a long track tornado cutting through neighborhoods just north of nashville. southern kentucky not spared either. more than 28 reported tornadoes spotted across the south. major cities in the northeast are now bracing for as much as six inches of rain and powerful wind gusts. that threat is expected to last through the night and into the monday morning commute. our team is on the ground in tennessee. and the latest on where that sprawling system is heading next. overseas in the war between israel and hamas, the new warning from qatar that the opportunity for a truce is narrowing as the idf intensifies its campaign, saying it struck 250 targets just in the past few days. the world health organization sounding the alarm with the health system on the verge of collapse. large crowds gathering desperate for food. our team is on the ground where families are fighting to stay warm and stay alive. james longman reports from israel. the woman challenging donald trump for the republican nomination, my one-on-one with former u.n. ambassador nikki haley. what she thinks should happen in gaza and why she says trump should not be president. on the campaign trail, a former president doubles down, repeating his controversial remarks on what he would do on day one of a second term and what president biden had to say at a closed door fund-raiser. mounting pressure on campus one day after the resignation of university of pennsylvania president and head of the board of trustees. why other ivy league presidents are under intense scrutiny with their jobs on the line. police in texas arrest the suspect in the murder of a high school cheerleader as her mother begs for justice. what we're learning tonight. months after his heart stopped in practice, bronny james is back in uniform and back on the court. his proud dad front and center. and america strong tonight, with hot chocolate and warm wishes, the sisters from chicago, their special holiday tradition spreading the joy of the season for a great cause. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >> linsey: good evening, everyone. thanks so much for joining us on this sunday. i'm linsey davis. as we come on the air tonight, more than 50 million people in the northeast are under a flood watch from virginia to maine. but we begin with that deadly tornado outbreak in the south. at least six people are dead in central tennessee. including a 2-year-old little boy. this fireball erupting as the twister battered madison, a state of emergency declared across all of tennessee. crews are searching for homes for those trapped and injured. the trail of destruction is visible for miles. homes and businesses destroyed, reduced to rubble within seconds. these devastated communities are now struggling to piece their lives together, facing a grim holiday season. one of the tornadoes knocking out power to tens of thousands and in some areas those outages could last for days. the same storm system spawning at least 28 tornado reports in just two days. abc's melissa adan leads us off tonight from tennessee. >> reporter: tonight, deadly tornadoes and severe storms leaving a trail of destruction across the southern u.s. at least six killed including a 2-year-old boy and dozens more injured. after an outbreak of over 25 reported tornadoes across the region. this tornado blowing through northern nashville, damaging electrical equipment, igniting a massive explosion. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: officials say three people in that same neighborhood were killed, including that 2-year-old and his mother, after the winds blew one of these mobile homes onto the other, leaving nothing but mangled wreckage. the tornado's path coming through this street, taking down power lines, leaving debris everywhere. attendees of a nearby church banquet racing to take shelter inside. the church now severely damaged. the pastor there says none of the roughly 40 people inside were hurt. >> got to say good morning to our loved ones again. we all walked out alive. >> reporter: authorities today warning damage from the storm still poses a threat. >> there's still a significant risk of debris and unstable structure areas. it is critical that you exercise extreme caution when you navigate through affected areas. >> reporter: tonight, more than 50 million americans under flood threat with the deadly system sweeping east, bringing torrential rains and damaging winds from northern florida to new england. here in tennessee, a state of emergency remains, linsey, and tonight, we're also learning that there were hundreds of buildings destroyed. the vast majority of them homes or apartments. linsey. >> heartbreaking any time, but especially in the midst of the holidays. melissa, thank you. >> linsey: millions in the northeast are bracing for potential flooding and a dangerous commute on monday morning. let's go straight to meteorologist lee goldberg lee, what can we expect tonight? >> reporter: linsey, this is a full spectrum storm. everything from severe weather to snow. the hudson behind me calm now, will be probably white caps in just a few hours as we get into the brunt of the storm. on radar, rain up and down the coast with severe weather in the carolinas early. now we're focused on