also tonight, the world anxiously awaiting results from the french presidential election. could the far-right candidate with close ties to russia win? what that could mean for europe and the u.s. mary bruce standing by in paris. back here at home, the state of emergency with nearly a dozen uncontained large fires tearing through several states. the all-out assault against the flames with dozens of homes reduced to ashes. plus, the dangerous weather system. severe storms and possible tornadoes from oklahoma to minnesota, and up to 2 feet of snow in the northern plains. rob marciano timing it all out. chilling new details in the d.c. shooting spree that left four people injured. more than 100 shots fired. and what police are saying about the gunman's sniper-like setup. new evidence in the january 6th investigation pointing directly to former white house chief of staff mark meadows. was he warned about potential violence? and "america strong,". as we mark earth day weekend, the young students determined to help save the planet. good evening. it's great to have you with us on this busy saturday. i'm whit johnson. as we come on the air tonight, major news from ukraine's president zelenskyy, saying secretary of state blinken and defense secretary austin will visit kyiv tomorrow. zelenskyy ever defiant against the relentless russian attacks, holding a rare press conference on a subway platform in the capital city. where he made the announcement about blinken and austin. the state and defense departments declining to comment. they would be the most senior u.s. officials to visit since the war began. today the strategic port city of odesa coming under missile attack. these images circulating on social media. a 3-month-old baby among the dead. this after a russian military commander suggested moscow wants to seize full control of the south and east of the country. those attacks as the fate of ukrainian fighters and civilians holed up in that steel plant in mariupol is unclear tonight after renewed shelling by kremlin forces. about a thousand civilians thought to be sheltering underground at that plant. these images believed to be taken this week, released by members of a far-right battalion which is now part of the ukrainian army. abc's marcus moore leading us off from kyiv tonight. >> reporter: tonight, in the face of new and deadly russian missile strikes in southern ukraine, a defiant president volodymyr zelenskyy holding a rare and highly orchestrated press conference on a subway platform in the capital of kyiv. in reference to the military aid that you're getting from the united states, are you pleased with the equipment that you're getting, not only for the short term, but for the long term if this conflict drags on? >> translator: we are very grateful to the partners and support which we are receiving. >> reporter: then making a surprise announcement. >> translator: i shall have the meeting with the state secretary mr. blinken and defense secretary, who are coming to us. >> reporter: zelenskyy saying he will meet in person with u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin and secretary of state antony blinken tomorrow in kyiv. the state department declined to comment, but austin and blinken would be the highest ranking u.s. officials to meet with zelenskyy in the war zone since russia invaded. zelenskyy also discussing the threats against his life. >> translator: i don't have the right to be afraid. i don't have the right to be afraid, because our people showed that they are not afraid of anything. >> reporter: nearly two months into the conflict, zelenskyy says he is still willing to meet with vladimir putin. >> translator: there is the diplomatic way, and there is the military way. so, any healthy and sane person always chooses diplomatic way, because he or she knows that even if it's hard, it may stop the losses. >> reporter: it comes as russia unleashed new attacks on the port city of odesa. videos circulating online showing smoke billowing into the air. ukraine claiming russia fired six cruise missiles, striking residential and military buildings. at least 8 people killed, including a 3-month-old baby. 18 people were wounded. firefighters rushing to this destroyed apartment building, p. as russian forces attack this besieged steel plant in mariupol today, attempting to storm the fortress and crush the last legion of resistance, according to ukraine, despite russian assurances it would not attempt to enter. the fate of more than 1,000 fighters and civilians holed up inside unclear tonight. but video released today by the far-right azov battalion fighting with ukrainians appearing to show soldiers and civilians, including children, sheltering in the sprawling steel plant. abc news unable to verify the video's authenticity, and russia denies civilians are still there. this woman says her family has been hunkered down here for 52 days. are you counting days? they ask her. "we have lost count. we want to go home very much, but i think there is no home anymore," she says. this bright-eyed young girl still smiling, saying, we want to go home, want to see the sun. >> just wanting to go out, see the sun after all those