>> steve osunsami. steve, thank you for your careful reporting all week long here. steve and juju chang will be in atlanta tonight for a special edition of "20/20." i hope you'll join us all at 10:00 p.m. eastern tonight. an important conversation, and many powerful new interviews, including the son of one of those devoted moms lost this week. that's tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern. we will see you then. >>> in the meantime, the other major news this friday night, the pandemic. a major change for schools across the country. the cdc issuing new guidelines tonight, recommending three feet of social distancing for school children with masks instead of six feet. so could this help to get children back to school sooner? some teacher's unions are pushing back tonight. the cdc director saying, we have the science. here's abc's whit johnson. >> reporter: tonight, a major change that could help pave the way for millions more children to get back in the classroom. >> i'm hopeful that we are turning a corner on this pandemic. getting our children back to school, in-person instru

no blame can be placed upon the victims. >> steve osunsami back with us from atlanta. we were on the air together watching the vice president and vice president, and both of them went out of their way to say, whatever the motivation, however this is defined by law enforcement, that too many asian-americans are in fear, have been attacked, have been killed. >> reporter: that's right, david, and complicating things is a growing sense of mistrust between the asian-american community and the law enforcement community, and that wasn't made any better here by some unfortunate statements made by investigators in some counties to the north of here who are working on their end of the case. we spoke with the interim atlanta police chief here, who tells us he wants to asian-american community to understand that he is here to protect them, and he realizes that there is still work to do. >> steve osunsami, steve, thank you for your careful reporting. steve and juju chang will be in atlanta tonight for a special edition of the "20/20." i hope you'll join us all at 10:00 p.m. eastern

>> all right, steve osunsami 4r50eding us off tonight from atlanta. steve, thank you. >>> we're going to turn to the other major story unfolding tonight, what authorities are calling an extremely dangerous tornado threat across at least seven states tonight. 60 million americans in the threat toen and tonight, reports of several tornadoes already. look at some of the pictures. this giant twister, that's in alabama. far buildings ripped apart in waine county, mississippi. and take a look at the radar tonight. the current tornado watches, of course, the orange and the red there on that map, particularly dangerous. new orleans, jackson, birmingham and so many smaller towns and cities in the path of this. and of course, another real concern that this line of storms will be hitting after dark. ginger with the track and abc's victor oquendo in birmingham, alabama. >> reporter: a dangerous, potentially deadly night ahead across a huge swath of the south. the storm prediction center warning of a rare high risk threat level for long-track, intense tornadoes. >>

>> all right, steve osunsami leading us off again tonight. thank you, steve. >>> we turn next here tonight to the coronavirus here in the u.s. president biden late today revealing his goal of 100 million shots in arms in 100 days will now be reached tomorrow on day 58 of his administration. and here are the numbers tonight. 75,325,000 people getting at least one dose now. that's more than 29% of all adults. but tonight, cases are rising in 15 states and authorities are now warning what's being seen right now in europe, if we're not careful, could easily happen here. abc's whit johnson from new york. >> reporter: tonight, the vaccine rollout more than a month ahead of schedule. president biden set to reach his goal of 100 million shots in 100 days by tomorrow, 58 days into his administration. >> behind these 100 million shots are millions of lives changed when people receive that dose of hope. this is a time for optimism, but it's not a time for relaxation. >> reporter: and with health officials warning of a possible fourth wave, the president

>> steve osunsami, thank you. >>> now, to the u.s. and iran tonight. abc news now confirming that president biden called off a second air strike against an iranian-backed militia in syria just an hour before, after learning women and children had been in the area. and there's also news tonight about the rocket attack this week on u.s. forces in iraq. and all of this as the pope visits iraq tomorrow and what's now being done to protect him. abc's senior foreign correspondent ian pannell from iraq again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, abc news confirming president biden called off a second airstrike against an iranian-backed militia last week. sources say it happened just an hour before f15es were ready to bomb separate targets. aerial reconnaissance spotted women and children at the second site and so couldn't rule out civilian casualties. when that information got to the president, he called off the mission. the other airstrike in syria did kill at least one iranian-backed militia fighter. shortly after, the administration sent a confidential message to