the northeast. look at the flood alerts from baltimore to bangor, maine. high wind alerts along the coast, and inland, we could get up to a foot of snow in upstate new york and northern new england. the timing. new york city, get ready at 10:00, very heavy rain and gusty winds. over the overnight, a fire hose is going to set up from long island, connecticut, rhode island, and central mass. half a foot of rain. and boston, this is your morning commute. very heavy rainfall and gusty winds. could gust to 60. cape cod up to the maine coast, and look at the inland snow, and finally, it begins to pull out. allow for a lot of delay in the morning hours. have your mobile alerts on overnight and pack your patience in the morning. a quiet stretch will follow. linsey. a real mixed bag there, lee. thank you. >> linsey: now to the israel/hamas war. qatar is warning the window for a cease-fire is narrowing and the world health organization cautions gaza's health care system is collapsing. displaced people desperate for food, water, and sanitation. diseases are said to be running rampant. abc's james longman reports from israel. >> reporter: ongoing bombardment in gaza is narrowing the window for a truce. that's qatar's warning tonight as they urge the u.s. to play a broader role in pressuring israel and agreeing to a cease-fire. it was the qatar brokered truce that secured the release of 110 hostages. 137 remain. over the weekend, israel says it struck more than 250 targets in gaza, forces deepening the ground fight in khan younis, claiming to have found ak-47s and grenades ready for combat. this is a war being fought in and around people's homes. abc news producer is there. >> you're hearing in the background the exchanging of fire. the ground invasion continues for the five days, and there is heavy machine gun used. >> reporter: thousands of civilians caught in the cross fire. more than 18,000 now dead, according to the hamas run health ministry, and the humanitarian crisis worsening. crowds forming at food distribution sites. the world health organization warning that gaza's health system is collapsing. >> the impact of the conflict on health is catastrophic. >> reporter: overcrowding in the shelters could lead to the spread of disease. the idf says they're doing what they can to protect civilians but new videos drawing criticism. we have seen videos out of gaza showing idf soldiers in gift shops smashing toys and other video i saw of two idf soldiers burning material that was going to be handed out, humanitarian goods, water. what goes through your mind when you see videos like that? >> they're unacceptable. they're fringe events that need to be dealt with. and we are dealing with them, with disciplinary measures. >> reporter: tonight, abc news has been given special access to the idf base, where victims of the sexual violence during the october 7th attacks were identified. we're more than 60 days since these attacks and yet there are teams here still going through identification processes. i mean, that speaks to the level of violence. >> 100%. it's very difficult to identify bodies that have been obliterated. they came to us with eyes open, with their mouths in grimaces. with their hands clenched. these women died in agony. i know that and our teams, we saw that. >> just horrific details there. james longman joins us now. james, the war has of course raised tensions across the region, and israel now claiming after it defeats hamas, it may turn to a wider fight against hezbollah? >> reporter: yeah, linsey. just today, israel carried out a series of strikes in southern lebanon, and israel's national security adviser has said if hezbollah remains a threat, they could turn their attention more fully onto lebanon once the war in gaza is over. linsey. >> all right, james, thank you. >> linsey: back here at home, one-on-one with republican presidential candidate nikki haley who is surging in the polls, and now a frequent target of her gop rivals. i got a chance to sit down with the former u.s. ambassador on the campaign trail in iowa, where we discussed several issues including the war between israel and hamas and former president donald trump. >> as you know, the u.s. recently vetoed a u.n. security council vote calling for a cease-fire. groups like doctors without borders have said that that was a vote against humanity. i know that you have said no pause, no cease-fire, to date we're talking about 17,000 palestinians who have died, 7,000 of them children. my question to you is how does this end and at what cost? >> look, we care about the people in gaza. especially the civilians. we know hamas is there. we want to get as many people out safe. we have our hostages there, but the reality is the best way to help the people in gaza is to eliminate hamas. that's who's been controlling their situation for so long. that's who uses them as human shields. and so what we know is any time they have given a cease-fire to hamas, people die. they kill israeli soldiers. they kidnap israeli soldiers. we see what happens. american and israel value human life. that's what makes us a civilized country. hamas does not value human life. >> ambassador, certainly a big surge in the polls lately. want to start where the last