joining us today on this interactive show, "getting answers

sitting republican lawmakers including house republican leader kevin mccarthy. tonight, his response. and jon karl is standing by. the major news in the war in ukraine. tonight, vladimir putin now warning of retaliation after finland decides to join nato. and what about sweden now? what putin is saying tonight. and ian pannell in ukraine. the abc news exclusive. diane sawyer tonight with ashley judd. for the first time, revealing her mother's final moments. and what she reveals about naomi judd's struggle and how to get help. we're also tracking severe storms across multiple states at this hour. record heat from texas to the northeast. and news tonight on the baby formula crisis. what major companies are now saying. good evening and it's great

to have you with us here on a thursday night. and we begin tonight with the sobering milestone. a once unimaginable number. president biden now marking 1 million lives lost here in the u.s. to covid. behind every number is a loved one lost, a family changed forever. and there is another staggering figure in all of this. for every four covid deaths in this country, one child has lost a parent or primary caregiver. more than 250,000 children who have lost a parent. we have spent months here documents their journey across this country. the quiet bravery of so many children who get up every day and head to school, head to work. we have seen so many heated debates over masks and vaccines, angry school board meetings. but some have asked, who is standing up to help the children? tonight, they take us inside their homes, their schools, their quiet moments, their strength often going unnoticed. tonight, president biden calling on flags to be lowered at the white house and the capitol to honor these families. the president saying, we must not grow numb to such sorrow.

tonight, the children, the families who have bravely allowed us to document their journey, their tests, their turning points, the moments we have rarely seen in this pandemic. the children setting an example for us all. 5:30 in the morning, a.j. arrives at school. football practice in honor of his dad. >> i just know that he's watching me. it helps me play better, you know? >> reporter: 5:45 a.m., trey is about to leave for work. >> this is like actually happening to us. >> reporter: 6:00 a.m., his sister jenny up, too. they are now raising their two sisters, hoping to make their mother proud. on this day, jenny gets the girls to school. across this country, the young people showing their resilience. kylie walking down the hallway in high school. >> everything happened so suddenly and so fast. >> reporter: her brother colton

with his backpack. life without their dad. cornelia getting on the school bus, a first grader, now without her mother and her father. 4-year-old elsie, 2-year-old graham, out the door before the sun comes up. barely old enough to remember their father. for months now, we have witnessed the quiet strength of the children facing a new day without a parent. more than 250,000 children here in the u.s. have lost a parent or primary caregiver in this pandemic. kylie and colton's dad was always so proud. >> all right, colty! a big birthday girl. >> reporter: on this day in new jersey, colton is about to honor his father. you got a big game tonight, huh? >> yeah. >> reporter: nervous? >> a little bit. >> reporter: your dad was a big hockey guy. >> yeah. >> reporter: what's been the hardest part for you? >> not being able to see him every day, like, it was always

good waking up and seeing him. >> reporter: his sister kylie down the hall. you find yourself still talking to your dad? >> sometimes i'll text him and i think that that helps me. >> reporter: you still text him? >> yeah, it's like my way of communicating. it is bittersweet, because i know i'm not going to get a reply back. >> reporter: the sunset she sent her father. what did he say? >> thank you for the beautiful sky. i miss you. >> reporter: oh. >> yeah. >> reporter: did you know your mom has been doing the same thing? >> no, i do not. >> yeah. caught me. >> reporter: a mother in the hallway, listening. >> i started sleeping on his side of the bed because i couldn't bear rolling over and seeing that empty spot. in the morning, i'm ready to start the day and do the best that i can as a mom and i'll take care of our kids. >> reporter: he'd be proud. >> i hope so. yeah. >> reporter: upstairs, colton getting ready for hockey. his father's rangers hat right

there on colton's dresser. and his father's pins, his rings, his father was a marine. >> one of his favorite hats and then pins and necklaces and rings from the marines. >> reporter: i heard you got his flag. >> yeah. >> reporter: yeah. that a tough moment? >> yeah. definitely. ♪ >> reporter: we hear about the numbers, but rarely do we see the moment a child ssd-e >>la par kenor y lovedone' rvic w jt12. his reaching for his father's flag. ♪ happy birthday ♪ >> reporter: their father, eric, died at just 51.