abc's steve osunsami is in atlanta. >> reporter: it's the new election law that many tonight are calling racist, signed by the same georgia governor who refused to go along with the wildest rumors of widespread fraud in the last two elections where the democrats won. and here's what he's saying now. >> there's no doubt there were many alarming issues with how the election was handled. >> reporter: there are now two photos defining this pivotal moment. one with the white republican men signing the law, and another with a lone black woman getting arrested for trying to get in the room. >> quit it. i said quit it. >> reporter: park cannon is a democrat, and she was put in jail after she refused to stop knocking on the governor's door. >> i am a legislator! do not touch me! >> reporter: u.s. senator raphael w rapha rapha raphael warnock is the pastor at her church and was there when they bailed her out. >> what we have seen today is a desperate attempt to lock out and squeeze the people out of their own democracy. >> reporter: those popular outdoor ballot drop boxes available 24/7 can now on

abc's steve osunsami from atlanta. >> vote no on hb531! >> reporter: at the state house in downtown atlanta, people who voted by mail in georgia are bringing the fight, accusing republican lawmakers of trying to stop black and brown people from voting. >> because black voters came out in record numbers and flipped this state. >> reporter: it was the presidential election here in november and the u.s. senate runoff in january that led to this. democrats won, with the largest mail-in vote ever recorded. before all the votes were even counted, state republicans were writing these new laws. if the governor agrees, you'll no longer be able to vote by mail without giving an accepted reason. and they're trying to get rid of the drop boxes outside county offices that made it real easy to turn in votes. some of these lawmakers are even trying to end sunday voting, which is hugely popular with black churches. >> our freedom to vote is under attack. >> reporter: georgia is not by any means alone. the governor of iowa just signed a law reducing early

steve osunsami with late reporting. >>> also tonight, president biden late today revealing his goal of 100 million s

steve osunsami in atlanta tonight with late reporting on what we now know. >>> the oth

. >> for more on the investigation and the search for a motive, here's abc's steve osunsami. >> reporter what heartbreak looks like across america. the strangers who are joining the families of victims to cry. this is also what it looks like to stand against hate. people of all colors speaking up and marching out for asian americans who feel under attack. in all, eight people were gunned down in this killing spree. and the number one question for the accused murderer, why? >> the suspect did take responsibility for the shootings. >> investigators say 21-year-old robert eric long told them he struggled with a sex addiction and somehow he thought he'd fix himself by targeting the 24-hour spas where he was a regular. the gun police say he used, they say he bought it here the day of the shooting, and if they hadn't stopped him they think he would have made to it florida. >> it's likely there would have been more victims. >> reporter: authorities in atlanta suburbs and the city have charged him with eight counts of murder. rodney bryant, interim police chief in atlanta, where the killings spr

steve osunsami with late reporting. >>> also tonight, president biden late today revealing his goal ofn 100

police saying they are not ruling out a hate crime, and abc's steve osunsami in atlanta tonight withing on what we now know. >>> the other major news this friday night.

we're going to go back to steve osunsami in atlanta with more. ies of the victims who were killed at this location and two others in this area sent back to their families to prepare for funerals. police are sharing these new surveillance images from outside the first shooting location in the atlanta suburbs, the man police have charged with murdering eight people, six of them asian women is seen getting in and out of his car. at this same crime scene, people came to mourn the dead thursday night. the sheriff here whose office has taken complaints for their handling of the case came to meet with mourners. >> we are committed to providing a safe environment and getting a solid conviction on. this you have my promise. >> reporter: 21-year-old robert aaron long is being held by police in the north atlanta suburbs. investigators agree that long had a sex addiction and targeted the 24-hour spas where he was a regular. it's not clear if he was a client of any of the women he's accused of killing. the heartbreak is deep and painful. emily tan was the owne

