tonight, here in atlanta, three former presidents honoring a giant. the late congressman john lewis. also developing, president trump floating the idea of delaying the election. and a former presidential candidate dying from covid-19. but first, john lewis. the son of alabama sharecroppers, his legacy of fighting for justice and racial equality. tributes tonight from former presidents george w. bush and bill clinton. former president barack obama delivering the eulogy. saying america was built by people like john lewis. and he went on to say few elections are as urgent as this one. what he's concerned about. it comes just hours after president trump, who did not attend the funeral, suggested moving the election in a tweet. it set off a firestorm, including leaders of his own party. what mitch mcconnell is now

saying tonight. joe biden had warned the president would try to do this. millions of american families in need tonight. the new numbers. the economy shrinking by the largest margin since records were kept before world war ii. and with benefits now expiring, tonight, the scramble on capitol hill. the vote late today, but is it too little, too late? mary bruce on where this stands right now. the coronavirus. deaths rising in 32 states. florida tonight reporting its deadliest 24 hours yet. ohio with a record number of new cases. and the new images tonight from. we have also learned this evening former presidential candidate herman cain has died from coronavirus. some of the last images of him in public at the president's tulsa rally with no mask. president trump offering words of comfort tonight. we're tracking that tropical storm and now, is there a hurricane brewing for the east? the storm slamming parts of puerto rico. more than 400,000 without power. and now, the new track. could it become a hurricane as

it moves up the coast? and the earthquake rattling southern california. they felt it in los angeles. and good evening tonight from atlanta, where amid this pandemic, amid so much worry in this country, the nation paused today to remember. a man who spent most of his life fighting, pushing for equality, for civil rights, for change. three presidents came to honor john lewis, who they say never lost hope in the promise of america. his funeral at the church where he worshipped, ebenezer baptist king jr. was once the pastor er here. john lewis learned from him and then taught others himself, leading by example. among those here to honor him, former presidents george w. bush and bill clinton. and former president barack obama delivering the eulogy, saying john lewis's life proved that any of us can stand up to power and say, we can do better.

but the former president didn't stop there. there was an urgency to his words, with this pandemic, his concern about protecting americans, their health and their right to vote this november. abc's steve osunsami here in atlanta leading us off. ♪ precious lord >> reporter: this was the tearful good-bye in atlanta today to an honorable man and lifelong public servant who once bled for the right of black americans to vote. >> we thank you, god, for the life and legacy of congressman john lewis, who showed us this more excellent way of life. >> reporter: john lewis was the great-grandson of slaves, and at his funeral, in the middle of this pandemic, were three u.s. presidents who came to pay their respects. >> john lewis was a walking rebuke to people who thought, well, we ain't there yet, we've

been working a long time. isn't it time to bag it? he kept moving. >> listen, john and i had our disagreements, of course, but in the america john lewis fought for and the america i believe in, differences of opinion are inevitable elements and evidence of democracy in action. >> reporter: his relationship with president barack obama was an important one. like many black americans, lewis was in tears the night history was made and obama was elected. in his eulogy, obama pointed to this important moment, the bloody sunday on this bridge in alabama, when lewis nearly lost his life at the hands of police while marching for voting rights. it was months later, when the laws changed, and many in his own family were able to vote for the first time. >> this idea that any of us,

ordinary people, a young kid from troy, can stand up to the powers and principalities and say, no, this isn't right, this a isn't true, this isn't just. we can do better. america was built by people like them. america was built by john lewises. >> reporter: the former president argued that forces are still trying to suppress the vote today, right now, in november's election. >> even as we sit here, there are those in power who are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive i.d. laws and attacking our voting rights with

surgical precision. even undermining the postal service in the run-up to an election that's going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don't get sick. >> reporter: outside, people watched and waved in the heat. lewis was beloved, and was buried tonight in an atlanta cemetery founded by freed slaves, who at the time had nowhere else to bury their dead with dignity. the final resting place for a man of so much purpose. ♪ lead me home >> and steve osunsami with us here in atlanta tonight. and steve, i know you have interviewed john lewis along the way. and there were so many gathered outside the church here, as you know. one woman telling me, in a word, that he was humble, he was direct and that he found right until the very end. >> reporter: well, david, we are, of course, in his congressional district and he was beloved and not just by