days underground. marcus moore joining us again from kyiv tonight. marcus, i want to go back to today's press conference with zelenskyy. you were there asking questions. what more are you learning about that possible meeting between zelenskyy and those two senior u.s. officials? >> reporter: whit, this was quite a sight today. the subway stations here in kyiv served as bomb shelters at the start of this war, so for president zelenskyy to hold his news conference on that platform was symbolic. as for tomorrow's meeting with secretaries austin and blinken, president zelenskyy says he will talk to them about the weapons ukraine needs moving forward and potential delivery dates. whit, he remains confident that ukraine will prevail in this fight. whit. >> marcus, thank you. also tonight, u.s. officials closely monitoring tomorrow's critical presidential vote in france and bracing for possible shock waves. emmanuel macron who's been a strong ally in europe and involved in confronting russia's aggression, facing a tough challenge from right-wing candidate marine le pen who's been anti-nato and an admirer of vladimir putin. abc's senior white house correspondent mary bruce is in paris tonight. >> reporter: tonight, with just hours to go, the world anxiously watching the french election. a pivotal race that may determine france's future and its role in defending europe. incumbent president emmanuel macron in a bitter rematch with far-right candidate marine le pen. the nationalist firebrand has softened her tone recently but not her positions. she's anti-immigration, anti-nato, and has been an admirer of vladimir putin's. macron, who's adopted the role of europe's statesman, trying to negotiate with putin, accuses le pen of being beholden to the russian president, taking her to task for a 2014 loan her party received from a russian bank. >> translator: you are, in fact, in russia's grip. >> reporter: while the president is focused abroad, le pen's priority, the home front. she argues macron has lost sight of what really matters to voters -- the french economy and rising costs. >> translator: we need to rebuild france and bring people together. >> reporter: on the eve of the election, macron has the momentum, but a le pen victory is still possible, and that is raising real concerns about the united fight against russia's wr in ukraine. >> her victory would be a political earthquake. she would probably not wreck that coalition, but raise difficult questions. >> reporter: tonight, voters here tell us they aren't happy with either candidate. >> for me, we do not have any choice. we have to vote for monsieur macron because marine le pen, for me, is not acceptable. >> reporter: others tell me it's like choosing between cholera and the plague. are you concerned a lot of people may simply not vote? >> oui! oui! >> let's bring in mary bruce joining us from paris tonight. as those women alluded to, this race could all come down to turnout. >> that's right, whit. tonight macron has a ten-point lead in the polls but right now both candidates share the same concerns, simply getting voter to cast their ballots. there's a real fear here that tomorrow we could be seeing historically low voter turnout. as one pollster told us, the only thing certain right now is that nothing is certain. whit? >> and the world watching. mary bruce, thank you. martha raddatz will bring us the very latest on the french presidential elections and the war in ukraine. tune into "this week" tomorrow morning. now to the critical fire threat in several western states. new mexico's governor declaring a state of emergency in several counties. the cook's peak fire in northern new mexico leaving a smokey haze as residents race to evacuate. near flagstaff, arizona, the tunnel fire already burning through more than 21,000 acres. as abc as will carr tells us tonight, officials are worried about what lies ahead. >> reporter: tonight, an all-out assault on wildfires burning across the southwest. crews fighting from both the ground and the air. in new mexico, five counties now under a state of emergency. the calf canyon fire merging with the hermits peak fire, burning more than 42,000 acres combined. pushed by erratic winds, the cooks peak fire now more than 48,000 acres. in arizona, the tunnel fire near flagstaff scorching more than 21,000 acres over the last week. luis moreno and cassidy smith's home reduced to ashes. >> to see, like, everything burned is just very traumatic. >> reporter: the couple heartbroken and, like many others, forced to start from scratch. >> we don't have a bed. we don't have a couch. we don't have a refrigerator. we don't have anything. >> reporter: in colorado, where the marshall fire destroyed more than a thousand homes and businesses at the end of last year, authorities voicing concerns about recent fires. >> they have gotten progressively bigger, progressively worse, progressively more, just in the last several years. >> reporter: so far this year, we've seen a major jump in acres burned nationally compared to normal years. and here in california, the majority of the state is either in severe or extreme drought. we have seen record-setting fires over