♪ this is "nightline." tonight, america put to the test. straining under a surge in cases of covid. now the young woman longing to touch her loved ones. signing up with a medical trial that may make her dream a reality. >> my grandfather turned 93 in june and i couldn't give him a hug. that was really sad. >> how soon could the country see a vaccine? plus, the legacy of john lewis living on. how people were shaped by the civil rights icon. >> his moral compass always pointed north. always. >> "nightline" starts right now

with linsey davis. >> good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm linsey davis. tonight, the pandemic tightening its grip on the u.s. the death toll nearing 141,000. one glimmer of hope, scientists are one step closer to creating a vaccine. here's tom llamas. >> hi, grandpa. here's a big hug. >> reporter: it's been months since stella last hugged her grandparents. >> he turned 93 in june, and i couldn't give him a hug. that was really sad. >> reporter: to find a solution, she signed up to be part of a brave new army. >> feels like i'm part of something big here. >> reporter: one of the thousands taking a vaccine in a human trial. >> my grandparents have real

patriotism, and i feel like it was a patriotic duty a little bit to sign up for the study. because that's what we have to do. hopefully i'm developing immunity now. >> reporter: people like stella are crucial to winning the cwar against covid. >> i can tell you, my safety has been put at the forefront of the entire process. when i see the caring and just the professionalism of these researchers, it makes me more confident that not only are we going to have a successful vaccine, but that it is going to be safe. >> reporter: a global race is under way to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus which has killed more than 600,000 people, sickened millions, and strangled the world's economy. in the u.s., which leads the world in total number of covid

cases and deaths. this weeks, 40 states reporting a surge. some hospitals and icus are reaching capacity. >> in the 30-plus years i've been a physician, i've never seen anything like this before. when you're putting your mom's best friend in a body bag. it's very difficult to put your sixth grade c mechanical support. >> reporter: one family in southern california representing the virus' devastating toll. 17 family members testing positive. three of them died. >> covid is real. and we should take precautions. especially if you know that you're feeling symptoms, stay home. save lives. >> reporter: in florida, the current epicenter in the u.s., scores of young floridians out

partying with little regard for social distancing as cases climb, and officials warn there is less than 20% of icu beds available. protesters in that state frustrated with the governor's response to the pandemic. drowning him out at his news conference today. >> if you had been infected -- >> reporter: as he plea for plasma. florida has reported more than 10,000 cases a day for six days. and the pressure is on to create an effective vaccine as quickly and safely as possible. >> it's not really a race against other vaccines. it's a race against time. >> reporter: a new study finding the experimental oxford vaccine appearing to be safe and

activates the immune system to respond to the virus. >> we feel the urgency and pressure every day. people are working day and night and weekends. >> reporter: the study finding the vaccine produces a double defense. antibodies that neutralize the virus and prevent it from spreading form within 28 days. and t-cells form within 14 days. it's currently in human trials, with 1,000 volunteers participating. >> this is vital to be able to return to normalcy. >> reporter: the vaccine already in phase three trials is already on track to being produced. but much more testing needs to be done before there is proof that any vaccine is safe and effective. while the world waits for a vaccine, stella knows she's

doing all she can in the battle against covid-19 and keeping her grandparents safe. >> i just feel like when people say, oh, well, covid is only killing the elderly, i think to myself, my grandfather was here for this country when it needed him. and we have to be here for him now. and anything less is just wrong. i love you. >> reporter: for "nightline," tom llamas, abc news, new york. >> our thanks to tom. joining us now, dr. richard besser. president and ceo of the robert wood johnson foundation. where are we now at this particular moment as far as the search for a vaccine or treatment for covid-19? what does it mean when organizations announce promising results? >> i'm concerned about overhype with a vaccine. it's amazing the effort and dollars that are going into

developing a vaccine, and it gives me hope that we will get there. but there have been other efforts for other viruses that haven't panned out. for coronavirus, we're still a long way from having a vaccine that is proven to be safe and effective. >> and cases in the u.s. are surging. in some places, local leaders are threatening another lockdown. would you say that's needed at this moment to beat the virus back down? >> it's not the same in all places. as long as testing can improve, so that you're able to quickly identify new cases and do contact tracing and isolation and quarantine, that can be a strategy. but in places where transmission is out of control, where icus and hospitals are full, moving to some tighter form of stay at home will be the way to go. >> are you optimistic? what is the path forward nfor te u.s. from here? >> i can't say i'm optimistic

right now. the reason for that is the incredible divide between political and public health messaging. every public health leader is saying the same thing. we're in the early days of the pandemic, and what we do will have a profound impact on how many people get sick and die. we're getting messages from all over the board politically. we need to get us doing the things that will save lives and reduce transmission. >> dr. richard besser, thank you. >> thanks very much. up next, how a lifetime of civil rights struggles by john lewis inspired a new guard to keep watch. as we move forward, let's continue to practice these healthy habits, brought to you by lysol. wash your hands often with soap and water and monitor your health. always use the inside of your elbow to cough or sneeze. be sure to cover your mouth and nose

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and accessoriesphones for your mobile phone. like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program visit right now or call during business hours. ♪ john lewis, a towering figure of the civil rights era, fought some of the toughest battles in this nation's history. never faltering, always pushing forward. leaving behind a bright legacy for today's young leaders.