black residents but by white residents, women, gays. in fact, his family made sure that as his body was being moved through the streets of atlanta, that they passed through the heart of gay atlanta. and it's all because he spent his entire life fighting for others. david? >> steve osunsami leading us off tonight. steve, thank you. and just hours before the service began, president trump, who did not attend, did send out a tweet suggesting that election day be delayed. it set off a firestorm, even republican leaders jumping in and quickly to try to put this to rest. here's terry moran tonight on that. >> reporter: no president has ever said anything like it. but president trump, behind in the polls, with a cratering economy and a pandemic out of control, tweeting today -- "with universal mail-in voting, 2020 will be the most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history. it will be a great embarrassment to the usa. delay the election until people can properly, securely and safely vote?"

later, the president tried to explain what he meant. >> do i want to see a date change? no. but i don't want to see a crooked election. this election will be the most rigged election in history if that happens. >> reporter: that's a flip-flop. in april, trump said this -- >> i never even thought of changing the date of the election. why would i do that? november 3rd. it's a good number. no, i look forward to that election. >> reporter: trump's statement today about delaying an american election was shot down immediately by democrats and republicans. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, in an interview in kentucky. >> never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the civil war, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time. >> reporter: but joe biden has been warning for weeks trump might try to use the pandemic to delay or delegitimize the election. >> it's my greatest concern. my single greatest concern. this president's going to try to steal this election. this is a guy who said all mail-in ballots are fraudulent.

voting by mail. while he sits behind a desk in the oval office and writes his mail-in ballot to vote in a primary. >> and terry moran with us tonight. and terry, i know amid all this talk about mail-in ballots and election security, that abc news did reach out to election officials in all 50 states, democrats and republicans, about whether they're concerned about mail-in voting. >> reporter: that's right, david. we've heard from 27 of those top election officials across the country and not one of them, republican or democrat, has expressed any concern that mail-in voting would cause any significant fraud in their states. it is also worth noting, david, that neither the constitution nor federal law gives the president any power to change the election or to extend his term. david? >> terry moran with us tonight, as well. terry, thank you. of course, it's hard to predict where we'll be with this pandemic once election day arrives, but tonight, what we do know is, the numbers are worsening right now in several states. we've also learned a former

presidential candidate, herman cain, has died from covid. more on that in a moment. here in the u.s., more than 151,000 lives have now been lost. florida with 253 more deaths. that's a record high for the third day in a row there. and tonight, to make matters worse, all state-supported testing sites are now closing as a tropical storm approaches. it could become a hurricane, in fact, in the east. and news today of the historic economic fallout. the u.s. economy contracting at an annual rate of nearly 33% from april to june. that's the worst numbers since records began at the end of world war ii. abc's victor oquendo tonight on millions of american families in need. >> reporter: with the coronavirus ravaging so many lives, the devastating toll on american livelihoods is growing. in los angeles today, long lines for food. >> it's helped a lot. >> reporter: 1.4 million people filing for unemployment last week, just as those emergency $600 benefit checks for 30 million americans expire. >> we are approaching our food bank that we go to. >> reporter: those checks and

food banks, a lifeline for scott stegenga's family in new jersey. he was laid off more than four months ago. >> we're not beggars. we're not asking for, you know, anything. we want to get out of this. what has me stressed out the most is running out of money. >> reporter: for the virus, no end in sight. california, north carolina and florida this week all hitting record daily death tolls. making matters even worse here in florida, with a tropical storm approaching, statewide, all public testing sites like this one on miami beach, they're shutting down today through the weekend. duri tt me four-day stretch last week, nearly 350,000 people were tested. covid taking its toll inside houston's united memorial medical center. >> if you got a death wish, catch covid. >> reporter: the team seeing one of their own nurses sickened, too. >> the hardest thing to ever hear is that you're positive. >> reporter: dr. joseph varon giving her a hug in full protective gear. the doctor feels like he's fighting two wars.

