MONA KOSAR ABDI (VOICEOVER): A dangerous ice storm is shutting down travel slick roads causing crashes, and more than 1,000 flights canceled. And now, an Arctic plunge bringing below zero wind chills to millions. Chief meteorologist Ginger Zee has the latest forecast. Formal charges are handed down for Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in the deadly onset shooting for the film Rust. Gutierrez-Reed's attorney reacts as we learn more about the evidence prosecutors claim they have. New concerns in the Tyre Nichols investigation. The initial incident report doesn't appear to match the brutality, captured on the video of his beating death. With unfolding claims that Nichols tried to fight back, Stephanie Ramos has the latest from Memphis. Plus, fighting for change. Iran protesters facing abuse and even death by a regime run on unchecked power. Tonight, the human toll of the uprising in Iran and the history-shaping movement. Grieving through humor. I sat down with Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein to talk about their new Apple TV+ comedy series Shrinking that reminds us that sometimes, healing is easier with laughter. - We're all collectively grieving. This idea that we've lost something we're not going to get back, whether it's an actual loved one which is what's happening on the show or just this time in the past few years, like our normalcy. - Good evening, I'm Mona Kosar Abdi in for Linsey Davis, who is on assignment. Thanks for streaming with us. We've got all those stories and more tonight, including the manhunt underway in Oregon as the FBI and US Marshals search for a suspect accused of attacking three women. Plus, exclusive reporting on George Santos, his ex-boyfriend speaking out, saying they were left feeling trapped and manipulated by the embattled congressman. But we begin tonight with the extreme weather across the nation. Some 35 million Americans impacted across 13 states by severe winter weather. Ice, snow, and sleet are creating dangerous conditions in the South, with hundreds of accidents reported on the highways, and thousands of flights canceled. And it's the prelude to a looming Arctic cold snap set to hit the Northeast this weekend, with some of the coldest air of the season impacting millions. As the South navigates the winter wallop, we begin tonight with ABC'S Mireya Villarreal in Dallas tonight. MIREYA VILLARREAL (VOICEOVER): Cars littering icy roadways from Texas to Tennessee as a deadly ice storm unfolds across the Southern plains, our Memphis affiliates' dashcam capturing this pickup spinning out of control, slamming into another vehicle. Around Austin, dozens of crashes this morning, including a 10-car pileup, where one person was killed. - Many roads in Texas will remain very dangerous for the next 24 to 48 hours. MIREYA VILLARREAL (VOICEOVER): This after hundreds of crashes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Monday, drone video from just off I-30 in Arlington, showing driver after driver losing control, sliding, and crashing. Tow truck drivers like Luis Estrada can barely keep up. What's the worst that you've seen over the last 24 hours? - Just a bunch of trucks getting stuck on the high rise, and just a lot of traffic. It's just-- it's really crazy out there. MIREYA VILLARREAL (VOICEOVER): In Arkansas, west of Memphis, wrecks in icy conditions stranding scores of trucks and cars for hours on Interstate 40. Back in Texas, Dallas-area airports, crucial hubs for American and Southwest Airlines, paralyzed. Today, more than 1,900 flights canceled nationwide, and hundreds more tomorrow. - And Mireya joins us now. Mireya, what are the next steps for the people of Texas and these freezing temps? - Well, Mona, right over my right hand shoulder, this is I-20 here in South Dallas. We have seen a number of big rigs stalled out throughout the afternoon. Let me show you exactly what drivers are dealing with right here on the roadways. Sleet falling all day long creating this ice form on the roads, making it very difficult for people to drive, and we still have at least another 36 hours of this, because there is a Winter Storm Warning in effect until Thursday morning, Mona. MONA KOSAR ABDI: All right, thank you, Mireya. And now to where that bitter cold is headed next, ABC'S chief meteorologist Ginger Zee is timing it all out for us. Hey, Ginger. - Hey there, Mona. We do see this ice considerably falling through the next 36 hours in the Southern plains, so I want to get to the timing of that, because it's deceiving for people. You see it raining and you say, OK, I can go out and drive. But that rain is hitting a sub-zero surface, and what happens is, it hits that surface, and it freezes on contact. So, it makes that glass-looking glaze that can be so dangerous. The timing is tonight, West Tennessee's getting it, Little Rock will get some more. But by tomorrow, the second push of that cold air, butting up against all that moisture, centers itself on Fort Worth down to Austin. Waco is included. College Station could pick up some of this. And you could also see sleet, which is more the pellet style. We always say, sleet has a beat. That can also be dangerous, but not as bad as that freezing drizzle or rain. Timing-wise, Little Rock to Memphis still gets another round tomorrow night through Thursday morning, and then it moves east through Nashville, up to a 1/4" even there. Now I want to also share, because you mentioned the serious cold, and we're saying serious, because in many parts of New England you could end up with some of the coldest wind chills in at least five years. But Caribou, Maine if they dip below 50 below with a wind chill, which they are forecast to that would be the coldest wind chill since 1988. Mona. MONA KOSAR ABDI: We are bracing ourselves, Ginger, thank you. Involuntary manslaughter charges have been formally filed tonight against actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Reed in a deadly shooting during the filming of the movie Rust. Prosecutors say their actions on set were reckless and negligent. Our Mola Lenghi joins us with more. MOLA LENGHI (VOICEOVER): Tonight, Alec Baldwin formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust. ALEC BALDWIN: I was the one holding the gun, yeah. MOLA LENGHI: Baldwin and the film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed both charged with two counts of felony manslaughter for the October 2021 shooting. In new court documents, prosecutors calling both of their actions reckless and negligent, claiming Baldwin did not receive enough firearms training, and Gutierrez-Reed was not qualified to accept the job as armorer. In the little training Baldwin did receive, Gutierrez-Reed claiming he was distracted on his cell phone, according to court documents. Prosecutors say photos and videos clearly show Baldwin had his finger on the trigger, the FBI concluding the trigger had to have been pulled. - Mola Lenghi is now with us. Have we heard from Baldwin's attorney given these new developments? - Well, we heard from Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, who said that they will fight these charges, and that they expect that a jury will ultimately find her not guilty. No new statement from Baldwin tonight, but his attorney reiterating a previous statement, saying Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun or anywhere on the movie set. Now, if convicted, Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin face up to five years in prison. MONA KOSAR ABDI: All right, Mola Lenghi, thank you. And now to the latest from Memphis, where ABC News has obtained the initial law enforcement report on the traffic stop that led to the death of Tyre Nichols. And that report contradicts what the video has revealed, claiming that Nichols started to fight with detectives and grabbed for an officer's gun. But the report failed to mention the brutal beating Nichols faced at the hands of those officers. Here's ABC'S Stephanie Ramos in Memphis. STEPHANIE RAMOS (VOICEOVER): Tonight, ABC News obtaining the initial incident report of Tyre Nichols' fatal encounter with police, which paints a vastly different picture from what videos have revealed actually happened that night. Nichols seen yanked out of his vehicle and restrained by officers. - Turn your ass around! - All right, all right, all right. STEPHANIE RAMOS (VOICEOVER): The initial law enforcement report claims Nichols was irate and sweating and had started to fight with detectives after being pulled over for driving recklessly at a high rate of speed. Memphis officials say they haven't been able to verify that allegation. - We haven't been able to substantiate in any type of video that there was a reckless driving type of action that prompted this stop. STEPHANIE RAMOS (VOICEOVER): The report also claims Nichols grabbed for Detective Martin's gun at that first stop, which is never seen, before breaking free and running towards his mother's house, moments later, police finding him again. The report does not mention