Tonight, a deadly car explosion and fire in Rochester, New York, now being investigated for possibly thwart a New Year's terror attack. The chilling images, the car consumed by flames while driving. Authorities say two people were killed and five injured in the crash outside the Kodak Center just one hour into the new year. The FBI's Joint Terrorism task force now working with local police, Aaron Katersky with late reporting tracking a new cross country storm to start the new year, heavy rain from Seattle to San Francisco. The California Coast bracing for more big waves. The system then moving into the east by the weekend. Rob Marciano timing it out. The image is coming in of the deadly earthquake rocking Japan just hours into 2024. The magnitude 7.5 quake destroying homes and businesses. Maggie Ruley reporting. The migrant crisis expanding. Busses carrying nearly 400 asylum seekers from Texas and Louisiana suddenly arriving in several cities in New Jersey. The bus is apparently trying to avoid the new crackdown by New York City's mayor, Eric Adams. Chicago and Denver also seeing more arrivals. Respiratory illnesses on the rise across the US. 31 states reporting high or very high levels of COVID flu or RSV.

Hospitals in at least six states now reinstating mass policies. The Israel Hamas War. Israel signaling it will withdraw some troops from Gaza, several military Brigades to prepare for extended fighting. Despite global pressure to scale back attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns the war could continue for many more months. The countdown to Iowa, the first voting just two weeks away in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination, Ron DeSantis trying to stake his claim to the state, despite Donald Trump leading by more than 30 points. Here in New York, newly obtained surveillance video showing an out-of-control driver crashing into a restaurant just blocks from Times Square, where hundreds of thousands of people had just celebrated the New Year. The new baby formula recalls are because of possible bacterial contamination and a chance to start the New Year off in a big way. Tonight's Powerball jackpot now worth $810 million.

From ABC News.

World.

Headquarters in New York, this is.

World News Tonight with David Muir. Good evening and thank you for starting this new year with us. I'm Mary Bruce, in for David. We begin tonight with chilling details of what authorities are investigating as a possibly thwarted terror attack in the first hour of this new year involving a deadly car explosion and fire in Rochester, New York. Authorities say one car crashed into another outside the Kodak Center just before 1:00 a. M, one of the vehicles in flames while still moving. Both cars hitting pedestrians and other vehicles. The FBI's Joint Terrorism task force is now working with local police. Abc's senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky leads us off.

Tonight, the FBI and police in Rochester, New York are investigating whether a car crash early this New Year's Day may have thwarted a terror attack. The fiery crash happened just before 1:00 a. M. Outside the Kodak Center, where 1,000 people were coming out of a concert. A large SUV struck a smaller SUV as it pulled out of a parking lot. The force of the collision sent the two vehicles crashing through a group of people crossing the street. Two people were killed.

And two more are fighting for their life as a result of a motor vehicle collision.

A number of pedestrians were injured. The crash caused a fire that took an hour to extinguish.

Once the fire was extingished, first responders located at least a dozen gasoline canisters in and around the striking vehicle.

For weeks, police around the country have been on heightened alert out of concern the war in the Middle East could lead to violence at home. The FBI's Joint Terrorism task force is now leading the investigation. Mary, they're trying to determine whether this was just a car accident or something far more sinister. Mary.

A frightening scene to start the new year. Aaron, thank you. Next tonight, tracking the first cross country storm of the year, the system gearing up for its run from California to Texas before making its way to the Northeast for the first weekend storm of 2024. Let's get right to ABC senior meteorologist Rob Marciano. Hey, Rob.

Hi, Marion. Happy New Year. Yeah, first day of 2024. We've got our first cross country storm now entering the West Coast. By tonight, I'll get into Seattle and Portland and eventually San Francisco. Bytomorrow afternoon, and we'll see a fair amount of mountain snow with this and the precept shield does spread down into Southern California during the morning hours on Wednesday. More big waves coming on the heels of the last big storm. So a decent amount of cold air with this, I think mostly north of I-40, we'll see some snow as it gets over the mountains and into the plains come Thursday and Friday, developing as a decent storm as it continues to press east. That cold air in place in the northeast as well, which means when it gets here next weekend, it could bring us the first snows of the season. We'll have to wait and see. Mary.

