♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, breaking news. a deadly tornado ripping through the new orleans area. >> multiple injuries in the area. most have been transported to the hospital. >> an urgent search and rescue operation is now under way. then a contentious day two for judge ket damaanji brown jao >> is critical race theory taught in schools? >> does the united states need more or month are fewer police. >> the judge keeping her cool. >> i am here standing on the shoulders of generations of americans who never had anything close to this kind of opportunity. >> has she won over her critics?

plus, louder and prouder. the proud family returning after 17 years. the groundbreaking series even louder and prouder than before. ♪ >> if you see someone on television that looks like you, sounds like you, talks like you, it helps you mentally feel seen. and the worth of water. superstar matt damon's personal mission to end the global crisis.

good evening. thank you for joining us. we'll have more on judge ketanji brown jackson's contentious hearing today. we begin with breaking news. devastation in louisiana as a massive tornado has ripped through new orleans. these images are from louisiana. >> reporter: we're ten minutes from new orleans around 7:20 central time when we get a tornado warning on our cell phone. with a matter of minutes there was a tornado on the ground here in the lower ninth ward. and you can see what happened. there was a trail of destruction, the tornado leveled homes just like this. you can see all of the splintered wood. the home next to this is standing, but the windows have been punched out. the wind was so strong right before and right after this

tornado swept through. authorities are now going home by home, block by block, searching everything, trying to make sure that everybody survived this. some people tell us they have lived here for 30 or 40 years. they survived katrina, they just survived this, but they're not exactly sure how much damage this neighborhood has. they'll slowly be able to figure that out as the sun comes up in the morning. >> thank you, will. we turn now to the senate hearings for judge ken tan gy brown jackson. today some republicans on the offensive. here's abc's congressional correspond at rachel scott. >> i am here standing on the shoulders of generations of americans who never had anything close to this kind of opportunity. >> reporter: judge ketanji brown jackson's historic confirmation hearing continued into a second day. >> it doesn't matter to me whether the argument is being made by the president of the

united states or a death row inmate. what i'm doing is looking at the argument. i'm looking at the facts. >> reporter: she was grilled throughout the contentious 13-hour session by senators. some republicans questioning her record and accusing her of being soft on crime. >> you twisted the law, and you rewrote it so you could cut the sentence of a drug kingpin. >> as i said over and over, part of my concern is she has not followed the prosecutors' sentences. >> it's quite clear the agenda of the republicans is transparent. it's political. it was performative. and it was obvious to anyone watching this. >> reporter: yesterday judge jackson became the first black woman in 233 years to sit for confirmation hearings for a seat on the supreme court. of the 115 supreme court justices, 108 have been white men. only 5 women have ever served. only 2 of those justices have been black. >> let's go back to your work as

a judge. >> reporter: the day null of heated moments, some from her harvard law school colleague ted cruz. >> is critical race theory taught in schools, k-12? >> senator, i don't know. i don't think so. >> reporter: the texas senator questioning the first black female scotus nominee on critical race theory, an academic theory of racism's systemic impact on society that has become a lightning rod term used by conservatives. >> views every conflict as a racial conflict. do you think that's an accurate way of viewing society and the world we live in? >> senator, i don't think so. but i've never studied critical race theory. and i've never used it. >> reporter: other senators coming to her defense. >> i didn't hear that cited in any reference to your opinions as a judge. in your nine years on the bench and more than 570 decisions, have you ever used, employed, relied upon critical race theory to determine the outcome of any case or to impose any sentence

or as a framework for your decision-making? >> no, senator. >> republicans are masters at creating culture wars. they've been successful in making this an issue. so he did that. used the largest platform to go on a diatribe about critical race theory. >> reporter: cruz sitting by a stack of children's books. holding blown-up passages from books like "anti-racist baby." >> one portion of the book says, babies are taught to be racist or anti-racist. do you agree with this book that is being taught with kids that are babies are racist? >> senator -- i do not believe that any child should be made to feel as though they are racist or as though they are not valued or they are less than, that they are victims that they are oppressors. >> reporter: for the second day,

senator josh hawley accused jackson of being too lenient on child pornography offenders, pressing her on a 2013 case she presided over. >> this whole discussion is why you're only giving him three months. help me understand this. >> this particular defendant had just graduated from high school. and some of the materials that he was looking at were older teenagers, were older victims. and the point, senator, is that -- you said before, the probation office is making recommendations and they do so on a case-by-case basis. that is what congress requires. this is not done at the level of -- >> you have discretion, judge, you admit that, right? i just want to -- >> sentencing as discretionary act of a judge, but it's not a

numbers game. it's not -- i understand that congress wanted the guidelines to be mandatory. the supreme court in 2005 determined that they couldn't be. >> reporter: but perhaps the most unexpected moment was when senator lindsey graham criticized judge jackson for representing detainees held at the u.s. military prison in guantanamo bay during her time as a federal public defender. >> i just don't understand what you're saying, quite frankly. >> reporter: many believed senator graham would provide bipartisan support after he voted for the 51-year-old in her current role as d.c. circuit court of appeals judge. today his stance was unclear. >> i'm suggesting the system has failed miserably and advocates to change the system, like she was advocating, would destroy our ability to protect this country. this whole thing by the left about this war ain't working. >> reporter: but throughout the long day, judge jackson

maintained her composure. with just a hint of emotion at the very end. >> where do you get the grit and the guts to get back up and keep on going? >> well, senator, i think that too is something that i learned from my grandparents, who didn't have a lot of formal education, but who were the hardest-working people i've ever known. and who just got up every day and put one foot after the other and provided for their families. i reflect on them in the context of this historic moment, and i focus at times on my faith. when i'm going through hard times. >> our thanks to rachel. up next, the beloved tv series "proud family" is back. in 17 years, they haven't mellowed. ♪ ♪ whoever you are.

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♪ the proud family was a ground-breaking series two decades ago. now it's back and pushing the conversation forward. here's abc's zohreen shah. ♪ proud family ♪ >> reporter: "the proud family" is back. ♪ ♪ even when you start acting like a fool ♪ >> reporter: louder and prouder than ever before. after nearly 17 years, the revival of the beloved tv series, one of the few black animated shows back then, premieres on disney plus. disney is the parent company of abc news.

>> see ya! >> wait, wait, wait a minute, where did you get those? >> you gave them to me, daddy! >> ralph and i were actually at the studio pitching a whole other project entirely. >> similar to "the proud family." >> yes. then the executive brass in the room said, this is fantastic. but how do you feel about bringing back "the proud family"? >> when i first created penny -- >> reporter: bruce w. smith was the creator of the original hit series on the disney channel which follows penny proud, the 14-year-old protagonist as she navigates the ups and downs of life with her quirky family. >> hey, you biscuithead coach! >> reporter: and loyal group of friends. >> well, i'm grounded. >> me too. >> me three. >> ditto. >> reporter: the show shining a spotlight on black history and different lived experiences. a ground-breaking move by a tv series at that time. >> we're here to celebrate kwanzaa. >> i thought we did that yesterday. >> it's a unique show, it has

sort of a unique style of speaking, you know, to the audience. >> you mean it's very, very, very, very, very black. black, black, blackity black-black, unapologetically black, that's what we are. >> reporter: fellow executive producer ralph >> in the first episode, a very important event happens. magically, as things are wont to do through disney, puberty happens. >> when i answered, it was bruce smith and ralph faqquar, basically scheduling me if i was interested in playing penny. absolutely, who else would play me? >> the spunky eldest child who stands up for her loved ones and what she believes in. >> get off the field before you get hurt. >> i'm not leaving. there's no rule that says i cannot play on the boys' team.

>> what characteristic can you relate to? >> our personalities are intertwined. so many times i'd be like, wait, why is this girl upset about this, upset about that? there's so many times i'm like, right? >> reporter: the trail-blazing show never shying away from difficult topics. >> it's ramadan, we fast. >> reporter: from discussions on diversity to racism. >> is this colored girl giving you problems? >> hold up. who you calling colored? >> i told her to come see me, a little hot wax and you'll be fabulous again. >> >> reporter: e.j. johnson plays one of penny's best friends who is stylish and has an eye for fashion. >> i'm thinking, is disney going to let you do all this? pushing the boundary? they're like, we really wanted to have that conversation, have lgbtq+ characters in the show. >> reporter: colin's a gender-fluid character in the revival, a development that is near and dear to johnson's heart. >> do you remember the lgbtq

