>> shades of da vinci. >> and we tonight, breaking developments. president trump's attorney general is forced out. tonight, jeff sessions leaving the justice department, just moments ago. just one day after the midterms, president trump asking his attorney general to resign. tonight, the phone call to sessions. the message from the president. and now, what does this mean for the mueller investigation? also tonight, president trump's combative news conference, declaring victory in the midterms. picking up senate seats, but losing the house. and the president's message tonight to republicans who did not embrace him and then lost. the dangerous hotel gas leak. several sickened. firefighters rushing to the scene. the fight in the classroom. the teacher allegedly provoked and then taking on the student, fighting back. that teacher arrested tonight. mori in for y divided. teher.twurgent cesonight

involving children. the amber alert, the girl abducted waiting for the school bus. we have new surveillance. and the missing son, and the plea after an alleged argument over his grades. the new warning from the faa just in tonight about its most popular 737 passenger jet, after that crash into the sea. your money tonight. with a cold snap now coming, three simple steps to lower your heating bill right away. and the mother and her infant. the baby had stopped breathing. what she did, and what one officer did next. good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. and it did not take long. just hours after the results of the midterm elections and that split victory for president trump, today, the president demanded his attorney general, jeff sessions, resign. and he got what he wanted. sessions submitting this letter, beginning by writing, "at your request, i am submitting my resignation." and these images just a short

time ago. jeff sessions leaving the justice department for the last time, growing emotional. this has been a very turbulent relationship between the a.g. and the president. the president furious from the start that sessions recused himself in the russia investigation. and tonight, the president's move shifts the focus immediately from the midterms to the mueller investigation. is it in danger? abc's jonathan karl tonight on the phone call to sessions and the message from the president. >> reporter: this morning, just before president trump's post-election news conference, chief of staff john kelly called attorney general jeff sessions with a message from the president -- resign today. sessions has been on thin ice for nearly two years. one of trump's earliest and staunchest supporters, he infuriated the president shortly after becoming a.g. by recusing himself from the russia investigation. >> i am disappointed in the attorney general. he should not have recused himself. >> reporter: the attorney general's decision ultimately

led to the appointment of special counsel robert mueller. trump never forgave him. >> if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and i would have picked somebody else. >> reporter: for months, the president publicly humiliated the attorney general. >> well, it's kind of hurtful, but the president of the united states is a strong leader. >> reporter: tonight, employees at the department of justice applauded sessions as he walked out of the justice department building for the last time. the president quickly named sessions' chief of staff, matt whitaker, as the acting attorney general, tweeting, "he will serve our country well." whitaker is now the ultimate authority over the special counsel investigation. in the past, president trump has suggested he wants an attorney general who will protect him. and in whitaker, he has picked someone who has talked openly about reining in robert mueller. last year, when the president said mueller would be crossing a red line if he investigated the

trump family business and finances, whitaker, then a cnn contributor, wrote, "the president is absolutely correct. that goes beyond the scope of the appointment of the special counsel." and in a television appearance, whitaker defended the infamous trump tower meeting. donald trump jr., paul manafort and jared kushner sitting down with a russian lawyer they were told had dirt on hillary clinton. >> you would always have somebody from the campaign take that meeting and hear that person out. >> reporter: whitaker also openly about how an acting attorney general could effectively put an end to the russia investigation. >> i could see a scenario where jeff sessions is replaced with a recess appointment and that attorney general doesn't fire bob mueller, but he just reduces his budget to so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt. >> and jon karl with us live tonight from the white house. jon and i on the air until the wee hours of the morning covering the midterm. jon, you're back at it on your beat at the white house. democrats are already calling on new acting attorney general matthew whitaker to recuse

himself from the russia investigation, given what he has said about it before. even some republicans sounding concerned tonight, jon? >> reporter: well, democrats are warning of a constitutional crisis if whitaker doesn't recuse himself and interferes in any way with the investigation. and some republicans are expressing concerns, as well, including susan collins and senator-elect mitt romney, who today warned, saying that it was imperative that the investigation proceeds to its conclusion unimpeded. david? >> jon karl leading us off tonight. jon, thank you. another major question about this tonight, does this president pressure on robert mueller to wrap this up, to issue his findings? with democrats concerned tonight, and some republicans, as jon mentioned, too, over whether this investigation will be protected. so, let's get right to chief justice correspondent pierre thomas tonight. pierre, how soon could we see mueller's report? >> reporter: david, yes, this does create pressure for mueller to complete the job. and as we just heard, whitaker has talked about potentially cutting mueller's funding. he's also said that if mueller investigates the president's finances, the investigation

