>> whit: tonight, tornado strikes and severe storms as we come on the air. the shootout at a crowded ramadan celebration in philadelphia. and the abortion battle in arizona. president biden and donald trump both weighing in. first, those deadly storms sweeping across the south.

confirmed tornadoes in texas and louisiana. >> big, big tornado. >> whit: more than 50 people rescued from an apartment complex. watches posted in several states along the gulf coast. heavy rain, flooding, and winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. the system next taking aim at the east coast, then pushing up the northeast. rob marciano timing it all out. breaking news. the images coming in. police racing to the scene of a shooting in philadelphia. at least three people shot during a celebration marking the end of ramadan. about 1,000 people there. adults rushing to get children to safety. stephanie ramos in philadelphia. tonight, facing major backlash to arizona's strict abortion ban, republican lawmakers in the state blocking democratic efforts to repeal the 160-year-old law. the issue again dominating the race for the white house. president biden has called the law extreme and dangerous. donald trump, who takes credit for the supreme court overturning roe v. wade, saying the arizona law goes too far.

rachel scott in phoenix tonight. a crucial setback for the american economy. inflation up 3.5% from one year ago. its highest point in six months. american families paying more for gas, rent, and clothes. could this delay an interest rate cut? for the first time, the epa reducing so-called forever chemicals. a major step to protect drinking water across the u.s. tonight, a special grand jury in virginia indicting a former assistant principal at an elementary school for child neglect after a first grader shot and wounded his teacher. prosecutors accusing her of ignoring other teachers who warned the child may have a gun. an urgent manhunt under way tonight. police searching for one of their own former officers, considered armed and dangerous. the news coming in late today. abc news confirming an arrest warrant has been issued for kansas city chiefs star rashee rice following that high-speed crash in dallas. and "america strong" tonight. the heroes on the home front during world war ii.

honoring rosie the riveters. >> whit: good evening, it's great to have you with us on this wednesday night. i'm whit johnson in for david. and we begin with the deadly storms sweeping across the south tonight. a tornado watch in parts of the gulf coast as we come on. four reported tornadoes in the last 24 hours. three of them confirmed. and that dangerous weather is on the move, heading to the northeast. severe storms across the gulf on their way to georgia and the carolinas. then, an enhanced threat for kentucky, pennsylvania, and ohio. heavy wind and rain reaching the northeast tomorrow night. and the striking images. torrential rain in washington, louisiana. a shopping center in katy, texas, ripped apart by an ef-1 tornado with 90-mile-per-hour winds. in slidell, louisiana, more than 50 people rescued from an

apartment complex struck by what's believed to be at least an ef-1 tornado. these accuweather images from new orleans, a flash flood emergency after more than half a foot of rain. a month's worth of rain in just one day. evacuations under way in parts of central mississippi, near a levee that officials fear could break. a difficult night ahead for millions. abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano leading us off in slidell, louisiana. >> reporter: tonight, that deadly severe weather outbreak slamming the gulf coast, cutting a path of destruction across multiple states. >> big tornado, big, big tornado. >> reporter: this tornado striking the city of slidell, louisiana, northeast of new orleans. >> wow! >> reporter: just came up on the scene here in slidell, where a tornado came through. you see first responders here. on the main intersection, all these commercial buildings blown out. that mcdonald's, heavily damaged. and obviously, the rain continues to come down. amyrie gilbert describing the race to shelter when the tornado hit. >> all you hear is, "come on,

go, go, go, go, go. run, run, run, run, run." you know, you got people screaming. >> reporter: more than 50 people rescued, some injured at this apartment complex. jennifer rushing to save her son mason. >> i was asleep in my bed, and i woke up to hear my neighbors screaming. i figured, if the roof blows off, i'm on top of him, i'm the first to go, so i got on top of him. as fast as i got in there, it was over. we're alive. we're safe. that's all the matters. stuff is stuff, it can be replaced. >> reporter: a flash flood emergency in new orleans, with more than half a foot of rain falling. an accuweather drone capturing vehicles stranded by the floodwaters. and overnight, west of houston, an ef-1 tornado with winds up to 90 miles per hour tearing through a shopping center. kevin davis working at this sports bar. >> that's what really scared us was you start hearing basically the building shake. >> reporter: in mississippi, multiple homes evacuated in yazoo county amid fears a levee could break. and severe winds toppling trees onto tractor-trailers in vicksburg, shutting down part of interstate 20 for a time.

