[ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] this is "nightline." >> tonight, country in chaos. haiti's brutal presidential assassination. the power struggle with the nation on the brink. >> people were generally feeling extremely scared to even do very basic things like go find food. >> with u.s. investigators on the ground, what haitians want to see for the future of their country. >> for haitians, haiti means equity. haiti means empathy. haiti means humanity. plus black widow's best friend. even a superhero needs someone to have their back. scarlett johansson's stunt double. her childhood dreams launching her to the big screen. >> we're in a position we can inspire and empower girls of any age. and

(vo) sensitive to cat allergens? join the thousands who've discovered a difference with pro plan liveclear. the only cat food to reduce allergens an average of 47%. save today at proplanliveclear.com. this is what freedom sounds like. and this. this is what freedom smells like. ahhh, enjoy 30 days of open-road freshness. febreze car. la, la, la, la, la i'm so glad you're ok, sgt. houston. this is sam with usaa. do you see the tow truck? yes, thank you, that was fast. sgt. houston never expected this to happen. or that her grandpa's dog tags would be left behind.

but that one call got her a tow and rental... ...paid her claim... ...and we even pulled a few strings. making it easy to make things right: that's what we're made for. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. get a quote today. ♪ thanks for joining us. haitian-americans are sending vital cash and supplies to the desperate island nation as the assassination of haiti's president continues to create chaos amidst a political power vacuum. many haitians are struggling to find necessities. some don't have enough to eat. here's abc's marcus moore from the capital, port-au-prince.

>> reporter: for omera prospera, hiti is home. but the country she was born and raised in is scarier than it used to be. >> people are generally feeling very scared to even find food, something we must do. inevitable. >> reporter: the married mother of one moved to the united states years ago looking for opportunity she couldn't find here. but she comes back often, since her mom and family stayed behind. >> i would like to be able to live here. if haiti was some other way, if there was actual government that was led by people who really wanted the well-being of the entire nation, i would be here. >> reporter: this country, which has struggled so much through the years, now plunged into a new state of crisis in the aftermath of the assassination

of its president, jovenel moyes, gunned down in his home a week ago. >> thegruesome murder and the violence behind it, we realize it's an extension of how violence is normalized in this society. >> reporter: moies and his wife were brutalized, the president killed, the first lady critically wounded. >> this is a president that has been concysted since day one. >> reporter: jacqueline charles worked for "the miami herald" and has spent 15 years reporting here. >> haitians want answers, and they're not getting a lot. they want to know what happened and who was behind it. >> reporter: the mystery deepening as haitian authorities hunt down the threads of this assassination. authorities pointing to haitian dr. christian sanone, as a key player in the plot. who lives in miami, but he's currently behind bars in port-au-prince. we tried to see him in jail. >> stop filming. >> reporter: in the end, no

visitors allowed. sanome has long been a critic of the haitian government, recording this video in 2011. >> where is the leadership of haiti? nowhere to be found. you know why? because they're corrupt. >> reporter: haiti's chief of police says a sanome wanted to take over the government, ariving in haiti in a private jet in june, accusing him of contracting with a venezuelan security company to enlist the services of some of the 18 colombian men now under arrest. also under arrest, three americans, including a man who occasionally worked as an informant for the u.s. drug enforcement agency. >> we've got haiti, colombia, venezuela, and the united states all implicated. yes, this is an international event. >> reporter: authorities raided sanome's home in port-au-prince and say they found guns, ammunition, and shooting targets. yet questions remain. >> haitian officials themselves have described this as a multimillion dollar plan. and sanome, when we did our

research at "the miami herald," is a guy who is basically broke. who else is involved in this with him, who else is financing this, who's bankrolling it? >> reporter: haiti is a country that for decades has been plagued with poverty, violence, political turmoil. the assassination has left a political vacuum and the people are left to fend for themselves. the assassination triggered turmoil and martial law. by the weekend people could venture back on the streets. while life here was already hard, now it is worse. >> what's up? >> reporter: we met this man, francois jean, shoe seller and father of four. he's not eaten for three days. what's life been like since wednesday? >> translator: life has been very hard. wednesday to today, i haven't made a dime. even though activity has restarted, the people don't have any money.