could look like, quote, a mere witch hunt. that said, mueller is not someone to buckle to pressure. he'll end this investigation when he sees fit. some of my sources are hoping mueller will wrap up by the end of the year, with more indictments potentially coming sooner, possibly in weeks or days. david? >> pierre thomas with us live tonight, as well. pierre, thank you. as we said, jeff sessions' abrupt departure comes just hours after an historic and crucial midterm election. the president very happy with the senate, picking up seats there. democrats he campaigned against defeated. but in the house, the democrats taking back control, and today, a combative news conference from the president, during which the president said to democrats that he's willing to work with them, but if they investigate him, it would all, quote, grind to a halt. mary bruce back on the hill tonight. >> reporter: even though republicans lost the house, president trump today declared the midterm elections another big win. >> i'll be honest, i thought it was a very close to complete victory. >> reporter: in his feisty news conference, the president noted voters rejected republican candidates who kept him at arm's

length. >> mia love gave me no love. and she lost. too bad. peter roskam didn't want the embrace. eric paulsen didn't want the embrace. they did very poorly. i'm not sure that i should be happy or sad, but i feel just fine about it. >> reporter: but now, for the first time in his presidency, congressional democrats have power. >> thanks to you, tomorrow will be a new day in america. >> reporter: today, the president extended an olive branch to nancy pelosi, who will likely become the next speaker of the house. >> you know, she loves this country, and she's a very smart woman. she's done a very good job. >> reporter: pelosi and the president are pledging to work together, but trump knows full well house democrats have something else in mind, too. they want to hold his administration accountable. now armed with the power to subpoena, democrats are poised to launch an onslaught of investigations.

the president says if democrats come after him, he'll go after them, with help from the republican-led senate. >> they can play that game, but we can play it better, because we have a thing called the united states senate. and all you're going to do is end up in back and forth and back and forth and two years is going to go up and we won't have done a thing. >> reporter: the president says he's willing to work with democrats on issues like health care and infrastructure, but any bipartisanship would grind to a halt if they investigate him. >> can you compartmentalize that and still continue to work with them for the benefit of the rest of the country? >> no. >> or are all bets off? >> no. if they do that, then it's just -- all it is is a war-like posture. >> reporter: today, pelosi unfazed. do you have any concerns that these investigations could jeopardize your opportunities to legislate? >> they do not intend to abandon or relinquish our possibility as article one, the first branch of government, our responsibilities for accountability, for

oversight and the rest. >> mary bruce with us live from the hill tonight. and mary, nancy pelosi poised to become speaker again, we'll see. she was asked today if house democrats will now move to get the president's tax returns. >> reporter: yeah, and david, leader pelosi said if they do go down this path, the democrats, quote, are going to know what we're doing and do it right. democrats are already preparing to ask the irs and the trump administration to turn over these documents. they do not need a subpoena for this, but the president, asked about this again today, gave no indication that he's going to just hand over his tax returns any time soon. david? >> mary bruce after a long night last night, back on the hill tonight. mary, thank you. we do have one more note on the midterms tonight. several high profile races still not called tonight. in florida, democratic senator bill nelson is calling for a recount, trailing rick scott by some 34,000 votes, less than one half of a percent. in georgia tonight, democrat stacey abrams is not conceding the race for governor, promising every ballot will be counted, though her opponent tonight, brian kemp, says the race is over.

and late today, the montana race for senate, that was finally called. democrat jon tester holding on, though president trump campaigned hard to unseat him. and we are also awaiting results in the arizona senate race, as well. democrat kyrsten sinema versus republican martha mcsally, not yet decided. we'll continue to follow it. in the meantime, we move onto the other news tonight. the emergency evacuations at a hotel in downtown nashville, after more than a dozen guests were suddenly sickened. firefighters rushing to the scene, finding dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide. abc's victor oquendo on this tonight. >> reporter: the call came in around 6:45 a.m. from this downtown nashville hotel. a report of a guest feeling sick. >> cardiac or respiratory arrest on bravo four. >> reporter: by 10:00 a.m. -- >> looks like we're going to be transporting this one, got some chest pressure. >> reporter: more than a dozen people treated, at least five taken to the hospital. authorities say the leak originated on the hotel's third floor, where the pool and gym are located. and the carbon monoxide levels were through the roof.