the past years, and whit, keep in mind that we're only in april. whit. >> exactly. a ways to go. will, thank you. the fire danger fueled by a major storm system hitting the nation's midsection this weekend. millions also on alert from new mexico to minnesota. these images from oklahoma on friday. large hail cracking a windshield. one of dozens of severe weather reports in the plains over the past 24 hours. let's get right to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano. rob, this includes a tornado threat. >> reporter: yeah, it's become a powerful and expansive storm, whit, really encompassing the entire central u.s. we have had multiple states reporting 70-mile-per-hour winds. this map is messy. shows the critical fire danger stretching up into kansas. full-on blizzard in rapids city. could see one to two feet of snow before it's done. you mentioned that severe weather threat. we've got a tornado watch up and multiple warnings for fire and wind and snow, and now a flood watch has been posted for parts of arkansas and southern missouri. there's a line of storms that gets through minneapolis tonight, into chicago tomorrow. then the front drags south. front drags south. two to four inches of heavy rain falling into monday morning. whit? > rob, thank you. new to new details from the january 6th committee claiming former white house chief of staff was made aware of the potential for violence before the insurrection. and former president trump now responding to the kevin mccarthy audio recordings released by "the new york times." here's abc's white house correspondent maryalice parks. >> reporter: tonight, new court filings from the congressional committee investigating the january 6th attack suggest former white house chief of staff mark meadows was specifically warned the day could turn violent. his former aide testifying meadows was made aware of "intel reports saying that there could potentially be violence on the 6th," recalling meadows saying, "all right, let's talk about it." according the committee filings, meadows was part of the effort to change the certified results of the election, including encouraging state legislatures to appoint alternate electors to the electoral college and taking part in conversations about replacing the acting attorney general with someone who would support them. this as republican house leader kevin mccarthy is trying to stay in president trump's good graces after "the new york times" released audio recordings of mccarthy telling fellow republicans in the days after the attack he thought trump should resign, saying the former president bears responsibility and that trump agreed with him about that. >> i asked him personally today, does he hold responsibility for what happened? does he feel bad about what happened? he told me he does have some responsibility for what happened. and he needs to acknowledge that. >> reporter: in a new interview with "the wall street journal," the former president denying he ever accepted some responsibility for the january 6th assault. but he also suggested he is not upset with mccarthy, saying he and other republicans came around to his side. mccarthy even traveling to be with trump at his mar-a-lago resort in the weeks after january 6th. trump telling "the journal," they realized they were wrong and supported me. whit, the congressional committee is still fighting to try to get meadows to testify, but the big question, too, is whether the department of justice will bring criminal charges against meadows. it's been four months since congress found him in contempt for refusing to comply with their subpoenas. whit? >> maryalice parks with those new developments. thank you. staying in our nation's capital tonight, new details on that terrible shooting that left four people wounded. authorities revealing the arsenal they say was discovered in the suspect's apartment. he was found dead at the home with at least six guns and multiple rounds of ammunition. here's abc's alex presha. >> reporter: tonight, after a gunman terrorized a d.c. neighborhood on friday, police say this is the arsenal he allegedly used. at least six guns, multiple rounds of ammunition, and a sniper-like setup equipped with a tripod, all inside this apartment. police naming 23-year-old raymond spencer as their lone person of interest, saying a suspect fired indiscriminately at the street below, wounding 4 people, including a 12-year-old girl. >> we know that over 100 rounds were fired from a long gun. and there are probably going to be a lot of bullet holes that we're going to find. >> i was hysterical. like, i couldn't even breathe. >> after i left class, it was a lot of shots -- just rapid fire. >> reporter: the nearby edmund burke school going into lockdown. >> it's hard to believe this is happening in one of the safest neighborhoods of the city, where you have so many embassies and you have the secret service around all the time. >> reporter: two of the adults wounded now critically stable. another woman suffered a graze wound, and the 12-year-old, a minor gunshot wound. in a letter, d.c.'s mayor saying, this has got to stop. people should not be scared of taking their children