It tonight. Breaking news as we come on the air, dangerous weather taking a toll in nearly every corner of the country. Temperatures plunging across two dozen states. More than 75 million on alert as wind chills dip well below zero. Flooding in the northeast. Cars submerged beaches washed away in a violent storm. The Midwest hit with blizzard conditions. More than 1200 flights canceled. And the NFL rescheduling a playoff game as a new storm moves in. Our weather team tracking it all. Plus, breaking news. Two US Navy seals reported missing at sea off the coast of Somalia. And the US military strikes houthi rebels again in Yemen. More than two dozen targets hit over two days with help from american allies. But will it stop the attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea? The Houthis vowing more attacks. Revenge for Israel's war with Hamas now approaching its 100th day. Countdown to Iowa, just two days until the caucuses expected to be the coldest ever on record. The candidates forced to shuffle their schedules. How the bitter cold and snow could affect turnout. Former President Trump expecting a win. And the new polling tonight on the important race for second place.

Rachel Scott on the campaign trail, Texas Governor Greg Abbot defending his remarks over the migrant crisis, saying they're doing everything except shooting people who come across the border because the Biden administration would charge them with murder. Tonight, the governor explains what he meant as negotiations continue in Washington over border security. Taiwan elects a new president, the man China did not want. How this could affect U. S. China relations. A dramatic rescue body camera video shows a trooper diving into an icy pond to save a child. A new era for Alabama football. The new coach treated as a hero as he arrives in town. And America strong. 27 years in fast food without ever taking a sick day. And how the kindness of strangers has now changed this man's life.

From ABC News World headquarters in New.

York, this is World News Tonight. Good evening. Thanks for joining us on this Saturday. I'm Witt Johnson. As we come on the air, millions are bracing for a dangerous arctic blast that's sweeping across the country. More than 75 million people in two dozen states on alert. Wind chills well below zero. Those frigid temperatures are following right behind a cross country storm. Coastal New England communities now seeing the impacts of high tides and massive beach erosion. The rough surf claiming this historic fishing shack near Portland, Maine. First responders in New Jersey rescuing several people from a hotel in Edgewater. Cities in the midwest feeling the impact of lake effect snow. This is Michigan from earlier today. Parts of the nation's midsection hit with blizzard conditions. These images from Iowa. The life threatening cold there expected to last through Monday's caucuses. The wintry weather also slowing travel at the nation's airports this holiday weekend. More than 1200 flights canceled today. Our weather team is tracking it all. But we begin tonight with ABC's Morgan Norwood from Newark airport.

Tonight, millions from coast to coast aren't alert for a brutal mix of extreme weather, from blinding snow and bitter cold to dangerous flooding. More than a dozen states with wind chill warnings. Life threatening cold hitting a large part of the country. Blizzard conditions in the midwest. The storm system leaving more than 400,000 in the dark nationwide.

It's rough, it's slippery.

Blinding snow stranding drivers in Iowa. The whipping winds reducing visibility to near zero, at times making travel nearly impossible up and down the northeast. Many states still seeing major flooding from that same storm system. In New Hampshire, authorities are rescuing residents from their homes. The high tide breaking records, submerging streets and cars and covering them with thick sea foam. In Maine, water surging into the streets, washing away this local landmark surrounding homes.

In Duxbury, things are floating.

This restaurant flooded water forced inside by the rising tides despite boarded up windows and doors. In New Jersey, their flooding emergency made even worse by that system. For the second time in three weeks, the river overflowing. Rescue crews evacuating this flooded hotel stranded by rising waters from the Hudson river. And here in Wayne, New Jersey, this parking lot I'm standing in looking more like a pond for perspective, the paseic river right across the way here, it's still spilling its spanks, sending all of that water here, these vacuums, those traffic signs, that garbage dumpster underwater. Parts of New York also battered by coastal flooding. Some drivers stranded by the rising tides. And further upstate, travel now becoming treacherous. New York Governor Kathy Holcol banning travel upstate for Erie county after 09:00 p.m. Tonight due to expected heavy snowfall. The Buffalo Bills playoff game against the Steelers tomorrow postponed. And with this massive storm system simply wreaking havoc on travel from coast to coast. More than 1200 flights canceled today alone, many of them coming out of Denver and Chicago. And for tomorrow, wit airlines already canceling more than 600 flights.