debate left off, where one question went unanswered as far as is donald trump fit to be president. chris christie said he's unfit. i want to put that directly to you in a yes or no. >> it's not about fitness. i think he's fit to be president. it's should he be president. i don't think he should be president. i thought he was the right president at the right time. i agreed with a lot of his policies. the problem is, you see our country is in disarray, our world is on fire. and you can't defeat democrat chaos with republican chaos. and donald trump brings us chaos. >> we'll have more on this wide-ranging interview tomorrow night at 7:00 on abc news live prime. >> linsey: more now on the race for the white house. former president donald trump doubling down and defending comments he would be a dictator but only on day one if re-elected. maryalice parks has more from washington. >> reporter: tonight, donald trump indicted for illegally trying to stay in power after the 2020 election, joking again about saying he wanted to be a dictator for a day. >> and you know why i wanted to be a dictator? because i want a wall, right? i want a wall. and i want to drill, drill, drill. >> reporter: trump campaigning at a new york fund-raiser saturday night sing he hopes to exact revenge on democrats he thinks wronged him. >> i only can say to joe, be very careful what you wish for, because what you have done is a terrible thing. >> reporter: president biden this weekend campaigning behind closed doors in los angeles, telling donors, quote, the greatest threat trump poses is to the democracy. biden's son this week facing new tax charges that could end up being a headache for his father's campaign if court dates coincide with the election. hunter biden's attorney saying it's all overblown, and he paid his taxes back. according to a new "wall street journal" poll, trump leads biden 47/43 in a hypothetical matchup. and late today, trump abruptly cancelled his plans to testify in his own defense in that civil fraud trial about his business assets. he said on social media he has nothing more to say. he said he stands behind the expert witnesses his team has brought, and he said once again he thinks the case against him is biased. >> all right, maryalice, thank you. now to college presidents under fire after testifying before congress, accused of dodging questions about anti-semitism. the university of pennsylvania president resigned saturday. let's bring in reena roy. how much pressure are other university presidents facing to follow her example and step down? >> reporter: linsey, absolutely, the presidents of m.i.t. and harvard also facing growing pressure to step down after their testimonies. today, officials at harvard gathering for a regularly scheduled meeting, just days after that fiery hearing on capitol hill. it's unclear what exactly happened at that meeting, but harvard president claudine gay has apologized for what she said. she's accused of failing to condemn anti-semitism on campus in her testimony. there has been no public statement from the harvard corporation. that's quite different from what we have seen at m.i.t. the president there seeing a show of support from colleagues, even as more than 70 members of congress have called on all three presidents to be fired. linsey. >> all right, thank you. >> linsey: now to the arrest of a man suspected of capital murder in a shocking death of a high school cheerleader in texas. on tuesday, the mother of the 16-year-old lizbeth medina discovered her body in the bathtub of their home. here's abc's jaclyn lee. >> reporter: tonight, the man police believed killed 16-year-old cheer leader lizbeth medina inside her home in texas is on in custody on suspicion of capital murder. police arresting 23-year-old rafael govea romero who they say is undocumented, saturday night about 100 miles west of houston. hours earlier, police releasing surveillance photos of a man wearing a black sweatshirt seen driving a silver ford taurus. >> she was my motivation to keep pushing. >> reporter: the community uniting with candles and balloons to honor lizbeth at a vigil. >> 16-year-old female not conscious. >> reporter: her mother discovering her daughter in a bathtub just before 7:00 tuesday night, after the high schooler did not show up to a christmas parade with her cheer squad. >> my daughter was found in a way that no mother should ever find their child. >> reporter: linsey, police have not clarified if medina and romero knew each other prior or if this was a random incident. linsey. >> so tragic. jacyln, thank you. turning now to a major sports headline. bronny james back on the court after a terrifying health scare. the son of nba legend lebron james making his college game debut five months after suffering a cardiac arrest during a workout. here's abc's morgan norwood. >> reporter: tonight, before a sold-out crowd, all eyes on number 6, bronny james. the eldest son of nba superstar lebron james making his highly anticipated college basketball debut. just five months after a sudden cardiac arrest. >> you see the athleticism of bronny james. kind of like his dad. >> reporter: lebron james arriving at usc's arena. there to witness it all, as promised. in july, bronny james