We know you'll be tracking it all, Rob. Thank you. Next tonight, the powerful earthquake in Japan. At least several people killed tens of thousands without electricity and now in the bitter cold. The magnitude 7.5 quake hitting just hours into the new year. Homes collapsing in clouds of dust. The largest quake to hit this part of Japan in nearly 140 years. Here's ABC's Maggie Ruley.

Tonight, Japan is on alert after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocked the country, triggering fears of tsunamis along the Coast. This video taken inside a convenience store in Nagano, showing items on shelves shaking violently. Customers inside rushing out to safety. Cellphone video taken from inside the store showing the panic and chaos. Customers running for cover. The powerful tremors rocking this home near the epicenter. You can hear a child crying in terror.

Just started very slowly. Again, it was just a violent shift.

The series of quakes cutting through roads, triggering landslides and reducing dozens of homes to rubble. Bullet trains in the region suspended, flights in and out of the nearest airport canceled. Along the Coast, thousands of buildings have lost power, including hospitals. This footage showing utility poles and electrical wires swaying, threatening to come crashing down. 4:00 PM Monday, the quake hitting the Noto Peninsula along the sea of Japan, the most powerful in the region since records began in 1885. Officials immediately issuing a major tsunami warning, fearing waves could be 16 feet high. Tens of thousands along the Coast forced to evacuate to higher ground. At least four people have died. Now the race to rescue survivors is underway. Thousands of military personnel on standby for fears people could be trapped. Mary, no major tsunamis have been reported and authorities have downgraded the warning, but already more than a hundred aftershocks have been reported and the fear is that more than we're expected.

Mary? That certainly is the fear. Maggie, thank you. Next tonight, the migrant crisis turning into a test of wills between the mayors of New York and Chicago and the governors of Texas and Louisiana in an apparent attempt to avoid the mayors new crackdown on busses carrying asylum seekers to New York, busses carrying nearly 400 migrants instead arrived at train stations in New Jersey. Here's ABC's Stephanie Ramos.

Tonight, despite efforts from officials to restrict busses bringing migrants to big cities, border states appeared to have found a loophole, sending those busses to the suburbs instead. According to local authorities, Texas and Louisiana dropping off nearly 400 migrants at New Jersey train stations this past weekend, so they can continue to their final destination, New York City by train. Cities include Sacaucus, a 15 minute train ride from New York City, Van Wood, Edison, and Trenton. Under an executive order announced last week, New York City is requiring bus operators to provide the city at least 32 hours notice prior to arrival. This weekend, Chicago also seeing more than 350 migrants flown from Texas to their suburbs after putting in place similar restrictions.

This type of chaos.

Is not.

What's needed in this moment.

New York City's mayor, Eric Adams, says their cities are at a breaking point. One township in New Jersey sending a bus of migrants back to Texas.

Edison Township police officers did not.

Know.

If any of those 40 individuals were carrying weapons. They couldn't be identified. Stephanie Ramos is with us now. Stephanie, local and state officials are trying to take matters into their own hands here and slow the flow of migrants into their cities. But they are still asking the federal government to do more.

They are, Mary. Local governments are asking for federal financial aid and are also calling this a humanitarian crisis. They're also asking the Governor of Texas to coordinate with these major cities. Mary.

Okay, Stephanie, thank you. Next tonight, the rapid rise of respiratory illnesses across the US. 31 states now reporting high or very high levels of COVID, flu, or RSV. Hospitals in at least six states reinstating those mask policies. Here's ABC's Victor O'Kendo.

Tonight, some major hospitals across the country are bringing back indoor masking policies as respiratory illnesses surge.

The good news is that we have prevention for all three of these big viruses right now, right? Covid, influenza, and RSV, and of course, that is vaccination.

