joining us on this interactive show getting answers. we'll be here every weekday at 3:00. tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the explosive hearings about the capitol riot, and now the divisive fallout. the january 6th committee taking its finding to the american, saying president trump spurred a coup. a capitol police officer describing a scene of war, the carnage and the chaos, saying she was slipping in people's blood. vide playedpridughter soin-law, and his former attorney general testifying under oath. and what trump is accused of saying about those chants from the crowd the hang mike pence. the former president now responding. our jonathan karl is standing i numbers at a 40-year high, sending stocks tumbling. record breaking pain at the

pump. gas prices up 50% in the last year. the cost for nearly everything you buy on the rise. how americans are coping and what the president said today. the uvalde school district police chief responds. chief pete arrodondo defending his actions. raising more questions about the police response. why he says he didn't have a radio and didn't think he was in command during the 77 minutes the shooter was left in the classroom. this as another victim, a teacher, is laid to rest. news on the pandemic. the cdc set to make a major announcement. sources telling abc news they will lift the testing requirement for all international travelers coming into the u.s. what this could mean for your summer vacation. word just coming in from florida -- two children struck by lightning as millions are on alert across the south. severe weather with damaging winds and flooding rains, and life-threatening heat from california to texas. rob marciano timing it all out.

the dire situation now in ukraine. russian forces pounding the east. a top adviser to president zelenskyy saying up to 200 ukrainian fighters are now dying per day. and "america strong" tonight -- the text message out of the blue connecting one young man to hisir mo. how th with us on this friday night. i'm whit johnson in for david tonight women begin with those new revelations in the first public primetime hearing on the capitol riot. the house committee laying out their case that january 6th was the culmination of an attempted coup. and that former president trump was at the center of it. the american people hearing video tape testimony from people in the president's inner circle. former attorney general bill barr testifying that he told trump repeatedly there was no

evidence of election fraud. ran van trump testifying that she accepted barr's conclusion. and a 12 minute video showing escalating violence of that day, much of the video never seen before. a capitol police officer describing a war scene, calling it carnage and chaos. and a stunning claim of testimony that the former president was aware of the rioters' chants to hang mike pence, and that he responded with a sentiment, quote, maybe our supporters have the right idea. today the former president responding to that. millions of americans tuned in for the first hearing and now highway half dozen more are planned. jonathan karl leading us off. >> reporter: the committee relied on some of those closest to donald trump to make its case. his once loyal attorney general, who told investigators trump's claims of a stolen election were bunk. >> in that context, i made it clear i did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this

stuff, which i told the president was [ bleep ] >> reporter: and the president's own daughter and senior advisor. >> i respect attorney general barr, so i accepted what he sa -- was saying. >> reporter: hours after the hearing, trump put out a statement saying his daughter had long since a dramatic 12-mi the committee presented the horror of that day, using previously unseen surveillance video to show every possible angle of the attack. >> you back up! >> reporter: as well as video shot by documentary filmmaker nick quested, who was embedded with the proud boys in the weeks leading up to january 6th. on that morning, he sensed something was off as he saw a group of some 200 proud boys go to the capitol instead of to the president's rally outside the white house. >> they were starting to walk down the mall easterly in the direction towards the capitol. there was a large contingent,

more than i had expected, and i was confused to a certain extent why we were walking away from the president's speech, because that's what i felt we were there to cover. >> reporter: the committee heard from caroline edwards, the first from caroline edwards, the first capitol police officer injured in the attack. >> i was slipping in people's blood. you know, i was catching people as they fell. you know, i was -- it was -- carnage. it was chaos. >> reporter: the top republican ty will estli trump'sthat car carnage. in one piece of never-before-seen video of the attack, a rioter is seen reading trump's tweet criticizing his turned the crowd against mike pence. >> mike pence didn't have the courage to do what's should have

been done to protect our country and our constitution, giving states a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones, which they were asked to previously certify. u.s. demands the truth. >> bring him out! >> bring out pence! [ crowd chanting "hang mike pence" ] >> reporter: liz cheney revealing what she said trump thought about those "hang mike pence" chants. >> you will hear testimony that, "the president did not really want to put anything out calling off the riot or asking his supporters to leave." you will hear that president trump was yelling and "really angry at advisors who told him he needed to be doing something more." and aware of the rioters' chants to hang mike pence, the president responded with this sentiment -- "maybe our supporters have the right idea." mike pence "deserves it." >> reporter: after the hearing, trump denied he said that, but

