questions with experts from around the bay area. and remember, from 3 to 7 tax experts answering your tax questions, just go to abc7 news.com and click on seven on your side for the forum to drop in your question. we'll have more on this at 4:00 today. meantime, wo >> whit: tonight, the judge's blistering decision about the

d.a. overseeing georgia's election interference case against donald trump. the urgent search after deadly tornadoes touch down in several states. and the new development in the terrifying subway shooting here in new york city. first, the major shakeup in georgia's prosecution of donald trump and 14 co-defendants. judge scott mcafee ruling fulton county district attorney fani willis can remain on the case. but for her to stay, special prosecutor nathan wade must resign. trump accusing willis of misconduct over herro man tick relationship with wade. judge mcafee harshly criticizing willis for a tremendous lapse in judgment. and news late today about donald trump's criminal case in manhattan. aaron katersky with late details from atlanta. the deadly tornado outbreak. at least three people killed, dozens injured. at least 14 confirmed tornadoes in seven states. twin funnels touching down in ohio. an ef-3 on the ground with winds topping 136 miles per hour. alex presha in the storm zone.

here in new york, new video of the rush hour subway shooting in brooklyn. what police are now saying about the man shot and wounded with his own gun. why authorities are not charging the shooter. and the search tonight for a woman police say was also erielle reshef standing by. the new alert following that midair scare on a flight to new zealand. the plane suddenly diving, injuring at least 50 people on board. why boeing is advising airlines after a report that a cockpit mishap may have triggered the sudden drop. the israel/hamas war. prime minister benjamin netanyahu pushing forward with plans to target hamas in rafah, a city in southern gas. concerns about the fate of nearly 1.5 million palestinians who are there now. here in the u.s., a new mexico state police officer shot and killed on the highway. police releasing an image of the suspect now on the run. the landmark settlement that could change the way americans buy and sell homes. and "america strong" tonight. the popular college dorm school

security guard. what students did for him and the family he hasn't seen in more than a decade. >> whit: good evening. it's great to have you with us on this friday night. i'm whit johnson in for david. we begin with that major decision in the georgia election interference case against donald trump. the judge ruling district attorney fani willis can stay on the case, but only if her former romantic partner leaves. the judge finding the romantic relationship between willis and the chief prosecutor she hired, nathan wade, showed a "tremendous lack of judgment," but he did not find a conflict of interest that harmed the defendant's case. instead, judge scott mcafee gave willis a choice. either she and her entire staff could step down, or wade alone could resign from the case. late today, nathan wade submitted his resignation, saying it was in the interest of

democracy and to move this case forward as quickly as possible. tonight, donald trump's georgia trial may still go forward but without a clear date as to when it might begin. abc's senior investigative correspondent aaron katersky leads us off in atlanta tonight. >> how confident are you that the judge will find there hasn't been a conflict of interest? >> reporter: tonight, a judge in georgia giving fulton county district attorney fani willis a stark choice. she can keep leading the election interference case against donald trump, only if her top prosecutor and former romantic partner steps down. trump and several of his co-defendants fought to remove willis, arguing she financially benefited by hiring nathan wade. today, judge scott mcafee ruling "the defendants failed to meet their burden of proving that the district attorney acquired an actual conflict of interest." the judge adding, "georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices, even repeatedly." it's a win for the d.a. at a humiliating cost. >> i'm ready to go.

>> reporter: the judge admonishing for her a "tremendous lapse in judgment" and criticizing her testimony as "unprofessional." >> you're confused, you think i'm on trial. these people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. i'm not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial. >> reporter: he also rebuked willis for a speech she gave in church, suggesting wade only came under attack because he's black. >> i appointed three special counselors. it's my right to do. paid them all the same hourly rate. they only attack one. >> reporter: judge mcafee said it was "legally improper" for willis to "cast racial aspersions." he also questioned her credibility on the witness stand, and wade's too, writing, "an odor of mendacity remains." ultimately, he determined the one-time romance created "a significant appearance of impropriety." so, if willis is to stay on the case, her ex-boyfriend must go. and hours later, nathan wade was gone, submitting his resignation, saying he was doing it "in the interest of democracy, in dedication to the american public, and to move this case forward as quickly as

