and the deadly flu. and questions about this 12-year-old boy who was rushed to urgent care. how accurate is that rapid flu test? good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a thursday night. and we begin with those horrifying new details from that california home. 13 siblings allegedly held captive there by their parents. tonight here, our first look at those parents, david and louise turpin, in court, facing charges late today, pleai ining not gui. and prosecutors with a new drips in the gruesome conditions the siblings lived. investigators say allowed to bathe just once a year. tonight, the daughter who planned the escape, that plan in the works for two years. abc's matt gutman leading us off. >> reporter: tonight, the man prosecutors portray as a monster is in chains. david, and his wife louise turpin, pleading not guilty. accuse of a combined 75 counts

of torturing, abusing and imprisoning their 13 children for decades. >> this is depraved conduct. >> reporter: riverside county district attorney mike hestrin tonight revealing that for two years the children plotted their escape from the horrors inflicted upon them. >> this is severe emotional, physical abuse. there's no way around that. >> reporter: hestrin detailing decades of unimaginable punishment that intensified as the years went on. >> they began to be tied up. first with ropes. one victim at one point was tied up and hogtied. these defendants eventually began using chains and padlocks to chain up the victims to their beds. >> reporter: the children allegedly tied or shackled for weeks or months at a time. and starved. the deprivation so severe, the eldest daughter, age 29, weighed just 82 pounds. and officials say their parents would taunt them.

>> they would buy food including pies, apple pies, pumpkin pies, leave it on the counter, let the children look at it but not eat the food. >> reporter: instead, the children were fed a steady diet of cruelty. these pictures show one of their texas homes. grime smeared on the stairwells. human filth on the floors. the district attorney saying the children were allowed to bathe only once a year. police removing evidence from their california home, recovering hundreds of journals written by the children. >> i think those journals are going to be strong evidence of what occurred in that home. >> reporter: the family allegedly keeping vampire hours. and that may have aided the turpins in keeping the 13 siblings in near complete isolation. >> the children lacked even basic knowledge of life. many of the children didn't know what a police officer was. >> reporter: and tonight, we're learning that 17-year-old girl who call eed 911 didn't act alo. >> she escaped through a window and took one of her siblings with her.

that sibling eventually turned back, became frightened and turned back. >> reporter: now, all of the children said to be quote "relieved" and in good hands. >> this is all so difficult to believe. matt gtman back with us from outside the courthouse tonight. and matt, those children now getting much-needed medical care. but the d.a. did say today they have suffered cognitive damage? >> reporter: that's right, david. and because some of them have suffered that neurological damage from so many years of starvation and because their isolation kept them so out of the world that many of them didn't even know what medicine was. the state may have to retain control of all 13 of those kids and, as they try to rebuild their lives, their parents face up to life in prison if convicted. david? >> all right, matt gutman tonight. thank you. we turn next to the countdown to a possible government shutdown tomorrow. republicans trying to pass a temporary measure to keep the lights on, but has the president undermined the effort? president trump sending mixed messages himself. democrats have demanded a deal

on dreamers must be apart of any plan to avert the shutdown. and who will pay the political price if this shutdown happens? abc's mary bruce, back up on the hill tonight. >> reporter: just over 24 hours to go, no solution in sight and the president says a government shutdown is possible. >> it could happen. we'll see what happens. it's up to the democrats. >> reporter: but it was the president this morning who seemed to upend his own party's strategy to keep the government open. hoping to get democrats onboard with a short-term funding fix, republicans are pushing a plan that also extends the children's health insurance program, known as c.h.i.tp., for six years. but trump seemed to contradict that plan with this tweet, "chip should be part of a long term solution, not a 30-day or short-term extension." >> i couldn't figure out what he meant by his tweet. >> reporter: for the second time in two weeks, house speaker paul ryan found himself on the phone with the president explaining the party's position. are you confident the president understands the proposal that's

actually on the table here? >> i think he does now. >> reporter: the white house then releasing a statement saying the president supports the gop plan. but democrats aren't sold. >> this is like giving you a bowl of doggie doo, put a cherry on top and call it a chocolate sundae. >> reporter: democrats are demanding any spending deal include action to protect dreamers, those 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the u.s. as children. there is a bipartisan proposal on the table, but the president has rejected it. are you confident that you're clear that -- on what the president would and would not support? >> the president is clearly giving legislators room to negotiate, but he wants a balanced deal. >> reporter: and negotiations now continue. republican lindsey graham today with this message to the president. >> you need to be a street fighter in many ways to clean up washington, but you also need to be the president of all of us. there's a time to fight and there's a time to deal. it is now time to deal. >> the senator talking to the