According to an ABC news count, hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington State, and Wisconsin now masking 31 states plus Washington, DC, experiencing high or very high levels of respiratory illness activity. Soniah Schuler in Arizona says her seven-month-old daughter, Melani, was in the hospital last month with RSV.

When it comes to.

Your.

Child not.

Being able to breathe necessarily, I think it's the most scariest thing you could.

Probably think of.

Flu diagnoses were up 16%, the week ending December 23rd. The CDC estimating 4,500 flu related deaths this season and COVID-19 related hospitalizations are at their highest in a year. Doctors stress it's important to be mindful of those who are at higher risk and say more mask mandates or recommendations could return. We're just.

Trying to be good citizens and keep our people or keep our friends who we care about from coming down with.

An illness. Experts say this time of year with holiday travel and gatherings, a steady increase in respiratory illnesses is common, typically peaking in January and February this year is no exception. Mary.

There's so many suffering through these respiratory illnesses right now. Victor, thank you. Tonight, the Israel-Hamas war is escalating tensions in the Red Sea. For the first time, the US military confirming it killed a Ron-backed, hoothy rebels yesterday after Navy helicopters came under fire. Huthie leaders claimed 10 members were killed. The Navy says the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group will leave the region in the coming days, ending what had become an extended deployment. Other Navy ships will remain in the area. Israel tonight is saying it will withdraw some troops from Gaza, up to five military Brigades to prepare for extended fighting. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure from world leaders to scale back Israel's attacks on Gaza, but now warns the war could continue for up to a year. Abc's Marcus Moore in Tel Aviv.

Tonight, as Israel entered the new year, intercepting Hamas missile fire at midnight, new signs the brutal war may be entering its next phase. The IDF now withdrawing some troops from Gaza to rest and prepare for the long fight ahead. Israel now says it expects to last the entirety of 2024. The Defense Minister today saying some residents in Southern Israeli communities about three miles from the Gaza Strip, can return home. Our troops know their mission and their performance is excellent, he says. Life will return to its course in our southern communities. But the life those communities once knew will never be the same. Tonight, Kibbutz-Berry says resident Elon West was murdered on October seventh. He was initially believed to be held hostage by Hamas terrorists who released his wife, Cherie, and their daughter in November. The Prime Minister's office telling ABC News an Israeli team will head to Cairo this week to discuss a potential hostage deal. But no breakthrough is imminent. Israeli media reporting negotiations are, quote, very difficult, with Hamas demanding Israel pull all forces from Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry says an Israeli airstrike today killed 15 people in Central Gaza, bringing the death tall close to 22,000.

The IDF, meanwhile, expanding its operations, releasing video of its canine unit, searching for weapons, explosives, and Hamas operatives. They say they found this weapon stockpiled in a kindergarten while children in Gaza sharing their New Year's wishes. I hope that we will return to our homes, Amal says, and that the war will end and I will sleep on my bed instead of sleeping in tents.

So much heartbreak now, almost three months into this war. Marcus Moore joins us now from Tel Aviv. Marcus, Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is already facing pressure abroad and at home over this war. Now his government hit with a major setback.

Yeah, this setback is being seen as a major blow to Netanyahu. As you know, he has been trying to weaken the country's Supreme Court justices, and that has really divided the country. We saw massive protest over the summer. Well, today the court narrowly voted to overturn a key part of that overhaul. That decision adds a whole new layer to the tensions that are already gripping this country.

Mary. It certainly does, Marcus. Thank you. Now to the race for the 2024 White House. The first voting in the Iowa Caucus is just two weeks away. Ron DeSantis is focusing all of his attention on the state with Donald Trump holding on to that commanding lead in the polls. Here's ABC's Mary Alice Parks.

Tonight with the Iowa Caucuses, exactly two weeks away, Florida governor Ron DeSantis making his final push for support.

Are you ready to work hard over these next two weeks so that we win the Iowa Caucus?

Former President Donald Trump is the far and away favorite, leading in Iowa in 538's polling average by more than 30 points. Fewer than three points separate DeSantis and former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley. Both desperate for a strong finish that could shake up the race.