police kicking and punching Nichols captured on several cameras, instead, saying only one of the officers deployed his baton while giving verbal commands to stop resisting, striking him several times in the right arm. ABC News finding Nichols appears to be struck with a baton at least three times in the chest and punched in the head at least five times. Video also showing officers spraying Nichols at least twice in the face. The report later claims they were able to get Tyre Nichols into custody after several verbal commands. But the body camera video shows Nichols slumped on a car, injured as officers stand by, 24 minutes passing before anyone appears to render any aid. Five Memphis Police officers and three Memphis Fire Department personnel fired over the incident, while four other law enforcement officers were placed on leave pending investigation. And with that, let's bring in Stephanie Ramos, who joins us now from Memphis. - Stephanie, have law enforcement officials responded yet to those discrepancies that are seen in this report, compared to what we've all seen in those videos? - Mona, so far, no response from the Memphis Police Department, but what we do know is that two of the charged officers intend to plead not guilty. Now the funeral for Tyre Nichols will be held right here at this church tomorrow morning. Vice President Kamala Harris, George Floyd's brother, and Breonna Taylor's mother plan to attend, Mona. MONA KOSAR ABDI: Stephanie Ramos, thank you. And there are new reports tonight that the FBI searched President Biden's office at the Penn Biden Center in mid-November after lawyers found classified documents there earlier that month. It's just the latest revelation to surface months later, despite the administration's claim of transparency. Here's ABC'S senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce. MARY BRUCE (VOICEOVER): Tonight, sources tell ABC News the FBI searched President Biden's former private office back in November, after Biden's lawyers discovered classified documents there earlier that month. No word on whether agents found any new material. The President didn't mention any FBI search when the documents story broke three weeks ago. - I've turned over the boxes they've turned over the boxes to the Archives and we're cooperating fully. MARY BRUCE (VOICEOVER): The White House alerted the FBI when the president's lawyers later found more classified material in his Wilmington home. Federal agents found still more when they searched the residence earlier this month. The administration insists they have cooperated fully with the investigation, but they're now facing questions about why they haven't been more forthcoming with the American people. - We've been fully transparent and cooperative from the beginning. Thanks very much. - Why the trickle of information? - Mary Bruce joins me now. Mary, what is the latest on the special counsel investigation into those Biden documents? - Mona, we've learned sources telling us that Robert Heard, the special counsel who's overseeing this investigation into President Biden's handling of classified material, is now set to formally get to work later this week. Mona. - Mary Bruce at the White House. Thank you. Now to former President Trump and tonight, for the first time, we are seeing the video of Trump answering questions under oath in that case against his business in New York. Trump has been a longtime critic of those who take the Fifth Amendment, but in his own case, he pleaded the fifth more than 400 times. Here's ABC'S senior investigative reporter Aaron Katersky. - I do. AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): Tonight in a newly released deposition tape, we see former President Trump, again and again, invoking the Fifth Amendment. - I decline to answer the question. AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): Declining to answer questions more than 400 times while under oath. - The same answer. Same answer. The same answer. - You're currently the President of the Trump organization, is that correct? - Same answer. AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): Trump once said, taking the Fifth was for gangsters and the guilty. - You see the mob takes the Fifth. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment? AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): But during an August deposition as part of New York state's civil fraud investigation, Trump said he had no choice. - Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool. AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): New York Attorney General Letitia James has accused Trump, his eldest children, and his company of numerous acts of fraud, including grossly inflating Trump's net worth. While he answered none of her questions, he came eager to air his grievances. - Cannot permit a renegade and out-of-control prosecutor to use this investigation as a means of advancing her political career. - Aaron Katersky joins me now. Aaron, what is the latest on the status of this case? - It was about a month after that deposition, Mona, that the New York Attorney General's office filed a $250 million civil lawsuit against Trump. He's tried to fight it, but those efforts have been unsuccessful, and it's scheduled to go to trial sometime in October. And in the meantime, Trump is facing a number of criminal investigations into everything from classified documents to his efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election, to a new Grand Jury convened right here in New York looking at a hush payment to Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress, back in the 2016 campaign. Mona. - All right, Aaron Katersky, thank you. As embattled Congressman George Santos faces an ethics investigation and a campaign finance probe, he is temporarily stepping aside from his committee assignments. This comes after weeks of defiance from the newly elected congressman from New York as he admitted to falsifying parts of his resume. ABC'S senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott has the very latest. RACHEL SCOTT (VOICEOVER): After weeks of defiance, today, a concession from Congressman George Santos. He will temporarily step down from his two congressional committees. - Did McCarthy tell you to step away from the committees, or did you make this decision on your own? - Nobody tells me to do anything. I made a decision on my own. RACHEL SCOTT (VOICEOVER): The Speaker insists the move is only temporary. - I met with George Santos yesterday, and I think it was an appropriate decision that, until he can clear everything up, he's off the committees right now. RACHEL SCOTT (VOICEOVER): With Republicans' razor-thin majority, McCarthy cannot afford to lose any votes. He has held off on criticizing Santos, even as his lies pile up. The Congressman said he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup; he didn't. That he graduated from college, not true. That his grandparents survived the Holocaust and his mother was in the 9/11 attacks. No and no. - I thoroughly apologize for lying about my education and embellishing the resume. I've made that very, very clear. I've said I was sorry many times. I've behaved as if I'm sorry. I am sorry. I'm deeply sorry. RACHEL SCOTT (VOICEOVER): Santos says he will now focus on his constituents, but we went by his New York office, and his name isn't even on the door. It still had the congressman he replaced. A new poll shows his constituents, including 71% of Republicans, want him to resign. - If I can go back and change my vote, I probably would. - Today, Santos tried to argue George Santos the candidate is different from George Santos the Congressman. - I don't think lying is excusable, ever, period. Right, there's no circumstance, especially if you're legislating for the American people right now. So, what I might have done during the campaign does not reflect what is being done in the office. - Rachel Scott joins us now from Capitol Hill. Rachel, we just heard the congressman say that lying is inexcusable, and that what he did in the campaign won't reflect what he does in Congress, but he's become a headache for House Republicans. Is there some relief tonight that he's stepping down from his committees? - There is a huge sense of relief among House Republicans here on Capitol Hill that he will be stepping down from his committee assignments. In part, because this has really boxed the Republican Party in. On one hand, Republican leadership wants to remove several Democrats from committees for their behavior, and they would certainly be accused of a double standard if Santos was able to remain on his, Mona. - And Rachel, there's also new reporting of Congressman Santos' ex-boyfriend so now speaking out to ABC News. Can you tell us what they had to say about his past behavior? - Yeah, Mona. This is exclusive reporting. We spoke to former boyfriends of Congressman George Santos, who said that they were trapped in toxic relationships. They claim that they were manipulated, that he tried to promise them the world, including green cards, that he even used fake names. They said it was all lies, Mona. - All right, Rachel Scott on Capitol Hill. Thank you. - In person classes are back at the Newport News, Virginia Elementary school, where a six-year-old shot and allegedly injured his first grade teacher earlier this month. Rich Neck Elementary School reopened yesterday for the first time since the January 6 shooting, but now they have new safety protocols, such as two metal detectors and increased security. The school also has a new administrator after they ousted the Newport News public school superintendent and reassigned the previous school's principal to a different school following the incident. The teacher who was shot through her hand and into her chest has stabilized and has been released from the hospital. - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Washington today, lobbying top Republicans on the Hill about the importance of continuing to send aid money to Ukraine. ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis sat down with Boris Johnson a short time ago for a wide ranging interview about Ukraine, the monarchy, and Boris Johnson's future. Here's a sneak peek - Are you getting that sense of support today, when you met with Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell? - I did. I talked to Speaker McCarthy. I talked to Mitch McConnell, loads of people, and I find a bipartisan support as you know. And yeah, there are some people who are concerned about the cost. I think, in the end, everybody can see that this is a absolutely overwhelmingly important cause. This is a pivotal moment in the 21st century. People will look back at the war in Ukraine. They will say, well, actually the West stood up for itself. - Just a quick question, because we're talking about it. We've been talking about with Harry and all of that, and the Queen passing away. Do you think that the monarchy should have a different role in the future in the UK? - I think that one of the great achievements of the-- her late Majesty the Queen was that she greatly modernized the monarchy and did a huge amount to stabilize it and to prepare her son for kingship. And actually, I think that he's doing an absolutely bang-up job. I know here, in the United States, you decided in 1776, for reasons that I can't fully explain, that you could rub along without the monarchy. OK. That was your call, but we think it works. - When you left parliament as Prime Minister, of course you famously repeated the quote of Arnold Schwarzenegger with, "hasta la vista, baby." - Right. - Many people thought that was a nod to another quote from the Terminator character that I'll be back. Any chance? MONA KOSAR ABDI (VOICEOVER): And you can see much more of Lindsay's conversation with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tomorrow night right here on Prime on ABC News Live. And we are continuing to monitor the situation in Oregon, where FBI and US Marshals are searching for a suspect accused of attacking three women and torturing at least one. Police say the alleged suspect, 36-year-old Benjamin Foster, was luring his victims through dating apps and then attacking them. Foster is described as extremely dangerous, as one of his latest victims was found by police bound and almost beaten to death. She is currently in a coma. Foster is now wanted for attempted murder, kidnapping, and assault. Foster has a history of domestic violence, and authorities say that he has evaded SWAT teams and is said to still be active on dating apps. Though two major companies have been investigating the situation, they cannot find his accounts. Grants Pass police have posted a man walking a dog they believe to be Foster. If anyone sees this man, please call 911 immediately. Critical testimony today in the trial of Alex Murdaugh, who's accused of murdering his wife and son. The defense team played a video over and over in court today, showing Murdaugh being interviewed by investigators. ABC'S Eva Pilgrim has more on what the defense believes that footage could prove. - You also testified EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): A standoff in the courtroom today over whether Alex Murdaugh incriminated himself in the murder of his son during an interview with police. - You sat on the stand and heard that, right? - Yes sir, I did. EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): The defense grilling a state investigator over how he heard Murdaugh described Paul's death days after the murders. - It was just so bad. They did it so bad. - "It was so bad. I did him so bad." That's what you testified to yesterday. - Yes sir, that is what I testify to. - Now are you 100% confident that Alex said, "I did him so bad" rather than "they did him so bad"? - I am 100% confident in what I heard and I interpreted him as saying. - That investigator saying he made a mental note but did not have the evidence against Murdaugh at the time to take it further. But the defense pressing him on why he didn't ask Murdaugh to clarify what he meant. - You never followed up with it, did you? EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): Murdaugh's team playing the clip again. - "It was just so bad. So bad." EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): Then at slow speed. - "I did him so bad." EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): But that investigator sticking to his interpretation. - Did you hear "they" then? - No sir, I did not. - Eva Pilgrim joins us now. Eva, a lot of confusion in the courtroom today over what exactly Murdaugh said. But will it be cleared up today? - Well, Mona, the defense pointing out that ultimately, it will be up to the jury to decide what Alex Murdaugh said, but I can tell you, Mona there was a lot of debate, both inside the courtroom and on social media about what word Murdaugh used. Mona. - Eva Pilgrim, thank you. When we come back, we'll tell you why a veto by the New York Governor has some of the loved ones of the Buffalo supermarket massacre angry. And we take you to Iran and show you the impact of the regime since the death of Mahsa Amini. - Protests in Iran have remained strong for months, with today marking the 137th day that the Iranian citizens have poured onto the streets to demand regime change, growing beyond protests that began as a call for protecting women's rights. The Islamic Republic has been accused by international agencies of human rights abuses, for the use of executions, rapes, and brutal beatings, to stop Iranians from protesting, with experts saying these methods of violence started well before the current protests. So tonight, we take a closer look at the human toll of the Islamic Republic's alleged abuse of power as they try to hold on to power. - I think the general sentiment in Iran right now is we will stay and we will fight. Every protester who goes to the rallies in the street knows that he could be killed by a bullet. And even his body could go missing. Still everybody attends the protests with this hope in their heart they could send the Islamic Republic out of our country. - The state did not expect that protests over the death of a woman from the Kurdish minority would spread into the whole country. More than 519 people have been killed so far as far as we know. There are 70 that are below the age of 18. We have documented several protesters who have been assassinated in their homes or have been found dead, killed, and shot. - Reporter: what did you write in your will? - Majidreza: Where to bury me. I don't want anyone to mourn on my grave. - These executions are being unleashed with the intention to spread terror among the population and to crush the soul of this movement. - The younger generation in Iran has decided to simply not accept what fate has been placed upon them. They do not want to live under the Islamic Republic. - I'm Salman. I'm 30 year old. The paintball bullet hit here under my eye, but because it was shot from a very close distance, it resulted in my eye bulb, becoming open from the middle. After the examination, the doctor told me there is no hope that you could even recognize light in the future. [CROWD CHANTING] - It was the second week of the protests. I was attending Valiasr Square for protests every day. And I was recognized by some forces called the plainclothes. As I arrived to join the protests, I came face-to-face with one of them whom I had seen before. He had a paintball gun. And in a second he aimed the gun up to my face and shot my face. That resulted in losing my left eye forever. Two days after the operation, realized the police were looking for my hospital bed number. Fortunately, I was in the examination room and, with my friend's help, I managed to get myself to the hospital's yard and escaped. By leaving the country, I decided to make my face living proof for the world to see the Islamic Republic of Iran's crimes closely. - The methods of violence are diverse. They target people's faces with pellets, so that we