listen to what he told me last year in an interview for my book just two months after he left the white house. were you worried about him during that siege? were you worried about his safety? >> no, i thought he was well-protected, and i had heard that he was in good shape. no, because i had heard he was in very good shape. but -- but -- no, i think -- >> reporter: because you heard those chants. that was terrible. >> he could have -- well, the people were very angry. >> they were saying "hang mike pence." >> because it's -- it's common sense. it's common sense. >> jonathan karl with us now, covering the story from the start. the hearing last night was really just the beginning. they're planning up to six more in the coming weeks. >> reporter: each one of those hearings with a different theme presenting new information tying trump to january 6th and the events leading up to the attack on the capitol. the big question is whether it will break through and most importantly whether it will reach people who have come to believe donald trump's lies

about the election and also about january 6th itself. whit? >> jon, thank you. abc news will carry the second hearing live. attack on the capitol, the investigation. on monday, 10:00 a.m. eastern. now to the other headline tonight, the inflation number rising again, the worst in four decades. the consumer price "index" up 8.6% in may. fuelling that surge, higher prices for food and energy. gas now averaging $4.99 a gallon nationwide. president biden speaking today about the impact on american as some worry about the chances of a recession. here's abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman. >> reporter: tonight, that new report from the government showing inflation is only accelerating. >> everything is going up except our paychecks. >> your food bill's up 100 bucks. >> reporter: with prices up 8.6% in may, higher than last month, a new 40-year high. american families spending

$346 dollars a month more than they were last year for the same goods. >> it's getting harder and harder out here. >> reporter: gas prices up nearly 50% in the last year. groceries up 12. it's the largest spike in the cost for staples like eggs, meat and bread since 1979 -- >> if this keeps up, how does your lifestyle change? >> it already has. i'm not spending money, not going out the eat. >> reporter: and with polls showing more than 60% of americans disapprove of his handling of the economy -- >> i once americans are anxious. >> reporter: president biden looking for a silver lining in a speech at port of los angeles today. >> inflation outside of energy and food, what the economists called core inflation, moderated the last two months. we need it to come down much more quickly. >> reporter: treasury secretary janet yellen, who admitted sh was wrong to downplay inflation fears last year, this week asked

about the chances of a recession. >> there's nothing to suggest inflation -- a recession is in the works. >> matt gutman joining us now. what are the economists saying about the chances of a recession? >> reporter: the fed is set to meet next week, and given the numbers we just saw it's likely to raise the key inflation rates for the third time this year. higher interest rates mean put putting brakes on the economy, which is why economist like mark zandi predicting a recession. >> rattling investors, sending stocks into a tale spin. the dow losing 880 points. tenth down week in the last 11. fueling fear of a recession. now to uvalde. the police chief defending himself saying he didn't see himself as the commander on the scene, yet he called for tactical gear and acknowledged he was standing by in the

hallways for more than an hour. his words now raising more questions about the police response. abc's maria villareal in texas. >> reporter: tonight, embattled school district police chief pete arredondo, defending his actions during the massacre at robb elementary that left 21 people dead. >> guy with a rifle. >> reporter: the chief telling "the texas tribune" despite what state officials say, he did not see himself as the incident commander onsite and assumed another official had taken control, claiming, "i didn't issue any orders." but he does acknowledge using his cell phone to call for tactical gear, a sniper, and keys to get inside the locked classroom, saying he told officers to break windows to evacuate students. >> somebody jumped out the window. >> oh, the kids. they're getting the kids out. >> reporter: after officers were grazed with bullets, chief arredondo and others retreated into the hallway for more than an hour, while officials say gunfire could be heard four more times.

teacher arnulfo reyes, who was laying on the floor shot multiple times, telling abc news the gunman started shooting again right after a child called out for help. >> one of the students from the next door classroom was saying, officer, we're in here. we're in here. and then -- but they had already left. and then -- he got up from behind my desk and he walked over there and he shot over there again. >> reporter: as for those 911 calls from the classroom -- >> reporter: arredondo telling "the tribune" he was not aware of them because he left his radio behind, believing it would slow him down. but students like miah cerillo were still alive and begging for help. >> what did you tell 911? >> i told her that we need help and to send the police in our

classroom. >> reporter: and arredondo seemed aware that police needed to move faster. an official telling abc news he was overheard that day saying, people are going to ask why we're taking so long. >> there is no excuse for their actions. and i will never forgive them. >> reporter: "the new york times" also reporting teacher eva mireles called her husband, a police officer who was outside the school, telling him she was dying. that information reaching other officers 15 minutes into the rampage. eva died on the way to the hospital and today was laid to rest. whit, abc's investigative team has been able to confirm that preliminary assessments done in this case have found that the delay to send police officers inside that classroom was actually made so they could wait for tactical gear to arrive on scene. it's a decision that contradicts most active shooters protocols that have been in place for at

least 20 years. whit? >> that's why so many are demanding answers. maria, thank you. next here tonight, major news for international travel. sources telling abc news the white house is set to lift the requirement that travelers test negative for covid before boarding a plane to the u.s. the airlines welcoming the move just as the summer travel season kicks into high gear. here's abc travel correspondent gio benitez. >> reporter: just as the nation prepares for record-breaking summer travel, tonight, a major change for those flying into the country. sources telling abc news the the requirement for a negative covid test before entering the united states. starting sunday morning, just after midnight, anyone can fly into the u.s. without that negative test. the decision comes as the u.s. is averaging nearly 110,000 new cases a day, back up to one of its highest points since february. more than 4,100 are hospitalized with covid each day.

