Transcripts For KGO ABC World News 20160214

And good evening. Thank you for joining us on this saturday. Im tom llamas. And lets get right to that breaking news. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has died. He passed away in his sleep while on a hunting trip in texas. Justice scalia was the longestserving justice on the high court. An imposing conservative force, win or lose. Chief Justice John Roberts calling scalia, quote, an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues. President obama offering condolences to Justice Scalias family. We begin with abcs martha raddatz. Reporter Antonin Scalia was appointed to the high court by Ronald Reagan in 1986, a lifelong paradigm of conservative. He was famous for his blunt dissents. Thatter arned him a reputation being combative, though many that knew him personally said he was both charming and funny. One of his closest friends on the court, liberal Justice Ruth Bader against werg. And striking down a prohibition on hate speech. Contrarily, he worked to limit the right to abortion and was unapologetic about his role in bush v gore, the ruling that handed the 2000 election to george w. Bush. Just last year, scalia made headlines, voicing his dissent of the 63 decision to uphold a key component of the Affordable Care act, or obamacare, calling it, interpretive jiggery pokery, in which words no longer have meaning. Saying the law should now be called scotuscare. One day later when the High Court Ruled for samesex marriage, scalia wrote that the ruling was at odds with the constitution, and the principles on which the nation were built. Scalia, over the years who had become the anchor of the courts con serbive majority was confirmed by the senate 30 years ago, 980. And just a short time ago, former president george w. Bush released a statement about the death of Justice Scalia, saying he was a brilliant jurist, an important american. Tom . Martha raddatz for us tonight. Martha, thank you. Lets get right to abcs terry moran, who covers the Supreme Court for us. He joins us from mexico city, where hes on assignment covering the popes trip to mexico. Terry, the court has lost a force tonight. Your thoughts . Reporter absolutely. Justice Antonin Scalia, just a towering presence on that court. And in american law in general. A hero to conservatives, an arch enemy for liberals. Because of the force and the el jens and often, the effectiveness of how he hammered into law his bedrock belief. Something he called textualism. The constitution means what it meant when it was wrote and ratified. And that, he said consistently for 30 years on the court. He won some. He lost a lot more. Though win or lose, the force of his prose and his ideas was infectio infectious, with all kinds of law professors, law students, judges, justices and politicians. His legacy is in the court, in the law, and beyond in the conservative movement. Terry, the socalled conservative wing of the Supreme Court, fair to say scalia was the backbone of that wing . Reporter he was. But he was not really a team player. He was so full of himself, frankly, and his ideas, that, if you didnt come with him, he was willing to go his own way. And thats why his dissents ring out. He was free to write for himself and he did, because he was playing the long game. It wasnt tactically voting and trying to persuade other justices on a case. He was trying to set the terms of debate in the law. And like him or loathe him, and americans do both, he wasnt a guy who inspired middle of the road sentiment, he did that. He did change the terms of debate in american law, though he didnt always win. Terry, thank you for your insight. I want to bring in now chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl. Jon, 11 months left in obamas presidency, and i know this news is still very fresh. But what are the chances that obama will be able to pick scalias replacement . Reporter i fully expect that the president will make a nomination. That he will nominate somebody to fill that seat. But we have already heard from the republicans who control the senate, which will be responsible for confirming that nomination, that they believe they should wait until the next president. Very sharp, simple statement from the Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell came out not long after news broke about scalias death, saying the American People should have a voice in the selection of their next supreme Court Justice, and theref therefore the vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. We have two campaigns right now, were going to have an election. Can the republicans really block it for 11 months . Reporter the answer is yes, they can. They control the senate, the first step would be Senate Judiciary committee hearings. They can stop it right there by not scheduling the hearings. They can decline to hold a vote. They can declay this as long as they control the senate. Jonathan karl, thank you. The death of the supreme Court Justice shifting the focus of tonights gop debate. The candidates now focusing on the future of the court, while taking aim at each other. Abcs mary bruce in South Carolina for us tonight. Reporter tonight, a critical moment in the