have a lot of people who have lost their eyesight. My name is Roya Boroumand. I am the Director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran. [CROWD CHANTING] ROYA BOROUMAND (VOICEOVER): In prisons, you have people who are arrested or severely beaten, humiliated, insulted, tortured, or threats of rape. Cases of rape have appeared, though we don't know how much of this is an attempt of the state to deter women from coming out or to encourage families to prevent their children to come out. [SPEAKING FARSI] ROYA BOROUMAND (VOICEOVER): Iran has one of the highest per capita executions in the world. [SPEAKING FARSI] - In the past three years, we have documented 248 in 2020, 317 in 2021, and 576 in 2022. I think more executions will happen. It will also depend on the international outrage. - People are here to get the attention of the rest of the world. If the rest of the world, the democratic countries, don't take action, Iranian regime will kill more Mahsa Amini. - Just hold them accountable to the human rights abuses that they've been doing for the past 43 years. [CROWD CHANTING IN UNISON] - The Iranian revolution, the 1979 revolution had had a tremendous impact on the US and the export of the ideas of the revolution. You have had hostage takings. You have had hijacking of planes. You have had the embassies blown up in Lebanon and in Kuwait. If Iran democratizes, it will have the same trickle effect everywhere. I think it will impact the lives of Americans in ways that they don't think about now, because they are used to what is done to protect them against terrorism. - My whole life, I've waited for an opportunity where we could take Iran back from the people who stole it from us. Now my father's name is Hossein Najafi. He was the Head of the Justice Department during the last few months of the Shah, which is equivalent to Attorney General. And after the revolution, he was put on death row. The regime wanted to get rid of anybody associated with the government of the Shah. - So, this is a few months before the revolution Tuesday, October 31st, 1978. Here's my grandfather, Hossein Najafi. I remember him exactly like this, very happy. - After being imprisoned and being pardoned, he stayed in the country. For several years, he could not leave the country. He cared about the country a lot. when he left Iran, he started writing. They blindfolded me, put me in a car, and there was another person in the car. The car started going and, in the meantime, they told me, if I have any last words or messages for my family, I should say that because this would be my last chance, implying that I will be executed. Executions are used as a tool for creating fear. - Criminal proceedings and the death penalty are being weaponized by the Iranian government to punish individuals participating in protests and to strike fear into the population. - From what we can tell, those who are being put on death row after grossly unfair trials are mostly young men. The compulsory hijab laws impact every aspect of a woman's life. My name is Tara Sepehri Fer. I'm a senior researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, where I focus on documenting human rights violations in Iran and Kuwait. Some might think that this movement came out of blue, but women's rights defenders have been organizing for decades to change the laws. [CROWD PROTESTING] - Marital rape is not criminalized under Iranian. It's actually legal. - These are our own kids, are own daughters - Khomeini, in a speech a few days ago, said that, well, these badly veiled women are also our daughters, but at the same time, he said that the law will not change. If I grew up in Iran, I think I would have turned out a little bit differently than I did growing up in America, where I wouldn't be killed for showing my hair. The women of Iran are incredibly brave and courageous, and they fight back. - The leaders of Iran are using all kinds of tricks and cruelty to survive. Human beings are members of a whole in creation of one essence and one soul. If one member is in pain, others feel it. In this Persian poem, this is the main concept of humanity. We are all human, regardless of our religion and nationality. We cannot be silent against the oppression. - It's a powerful piece there, and still ahead here on Prime, a sneak peek into the Super Bowl halftime show, and Avatar: The Way of Water reaches a new box office milestone. We'll take a look by the numbers. Hit movie Avatar: The Way of Water is still drawing strong crowds since its December debut, and it's now reached a new box office milestone. Let's take a look By the Numbers. The James Cameron directed sequel has pulled in $2.117 billion at the global box office and is now the fourth highest grossing film of all time, passing Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The only films ahead of it, the original Avatar, which has brought in $2.92 billion globally since its 2009 premiere. Avengers: Endgame comes in second with $2.7 billion at the box office, and Titanic raked in $2.19 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Incredibly, director James Cameron has directed three of those four $2 billion blockbusters. Avatar: The Way of Water has also claimed the US box office crown for seven weeks in a row, generating $360 million from US theaters. And the blockbuster is getting some Oscar love, nominated recently for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. And one Avatar star now has a unique claim to Fame. Zoe Saldana is now the first actor to star in four films that broke the $2 billion mark with her roles in both Avatar films as well as two Avengers blockbusters. And we should note that Avatar: The Way of Water was distributed by Disney, the parent company of ABC News. - And we still have a ton to get to here on Prime. McDonald's was left feeling very happy with their fourth quarter earnings. We tell you which classic meals helped increase their sales. And my interview with Jason Segel and writer Brett Goldstein about their show Shrinking and the grieving therapist breaking the rules. But first, a look at our top trending stories on abcnews.com. - A suspect has been arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Karon Blake in Washington DC. - Police said Jason Lewis, a DC government employee, was charged with second degree murder while armed. He later pled not guilty in court. Blake was shot and killed outside his home on January 7th. Lewis told police he saw Blake appear to be tampering with cars. - I mean any time we have a loss of life, especially that of a child, that's something that really just pierces my soul, to be quite honest with you. Here we have a kid who's dead who shouldn't be. Right? I would hope that anybody with half of a heart would-- that would impact you in some way, shape, form, or fashion. This young man shouldn't be dead, but he is. And now, again, we have to go through the course of the judicial process. - New York Governor Kathy Hochul vetoing a bill that would have overhauled the state's wrongful death statute. The Grieving Families Act would have allowed courts to consider grief and loss in how much a family can be compensated by insurance companies and would have extended the time permitted to bring a wrongful death action to court. The bill particularly supported by relatives of the victims of the 2022 mass shooting at Tops grocery store in Buffalo. Those families said the current law discriminates against young people and the elderly, like many victims of the shooting. In a New York Daily News op Ed, Hochul said there was not enough evaluation of the impact that the major changes would have. - It's the end of an era in the skies. Boeing has delivered its last ever 747 jumbo jet. This one won't carry passengers; rather, it will fly cargo for Atlas airlines. Airlines just don't need the massive jets anymore now that smaller, more fuel efficient planes that fly long distances more often. - Being introduced in 1969, 747s have served as cargo planes, passenger jets, Air Force One, and even carried NASA space shuttles. - Police in Detroit searching for three rappers who went missing shortly after a show was canceled. Armani Kelly, Montoya Givens, and Dante Wicker were scheduled to perform at Lounge 31 on January 21st, but the show was canceled because of an equipment problem. Their families say they haven't heard from them since, police saying their phones last had activity in the early morning hours of January 22nd. It's unclear if they ever made it to the venue. - The fact that the three of them are missing together is very concerning and very alarming for US. - Security cameras captured a 5' by 5' rock crashing into the second story of Caroline Sasaki's Honolulu home. She and her family are still moving into the newly rebuilt Hillside home. They've only been there about a week, the boulder plowing through the home's cinder block wall, slamming into a glass door, crossing the living room, and finally ending up in a bedroom. Along the way, it also smashed into their car, the giant Rock possibly set in motion after days of heavy rain. - The Happy Meal for Adults and the McRib-- officially a success. McDonald's said the global and US sales are up in the fourth quarter. In particular, sales soared in October when the company introduced the Adult Happy Meals with limited edition toys. The farewell tour of the McRib and promotions connected to the World Cup also helped sales. The rising sales came despite higher prices during the fourth quarter, and with a warning that inflation would continue to have an impact on the company's operations. - The Dallas Zoo now have found the pair of tamarin monkeys that went missing from their habitats. The zoo is saying that the monkey enclosure was intentionally compromised, adding in a statement today that updates about the recovery and rescue will come tomorrow on the Dallas Zoo's social media channels. Dallas police are seeking the public's help today, issuing an image of a person of interest. This comes a few days after a rare and dangerous vulture was found dead and did not appear to die from natural causes. Just last month, a snow Leopard went missing and was later found after someone intentionally cut the fence of its enclosure. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, including your therapist. The new Apple TV+ comedy series Shrinking follows a grieving therapist, played by Jason Segel, who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. By ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making changes to people's lives, including his own. I sat down with co-creators Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein to discuss how the series uses comedy to open the conversation on mental health. - Jason you play a therapist in Shrinking, and in time where there's greater awareness about the benefits of talk therapy. But what I really like about the show, it doesn't only show the mental health clients but also turns the camera on the therapist as well. - Well it's easy to view your therapist just as an authority figure who knows the best for you, but they're also just a human being going through their own struggles and adversities and rock bottoms, just like you are. So that's the fun of the show is, to peek behind that curtain and realize like the person advising you may be a mess as well. - What's on your mind today? - Like I want to change, but I'm not particularly open to make those changes. I'm trying. - Every time I get rid of one compulsion, another compulsion comes up. - Are you yawning right now? - Spoiler alert: I feel like I'm stuck. - Right. How does that make you feel? - Do you think that now is a really relevant time to have a show where it talks about mental health, when the conversation is surrounding mental health. I think we're at this moment where, whether we realize it or not, we're all collectively grieving this idea that we've lost something we're not going to get back, whether it's an actual loved one, which is what's happening on the show, or just this time from the past few years like our normalcy. So, I think the show like kind of helps us all collectively work through this sense that something's gone really awry, and through comedy. That's the best way to do it. - Definitely. And Brett, we know and love you as Roy Kent from Ted Lasso. - It's true. - It's very much, thanks. - And now you're wearing the writer-executive-producer hat. Was it difficult to talk about such a heavy topic but, just as Jason said, put a little comedic flair to it? - Quite honestly, we've been asked a lot-- me and Bill Lawrence and Jason have been asked a lot about the tone of this show, and how do you balance the tragedy of it with the comedy and the laughs. And I sort of go, it's just basic life, isn't it? Like that's daily existence. - What was the hardest part, Jason, for you to film, and also Brett, for you to write. - The truth of making comedy for me is that it should always be based on honesty. That's what makes me laugh, more than high jinks. So, I think like trying to be really honest about some of the struggles expressed on the show. Harrison Ford's character has Parkinson's. My character is lost his wife. To examine the drama through really hard comedy is really hard, and also what makes stuff great. - And what was the scene that you found challenging as well? - This stuff that I love the most in the show, not that I have favorites, but is the parent child stuff, and the fact that he's kind of failed her as a dad for a year. And then, he's trying to reestablish himself as a dad. The kind of dynamic of how do you get that back after you've lost it, and she's been parenting him for a year. And you have a similar dynamic in a different way, but with Harrison and his daughter, Lily Rabe, and getting it right. So it really is emotionally satisfying without losing the funny. - What was it like when you found out that Harrison Ford was joining the cast? - A joke? It was like a joke for a long time, like obviously, not Harrison Ford. We'll ask Harrison Ford, but obviously, we're not getting Harrison Ford. We'll get someone like Harrison Ford. And then it was Harrison Ford. - Oh hey, Paul. - I'm worried about you, kid. - I'm in grieving here. - You've been numbing. - The craziest thing about Harrison Ford, who really could show up any way he wanted, could show up not caring, not knowing his lines. He was the most dedicated to making this thing great. I don't think he's had a chance to do comedy in the way he has in this show, and it was like exciting for him to play in that area and to show people how funny he is, because he's hilarious in the show. - His character is also dealing with his own struggles. He has Parkinson's disease, again, another heavy topic, but there's a comedic angle to that as well. - If you try to deal with drama through drama, it gets pretty heavy and uninteresting. But to deal with dramatic issues through comedy, that's how you process stuff. It's how you process stuff in life. You laugh with your loved ones, right? - And so, I think that that's like one of the great benefits of comedy, is it lowers the defenses, so that you can start really dealing with stuff. - So, explain this alternative approach that Jimmy ends up taking. At first, it's an accident, right? - Yeah, I mean essentially at first, it's a breakdown. It's a guy who is stuck in his own life, stuck in his own grief, who is face to face with a bunch of patients who are stuck in their cycle. And he makes them a reflection of himself and says, enough is enough, and tries to break that cycle and just starts telling his patients what to do. - Why was that important to show this alternative approach that he takes, and also, the hesitation from his coworkers. - I just think it's such an interesting world therapy. I mean, we're all big, big believers proponents of it, but there are boundaries, and they're there for a reason. And it's quite a fun, in terms of comedy and drama, to play with those limits. - Jessica Williams is hilarious. - Oh. - Amazing. - The best. - Amazing. - At one point, when she's talking about your alternative approach, and she's just changing the subject. - Stop. You're doing sad face. - This is just face. I have resting dead wife face. - That was hilarious. What was it like working with just such a powerful cast? - Well the cast is incredible. Jessica Williams, in particular, I'll speak to. It was really exciting every day, when I would show up and do scenes with her. And then the rest of the cast is like-- first of all, there's Harrison Ford, who you had no idea Harrison Ford was this funny. It's unbelievable. And then Lupita Maxwell, Luke Tennie, this entire cast are stellar. - Can you talk a little bit about Gabby's character as well? - What I think is amazing about Jessica, and all of them really, is you go, it's intimidating. You got Jason Segel and then Harrison Ford and I watched Jessica, and I was like, she's so funny and so lovable and brilliant and subtle, and she does a lot of great improv as well. - What do you guys hope that the audience takes away from this? - That you walk away from any of these things feeling hopeful and excited, like, oh, I'm part of a collective humanity that's trying to make it through a really confusing time. - What I like about this show is I think it does have really heavy, heavy stuff in it. It's got grief. It's got Parkinson's. It's got bad parenting. It's got so much. It's got divorce. It's got a lot of issues going on in it. But I do hope that, at the end, you feel better. You feel like, OK, well at least there's-- it's literally a journey from darkness to light. - That's kind of what therapy is about right, yeah? Addressing that. - Yeah. - Yeah. MONA KOSAR ABDI: Thank you guys so much for your time. JASON SEGEL: Hey, you nailed it. BRETT GOLDSTEIN: You were a great therapist. JASON SEGEL: Yeah! MONA KOSAR ABDI: Thank you. Thank you. Those two together are trouble and so much fun. Our thanks to Jason Siegel and Brett Goldstein for that. Shrinking is now available to