Wit and those travel headaches continue for so many. Morgan, thank you. Let's get right to meteorologist Cheryl Scott from WLS, our ABC station in Chicago. And Cheryl, time this all out for us.

Yes, Wit, we are bracing for the dangerous cold here in Chicago, but also a focus across the entire Great Lakes. A lake effect snow event is going to get going here over the next 24 to 36 hours. Winter storm warnings up for western Michigan all the way to western New York. Lake effect snowbands could dump up to one to 2ft. Whiteout conditions as well as dangerous travel expected in some of these cities here. And then the dangerous cold taking a grip across much of the country. Wind chills well below zero. We're waking up anywhere from 35 to 55 below zero across the northern plains and even states like Texas getting in on wind chills below zero. The message this week, stay safe, stay.

Warm wit important advice. Cheryl, it's great to have you tonight. Thank you. Overseas now an urgent search is underway for two missing U. S. Navy seals. Defense officials say the men disappeared during a boarding mission off the coast of Somalia. The region is now a hotbed of american naval activity. U. S. Forces overnight again targeting houthi rebel facilities in Yemen for the second straight night. The strikes are in response to the Houthi's targeting of commercial ships. ABC's Jay O'Brien from Washington tonight.

Tonight, an urgent search and rescue operation underway for two elite U. S. Navy seals missing after falling into the water during a nighttime boarding operation. According to two U. S. Officials. It's unclear what prompted the SEALs to board the vessel conducting the operation in pitch black on the open ocean on Thursday.

Doing boarding operations in the ocean at night are some of the most dangerous things that you can do for seasoned operators. They'll tell you it's the most dangerous thing that we do.

The seals operating in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen now a hotspot for us naval activity after at least 28 attacks in recent months on commercial ships in the region by Iran backed Houthi militants. Overnight, the US conducting another retaliatory strike against the militia group. And just this week, a massive US UK assault targeting the Houthi's operations. A barrage of 150 bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles hitting at least 60 Houthi targets across more than two dozen locations. Satellite images showing areas before and after the strike. Explosions seen destroying Houthi facilities. In this video from british forces. The air strikes in response to an escalating series of attacks on commercial ships by the militants, snarling a vital trade route home to roughly 15% of all global maritime trade. In this video released by the Houthis late last year, you can see the group storming a commercial ship. Companies now forced to choose between sailing through the dangerous Red Sea or traveling an expensive extra ten days around Africa. A standard 40 foot shipping container now costing $4,000 to ship from China to northern Europe compared to one $500 in November. Meantime, thousands of protesters in Yemen condemning the US airstrikes and Houthi leaders promising the attacks on ships will continue in solidarity with Hamas in its war against Israel as the 100 day mark of that conflict looms.

Jay O'Brien joining us now. And, Jay, turning back to those two missing Navy SeaLs, what more are we learning about what may have gone wrong.

With that former SEAL we spoke with tonight said that these kinds of boarding operations need to be perfectly choreographed and executed without a hitch. Seals train for this kind of operation constantly, but they are inherently dangerous and they're made even more risky by high waves in that part of the world this time of year. We're also learning late tonight that one of those seals dove into the water to rescue the other. Both, of course, now missing wit.

All right, Jay, with those late developments tonight. Thank you. Here at home, just two days to go before the Iowa caucuses, the candidates making their final pitch to voters as former President Donald Trump leads by a wide margin. All eyes are on the weather. Brutal cold and blizzard conditions expected to have a major impact on turnout. And tonight, what poll numbers show about the increasingly important race for second place. ABC's senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott is in Iowa tonight.