possible." >> whit: aaron katersky joining us now from fulton county, georgia. this whole episode has caused this trial to be delayed even further, and tonight there's also news in the new york criminal case against trump? >> reporter: the d.a. here, whit, wanted this case to begin in august. but that may be impossible now. she just lost her top prosecutor, so she has to reset her team. trump's attorneys are considering whether to appeal today's ruling. and the judge hasn't even considered a trial date yet. and yes, in new york, the judge there just delayed trump's first criminal trial. it was supposed to begin in nine days. now the judge says it won't begin for at least a few weeks, mid-april at the earliest, whit. >> whit: the calendar increasingly crowded. all right, aaron, thank you. and another political note here in the race for the white house. former vice president, mike pence, saying he will not endorse the president he once served. pence saying he cannot in good

conscience endorse donald trump, slamming him for pursuing an agenda that is "at odds with the conservative agenda." pence adding he "would never vote for joe biden" and dismissing both the idea of backing a third party candidate and himself running as a third party candidate. now to the deadly search. more than a dozen across seven states. one of those tornados ripping through fryberg, ohio. this stunning damage from lake view, ohio in logan county, at least an ef-3 with winds more than 136 miles per hour. and a twister striking randolph, indiana, in the middle of the night. abc's alex presha in the storm zone tonight. >> oh no! >> reporter: tonight, a desperate search for survivors after that deadly nighttime tornado outbreak. 14 confirmed tornadoes cutting a path of destruction across seven states. at least three people killed, dozens injured.

those three deaths all in logan county, ohio, where an ef-3 tornado with winds of at least 136 miles per hour, tore neighborhoods apart. here in this lake community, you can really get a sense of just how powerful this storm was. it didn't just snap trees over here, it also completely flipped this pontoon boat. blaine schmitt showing us what's left of his lakeview home. schmitt riding out the tornado in his bathtub, tonight thankful his wife and two sons weren't home. >> it's just unreal. it's unreal. >> reporter: but you still have your family. >> yeah, my family, is everything important to me is still here. >> there's two! >> reporter: the tornado's fury on full display. look at this siding here. it's wrapped around this power line like aluminum foil. terrifying new video showing twin funnels touching down near hancock county, ohio. nearly 40 people injured, three critically. more than half a foot of rain sparking life threatening flash flooding in southern arkansas. back in ohio, volunteers and first responders now helping the recovery effort.

authorities say rebuilding here will take time. >> i've been here pretty much my whole life. i never seen anything this devastating. >> reporter: whit, they do have a lot of work to do here tonight. you can see the water behind me. it's just littered with debris. the silver lining, though, that severe weather system is now officially out of the region. whit? >> whit: at least some encouraging news there. alex presha for us tonight, thank you. next here, new york's governor holding an urgent transit safety meeting after that rush hour subway shooting in brooklyn. no charges will be fired against a ride history shot an aggressor in the head after taking his gun, the district attorney citing "evidence of self-defense." new images of the incident that sent terrified commuters running to ducking for cover. here's abc's erielle reshef. >> let me out! >> reporter: tonight, dramatic new cell phone video of the

mayhem just before that terrifying shooting in the new york city subway. a man seen here entering a brooklyn subway station, evading the fare. >> i'll beat you up. i'll beat you up. >> reporter: then on the train, threatening to fight a male passenger unprovoked. the confrontation boils over. police now searching for this woman who they say appears to stab the aggressor twice in the back. >> he eventually pulls a firearm out during that dispute and ultimately he's disarmed and shot with his own gun. >> reporter: sources familiar with the investigation tell abc news the assailant was shot four times, twice in his face, once in his neck, and once in his chest by the man he initially confronted. >> let me out! >> reporter: panicked passengers running for their lives. >> i don't think i was going to make it back home. >> reporter: police swarming the scene within seconds, quickly taking the shooter into custody. tonight, the man who instigated all of this in critical

