us here, world news is next. we'll see you again at 6:00. welcome to world news tonight. on the march, a powerful flash flood. water rescues, strong winds. are our holiday plans across the country about to be up ended? >> the hero behind the wheel a brave driver saved her small passengers from a hijacker. and a president remembered. america, 50 years ago. and tonight the first lady who showed strength in grief. >> i said if anything happens we're all going to stay right here with you. >> the secret interview recorded just months after his death.

good evening to you, welcome on this friday night. this day on which we remember a young president, shot 50 years ago. and in a moment, we will take you around the country for the moving tributes. but first, tonight, we also have news about something so many of us are doing together right now. going over our final plans for thanksgiving week. and we have a big warning about a rainy, snowy threat to the 43 million americans, who will travel for thanksgiving. take a look at this, a storm so big, and so messy, you may want to get out your calendar, and think about changing holiday plans. abc's meteorologist ginger zee starts us off. >> reporter: record rains, killer wind, and dangerous ice. next week, it may end up sliding up the east coast. potentially merging with the busiest travel day of the year. the storm, already forcing rescues in a flooded california. oklahoma roads smothered in ice.

heavy snow is falling from nevada to colorado springs, to southwest kansas. in utah, 80 mile per hour gusts tearing at power lines. and in northern california, the dangerous winds tossing debris, shredding trees and killing three people. >> we could hear the trees scraping against the house. it sounded like ghosts running around the house. >> reporter: in san diego, flooding rains combined with a water main break, swallowing this cab and a van. >> hi, i'm flooding, i'm stuck in a car, but it's flooding. i need help. >> reporter: in oklahoma -- the ice so thick, the roads are now rinks. the storm barrels east as more than 43 million americans prepare to hit the road for the holidays, and following in its footsteps, intense cold. look what it did in austin, almost 80 degrees yesterday, now almost 40 degrees colder. shivering in houston, as

millions prepare for a whip of winter, before the holidays. as i stand here in a mild new york city, in the mid50s, we are 20 degrees warmer than it is in dallas right now. you know something is up. look at the map and see who is included in these winter storm watches, which dallas will be, that starts tomorrow -- or sunday morning through monday morning. but look at that, nine states included right now in the winter storm watches, warnings and advisories, diane. >> and temperatures plummeting. thank you, ginger. want everybody to know we'll track this storm with you all through thanksgiving week. thank you. and across the country today, americans did join together to mark an anniversary half a century ago. president kennedy was shot. in dallas today thousands stood in the rain, hands on hearts, saluting a fallen patriot, a moment of silence. and at the precise time, those shots rang out. in washington at arlington national cemetery, children laid

flowers at the eternal flame. and one man knelt and prayed at the grave. another offered a spontaneous farewell. abc's byron pitts remembers with all of us tonight. >> reporter: today from dallas, amidst the somber sounds heard across the city, and felt around the world, all marking 50 years since an american president was cut down. and a nation cut deep. today we often heard two words. what if? >> mrs. kennedy as the crowd yells. >> reporter: what if the rain in dallas hadn't stopped? the bubble atop the president's limousine stayed on? >> something has happened, something i repeat has happened in the motorcade route. >> reporter: what if president kennedy hadn't worn a back brace

protecting his delicate spine and keeping him up right. doctors speculated the second shot would have knocked him over into his wife's arms, and perhaps the third and fatal bullet might have missed. >> government sources now confirm, that president kennedy is dead. >> reporter: what about oswald? what if he'd survived? would all the conspiracy theories have been put to rest? before those four dark days, 1963 had already been a year of momentous highs and lows. ♪ i'm leaving it up to you >> reporter: dale and grace may have had the number one song. >> i have a dream. >> reporter: a king had a dream. >> we are free at last. >> reporter: but four little girls were murdered in church. hoses and dogs set loose on children in a park. but for those 1,000 days he spent in office, this youthful president inspired a nation to

ask, what if? what if civil rights were protected? what if there was a peace corps? what if we went to the moon? >> we choose to go to the moon in this day and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. >> he's frozen in our minds. at the age of 46. he still represents youth and possibility. >> reporter: 50 years after president john f. kennedy's assassination, people alive back then still remember where they were. >> it was like any other day, we were in school. >> it was broadcast over the pa system. >> we were asked to pray. and we prayed. >> everybody was in shock. >> reporter: and still ask to this day, what if? what if he had lived? some 5,000 people were picked by lottery to attend today's ceremony. here to remember what happened, what might have been. diane. >> thank you so much. and as you can see behind byron right there in cities across america today flags were flying at half staff on the order of

president obama, who declared this an official day of remembrance of the fallen president, who summoned a nation to greatness, and our own barbara walters sat down with president obama on this anniversary. >> when we talk about the assassination of jfk, are you ever worried about your own safety? >> it's not something i think about. mainly, because we have a secret service that does such an outstanding job every single day. and obviously, you know, tragedy reshaped the secret service in many ways. but they do an outstanding job. and thankfully it's not something i spend a lot of time worrying about. >> mr. president, today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of president kennedy. you visited his grave this week. what were your thoughts? >> well, when you think about the legacy of the kennedy family, obviously, it has been part of all of modern american history.