With the Iowa caucuses now just two days away, the republican candidates for President battling a vicious blizzard and biting cold in their final pitches to voters.

You know the responsibility that comes with being first, you know that you're setting the tone for where the country's going.

To be, but you have an opportunity to brave those elements.

Go in caucus the extreme weather up.

Ending several campaign events. Former President Donald Trump hasn't campaigned here all week, canceling nearly all his events this weekend. Trump instead taking to social media, urging his supporters to not be complacent one.

Way or the other. I'm getting there. You have the worst weather, I guess, in recorded history, but maybe that's good because our people are more committed than anybody else.

Trump's rivals taking advantage of his absence, packing in voters willing to brave the bitter weather.

I think Trump will struggle to win over the independence, whereas I think Ron DeSantis can do so.

With Trump's dominant 30 point lead. All eyes now on the close race for second, Nikki Haley, just one point ahead of Ron DeSantis, who has been betting big on Iowa, holding more events than Trump and Haley combined.

If you will caucus for us on Monday, I promise you that our best days are yet to come.

But the biggest challenge could be getting voters to show up on Monday night for what's expected to be the coldest caucus on record. How do you think it's going to affect turnout?

I think it's going to really affect it. Yeah, I'm really concerned about that.

It's quite unusual for the frontrunner in this race to be off the campaign trail for so long during the final stretch. The former president will only hold one campaign event tomorrow. No Republican has ever won in a contested Iowa caucuses by more than twelve points. Right now, Donald Trump is up by 30. His campaign hopes a landslide victory sends a message that this field needs to narrow. But all this brutal weather could really impact turnout.

Wit.

Rachel Scott, thank you. Good to see you inside and out of the cold. We appreciate it. And tune into this week. Tomorrow morning, Jonathan Carl interviews Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he makes his final pitch to Iowa voters ahead of the caucuses. US climate envoy and former secretary of State John Kerry is leaving the Biden administration later this winter to join the president's reelection campaign. Kerry, who ran for president in 2004, was instrumental in helping to broker the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Now to the migrant crisis and increasing tensions at the southern border. Tonight, Texas Governor Greg Abbot defending recent comments he made about why he said his state is not shooting people coming across the border and Texas state officials taking control of a public park along the border that federal agents had used to process migrants. All of this as negotiations continue in Washington over border security. Here's ABC.

ZORIN SHAW tonight, Texas Governor Greg Abbot defending these controversial comments he made about migrants on a conservative radio show.

We are deploying every tool and strategy that we possibly can. The only thing that we're not doing is we're not shooting people who come across the border because, of course, the Biden administration would charges with murder after backlash.

The governor now attempting to clarify, now.

Explain in detail all the different things that Texas is doing that we have the legal authority to do and pointed out what would be illegal to do.

Abbot also under fire for taking control of Shelby park where migrants were camping along the border in Eagle Pass. The mayor capturing these moments, this is.

Not something that we wanted.

Migrant encounters along the southwest border in December reaching an all time high 302,000, sources tell ABC News. With lawmakers in Washington still trying to strike an immigration deal. And as mayors nationwide combat an influx of migrants bust into their cities, potential life threatening weather complicating the crisis. This weekend in Chicago, roughly 150 people packed into busses turn makeshift warming centers. The bitter cold forcing officials to pause the city's 60 day migrant shelter eviction policy.

It's certainly not acceptable for the governor to continue to send people to the city of Chicago.

But we're meeting the moment in a.

Letter to Governor Abbot. Illinois Governor Pritzker pleading with him to pause bussing migrants as temperatures drop dangerously low, saying many are without coats and their health and survival is at risk due to his actions.

Zareen Shaw for us tonight. Thank you. Overseas now in a resounding victory for the ruling party candidate in Taiwan's presidential elections, seen as a blow to China. China had called the vote a choice between war and peace on the island. It claims as its own what the result could now mean for U. S. China relations. ABC's Brit Klennet reporting from Taiwan tonight.

