tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the vice president's husband, the second gentleman, and the scare. pulled out of a school event by the secret service. and breaking news tonight on mask mandates. what the cdc director dr. rochelle walensky just said about masks in schools. the battle over masks tonight as some governors say the mandates will go away, leaving it up to schools. tonight, parents in suburban chicago protesting over schools keeping the masks, after new jersey, delaware, oregon, connecticut are now moving to lift the mandates in schools. when will we hear from new york's governor on masks? and tonight, what the cdc director just said. we'll have latest. also tonight, the security scare involving the second gentleman. vice president kamala harris's husband doug emhoff evacuated

from a school. tonight, new reporting on the threat. this evening, the truck drivers protesting covid restrictions in canada and the scene on the u.s. border. blocking the ambassador bridge in detroit. the busiest border crossing between the u.s. and canada. tonight, the truckers who are not taking part, but who are stuck in this and their frustrations now mounting. tonight, news on russia and ukraine. the french president, after speaking with vladimir putin for five hours and what he said putin guaranteed him. but can putin be believed? terry moran in ukraine. here at home, the attack on the capitol, after the republican national committee said january 6th was legitimate political discourse. tonight, the republican leader in the senate, mitch mcconnell, sand what he said about that, making it clear it was not legitimate. rachel scott on the divisions in the republican party. the major new development in the deadly police shooting of amir locke, after that no-knock warrant. tonight, news of an arrest. the car allegedly on

autopilot. the tesla and the dash cam video, smashing into a sheriff's car. that car then smashing into a trooper's vehicle. the tesla driver reportedly watching a movie. and tonight here, the oscar nominations and already some history made. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a very busy tuesday night. and we begin tonight on the pandemic. news from the cdc director, weighing in on masks in schools, saying now is not the time to remove the masks, as many health authorities urge caution, saying we are almost there, but not there yet. but a growing number of states and governors have announced they will soon roll back mask mandates in schools in the coming weeks, leaving it up to the schools to decide. new cases now averaging 247,000 cases a day, down nearly 70% now

since the omicron peak three weeks ago, but authorities say those numbers are still near the highs of last winter's surge. take a look tonight. connecticut lifting the school mask mandate at the end of this month, february 28th. then new jersey on march 7th, the week after. then delaware and oregon on march 31st. announcements from new york and rhode island are expected soon. several states lifting mask mandates for public indoor spaces, as well. delaware this friday, california, no more masks in public places for those who are vaccinated starting next tuesdays right after the super bowl. and oregon following suit on no masks in public places at the end of march. of course tonight, the debate over school mask mandates still emotional, still causing tension at school board meetings across this country. pediatric cases remain very high. double last summer's peak. and more than half of all children who are eligible are not vaccinated. those under 5 under yet eligible. tonight, what the cdc director rochelle walensky said before we

came on the air, and abc's ere re erielle reshef leading us off. >> reporter: outside chicago today, a showdown over masks in schools. >> cases are dropping. hospitalizations are dropping. to be honest, it doesn't feel like there is a plan for dropping the masks. requmasks even after a judge suspended the governor's mask mandate. >> it's hard on students, the changes. back and forth, back and forth. >> reporter: tempers flaring at this school board meeting. >> and you're sitting here and causing a scene like this, with no mask on. >> reporter: it comes as four state -- connecticut, new jersey, delaware, and oregon -- are planning to drop mask requirements in schools over the next several weeks, leaving it up to school districts to make their own rules. >> i think if it was today, i wouldn't be in favor for it. wearing the mask is for your overall protection. >> reporter: next week, california ends its indoor mask mandate for people who are vaccinated. but masks will still be required

at all k through 12 schools. new york's governor to make an announcement on masks tomorrow. nationwide, hospitalizations have plunged by 55,000 patients since omicron's peak, but more than half of eligible children remain unvaccinated. and 99% of u.s. counties are still seeing high transmission. and new infections are still averaging nearly 250,000 a day, close to the high of previous surges. >> independent of whether there are mandates or not, i think people should reasonably wear masks when they're indoors through the next few weeks until we're much further down than where we are now. we're almost there. >> reporter: the cdc still recommends universal masking for students and staff regardless of vaccination status. late today, director rochelle walensky saying, "now is not the moment" to drop mask mandates in schools and other public places. >> we still have hospitalization rates that are higher than they ever were during the peak of our delta wave, and similarly for deaths, still at 2,300 a day.