president through television, which he often does. mary bruce live on the hill tonight. and mary, republicans are pushing but senate democrats say they have enough votes to force a government shutdown unless they can make a deal on the dreamers here? >> reporter: david, house republicans are hoping they have the votes to pass this funding bill tonight. they want to turn up the pressure on senate democrats, daring them to shut down the government. but i'm told senate democrats are standing firm. without a deal on dreamers, they will not support this temporary bill to keep the government open. david? >> all right, mary bruce, a long night ahead. mary, thank you. president trump, meantime, tweeting a forceful defense on his views on immigration today, after his own chief of staff, john kelly, went on the record, going on fox news saying some of the president's views during the campaign were, quote, evolving now. and tonight, word one of president trump's closest advisers, hope hicks, will not appear before the house intelligence committee tomorrow as had been expected. so, what happened? abc senior white house correspondent cecilia vega with late developments tonight. >> reporter: in pennsylvania

today, president trump had nothing but praise for his chief of staff. >> he's great. i think he's doing a great job. i think general kelly has done a really great job. he is a very special guy. >> reporter: that, after john kelly committed one of the cardinal sins of a trump confidant, by seeming to undercut his boss's signature campaign promise. >> on day one, we will begin working on an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful southern border wall. this is a real wall. this is a wall that's a heck of a lot higher than the ceiling you're looking at. >> reporter: but behind closed doors in a meeting with congressional hispanic caucus members, sources tell abc news kelly said the president wasn't fully informed during the campaign. adding that he educated the president that a physical wall from sea to shining sea wasn't necessary. >> he has evolved in the way he's looked at things. campaign to governing are two

different things. >> reporter: on twitter, the president fire off, openly contradicting his right-hand man. "the wall is the wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day i conceived of it." who's going to pay for the wall? >> mexico! >> reporter: kelly seemed unsure about that. >> in one way or another, it's possible that we could get the revenue from mexico, but not directly from their government. >> reporter: the president's response, "the wall will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by mexico." kelly not the only member of the president's inner circle in the spotlight tonight. white house communications director hope hicks expected to testify in the congressional russia probe. but late today, her capitol hill appearance delayed over negotiations about whether she will invoke executive privilege. it comes the same week that president trump's former chief strategist steve bannon asserted executive privilege, refusing to answer questions about the transition or his time at the white house. >> did the white house to invoke executive privilege? >> no.

no. steve had very, very little contact with the white house since he's left. >> and cecilia vega with us live tonight from the white house. we just heard from john kelly on this, this issue of executive privilege. but the top democrat on that committee said steve bannon's lawyer did call the white house for guidance on several occasions? >> reporter: he did, david. and we're learning more about what steve bannon told investigators about that trump tower meeting with don jr., paul manafort, jared kushner and, of course, that russian lawyer. bannon, behind closed doors, called that meeting unpatriotic. privately acknowledging what he said in that book, "fire and fuhr rip." he had publicly tried to distance himself from it. but david, he says now he was only referring to manafort, and not the president's family. >> all right, cecilia vega with more on steve bannon's testimony. cecilia, thank you. next tonight, phoenix police arresting a man for a murder of his mother and step-father. their investigation uncovering a suspected serial killer. in fact, tonight police say that

suspect is linked to nine murders in just three weeks. and they want to know now, were there more? abc's kayna whitworth from phoenix tonight. >> reporter: tonight, authorities say they've nabbed the man behind a spate of killings. >> nine deaths, three weeks. >> reporter: it was this phoenix crime scene that led police to cleophus cooksey. police say when they arrived at this apartment complex, they found cooksey his mother and her husband shot to death. authorities arrested cooksey, bringing him to jail, eventually police connecting him to seven more deaths in those three weeks. in the following weeks, five more people shot. one of them believed to be sexually assaulted. in the end, seven men and two women killed, all within 30 miles. some of the victims allegedly known to the suspect, others with no known connection. police confirming the suspect is

the man seen here. in videos posting on youtube, rapping in this one about killing. do you believe there's possibly more victims out there? >> you know, i do believe that. i believe it's a distinct possibility. >> david, the suspect made statements to authorities that implicate him to some of these crimes, at least to some level. they also say that they have a motive for some of these murders, including sex, money and drugs. david? >> gha whitworth live in phoenix. thank you. next tonight, that deadly winter storm from the south all the way up to the northeast. at least 15 lives lost from the snow and then the deep freeze that followed. the driving has been treacherous. here's abc's steve osunsami again tonight. >> reporter: here's how icy the roads are. as far south as tampa today, a highway worker is seen here slipping on the ice. the expressway had to be closed. michigan state police are warning drivers tonight to slow down with this alarming video. they were responding to a wreck on the ice when this happened.

