ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - April 22, 2026

David Muir, ABC's World News Tonight, America's. most watched newscast. Now streaming same day with all the breaking news of. the day on Disney Plus. Most watched, most trusted now on Disney Plus every night. Tonight we do have breaking news. The emergency unfolding right now. The images coming in the fires. more than 50 homes burned to the ground tonight. dozens of fires burning at this hour, families. racing to get out. Also breaking, the U.S. war in Iran.

Tonight, the dramatic images playing out on Iranian state TV. Iran seizing multiple cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Armed masked Iranians boarding the ship, sweeping through. the vessel with guns drawn. It comes just hours after President Trump. extended the ceasefire. And what's happening with any second round of talks? Back in the U.S. tonight, emergency crews on the scene, a. deadly chemical leak, at least two workers killed, more than. a dozen hospitalized tonight. The neighborhood rocked by two home explosions.

just two hours apart. Multiple people hurt, including a child. Authorities on the scene of one explosion, when. another home explodes nearby. Tonight, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. grilled. He's asked, does President Trump know there's a major measles. outbreak and how he answers? And he's pressed on the move to no longer require the flu. vaccine for members of the U.S. military. In New York City tonight, the disturbing discovery in Times Square, a baby. is discovered in what we have learned tonight. Dramatic moments, a state trooper trying to.

stop a suspected DUI driver on the wrong side. of the road. What the trooper does. The urgent search tonight for crew members, an American. cargo ship capsizing. Remembering an iconic singer, songwriter and guitarist. We'll look back tonight. And here in the U.S. tonight, celebrating the endangered. baby elephant marking this And Earth Day.

At 500 pounds, this baby is America Strong. From ABC News World Headquarters in New York, this is World. News Tonight with David Muir. Good evening. We begin tonight here with the breaking news, the wildfire emergency playing out in the southeast right now. Fast-moving fires forcing evacuations in Florida and in. Georgia tonight. More than 50 homes burning to the ground. already. Firefighters battling dozens of fast-moving fires. Flames jumping a highway as residents race to escape.

Parts of the south and the east facing. the worst drought in more than two decades already. ABC's Matt Rivers on the scene tonight as. those families race to get out. Tonight, the all-out assault in the air and on the ground. Dozens of fires scorching the bone-dry southeast, and there's no end in sight. South of Savannah, new mandatory evacuations. issued this afternoon after a wildfire. in Brantley County, Georgia, exploded overnight. -We went from 700 acres yesterday morning.

at about 10 o'clock to almost 5,000. by 6 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Raging flames seen closing in on a grocery store. Evacuations turning chaotic in the last 24 hours. Drivers turning around as the fire tries to jump Highway 82. Officials say at least 54 homes have been lost. The fire sweeping through this mobile home park. Dozens forced to flee ahead of those evacuation warnings. From officials, you can see the damage. That car there destroyed. This trailer completely burnt out. This is what people who live here have to come back to.

Outside Jacksonville, two fires straddling two counties. merging into one, the railroad fire. It's affected train travel. Look at this. It's stuck. Stranded passengers, including Efrain Maldonado, walking on the. tracks earlier this week after Amtrak had to cancel. some train service due to the fires and smoke. 24 hours stuck on the train in the middle of nowhere. That fire already incinerating more than 4,000 acres. And in South Florida, another massive fire.

is burning in the Everglades, more than 6,500 acres, and it's still out of control tonight. David, these fires are fueled by some of the worst. drought conditions that we've seen here in decades, and there's no chance of rain until the weekend. All right, Matt Rivers, thank you. Let's get more on that. Let's bring in ABC senior meteorologist, Lee Goldberg, with us tonight. And this drought really is something, Lee, So early in the season. And David, you know, you heard Matt say that the. rain could come over the weekend, but overall the. pattern into early may looks very dry in this.

extreme dryness. It's in florida in Georgia into. tomorrow. It extends all the way into the Rockies. and plains. More than a dozen states are under red. flag warnings onto the storm in the west. It moves into the heartland by. thursday afternoon and evening, a line of storms. from Minneapolis to Wichita, hail, tornadoes. and damaging winds all possible. This will kick off A multi-day severe. weather outbreak Friday into the weekend. It's a very active and dangerous storm pattern. That will go through early next week. But again, we're hoping for some rain in the southeast. as we go through Sunday. We certainly are, Lee. Thank you.

There's also breaking news tonight in the war in Iran. Dramatic images coming in tonight from Iranian state TV. Just a short time ago, and look at this. Iran seizing multiple cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz. In the images, you can see the armed Master Iranians boarding. a ship, sweeping through. Tonight the dramatic images broadcast on Iranian state TV. 24 hours after President Trump extended the ceasefire, Iran.

asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz, seizing two cargo ships. An Iranian speedboat seen here racing towards one. of the massive vessels. Masked soldiers climbing up to the deck, brandishing long. guns, going door to door. Tonight, the White House downplaying this. clear act of defiance. Does the president view that as a violation of the ceasefire? No, because these were not U.S. ships. These were not Israeli ships. These were two international vessels.

Today, cargo ships and tankers clustered outside the Strait of. Hormuz, unable to pass in the face of Iran's threats. An officer on one tanker tells us they won't move. without safety guarantees. We've altered his voice to protect his identity. If there is no insurance covering us, us loaded. tankers, to cross the strait, we will never. across the streets. In Europe, dire warnings. of the quote biggest energy crisis in history.