gop race for president. The candidates, tearing each other apart. Set to faceoff on a debate stage in South Carolina. Find out where he gets his money. Reporter donald trump and ted cruz poised for an ugly evening. As it gets closer, its going to get nastier and nastier and nastier and they get personal, they get ugly. Reporter and its already pretty ugly. With one primary win each, cruz and trump are clobbering each other to take the third contest. Trump taking it to a new level, threatening to sue. Tweeting, if ted cruz doesnt clean up his act, stop cheeatin and doing negative ads, i have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen. Cruz punching right back. Theres more than a little irony in donald accusing anyone of being nasty. Reporter already looking beyond the primary, cruz is taking on clinton in a vicious new ad. Damn it feels good to be a clinton a shameless politician always plays her cards right lets dispel with this fiction that barack obama doesnt know what hes doing. He knows exactly what hes doing. Reporter senator marco rubio will try to turn things around, and avoid a repeat of his dismal performance at the last debate. Ohio governor john kasich, hoping to ride the wave of his strong second place finish in new hampshire, appealing to religious voters. I found the lord a long time ago. Reporter hi, governor, how are you . He insists all the talk about his faith isnt part of a deliberate strategy. Look, whether i win or lose, my life is great. And the lord loves me. And, so, it is not about, like, im going to deploy something to win a vote. If it doesnt work, it doesnt work. Reporter and tom, every candidate here tonight has a lot to lose. South carolina is known for picking the republican nominee. So, while trump and cruz duke it out at center stage, the other candidates will be trying to break through, reaching out to traditional conservative supporters. Tom . Mary, thank you. We want to let you know that we are waiting for any moment for the president to speak about the passing of Justice Scalia and we will bring that to you as soon as it happens. We move on now to the extreme weather that is happening on the east coast of the country and a deadly traffic pileup. A sudden snow squall in central pennsylvania. Take a look at that. Causing dozens of cars to pile up on a major interstate. Dozens of people injured. 40 hospitalized. Three losing their lives. Abcs eva pilgrim reporting from pennsylvania tonight. Reporter it seemed to come out of nowhere, blinding snow triggering this massive pileup. Killing three people, leaving at least 40 injured. We have at least 15 people trapped on the westbound lane. Reporter more than 50 vehicles on i78 in pennsylvania caught in the crash. Five medical chopper rushing to the scene. One moment, the road was clear. The next, whiteout conditions. Have all ems come to 78 and go westbound in the eastbound lane. Reporter snow squalls barrelling across pennsylvania highways today, catching drivers offguard. It just sounded like two bombs went off. There was a couple people laying out. And trucks and cars all smashed, cars underneath tractor trailers, in between tractor trailers. And it was just total destruction. Reporter dozens of ambulances shuttling some of those drivers to a local firehouse to keep them out of the bitter cold. Tonight, everyone has been rescued, but cars and trucks still scattered on the interstate. Tom, you can see the cleanup is continuing. The interstate will remain closed until about midnight tonight. State officials asking people to stay off the roads unless they absolutely need to travel. Tom . A mangled mess behind you. Eva, thank you. That squall part of a front that is also bringing arctic cold from the midwest to North Carolina to maine. More than 100 Million People in its path. Take a look at this. Minus 16 on the thermometer in cedar falls, iowa. The few people ventured out, bundled up like this woman in new york city. Heres abcs phillip mena with the dangerous weather. Reporter whiteouts mixed bitter cold, sweeping east tonight. What does it feel like . Its freezing. Reporter more than 100 Million People bearing bonechilling temperatures. Cities across the northeast declaring a code blue. Police racing to get the homeless off the street. New york city could feel the coldest air in years. Wind chills expected to dip to 40 below upstate. And thats where we find meteorologist indra petersons. Here in lake erie, you can actually see the line of lake effect snow that is forming. Something you should not be seeing in february, as the lake should be frozen over. Reporter weve seen on thermal cameras how the bodys heat escapes around collars and zippers. The face is mostly cold. Reporter doctors urging people to take this weather seriously. If youre out with exposed skin, in as little as 10 to 15 minutes, you can start feeling symptoms of burning, stinging, pain. Reporter after youve been in the cold, take your time warming up. Dont rub your hands together. That can only cause more damage. And use lukewarm water, not hot, to wash your hands. Another concern . Your homes water pipes. Keep a steady drip, so those pipes dont freeze. And know where that shutoff valve is in case they