so while we are working hard to get out of this crisis mode, we do need to look downfield to see what living with covid outside of crisis will look like. >> reporter: some experts are calling on federal health officials to give clear guidance for when to lift mandates. >> while we're seeing states and locales take matters into their own hands, that means the federal government is becoming less and less relevant. if the cdc guidance that they're putting out is not being followed by virtually anyone, that makes the cdc and our federal public health authorities have less credibility. >> a lot of this is confusing for parents to try to follow the back and force, decisions by the governor and what the cdc director said late today. erielle, i know there are calls now for clear guidance and dr. walensky tonight saying she is cautiously optimistic that cases will fall below crisis levels. but that we're not quite there yet. authorities say we need to look at hospitalizations and a key number there, as well, and also indicating we're not there yet, either? >> reporter: yeah, dr. walensky

saying that hospital capacity is one of the most important brom terps to determine whether or not covid-19 is still a pandemic-level crisis. she says right now, david, hospitals are still overwhelmed. >> erielle reshef leading us off tonight. thank you. we're going to turn now to that security scare involving vice president kamala harris's husband. a secret service agent rushing the second gentleman out of a washington, d.c. high school today after a bomb threat during a black history month event. here's our chief justice correspondent pierre thomas and what he's learned tonight. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a day to celebrate black history at d.c.'s historic dunbar high school, but it ended abruptly in fear with the vice president's husband forced to leave because of a bomb threat. second gentleman doug emhoff had entered the school's museum at 2:13 p.m. within five minutes, he was quickly evacuated by the secret service. and apparently the quick exit was for good reason. >> at aromaly:1m. announcing a bomb threat, giving the people in that location

ten minutes to leave. >> our protocol is to clear the building and move kids away. >> reporter: the scare, one of a number of threats that have disrupted classes throughout the country. in recent past weeks, the fbi responding to over 20 threats to historically black colleges and other institutions. the fbi saying it's identified at least five suspects after discovering the calls emanated from a fake phone number. >> thaets that are made based on race or motivated by race are totally unacceptable. >> reporter: authorities did not find any devices at dunbar or in the hbcu threats. but tonight, in this new case involving the vice president's husband, police say the threat did not appear directed at the second gentleman. and they say at this point, they have no reason to believe that it is tied to recent bomb threats against historically black colleges and universities. david? >> pierre, thank you. now to the scene playing out on the u.s./canada border tonight. the truck driver protests over vaccine mandates and covid restrictions. sparking a state of emergency in

canada's capital city. now the scene at the ambassador bridging leading into detroit. caught in the middle, truck drivers on the u.s. side of that bridge not part of the protest, who are just trying to get home. abc's trevor ault in ottawa tonight. >> reporter: tonight, detroit traffic halted at the canadian border. the ambassador bridge faces shutdowns for a second day. these truckers caught in the middle, not part of the protests, still stuck idling more than 12 hours. >> they're waits, they're tired, they want to go home. >> reporter: that border crossing carries more than a quarter of the $600 billion in trade between the u.s. and canada. the blockade, the latest satellite demonstration of the so-called freedom convoy that's grown into a nearly two-week occupation of canada's capital. with demonstrators removing the removal of all covid-19

restrictions and mandates, police have so far been hands off. >> 25%, 418 trucks only camped in our city have children living in them. children that could be at risk during a police operation. >> reporter: and as some right wing extremist groups are coopting the movement, overnight, prime minister justin trudeau accusing the protesters of undermining canadian democracy. >> it has to stop. the people of ottawa don't deserve to be harassed in their own neighborhoods. >> reporter: and david, nearly 90% of canadian truck drivers are vaccinated. so much so, that the ceo of canada's largest trucking company says the vaccine mandate for drivers crossing the border, the policy that sparked these demonstrations, has been no issue at all. david? >> trevor ault from ottawa again tonight. trevor, thank you. next this evening, to the standoff with russia and ukraine. and tonight, french president emmanuel macron after speaking with vladimir putin yesterday for five hours, and what macron now says putin guaranteed him. but the question, of course, can