Donald Trump is running on his issues. Nikki Haley is running on her donors issues. I'm the only one running on your issues.

Desantis attacking Haley after her rise in the polls. In recent weeks, that 538 average shows she's gained ground on Donald Trump in New Hampshire. Now that states, Republican governor, Krista Nunu, who endorsed Haley, is calling on Chris Christy to drop out of the race to give Haley a better chance against Trump.

This is a.

Two-person race, right?

It's between Trump and Nikki Haley.

Everybody understands that. But the former New Jersey governor is not backing down, launching this seven-figure ad campaign in the Granite State.

Some people say I should drop out of this race.

Really?

I'm.

The only one saying Donald Trump is.

A liar. New Hampshire.

It's up to you.

Now, these first two contests will be so crucial for Haley and DeSantis to prove whether they can actually compete against Trump. Tonight, the DeSantis is telling me they are confident in his grassroots ground game there in Iowa. They are pointing to all the time that the governor has spent in the state, and they say they're in it to win the Iowa caucuses.

Mary, those first votes just two weeks away. Hard to believe. Mary, Alice, thank you. There is still much more ahead here on World News Tonight this Monday. The new laws that go into effect today and the chaotic scene in Times Square just after the ball dropped. A wrong way driver colliding with cars and pedestrians and the power-pull jackpot climbs higher and higher ahead of tonight's drawing. Next tonight, a chaotic scene unfolding just blocks from the ball drop in New York's Times Square. Surveillance video capturing a driver crashing into a restaurant just after 1:30 in the morning, then backing up on the sidewalk after hitting multiple cars. At least nine people were hurt, including a police officer. The driver is in critical condition and facing charges. A new laws are now in effect across the US. In California, a federal appeals court upholding a new law barring people from carrying guns in most public places. Texas now banning programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion at all publicly funded colleges and universities. Schools are now prohibited from requiring DEI training, and 22 states are raising their minimum wage. Many workers will now be getting paid $15 an hour or more.

And when we come back, the new baby formulas a recall. More than 600,000 cans of specialty formula. Those details ahead and the chance to start off the new year as a winner. Tonight's Powerball Jackpot, now over $800 million. To the index tonight, concerns about possible contamination leading to a voluntary recall of some specialty baby formula. Reckitt-mead Johnson is pulling more than 675,000 cans of hypoallergenic neutramogen out of concern it could be contaminated with that same bacteria that triggered the 2022 formula shortage. The FDA says no illnesses have been reported as part of the recall. The company says it is acting out of an abundance of caution. And the Powerball lottery jackpot is reaching new heights in this new year. The top prize in tonight's drawing, climbing to $810 million. The last Powerball jackpot was won on October 11th. Time to get those tickets. And when we come back, the families ringing in the new year with some new additions. Finally, tonight, the new additions making this new year one to remember. On this New Year's Day across the country, families ringing in the new year with new life. At St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Belinigire Cardona, born right after midnight, 12:01 a.

M, the first to arrive at this New Year's celebration, dressed in a gown for the special occasion. In Charlotte, North Carolina, no name just yet for baby, Cannon. Now that we know the gender, it narrows it down just a little bit for us. The first baby born in 2024 at Atrium Health, Cabares. Down in Miami, Florida, Baptist Health, Baby, Gia, born at 1:35 in the morning. And in Chicago, Illinois, the Hodge family welcoming baby, Pearl Noel. Tonight, Andrea and Matthew Hodge telling us how Pearl has changed their world. This is Pearl Noel. We welcomed her this morning. We can't wait for what this year has in store. We love you, Noel. She's their third daughter, their first, Esther, born on New Year's Eve. Now they'll have back to back, birthdays to celebrate, making the start to the new year that much more memorable. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. And a happy New Year to them and to all of you. I'm Mary Bruce for David and all of us here. Good night.

Thank you for.

Making world news tonight with David Muir, America's most watched newscast.