ian pannell on the ground for us. here in the u.s., the cornell student now charged tonight with threatening to kill jewish college students on campus. what he warned he would do. his plan for the kosher dining hall. police raiding his parents' home outside rochester. pierre thomas with new reporting. former president trump's son don jr. taking the stand in the civil trial in new york city. pressed on what he knew, and how he answered. aaron katersky standing by at the courthouse. that deadly pileup in the ice and snow on i-80 north of pittsburgh. multiple cars and trucks involved, with the deep freeze again tonight, from texas, up to new york. and rob marciano timing it out. the major fire we're watching outside los angeles. fire and smoke threatening 2,000 homes. evacuation orders for thousands. new reporting tonight, what we've now learned about that delta pilot who allegedly pulled a gun on the captain mid-flight. what he was so angry about, and why he threatened to shoot the pilot. will new york area congressman george santos be expelled from the house? the vote set for tonight. in lewiston, maine, for the first time since the mass shooting, the lewiston high school football team taking the field. tonight, actor will ferrell and former patriots star rob gronkowski and their messages to the team. brooke shields on her new health scare, and the well-known name who rushed to help her. remembering a well-known actor from daytime tv tonight. and america strong here. the firefighters who raced mom to the hospital, but you have to see this. who stayed behind to care for the children? good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. and we begin tonight with that significant breakthrough in gaza. for the first time since the war began, hundreds of civilians were allowed to leave gaza, including at least five americans. but tonight, hundreds of u.s. citizens remain trapped there. the white house tonight saying more americans will leave in the coming days. president biden saying they are working, quote, nonstop, to get them out. the images here tonight. a crush of families waiting as the gates opened at the rafah crossing to egypt. after a deal was hammered out late last night, israel, egypt, the u.s., qatar, and hamas, all part of the negotiations. about 350 people were cleared to leave, including those five americans. two of them, american doctors ramona okumara and barbara zind, are in egypt tonight. there was also a fleet of ambulances crossing the border out of gaza, taking 76 critically injured palestinian civilians, many of them children, into egypt for desperately needed medical care. tonight, president biden and the white house acutely aware, some 400 u.s. citizens an their families are still in harm's way in gaza, in addition to the more than 200 still being held hostage by hamas, which includes americans, as well. abc's chief foreign correspondent ian pannell leading us off tonight from israel. >> reporter: tonight, for the first time since the war began, hundreds of civilians were allowed to get out of gaza into egypt. among them, at least five americans. but the biden administration aware hundreds more u.s. citizens are still stuck in gaza. >> we're working nonstop to get americans out of gaza as soon and as safely as possible. >> reporter: american doctors ramona okumara and barbara zind at the crossing, among those u.s. citizens able to get out. also at the border, some of the youngest and most vulnerable. they've waited for hours, some days for this moment. our team on the ground inside gaza at that border, as people desperately search for their names on an approved list, hoping today, their nightmare ends. there were ambulances, too, rescuing some of the wounded. so many of them children. and as the bombing and fighting continues, for the second day in a row, israel confirming it struck the same refugee camp that was hit with such devastating effect tuesday, claiming it was a hamas stronghold. the gaza health ministry, run by hamas, claiming more people were killed and others injured in the strike. israeli forces pushing deeper into gaza now, releasing video showing soldiers hunting for hamas militants. the idf saying its troops are now at the gates of gaza city. despite the advance, hamas still able to launch attacks at israel. take off the sticks. take off the sticks. we saw it first-hand. that's the sound of the iron dome system. you could just see the air defense system going into the air to try and intercept an incoming hamas rocket in central israel. and tonight, up to 400 americans and their families still believed trapped in gaza, including lena beseiso and her family. we've been following them for weeks, and we've now learned she just received word from the state department that she may finally be able to cross into egypt tomorrow. still exhausted from the horrors of the last three weeks. >> i just can't believe this. i just cannot believe how ugly this world is becoming. it's just horrible. >> david: so, let's get right back to ian pannell, with us tonight from tel aviv. ian, as you reported there, we know at least five u.s. citizens got out of gaza today. the u.s. says at least 400 americans remain trapped with their families. you've learned that family from utah actually receiving word tonight they may be able to cross into egypt as soon as tomorrow. what are u.s. officials telling americans still trying to get out? >> reporter: yeah, interestingly, lena shared the email that she received from the state department with us, and what they're saying to people is that their name is expected to be on a list of people approved to cross into egypt, and that they should check this list that's going to be published every morning to see if their name is on it to get out that day. the list is going to be published by the hamas-run customs authorities there. but of course, for the people of gaza, their names will not appear on that list, and spare a thought, of course, for the 200-plus hostages still being held by hamas. negotiations under way to try to get them out, but so far, no word that that is happening. david? >> david: all right. the excruciating wait continues. ian pannell leading us off tonight. ian, thank you. meantime, back here in the u.s. tonight, a cornell university student has now been charged this evening, accused of posting anti-semitic threats online against jewish students at cornell, including threatening to shoot up a kosher dining hall on campus. his parents home near rochester, new york, raided. here's our chief justice correspondent pierre thomas tonight. >> reporter: tonight, authorities identifying the suspect allegedly behind those threats to kill jewish students at cornell university, and he's one of them, a student at cornell. 