to school. d.c. police are investigating a video apparently taken by the alleged shooter during the rampage, saying it helped them track him down. police here tell me that spencer killed himself as they entered his apartment, but there are still a lot of unknown questions, including motive. but, whit, given that yesterday was such a beautiful day and so many people were getting ready to leave work or school, this could have been much, much worse. whit? >> alex presha with those frightening moments, thank you. there's much more ahead on "world news tonight" this saturday. the growing effort to spare a mother's life just days before she's set to be executed. and not a moment too soon -- a deputy rescues a baby from a burning building. ♪♪ we all need a rock we can rely on. to be strong. to overcome anything. ♪♪ to be...unstoppable. that's why millions rely on the strength and financial guidance of prudential to achieve their dreams. who's your rock? ♪♪ ♪ ♪ we believe there's an innovator in all of us. that's why we build technology that helps everyone come to the table and do more incredible things. ♪ ♪ tonight, there are growing calls to stop next week's execution of melissa lucio in texas. she was convicted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter. lucio claims police coerced her to confess. her lawyers filed a clemency petition to spare her life. if the execution goes forward, she would be the first hispanic woman put to death in texas. tonight, the fbi has joined the investigation into a disturbing incident last month at a middle school in kenosha, wisconsin. an off-duty officer seen breaking up a fight, getting knocked down, and then putting his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl for 22 seconds. the clip does not show what happened before or after this moment of the altercation. the officer has resigned from his part-time job at the school. the fbi is investigating whether he violated the girl's civil rights. when we come back baseball history made. as return one of the game's best players joins an elite club. better breathing and helps prevent flare-ups. before breztri, i was stuck in the past. i still had bad days, flare-ups which kept me from doing what i love. my doctor said for my copd, it was time for breztri. breztri gives you better breathing, symptom improvement, and helps prevent flare-ups. like no other copd medicine, breztri was proven to reduce flare-ups by 52%. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. if you have copd, ask your doctor about breztri. (fisher investments) it's easy to think that all money managers are pretty much the same, but at fisher investments we're clearly different. (other money manager) different how? you sell high commission investment products, right? (fisher investments) nope. fisher avoids them. (other money manager) well, you must earn commissions on trades. (fisher investments) never at fisher. (other money manager) ok, then you probably sneak in some hidden and layered fees. (fisher investments) no. we structure our fees so we do better when clients do better. that might be why most of our clients come from other money managers. at fisher investments, we're clearly different. before treating your chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more, you're not the only one with questions about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start, with about 10 minutes of treatment once every 3 months. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you, and if a sample is available. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. plus, right now, you may pay zero dollars for botox®. ask your doctor about botox® today. to the "index" now, a new video from florida showing the moment a sheriff's deputy rescued a 1-year-old girl from a burning building. >> hold on, hold on, hold on, i'm coming. >> the orange county deputy removed his ballistic vest so he could climb the outside balcony. his body cam in the vest capturing it all. the baby's mother handing her to the deputy so he could lower to her to other deputies on the ground. firefighters then got the mother and grandmother out. remarkably, no one was hurt. ed too, detroit tigers slugger miguel cabrera joins some rare company. his single in the first was his 3,000th career hit. fireworks and a standing ovation followed. cabrera is just the 33rd major leaguer to reach that mark, the first from venezuela, and he is only the seventh player to post 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. next stop, cooperstown. when we come back here tonight, the kids who are determined to help save our planet. ids who are ids who are i started screening for colon cancer because of my late husband jay. i wish he could have seen our daughter ellie get married, on the best day of her life. but colon cancer took him from us, like it's taken so many others. that's why i've made it my mission to talk about getting screened and ask people to share their reasons why. i screen for my growing family. being with them means everything to me. i screen for my girls. they're always surprising me. i screen for my son. i'm his biggest fan. if you're 45 or older and at average risk, it's time to screen. today, there are more screening options than ever before, including cologuard. cologuard is noninvasive and finds 92% of colon cancers, even in early stages. it's not for those at high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. everyone has a reason to screen for colon cancer. if you're 45 or older, get started at missiontoscreen.com inner voice (furniture maker): i'm constantly nodding... ...because i know everything about furniture ...but with the business side... ...i'm feeling a little lost. quickbooks can help. an easy way to get paid, pay your staff, and know where your business stands. new business? no problem. success starts with intuit quickbooks. i represent over 4.3 million registered nurses. 