>> a war against covid and a war against stupidity. >> reporter: he's frustrated seeing people on the streets not wearing masks or physically distancing. >> we keep on doing our best to save all these people, and then you get another batch of people that are doing exactly the opposite of what you're telling them not to do. >> reporter: an association of medical colleges now warning, "if the nation doesn't change its course and soon, deaths could be well into the multiple hundreds of thousands." but for two covid patients, a second chanc door nwen saving them with double lung transplants after the virus destroyed their lungs. brian kuhn spent 100 days on life support. the 62-year-old says it's a miracle he's alive. he admits he thought the virus was a hoax. >> i didn't wear a mask or nothing. this hit me like lead slammer on my head. i was perfectly healthy. this thing took me down hard. >> reporter: and some news on the vaccine front tonight. johnson & johnson is moving into human trials after releasing some promising data on monkeys,

showing that its vaccine, given in just one shot, can protect against infection. david? >> victor oquendo in florida tonight. and victor, as you reported there, millions of americans waiting to hear what will happen next with benefits now expiring. democrats with their plans weeks ago and then late today, republicans scrambling to vote in the senate. so, let's get right to mary bruce tonight. bottom line, was this too little too late? where does it stand, mary? >> reporter: well, david, right now, those weekly $600 checks that have been helping 30 million americans stay afloat are going to expire and congress does not have a plan to replace them. now, late today, mitch mcconnell and senate republicans made a last-minute attempt to try to extend these payments, but at just $200. and democrats are not going to buy that. they called this a callous political move by republicans who have failed for weeks to come up with a more comprehensive plan. bottom line, even if the two sides can reach an agreement here, it looks like it is going to take weeks, potentially, taking a huge toll on millions of americans and the economy.

david? >> weeks to go with millions of americans watching. mary, thank you. and as i mentioned, amid all of this news on the coronavirus, we learned of the death of herman cain from complications of covid-19. the businessman and maverick republican candidate for president, he was a front-runner, in fact, for a time back in 2012. one of the last times cain was seen was and president trump's rally in tulsa late last month. he didn't have a mask. of course, we don't know how he caught the virus. what we do know is that he was hospitalized july 1st and that he passed away this morning. here's our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: herman cain, the former presidential candidate who tested positive for coronavirus nine days after attending president trump's rally in tulsa last month, has died. local health officials had pleaded with the president to cancel the rally, where cain appeared without a mask. >> the trump tulsa rally. i was there. >> reporter: cain said the campaign took precautions, distributing hand sanitizer and

checking temperatures. >> even though it was a crowded room of people, if they took precautions, probably not going to be a big uptick. >> reporter: it's unclear if cain was infected at the rally, but nine days later, he tested positive. and two days after that, he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, where he spent nearly a month. cain grew up poor, but made a fortune in the restaurant business, the ceo of godfather's pizza. he launched an improbable campaign for president nine years ago, with a catchy economic plan. >> remember the 999 is the 9% business flat tax, 9% personal income flat tax and 9% national sales tax. >> reporter: and even more improbably, he briefly emerged as the front runner. perhaps the most successful black republican presidential candidate in history, until his campaign was derailed by sexual misconduct allegations. still, cain is remembered as a political celebrity and became an enthusiastic supporter of president trump.

just minutes ago, the president offered his condolences to the cain family, calling herman cain a wonderful man and a dear friend. but david, he made no reference to the fact that cain tested positive for coronavirus just days after attending that trump rally in tulsa. >> that was just an awful headline to hear today. jon karl, our thanks to you tonight. we did mention earlier here that testing sites in florida are being shut down with the tropical storm moving closer and now it could -- could -- become a hurricane. that storm already slamming puerto rico tonight. take a look. battering the island with heavy wind and up to ten inches of rain. children carried to safety by the national guard in high water vehicles. transformers exploding before dawn there. 400,000 losing power. it's been a mess already. that storm now tracking toward the east coast. let's get right to rob marciano, tracking it from florida tonight. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. it is now forecast to become a hurricane and we have warnings that are posted for miami and south florida. watches, i should say, and warnings posted for parts of the turks and caicos and bahamas. here it is on the satellite. about to re-emerge north of the

