Handwritten journals overseas, images of deadly u. S. Air strikes targeting iranianbacked Militia Groups in iraq and syria. The u. S. Retaliating for a series of attacks and the killing of an American Contractor. Irans new warning tonight. Back here at home, news tonight about the deadly plane crash that killed five people, including a young Sports Reporter. Authorities going frame by frame over surveillance of the crash. Her heartbroken husband sharing her final text message. The outpouring of support for congressman and five rights icon john lewis. The powerful lawmaker, referred to as the conscience of congress, revealing his fight against stage four pancreatic cancer. And mystery drone sightings raising concerns in two states. The drones flying in groups. Authorities want to know who is at the controls. Good evening. Thanks for joining us on this monday night. Im whit johnson, in for david. And we begin with that major winter storm stretching across more than a dozen states, shutting down highways, causing hundreds of accidents. Taking at least two lives. The stunning images of blizzard conditions slamming the dakotas. Fargo brought to its knees. Drivers needing a tow in humboldt, south dakota. Black ice causing multiple spinouts on an overpass in western iowa. Freezing rain and slick roadways from upstate new york to new england. Ice and wind bringing down trees and power lines, leaving tens of thousands in the dark. Tonight, Winter Weather alerts remain in effect as the countdown to new years eve is set to begin. The forecast in a moment, but first, abcs eva pilgrim leading us off in a cold and rainy new york city. Reporter tonight, the upper midwest reeling amid whiteout blizzard conditions and massive snow drifts there. An icy mess in the northeast. Millions now traveling over the holidays. Its water, snow, ice. Roads are very slick. Very hard to manage. Reporter in maine, multiple crashes on icy i95. Stretches of the crucial highway shut down. Backups for miles. In new hampshire, this truck crashing into a utility pole, knocking out power. If you dont have to be out on the roads today, just stay inside and wait for the storm to finish. Reporter back in the midwest, the mayor of fargo, north dakota, calling this one of the worst storms theyve had. A farmer helping pull one of the citys Police Vehicles out of the snow. More than 20 inches falling in parts of the dakotas. In minnesota, hundreds of crashes and at least two fatalities. The state patrol showing how slippery conditions are on i94. This school bus skidding outside minneapolis. And in st. Paul, the city declaring a snow emergency. The same system bringing Severe Weather to parts of the south. Multiple reported tornadoes in mississippi. Buildings torn apart. This tractor trailer overturned. So, lets get right to eva pilgrim, live from the bronx, where a wind turbine has crashed into a Shopping Center there. And eva, its a very busy travel week for drivers already. This is creating quite a mess. Reporter thats right, whit. That wind turbine crashing here in the bronx completely unexpected. Take a look at this video. Youll see that newly installed wind turbine crashing to the ground, taking down a billboard. It also smashed into a parked car at this busy intersection. The whole area is shut down to traffic. Right now, it is a mess here. This turbine crash combined with this weather causing a real traffic nightmare for people on a very busy travel day. Whit . All right, eva, our thanks to you tonight. Lets head over to abcs chief meteorologist ginger zee, tracking it all for us. And ginger, how will 2019 close out and whats the forecast for new years eve . Reporter well, its not going to be an easy end to 2019, whit, that is for sure. It is wet, windy and cold here around new york city, but i want to take you to that radar, because youre seeing the snow blowing in parts of minnesota, wisconsin. Still very dangerous on roads there, up through the u. P. Of michigan. But on the roads in massachusetts, say i90 or right through connecticut, where that up to half inch of ice has formed thanks to the freezing rain, thats a big concern tonight if you have travel plans in new england. So, keep an eye on all those ice storm warnings, especially going into tonight and early tomorrow. Its really tomorrow where this starts to break apart and thats great news for the roads. There will be some snow showers blowing through, especially western new york and pennsylvania. By the time they get to the coast, they should dry out for the most part. But it will be blustery. And look at that. Everywhere except the Pacific Northwest looking okay to ring in the new year. Whit . All right, ginger, thank you. We move on now to new details from that deadly shooting inside a texas church. The service was being livestreamed when a man there at the top opens fire, killing two people before he was shot by a member of that church. Jack wilson is that hero congregant. Tonight, he is speaking out about what he had to do. And were learning more about the gunman who did not survive the attack. Abcs marcus moore is on the scene. Reporter tonight, six seconds of terror capturing the moments lives were shattered and dozens more saved. Jack wilson, seen here firing a single shot, killing the gunman before he could harm anyone else. I dont feel like im a hero. I was doing what i needed to do to protect the people of the congregation. And i, you know, in the same scenario, i would do it again. Reporter the splitsecond decision stopping an attack that erupted in the middle of sunday Morning Service at the west Freeway Church of christ, near ft. Worth. The church livestreaming the service. In the video, you see the alleged shooter, keith kinnunen, get up from the back of the room. He appears to Say Something to a deacon