67,000 pediatricians. and we all agree on this... you can trust the covid vaccine for your kids, or your grandkids. i do. ♪ music ♪ this is a hero, walking his youngest down the aisle, which to his bladder, feels like a mile. yet he stands strong, dry, keeping the leaks only to his eyes. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. get help managing your money for the life -- and years -- ahead. with fidelity income planning, we'll look at what you've saved, what you'll need, and help you build a flexible plan for cash flow designed to last. so you can go from saving... to living. who's on it with jardiance? a flexible plan for cash flow designed to last. we're 25 million prescriptions strong. we're managing type 2 diabetes... ...and heart risk. we're working up a sweat before coffee. and saying, “no thanks...” ...to a boston cream. jardiance is a once-daily pill that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and jardiance lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including... ...dehydration, genital yeast and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away... ...if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ...ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction, ...and don't take it if you're on dialysis. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? we're on it. we're on it. with jardiance. ask your doctor about jardiance. finally tonight, "america strong." earth day weekend, and the kids determined to inspire change. >> reporter: on this earth day weekend, kids across this country answering the call. >> i just love nature. i just want to save mother earth in whatever way i can. i just thought batteries, you know? >> reporter: 9-year-old rayansh boddu from edison, new jersey, on a mission to stop used batteries from harming the environment. >> the batteries can be used to make golf bats, copper, other batteries and many more items. >> reporter: joining a "recycle my battery" program, he helps provide bins for people where they can toss out their old batteries. >> we have nine volts, more than nine volts, less than nine volts, all kinds. >> reporter: so far he's recycled some 20,000 batteries, but his goal, much bigger. >> the whole "recycle my batteries" team is aiming to recycle 500 billion batteries. >> reporter: in fort wayne, indiana, 13-year-old sammie vance has been collecting plastic bottle caps since she was 8. >> you can collect so many different kinds of caps. >> reporter: those caps recycled then turned into buddy benches. 200 pounds of caps making each 6 foot bench. 250 of her buddy benches now in schoolyards nationwide. >> i do recommend you to do it with friends. they will love it and you will love it. >> reporter: and cash daniels cleaning up the tennessee river near his home in chattanooga since he was 7. now 12, he's pulled 15,000 pounds of trash out of the river. just some of the young americans stepping up to help protect the planet we all share. >> it doesn't matter about how old you are. your age is not important, but what you're trying do is important. >> creative kids. and we are grateful. thanks so much for watching tonight. i'm whit johnson in new york. have a great night. have a great night. >> taking action to save the earth. a look at local efforts to today do protect the planet. some mask mandates could come back as covid cases climb in california. and a new way to play in san francisco with the view not to be missed. >> building a better bay area, moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc7 news. >> taking small but significant action as the bay area today celebrate -- celebrates the world's largest environment al moment. i'm j.r. stone. abc7 ongoing commitment to help build a better bay area begins with a focus on the environment. areas honored earth day. in some community this is earth day is a chance to take stock of how much climate change is affecting the planet >> yeah, j. >> , earth day weekend is giving folks a lot to think about when it comes to future of the planet >> green business on display from solar to those who plant trees. all food vend or have gone ve vegan. >> being around the community with a lot of people who are dan: the same thing, -- who are doing the same thing promoting veganism. >> it's more than a celebration. it's a teaching. >> climate change is moving the needle and changing the conversation. >> gives me the chance to think about how we can take tiny ste