but withanleerses, the airline industry has lobbied to lift the requirement that has been in place for the last 17 months. tonight, the major u.s. airlines applauding the decision. united saying in a statement, this is another important step, not just for air travel but also for all the tourism jobs that international travel supports. jetblue's president telling us this will almost certainly boost summer travel. >> a lot of people didn't want to travel internationally because of the testing requirement. this provides them with peace of mind so that they know when they're traveling, they can make it home. >> reporter: and whit, we're told the cdc would recess its decision in 90 days, and non-u.s. citizens will still have to show proof of vaccination. whit? >> gio, thanks. overseas to the war in ukraine. russia closing in on control of those contested regions in the east, and what ukraine is now say about how long russia with keep up the intense fighting. james president zelensky tonigh

saying up to 200 ukrainian soldiers are being killed every day, and officials now warn russia could continue this brutal level of fighting for another year. president zelenskyy today mi in kyiv, pleading forfense for more funding and high-powered weapons. ukraine's success in pushing putin's forces out of the north around kyiv now a distant memory. ril, when the world discovered the horrors the russians had left behind. mykola shook with trauma as he told us about the three friends he'd had to bury in his frozen backyard. >> how are you? >> oh! >> reporter: our reunion today full of joy. you look well. but the painful memories remain. a reminder of what's at stake now in the east. when this went on television, afterwards, i got many, many messages. many people in america care about you. they want to know how you are.

[ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: i don't feel great, he says, crying. i start remembering and it's hard. i try to calm myself down. i see my friends, my family, but i just feel bad. i do need to continue living, though, and all i want is for us to have a good life. u.s. secretary of defense will travel to brussels. making another plea for weapons to get here quicker. more tonight, two children in florida struck by lightning. rob marciano times at out, the severe storms in the south. that's next. but i didn't wait. i could've delayed telling my doctor i was short of breath just reading a book... but i didn't wait. they told their doctors. and found out they had... atrial fibrillation. a condition which makes it about five times more likely to have a stroke. if you have one or more of these symptoms irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain,

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finally tonight, "america strong." the surprise message and the reunion, 20 years in the making. >> reporter: benjamin hulleberg has known from an early age he was adopted. though raised in a loving family, he was always curious to know who his birth mother was. and that mother, holly shearer, never forgot about the baby she had placed for adoption on thanksgiving day 20 years ago. >> he was always on my mind. roller coaster of emotions. >> reporter: determined to connect, she searched online, eventually finding benjamin's social media page, summoning up the courage to text him and wish him a happy 20th birthday. going on to say in part, 20 years ago i made the hardest decision of my life. i have no intention on flipping your life upside down. i have thought about you every day and finally had the courage to send you a message wishing you a happy birthday. >> and i saw her message and i just replied back and was like, do i know you?

and when she texted me back and actually explained who she was, it hit me like a load of bricks. this is a day i had been waiting for for the last 20 years of my life. >> reporter: that wait finally over. the two meeting the very next day. benjamin's adoptive parents right there with him. >> we all went. it was an exciting day for her. >> reporter: now reunited at last. >> congratulations to the whole family. i'm whit johnson in new york. have a great night.

>> building a better bay area. moving forward. ♪sc7s.g solutions. >> we are going to be rooting for the warriors. hopefully they can get it tied and come home. kristen: finding diehard fans in boston. we have a live report from the garden, including the latest on steph curry. >> but first we are at home, dangerous heat is gripping the bay area. we are tracking the conditions and the fire danger and health concerns. thank you so much for joining us. kristen: we have team coverage with our abc7 reported looking at the conditions and how dangerous in terms of fire concerns and people out in the heat. dan: that is coming up. let's begin with mike nico for the very latest on the concurrent mike conditions -- concurrent hot conditions. mike: there is some relief already showing up. but the relief is very limited in its scope. places like san francisco, 75, 80 in oakland, 79 in

hayward. everybody else, in the 90's and 100's. that is why we have to continue to be vigilant about taking care of ourselves and our loved ones until at least 10:00 p.m. and all those other areas in orange and again tomorrow and solano county. the excessive heat morning goes until 11:00 tomorrow evening. outside of that, we alsoave al c inland, east bay, the south bay, there is a potential of some unhealthy air. that goes away tomorrow. by sunday, 15-25 degrees cooler. i will show you the forecast, coming up. kristen: a grass fire broke out in the east bay in brentwood this afternoon. chp, saying it was likely started by a cigarette.