condition. just days ago, new york governor kathy hochul ordered the national guard to patrol subway stations across the city. nypd presence in the subway bolstered to levels not seen in decades, but still subway crime up 13% so far this year. >> the transit bureau took six crimes, including the shooting, six out of millions and millions of people that boarded this -- our is subway system yesterday. >> reporter: when it, authorities say that 32-year-old who opened fire will not face charges, citing evidence of self-defense. police say they have seized 17 guns from the new york city subway system so far this year. whit? >> whit: all right, erielle reshef, thank you. now to that new alert from boeing advising airlines to inspect switches on pilot seats after a report of what might have caused a jet's sudden dive earlier this week. remember, at least 50 people were injured, some hitting the roof when a flight to new zealand dropped unexpectedly in

calm trevor. abc's trevor ault on how that pilot seat switch might have triggered that midair scare. >> reporter: tonight, a new alert from boeing, urging airlines to take action "at the next maintenance opportunity," inspecting the switches on all flight deck seats on its 787 dreamliner jets. the bulletin coming just days after this latam airlines flight from australia to new zealand took a terrifying dive. >> we just had some bad turbulence. everyone's flying. >> reporter: "the wall street journal" now reporting a possible cause, saying a flight attendant hit a switch on the pilot seat while serving a meal, causing a motorized feature to push the pilot into the controls and burn dpush down the plane's. the dive sending passenger and crew flying out of their seats, hard enough to crack the panels overhead. at least 50 people were injured. >> one guy cut his arm pretty bad. another guy hit his head through the plastic ceiling tiles. they broke.

you could see the wires above of the plane. people screaming, shrieking, in pain, in fright. >> reporter: the "journal" reporting boeing told airlines in an overnight memo to look for loose covers on the switches and how to turn off power to the pilot seat motor if needed. this service bulletin about the seats, which was originally issued in 2017, boeing wanted to remind airlines as a precautionary measure. meantime, ntsb is helping with the investigation into that latan incident. whit? >> whit: trevor, thank you. israel's war cabinet approving a plan to go after hamas militants in rauf and southern gaza, including, they say, evacuating 1.4 million displaced palestinians who have taken refuge fuge there. it comes as the first shipment of desperately needed aid has arrived in gaza by sea. abc's matt gutman in israel tonight. >> reporter: tonight, israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu announcing plans for that controversial

offensive into the southern gaza city of rafah to hunt for hamas. the idf says it would move 1.4 million palestinians to "humanitarian islands" in central gaza. >> they will provide them temporary housing, food, water, field hospitals. >> reporter: but u.s. officials say they've seen no plan. >> we have to see a clear and implementable plan, not only to get civilians out of harm's way, but also to make sure that once out of harm's way, they're appropriately cared for. >> reporter: amid a growing rift with netanyahu, president biden today praising senate majority leader chuck schumer's blistering rebuke of the israeli leader. >> i think he expressed a serious concern shared not only by him but by many americans. >> reporter: today, the first maritime shipment of aid arriving off the coast of gaza, but distribution of the aid remains a challenge. "the hunger is killing us," said this man. "i'm still going to go to rauf

so i can eat and feed my children." but rafah may not be a refuge for much longer. whit, hamas has presented a new cease-fire proposal that would see about 40 israeli hostages released in exchange for up to 1,000 palestinians from israeli prisons. netanyahu has called that unrealistic. still, he is sending a delegation to doha for negotiations. whit? >> whit: matt gutman, our thanks to you tonight. across russia, the polls are open in a three-day election there that's expected to vladimir putin us a rule. putin's said to have cast his ballot today online, all but certain to win another six-year term. several cases of vandalism reported. this woman repeatedly throwing a molotov cocktail at a voting site in st. petersburg. organizers are calling for peaceful protest at polling sites at noon on sunday. now that that landmark legal settlement that could bring about housing changes in the u.s. housing market. a powerful realtors group agreeing to eliminate rules for