In a victory that could drive a wedge into already testy US China relations. William Lai Qingda, despised by China for his pro independent stance winning Taiwan's presidential race.

Roaring celebrations here as Lai comes out.

To meet his supporters as Taiwan's next leader.

Taiwan's voters rebuffing Beijing's repeated warnings that the election is a choice between peace and war. China's government, which has never had control over Taiwan, threatening to take the self governed island by force if necessary. In his New Year's speech, President Xi even calling the reunification of Taiwan with the mainland a historical inevitability. Li's win comes as the US and China work to mend relations. President Biden and Xi meeting in California in November and just days ago, military delegates from both countries conducting talks in Washington tonight. President Biden seeking to maintain a peaceful status quo with America's one China policy in which the US and Taiwan have only an unofficial relationship with the US, appears to be walking a fine line here. In response to the election, the State Department issuing a statement congratulating lion the people of Taiwan and reiterating calls for peace and stability in this region. All eyes are now on China.

Witt brick Clennet in Taiwan are thanks to you tonight. There is still much more ahead on World News Tonight. This Saturday, Oklahoma is shaken by several earthquakes in the past 24 hours. And dramatic video from a trooper who dove into an icy pond to save a young girl. Next tonight, dramatic video of a life saving rescue in Vermont. This body camera footage from state trooper Michelle Archer showing her dive into a frigid pond last month to save an eight year old girl who'd fallen through the ice. Archer brought the child out and handed her to her partner. Tonight, police say that girl has made a complete recovery. Oklahoma was hit by a series of earthquakes Friday night into Saturday morning. At least six quakes were recorded near Oklahoma City the biggest was magnitude 4.3. Some people heard a bang. Some homes shook briefly, but there were no injuries. State officials say previous quakes in that area were linked to a byproduct of oil and gas production, but that activity was shut down several years ago. When we come back, a hero's welcome, as the new head coach touches down in Alabama to the index now and Washington's losses.

Alabama's game. Kaylin Dubore is the new head coach for the Crimson Tide, and he was given rockstar treatment last night when he flew into Tuscaloosa. Hundreds of fans greeted Dubore, some high fiving him. He takes over from legendary coach Nick Saban, who retired this week. When we come back, America Strong, how strangers just gave a fast food worker the reward of a lifetime. Finally tonight, America Strong, how one man's hard work really paid off in an unexpected way. The kindness of strangers changing one man's life forever. Kevin Ford works at Burger King at the airport in Las Vegas.

Just hardworking guy just like anybody else. Just trying to feed my family.

Over the course of 27 years at multiple fast food jobs, never taking a sick day, I had to work a.

Certain amount of hours. I didn't want to go home because I was thinking about keeping insurance and mainly paying the light bill or paying rent.

But everything changed in June of 2022 when a TikTok video Kevin went viral for his appreciation of a simple work anniversary gift. Social media users thought he deserved much more. Thank you, guys.

The comments were flooded with people asking, how do we thank this man?

His daughter Serena then started a fundraiser for her dad, hoping to cover the cost of a plane ticket so that Kevin could travel to see family.

He set the goal at $200.

I wanted to show you something.

But instead, as the months went by, complete strangers chipped in more than $450,000.

Yeah, I know it's not a mansion, but it's mine.

Affording Kevin the amazing opportunity to buy his very first home in December.

I'm just really glad that I get to share my dad with the world and they get to see what a hardworking person that I've had my whole life.

And tonight, Kevin says he's overwhelmed with gratitude and has no plans to reach retire.

I'm thankful for every person all around the world who did this for me. I feel you and I love you all.

And America, sharing the love right back. What an inspiration. Thanks so much for watching. I'm wake Johnson in New York. Good night.

Thank you for making world news. Tonight with David Muir, America's most watched newscast.