putin be believed? and what the kremlin is already saying tonight about any guarantees. abc's terry moran in ukraine. >> reporter: tonight, tentative hopes for a diplomatic way out of this crisis. french president emmanuel macron taking the lead, arriving in kyiv today to meet with ukrainian president zelensky, one day after his marathon talks with vladimir putin. and macron saying putin gave him a personal guarantee. "he told me he won't be initiating an escalation. i think that's important," macron said. the kremlin denies putin made any such commitment. russia continues to flow forces into the region. six large warships entering the black sea south of ukraine. and the u.s. continues to reenforce nato. troops from the 82nd airborne division arriving in poland just 60 miles from ukraine's border. ukrainians are still preparing for war. so, these all represent artillery attacks? >> yes. >> reporter: the head of ukraine's national security

council telling me he is organizing a national resistance. every ukrainian who can fight will fight. from regular soldiers to veterans to police officers to hunters -- >> yes. >> reporter: all of those people would be mobilized if russia attacks? >> reporter: "the overall number of people that could be mobile itzed is as high as 2.5 million," he tells me. "we need additional weapons and ammunition." >> terry moran with us tonight. and terry, macron saying putin told him that russia won't be initiating any escalation, but tonight, the kremlin already denying any guarantee was made? >> reporter: that's right. a flat denial from the kremlin there, david. and those high hopes for diplomacy already dampened a bit. dy phodiplomacy is always murky. i asked the national security adviser here about it, he said simply, there's a big difference between saying something and doing it. david? >> especially when it comes to vladimir putin.

terry moran in ukraine again tonight. terry, thank you. here at home now and to the attack on the capitol, and after the republican national committee recently said that january 6th was legitimate political discourse, tonight, what the republican leader in the senate, mitch mcconnell, said about that today. making it clear it was not legitimate. rachel scott on the hill. ch. >> reporter: today, the senate's top republican taking aim at the rnc resolution that declared january 6th legitimate political discourse. >> it was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election, from one administration to the next. that's what it was. >> reporter: mcconnell knows full well that that question of whether january 6th was legitimate political discourse will follow republican candidates into the midterms. and it could drag them down. today, he also rebuked his party

for sencensuring two gop congres members -- adam kinzinger and liz cheney -- for joining the house committee investigating the riot. >> traditionally, the view of national party committees is that we support all members of our party regardless of their positions on some issues. the issue is whether or not the rnc should be sort of signaling out members of our party who may have different views from the majority. that's not the job of the rnc. >> reporter: but house republicans are firm little behind the rnc and former president donald trump. >> my reaction is that the rnc has every right to take any action. >> reporter: today when we tried to get answers from republican leader kevin mccarthy, who could become the next speaker of the house, he fled. can i ask you about the rnc -- >> you know what, make an appointment in my office and come on by. >> and rachel scott with us live on the hill. rachel, i gather republican leaders on the hill are somewhat frustrated in this midterm election year that they're answering questions about legitimate political discourse or not, instead of talking about

the current presidency, the current president at the white house. they'd rather be talking about that. >> reporter: you're exactly right about that, david. and today, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell was clear, his message to the party, keep your eye on the ball ahead of the midterms. he says they should be focused on president biden, not january 6th, and not donald trump. david? >> rachel scott live on the hill tonight. rachel, thank you. we turn now to the big headlines out of the olympics. team usa figure skater nathan chen breaking a world record. and the skier eileen gu, competing for china, and refusing to answer, is she still a u.s. citizen. abc's marcus moore in beijing tonight. >> reporter: tonight, breakout star eileen gu soaring to gold in the women's freeski big air. the u.s.-born 18-year-old landing a daring 1620 trick, 4 1/2 spins, for the first time as she represents her mother's homeland of china in the games. afterward, gu addressing criticism for competing for the host nation and refusing to say

whether she is still a u.s. citizen. china does not allow dual citizenship. >> i definitely feel as though i am just as american as i am chinese. i've been very outspoken about my gratitude to both the u.s. and china for making me the person who i am. my mission is to use sport as a force for unity. i'm not trying to keep anyone happy. i'm an 18-year-old girl living my best life. >> reporter: tonight, team usa's medal count rising with ryan cochran-siegle's silver in the super g, 50 years after his mother took gold in the slalom. and an ecstatic jessie diggins racing her way to bronze in the cross-country sprint. and four years after a disappointing olympics debut, u.s. figure skater nathan chen making history. the 22-year-old breaking a world record with the highest score in the men's short program. and david, chen now eyeing the gold in the coming days. and the other american, mikaela shiffrin, has another chance to medal as she heads back to the mountains to compete in the slalom. both will have their fellow americans cheering them on. david? >> marcus, thank you. we turn now to the vatican