the storms killing at least one person in the state. >> whit: and the concern growing. let's get right to rob in hard-hit slidell, louisiana. and rob, we know the storm threat stretches through the night. and we can see just how powerful this tornado was where you are. >> yeah, powerful and long enough on the ground, whit, to cut through that commercial district and through this wooded area. these massive trees being snapped like toothpicks. crossing this road, this is that apartment complex where the roof was torn off. there were some injuries. as you said, the storm threat continues to the east. flash flood watches and tornado watches still out, especially around the florida panhandle. and as we push the storms towards the east tomorrow, we're looking at the potential for seeing severe weather across the southeast including jacksonville, florida, up through the carolinas. and severe weather threat including a potential for tornadoes across eastern ohio and western pennsylvania. then tomorrow night, it goes into new york city with heavy labor, rain, into boston come friday morning. and some of that rain could be heavy enough, especially from west of new york city down across d.c. to cause some

flooding. this is a high-impact storm for a lot of people, whit. >> whit: we'll be watching the alerts tonight. rob, thank you. now to that celebration in philadelphia that ended in gunfire. at least three people shot, a crowded festival marking the end of the muslim holy month of ramadan interrupted by a shootout between two groups. police rushing in. 1,000 people scattering, left stunned and shaken. here's abc's stephanie ramos in philadelphia. >> reporter: a chaotic scene in downtown philadelphia tonight, after police say at least three people were shot when multiple suspects fired into a large crowd celebrating the end of ramadan. >> we've got an active shooting going on at this time. >> activate the citywide rapid response unit. >> they got the whole force out here. >> reporter: around 2:00 this afternoon, the shooting erupting near one of the city's largest mosques. police and s.w.a.t. teams swarming the scene, one officer returning fire. officers taking several people into custody. one person seen here being taken away in handcuffs.

nearby schools on lockdown. investigators combing the park, recovering multiple firearms. >> at some point, they hear a large volley of gunfire, they say approximately 30 gunshots. >> reporter: nearly 1,000 people gathered to mark eid al fitr. >> oh, my god, i just saw everybody just running and frantic. people's strollers getting turned over, everybody screaming. >> it was very scary to see all of them people laying down on the ground like that in fear of their lives. it's sad in philadelphia. it's very sad. >> reporter: whit, as you can see, police are still here on the scene. five suspects are now in custody. officials saying, remarkably, no one died, adding, it could have been so much worse. whit? >> whit: all right, stephanie ramos for us. thank you. tonight, growing backlash after arizona's supreme court upheld a law from 1864 that criminalizes all abortions, except to save the mother's life. republican lawmakers in the state blocking democratic efforts to repeal it.

the issue sure to be a flash point in the race for the white house. donald trump, who just this week said states should decide their own abortion policy, now saying arizona went too far. abc's rachel scott is in phoenix tonight. >> shame on you! shame on you! >> reporter: tonight, outrage in arizona. republican lawmakers in the state capitol blocking democrats' efforts to roll back a 160-year-old law banning abortion with only one exception, to save the life of the mother. >> save women's lives! >> reporter: it comes 24 hours after the arizona supreme court upheld the law, written before arizona was even a state, and before women had the right to vote. donald trump, who just this week said states should decide their own abortion policy, today saying arizona went too far. >> did arizona go too far? >> yeah, they did, and that will be straightened out. and, as you know, it's all about states' rights. that will be straightened out. >> reporter: it comes as trump tries to recast his own position on abortion, sensing it's become