steve osunsami is in atlanta with the latest. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. there are a lot of discussions here about potential hate crimes in this case, and whether those possible hate crimes would be against women, asians or both. authorities in georgia this morning say that the accused gunman who killed eight people here is admitting to the shootings. >> some guy came in and shoot the gun, so everybody heard the gunshot. >> reporter: georgia investigators say that 21-year-old robert aaron long, a white man who they've now charged is guilty of the deadliest mass murder since 2019. officers say they were able to track him down thanks to his parents who saw these surveillance pictures and told police that this was him. police were then able to track his cell phone and caught up with him south of atlanta. they believe if they hadn't stopped him he would have continued driving to florida, gunning down more victims. >> we were contacted by members of the family. indicating that that may be their son. t

steve osunsami is live outside the cdc with the new warnings. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning to you, george. authorities here at the cdc are struggling with competing messages, yes, the vaccine is rolling out, but they warn that it is still not yet time for large parties and super large gatherings. the cdc this morning says that for the first time in the united states, more than 2 million vaccine doses are being put into arms each day. in new york, they were up all night at yankee stadium where they're now giving out that single-dose johnson & johnson vaccine. >> i feel like everyone should take it. you can't go wrong. i don't think so. >> reporter: states like texas say that the vaccine is just one of the reasons why they're now starting to ease up on covid-related restrictions. starting next week the state no longer requires anyone to wear a face covering in public. texas governor greg abbott has gotten an earful from public health officials over this, and answered his critics thursday night. >> the mask requirement being elimin

here's abc's steve osunsami. >> reporter: this is what heartbreak looks like across america, the strangers who are joining the families of victims to cry. this is also what it looks like to stand against hate -- people of all colors speaking up and marching out for asian-americans who feel under attack. in all, eight people were gunned down in this killing spree, and the number one question for the accused murder, why? >> the suspect did take responsibility for the shootings. >> reporter: investigators say that 21-year-old robert aaron long told them he struggled with a sex addiction and somehow in his mind he thought he'd fix himself by targeting the spas where he was a regular. the gun he used, they say he bought it here on the day of the shoots. if they hadn't stopped him, they think he would have made it to florida. authorities in atlanta suburbs and the city have charged him with eight counts of murder. rodney bryant is the interim police chief in atlanta where the killings spread between two spas. >> i think the people thought it was all wrapped up once we made the arrest buck now th

i want to get to steve osunsami, one of our correspondents who covered this for the last ten months. as we've been pointing out, the justice system as a whole is being put to the test here with the country watching. >> reporter: absolutely. i can tell you that black americans hearing some of the arguments are looking at some of these arguments through a different lens. the idea that, you know, we're questioning whether or not a knee to a man's neck had anything to do with whether or not he died, the answer to that to many black americans is obvious. you know, david, it can't be overstated the importance and the weight of this case to the conversation that we're having in this country on the issue of race. this trial carries the weight of injustice that black americans have experienced in this country for a very long time. it carries the weight of all of the previous police killings before and after this point that never led to charges or convictions. yes, the slice and the focus is on a very narrow legal position in this case, but it is so much greater than that. just a reminder ther

steve osunsami is live in atlanta for us with the latest on all of this. reporter: good morning to you, amy. because of what happened here, people are calling for new laws to protect asian-americans from hate crimes. >> they were mothers. they were workers. they were leaving children behind. >> reporter: in georgia and across the country, people are marching in support of asian-americans after the murders of six asian women at three different locations in the atlanta metro area. >> i'm tired of seeing my elders on the floor. i'm tired of seeing them attacked. i'm tired of watching in the streets and being spat at in imitation chinese. >> reporter: the people in the streets are fed up with racist americans who blame all asians for the pandemic. >> asian lives matter. >> reporter: and they say it was racism against asians that led this accused murderer to three different asian businesses where six of the eight people he's accused of killing were asian women. investigators say that robert aaron long told them he had a sex addiction and went shooting at young's