no one here was hurt, but already this week, 15 people have died on icy roads. most of them in the south, where there are fewer snowplows or salt trucks. this driver was lucky he walked away. >> when i hit the ice, i knew i was done. >> are you okay? >> oh, yeah, i'm fine. >> reporter: south of atlanta, a salt truck driver died today, hit by this freight train on his way back to the salt yard. in north carolina, they report more than 2,300 crashes. and at the airports, hundreds of weather delays in raleigh, charlotte and atlanta. take a look. this is a road in atlanta where the drivers couldn't get past the ice. they're here now, trying to set their bumper cars free. the road is closed tonight. david? >> steve, thank you. next tonight, to the emotional moments in court at the sentencing of that former usa gymnastics team doctor. larry nassar then complaining to the judge. he said, after so many victims addressed him in court, saying it was quote, detrimental to his mental health. well, what the judge had to say about that. here's abc's linsey davis

tonight. >> reporter: for three days now, more than 80 women have unleashed an onslaught of emotions directed at larry nassar. >> the life has literally been sucked out of me. >> reporter: today, even the judge took aim. dismissing a letter from nassar to the court, expressing concern about his mental ability to hear from all these accusers. >> spending four or five days listening to them is significantly minor, considering the hours of pleasure you had at their expense. >> reporter: more than 150 women have accused the former doctor for usa gymnastics team and michigan state university of sexual abuse. >> your days of manipulation are over. you are pure evil. >> reporter: and this statement read aloud on behalf of olympian mckayla maroney, who claims usa gymnastics tried to buy her silence. >> if michigan state university, usa gymnastics and the u.s. olympic committee had paid attention to any of the red flags and larry nassar's

behavior, i never would have been abused by him. >> reporter: a new investigation by "the troit news" claims that more than a dozen msu employees were made aware of allegations of nassar's abuse over 20 years. >> the focus of attention should be on the people who are telling their story and not on me or michigan state. >> michigan state released a statement saying any suggestion that the university covered up nassar's horrific conduct is simply false. nassar preyed on his victims, changing their lives in terrible wakes, end quote. already, more than 100 women have expected to make victim impact statements, and more, david, are still asking for an opportunity to speak. >> all right, thank you. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this thursday. the deadly police shootout. a u.s. marshal killed. officers serving an arrest warrant for a female suspect. a male gunman suddenly opening fire. there's also news tonight about the deadly flu epidemic and questions about this 12-year-old boy rushed to urgent

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had the flu or something else. his mother said he had those flu-like symptoms. doctors warn the five-minute test doesn't always give a complete picture. >> we actually had a case recently where somebody had this test that was done earlier in the day and then when we saw them in the e.r., we used our more sensitive test. the first test on the day was negative and then later in the day, the test was positive. >> reporter: doctors urging anyone who has a high fever, feel lightheaded and can't hold down food to go to the e.r. right away. the cdc says the test can actually miss the flu up to half of the time. david? >> all right, gio, thank you. when we come back, the u.s. marshal shot and killed. new developments. and amazon promising 50,000 new american jobs. a major clue about where in a moment. every day people are fighting type 2 diabetes... with fitness... food... and the pill that starts with f. farxiga, along with diet and exercise,

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america strong. the grandfather who always puts his family first, but tonight, they have put grandpa fred in the driver's seat. that's fred lamar, a grandfather from louisville, his eyes covered. turning 81 this week, and what a surprise. >> hold him. >> oh, my goodness. oh -- >> reporter: his hand to his head, overcome. this is what he was looking at. grandpa fred hugging his grandson, cam. he knew it was cam who painstakingly restored his '57 chevy bel air. working with his buddies. and you can hear fred say, "it's beautiful. >>". >> it's beautiful. >> i've been working on it for a year. >> reporter: cam telling us today his grandfather is his best friend. for as long as he can remember, grandpa fred has been talking about restoring that old car.

but any extra money he made, he put back into the family, not the car. so, cam saved up for this moment. >> hey, david. cam here. >> reporter: in front of that chevy, he brought back to life. >> he's my best friend and he really deserves it. >> reporter: but tonight, grandpa fred comes first. >> you like it? >> oh, man. i love you, buddy. >> happy birthday, fred, and way to go cam. we'll see you tomorrow. good night. and take a look at live doppler 7, you can see what's going on outside right now. you can see all the moisture moving through the area, the

question is how long will it this stick around? >> right away, let's take a live look outside, this is from our mt. tam and exploratorium cameras. you can see pretty gray and dreary outside. more rain is on the way, let's get to spencer christian with more of the forecast. >> here's a quick look at rainfall totals so far, this is a light storm, so most locations have received under .10 inch of rain. santa rosa, .30. and it is still raining lightly. here's a look at live doppler 7, we have scattered patches of light rain or showers, the storm ranks 1 on the storm intensity scale. the rainfall estimates about a quarter-inch to half-inch in most locations, snow locations are coming down to 3,000 to 3,500 feet because it's getting cold out there and we still have

dangerous surf. still little patches of light rain and showers will be pushing through the bay area through the midnight hours, notice the storm up north near ukiah, but the rain event will be pretty much over by midday tomorrow. we'll have some scattered showers light showers for the morning commute and here we are with our rainfall totals. we'll have details on our next storm in a few minutes. the dangerous surf and wild waves led to an accident. a boat overturned and crashed on to a jetty, and the people on board are very lucky to be on solid ground this afternoon. >> eric? >> reporter: as you can see, it is foggy,