paying brokers' fees. let's bring in abc's elizabeth schulze. this could change the way americans buy and sell their homes? >> reporter: that's right, whit. this $418 million settlement could slash the price americans pay when they're buying or selling their homes. typically real estate brokers automatically charge about 6% commission on the price of a home sale. now under these new changes agreed to by the national association of realtors, those commission fees will be negotiated lower or eliminated altogether. for a $400,000 home that could theoretically save the seller as much as $24,000 in fees. it could also force more brokers to leave the industry if the settlement is approved, as expected, by a federal judge. the changes will take effect mid-july. whit? >> whit: significant changes there, elizabeth, thank you. when we come back, a new mexico state trooper shot and killed on the highway. the manhunt now for a suspect on the run. and the fast-moving fire. an actress' home up in flames. her messages to firefighters tonight.

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>> whit: to "the index" tonight. a massive fire ripped through the los angeles home of act ra cara delevingne. fire breaking out overnight, flames quickly spreading through the house. the roof collapsing. nearly 100 firefighters responding. at least two people injured. delevingne, known for her roles in "paper fountains" and "suicide squad" was in london at the time. she thanked firefighters "from the bottom of my heart" for showing up to help out. still ahead, the college dorm security guard, the students, and the family he hasn't seen in more than a decade. feeling claritin clear is like... ♪ is she? playing with the confidence of a pro and getting all up in that grass

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>> whit: finally tonight, the popular college dorm security guard. a family reunion long overdue. and the students helping make it all happen. "america strong." >> reporter: tonight in providence, rhode island, an incredible act of generosity. you are watching providence college students coming down the steps of their dorm, raymond hall, on a mission. they are about to surprise their beloved security guard, james, who they all call "unc," short for uncle, because they all say he is like family. james right there in the middle. this photo from halloween. the students know their security guard has not been able to visit his family in nigeria in more than a decade, and just listen to what they did. >> everyone here can testify to how good you are. and you told us ago that you wanted to see your family in

nigeria which you haven't seen in a long time. >> yeah. >> so we came together. we set up a gofundme for you. part of the family. so our gift to you is a trip to nigeria. >> reporter: james overwhelmed. his trip to nigeria now paid for. >> we love you, james. >> we love you, james! >> james! >> reporter: the students cheering their security guard. tonight, sophomore daniel singh, who delivered the news, on why they did it. >> just the honesty and compassion that he really brings to any group, any conversation, any environment. >> reporter: freshman brandon reichert on what james means to all of them. >> he's a beacon of light in our community. he's just the most kindest soul that anybody would ever meet. and it just goes to show the smallest acts of kindness can have the most long-lasting effects on those who need it. >> reporter: tonight, their security guard, james, and his family, grateful. >> thank you.

thank you from the bottom of my heart. thank you guys. >> whit: what a gift. and a family reunion so well-deserved. thanks so much for watching tonight. i'm whit johnson in new york. i'll see you on "gma" in the morning and right back here tomorrow night. good night. rifle at the deputies. >> new video released today. as we learn more about a deadly shootout in santa rosa that left a suspect dead and deputies

injured. good afternoon. i'm kristen sze, i'm larry beil. >> thanks for joining us. body-worn police camera footage of last week's incident has just been released by the sheriff's department, showing a really chaotic situation and a deputy actually being run over by a fellow officer. >> abc seven news reporter cornell bernard has new details. but first, a warning the video is graphic and may be disturbing to some. he's. he's in his about to take off. >> body worn camera footage shows sonoma county sheriff's deputies making contact with suspect jose luis villasenor. cervantes minutes after he flashed a weapon outside a santa rosa nightclub on march 4th. investigators say cervantes fired on one deputy, then appears to leave the scene, taking off. >> westbound toward other deputies arrive and suspect cervantes fires on them. >> cover me. >> i'm going for my rifle.