tonight and retired pope benedict xvi asking for forgiveness. ben ne dikt responding to a new report commissioned by the german catholic church accusing him of mishandling four cases during his time as an achbishop. survivors of clergy abuse slamming him for not taking any personal responsibility. when we come back here tonight, the murder suspect arrested in the investigation that led to the deadly no-knock raid that killed amir locke. and starbucks tonight accused of retaliating against workers seeking to ewonize. ay bring out the parent in them. it's smart we parked near the exit. -absolutely. -there you go. that way, [whistles] let's put away the parking talk, maybe, for a minute. parking is where the money is, though. can you imagine what this place pulls in on parking alone? alright, no more talking about parking lots. a lot of these are compact spots. it's not pretty. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. we still planning to head out around the third quarter?

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with kisqali. next tonight here, an arrest in the murder investigation that led to the deadly police shooting of amir locke. the s.w.a.t. team executing a no-knock search warrant. was actually looking for amir locke's 17-year-old cousin. tonight, that cousin is now in custody, charged with murder. locke, who was not included in that warrant, was shot and killed on a couch, holding a gun his family says he legally owned. starbucks tonight firing several employees in memphis who were seeking to unionize their store. the location, one of dozens nationwide where workers have filed to unionize since december. reps for starbucks accuse the memphis employees of violating policies with fireable offenses like allowing unauthorized personnel behind the store bar. the union seeking to organize accusing the company of retaliation tonight. when we come back here, the tesla on auto pilot smashing into a patrol vehicle, then smashing into a trooper's vehicle.

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to the index tonight and new dash cam video. police say a tesla on autopilot smashing into a sheriff's deputy patrol car. the patrol car slamming into a trooper's car. investigators say the driver of the tesla was watching a movie. when we come back tonight, the oscar nominations now in tonight and the nominees already making history. diabetes zone? once-weekly ozempic® can help. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles.

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picture. leading the pack, the movie "the power of the dog" with 12 nominations. the most of any movie. >> sort of a lonesome place out here, pete. unless you get in the swing of things. >> set in montana a century ago, the film is already making history. the director is the first female filmmaker ever to be nominated twice for best director. and tonight, many pointing out, after a record-breaking nine actors of color were nominated last year, this year, there were four. they had opened for more progress. >> i thought i heard a voice cry. >> denzel washington nominated for best actor this year in the tragedy of macbeth. >> signifying nothing. >> washington nominated seven times. he remains the most nominated black actor ever. in the coming of age drama koda, about a family with deaf parents and lives at fisherman, troy

kotzer is the first deaf man nominated for an oscar. >> we're going to sell our own fish. >> marley mat lynn was the first deaf woman to win an oscar in 1986. and 60 years after the original, "west side story" is back with sven nominations. arianna due pose, who plays anita, is up for best supporting actress. ♪ in america ♪ >> the same role rita moreno won an oscar for in 1962. directed by steven spielberg, this is the first musical he's ever made and he made history, too, becoming the first filmmaker ever nominated for best director in six different decades. >> i'm just so proud and honored that i got this shot late in my career. >> the oscars, sunday march 27th on abc. good

>> building a better bay area, funding solutions, moving forward. this is abc 7 news. . kristen: front lines as mask mandates lift. hospitals are overwhelmed. >> this is not ok. i am mom mom who has a son that has been addicted. >> targeting the tenderloin. why moms are concerned about san francisco's new center for the homeless. thanks for joining us. >> developing news on fridays shooting in oakland that killed a former basketball star. we learned the suspect in the killing of 65-year-old gene ransom has been charged. >> the suspect in gene ransom plus killing is pacing felony

charges including murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle. sources tell us road rage is likely to blame. 25-year-old juan garcia was arrested in the shooting that left ransom dead 12 hours after the fatal shot was fired. ransom was driving his honda northbound along the highway in oakland in the fast lane south of oak street when garcia, in a black lexus, drove along the small shoulder to ransom and partially in the lane. we have tried to map it out here. authorities say when the vehicles were side-by-side, garcia fired one shot at ransom, striking him in the head and proving to be fatal. ransom's vehicle crossed all lanes of traffic and crashed into the cement wall. we talked with ransom's best friend, who spoke highly of gene, saying he was a star basketba