tonight, the deadly flooding disaster in kentucky. the death toll growing. children among the victims. the governor warning entire families may be gone. new images of the devastation. neighborhoods and towns under water. one of the worst flooding events in state history. emergency crews struggling to each trapped flood victims, rescuers in boats and helicopters pulling people from their homes. more rain slowing the search and rescue operation. the governor warning the danger will extend into the weekend. our team in the flood zone. extreme weather threats across the u.s. tonight, flood watches and warnings from arizona all the way east. record temperatures in the triple digits in the pacific northwest. rob marciano tracking it all. the u.s. pressing russia over that possible prisoner exchange. secretary of state antony blinken talking to russian

foreign minister sergey lavrov, urging russia to accept the deal to release americans brittney griner and paul whelan. and tonight, how the white house is responding to a new prisoner swap idea from a russian official. back here at home, pfizer and moderna reformulating their covid vaccines, targeting the highly transmissible omicron subvariants. the biden administration securing millions of doses which could be available in september. what we're learning about when adults under 50 could get their next booster shot. actor will smith breaking his silence, speaking on camera for the first time about slapping chris rock in front of the world on oscar night. >> there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave. former president trump igniting a new firestorm. 9/11 families protesting his hosting of a saudi-backed tournament at his golf club in bedminster, new jersey, and his

claim that, quote, nobody's gotten to the bottom of 9/11. and the mega millions just hours away. $1.3 billion up for grabs. good evening. it's great to have you with us on this friday night. i'm whit johnson in for david. we begin tonight with the deadly and historic flooding in kentucky. the death toll rising. children among the victims. flood watches in effect across several states at this hour. new images coming in today showing neighborhoods and entire towns deep under water. governor andy beshear saying rescuers are still trying to reach flood victims trapped in their homes, warning entire families may be among the dead. more than 300 people have been rescued from floodwaters in eastern kentucky. emergency teams in boats and helicopters pulling them from the flood zone. hundred of homes in the eastern part of the state heavily damaged or destroyed. a house swept away by the flooding. you see there, coming to rest on

a bridge in lecher county, kentucky. businesses abandoned. streets filled with mud and debris. president biden today approving a disaster declaration for kentucky. the governor says it will take at least a year to repair the damage. for families, the losses are heartbreaking. abc's mullah lanky from kentucky. >> reporter: tonight in eastern kentucky, the death toll rising as rescuers search areas previously unreachable after devastating floods knocked this region to its knees. >> this isn't over. i mean, while we're doing search and rescue, there are still real dangers out there. the water hasn't crested in some >>eas and won't until tomorrow. boats navigating rapids filled with debris, carrying the stranded to safety while choppers overhead search for more. >> we've had -- every fire department in the county's been out doing rescues, water rescues from one side of the county to

the other. >> reporter: governor beshear touring the damage in hard-hit areas from the air today because it was too dangerous to land. the governor saying entire families could be among the dead. >> i have received notice that they've located the bodies of those four children mentioned in "the herald-leader" story today, and i know we'll be contacting their parents. means we've got at least six dead children. and it's hard. >> reporter: as the search for victims continues, the process of cleaning up just begins. homes ripped off of the foundations. people's cars, their trailers, tossed around, completely destroyed. it's a process that won't be easy. >> it's just my heart. >> it's part of our family. >> reporter: in the tight knit town of hindman, we found jean everage and gladys epperson cleaning out the flower shop that's been in business for a hundred years. it's now caked with mud, and they're trying to salvage what they can.

>> i started in the flower shop when i was 16 years old on the side, you know? and i'm 62. and this -- and we've lived here most of my life, so this is all i know, and that's gone. >> reporter: what's the hardest part right now? >> hoping there's a future for this town. >> reporter: you're not sure about it right now. >> i'm not. >> reporter: the rivers crested tonight, but with more rain in the forecast, they're not coming down fast enough. in the meantime, the cleanup is almost overwhelming. there are vehicles in the waterways. you've got trees, trash, toys, people's personal belongings, street signs, homes and sheds washed away, crashing into telephone poles. all of this while the search for the missing continues. >> that devastation clear to see behind you. mola, thank you. tonight there are flood watches posted from arizona all the way east. virginia declaring a massive state of emergency. massive flooding from tucson to phoenix. monsoon rains tearing across the state there.

and stunning images from the las vegas strip, water pouring into several casinos, raining down from the ceilings. also the deadly heat wave stretching into the weekend. let's get right to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano. hey, rob. >> hey, whit. you know, the patterns are not really changing all that much, but the flood zone does get a break later on tonight briefly. let's go to the radar, show you where the rain is. other batches heading in that direction as one heads out. the pesky front has been the t. the monsoon as we saw in vehicle gas, that's no joke. severe weather storm in southern parts of virginia. maps into motion. tomorrow night into sunday, the tennessee valley, that's when things get cooking. monday as well, heavy rain, potentially more flooding there. sunday and monday, some relief from the heat in the pacific northwest. until then, excessive heat warning posted. triple digits in portland, boise, missoula, seattle, portland on track for their longest heat waves on record. whit? >> rob, thank you. next tonight for the first time since before the war in

ukraine, secretary of state antony blinken talking today with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov. the u.s. increasing pressure on the kremlin for a prisoner exchange, calling for release of americans britney greener and paul whelan. sources telling abc news, in return for convicted russian arms dealer, viktor bout. here's abc's senior white house correspondent mary bruce. >> reporter: tonight, the lines of communication are open. secretary of state antony blinken today announcing he spoke with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov about the u.s. offer to bring home former marine paul whelan and wnba star brittney griner. >> we had a frank and direct conversation. i pressed the kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth. >> reporter: it's the first time the two have spoken since russia launched its war in ukraine. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the call coming just hours after lavrov said it would be interesting to listen to blinken's proposals. but tonight, it's not clear if any progress was made.

blinken is refusing to say if he thinks a release is more or less likely, or to detail the russian response. but moscow says lavrov did ask the u.s. to return to quiet diplomacy after the white house this week publicly announced an offer was on the table. that offer, sources tell abc news, is to swap whelan and griner for the notorious russian arms dealer viktor bout. but the white house tonight tight-lipped on the negotiations. >> reporter: those conversations are going to continue to go on. we are not going to negotiate from here. just because it's just the right thing to do, and we want to be very careful. >> reporter: and tonight the white house is shooting down an idea floated by a russian official to also release a russian assassin being held in germany as part of this deal. the white house saying this is not a good-faith counteroffer, saying this is just an attempt to avoid the deal on the table. whit? >> mary bruce with those late

details, thank you. overseas tonight, and major developments in the war in ukraine. the deaths of dozens of ukrainian p.o.w.s, russia and ukraine blaming each other for attacking a prison in the eastern part of the country. the u.s. saying it's too soon to comment on who's responsible. abc's senior foreign raine toni. >> reporter: tonight, claims as many as 40 ukrainian prisoners of war may have been killed when their jail was shelled. russia accusing ukraine of hitting it with u.s.-made himar rockets. but ukraine denies it struck the prison in olenivka, accusing russia of deliberately shelling it and murdering the prisoners to then blame ukraine. the attack overshadowing plans to restart vital grain exports from ukraine after a u.n.-backed agreement involving moscow and kyiv. today president zelenskyy visiting the key port city of odesa, where shipments could begin leaving this weekend. abc's patrick reevell is there. >> reporter: you can see the huge grain silos behind me here in the port of odesa.

these grain ships here are due to leave in the coming days. whether they are able to safely, though, will be a huge test of whether russia is really going lift its blockade. >> reporter: america's ambassador to ukraine warning russia to stick to the deal. >> this is russia using food as a weapon. it's not acceptable. and there's an agreement on the table, it just needs to be implemented. >> reporter: whit, the pentagon tonight confirming russia's taken, quote, very significant casualties in its fight to take the east. and it speaks volumes that despite going on the offensive, the front lines have barely moved in almost a month. whit? >> ian pannell, thank you. back here at home, and news on the pandemic. pfizer and moderna reformulating their covid vaccines, targeting the highly transmissible omicron subvariants. new vaccines are expected to be ready in september, and that's when health officials say americans under age 50 could be eligible for another booster. abc's steve osunsami at the cdc in atlanta tonight. >> reporter: u.s. health officials tonight are trying to

time the next rollout of covid booster shots so that americans are better protected this fall and winter cold season. and this means that people under 50 will most likely be able to get their second booster shots in september. >> it's really good news that we're seeing the potential availability of these boosters in september, because you want to vaccinate ahead of any surge. >> reporter: americans will get a new generation of moderna and rgizer vaccines, and the shots are also expected to give people better protection from the now dominant covid strain, b.a.5. moderna says that its new shot produces twice as many antibodies as its current vaccine. >> now, it's hard to predict the future, but this is the best shot we have at protecting people against the most widespread variant right now. >> reporter: but a large number of americans are still refusing the shot. about 70 million people still haven't gotten a single dose. and covid just doesn't want to go away. tonight, 88% of americans live

in counties with high or medium risk. >> steve osunsami joining us tonight from the cdc. and steve, you're learning the government is now buying these new vaccines, but they still need to go through the authorization process. >> reporter: that's right, whit. the government is buying 171 million doses of this modified vaccine, with the option to buy more, if needed. but the rollout still has to get a green light from both the fda and scientists here at the cdc. whit? >> we'll stand by for that. steve, thank you. next tonight, actor will smith breaking his silence on caor the first time about slapping chris rock in front of the world on oscar night. smith sharing an emotional apology, calling his behavior unacceptable. but is rock ready to accept it? here's abc's chief national correspondent, matt gutman. >> reporter: four months after that infamous slap seen around the world on oscar night, actor will smith going before cameras for the first time to apologize to comedian chris rock. >> chris, i apologize to you.

my behavior was unacceptable. and i'm here whenever you're ready to talk. >> reporter: in a new video smith also reaching out to rock's family, including mom rose, who said at the time, "when will slapped chris, he slapped all of us. he really slapped me." >> i wasn't thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment. so i want to apologize to chris' mother. >> jada, i love you. "g.i. jane 2," can't wt it. >> reporter: smith going on to answer pre-selected questions, >> i made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with chris. jada had nothing to do with it. [ laughter ] >> oh, wow! >> reporter: a friend of rock's says the comedian did not know at the time that pinkett smith

suffered from the hair loss condition alopecia. as for why smith didn't apologize to rock when he was then awarded the oscar for best actor? >> i was fogged out by that point. it's -- it's -- it's all fuzzy. i've reached out to chris, and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk. >> reporter: smith saying the central trauma of his life is disappointing people. >> i am deeply remorseful, and i'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. i'm human. >> reporter: whit, chris rock has not commented on this latest apology from will smith. smith, of course, banned from the oscars for another ten years. but his career does seem to be moving forward. "variety" reporting he's being paid $35 million for the film "emancipation", whose release was delayed because of that slap. now it's expected out next year. >> those other projects still in

the works. matt, thank you. former president trump facing protests from 9/11 families tonight, backlash for hosting a saudi-backed tournament at his golf course in bedminster, new jersey, and making the claim, quote, nobody has gotten to the bottom of 9/11. the tournament not far from the site of the attack on the world trade center. here's abc's janai norman. >> reporter: tonight, families of 9/11 victims protesting donald trump for hosting the saudi-funded liv golf tournament at his bedminster golf club. >> our loved ones are the heroes. the golfers and the former president are cowards. >> reporter: also enraged by this trump comment. >> nobody's gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have. >> reporter: but during his campaign in 2016, trump squarely blamed the saudis for the september 11th attacks. >> who blew up the world trade center? it wasn't the iraqis. it was saudi. take a look at saudi arabia. we ought to get bush or somebody to have the documents opened, because frankly, if you open the

documents, i think you are going to see that it was saudi arabia. >> reporter: those documents, declassified by the fbi last year under president biden, described connections al qaeda and most of the hijackers had with saudi nationals. but the saudi government has always denied any involvement in the terror attack. tim frolic was in the south tower and survived. >> it's simple. the saudis did it. they plotted it, they funded it, and now they're trying to distract every one of those sins with a golf tournament 50 miles away from ground zero. >> reporter: and despite the criticism, trump will be hosting another saudi-backed golf tournament. that one, whit, scheduled for october at his golf club in south florida. >> janai norman, our thanks to you tonight. we move on now to the supreme court justice samuel alito responding to critics in his first public comments since writing the opinion overturning roe v. wade. the conservative justice speaking in rome, taking the

unusual step of mocking america's allies, sayingrie ngy supreme court decision in history, quote, lambasted by a whole string of foreign leaders. justice alito singling out prince harry. >> but what really wounded me -- what really wounded me was when the duke of sussex addressed the united nations and seemed to compare the decision, whose name may not be spoken, with the russian attack on ukraine. >> at least 13 states ceased nearly all abortion services since the decision. when we come back, the details coming in from north carolina. the emergency landing and the hunt for the pilot who reportedly jumped out of the plane. and the megamillions jackpot keeps on growing as americans scramble for their chance to win more than a billion dollars. sc! well believe it baby! because wayfair always delivers.

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suffer a mental health episode. state investigators, including deputies, never closed the door to the patrol car. when we come back, a milestone for one of the survivors of the uvalde massacre. and as the megamillions jackpot goes higher, what some aericans are doing to get a aericans are doing to get a ticket in time. hpv vaccination - a type of cancer prevention against certain hpv-related cancers, can start then too. for most, hpv clears on its own. but for others, it can cause certain cancers later in life. you're welcome! now, as the "dad cab", it's my cue to help protect them. embrace this phase. help protect them in the next. ask their doctor about hpv vaccination today. if you haven't tried dawn powerwash dish spray, what are you waiting for? embrace this phase. help protect them in the next. it's dawn's fastest and easiest way to clean everyday dishes. you just spray, wipe and rinse. it cleans five times faster to actually break down grease on contact. so spray your dishes clean... with dawn powerwash dish spray.

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>> this is a life-changing moment if you win this mega, or any of the lotteries, really. but today is one of those days once in a lifetime. >> reporter: from new york to virginia to houston, lotto fever catching on, despite the odds of winning the jackpot at about 1 in 303 million. for employees of raising cane's chicken fingers, you were lucky enough to have a ticket bought for you. >> whatever we win, we share it with every single person. >> reporter: their ceo buying a ticket for each of their 50,000 employees. >> this is a glimmer of hope. this is a lot of fun, and hopefully a little bit extra money. >> and again, that drawing later tonight. good luck. thanks so much for watching. i'm whit johnson in new york. i'll see you on "gma" in the morning. have a great night. part of the concern over the

monkeypox outbreak is the stigma that comes with it. tonight a look at what's being done to combat misinformation. i'm dan always in san mateo county four sheriff's department personnel flew to indiana last week to get a batmobile for a friend of the sheriff and your tax dollars paid for that trip. i'll help the story. and one person is dead after being shot by a sonoma county sheriff's deputy what we've learned tonight about the investigation abc 7 news at 6:00 starts right now. building a better bay area moving forward finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. holy political favors batman. that's the allegation against san mateo county sheriff, carlos bolanos for sending a four-man team across the country last week to raid the garage that big builds batmobiles yes. you heard that right? good evening. i'm arena nova, and i'm dan

ashley. thanks for joining us. it's quite a story here. it turns out one of the sheriff's friends ordered a batmobile and wasn't happy with how long it was taking to deliver. the it stand noise is here with a story that you'll see only on seven. well, dan your public money paid for the trip last week by the share some investigators four round trip plane tickets three nights of hotels meals rental cars and a lot of overtime all because of a friend of the sheriff. can't wait for his batmobile. real estate is a lot like surfing sam and agnostio is a real estate agent who lives in atherton and suddenly the perfect wave shows right up in front of you. got to be ready to catch it this profile video. he posted online shows and agnostio likes expensive a1000 e from the only builder licensed by dc comics fiberglass freaks of logan's port, indiana. you wanted one since a kid and now you can have