a losing issue for republicans. he now says he's proud of appointing three of the six supreme court justices who overturned roe versus wade, but that abortion policy should be up to the states. >> it was an incredible thing, an incredible achievement. we did that. and now, the states have it, and the states are putting out what they want. it's the will of the people. >> reporter: just weeks ago, trump was floating the idea of a national ban on abortion, but today, he said he would not sign one. >> would you sign a national abortion ban if congress sent it to your desk? >> no. >> reporter: over the years, trump's position on abortion has swung back and forth -- >> i'm very pro-choice. i'm pro-life. >> reporter: trump once said there should be some sort of punishment for women who get abortions, a position he quickly walked back. today, he refused to say whether he believes doctors should face punishment for performing abortions, as they do right now in arizona and other states. >> do you think a doctor should be punished for performing abortions?

>> i'll let that be to the states. everything we're doing now is states. >> reporter: today, the biden campaign saying donald trump set out to overturn abortion rights in america, and he did, insisting trump "owns the suffering and chaos happening right now." and when asked his message to the people of arizona, a key campaign battleground, tonight, president biden was blunt -- "elect me." >> whit: rachel scott with us from phoenix. rachel, as you noted there, republican lawmakers blocking democrats' efforts to repeal that 160-year-old abortion ban. so, bottom line here, where do things stand right now in arizona? >> reporter: whit, arizona is in a state of limbo. the supreme court here in arizona put that ruling on hold for 14 days. democrats and republicans were racing to try to repeal that law before it went into effect. well, tonight, republicans blocking those efforts. the democratic governor katie hobbs calling their actions unconscionable, saying the republican majority had a chance to do the right thing, and tonight, they failed. whit? >> whit: rachel, thank you.

now to that disappointing report on inflation. consumer prices in march were up 3.5% compared to a year ago, higher than expected. report casting doubt on an interest rate cut in the near future. here's abc's elizabeth schulze. >> reporter: tonight, americans hoping to see the federal reserve cut interest rates as early as june may now have a longer wait, with inflation climbing for the third straight month. >> the prices are too high. >> reporter: the consumer price index up 3.5% in march from a year ago, fueled by higher costs for rent, car insurance, clothes, medical care, and gas. >> i used to fill it up for 35 bucks, it was a beautiful thing. >> reporter: and now it's $45? >> $45, and sometimes it's $60. between food and gas, it's had a big impact. >> reporter: for alexandria jones at her vintage shop in chicago, her rent just jumped from $1,400 to $1,800 a month. >> i have to do a sale. i have to bring people in just

so that i can be able to deal with what is the inevitable of my rent being $400 more than it was. >> reporter: to combat inflation, the fed increased borrowing costs to a 22-year high, making it more expensive to pay for a mortgage, car, or credit card debt. president biden today pointing to inflation's improvement from 9% two years ago, still predicting an interest rate cut this year. >> this may delay it a month or so, i'm not sure of that. we don't know what the fed is going to do for certain. >> reporter: whit, that first interest rate cut by the federal reserve had been expected in june, but after today's report, most analysts aren't predicting it will happen until september. and that's assuming that the inflation picture improves by then. whit? >> whit: concerning news there. elizabeth, thank you. for the first time, the epa is limiting the amount of so-called forever chemicals found in drinking water. the new rule targeting synthetic chemicals known as pfas, which are linked to serious health effects including an increased risk of cancer. the chemicals can be found in the tap water supplying hundreds of millions of americans.