and it's been an incredible legacy, jfk in particular i think captured the idealism, the ability to imagine and remake america to meet its ideals in a way we haven't seen before or since. >> and barbara walters' full interview with the president and the first lady will air on a special one hour edition of 20/20, friday, november 29th. and we have new developments tonight overseas, possible progress on a dangerous situation for the united states, iran and a nuclear weapon. secretary of state john kerry on his way to geneva amid talk of a breakthrough, that would freeze part of iran's nuclear program. abc's chief foreign correspondent terry moran has the latest. terry. >> reporter: diane, this marks the second time in a month that secretary of state kerry has dropped everything in washington to fly here to geneva in hopes

of closing a deal with iran over its nuclear program. you remember the last time, it was the french that surprised everyone by breaking the momentum, breaking the negotiations, declaring that the deal on the table at that time wasn't tough enough on iran. so they had a couple more weeks of what are described as intense negotiations, and the stakes couldn't be higher. israel made clear, it believes it's security is at stake here, others are saying what is happening could reshape the modern middle east as secretary kerry flies here, the questions are, can they get it done? should they? diane. >> terry moran, i know you'll follow this throughout the night. thank you, terry. next back here at home, new video tonight of a heart pounding event in arkansas. a school bus hijacked, then a heroic bus driver whose quick thinking saved the children in her care. what we learned tonight about this story from abc's gio benitez. >> reporter: police dash cam captures 11 elementary school students running for their

lives, one by one escaping a school bus, hijacked by a young man wielding a knife. sheila hart, the bus driver, remembers the terrifying moment the man came on board. >> he told me to just shut the door and drive. >> reporter: as she took off a mom watching outside called 911. >> he got on the school bus, with a knife, with the bus driver. >> um, i'm so scared. >> it's okay. just calm down. okay? >> reporter: with police in hot pursuit, the hijacker took the wheel. sheila sat behind him trying to calm the frightened kids. >> my children, they were crying, they were scared. i kept telling them reassuring them they were going to be okay. >> reporter: they drove for 20 terrifying minutes, 12 miles, at one point the man himself spoke directly to the children. >> he told them, don't do drugs, because this is what happens to you when you do drugs. >> reporter: when police finally stopped the bus, sheila distracted the man and her kids bolted out the back. 22-year-old nick miller was arrested on the spot. he's pleaded not guilty.

and sheila hart's calm in a crisis made her a local hero. >> i had one little girl tell me every other day, mrs. hart you're the best bus driver. so, that makes me feel good. >> reporter: gio benitez, abc news, new york. >> and next, confessions of a thief. someone who could break in your car in ten seconds or less, a reformed thief shows how easy it is, and how you may be making it even easier. and portrait of a first lady, mrs. kennedy and her dream of camelot that never came true. when we see you in two minutes.

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next tonight across is next tonight across this country numbers are growing almost every day. almost 3,000 cars are stolen every single day. and tonight, the secret that could make your car the perfect target. abc's debra roberts and the confessions of a car thief. >> reporter: stealing cars is a blast in grand theft auto 5. so fun, the video game made a billion dollars in its first three days on the market. but in real life, a car is stolen every 43 seconds. close to a million a year. steve fuller used to do it all the time. >> so you were pretty good at what you did? >> yes. i've taken a lot of cars. >> reporter: so steve is going to spill the beans on what thieves know, that we don't. starting with the biggest question. how do they choose which car to steal? you're basically shopping. >> yeah, that's the plan. >> reporter: in tv shows like

the sopranos, the bad guy always steals the most expensive cars. >> in eastern europe you can sell this far for 120,000. >> reporter: but the top two most stolen cars in 2012, honda civics and accords, going all the way back to the '90s models. we set up this garage in l.a. for him to demonstrate how it's done. car number one has a barely open window. >> a window that has enough room for me to stick my fingers in i can get out of its track rocking back and forth and pull hard enough to get my arm in there and unlock it. >> reporter: bingo, in less than ten seconds. now for car number two. >> i'm going to use my tow truck lockout kit. >> reporter: a few pumps of air. >> stick it right down to the lock. now i'm in. >> reporter: and he's inside car number two in less than a minute. and you would start up a car, and you would drive off with this stolen car. what was that feeling like? >> unfortunately, at the time,

it was a success. >> and debra roberts reporting for us tonight. and you can watch her full report on tonight's special 20/20, true confessions, at 10:00 eastern. our friday instant index, the blockbuster out this weekend, and the star of the hunger games rushes off the red carpet. so who was she trying to see? that's next. you can change your tomorrow if you do something today. and there's never been a better time because this year, devry university has $45 million dollars in need and merit-based scholarships and grants available to those who qualify. and this degree can make a difference. in 2012, 90% of devry university grads actively seeking employment had careers in their field within 6 months. now is your time. apply by january 6th. visit devry.edu. ♪ does your mouth often feel dry?