steve osunsami is outside the cdc there in atlanta for us. e things say they can't remember seeing a flu season this slow. the latest report on the flu in this country is a revelation. since the fall of last year, only 193 americans have needed to be hospitalized for the flu. compare that to what the flu looked like in america this time last year with the purple and dark red areas showing areas of high flu activity. here's what the flu looks like now. the flu has nearly disappeared. last cold season it killed 195 children in this country. this cold season, just one. >> it's hard to remember now but the 2019/2020 winter flu season was a very bad one. and, in fact, i just looked at the numbers from our hospital and for january and february of 2020 we had i think over 2,700 positive flu tests by this point in the year and this year we have had zero, none. >> reporter: the death and fear from covid has changed everything. scientists believe that the mask wearing, hand washing, social distancing and, yes, the flu vaccine have helped kill the diseas

steve osunsami is in atlanta with more as the fbi now gets involved. morning, steve. >> reporter: that's right, michael. the fbi is working with law enforcement investigating these killings, it's impossible to ignore that these killings happened at asian businesses like this one directly behind me and most of the victims were asian women. georgia authorities are investigating three crime scenes across two counties in what looks like a series of deadly shootings at asian massage parlors. >> my understanding they shot up a spa there. they shot up two spas here in zone 2. >> reporter: after a police chase that took them south of atlanta, police arrested this man, 21-year-old robert aaron long. police say he was seen on surveillance video outside the scene of the first shooting around 5:00 p.m. tuesday at young asian massage parlor in a north atlanta suburb. moments after these pictures police say he started gunning people down. >> we do not have a witness for that who's alive right now that can say who shot thm. >> reporter: people were running for their

steve osunsami is in atlanta with more on this. morning to you, steve. >> reporter: good morning to you, amy. people here were worried what happened in colorado was happening again, except this time at a grocery store in the shopping center directly behind me. authorities underline that they still don't know what this man with all those guns was planning to do. it was a terrifying moment in a grocery store in atlanta. police arrested a man would walked in wearing body armor and looked like he was armed to kill with multiple guns and ammo. the arrest came after quick thinking from a customer. charles russell was in the rest room when he spotted the ar-15. >> i went to go wash my hands and i'm looking just naturally. i seen the ar and i was like, you know what, let me make sure i'm not crazy. and i looked into the stall deliberately and was like, okay, that's an ar. >> reporter: russell working for instacart at the time ran out of the restroom to tell the grocery store management what he saw. >> i reported the gun. i reported the who

and looks at policing, represent prague answer the evolving role of arts and entertainment and steve osunsaminversation we're having in this country over the issue of race. conversations about equity and fairness. over the next six weeks tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. eastern, 9:00 central we will have an hour in primetime where we investigate, discuss and celebrate. it's the first of its kind on network television, a weekly news magazine roundtable and entertainment hour on the black experience by black americans for all americans. ♪ 'cause all of me ♪ ♪ loves all of you ♪ >> reporter: our musical guest tonight is john legend and he brings more than his songs. >> i could choose to not speak out about anything controversial and just focus on being popular and having people listen to my music, but i just feel like i can't be that person. >> reporter: in our first episode tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern, one of the finest law enforcement reporters in the land, pierre thomas, brings us his interview with a black police officer who stared down the racist terrorists who stormed the u.s. capitol. >> you used

steve osunsami, we love this series.try have had to scramble to meet nursing shortages. so this morning we celebrate a nurse who has helped hospitals meet that need and even spent some of her vacation saving lives. ♪ >> reporter: she's a nurse on a mission traveling around the ountry to hospitals that need her help. ♪ oh, i want to dance with somebody ♪ >> reporter: known coast to coast as the dancing nurse in the ppe with the slick moves and the healing heart. >> i'm not a j.lo. i'm not a beyonce. i'm an ana. >> reporter: and this morning she's saying -- >> good morning, sunshine. ♪ >> reporter: ana wilkinson is an emergency trauma nurse whose home is in san diego and lives by the idea that a smile is really good medicine. >> i think people just saw me dancing in my patient's room and then people started videotaping me. ♪ >> i mean, obviously i have amazing dance moves. ♪ i said ooh ♪ >> reporter: from kids in texas to covid patients in manhattan. ♪ >> reporter: she brings light to dark moments. 31-year-old eric says sh