he and his wife both had covid. and eric died the day they got the call, saying the vaccines were now available for them. colton now heads out the door for the hockey game his father would have loved. how are the pregame nerves? >> little nervous. >> reporter: little nervous? all right. his mother on the other side of the fence. >> one, two, three -- >> bears! >> reporter: in florida, trey and his siblings starting another day without their mother. >> i wake up at 5:30, take a shower, then hopefully i have a little bit of time to read my bible and eat a bit of food. i'm studying to become a firefighter. >> reporter: cindy, a single mother of four, died from covid. she had been afraid of the vaccine. >> once i got the news, of course, over the phone, like, obviously i cried and i was super sad. and my mind went to my sisters, how are we going to, like, make

sure we all stay together? >> found out she had covid one day, next day, she was gone. >> reporter: jenny and her brother trey are now the parents. >> we're making good time this morning. >> reporter: she fixing sierra's makeup. >> perfect. >> reporter: zoe getting ready, too. becoming parents has been difficult. >> i had a hard time admitting that i felt kind of guilty because i felt very -- like, tired, stressed out, just wanting to be by myself sometimes. >> reporter: it is okay. >> yeah. >> reporter: and who is looking out for you? >> honestly -- it's a lot. it's a lot. >> reporter: and in our months following these children, we noticed something else. every day, jenny and her

mother's necklace. right not we it. i've worn it every day since >>epr:heas wearing heirhiey hande to me. ever since then, i've had it. >> reporter: every one of these children carries their parent with them. it's 5:00 a.m. and a.j. is up. he knows that's what his father would have wanted. >> have a good day. >> bye. >> love you, son. >> love you. >> reporter: he's off to football practice. >> so, it's 5:24 in the morning. >> reporter: his father allen was just 49. he'd had his first shot of the vaccine and he was waiting on the second. part of why you're here is your dad, right? >> yeah, definitely. >> reporter: you think about him every day? >> every day. especially when i wake up. >> reporter: it's been nine months now without his father. before every game, you go to the

sideline? >> yeah, right over there. >> reporter: and what do you do? >> well, i say a little prayer and i talk to my dad just like i would before every game, he'd give me a phone call, so, i just act like i'm on the same phone call and i just hear him talking with me. >> reporter: you still hear his voice? >> yeah, definitely. >> reporter: in mississippi, the scope of the loss is devastating. rents.ttle girl lost milindi now raising her niece, cornelia. her parents, craig and mindy, died just three months apart. both getting covid before the vaccines were ready. >> that's milindi in the blue jacket and that's tasha in the black jacket. they're my momma and daddy, but they died. >> reporter: and milindi is

about to bring her niece to the covid memorial on the reservation. >> they made this cross for those who passed from covid. so, like mammo and your mother. this is in honor of them. >> what's honor mean? >> like -- honoring people, you know, because they passed. t dedicated to those, the lives of those lost to the covid-19 pandemic. be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart. >> reporter: as we document these families, the turning points. >> feeling so excited. >> reporter: six months after losing their mother, they are now packing. with their two jobs and money raised by a mom from school, janie, they are now about to move into their first house. their mother's dream. >> she always wanted a house for us, so -- i know she's probably ecstatic right now. >> reporter: so, you made dinner already for tonight. >> yes.

>> reporter: what is dinner? >> baked chicken and rice, white rice. >> reporter: i might have to stay a little longer. as part of his training, we watch as trey returns from a call with the palm beach garden's fire rescue. and we go to find him after the test. how did it go? you passed the first one? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: feeling good? >> yeah. >> reporter: the smile says it all. turning points for all of the families. cornelia about to make the honor roll. >> cornelia. [ applause ] >> reporter: and the speech kylie is about to give for her father. >> good afternoon, everyone. my name is kylie. going back to school was and still is the most challenging thing i ever had to conquer. this year, my brother decided to join hockey. we are slowly learning to find happiness in our lives again. perhaps sharing can let other

families know, let other children know, that they are not alone. thank you. >> theiren incredible bravy. we have been following these families for months now, and there is so much more to their stories, how they got by, the strangers reaching out, the mother now parenting alone, her facebook group with nearly 1,000 strangers joining her. this is a powerful journey and we hope you'll watch "the orphans of covid" a special edition of "nightline," that's later tonight. and our special documentary, "the orphans of covid" up on hulu after 9:00 p.m. tonight. we thank those families. in the meantime, to the other news this thursday night, the massive wildfire in southern california. homes and cars going up in flames. the flames racing up this hill, in fact, toward homes where families had little time to prepare before their homes were fully engulfed in flames. abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman from the scene tonight. >> reporter: that firestorm tearing through this neighborhood in california's orange county. firefighters bracing against the

blast furnace heat, as homes, and cars explode in flames. the fire breaking out in laguna niguel just after 2:30 bend wednesday afternoon. at least 20 homes destroyed. many others damaged. all that's left is this smoldering wreckage. and so much of this place. we saw one of the residents, ritz sherman, looking at the damage. >> there's a lot of people in this community that i low -- >> they lost everything. officials saying we'll see more fires like this. >> with the climate change, the fuels, are so dry that fire like this is going to be more commonplace. >> reporter: david, yesterday was cool with relatively high humidity, not what they call fire weather here, but officials tell us, we have to stop being surprised by fires like this. they say this is the reality of