watch on Apple TV+. - We are counting down to the Super Bowl Sunday, with a sneak peek inside Rihanna's highly anticipated halftime spectacular. ABC'S Kayna Whitworth spoke with the show's music director and has the latest. KAYNA WHITWORTH (VOICEOVER): It's one of the most coveted gigs in music. - Rihanna. KAYNA WHITWORTH (VOICEOVER): And this year, - RiRi, where have you been? KAYNA WHITWORTH (VOICEOVER): The original bad gal is using it to stage her return. [CALVIN HARRIS FT. RIHANNA, "THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR"] And everybody's watching her-- KAYNA WHITWORTH (VOICEOVER): And behind every mega Super Bowl performance is the creative genius who puts the show together, from the first note to the last. Along with Director Hamish Hamilton, producers Roc Nation and Jesse Collins team up with musical director Adam Blackstone, who's returning for the fourth time. - How do you start your process for the Super Bowl? - I ask the artist, what story do you want to tell? - So when you asked Rihanna, what story does she want to tell what did she say? - The story that she wants to tell is just let's be epic. Let's let this be a moment in time that people will never have had seen or heard before. We're forcing the concert in the middle of the biggest sporting event in the world. Just 13 minutes to span Rihanna's eight albums. - A gift and a curse. It's like, you have so many hits like, you almost-- where do we start? - And she's had some pretty good collabs along the way, too. - She's had some great collabs. Do you think we might see something like that in the show? - I cannot say. I think that you'll be in for a surprise. KAYNA WHITWORTH (VOICEOVER): Blackstone also performs with the band during the shows, giving us a sneak peek at rehearsals. - How do you manage the show, then, while you're playing? So, we have these talk back mics. So, a lot of the preparation, honestly, comes before. And so when we hit the stage, it's just like another day. MONA KOSAR ABDI (VOICEOVER): And coming up in the next hour, we're staying on top of a few things. Video shows the terrifying moments a boulder slams into a home. And Parisians take to the streets to protest an increase to the retirement age, but just how-- - I'm Mona Kosar Abdi. Thanks for streaming with us. We're monitoring several developments here at ABC News at this hour. A manhunt is underway for an Oregon man accused of torturing a woman. A week ago, police responded to an assault at a home and found the victim bound and beaten unconscious. Police say that the suspect, Benjamin Foster, had already left the home. The victim was taken to the hospital and is on life support. Investigators say he's actively using dating apps to find unsuspecting women, who can be lured into assisting him in evading police or, potentially, become new victims. - Take a look at this a dangerously close call. A boulder came crashing through a family's home in Honolulu. Several people were inside at the time, but miraculously, no one was hurt. Officials are trying to figure out where the boulder came from. An unusual call for a group of first responders. They came to the rescue of a 100-pound mastiff, who lost his footing on an incline near Austin, Texas, and couldn't climb back up. As you see, they used a stretcher to bring the dog to higher ground and reunite him with his owner. Now to the extreme weather across the nation. Some 35 million Americans impacted across 13 states by ice, snow, and sleet are creating dangerous conditions in the South, with hundreds of accidents reported on the highways, and thousands of flights canceled. As the Northeast braces for frigid weather, ABC'S Mireya Villarreal is in Dallas with this report. MIREYA VILLARREAL (VOICEOVER): Tonight, cars littering icy roadways from Texas to Tennessee as a deadly ice storm unfolds across the Southern plains, our Memphis affiliates dashcam capturing this pickup spinning out of control, slamming into another vehicle. Around Austin, dozens of crashes this morning, including a 10-car pileup, where one person was killed. Many roads in Texas will remain very dangerous for the next 24 to 48 hours. This after hundreds of crashes in the Dallas-Forth worth area Monday, drone video from just off I-30 in Arlington showing driver after driver losing control, sliding, and crashing. Tow truck drivers like Luis Estrada can barely keep up. - What's the worst that you've seen over the last 24 hours? - Just a bunch of trucks getting stuck on the high rise and just a lot of traffic. Just it's really crazy out there. - In Arkansas, west of Memphis, wrecks in icy conditions, stranding scores of trucks and cars for hours on Interstate 40. Back in Texas, Dallas area airports, crucial hubs for American and Southwest Airlines, paralyzed. Today, more than 1,900 flights canceled nationwide, and hundreds more tomorrow. - And Mireya joins us now Mireya what are the next steps for the people of Texas and these freezing temps? - Well, Mona, right over my right hand shoulder, this is I-20 here in South Dallas. We have seen a number of big rigs stalled out throughout the afternoon. Let me show you exactly what drivers are dealing with right here on the roadways. Sleet, falling all day long, creating this ice form on the roads, making it very difficult for people to drive. And we still have at least another 36 hours of this, because there is a Winter Storm Warning in effect until Thursday morning. Mona. - All right. Thank you, Mireya. - And now to where that bitter cold is headed next, ABC'S chief meteorologist Ginger Zee is timing it all out for us. Hey, Ginger. - Hey there, Mona. We do see this ice considerably falling through the next 36 hours in the Southern plains. So, I want to get to the timing of that, because it's deceiving for people. You see it raining and you say, OK, I can go out and drive, but that rain is hitting a sub-zero surface. And what happens is, it hits that surface, and it freezes on contact. So, it makes that glass-looking glaze that can be so dangerous. The timing is, tonight, West Tennessee's getting it. Little Rock will get some more. But by tomorrow, the second push of that cold air butting up against all that moisture, centers itself on Fort Worth down to Austin. Waco is included. College Station could pick up some of this. And you could also see sleet, which is more the pellet style. We always say, sleet has a beat. That can also be dangerous, but not as bad as that freezing drizzle or rain. Timing-wise, Little Rock to Memphis still gets another round tomorrow night through Thursday morning, and then it moves east through Nashville, up to a 1/4" inch even there. Now I want to also share, because you mentioned the serious cold, and we're saying serious, because in many parts of New England, you could end up with some of the coldest wind chills in at least five years. But caribou Maine, if they dip below 50 below with a wind chill, which they are forecast to, that would be the coldest wind chill since 1988. Mona. - We are bracing ourselves. Ginger, thank you. - Now to the latest from Memphis, where ABC News has obtained the initial law enforcement report on the traffic stop that led to the death of Tyre Nichols. And that report contradicts what the video has revealed, claiming that Nichols started to fight with detectives and grabbed for an officer's gun. But the report failed to mention the brutal beating Nichols faced at the hands of those officers. Here's ABC'S Stephanie Ramos, who's in Memphis. STEPHANIE RAMOS (VOICEOVER): Tonight, ABC News obtaining the initial incident report of Tyre Nichols' fatal encounter with police, which paints a vastly different picture from what videos have revealed actually happened that night. - Give us your hands! STEPHANIE RAMOS (VOICEOVER): Nichols seen yanked out of his vehicle and restrained by officers. - Turn your ass around! - All right, all right, all right. - The initial law enforcement report claims Nichols was irate and sweating and had started to fight with detectives, after being pulled over for driving recklessly at a high rate of speed. Memphis officials say they haven't been able to verify that allegation. - We haven't been able to substantiate in any type of video that there was a reckless driving type of action that prompted this stop. - The report also claims Nichols grabbed for Detective Martin's gun at that first stop, which is never seen, before breaking free and running towards his mother's house, moments later, police finding him again. The report does not mention police kicking and punching Nichols, captured on several cameras, instead saying only one of the officers deployed his baton, while giving verbal commands to stop resisting, striking him several times in the right arm. ABC News finding Nichols appears to be struck with a baton at least three times in the chest and punched in the head at least five times. Video also showing officers spraying Nichols at least twice in the face. The report later claims they were able to get Tyree Nichols into custody after