burst. Should you have a pipe freeze, should you have a pipe burst, you need to know how to shut it off. Reporter and tom, another tip to prevent those pipes from freezing . Experts say you should keep the thermostat on your home at a consistently warm temperature. And inside your home is exactly where you should be tonight. Officials are advising people in this region to stay inside. Tom . Phillip mena, thank you. Overseas tonight to new fingerpointing to the war in syria. Russia and u. S. Trading barbs. Those failures leaving the flood of refugees with little hope. Abcs Alex Marquardt reporting tonight. Reporter relentless russian air strikes have reduced towns and villages in Northern Syria to rubble. Its allowed the assad regime to besiege its biggest city, aleppo. Its sent a new flood of syrians, some 50,000, toward the border with turkey. Aid groups are now frantically building tents amid fears that hundreds of thousands more will soon be on their way. Turkey is keeping the border closed for now. Theres been a steady stream of trucks like this one delivering aid to the displaced inside syria. The few who are being allowed out are the wounded from the fighting. At the main hospital, we met 18yearold anad. He told us that those russian air strikes leveled the villages where his family is from. His family moved, and that house was struck, as well. Shrapnel from the blast, paralyzing him from the waist down. Watchdog groups say the Russian Air Campaign has killed 1,000 civilians. Russia denies targeting them. Today, the u. S. Accused russia of focusing its bombing on rebels instead of isis and al qaeda. There is a glimmer of hope. The u. S. And russia have announced a ceasefire in syria to begin next week. Bull that hope threatened by distrust and everdeepening divisions. Alex marquardt, abc news, on the turkey syria border. And still ahead tonight, you will see and hear the moment 1,400 workers learned their jobs are moving to mexico. This just got interesting. Why pause to take a pill . Or stop to find a bathroom . Cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, or adempas for pulmonary hypertension, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. Side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. To avoid longterm injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis and a 200 savings card stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. At ally bank, no branches equals great rates. Its a fact. Kind of like vacations equal getting carried away. More proactive selling. Good evening. Im tom yom has. President obama is set to speak about the passing of supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He passed away during a hunting trip in texas. He was the longestserving justice on the high court and an imposing figure. John roberts calling scalia an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues. We are awaiting the president to speak at any moment now from southern california, where he was on vacation. We understand that the president is intending to possibly nominate someone before his presidency is up. Now, republican senators have said they will block any nomination until the election is over, which is still 11 month s now. As we said, at any moment, the president will take the podium there. Justice scalia was 79 years old. We understand he was on a hunting trip in the western part of texas, as and he apparently died from natural causes. Senior White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl is with us now what do we expect the president to say . Reporter i expect the president well, there he is. Good evening, everybody. For almost 30 years, Justice Antonin Scalia was a larger than life presence on the bench. Brilliant legal mind, with an energetic style. Incisive wit. And colorful opinions. He influenced a generation of judges, lawyers and students and profoundly shaped the legal l d landscape. He will be remembered as one of the most consequential judges and thinkers to serve on the Supreme Court. Justice scalia dedicated his life to the cornerstone of our democracy. The rule of law. Tonight, we honor his Extraordinary Service to our nation and remember one of the towering legal figures of our time. Antonin scalia was born in st n trenton, new jersey, to an italian imgrant family. After graduating from Georgetown University and harvard law school, and he taught law before entering a life of public service. He rose from assistant attorney general for the office of Legal Council to the judge on the d. C. Circuit court to associate justice of the Supreme Court. A devout catholic, he was a proud father of nine children and grandfather to many loving grandchildren. Justice scalia was both an avid hunter and an opera lover. A passion for music that he shared with his Dear Colleague and friend, Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. Michelle and i were proud to welcome him to the white house, including in 2012 for a state dinner for Prime Minister david cameron. And tonight, we join his fellow justices in mourning this remarkable man. Obviously today is a time to remember Justice Scalias legacy. I plan to fulfill my Constitutional Responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time. There will be plenty of time for me to do so, and for the senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These are responsibilities that i take seriously, as should everyone. Theyre bigger than any one party. They are about our democracy. Theyre about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life in making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned. But at this moment, we, most of all, want to think about his family and michelle and i join the nation in sending our de deepest sympathies to his wife maureen and their loving family, a beautiful symbol of a life well lived. We thank them for sharing Justice Scalia with our country. God bless them all and god bless the United States of america. And we were just listening to president obama, talking about the passing of Justice Scalia. Calling him a remarkable man and also saying that right now, him and michelle obama, the first lady, are thinking about the scalia family, but saying hi intends to fulfill nominating a successor to the Supreme Court and with that, i like to bring in Jonathan Karl. We just heard the president say he plans on doing this. Will he be able to get it done . Reporter well, he can certainly nominate a replacement and i expect that he will. But the question is, will the Republicancontrolled Senate move on that nomination . Will they hold hearings on that nominate . The word from the republican majority leader, Mitch Mcconnell, is that he believes that the appointment and replacement of scalia should be done by the next president , and i would expect that they will not move forward whatsoever on this. But this will be this will be quite a battle and be a battle that will play out not only here in washington, between the white house and congress, but on thea campaign trail, as well. Weve already heard from hillary clinton, saying that she bengress has a constitutional responsibility to act on a replacement. And weve heard from republican president ial candidates, saying that they have absolutely they think there is no way that president obama should be the person that should be replacing, in his last year in office, his last months in office, the person who has been the constitutional icon, the constitutional ballast of the Supreme Court. The president set to face one of his most heated political battles, just before he exits the white house. Jonathan karl, thank you for your help tonight. Were going to return now to regular programming, which for some of you is world news tonight. There will be much more on this tomorrow on good morning america, as well as this week and world news tonight as well tomorrow. Thank you so much for joining us. Good night. This has been a special report from abc news. And welcome back. We resume with world news tonight. With pope francis historic trip to mexico. His first full day on the ground. Tens of thousands chieering him along the way. A face to face meeting with mexicos president. The pope preaching against corruption. At his meeting with the bishops, urging humility, saying the mexican people dont need more princes. Back here at home, police hit by gunfire once again. This time in baton rouge, louisiana. Two Police Officers wounded in a shootout after a twomile chase with an armed suspect. Its the latest in a flurry of attacks on Law Enforcement across the country in recent days. Both officers and the suspect were taken to the hospital. All are expected to make it. You n now to a freak accident in boston. A 200pound manhole flew into traffic, crashing into a car drove by a teacher. She was skilled instantly. No word on what caused that cover to go airborne. When we come back, more on tonights breaking news, the death of supreme Court Justice scalia. Stay with us. If you have moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis like me, and youre talking to a rheumatologist about a biologic. This is humira. This is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. This is humira helping me reach for more. Doctors have been prescribing humira for more than ten years. Humira works for many adults. It targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Talk to your doctor and visit humira. Com. This is humira at work. May not always be clear. But at t. Rowe price, we can help guide your retirement savings. So wherever your Retirement Journey takes you, we can help you reach your goals. Call us or your advisor t. Rowe price. Invest with confidence. Try cool mint zantac. Hey, need fast heartburn relief . It releases a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. Zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. Nexium can take 24 hours. Try cool mint zantac. No pill relieves heartburn faster. I am a lot of things. I am his sunshine. I am his advocate. So i asked about adding oncedaily namenda xr to his Current Treatment for moderate to severe alzheimers. It works differently. When added to another alzheimers treatment, it may improve overall function and cognition. And may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. Vo namenda xr doesnt change how the disease progresses. It shouldnt be taken by anyone allergic to memantine, or whos had a bad reaction to namenda xr or its ingredients. Before starting