2021 hero of the year. the 15th annual cnn heroes all-star tribute tonight at 8:00 eastern. it s going to be a great show, and it s going to be a tear-jerker. but you will be inspired. it begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. all right. thank you so much for joining me today. i m fredricka whitfield. the cnn newsroom continues with phil mattingly right now. you are live in the cnn newsroom. i m phil mattingly. jim acosta is off today. we begin this hour with a race against time. rescuers are digging through rubble with machines and by hand searching for signs of life after catastrophic tornados ripped through eight states, leaving communities in shambles. more than 80 people including children are feared dead. most of them in kentucky where the governor of the commonwealth expects the death toll will surpass 100.