>> reporter: mackenson pierre agrees, talking while he works his shoe shine station. >> translator: the country is difficult, we don't have water to bathe, we have no food to eat, we're hungry. >> reporter: what should happen here? >> translator: see how i'm cleaning the shoes here? yeah, if i could find something else to, do i would do it, you know? i'm just cleaning shoes right now. i'd like to get out of this situation. >> reporter: shortages of food and fuel are commonplace here. we ran up on this group of people crowding around a gas pump. one father told us, you have to fight to find gas. the opportunity to get gas is spontaneous. it is sunday. usually a day when most people are going to church. we see this today. helen jean showed up in her sunday best, bible in her purse. >> translator: i came from church, and when i saw they were giving fuel here, i went home and got the gallons and came back to get some fuel. >> reporter: haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

the island had been an extremely rich french colony, using slave labor to produce sugar and coffee. until those slaves revolted and won their independence in 1804, becoming the world's oldest black republic. however, as a penalty for breaking away, france demanded the new nation pay reparations for overthrowing french slave holders. the debt so high, it took more than 100 years to pay off and left haiti chronically struggling. >> it just seems shocking that this comes up, when you look at haiti's suffering and problems, how much did the fact that it had to write that check to france play into it? >> reporter: in the years since the 2010 earthquake that further devastated haiti and killed 250,000 people, there have been calls for france to give that money back, those calls so far unheeded. while president moise was not adored by the public, his murder has horrified the public,

created confusion about who should succeed him. i spoke with the self-proclaimed interim prime minister, claude joseph, facing off against what remains of the senate, over who is in control of the scattered government here. is there a power struggle going on right now? who is in charge here in haiti? >> i don't know if there is a power struggle, i'm not paying attention to whether or not there's a power struggle. after the tragic death of president jovenel moise, i had to take charge, and i did. >> reporter: joseph has some support from the united states. president joe biden has refused to send any troops to the country, instead sending a team to help investigate the assassination. >> people of haiti deserve peace and security, and haiti's political leaders need to come together for the good of their country. >> reporter: security and peace are two things most families don't have here. in recent years, gangs have taken control of large portions of the country, kidnapping and killing hundreds. >> we don't have total control of our body, of our life.

we have to adjust our lives depending on what the gang members are planning to do. this is not a life. >> reporter: 38-year-old ralph francois left haiti two months ago, fearing for his life. he said his political activities have put him in the spotlight and in danger. he organized a protest in early january. >> my neighbor was kidnapped. it was shocking. i learned that i was a target. >> reporter: since the news of the president's assassination, fear has only grown. >> our president has been killed. july 7. in a humiliated way. in his room. so if a president is not safe in haiti, who's safe? how can we trust the government, who failed to protect us, who failed to protect the president? >> reporter: right now, the largest source of external money flowing into haiti is from haitians working abroad.

like most of the staff here at the chef creole restaurant in miami's little haiti, islan charles is supporting her parents and children back in haiti. >> she although you send money, it's money. nough, although you send- >> reporter: that story so common here. >> last time i bring $2,000 to help my family. their survival, for the money to be sent back. >> the money that i sent is very useful because of the poverty. >> reporter: 51-year-old chef wilkinson cezu understands. he's haitian-american. he sees his restaurants as an economic engine for his employees and their families. >> as soon as they get paid, they're dashing out of the restaurant so they can go to a local supermarket to do a money transfer. >> reporter: he says the money they send is needed now more than ever. >> i say to everyone, please do not get discouraged.

please don't lose hope on us. continue giving us everything that your conscience and your heart will allow you to give, and with the grace of christ, we'll be all right. >> reporter: whether that hope can break through this mountain of uncertainty remains to be seen. i've talked to a lot of people, and i ask every single one of them, do you have hope in the future? >> i have no other choice but to be optimistic. when the people who are experiencing the hardship and are really faced with very dangerous situations continue to have hope and are always fired up for the next fight. so i only have hope. >> our thanks to marcus and his team. up next, even a superhero needs someone to watch their back. your mission: stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... with rinvoq.

rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some, rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief. with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. tell your doctor about any infections... and if you are or may become pregnant while taking rinvoq. take on ra. talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. rinvoq. make it your mission. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help. ♪ i've got nothing to eat. nothing. [crying] hold on, i can do something.

♪turning nothing into something♪ ♪i turned nothing into something♪ it's amazing what you can do with nothing, and a little best foods. (cat 1) friskies world! it(cat 2)ing what you clook at that!thing, (cat 1) it's made with real farm-raised chicken! (cat 2) i gotta get my paws on that! (cat 1) it's friskies farm favorites! (cat 2) the winning farm-ula. (woman vo) feed their fantasy. ♪ friskies ♪ (cat 1) look! friskies ocean favorites! yum! ♪ why do you build me up ♪ ♪ build me up ♪ ♪ buttercup baby just to let me down ♪ ♪ and mess me around and then ♪ ♪ worst of all ♪ ♪ you never call ♪ baby daydreaming again? but i love you still you know i'm driving, right? i do. ♪ buttercup baby just to let me down ♪ if you ride, you get it. geico motorcycle. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more.

is your family ready for an emergency? you can prepare by mapping out two ways to escape your home, creating a supply kit, and including your whole family in practice drills. for help creating an emergency plan, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com for help creating an emergency plan, ♪ ♪ ♪ visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com ♪ ♪ ♪ hey google, turn up the heat. ♪ ♪ ♪ receive a chargepoint home flex charger or a public charging credit. see your volvo retailer for details.