several verbal commands. But the body camera video shows Nichols slumped on a car, injured as officers stand by. 24 minutes passing before anyone appears to render any aid. Five Memphis Police officers and three Memphis Fire Department personnel fired over the incident, while four other law enforcement officers were placed on leave, pending investigation. - And with that, let's bring in Stephanie Ramos, who joins us now from Memphis. Stephanie, have law enforcement officials responded yet to those discrepancies that are seen in this report, compared to what we've all seen in those videos? - Mona, so far, no response from the Memphis Police Department, But what we do know is that two of the charged officers intend to plead not guilty. Now the funeral for Tyre Nichols will be held right here at this church tomorrow morning. Vice President Kamala Harris, George Floyd's brother, and Breonna Taylor's mother plan to attend. Mona. - Stephanie Ramos, thank you Formal involuntary manslaughter charges have been filed against actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hanna Gutierrez-Reed in the death of the cinematographer on the set of the movie Rust. Prosecutors say their actions on set were reckless and negligent. Our Mola Lenghi joins us now with more. MONA LENGHI (VOICEOVER): Tonight, Alec Baldwin formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust. - I was holding the gun, yeah. - Baldwin and the film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed both charged with two counts of felony manslaughter for the October 2021 shooting. In new court documents, prosecutors calling both of their actions reckless and negligent, claiming Baldwin did not receive enough firearms training, and Gutierrez-Reed was not qualified to accept the job as armorer. In the little training Baldwin did receive, Gutierrez-Reed claiming he was distracted on his cell phone, according to court documents. Prosecutors say photos and videos clearly show Baldwin had his finger on the trigger. The FBI concluding the trigger had to have been pulled. - Mola Lenghi is now with us. Mola, have we heard from Baldwin's attorney given these new developments? - Well, we heard from Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, who said that they will fight these charges, and that they expect that a jury will ultimately find her not guilty. No new statement from Baldwin tonight, but his attorney reiterating a previous statement, saying Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun or anywhere on the movie set. Now, if convicted, Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin face up to five years in prison. - All right, Mola Lenghi, thank you. - Critical testimony today in the trial of Alex Murdaugh, who's accused of murdering his wife and son. The defense team played a video over and over in court today, showing Murdaugh being interviewed by investigators. ABC'S Eva Pilgrim has more on what the defense believes that footage could prove - You also testified-- EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): A standoff in the courtroom today over whether Alex Murdaugh incriminated himself in the murder of his son during an interview with police. - You sat on the stand and heard that, right? - Yes, sir, I did. EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): The defense grilling a state investigator over how he heard Murdaugh describe Paul's death days after the murders. - "This is so bad. I did him so bad." - "It was so bad. I did him so bad." That's what you testified to yesterday. - Yes, sir, that is what I testify to. - Now, are you 100% confident that Alex said, "I did him so bad," rather than, "they did him so bad"? - I'm 100% confident in what I heard and I interpreted him as saying. EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): That investigator saying he made a mental note, but did not have the evidence against Murdaugh at the time to take it further, but the defense pressing him on why he didn't ask Murdaugh to clarify what he meant. - You never followed up with it, did you? EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): Murdaugh's team playing the clip again. - "It was just so bad. I did him so bad." EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): Then, at slow speed. - "I did it so bad." EVA PILGRIM (VOICEOVER): But that investigator sticking to his interpretation. - Did you hear "they" then? - No, sir, I did not. - Our thanks to Eva. Now to former President Trump, and tonight for the first time, we are seeing the video of Trump answering questions under oath in the case against his business in New York. Trump has been a longtime critic of those who take the Fifth Amendment, but in his own case, he pleaded the fifth more than 400 times. Here's ABC'S senior investigative reporter Aaron Katersky. - I do. AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): Tonight in a newly released deposition tape, we see former President Trump again and again invoking the Fifth Amendment. - I decline to answer the question. AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): Declining to answer questions more than 400 times while under oath. - The same answer. Same answer. The same answer. - You're currently the President of the Trump Organization, is that correct? - Same answer. - Trump once said, taking the Fifth was for gangsters and the guilty. - You see the mob takes the Fifth. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment? AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): But during an August deposition as part of New York State's civil fraud investigation, Trump said he had no choice. - Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool. AARON KATERSKY (VOICEOVER): New York Attorney General Letitia James has accused Trump, his eldest children, and his company of numerous acts of fraud, including grossly inflating Trump's net worth. While he answered none of her questions, he came eager to air his grievances. - I cannot permit a renegade and out-of-control prosecutor to use this investigation as a means of advancing her political career. - Our thanks to Aaron Katersky. And there are new reports tonight that the FBI searched President Biden's office at the Penn Biden Center in mid-November after lawyers found classified documents there earlier that month. It is just the latest revelation to surface months later, despite the administration's claim of transparency. Here's ABC senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce. MARY BRUCE (VOICEOVER): Tonight, sources tell ABC News the FBI searched President Biden's former private office back in November, after Biden's lawyers discovered classified documents there earlier? that month. No word on whether agents found any new material. The President didn't mention any FBI search when the documents story broke three weeks ago. - I've turned over the boxes. They've turned over the boxes to the Archives. And we're cooperating fully. MARY BRUCE (VOICEOVER): The White House alerted the FBI when the president's lawyers later found more classified material in his Wilmington home. Federal agents found still more when they searched the residence earlier this month. The administration insists they have cooperated fully with the investigation, but they're now facing questions about why they haven't been more forthcoming with the American people. - We've been fully transparent and cooperative from the beginning. Thanks very much. - Why the trickle of information? - Our thanks to Mary Bruce at the White House. As embattled Congressman George Santos faces an ethics investigation and a campaign finance probe, he is temporarily stepping aside from his committee assignments. This comes after weeks of defiance from the newly elected congressman from New York, as he admitted to falsifying parts of his resume. ABC'S senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott has the very latest. RACHEL SCOTT (VOICEOVER): After weeks of defiance, today, a concession from Congressman George Santos. He will temporarily step down from his two congressional committees. - Did McCarthy tell you to step away from the committees or did you make this decision on your own? - Nobody tells me to do anything I made a decision on my own. RACHEL SCOTT (VOICEOVER): The Speaker insists the move is only temporary. - I met with George Santos yesterday, and I think it was an appropriate decision that, until he can clear everything up, he's off the committees right now. RACHEL SCOTT (VOICEOVER): With Republicans razor-thin majority, McCarthy cannot afford to lose any votes. He has held off on criticizing Santos, even as his lies pile up. The congressman said he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup; he didn't. That he graduated from college, not true. That his grandparents survived the Holocaust and his mother was in the 9/11 attacks, No and no. - I thoroughly apologize for lying about my education and embellishing the resume. I've made that very, very clear. I've said I was sorry many times. I've behaved as if I'm sorry. I am sorry. I'm deeply sorry. RACHEL SCOTT (VOICEOVER): Santos says he will now focus on his constituents, but we went by his New York office, and his name isn't even on the door. It still had the congressman he replaced. A new poll shows his constituents, including 71% of Republicans, want him to resign. - If I can go back and change my vote, I probably would. - Today, Santos tried to argue, George Santos the candidate is different from George Santos the congressman. - I don't think lying is excusable, ever, period. Right? There's no circumstance, especially if you're legislating for the American people right now. So what I might have done during the campaign does not reflect what is being done in the office. - Our thanks to Rachel Scott. - She was best known for her role as Shirley in the hit sitcom Laverne and Shirley, but she was more than a comedic actress, and her life and career touched many. World News Tonight anchor David Muir has a look at the tributes pouring in. - 7,8! Schlemeil! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated! DAVID MUIR (VOICEOVER): They were the roommates, who worked at a Milwaukee beer bottling plant, making millions laugh. - It's dynamite! - That good, huh? DAVID MUIR (VOICEOVER): Laverne and Shirley, their characters household names. - Don't start with me now. DAVID MUIR (VOICEOVER): Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio, Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney. - Have a good time, a few laughs, and a little vody-oh-doe-doe. - I don't vody-oh-doe-doe. - But even before that, Cindy Williams in dramatic roles, opposite Ron Howard in George Lucas's American Graffiti. - I asked you out. DAVID MUIR (VOICEOVER): Actor Ron Howard, tweeting after news of Williams passing, "lucky me." She was also in Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation. But it was her guest star role on Happy Days - Nice to meet you, Richie. - My pleasure. DAVID MUIR (VOICEOVER): That would launch that show Laverne and Shirley in 1976. - What do you suggest I do? Flap my arms real hard and head toward the window? - Well, just try to get to the door. - By its third season, Laverne and Shirley was the most watched show in America. - Mr. Pumpkin. She had a cough drop stuck. - Cause he's got, what Laverne? High hopes. - Louder. - High hopes. - That's right. DAVID MUIR (VOICEOVER): Tonight here, Cindy Williams in her own words on her lifelong friendship with Penny Marshall. - She's just an all-time great friend without getting too sentimental. She's like a witness to my life. Sometimes, I don't want her to be. - He's got high-apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes. So any time you gettin' low, 'stead of gettin' low - Our thanks to David Muir for that beautiful tribute. And still to come, one of the Duggar siblings speaks to ABC News about becoming free indeed after childhood fame. And the group of second graders who rallied around their classmate to celebrate her new life. - We're tracking several headlines around the world. Massive protests in France. The government says more than a million people across the country took part in demonstrations once again, protesting plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Dozens were arrested when some marchers clashed with riot police in Paris. The protests are a crucial test for President Macron, who campaigned on reforming the state pension system. - Huge crowds cheered for Pope Francis, as he traveled through the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first Pope to make a stop there since 1985. Tomorrow, he'll meet with the victims of violence from the eastern part of the country, which has been afflicted by reoccurring fighting between the government and a rebel group. The Pope was supposed to visit last year, but health issues delayed the trip. - Britain is the only group of seven nation to have its 2023 economic growth outlook cut in a forecast by the International Monetary Fund. The economy is now expected to shrink by 0.6%, this year, a sharp downgrade from the previously expected growth of 0.3% that the IMF forecasted in October. All other G7 nations are predicted to grow this year. - Ginger Duggar-Vuolo rose to Fame with her parents and siblings on TLC's reality series 19 Kids and Counting. Now she's sharing her decision to pull away from her strict upbringing in her new book Becoming Free Indeed. She sat down with ABC'S Juju Chang to discuss it. - We're the Duggars. JUJU CHANG (VOICEOVER): For the millions of fans of 19 Kids and Counting, Ginger Duggar's life seemed idyllic as the dutiful fourth daughter in a pious household. But now the married mom of two rejecting what she says was oppressive rules that dictated her childhood. - There was a lot of fear, rules and regulations. Women weren't allowed to work outside the house, no loans, no pants, no rock and roll. - Yeah. JUJU CHANG (VOICEOVER): Vuolo writing Becoming Free Indeed, My Story Of Disentangling Faith from Fear, about her departure from the strict Christian teachings that she says caused her to suffer from perfectionism, eating disorders, and panic attacks. - I would say, it has a lot of characteristics of-- some people would say it's a cult, right? But I can't say, because I'm not an expert on that. But I would say it has a lot of similarities, because it's so hard to leave. - The Duggar family devoted followers of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, founded by Minister Bill Gothard, Vuolo now renouncing his philosophies. I thought it was all true, all these teachings from this man I had followed. It was a teacher that I grew up thinking was teaching me the Bible, and I thought that his words were the words of God, and, it wasn't until I got older, I stopped and started to examine his teachings. - You refer to him almost as a false prophet. - Yeah, I would say so. He's definitely a false prophet, false teacher. Initially, he comes on the scene with the answers to life's biggest problems. - Gothard resigned in 2014 after sexual harassment allegations made against him by young women followers. - What was your emotional reaction to those accusations. - Oh, my heart was just broken. - Gothard, who was never charged with a crime, calling the accusations false, telling ABC News the thought of harassing someone is totally foreign to my nature. It would never have happened. - You also point out that this hypocrisy mirrors the hypocrisy of your own brother, who committed his own set of unspeakable sins and crimes. - Sorry, I just, it's hard to talk about. I know that that's a whole other thing. It's just it is difficult to talk about, but yeah, I talk a little bit about that in the book. And how my heart just breaks for the victims, and their families, and also, just for all the trail of pain that's been left behind. - Her oldest brother Josh Duggar now serving 12 years for possession of child pornography. - When the sentencing came down, you spoke up and condemned your brother's behavior by calling it a horrific evil. Have you talked to him since he was incarcerated? - No, I haven't. No, I haven't spoken to him. I think the best thing I can do is just pray for him. - And our thanks to Juju Chang for that story. And still to come, the second grade class that showed up to court to support their friend. - Tonight, a little girl in Morgan County, Georgia has a new family. And when they made it official, her entire second grade class was there to support her. Reporter Georgia Clark from our partner station WAAY has her story in our Local Lowdown. GEORGIA CLARK (VOICEOVER): Melanie Brown and her husband began fostering in 2015 and have had 37 children come through their home. After today, they are a house of 12 with their newest addition Jasmine, who came into their lives in February as a temporary placement. But during her stay Jasmine became available for adoption, and Brown says she was meant to be a part of their family. - I had to pray about it and think about it, and we realized that it was just God's plan that had unfolded right before us that know it was that she became adoptable when she was with us. So, that's when we decided that, you know, that we would keep her. GEORGIA CLARK (VOICEOVER): The Browns are Jasmine's seventh home after her three years in foster care, and Brown says Jasmine is happy to be settled. - She is so excited. When we sat her down and asked her, did she know what it meant to be adopted, she said it means I'd never have to leave this house. GEORGIA CLARK (VOICEOVER): Today, her classmates came dressed and ready for Jasmine Day, forming the village Brown says keeps their family going. - There's so many people that just support us, and they say they never could do what we do, but they are helping us along the way. So, it is truly a village. It is truly a village indeed. Our thanks to Georgia Clark there. And that is our show for tonight. Stay tuned to ABC News Live for more context and analysis of the day's top stories. I'm Mona Kosar Abdi. Thank you for streaming with us.