21-year-old patrick dai, a junior engineering student, in federal court today, ordered to remain in custody. police raiding his parents' home overnight in pittsford, new york, a suburb of rochester. the fbi says dai is responsible for creating a climate of fear on campus, making chilling statements online, that jewish people need to be eliminated from cornell. saying that he was going to bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot up 104 west, a kosher dining hall. the jewish student group at the university saying they're pained and saddened to learn "such hate exists amongst our peers." >> the fbi helped, the university police helped, and feel a little better now. >> reporter: today, the attorney general noting the significant increase in threats targeting jewish, muslim, and arab communities. >> as this arrest shows, we are focusing our efforts on confronting and disrupting illegal threats wherever they arise. >> reporter: david, despite the arrest, cornell plans to maintain stepped up security on campus. but sadly, some of the students have decided it's simply safer to go home. david? >> david: pierre thomas on this again tonight. pierre, thank you. we turn to the other news this tuesday night, and here in new york city, former president trump's son don jr. taking the stand in the financial fraud case against the former president and some of his adult children. don jr. pressed on what he knew about the family business, and how he answered today. here's our senior investigative reporter aaron katersky outside court tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the first of donald trump's children taking the stand as a witness in the civil fraud trial that could tear the family real estate business apart. >> i should have worn makeup. >> reporter: donald trump jr. and his brother eric took control of the trump organization when their father became president. >> these papers are just some of the many documents i've signed turning over complete and total control to my sons. >> reporter: but today in court, trump jr. described himself as just "a real estate broker." and when asked if he was familiar with basic accounting practices or was a member of an accounting organization, he answered, "sounds exciting, but no." judge arthur engoron has already determined financial documents signed by trump jr. fraudulently inflated his father's net worth by as much as $2 billion. today, trump jr. testified he wasn't really aware of what he was signing, saying, "i leave it to my cpas." echoing what he said in his sworn deposition. >> whoever was bringing me a document, if it was more accounting, it was probably from accounting. if it was more legal, it would be from legal. and i'd -- hey, like, are we okay signing this document? do you believe it to be honest and accurate? and if they were okay with it, they'd have much more knowledge than i'd ever been able to amass, so i would sign it. >> reporter: today, trump jr. telling the judge, "i have an obligation to trust those with expertise." he has argued he was not on top of the company's finances. >> i had no real involvement in the preparation of the statement of financial condition and don't really remember ever working on it with anyone. >> reporter: but new york attorney general letitia james says that's just not true, arguing that trump jr. and eric trump were "aware of, and knowingly participated in" a years-long scheme to fraudulently boost the business' bottom line to win better terms on insurance and bank loans. >> david: let's bring in aaron katersky live outside the courthouse tonight. we know donald trump jr. will be back on the stand tomorrow. what more have you learned about eric trump and ivanka trump? >> reporter: as soon as don jr. finishes, david, eric trump will take his brother's place on that witness stand. the judge has ordered ivanka trump to testify here, too, even though she's no longer a defendant in the case. and today, she appealed that order. their father has taken to social media, attacking the judge, telling him, leave my children alone. david? >> david: aaron katersky in lower manhattan tonight. thanks, aaron. we turn next tonight to the deadly pileup on i-80 north of pittsburgh, with nearly 70 million americans under freeze alerts again tonight. from texas all the way up to the northeast. those images tonight, the cold blast and snow overnight triggering a deadly accident. this is i-80 outside pittsburgh. multiple tractor trailers and other vehicles piling up there. a stretch of the highway shut down for more than ten hours today. at least one person was killed. multiple injuries. and tomorrow morning again, temperatures at or near the freezing mark. beware of the potential for black ice. senior meteorologist rob marciano tracking it all for us tonight. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. that wreck showing just how dangerous this cold snap is. much more so than just an extra layer on halloween. coldest air of the season coming in and lake effect snows continue to come in off ontario and ontario, they'll pivot -- erie, excuse me, and diminish tomorrow. but the freeze warnings up from texas to connecticut. growing season done. and kids, 20s and 30s, that means winter coat on the way to the school bus. we will see temperatures, though, rebound into the weekend. half the country will be up near 70 degrees. in the west, the first of several atmospheric rivers coming into the pacific northwest. 2 to 5 inches of rainfall for oregon and washington tomorrow. and then another one coming in friday. and another one on sunday. they do need the rain. and they're going to have a very active season here, it looks like, over the next few days. david? >> david: rob marciano with us tonight. rob, thank you. and also in the west, we're tracking a major fire outside los angeles. fire and smoke threatening 2,000 homes and structures there. here are the images tonight. the fire exploding in size, fueled, of course, by santa ana winds. 