and then pulls out a shotgun. His left hand never was visible, so, im assuming at this point that the shotgun was, you know, was in his pocket, all the way up under his armpit. Reporter the gunman opened fire, hitting and killing 67yearold Richard White and 64yearold tony wallace. Wallaces grandson was in the sanctuary at the time. The gunman just stood up and turned around to him. So probably like three feet away from my papa. Its kind of, like, heartbreaking, but sometimes you got to be strong about it and just keep on going. Reporter Authorities Say the shooter, seen here from a prior arrest, has had runins with Law Enforcement in the past. But they have not figured out a motive for the attack. Kinnunen is described as a transient. But why he would take aim at innocent people at a church is a mystery. There were more than 200 people in the room at the time. At least six people drew their own weapons in the moments after the shooting. Wilson trained the churchs volunteer Security Team and no doubt saved countless more lives with his quickthinking action. I see myself as doing what needed to be done to take out the evil threat. And marcus moore joins us live from the scene once again. Marcus, this congregation had been training for active shooter situations ever since a new law there was passed . Reporter yeah, thats right, whit. The law passed just a few months ago allows people to bring guns into places of worship. And this churchs volunteer Security Team was formally organized after that law passed. The states attorney general has called this church a model, and whit, once again, praised that hero parishioner for stopping this attack that lasted just six seconds. As you pointed out, could have been a lot worse. Marcus moore, thank you so much. We want to turn now to the suspect in that machete attack at a Hanukkah Party in new york. Hes now been charged with federal hate crimes. Grafton thomas was already facing attempted murder and burglary charges for the stabbings at a rabbis home. Within hours, he was under arrest. And what Authorities Say they found in his car and on his phone led to those new federal charges. Heres abcs stephanie ramos. Reporter tonight, hate crime charges filed against 38yearold grafton thomas, accused of stabbing five people with a machete during hanukkah celebrations in the new york suburb of monsey. Investigators say journals recovered from thomass home appear to express antisemitic sentiments and refer to the black hebrew israelite movement, some of its members espousing hatred toward jews. Prosecutors say there were also references to hitler, drawings of a star of david and a swastika. There were about 100 people inside the rabbis home saturday night at the time the attack. He took out his knife sword from a holder and started hitting people back and forth. Reporter five people were seriously hurt, including one man who is in Critical Condition with a Skull Fracture and another who suffered a severed finger. Surveillance video allegedly capturing thomass car as he left the scene. A witness writing down the license plate for police. I ran after him, i took the plate number and i came back up and gave it to the police. Reporter thomas later seen in this Surveillance Footage as Police Arrest him in harlem. Thomass family and his attorney say he has a long history of Mental Illness and needs a psychological evaluation. My impression, from what i have read and my conversation with him, is there are severe psychiatric issues. Reporter it comes just weeks after three people were killed at this Kosher Grocery store in jersey city. One of the suspects posting antisemitic comments online and expressing interest in the black hebrew israelite movement. In thomass car, agents recovered a machete, a knife and a phone showing searches for local temples and an article about security in the wake of recent antisemitic attacks. And whit, today, the judge here at the court even asked thomas if he was clear in the head. Thomas responded, not clearly, adding that he needed rest. Thomas is pleading not guilty to all of the charges. Whit . All right, stephanie ramos, thank you. And from louisiana tonight, new details about that deadly plane crash and the people who did not survive it. The husband of the young Sports Reporter who died now revealing he was supposed to drive with her, but he had to work, so she boarded that flight. It wasnt until after the crash that he saw her last text message. Abcs Kaylee Hartung on the scene in lafayette again tonight. Reporter tonight, officials discovering new Surveillance Video of the moments before this fiery crash in south louisiana. It could be a critical clue in this investigation. It gives us a very clear picture of what the airplane was doing as it came out of the clouds. Reporter just about a minute after takeoff, the plane spiraling from 900 feet. Controllers sounding the alarm. The pilot never making a distress call. The twinengine aircraft barely missing an apartment complex, striking power lines, slamming right into the ground, erupting into flames. The wreckage scattering 700 feet. So, it did not come apart in midair. Reporter this control panel, one of the only pieces left of the entire cockpit. Just before this fatal flight departed Lafayette Regional Airport with six lsu fans onboard for the peach bowl, Carley Mccord sent one last text. It simply said, i love you, but her husband didnt see it until it was too late. Steven ensminger jr. Telling abc, its the first thing i think about when i wake up and the last thing i think about when i finally fall asleep. And just hours ago, the one passenger who survived, wade berzas, coming out of surgery. Most of his body burned, hes in Critical Condition. Whit . Kaylee hartung, our thanks to you tonight. And from overseas, an