>> john lewis was a hero. he was a fighter. john lewis was a friend to many people. >> he didn't only lead by way of powerful speeches, but by way of his actions. >> i never thought of him as a politician. >> reporter: a civil rights icon, fearless politician, and an activist always. tonight, his legacy echoes through a new generation of leaders. >> his willingness to agitate inspired me to want to keep doid going and fight the good fight. >> reporter: notes of gratitude on his door. and an emotional moment of silence on the house floor. >> i saw so many of my colleagues tearing up and i was so emotional. >> reporter: lauren underwood, the youngest black woman to ever serve in congress, first met

lewis 14 years ago. >> i remember it being odd. there were 40 young african-american college students and he answered all of our questions. >> reporter: how did he influence your career? >> he's one of the american heroes, universally respected, embodied service. and he always had the courage to do the right thing. we have to choose to serve with integrity and choose to serve with honor and choose to be courageous. he was always there as a reminder that it's okay to make that choice. >> reporter: lewis didn't simply witness history, he shaped it, marched for it, bled for it. at 23 years old, he was right there with martin luther king jr., helping to plan the historic march on washington. >> my friends, let us not forget

that we are involved in a serious social revolution. >> reporter: on a high bridge in selma, one of the low moments of the civil rights movement, right in front, john lewis. years later, he would be elected to congress, serving as representative of georgia for more than three decades, getting into what he called good trouble. >> i remember sitting with him on the floor of the house chamber. he helped niinitiate the sit-in for gun legislation. it was serious and powerful. >> reporter: this photo posted by another representative, writing john lewis brought more young people to the house chamber than i've ever seen. >> my two boys were only 4 and

6, but i wanted to keep the photo as a reminder to them of how hard people fought ahead of them so that we could all enjoy democracy and civil rights accomplishments that we have had in this country. >> reporter: throughout his life, the fight for justice left him beaten and bruised. >> we tried to enter a so-called white waiting room. the moment we started through the door, a group of young men attacked us. >> reporter: in 1961, in rockhill, south carolina, elwin wilson and john lewis stood on opposite sides of history. lewis, then a freedom rider. wilson, attacking demonstrators. eventually a friend asked him about his faith in jesus. a question that upended his path

in life. >> he said, if you died right now, do you know where you would go? i said, to hell. >> reporter: in 2009, abc news brought these two men together. a reconciliation almost 50 years in the making. >> i'm sorry for what happened down there. >> well, it's okay. it's all right. it's almost 48 years ago. >> that's right. >> reporter: his power came not just from changing policy but hearts, and inspiring new leaders. >> he inspired me by being with shaking things up. i would say intentional activism, that made activism a personal thing, that was in 2012 when trayvon martin passed away. my older brother passed away

also at the age of 17. that reminded me of how unfair the world is. >> reporter: injured while protesting the death of george floyd, but resolute. >> the fight against white supremacy and systematic racism, the fight against equal rights, period. right now, at this moment, we in this country want to see justice for breonna taylor, more justice for george floyd. we want to see people who are killing people to go to jail. i think john lewis and how he lived showed us that some things that don't kill you make you stronger. >> black lives matter! >> reporter: across the country, the 27-year-old is an activist and member of the palestinian youth movement. for more than 50 days, she's been marching with the detroit

will breathe organization. >> growing up in detroit, i've been able to learn and witness firsthand the oppression that our black and brown comrades fight everybody day in the u. d. and we're forming a coalition of resistance. >> reporter: she's graduating in law school next month, and hopes to continue to fight for justice. >> i'm getting into what john lewis called good trouble. he had unrelenting dedication to the cause. he knew where the true great power was, and that's in the streets. >> reporter: what is his lasting legacy? >> i think he inspired all of us to continue to reach for our highest ideals. which is, you know, to make our country better for everybody. and of course, you know, there

will be opposition. but when you're on the side of justice, when you're on the side of equality and if you continue to persevere and do not give up, then change is possible. and i think that we have seen it manifested over the course of his lifetime. and it's up to us to continue that fight. up next, black is king. the visual feast sending shockwaves throughout the beyhive. ♪ igestive system isn't working at its best? taking metamucil every day can help. metamucil supports your daily digestive health using a special plant-based fiber called psyllium. psyllium works by forming a gel in your digestive system to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down.

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♪ finally tonight, singing from the soul. ♪ beyonce releasing a new trailer for her upcoming visual album, black is king. starring a sea of special guests set to debut on july 31st on disney plus.

it's a celebration of black culture and black excellence. ♪ a labor of love. and that's "nightline." we'll see you right back here tomorrow at the same time. thanks so much for watching. i'm linsey davis. good night. hello. i'm craig kilborn. and welcome to the "jimmy kimmel live" summer bash pool party. >> it's the "jimmy kimmel live" summer bash pool party. with guest host, joel mchale. tonight, russell wilson. and music from billy strings. and now here's your host, joel

mchale. >> did you hear that? that was not a crew member, and i'm not lying. unfortunately, this is what a pool party looks like now. instead of jimmy kimmel, you have a guy who used to host a basic cable clip show. yes, the despair of covid continues. but the good news is, i'm currently relieving myself on national television, and there isn't a damn thing the fcc can do about it. i'm kidding. i have a terrible urinary tract infection. nothing comes out. you know, guest hosting a talk show in a global pandemic isn't a job many people would say yes to, but it could be worse. i could be hosting the people's choice awards again. >> no! >> okay. nice crew you got there, jimmy. they're yelling through masks, by the way. a lot of soft droplets are flying. it was a dark time. i apologize. i'm here because jimmy is gone for the summer.