treatment, tell their doctor if they have, or ever had, a seizure disorder, difficulty passing urine, liver, kidney or bladder problems, and about medications theyre taking. Certain medications, changes in diet, or medical conditions may affect the amount of namenda xr in the body and may increase side effects. The most common side effects are headache, diarrhea, and dizziness. Hes always been my everything. Now i am giving back. Ask their doctor about oncedaily namenda xr and learn about a free trial offer at namendaxr. Com. Only glucerna has carbsteady, diabetes, steady is exciting. Clinically proven to help minimize blood sugar spikes. So you stay steady ahead. Hi hey you look good. Thank you, i feel good. It all starts with eating right. Thats why i eat amaz n prunes now. Theyre delicious and help keep my body in balance. I love these. Sunsweet amaz n prunes, the feel good fruit. At ally bank, no branches equals great rates. Its a fact. Kind of like social media equals antisocial. Hey guys, i want you to meet my fiancee, denise. Hey. Good to meet you dennis. Back now with more on tonights breaking news. Supreme Court Justice scalia passing away in his sleep at a resort in texas. Last rights administered this afternoon. Flags lowered to half staff outside the Supreme Court. Lets go back to abcs Jonathan Karl. Reporter well, we heard a very clear statement from the president , saying that he fully intended to fulfill his constitutional duties and to nominate a replacement for Justice Scalia. The interesting thing is, even before he did that, tom, as you had an equally strong statement coming from the Senate Majority leader, republican Mitch Mcconnell, saying that he believes that the replacement, the next supreme Court Justice, should be named by the next president. So, we have a bit of a a bit of a standstill here. I fully expect the president will follow through on what he said tonight, and i fully expect that republicans in the senate will follow their constitutional prerogative, which is to say, no, theyre not going to move forward. I dont even think well get to the point of having hearings on a nominee by president obama. It is a rather extraordinary circumstance. Something we really have never seen. I mean, if you go back, the last time we had a president able to confirm a justice in his last year in office, it was president reagan, in 1988. Political fight for president obama. Jon, thank you so much. Lets go back to abcs terry moran in mexico city. You knew Justice Scalias presence on the court very well. Talk to us about his legacy tonight. Reporter well, tom, Justice Scalia is literally irreplaceable for conservatives. Because of the force of his opinions, but also because theres not going to be another one like him. The Supreme Court is now a battlefield in american politics. In a way it wasnt when he was confirmed way back in 1986. One of the things that he brought to court was a rich, relishing of combat, of intellectual combat, but it never got personal with him. He was a man who had a very warm personality, who was a funny guy, often cracked up the courtroom, sometimes in the most serious cases. And he had a gift for friendship on that court. His closest friends on the court, probably ruth bader ginsburg, perhaps the most liberal justice, and even justice kagan, who he used to take quail hunting. But what really set him apart was just the ferocity of his opinions. His determination to change american law. And that, at the end of the day, is something that i think we can all say, like him or not like him, he achieved. Tom . A larger than life personal till for those that knew him. Terry, thank you. Well have more on the passing of Justice Scalia on gma and this week in the morning. Im tom llamas. Well see you right back here tomorrow night. Have a grad evening. Good night. Next next, towering figure in american legal circles, supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passes away. The implications behind the sudden loss of the powerful conservative. Plus, major changes begin today at one of san franciscos busiest bus corridors. Abc7~news at 6 00 starts now. That breaking news. The loss of a supreme Court Justice who has been at the center of some of our nations biggest social and political decisions. Antonin schoola, dade e dead at the age of 79. Justice scalia controlled the conservative side of the Supreme Court. He was a some reed debater and influential man in washington. Tonight the flag outside the Supreme Court is flying another half staff. President obama commented about the passing, talking scalias presence on the bench. Brilliant legal mind with an energetic style, incisesive wit and colorful decisions and profoundly shaped the legal landscape. Heres more about scalias sudden death. Reporter good evening, Justice Scalias passing, his sudden death has the potential to be a political gamechanger as the anchor of the courts conservative wing passes in the desk of a liberal presidency. Antonin scalia was found dead of apparent natural cause as a resort in west texas. He died in his sleep. Scalia was the longest serving justice on the current United States Supreme Court, nominated by president Ronald Reagan in 1986. Each getting no