >> david: all right, kayna, thank you. when we come back here, the

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finally tonight here, the little boy getting on the school bus, and the bus driver who noticed something and stepped in. america strong. tonight, in louisville, the elementary school bus driver who cares about the children on his bus, and he noticed something. larry ferris jr. has been driving for egnlehard for yea he's beloved. they call him mr. larry. when mr. larry picked up first grader levi carrier, he knew something was wrong. levi was in tears, telling mr. larry it was pajama day at school and he didn't have any to wear. mr. larry dropping off the students and going to family dollar himself, where he bought two pairs of pjs for levi, hoping one of them would work. tonight, the school sharing the story, saying levi and his family are grateful. levi saying, "mr. larry is nice, and his heart is filled with joy." right here tonight -- >> good evening, mr. david. >> david: that bus driver, mr.

larry. >> we can educate and further push our kids in the right direction. our school staff, our bus drivers, our principals, our teachers, they all go above and beyond doing for our kids every single day. >> david: and tonight, we've learned following mr. larry's lead, the community coming together. a local nonprofit raising money for levi and his family to go shopping for new clothes. and mr. larry the bus driver says he will be right there with them. >> my small gesture has become a huge impact, and i'm so grateful for it. have a good one, thanks for talking to me. >> david: we love it, mr. larry. and that's right. levi is an all-star. did you see his pjs? good night.

i'm meteorologist sandyha patel. thunderstorms. heavy rain and flooding. i'll let you know how long that threat remains as we continue with the forecast coming right up. plus businesses fight san francisco over a center bike lane in a battle to build a better bay area. >> always live. abc seven news starts right now. >> not a good time for outdoor dining. when the national weather service put out a flash flood warning for san francisco. this is what that warning was all about. good evening. i'm ama daetz and i'm dan ashley. >> thanks for joining us. here's a look at the storm's current location. thanks to live doppler

seven, today's storm ranks level two on the exclusive abc seven news storm impact scale with scattered showers, downpours and thunderstorms. >> yeah, check out how quickly san francisco flooded. this is in the marina district at union and franklin streets. cars and even a muni bus on the 45 union stockton line made it through the intersection, but they had to go through what looked like a few inches of water after the flash flood warning has expired, it is no longer in effect. >> yeah, abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel is tracking the storm for you and joins us with the very latest on this. sandra, that's right. >> and dan and anna, let's check out live doppler seven because you will notice that we are still tracking wet weather across the region. we're going to get you right into street level radar where it is raining at this hour across sea ranch old state highway, annapolis road in the north bay. so watch out. the roads are still slippery. heading towards the piedmont area. emeryville, berkeley. it's lighter rain into orinda across 24 now san francisco this afternoon got 8000/800 of an inch per