community, what is it like playing someone who is nonconforming on the show? >> it's wonderful. i get to bring all of that nonconformingness that i, you know, attribute to myself, to this character. >> more style than all of you, i know. >> with this character, i just wanted them to be like, hey, you know, it doesn't matter who you are what you wear, how you express yourself what you call yourself, you will have it all. >> reporter: johnson joining a long list of famous faces to lend their voices in the revival. >> eyes closed. >> reporter: kobe bryant, most notably playing himself in the original series. >> anything else? ♪ family a family proud ♪ >> reporter: destiny's child lending their soulful vocals for the theme song. ♪ make you scream make you want to sing ♪ ♪ you and me will always be tied ♪ >> reporter: up-and-coming singer joyce rice taking up the mantle. >> if penny proud were a recording artist, she would be joyce rice. >> wow. >> she has such an exciting,

joyous vibe about her, you know? she's just magic. ♪ you and me ♪ >> reporter: farquar, the composer for the "proud family" series. how do you recreate the song for a new era? >> that's a really, really hard one to make folks that grew up with the show feel like it's still their song, and at the same time, bring something new to it. bring it to this generation that is listening to it now. >> reporter: this idea of inspiring a brand-new generation is something that bruce smith and ralph farquar are championing. >> coordinators, artists, we have black and brown people at every level beginning to experience, writing staff. >> i want to hear from some of the younger people on staff. >> like me! >> it's just something we ins insisted on, coming back. >> listen, fail as much as you want to. because we got your back. >> "proud family" loud and

proud, as diverse as they get when it comes to production crew. >> a proud family making "the proud family." >> exactly, yeah. >> i feel like one of my favorite things about "the proud fami family," the original, now leading into "louder and prouder," we focus on representation. and to me, representation is extremely important. if you see someone on television that looks like you, sounds like you, talks like you, moves like you, it helps you mentally feel safe. feel seen. >> new episodes of "the proud family: louder and prouder" premiere wednesday on disney plus. up next, matt damon is a man on the mission that has nothing to do with the movie. he wants to solve a global crisis. nyquil severe gives you powerful relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms. on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing aching, stuffy head best sleep with a cold... medicine. and try vicks convenience pack.

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♪ finally tonight, matt damon acting out his passion for the planet. here's abc's kaylee hartung. >> reporter: matt damon is on a mission, but it's not for a hollywood blockbuster. the "bourne identity" star and oscar winner is tackling the global water crisis affecting one-third of the people on the panet. >> most of the people we know, you wake up in the morning, you

can go to the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, water's everywhere. but for nearly 800 million people, that's not the case. >> do you believe you can solve the global water crisis in your lifetime?p>> that's our mission. it's going to take a lot of engagement from a lot of different places. we are making progress. >> reporter: the "we" includes water engineer gary white. together they cofounded the nonprofit water.org over a decade ago and have written a new book "the worth of water." >> matt, you write that when you two met, so began the second-greatest bromance. >> that's right. >> of my life. >> that's right. >> what makes gary the ben affleck of water? >> well, i realized that, you know, this problem was incredibly complicated. and deeply complex. i needed somebody who understood it better than anybody. and when none of those people would take my call, i ended up with gary. no. >> well, i went to ben affleck first, then i ended up here. so i think that tells the story.

>> you did well. >> with humor and humility, the pair documenting how they developed a new model, creating financial plumbing. >> 300,000 children a year are dying completely unnecessarily because of this. from things that wouldn't -- that our kids would just miss a day of school over. the solution to it, which is clean water, the duty of collecting it usually falls on women and girls. it means millions of girls aren't in school because they're having to go find water for their families. >> about $3.5 billion in micro loans that have gone out that have been empowering these women. >> 97% of our borrowers are women. they're paying these loans back at 99%. because they return it at 99%, the money goes back out. >> it is still just a drop in the bucket, relative to the need. and so in addition, we're working with partners like institutional investors to actually invest in this. and if we can create kind of that financial plumbing between the capital markets and women living on $2 a day, and

everybody wins, that's the system's changed. >> what is the message you want people to take away? >> that there are solutions to these problems. that you don't have to bury your head in despair. there are very real solutions that center the people, the very people who need the help. if you let them lead on these solutions, they can fix these problems. >> our thanks to kaylee. all the proceeds from this book will go directly to water.org. that's "nightline" for this evening. see you right back here same time to