this situation. david? >> matt gutman on the scene in california. thank you, matt. the major headline from the capitol tonight, the dramatic escalation in the investigation of the capitol riot. the january 6th committee now issuing subpoenas to five sitting republican lawmakers including house republican leader kevin mccarthy. his response tonight, and here's jon karl. >> reporter: in a highly confrontational and virtually unprecedented move, the january 6th committee subpoenaed five republican members of congress, including gop leader kevin mccarthy, who could soon become the speaker of the house. all five had refused to cooperate. mccarthy unwilling to testify about his phone conversations with president trump while the attack on the capitol was underway. back on january 6th, mccarthy told abc news that he pleaded with trump to give a national address calling on his rampaging supporters to stand down. >> i begged him to go talk to the nation. >> reporter: four days after the riot, mccarthy was caught on tape telling fellow republicans he'd had it with trump.

>> i've had it with this guy. what he did is unacceptable. nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it. >> reporter: but soon after, mccarthy was back to being one of trump's staunchest supporters, as he is today. mccarthy would not say tonight whether he will comply with the subpoena, but he accused the january 6th committee of using its investigation to go after its political opponents. david? >> jon karl on this again tonight. thank you, jon. to the war in ukraine tonight, and vladimir putin is now threatening retaliation after finland announced plans to join nato. and what about sweden now? and why putin is so furious about this. ian pannell from ukraine again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, russia vowing to retaliate after finland's leaders said they wanted to join nato without delay. sweden also signaling it might join. both countries have long been neutral, but russia's invasion of ukraine has changed opinion. it's a huge blow to vladimir putin, who used nato's expansion to his own borders as one of the

justifications of the war. the russian deputy ambassador to the u.n. with this warning to a british journalist. >> if there are nato detachments in these territories, so these territories would become a target, or possible target for a strike. >> reporter: david, nato indicating that they'd welcome sweden and finland with open arms. however, it's still not a done deal, both countries' parliaments would have to ratify as would nato. but if it does goes through it could also run the risk potentially of vladimir putin doubling down here in ukraine, and raising the risk to nato. david? >> ian pannell with us again tonight. thank you, ian. we turn now to the abc news exclusive. diane sawyer with ashley judd. the deeply personal conversation. for the first time, ashley judd revealing her mother's final moments and what she reveals to diane about her mother's struggle. and tonight here, how to get help. here's diane with ashley judd. >> reporter: where do you want to begin? >> um -- there are many places

to begin, i think that i would start with, my mother knew that she was seen and she was heard in her anguish. when we're talking about mental illness, it's very important to be clear and to make the distinction between our loved one and the disease. it's very real. and the lie that the disease told her was so convincing. >> reporter: and it's the lie that you are not -- >> that you're not enough, that you're not loved, that you're not worthy. and i'm tasked with an exceedingly difficult -- task in disclosing the manner of the way my mother chose not to continue to live. and i've thought about this so much, because once i say it, it cannot be unsaid, and so because

we don't want it to be apart of the gossip economy, i will share with you that she used a weapon. my mother used a firearm. so, that's the piece of information that we are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand that we're in a position that, you know, if we don't say it, someone else is going to. and so, i want to be very careful when we talk about this today that for anyone who is having those ideas or those impulses, you know, to talk to someone, to share, to be open, to be vulnerable. there is a national suicide hotline. and that people who are in distress can call that national suicide hotline. >> and so we should note that if you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or are worried about a loved one, help is available. you can call the national suicide prevention lifeline at

1800-273-8255 or text talk to 741741 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org for free support 24 hours a day. our thanks to diane, and, of course, to ashley judd. when we come back here tonight, severe storms hitting this evening for several states. and news tonight on the baby formula shortage. what major companies are now saying tonight. r people. i think most adults will start realizing that they don't recall things as quickly as they used to or they don't remember things as vividly as they once did. i've been taking prevagen for about three years now. people say to me periodically, an, you've got a memory like an elephant." it's really, really helped me tremendously. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. i've got nothing to eat. nothing (baby cries) hold on, i can do something. ♪turning nothing into something♪

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the san jose police department has a serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately. >> in the days ahead, i look forward to staff and department will take to improve screening and

background to the police academy as well as investigation. >> recent san jose police department incidents include the method pipe allegation just mentioned. last friday, an officer was accused of masturbating during a response to a call. also on friday, and off-duty officer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, and last week another officer was accused of showing up at a kidnapping scene while under the influence. >> new details in last month's kidnapping of a three-month-old or in san jose. prosecutors say the suspects tried to kidnap the child three times before. yes any a ramirez san jose portillo -- yesenia ramirez and jose portillo were charged with three counts of kidnapping.