4,000 residents ordered to evacuate. tonight, the race to save so many homes there, and abc's faith abubey in los angeles. >> reporter: tonight, from the air and on the ground, more than a thousand firefighters racing to contain a wildfire in southern california. >> it is totally blowing, the wind is blowing horrendously. >> reporter: the highland fire breaking out monday afternoon east of los angeles in riverside county, doubling in size to nearly 2,500 acres. fueled by strong santa ana winds, threatening more than 2,000 homes and structures. several have already burned. the inferno putting about 4,000 residents under an evacuation order. for some, there was little time to escape. >> it turned from not too dangerous to out of there in about 30 minutes. >> reporter: hundreds of families have already abandoned their homes. crews using chain saws, not only battling the fire, but also the steep and rugged terrain. rushing livestock and horses to safer ground. and david, at least one firefighter was injured while battling this wildfire. so far, no word on what sparked it. david? >> david: faith abubey in los angeles. faith, thank you. tonight, we are learning more about the delta pilot charged after allegedly pulling a gun on the captain in the cockpit while they were mid-flight. abc's gio benitez on what that pilot, now charged, was allegedly angry about. >> reporter: tonight, a delta pilot is facing criminal charges after allegedly pulling a gun on the captain in the cockpit. a grand jury in utah indicting first officer jonathan dunn for assaulting and intimidating a crew member back in august 2022. it happened after a disagreement over whether to divert the flight for a passenger's medical emergency. dunn, allegedly with gun in hand, is accused of telling his co-pilot, the captain, that he "would be shot multiple times if the captain diverted the flight." the department of transportation's office of inspector general says dunn was authorized to carry a gun in the cockpit through the tsa's federal flight deck officer program that was put in place after 9/11. >> it's part of a layered program the tsa has in place to protect the traveling public. >> reporter: it comes just days after offduty alaska airlines pilot joseph david emerson pleaded not guilty to 83 counts of attempted murder for allegedly trying to crash a passenger jet. that pilot telling police he was having a nervous breakdown after consuming psychedelic mushrooms. meanwhile, david, delta says that jonathan dunn is no longer working for the airline. if convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. and again, that program allowing guns in the cockpit, was intended to be another layer of security. david? >> david: gio benitez tonight. gio, thank you. we turn now to the economy tonight. the federal reserve leaving interest rates where they are, deciding not to raise rates for the second month in a row now, but signaling another hike could come in the next few months. the fed chief jerome powell saying the economy is, quote, strong, that's a word he has not used for some time. the markets responding today, the dow closing up 221 points. when we come back here tonight, will new york area congressman george santos be expelled from the house? the vote set for tonight. and the news just coming in tonight, the sad news, remembering coach bobby knight. e breztri for my copd, i had bad days, (cough, cough) flare-ups that could permanently damage my lungs. with breztri, things changed for me. breztri gave me better breathing. starting within 5 minutes, i noticed my lung function improved. it helped improve my symptoms, and breztri was even proven to reduce flare-ups, including those that could send me to the hospital. so now i look forward to more good days. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. can't afford your medication? astrazeneca may be able to help. ask your doctor about breztri. skin-carving next level hydration? new neutrogena hydro boost water cream. a vital boost of nine times more hydration* to boost your skin's barrier for quenched, dewy skin that's full of life. neutrogena. hydro boost. new nature's bounty hair growth. help grow thicker, fuller hair with just one capsule a day of advanced hair complex. conquer hair thinning... ...and fall in love with your hair all over again. only from nature's bounty. tonight, that news just coming in. we have learned legendary college basketball coach bobby knight has died following a lengthy illness. a brilliant coach with a volcanic temper. a cornerstone of indiana basketball, where he won three ncaa championships. bobby knight was 83. tonight, embattled new york congressman george santos facing a vote that could determine his fate in congress, at least in the near term. the house scheduling a vote to expel him tonight. santos pleading not guilty to nearly two dozen federal charges, including fraud. he's also accused of lying about almost every aspect of his background. five republicans from new york calling him, quote, unfit to serve. santos accusing them of acting as, quote, judge, jury, and executioner. the house does require a two-thirds vote, though, for expulsion. they did not have the votes needed to expel him tonight. one week after 18 people were killed in that mass shooting, lewiston high school is back on the football field in maine tonight. in an emotional match-up, the blue devils taking on their rivals from edward little high school. james taylor was there. a moment of silence also held for the victims. actor will ferrell and former patriots star rob gronkowski with words of encouragement. >> we all know this is going to be a huge game. i just want to say, you guys are amazing, sticking together to stay strong through these tough times. >> everyone's going to be watching, everyone's going to be talking about it. so let's bring it on. let's bring it on, like it's donkey kong. >> david: late today, the white house also revealing that president biden will travel to lewiston on friday. when we come back here tonight, brooke shields and her new health scare, and who raced to help her. and remembering a well-known actor from daytime tv. i told myself i was ok with my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can dramatically relieve ra and psa symptoms, including fatigue for some. it can stop joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymp