tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. president trump speaking moments ago. his first coronavirus briefing since april. saying the pandemic, quote, will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better. and what he said about social distancing and masks in this country. also making news, the alarming new report from the cdc tonight, that the number of infections in the u.s. may be ten times higher than official estimates. they studied ten cities and states in the u.s. including new york and florida. tonight, hospitalizations on the rise in 40 states. florida running out of icu beds. one nurse who said, in her hospital, there is just one icu bed left. teachers filing lawsuits to block schools from reopening. and there's news tonight on the race for a vaccine. pharmaceutical ceos questioned on capitol hill today.

when will a vaccine be available and what they said. children and babies in this country. the disturbing news tonight about dozens of babies under the age of 1. infected with the virus in one county alone, 85 babies testing positive since march. at least one of them dying. president trump is asked about the coronavirus tests he receives. he said on average one every day or every two days. he was asked, amidst the lines for hours in many hot spots, does he think there's a need for more federal help in getting faster tests and faster results for americans? tonight, the white house defending its controversial decision to deploy federal officers to portland, oregon. officers in camouflage. local leaders say they don't want them, don't need them and that their presence is fueling some of the protests. and reports tonight president trump is now threatening to send federal officers to chicago. also developing, what the president said late today about alleged jeffrey epstein co-conspirator ghislaine maxwell. it made immediate news. the new and dark turn in the

deadly attack on a federal judge's family. the suspect dressed as a fedex delivery man. allegedly killing her son, wounding her husband, before taking his own life. tonight, his possible link to another murder. the dangerous heat wave in the east. in some places, higher temperatures tomorrow. and the wildfire dangers and evacuations in the west tonight. and america strong this evening. something you saw right here and what many of you did afterward. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a very busy tuesday night. and we begin tonight with the coronavirus and the president just a short time ago in his first coronavirus briefing since april, saying the pandemic, quote, will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better. our jon karl asking the president about the president getting tested daily. the president saying, every two days or so. and jon asking whether there should be more money spent for testing for americans still waiting for hours in blistering heat and then waiting more than

a week, in some cases, for results. what the president says about that tonight. and this evening, the new report from the cdc revealing the number of infections here in the u.s. is likely ten times higher than reported. of course, the numbers that have been reported are already staggering. more than 141,000 lives have been lost. more than 1,000 more lives in just the last 24 hours. 58% of them in the south. more than 3.8 million confirmed cases, but that new estimate from the cdc could mean that tens of millions more americans may have been infected. many without even knowing it. the study across ten cities and states. and tonight in florida, which remains the current epicenter, more than 9,000 new cases. 136 more deaths. one nurse telling us tonight, her hospital only has one icu bed left. texas tonight also reporting more than 9,000 new cases. and in one texas county alone, 85 babies have tested positive since march and at least one infant has died. all of that driving the very

real questions tonight about when and how schools should open. congress today asking executives from top drug companies racing for a vaccine if they would send their own children back. and what they said. and so we begin tonight with abc's victor oquendo from florida. >> reporter: tonight, that alarming new report from the cdc. the number of covid-19 infections in the first months of the pandemic estimated to be likely ten times higher than previously thought. the study looking at antibody tests in ten cities and states from march to may, finding, depending on the location, the case rate could be 6 to 24 times more than initially reported. we're now in july, with hospitalizations on the rise in 40 states. the south looking like the northeast did in april. moments ago, in his first coronavirus briefing since april, president trump acknowledging the severity of the pandemic. >> it will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better. >> reporter: hospitals like baptist health here in miami are pushed to the brink. >> it's exhausting.

every day, we feel like we're in a race, a marathon. >> reporter: with just one icu bed left, nurse rachel evers says it's wearing on the staff. compared to march and april, what are we seeing now in the icu? >> oh, march was just the tip of the iceberg. and every day, it's coming into more patients and they're very sick. >> reporter: as cases rise, the debate over reopening schools raging. >> the clock is ticking. >> reporter: mindy grimes-festge is one of dozens of educators and parents suing governor ron desantis, who wants kids back in the classroom. the governor suggested that teachers who don't want to go back inside of a classroom could do something like take a sabbatical. could you -- could other teachers afford to do something like that right now? >> absolutely not. i mean, to make that statement just lets us know that he's not in touch with what's happening. >> reporter: she and her husband are both teachers and they are concerned they could bring the virus home to their son, who is