iranianbacked militia is vowing revenge after u. S. Air strikes on its forces in iraq and syria. The pentagon releasing images of one of those strikes. The militia claims at least 25 people were killed. U. S. Officials say the attacks were a response to the death of an American Contractor killed by a militia rocket last week. Heres abcs kyra phillips. Reporter tonight, iran vowing consequences a day after these air strikes against an iranianbacked Militia Group in iraq and syria. The five targets, weapons and command and control sites the pentagon believes were used in a string of attacks on coalition forces. Including one last week that killed an American Contractor. Today, the first images of the destruction on the ground. The group claiming at least 25 people killed. Soon after the strikes, the president s Senior NationalSecurity Team briefing trump here at maralago. We will not stand for the Islamic Republic of iran to take actions that put american men and women in jeopardy. Reporter the Iraqi Government calling the strikes a flagrant violation of its sovereignty. While defense secretary mark esper warns there could be more to come. We will take additional actions as necessary to ensure that we act in our own selfdefense and we deter further bad behavior from Militia Groups or from iran. Reporter a Senior Administration official telling me, as for more air strikes, President Trump has the, quote, space to make more decisions. But there is concern we could see an escalation of violence. Meanwhile, an Iraqi Military spokesman tonight calling the strikes a treacherous stab in the back. Whit . Kyra phillips reporting from west palm beach. Thank you. Tonight, from across the country and both sides of the aisle, messages of support are pouring in for congressman john lewis, after he revealed hes being treated for stage four pancreatic cancer. The civil rights pioneer who says he spent his entire life fighting for justice, for human rights, but he admits hes never faced a fight quite like this. Tonight, the civil rights giant is vowing to head back to work, following his shocking diagnosis of stage four pancreatic cancer. Congressman john lewis saying the cancer was found during a routine checkup, writing, i have decided to do what i know to do and do what i have always done. I am going to fight it. For his entire life, the 79yearold has used his voice to stand up for others. Shoulder to shoulder with Martin Luther king jr. During the civil rights movement. Keep walking in the streets. Keep marching. Keep sitting in, keep standing in. Later, turning to politics. Speaking out for equality and human rights. Pancreatic cancer is rare and difficult to diagnose early. Alex trebek jeopardy host alex trebek is battling the same cancer and has spoken candidly about his own struggle. But what im not used to dealing with is the surges that come on suddenly of deep, deep sadness. Messages of love and support now pouring in for lewis. Former president obama tweeting, praying for you, my friend. And bernice king, daughter of mlk jr. Writing, fight on, sir. Just before his diagnosis, lewis reflected on his life during an interview with vanity fair, saying, i dont want to die. But we all have to die. Since i do, i hope i live on in the hearts and minds of people. The 17term georgia congressman also said that he may miss a few votes during this period, but hell be back on the front lines soon. There is still much more ahead on world news tonight this monday. The climber rescued after falling down a mountain, plunging 40 feet, injured and knocked unconscious. The major city with a warning for parents of unvaccinated children, giving them just days to get their shots if they want to go back to class. And mystery drone sightings reported in two states. Authorities trying to find out who is at the controls. Worried residents wondering whats going on. Oing on. So nice to meet you june, jay, ji, kay, raj, and. Ray good job, brain say hello to neuriva, a brain supplement with clinically proven ingredients that fuel five indicators of brain performance. Neuriva. Of course id love to take an informal poll. I used to be a little cranky. Dealing with our finances really haunted me. Thankfully, i got quickbooks, and a live bookkeepers helping customize it for our business. live bookkeeper youre all set up janine great hey you got the burnt marshmallow out delivery man he slimed me. janine tissue . vo get set up right with a live bookkeeper with intuit quickbooks. The easy way to a happier business. Next tonight, mystery drone sightings ov next tonight, mystery drone sightings over colorado and nebraska. Authorities receiving reports of large drones in the sky at night, flying in groups of ten at a time. Heres abcs clayton sandell. Reporter these specks of light, tiny and hard to see, but the speculation tonight behind a fleet of mystery drones is enough to fill an episode of the xfiles. Its a little frightening. Im more worried about what theyre doing and why they wont tell us than them actually flying around. Reporter last week, local sheriffs started hearing from residents about dozens of drones crisscrossing the night sky. They observed anywhere from five to ten drones over about a 25 square mile radius. Reporter the first sightings, in northeastern colorado and nebraska. Now officials in three more counties are getting calls from baffled residents. The drones are flying at night. That requires faa approval, so the agency can warn other pilots, avoiding collisions like the one that recently damaged an l. A. Tv news helicopter. And then there was this close call over las vegas last year. A drone narrowly missing a packed passenger plane. Drone experts tell us most likely the craft belong to a private Company Mapping power or pipelines. The air force tells us these dro