>> a normal reading for a safe level is 35 parts per million. at that point, our readings were at 500 parts per million, which is the highest that our tools can actually measure. >> reporter: carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and poisonous. symptoms can range from headaches to loss of consciousness and ultimately, death. >> had this happened overnight and possibly had it happened in an area where people were sleeping, it could've been a much different outcome. >> reporter: there were no carbon monoxide detectors on the third floor, but they're actually not required by state law, because it only houses the gym and pool. no guest rooms. investigators are working to determine if a newly installed heater is to blame. david? >> all right, victor, thank you. we turn to the fight in the classroom between a teacher and a student dividing a community tonight. a high school music teacher in los angeles is seen on video punching a student after the boy allegedly taunted him with racial slurs and threw a basketball at him. the teacher was arrested, but tonight, money is pouring in for that teacher. here's abc's will carr. >> reporter: the alarming video of a fight between a teacher and

a student sparking division in one california community tonight, after police arrested the now former teacher for child abuse. a go fund me page supporting the 64-year-old, who resigned wednesday, raising more than $145,000. >> i want to thank you for supporting me. >> reporter: many defending the popular music teacher, marston riley, pointing to video before the fight that shows the 14-year-old student berating him. even using a racial slur over and over. >> stop lying by [ bleep ]. you're the one lying. >> reporter: going as far to throw a basketball, all over a uniform violation. riley initially appears to try to de-escalate the situation. >> you'd better leave. >> reporter: but eventually snapped. >> it was a mistake that he swung at the student and let the emotions get to him, but i feel like it was the student's fault for provoking the fight. >> reporter: the student hospitalized, but later released. riley now out on $50,000 bond. david, tonight, authorities are taking a close look at those cell phone videos. while the money from that go fund me page is intended to help with the teacher's legal fees.

david? >> will carr tonight. will, thank you. hooegs here, to the urgent search for a 13-year-old girl. authorities say she was abducted in lumberton, north carolina, while waiting to go to school. police releasing new surveillance tonight of the suv speeding away. they say she was inside. abc's gio benitez with the call to 911 that triggered the amber alert. >> reporter: tonight, the fbi joining the manhunt for this teen, hania aguilar, abducted from her front yard in lumberton, north carolina, as she was waiting to go to school. according to authorities, a witness describing a man wearing all black and a yellow bandana approaching the teen early monday morning. they say he forced the girl into a green suv like this one belonging to one of her relatives. he then stole the vehicle and drove away. a neighbor calling 911, saying a man -- >> just came and stole the truck, left in the truck with a child in the car, also, a little girl. >> reporter: investigators today releasing photos of the stolen suv just minutes after the girl was abducted.

hania's mother saying in a statement, "i am here waiting for you, i love you, and i only care about you and i don't have anything against whoever did this to you. i just want you back." and david, as investigators pour through the evidence, they're now asking home and business owners with surveillance cameras to call their tip line. they desperately need those images, david. >> gio benitez, thank you. we're going to turn next here to the new warning just in from the faa tonight, issuing an emergency directive, as it's called, about a sensor in boeing's new popular 737 passenger jet, after that deadly crash in indonesia. abc's david kerley on this again tonight. >> reporter: that emergency faa directive tonight, warning airlines about a sensor in boeing's fastest selling jet ever, the 737 max-8. indonesian investigators say the lion air jet that crashed 13 minutes into its flight, killing all 189 onboard, had a sensor malfunction, which could have sent the jet into an aggressive nose dive. that sensor aimed at preventing a dangerous stall had been

replaced two fights earlier, but the problems persisted. still, experts say this apparent first-ever occurrence in the popular plane should not cause a crash. >> it's extremely rare, but crews are trained to be able to handle it. and so, one of the questions that comes in, if that was what was involved in lion air, did the crew respond incorrectly? >> reporter: the faa order requires airlines make sure pilots are aware of procedures in the jet's manual on how to disengage the safety system. southwest and american airlines, the two u.s. carriers flying the ma max-8, say they already have procedures in place that cover this meteorologist airworthiness directive. david? >> all right, david kerley, thank you. and a midterm election bounce in the stock market today. the dow gaining 545 points. it was the best post-midterm rally since 1982. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this wednesday. your money tonight. with a cold snap in the forecast this evening, three simple steps to lower your heating bill right away. also, news tonight about a missing son.