immune know come p immunocompromised. in a congressional hearing today, executives from five pharmaceutical companies said they hope to have hundreds of millions of doses of affordable vaccine to be ready by next year. they were asked if they would send their kids back to school without one. >> i honestly don't know the answer yet even for my three children. we're wrestling the same challenge parents are across the country are, trying to figure out the right thing to do. >> so, have you come to a conclusion? >> no, sir, we're talking about that tonight at dinner. i don't know yet. >> just, if you're confused, think about all across america. >> reporter: vice president pence with a different message. >> i can tell you, with my wife seated right here, if our kids were elementary school age or high school or college, we wouldn't hesitate to send them back to school, because i've been looking at this data every day. >> reporter: tonight, the virus continuing to take a deadly toll on front line workers. fiana tulip mourning her mother, isabelle papadimitriou, a respiratory therapist in dallas. writing this scathing obituary blaming politicians and their lack of action for her death, writing, "like hundreds and

thousands of others, she should still be alive today." even inviting texas governor greg abbott to her mother's funeral, saying his statewide mask mandate was too little, too late. >> i invited him so that he can see behind these numbers there are real people who are suffering. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., this striking image. the national nurses union placing 164 pairs of shoes on the lawn of the capitol to mourn their fallen. >> you think about all those front line workers. victor with us now from a testing site in miami beach. and victor, we heard in your report there the concern there, obviously, that continues about schools, how the virus could effect children who could then bring it home to parents and grandparents. you've also got news tonight about summer camps? >> reporter: david, all summer camps in miami are now closed after some campers and a counselor tested positive. that is just going to further complicate the debate over reopening schools. david? >> all right, victor oquendo leading us off tonight. victor, thank you. of course, texas also a hot spot. and tonight, alarming news on

the youngest to be infected. in fact, in one texas county alone, more than 85 babies under the age of 1 testing positive since march. and at least one baby has died. abc's marcus moore from texas. >> reporter: a young mother tonight recounting the moment she learned her 2-month-old daughter is battling the virus that has swept the globe. >> i had a panic attack. i literally just started, like, pacing and i couldn't breathe, because i was just so nervous. >> reporter: last week, angelica wendell's daughter eevee's giggles and smiles replaced by a cruel fever, congestion and rash. >> everyone's like, oh, well, kids don't get it. so, when you find out it's covid, it's just heartbreaking. >> reporter: thankfully, eevee is improving and will be okay. but she is just one of an alarming number of children who've apparently been infected across the country. over the weekend, officials in nueces county, texas, revealed 85 infants there have tested positive for the virus since march. 60 of those this month. nueces county has the highest positivity rate in the state. a 6-week-old baby died there in june.

covid-19 symptoms are generally milder in children than adults. a recent study of chinese children showed 90% of children who tested positive had mild to moderate symptoms or none at all, but that study also showed that 10% of infants who tested positive became very ill. and younger children, especially infants, had more cases of severe illness. >> we have to keep in mind that newborns and infants have underdeveloped immune systems. so that may be one of the reasons why covid can hit particularly hard in this group. >> reporter: back in arizona, little eevee is getting better. her mom thinks she got the virus when her sister visited recently. >> just be careful, even if you don't take your baby outside, just be careful who you let around them, because you think even your family's fine, but you may not know exactly what they're doing. and it is really sad to watch your child sick, especially with this disease that, like, no one really knows a whole lot about. >> reporter: david, doctors have told us that infants are more vulnerable than older kids and

that makes it all the more important to practice social distancing measures. it is also true that infants require closer care, making for a very difficult balance for doctors and parents. david? >> marcus, thank you. and as we mentioned, the president holding his first coronavirus briefing in months, just a short time ago. he stood at the podium alone without the doctors in view and he was asked by our jon karl, where are they? and the president telling americans tonight, when you're not able to socially distance, wear a mask. whether you like the mask or not, he said, they have an impact. here's mary bruce. >> reporter: he's been downplaying the virus for weeks, so, when the president today declared the situation will get worse before it gets better, it was a major about-face. >> but that's the way it is. that's what we have. you look over the world, it's all over the world. >> reporter: it comes as the president's political advisers warn, he will likely lose in november unless he convinces voters he's taking the virus seriously. our latest abc news/"washington post" poll shows joe biden now

with a 15-point lead nationally and a 20-point edge when it comes to trust in handling this pandemic. biden today hitting trump hard. >> it's been reported by the president's staff that the president is, quote, not really working this anymore. he doesn't want to be distracted by it. >> reporter: today, the president out to prove that's not true, stepping up his calls for americans to wear a mask. >> we're asking everybody that, when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask. whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. they'll have an effect. and we need everything we can get. >> reporter: but trump himself has been reluctant to wear one. just last night, at a fund-raiser at his washington hotel, wearing no mask. today, the white house press secretary said that's because the president is tested multiple times a day. our jon karl pressing the president. >> your press secretary said today that you sometimes take more than one test a day. why is that? and how often?

>> well, i didn't know about more than one. i do take probably on average a test every two days, three days and i don't know of any time i've taken two tests in one day, but i could see that happening. >> so, republicans and democrats on capitol hill have both said that they want to see more money for testing. they want to send billions of dollars to the states so they can do more testing. and you probably saw mick mulvaney the other day said that his kids, it took them a week to get test results back. he said, this is simply inexcusable, given where we are in the pandemic. do you think we have a problem with testing in this country right now? and you are in favor of more money for more testing? >> we've done more testing by far than anybody. but those numbers will be coming down. i agree, i think it's a good thing if we can do it. >> are you in favor of more money for testing? >> if the doctors and the professionals feel that even though we're at a level that nobody dreamt possible, that they would like to do more, i'm okay with it. >> reporter: now, notably absent from this briefing just now, any

members of the president's coronavirus task force. and when asked why not, the president would only said that dr. deborah birx was listening in the next room. dr. anthony fauci says he was not invited. david? >> mary bruce tonight. mary, thank you. we're going to turn next to the tense standoff in portland, oregon. new clashes tonight. protesters facing off against federal agents there despite the objections of the mayor and the governor. and now president trump is reportedly threatening to send federal officers to chicago. abc's kayna whitworth from portland tonight. >> reporter: tonight, reports that federal agents may soon deploy to chicago come as portland is facing what could be its 55th straight night of protests. overnight, demonstrators trying to break into the federal courthouse. it's just before 3:00 in the morning here in portland, things are still going. there's so much tear gas in the air that my eyes are burning. >> reporter: in a "nightline" interview, the acting dhs deputy secretary saying tonight those security agents in portland are within their rights to protect the courthouse. >> this is a long established

federal practice. it's well within the authority of the federal government. >> reporter: but oregon state is suing those federal agencies and chicago's mayor says they don't want those security agents even if it's to help police fight crime and gun violence. >> the trump administration is not going to foolishly deploy unnamed agents to the streets of chicago. >> reporter: 53-year-old navy veteran chris david says he suffered a broken arm at the hands of law enforcement in the portland protest. and that he was shocked by his treatment. >> i don't know who they are, still. i don't even know what agency they are from. no names, no agencies, nothing. >> reporter: david, the protests start out peacefully here every night and then gradually turn into chaos. the mayor tells me that it's the presence and actions of federal law enforcement agents that have led to an increase in violence and vandalism. david? >> kayna whitworth, who reported deep into the night for us. kayna, thank you. there is new reporting tonight in the deadly attack on the family of a federal judge. authorities say the suspect was found dead, and tonight, is he connected to another murder?

here's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: tonight, authorities uncovering disturbing twists as they investigate the attack on new jersey federal judge esther salas' family, that left her only son dead and husband in the hospital. law enforcement sources revealing suspect roy den hollander is also being investigated in the killing of of marc angelucci this month in california. >> marc was an angel here on earth and he will be greatly missed. >> reporter: sources say the gunman in angelucci's killing was dressed similarly to den hollander, wearing a fedex uniform, when police say he opened fire on salas' 20-year-old son daniel and husband mark anderl on sunday. a 2015 case, in which den hollander, a lawyer and self-described anti-feminist, represented the plaintiff was presided over by judge salas before another lawyer took over in june 2019. authorities seen removing boxes from his new york city apartment. sources say den hollander killed himself in upstate new york on

monday. the names of a dozen others were found in his car, including new york state chief judge janet fi twguns and cash were also found, sources say. north brunswick's mayor, a salas family friend, says the town is in shock. >> every time i would speak with mark about daniel, mark's eyes would light up. >> reporter: david, sources tell abc news den hollander had been diagnosed with cancer. officials are investigating whether these attacks were grudge killings committed by someone who knew they were dying. david? >> stephanie ramos with us again tonight. thanks, steph. when we come back, the dangerous heat wave and in some places, even warmer tomorrow. and what the president said late today about ghislaine maxwell. it made immediate news.

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we're tracking the first official heat wave in new york and boston tonight. the heat index in the high 90s and triple digits tomorrow from the carolinas all the way up to boston. severe storms then moving in from d.c. to philly to new york.

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finally tonight here, america strong. it all started with a simple request from a son. mom answered and so did many of you. tonight, they are the american servicemen and women you have not forgotten, even in the middle of this pandemic. it was one year ago right here, you first met this military mom deborah hausladen, from malvern, pennsylvania. you might remember that simple request from her son serving in afghanistan. >> he needed a pair of sneakers because his sneakers were starting to wear out. >> the sneakers he'd been issued were worn through. >> we said we'd gladly send him a pair of sneakers over. >> she had an idea and got to work. >> within a week, we had sneakers for soldiers formed. >> after our first report aired, so many of you helping deborah. $300,000 in donations in the first week. even schools helping. wyoming valley west middle school raising $5,000 and the smiles when those sneakers arrived. >> hi, david.

>> and tonight, deborah with the new numbers. >> since last july, when you first aired our story on america strong, we shipped over 2,600 pairs of sneakers to troops deployed to combat zones and eminent danger areas. >> she is now shipping 300 pairs of sneakers a month. to iraq, afghanistan, syria. donations from all 50 states. >> hey, david. >> tonight here, corporal ethan, we can't reveal his location or last name, but he tells us the need has been even greater this year because of the pandemic back home. >> with covid-19 restrictions, i was having a real hard time finding a new replacement pair. i'm so appreciative to have. thank you. >> hey, david. >> specialists ryan, daniel and morgan, too. >> these sneakers provide us motivation and morale. >> thank you, sneakers for soldiers. >> hi, david. >> and this, from master sergeant david. >> back home, things aren't great right now, we got the pandemic going on. just knowing that we're not forgotten while we're out here

serving makes the time go by so much easier. >> hi, mr. david! >> and for the families back home, like mom shanina and her children, lauren, gavin, colin and alyssa, a thank you. >> i want to thank sneakers for soldiers for remembering our special soldier. thank you for sending not only him, but his entire unit, sneakers. we appreciate you remembering them while they're away from home. >> and tonight, her husband, first lieutenant tony, with us, too. >> hey, david. those boxes arrived and we opened them up, i'm talking about adult soldiers, men and women, smiling like christmas. >> and this evening, one more gift for tony. a message from his family. >> hi, daddy! we miss you. see you soon! >> we thank our troops. thank you for watching. and more importantly, thank you for jumping in so often to help after our reports. good night.

today marin county joins the long list of counties fining people for not wearing masks. >> reporter: california has hit a major milestone for coronavirus cases. we prepare to have the most cases in the country. it's called flex academy and it is pleasanton's answer to distance learning. why some parents don't like it one bit. a new sad milestone for the pandemic. 7,000 californians are in the hospital right now. even the president is encouraging people to wear masks while another bay area contractings down on those who don't wear them. good evening. thank you for joining us. >> the state crossed several milestones today. more than 400,000 total diagnosed cases of coronavirus.

remember this total does include people who have recovered. more than 7,000 patients are in the hospital right now. that's a record we've never crossed the 7,000 mark before. roughly 2,000 of those are so sick they're in the icu. also a record. and the first time we've seen that number above 2,000. the most important part of the graph to focus on is the yellow line representing a rolling average of new cases. there is a little bit of good news here. that line appears to be reaching a plateau. >> the state of california requires people to wear masks. now a new law to toughen enforce many. for mask violators, the county will cite and fine if necessary as much as $1,000 per person and $10,000 per business. by the time wayne freedman hit the streets, it