the epa now requiring water companies to lower six types of pfas to near zero levels. water utilities will have up to five years to reach that goal. the bipartisan infrastructure law provides $9 billion to help with the contamination. next tonight, a special grand jury in virginia has indicted a former assistant principal at an elementary school after a first grader shot his teacher. that official now facing eight felony counts of child neglect. and new details tonight from that grand jury's report. here's abc's chief justice correspondent pierre thomas. >> reporter: tonight, the former assistant principal at richneck elementary, where a 6-year-old boy intentionally shot his teacher, indicted for failing to act. ebony parker now charged with eight counts of felony child neglect in the incident that shocked the entire country and nearly took the life of first grade teacher abby zwerner. >> the look on the student's face when he pulled out the

firearm is a haunting look. >> reporter: a special grand jury in virginia accusing parker of ignoring repeated warnings and issuing a dramatic, deeply disturbing report full of shocking allegations. it began with zwerner the morning of the shooting on january 6th of last year telling parker, "the child was in a violent mood." according to the report, "dr. parker did not respond," and "never looked away from her computer screen." a short time later, two students told another member of the staff "the child had a gun in his bag." the child's backpack was searched, but nothing was found. parker was allegedly told what the children said, but no exhaustive search of the boy was ever conducted. at 1:58 p.m., according to the grand jury, the boy turned to zwerner and "at less than six feet away pulled the trigger." according to the grand jury, the gun had seven additional bullets but jammed. it could have been far worse. so far, no public comment from

parker. whit? >> whit: pierre thomas, our thanks to you tonight. former trump organization executive allen weisselberg is back at rikers, the notorious new york city jail, tonight. the 76-year-old is serving five months after pleading guilty to lying about how trump's penthouse was overvalued on financial statements. in exchange, he won't be prosecuted or have to testify against trump. weisselberg served 100 days last year for dodging taxes on nearly $2 million in company perks. when we come back, the urgent manhunt in mississippi. police searching for one of their own former officers now considered armed and dangerous. and abc news confirming an arrest warrant has been issued for kansas city chiefs star rashee rice following that high-speed crash in dallas. it's time. yes, the time has come for a fresh approach to dog food. everyday, more dog people are deciding it's time

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finally tonight, a symbol and icon of american strength during world war ii. honoring the rosies. "america strong." ♪ true american heroes celebrated today on capitol hill. ♪ more than two dozen women known as rosie the riveters collectively awarded the congressional medal of honor, the highest civilian award. >> these are the invisible warriors. they worked 12 and 14-hour days, six days a week. >> whit: more than 6 million strong. the american women working in the 1940s during world war ii to support the war effort here at home. the rosies made up 65% of the workforce, building everything from war planes and battleships to assault boats. >> they were housewives. they were mothers turned war heroes. >> whit: many working as

welders. this rosie using an electric riveter on the exterior of an aircraft. others in this image inside the fuselage, wearing protective aprons and scarves tied over their hair. >> up until 1941, it was a man's world. they didn't know how capable us women were, did they? >> whit: sylvia tannis joined the effort in december of 1942. >> i put the de-icer on the b-25 fins. i also was a repair person. but my main thing for working was to get my three brothers home. >> whit: 98-year-old cille mcdonald from brunswick, georgia, worked in construction for three years during the war. >> built one ship a week. i was a welder. >> whit: the women who embraced that iconic slogan "we can do it" today beaming with pride for what they did for their country. >> we wanted to win the war and we helped win the war. >> whit: absolutely. and we're all forever grateful. thank you so much for watching tonight, i'm whit johnson.

have a great night. well for me, the same close and no close. because i know sell nothing. >> sellers are struggling as san francisco changes the rules for mission street vendors here from both sides about what it will take to build a better bay area and which local refinery gets some of the blame for california's high gas prices. >> always live. abc seven news

starts right now. >> another setback for street vendors in san francisco's mission district. but is the big picture building a better bay area? good evening. >> i'm dionne lim, and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. san francisco's mission street has gone through a lot of changes as the city tries to crack down on buying and selling stolen goods. just after thanksgiving last year, the city banned all street vending on mission street from 14th to cesar chavez. they said the ban would last 90 days. vendors were asked to move or sell at designated spaces, paid for by the city. >> within days, vendors voiced concerns about a lack of sales. the city offered financial help $1,000 to each vendor if they applied, and qualified. a city survey done in january found most business owners said mission street was better, cleaner and safer just before the ban was set to expire in february, the city extended it for an additional 180 days. >> six more months until august and