dr, which is getting crushed, alongside puerto rico. the forecast track brings it near miami as a category 1 storm during the day on saturday. then jacksonville on sunday. eventually heading near the carolinas during the day on monday, keeping a category 1 status. i should mention that forecast confidence for intensity and track right now is low. hope to get a better handle on it tomorrow. david? >> and we're sure you will. rob, thank you. we're thinking of puerto rico tonight. when we come back on the broadcast, the earthquake rattling southern california. it was felt in los angeles. you'll see the images. you'll see the images. dozens of aftershocks reported. g for this for a long time. they will, but with accident forgiveness allstate won't raise your rates just because of an accident, even if it's your fault. cut! sonny. was that good? line! the desert never lies. isn't that what i said? no you were talking about allstate and insurance. i just... when i... let's try again. everybody back to one. accident forgiveness from allstate.

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president trump met today with the family of murdered ft. hood soldier vanessa guillen. the president said news of her death hit him, quote, very hard, and he pledged to get to the bottom of what happened to her. guillen's family is in washington to raise awareness for legislation named for vanessa, that would change how active duty members can file claims of sexual harassment and assault. when we come back here tonight, the 12-year-old who was inside this church today, what a story. no cover-up spray here. it's the irresistibly fresh scent of febreze air effects. [harsh aerosol spray] cheaper aerosols can cover up odors, buryiodors in a flowery fog. switch to febreze air effects! febreze eliminates even the toughest odors from the air. and it uses a 100% natural propellant to leave behind a pleasant scent you'll love. use anywhere odors can spread. freshen up, don't cover up. febreze air effects. that selling carsarvana, 100% online wouldn't work.

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the number one brand to support silky hair, glowing skin, and healthy nails. beauty comes naturally, only from nature's bounty. finally tonight here, john lewis and the 12-year-old he inspired. tonight, the story of 12-year-old tybre faw and his sign for john lewis. it was two years ago, tybre heard that john lewis was coming

back to selma. he and his family traveled seven hours from tennessee. he waited outside the church, hoping to meet him -- and it happened. they forged a bond. and today, at the funeral, john lewis's family invited tybre to read one of lewis's favorite poems, "invictus." >> it matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll, i am the master of my fate, i am the captain of my soul. john lewis was my hero, my friend. let's honor him by getting in good trouble. >> you could see the emotion on his face. a young man, inspired by john lewis, who began fighting for change himself when he was young. >> somehow all of us must have the courage to get in the streets of atlanta and keep walking in the streets, keep marching. >> and today, in "the new york times," a letter from john

lewis, who said they could print it on the day of his funeral. a message to those still pushing. "while my time here has now come to an end, i want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life, you inspired me. you filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great american story, when you used your power to make a difference in our society. millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity." john lewis, inspired by the next generation. the young faces, including tybre faw's. that young man inspired us all, as we remember john lewis. good night.

i feel so heart broken for those people in the nursing home. >> heart broken but not hopeless. people are taking packs could save lives during the pandemic. good evening. thank you for joining us. >> coronavirus has a more

serious impact on the elderly. those over 65 make up 11% of the total number of cases because whopping 75% of the deaths. nursing home residents recommend about 4% of california cases. they account for 36% of the state's deaths. more than 3,200 residents of skilled nursing facilities in the state have died. more than 18,000 have contracted coronavirus including one 89-year-old woman who back in april talked with the i-team's dan noyes as she was fighting a hospital's decision to send her back to the home where she got sick. >> no, no, no. >> why? >> because i don't want to die. >> she's now living with family, protecting our health is part of a better bay area and it is why we're studying the sudden uptick in demand for health care workers. cornell bernard is on that story. >> i think being here with you is the most important thing right now. >> reporter: