Toll rising, up to 1,000 people still unaccounted for on the island. The Historic Community of lahaina that stood for centuries, now a wasteland. Hundreds of homes, businesses and cultural landmarks Reduced To Ashes by a fastmoving inferno. Shelters jammed with survivors. Residents saying they had little to no warning before being forced to evacuate. Fire officials now being pressed on why Warning Sirens were not activated when the fires began. The governor saying its likely the largest Natural Disaster in hawaiis history. Whit johnson in maui tonight. Also on this friday night, the surprise turn in the hunter biden investigation. After the plea deal for president bidens son fell apart in federal court. Attorney general Merrick Garland today granting Special Counsel status to u. S. Attorney david weiss. What this means for the case. Could hunter biden now stand trial. Pierre thomas in washington. Mary bruce at the white the judge warning donald trump about his public attacks, possibly intimidating witnesses and tainting the jury pool. The judge now limiting the former president s ability to share evidence in the january 6th case. Jonathan karl standing by. Bail revoked for ftx founder san bankmainfried. A 250 million bond. Why the former billionaire, accused of scamming millions from his clients, is suddenly back behind bars. The war in ukraine, a Russian Missile strike hitting a hotel used by the u. N. And u. S. Aid workers. Missiles targeting civilians. And president zelenskyy firing all of his Military Recruitment chiefs. Ian pannell in ukraine. Tracking severe storms through the weekend. Large hail and damaging winds. Strong thunderstorms moving into the northeast tomorrow. Rob marciano timing it out. A judge in california tonight charged with murdering his wife. Prosecutors now say he texted his court clerk and bailiff, telling them he did it and, quote, i wont be in tomorrow. And rescue at the grand canyon. A 14yearold boy plunging over the side and surviving. Linsey good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining us on this friday. Im linsey davis in for david. Tonight the Attorney General has announced a Special Counsel to investigate hunter biden. We begin with the terrible reality sinking in after wildfires raced across maui. The urgent search for the missing and the painful questions about the states disaster warning system. The stunning aftermath. The once vibrant landscape now devoid of color. Cars abandoned and burned. The fierce wind whipping, fueling the flames. Some people are coming back to very little and struggling to find a place to go. In the midst of the staggering loss, there are stories of grace. The people of maui finding strength in community. Abcs whit johnson leads us off tonight from maui. Oh, my god. Reporter across maui tonight, the catastrophic toll of this historic disaster coming into focus. Oh, my god. Reporter the massive fires claiming the lives of at least 55 people. I do not know what the final number is going to be. Its going to be horrible and tragic when we get that power. Reporter and with no power, no internet, and no way to communicate in some places, authorities are still desperately trying to locate as many as a thousand people. The shelters here overcrowded. Hawaiis governor saying some residents will be able to return today to see their homes for the first time, while asking others to open theirs. If you have Additional Space in your home, if you have the capacity to take someone in from west maui, please do. I got about two blocks from my house and everything was engulfed in flames. You saw the fire . Saw the fire. Reporter Kesa Stoddart and her family lost their home in the fire, leaving everything behind in just ten minutes. Did you receive any kind of warning that the fire was coming into the town . There was no warning. We are supposed to get, you know, on your cell phone evacuation notices. Alerts. Alerts. We got nothing. Nothing. Not one alert to evacuate. So, youre only signal to get out was the explosion and the flames . Yes, and the smoke and people leaving town. Reporter tonight, mounting questions over whether officials sounded the alarm fast enough or whether Power Outages prevented alerts from reaching people. Was there a widespread alert . No, no. There wasnt. It was it seemed sporadic. Im gonna have to say that the government could have done a little bit better. The local government could have done a little bit better. Reporter hawaii officials telling the Associated Press there are no Emergency Management records indicating mauis Warning Sirens were activated tuesday when the fires began. The fire chief asked about those alerts. Our department is not responsible for that. The fire that day moved so quickly that from where it started in the brush to where it moved into the neighborhood, communications back to those who make those notifications were physically to nearly impossible. Reporter in lahaina the once capital of hawaii, which holds deep cultural significance, the raging fires taking nearly everything. We see it firsthand as we approach the harbor by boat. This is the historic lahaina harbor. Ive been here a number of times over the years, but its now unrecognizable. Its difficult to get your bearings because there arent many buildings left