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>> i talked to her the whole way in. >> what did you say? >> i said, bambi, i'm just trying to help you. >> reporter: meanwhile at harvard the student newspaper asked a simple question. the right answer is ottawa. >> ontario. >> reporter: yup, harvard. meanwhile globetrotters rookie thunder law smashed the longest basket world record. 109 feet. back at harvard. capital of canada. >> is it quebec? >> reporter: surely someone at harvard knows the answer. >> ottawa. >> reporter: yes. >> are you canadian? >> yes. >> reporter: finally, the hunger games sequel catching fire opens today. and just watch jennifer lawrence, with a fan at the premiere. a moment that made this grown man cry. that was the instant index. i'm nick watt. >> pictures from a high spirited week in america. but next here tonight, this was a day to remember history and who we are. and coming up, the president and

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kennedy, we remember the woman by his side, whose face also looked like the future. somehow, just four months after her husband's assassination, mrs. kennedy summoned the will to tape a secret interview. on these tapes we hear her thoughts and that singular intimate breathy voice. they were the young people who held the promise of a brand new century. a handsome young man filled with nerve and swagger. his wife lit by the sun. they brought with them the tumult of little children who played in the oval office. and the white house fountain. storied days of camelot. but mrs. kennedy said it was during the 13 days of cuban missile crisis, she drew nearest to her husband. >> if anything happens we're all going to stay right here with

you. you know me, and i said even if there's not room in the bomb shelter in the white house, which i'd seen, i said, please, then i just want to be on the lawn when it happens. but i just want to be with you and i want to die with you, and the children do, too. than live without you. >> a dangerous time that passed. and then in the year ahead, as the first term is almost ending, they begin to dream about their future some, day getting away from the pressure of the white house. >> just towards the end, jack was thinking about being either publisher, of a great paper. he might have ended up in television or something. it just made me so sad, because jack could have had his happiest years later. >> on these tapes, we do not hear mrs. kennedy speak about the day 50 years ago by every account reliving it even once had been too painful. she has told writer t.h. white

what she remembers, the blazing sun, the sound of a bullet, the puzzled look on her husband's face. she remembers trying to grasp a piece of her husband's skull as it was shattered. over the next two days, no one could imagine how she summoned the strength to watch over every detail of her husband's funeral. when you look at those images of her standing there, carrying the grief for a whole nation at her age, two days planning, is it just stronger stuff? >> she did it for him. she knew she didn't have a choice. >> she said that you were there, holding her hand like a soldier. and while mrs. kennedy is taping, her little son, john, wanders in. >> john, what happened to your

father? >> he's gone to heaven. >> he's gone to heaven? >> yeah. >> do you remember him? >> yeah. >> what do you remember? >> i don't remember anything. >> she says she remembers once when her husband asked a lincoln historian. >> would lincoln have been as great a president, if he had lived? he said that was his question. >> president kennedy thought he knew the answer. >> what was better for lincoln? that he died when he did. and then i remember jack saying after the cuban missile crisis, when it all turned so fantastically, he said, well, if anyone's ever going to shoot me, this would be the day they should do it. >> oh really? >> he said it will never top this. strange those things come back now. when i think now that he's dead, and the different people who come to me, you'd think he

belonged to so many people, and each one thought they had him completely. and he loved each one just the way love is infinite of a mother for her children. he loved us all. >> and we thank you for watching, david muir will be here all weekend. and we leave you tonight with a live picture of the eternal flame at arlington cemetery. and wish you a good night. against a san francisco church leader. a serial killer's bizarre reaction to a death sentence and evidence obtained by abc7 news i team >> we're live with the aftermath

of fierce november wind storms. it took two lives and left the bay area strewn with damage. a football team whose championship season ended with a dramatic lesson in history, years ago. >> good evening, everyone. >> tonight a shocking claim of sex abuse in a bay area church a woman telling a story of cruelty and abuse all, she says at the hands of people considered men of god. a female worker tells us she was fired from the st. francis of assissi church because she would no longer submit to harassment include spanking. the church contends she was fired for other reasons. this single

mother with a 2-year-old child worked as an assistant in the church. she says the president of the church board knew she was volumenerable as a young single mother with no particular skills, matthews says he exploited her, to satisfy sexual fantasies including... >> paddling with a wooden paddle. getting spanked in the shrine of st. francis. which catholics know is apalling to hear as a catholic. having sexual intercourse in the shrine of st. francis. >> matthews attorney says mclaughlin sent her client dirty e mails and photos. riviera says matthews was fired after sending an e mail saying she had had enough. >> she put her