suffered a stunning cardiac arrest that in the moment raised concern about the future of his promising basketball career. doctors later finding a congenital heart defect. the 19-year-old undergoing surgery in october. bronny james could only play a limited number of minutes in the game, but playing at all just five months after his heart stopped, experts say, points to a remarkable recovery. linsey, tickets for usc's matchup against long beach sold out nearly two days before tonight's game, and on the reseller marketplace, going for as much as $17,000. i mean, at 19 years old, bronny james selling out arenas just like dad. linsey. >> just incredible. like father like son, morgan, thank you. >> linsey: there's still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this sunday. president zelenskyy prepares for an in-person appeal for aid from washington. and a massive fire threatening entire neighborhoods. what we're learning. when you have chronic kidney disease... ...there are places you'd like to be. like here. and here. not so much here. farxiga reduces the risk of kidney failure which can lead to dialysis. ♪far-xi-ga♪ farxiga can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, an allergic reaction, or ketoacidosis. when you have chronic kidney disease, it's time to ask your doctor for farxiga. because there are places you want to be. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. ♪far-xi-ga♪ my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. there are some things that go better... together. burger and fries... soup and salad. thank you! like your workplace benefits and retirement savings. with voya, considering all your financial choices together... can help you make smarter decisions. for a more confident financial future. hey, a tandem bicycle. you can't do that by yourself. voya. well planned. well invested. well protected. >> linsey: next tonight, news just coming in, ukraine's president zelenskyy is heading to washington on tuesday. he'll be lobbying the white house and congress for more assistance in ukraine's war with russia. the visit comes as an aid package remains stalled in congress. zelenskyy is expected to meet president biden and house and senate leaders. >> reporter: hundreds of people in chile forced to evacuate their homes. these terrifying images show fast-moving brushfires carving a path of destruction through entire neighborhoods. the forest service issued a red alert, the highest for several areas. more than 150 firefighters and 30 trucks were sent in to battle the blazes which broke out this weekend. when we come back, king james and the lakers bring home another trophy, and what lebron had to say after the big win. (man) what if my type 2 diabetes takes over? what if all i do isn't enough? or what if i can do diabetes differently? (vo) now you can with once-weekly mounjaro. mounjaro helps your body... ...regulate blood sugar... ...and mounjaro... ...can help decrease how much food you eat. 3 out of 4 people reached an a1c of less than 7%. plus people taking mounjaro... ...lost up to 25 pounds. mounjaro is not... ...for people with type 1 diabetes or children. don't take mounjaro if you're allergic to it,... ...you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer,... ...or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop mounjaro and call your doctor right away... ...if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain,... ...vision changes, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis and gallbladder problems. taking mounjaro... ...with sulfonylurea or insulin... ...raises low blood sugar risk. tell your doctor if you're nursing, pregnant,... ...or plan to be. side effects include nausea,... ...vomiting, and diarrhea,... ...which can cause dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. (man) i can do diabetes differently with mounjaro. (vo) ask your doctor about once-weekly mounjaro. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now, get max strength topical pain relief precisely where you need it. with new tylenol precise. ♪ whoa! the new iphone 15. with that amazing camera. i wish my family had them. zoe! you're an action star... take action! join t-mobile and get four new iphone 15 on them, and four lines for $25 bucks a line. with that camera, i'll be sharing pics from the slopes. you do not want to see yourself skiing! hey, i'm good at skiing?... your stuntwoman is. this holiday at t-mobile get four new iphone 15 on us, and four lines of unlimited for $25 bucks a line. what do you think of the jacket? you look like a marshmallow. she found it. the feeling of finding the psoriasis treatment she's been looking for. sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding your back... is back. or finding psoriasis can't deny the splendor of these thighs. once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. so clearly you. sotyktu. >> linsey: to the index now. an investigation is under way in philadelphia after a shootout overnight between a suspect and police officers. dozens of rounds were fired, two officers and a suspect were wounded and rushed to a local hospital. the city's police chief said it's a miracle that both officers survived. one, a six-year veteran, had previously been shot in the line of duty. the nba season is far from over, but the l.a. lakers can already call themselves champions. the team taking home the first in-season tournament trophy with a win over the indiana pacers. when asked how does he feel about winning it all, lebron james said records will be broken but one thing that will never be broken is to be the first to do something. >> linsey: and when we come back, the family holiday tradition started in a garage but just keeps on growing. it's our america strong. (vo) you weren't made for moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. but #1 prescribed entyvio is. it's the most prescribed biologic for crohn's and uc. in clinical trials, entyvio helped many people achieve long-term relief and remission. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. although unlikely, a risk of pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection cannot be ruled out. tell your doctor if you have an infection, experience frequent infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. liver problems can occur. ask your healthcare provider about entyvio, the treatment prescribed to more people with crohn's and uc than any other biologic. ♪entyvio, entyvio, entyvio♪ [sneeze] dude you coming? ♪ alka-seltzer plus powermax gels cold & flu relief with more concentrated power because the only thing dripping should be your style. plop plop fizz fizz winter warriors with alka-seltzer plus. i'm andrea, and this is why i switched to shopify. it gave me so much peace of mind. if we make a change, my site's not going to go down. and just knowing that i have a platform that we can rely on, that is gold to us. start your free trial today. after advil. feeling better? on top of the worlddddd!!! before advil. advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. when pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liqui-gels. - hi, i'm steve. - i'm lea. and we live in north pole, alaska. - as i got older, my hearing was not so good so i got hearing aids. my vision was not as good as it used to be, got a change in prescription. but the thing missing was my memory. i saw a prevagen commercial and i thought, "that makes sense." - i observed the changes in steve's memory and i thought i should try that too. - after taking prevage, i just didn't have to work so hard to remember things. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. ma, ma, ma— ( clears throat ) for fast sore throat relief, try vicks vapocool drops. with two times more menthol per drop, and powerful vicks vapors to vaporize sore throat pain. vicks vapocool drops. vaporize sore throat pain. lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. delicious too. just ask my old friend, kevin. nothing like enjoying a cold one while watching the game. who's winning? we are, my friend. we are. please be a phone, please be a phone. is it a phone? oh, it smells like a cat nip toy from chewy. that's not a phone. get up to 40% off gifts that bring the most joy at chewy. this is better than toilet paper get great deals on gifts that deliver excitement, at chewy. >> linsey: finally tonight, two sisters and their decades-long mission to spread some holiday joy. mara come kyla winfrey know a lot about sharing the spirit of christmas. after all, they have been doing it for 20 years since they were just 2 and 4 years old. with hot chocolate and warm wishes, their tradition lives on, selling hot cocoa out of their family's garage in homewood, illinois. >> our neighbors kind of expect it now, oh, yeah, what day is it, they start asking us in october. >> linsey: all the money they raise goes to the marine corps's toys for tots. their hot chocolate stand raised $50 the first year and it's been growing ever since. last year, they raked in a cool $11,000. >> we kind of have been blown away with what people have offered. >> linsey: the stand is a true family effort. that's their mom maureen using two large pots to serve up her secret hot chocolate recipe. >> stirring is important. have to add the vanilla at the end. >> linsey: meanwhile, their dad dave is considered the worker bee, helping out wherever he's needed. >> very proud of them. it's their way of giving back and paying it forward. >> linsey: soon after the donations are in, mara and kayla go shopping, selecting a wide range of toys for children in need before handing them all off to the marines for distribution. >> i don't think we would have ever expected at 4 and 2 it would grow to this point. >> it's turned into a great tradition not only for our family but for our community. >> linsey: warms the tummy and heart. thanks for watching. i'm linsey davis. see you on "gma." have a great night. that has all the happy you never knew could exist. so you're a new kind of happiest, every time you visit. only at the disneyland resort. now, kids 3-9 can visit a disneyland resort® theme park with a limited-time kids' special ticket offer. disneyland resort® theme park announcer: san francisco has overcome earthquakes, social unrest, economic booms and busts. it's the home of icons, innovation and hope. but today it faces a critical turning point across the country and the world, an image tarnished. they are calling it now the san francisco doom loop.