standing. People tell us it all happened so fast. The Flaming Embers raining down from the sky. Buildings ignited all around them, many with just seconds to get away. Some even jumping into the ocean to escape the flames. Overnight we spoke to emergency doctor, reza danesh, telling us he rushed into lahaina with his mobile clinic and immediately began treating patients. I started to get Text Messages from paramedics and firefighters. Right now its not about me. Its about the community and the people of lahaina. Im just one of thousands of people with this story, one of thousands. We need help. The need is clear, so too is the strength and spirit of the community there. Whit, incredible what that family had to endure. Now that authorities are allowing residents to return to their homes, what are you hearing from some of those families . Reporter ive been communicating with a few families that plan to go back to that lahaina neighborhood. The governor said if they can present i. D. At the check point, they can see whats left of their homes. We saw long lines of people trying to get in. Its not just lahaina. You can see behind me this is one of several homes burned to the ground. We can hear the waterdropping helicopters overhead, giving you a sense of the devastation. Linsey . Whit, thank you. Now to the Attorney General elevating the u. S. Attorney investigating hunter biden to the status of Special Counsel. Its a stunning turn for the president s son who just weeks ago believed he had a Plea Agreement to end the investigation. Now it appears he could be put on trial. Abcs Chief Justice correspondent Pierre Thomas. Reporter tonight, the president s son now under investigation by a Special Counsel and likely headed to trial. Hunter biden still in the investigative crosshairs of federal prosecutors, still clearly in legal jeopardy. Im here today to announce the appointment of david weiss as a Special Counsel. Reporter it was a Surprise Announcement from Attorney GeneralMerrick Garland, elevating david weiss, the trumpappointed u. S. Attorney, who had already been investigating hunter biden for five years, to Special Counsel, due to what garland called the extraordinary circumstances of the case. This appointment confirms my commitment to provide mr. Weiss all the resources he requests, but it also reaffirms that mr. Weiss has the authority he needs to conduct a thorough investigation and to continue to take the steps he deems appropriate independently. Reporter and then, another surprise. Weiss telling the court that the chances for a plea deal, on the table just two weeks ago, have all but disappeared. Weiss writing, the parties are at an impasse and the government believes this case will not resolve short of a trial. No plea deal means hunter biden now likely facing prosecution on tax charges in washington, d. C. And california, and a gun charge. Hunter bidens team saying that weiss designation as Special Counsel doesnt change our understanding of his authority, and they expect a fair resolution not infected by politics. While Hunter Bidens supporters suggest hes being unfairly targeted because hes the president s son, many on the right claiming weiss too lenient. Tonight, some republicans say naming a Special Counsel is the right move. I think its about time that we saw the appointment of a Special Counsel to get to the bottom of not only what biden was doing, the American People deserve answers and i welcome it. Reporter others skeptical. Nobody in their right mind believes that making him a Special Counsel, mr. Weiss, cleans up the mess thats been created. Linsey lets get to Pierre Thomas at the justice department. Pierre, this signals the investigation into hunter biden is far from over. Is there a possibility of more charges . Whats next . Reporter there absolutely could be more charges. Weiss and his team indicated in court separate and apart from the plea deal Hunter Bidens financial dealings are still being investigated. Pierre, thank you. President biden and the first lady have said very little about Hunter Bidens legal woes except they love and support. Mary bruce joins us now. Any indication this turn of events might change . Reporter no. The president and the white house arent commenting. The president doesnt want to say anything that could fuel claims this has somehow been politicized. This is not what the white house was hoping for. They thought this was largely behind them. Now, tonight instead Hunter Bidens plea deal has fallen apart and he could be facing a criminal indictment and a trial in the middle of his fathers reelection campaign. It is clear that bidens republican rivals are not going to let this go. Certainly not. Mary, thank you. Meantime president trumps lawyers were in court today where the judge overseeing the Election Interference Case warned their client of making inflammatory statements. Heres abc Chief Washington correspondent jonathan karl. Reporter the judge overseeing the Special Counsels Election Interference Case issued a warning today to former president trump. I will take whatever measure, whatever measures necessary to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings, judge Tanya Chutkan said. This comes after trump had been accused of trying to intimidate potential witnesses, including his