the plea from his parents, after an argument over his grades. also breaking now, the massive fire erupting. the images coming in before we came on the air. residents being told to evacuate. and then the jet skidding off the runway. two engines torn from the wings. a lot more news ahead. lot more news ahead. a lot more news ahead. mployed. lobster fisherman is the lifeblood of this town. by 2030, half of america may take after stonington, self-employed and without employer benefits. we haven't had any sort of benefit plans and we're trying to figure that out now. if i had had a little advice back then, i'd be in a different boat today, for sure. plan your financial life with prudential. bring your challenges.

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some insulated blinds on here and some insulated curtains. >> reporter: that could be a big cost savings. >> it could be significant. >> reporter: all right, so, this is the garage. next, a fix for that garage letting in cold. those are big gaps up there. >> we want to potentially add some insulation to this ceiling, and we want to really create a buffer between the room above and this cold garage that we're standing in now. >> reporter: finally, consider investing in a smart thermostat. >> these thermostats have sensors that can be placed around your home, and those sensors will help the heating system know where you are in the house at all times. and it'll send heat to those rooms. >> reporter: and david, be sure to check with your utility company. many have incentive programs with rebates to help cut the costs of those smart thermostats. david? >> all right, rebecca, thank you. when we come back, the urgent search for a missing son tonight. the plea for help after an argument over his grades. and that major fire erupting at an oil and gas facility. there are evacuations under way tonight. tonight. the movies, a lot of times, i tendplay the tough guy.

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finally tonight here, america strong. the mother, the baby boy who had stopped breathing, and the police chief right there. it happened in texas, just outside houston. police chief rex evans was on patrol when a mother flagged him down. her infant son had stopped breathing. he jumps out of his squad car and calls in. >> baby not breathing. >> reporter: you see it all on his body cam. the mother crying, holding her baby in her arms. he is less than two weeks old. chief evans immediately begins compressions. >> cpr in progress. >> reporter: the chief told us he performed cpr for one minute, 24 seconds. and then, a sound. the baby begins to cry. >> come on, baby. come on, baby. it's okay. >> reporter: the ambulance arrives. >> he's breathing.

he's breathing, okay? >> reporter: that chief climbing into the ambulance. he would not leave the baby's side. >> hey, hey, hey. come on, baby. >> reporter: racing the baby to the hospital, and we are told tonight, mother and that baby are going to be okay. the sound of that baby crying again. police chief evans telling us today he will see that mom and baby again soon. i'm david muir. good night. good night. could newly aproofdoofdoofdd

approved local propositions help build a better bay area? it is not over until it is over. we're still keeping an eye on ballot decisions that haven't been called yet. i'm spencer christian. dry, mild, windy weather brings high fire danger. a closer look in a moment live where you live, this is "abc 7 news". but when you start putting taxes on companies for growing their employment base, it is a bad practice. >> this is a huge victory for the homeless, and that's why i'm so excited today. money and politics. will newly-approved taxes on big bay area businesses deter their growth or is it part of building a better bay area? i'm dan ashley. >> i'm ama daetz. bay area voters approved two measures in yesterday's election that could help build a better bay area. >> the measures deal with two different issues in the same way, by taxing big businesses. in mountain view, voters approved measure p, per employee head tax to fund transit

projects. the majority of its $6 million of its revenue would come from google. >> meanwhile, in san francisco prop c will tax big businesses to fund homeless projects. some of the biggest ceos came out against the plan. the question is now will the strategy work and how will big business respond? we want to know what you think. should big businesses pay more or will it drive them away? >> our live poll is open at "abc 7 news".com/vote. you can see the results that have come in on the bottom of your screen. they update live as new votes come in. you see 65% say they should pay more. 35% say it will drive them away. >> we appreciate your participating. go to abc7news.com/vote to take part. we will keep voting until we bring in two reporters to cover each of the issues we are talking about tonight. >> chris wynn will join us live from mountain view with details of measure p, but let's begin with