a little preparation will make you and your family safer in an emergency.

a week's worth of food and water, radio, flashlight, batteries and first aid kit are a good start to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com scarlett johansson's "black widow" breaking pandemic box office records. behind every superhero, there's an unhung hero. heidi moneymaker, a former champion gymnast, is johanson's stunt double and stars in the new espn e-60 documentary "moneymaker: behind black widow." narrated by johanson herself. espn and marvel are owned by our parent company, disney. >> when you're a superhero? facing villains is just part of

the job. but sometimes the toughest fight is within yourself. overcoming fear. and finding an identity. on the big screen is "black widow." i'd say i handle all that pretty well. but on the set is scarlett. sometimes even i need a little help. >> you guys ready to roll? >> and action! >> the black widow character is such a unique character because she's a human being.

she is a superhero, she just doesn't have all the extra powers. i would say i'm like the black widow in a lot of ways. i really do try to be as superhuman as i possibly can. when it comes to training, taking care of my family, being a friend. i'm not russian. though i'd like to speak russian, so i guess we differ in that way. >> over the span of two decades, 43-year-old heidi moneymaker has become one of the best stunt performers in the business. and this is heidi's origin story. >> it was the 1984 olympics. and i watched it, and mary lou retton won the gold medal. >> mary lou retton!

>> and i was like, i think i'm going to do that. >> oh, geez. so we put her in just a little gymnastics class with a bunch of other little girls. and the gymnastics coach came up to me. "i want to put heidi on our gymnastics team." oh, sure, that's okay, that's kind of cute. little did i know. >> heidi's talent and hard work landed her a full-ride scholarship to ucla. it was 1997. >> wow. nice, great height. >> heidi's impact was immediate. and legendary. >> when i graduated from ucla and had to quit gymnastics, i didn't want to let it go. i had that feeling of, like, i've lost my identity. i don't know who i am anymore.

>> in 2001, heidi felt lost. a crossroads with no cheer path. but heidi stayed in hollywood and realized the sport she loved could launch a real career in a fantasy world. >> there are actually a lot of stunt performers who are former gymnasts. so i decided to give it a shot, see if it's something i'd want to do. and i worked a couple little jobs here and there. and then got lucky and was hired for "charlie's angels: full throttle" as one of drew barrymore's doubles. and i never turned back. >> i actually handpicked heidi to be my stunt double. at 31, she was ready. and together, we gave life to black widow.

>> your relationship with your actress or actor that you're doubling is really important. because they're going to start coming to you for everything. they're going to come to you for emotional support. because you are their connection. >> in the movie -- oh, i am in the movie. >> i know exactly my favorite part of the first "avengers." it was the chair fight we did with the russians. and basically handcuffed to a chair. and proceed to cartwheel with the chair on my back. double front kick one guy, break the chair off my back. it was a pretty incredible fight. we've been working together close to 11 years. i would say our relationship's amazing. i love her. i think she's one of the most amazing, beautiful, intelligent, hard-working people on the

planet. >> three, two, one, go! >> you think you've seen scarlett at her best? you are wrong. ♪ because you're going to see her at her best in this film. all you had to do was give her her own movie. >> for more than a decade, all the marvel films where i've been black widow, heidi's been my stunt double. and my family. so yeah, even superheroes sometimes need a little help. >> i think we're incredibly lucky that we're in a position that we can inspire and empower girls of any age. because i remember being that kid. looking up to my idols and wanting so much more for myself. there's something out there you want to do? go do it.

no limits. up next, "bearly" enjoying a day at the beach. artificial propellants... ely on febreze uses a 100% natural propellant. check it out! pressure created by what's in your air makes the bottle spray. which means freshness everyone will love. (vo) sensitive to cat allergens? join the thousands who've discovered a difference with pro plan liveclear. the only cat food to reduce allergens an average of 47%. save today at proplanliveclear.com. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk,

and losing some weight... now, back to the game! ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems.

looking to get back in your typeprovider todayre? about once-weekly ozempic®. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription.

it's a new day. and it's coming at you fast. it could be the day your workforce doubles or the day your visitors quadruple. with comcast business you'll be ready with the flexibility to control multiple wifi networks from anywhere— all on the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. get started with internet and voice for just $64.90 a month. plus, for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. call today.

♪ ♪ a mother taking her three kids to the beach is nothing unusual this time of year. unless, of course, she's a mama bear and the kids cubs. the family jumping in, cooling off from the heat, not seeming to mind the attention they drew from others there at lake tahoe, california. a family swim. that's "nightline." we'll see you right back here tomorrow, same time. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.