former Vice President , mike pence. In one social media post, trump said, quote, if you go after me, im coming after you. In court today, judge chutkan told trumps lawyers, quote, to the extent your client wants to make statements on the internet, they have to always yield to Witness Security and witness safety. When trumps team said its about his right to free speech, the judge replied, mr. Trump, like any american has a right to free speech, but that right is not absolute. Trump has signaled he would not abide by any limits on what he can say about the case. I will talk about it. I will. Theyre not taking away my First Amendment right. Reporter trump can talk about the case all he wants. At issue today, however, was whether there should be a socalled Protective Order to keep him from publicly revealing sensitive and Confidential Information, including secret grand jury transcripts, that the Special Counsel is required to share with him. The judge ruled that trump would have the same restrictions on revealing Confidential Information as anyone else. Hes a criminal defendant, she said, hes going to have restrictions like every single other defendant. The Special Counsel in this case has requested that the trial begin on january 2nd. That would be just two weeks before the iowa caucuses. Trumps lawyers say its simply too quick and would interfere with his president ial campaign. The judge has not made a decision, has not set a court day, but she made it very clear today she wants a quick trial and her decision will not be driven by the political calendar. The timing will be complex. Thank you. In New York CitySam Bankman Freed is behind bars tonight after prosecutors accused him of trying to influence witnesses. Hes been a 250 million bond. Heres abcs trevor ault. Reporter tonight, disgraced former billionaire and cryptocurrency ceo Sam Bankmanfried sent back to jail after prosecutors accused him of giving a document to a media outlet to intimidate a witness. A Judge Revoking the 31yearolds 250 million bail, remanding him into the custody of u. S. Marshals. Prosecutors say bankmanfried tried to discredit a trial witness and taint the jury pool when he shared excerpts of his exgirlfriend caroline ellisons personal documents with the new york times. Ellison, led bankmanfrieds Alameda Research fund, has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in the investigation into allegations that bankmanfried defrauded customers and lenders of his now bankrupt Cryptocurrency Company ftx. Speaking with George Stephanopoulos late last year im trying to focus on what i can do Going Forward to be helpful and let whatever regulatory and legal processes are happening play out as they will. Reporter bankmanfried has plead not guilty to all charges. Linsey . Now to the war in ukraine, Russian Missiles striking targets in ukraine. Video shows children playing in a playground ducking. Tonight president zelenskyy firing every Regional Military recruitment chief. Abcs chief Foreign Correspondent ian pannell is in ukraine. Reporter tonight, a devastating Russian Missile strike in zaporizhia in the southeast of ukraine. Video circulating online showing the moment one of the Ballistic Missiles flew overhead yesterday. And the terrifying moment it lands, exploding. Residents running for their lives. Two missiles slamming next to a hotel. One woman died, 19 were injured including 4 children. It was the second strike on the city in two days. Neither site was a military target. And today, another drone attack on moscow. And tonight, president zelenskyy firing every single Regional Military enlistment chief across ukraine, amid a major corruption scandal. Linsey, some of these officers are accused of taking bribes so people can dodge military enlistment. And zelenskyy saying the way they treat actual warriors, is immoral. Linsey . Ian, thank you. Millions are on alert for strong winds and severe thunderstorms heading to the north east. Rob marciano joins us now. Where are the storms hitting now . Reporter we have three pockets and some folks have got hit this week. Alabama, georgia, a cluster down there. Kansas city you have a watch up. Those storms brought 76mileanhour winds. Theyll bring some damage and resurface tomorrow across the Ohio River Valley and up to pennsylvania, New York State as well. The heat continues to expand across the south and now were watching excessive Heat Warnings built into the pacific northwest. Portland, oregon, will see temperatures by 100 monday. Thats debilitating heat. Linsey . Rob, thank you. A judge in california charged with murdering his wife. Prosecutors say he texted his court clerk after the shooting. A rescue at the grand canyon, a 14yearold boy going over the edge. Struggling with the highs and lows of bipolar 1 . Ask about vraylar. Because you are greater than your bipolar 1, and you can help take control of your symptoms with vraylar. Some medicines only treat the lows or highs. Vraylar treats depressive, acute manic, and mixed episodes of bipolar 1 in adults. Proven, fullspectrum relief for all bipolar 1 symptoms. And in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight. Elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. Call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants can increase thes