We are looking into some very difficult months or. maybe even years, even in a best case scenario, it's still bad. Here at home, gas prices now averaging $4 a. gallon, up more than a dollar.

He's putting, quote, "no time pressure" on Iran to return. to the bargaining table. And Iran insists nothing will happen until the U.S. lifts its own naval blockade of Iranian. ports. The Iranian president declaring. bad faith, siege and threats are the main obstacles to. genuine negotiation. How long should Americans be prepared for this war to go on? Look, I think President Trump ultimately will dictate the.

timeline and he will do so when he feels is in the best. interest of the United States and the American people. President Trump insists most of Iran's missiles. and drones are gone. But tonight in Tehran, a show of force, the regime displaying. some of the missiles in its arsenal. It comes amid news of a sobering message to Congress from the. head of the Defense Intelligence. And again, David, we saw those alarming images.

from Iran tonight, those masked Iranian troops. boarding those cargo ships. And it comes as there are still no plans for talks. to try and end this war. David. And Mary, while I have you. here tonight, I know there's more breaking news coming out. of the White House. An unexpected departure at the Pentagon tonight? David, we have just learned that the Navy Secretary John. Fallon has just been fired, an administration official. telling us he was, quote, "asked to step down.

effective immediately.". It comes just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. ousted the Army chief of staff. David, no explanation was given for either departure. All right, Mary Bruce on breaking developments tonight. Mary, thanks as always. To the other news this evening, emergency crews are on the. scene of a deadly chemical leak at a plant. in West Virginia. At least two workers have been killed, more than two dozen. receiving medical treatment The leak causing a. dangerous chemical reaction. Residents there have been warned to shelter in place tonight. Here's Stephanie Ramos.

Tonight, at least two people are dead and 30 received. medical treatment after a toxic chemical leak at a. West Virginia plant. There was three employees on the respondent. They've got them in fresh air now at this time. Around 9.30 this morning, a chemical reaction. occurring at the Catalyst Refiners plant located. west of Charleston as workers were preparing to. shut down part of the facility. Cleaning and decontamination activities. were underway. It is believed that a chemical. reaction occurred during that cleaning process that.

created hydrogen sulfide. A shelter in place issued for. a one mile radius, which includes West Virginia. State University. Several roads shut down. Hazmat teams and first responders. racing to the scene. The leak requiring a large. scale decontamination effort. People exposed to the chemicals had to. remove all their clothes and be sprayed down. Seven ambulance workers were among the injured. Ames Goldsmith Corporation, the owner of Catalyst.

Child, authorities were on the scene of one home explosion.

when another home nearby suddenly exploded to Trevor. Alt with the images tonight. Tonight, a Texas community on edge after a pair of home. explosions hours apart in the same neighborhood of this. San Antonio suburb, sending five people to the hospital. You've got a small single story, multiple victims. It's like the whole back of the house is, the whole back. of the wall has come down. Around 6 o'clock Tuesday, emergency crews raced to the. first home, finding the back of the house blown open. Just two hours later, with fire crews still on the scene,

they heard another loud boom just two doors down. We just had another explosion. The Bravo Delta quarter of this house is. completely blown through. It's just standing up on rubble and the roof. is completely blown off. The neighborhood forced to evacuate. About 8.30, the explosion happened again, and everybody's house shook. We all ran back outside and saw the huge fire. The house went down so fast. Officials say three of the people injured. are in critical condition, including a child.

David, investigators are now working. to determine the cause of both explosions, but the fire department says this was likely. the result of a buildup of natural gas. David, Trevor Ault with the images tonight. Trevor, thank you. The Capitol Hill tonight where Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled today. Kennedy was asked, as President Trump knows, there's a major. measles outbreak here in the U.S., how he answers. And he was also pressed on the move to no longer require. the flu vaccine for members of the U.S. military. Here's Elizabeth. Schultz tonight. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today grilled in back-to-back.

hearings on the country's worst measles. outbreak in decades. Does the president know there is a historic measles. surge occurring nationwide? You want me to answer it? The question is just a very simple question. Yes. You're going to get. your opportunity. You want a grandstand? Can you answer the question? I can answer that question. I didn't cause measles. It started before I came in. Sir, I'm giving you the opportunity to. answer the question. Does the president know there is a historic measles.

surge occurring nationwide? I'm sure he does. You're sure he does. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has in the. past called the measles vaccine a personal choice. But today, a shift in tone, saying the government recommends. every child get the shot. We promote the MMR. We advise every child to get the MMR. But Kennedy was asked about a new Pentagon policy. eliminating the flu vaccine requirement. for more than 2 million service members. -Is CDC or any agency at HHS ready and able to detect.

or monitor localized flu outbreaks in our military. as a result of this new, what I think is a. backwards policy? -Secretary Hanks was just recognizing. that these soldiers being sent over to fight for our freedoms. and that they should have some freedom too. The flu shot is an intervention that is often ineffective. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who's also a doctor, cast the. key vote to confirm Kennedy as health secretary.

Today we asked if he regretted that decision. Any regrets about your vote to confirm him, given his. inability to be more forceful on You know, I've commonly asked. that and I've commonly said, you make a decision and you. New forward. And David, the senator pressed Kennedy on whether the new. nominee for CDC director, Dr. Erica Schwartz, will be. able to make decisions without political interference. Kennedy answered she will. David. All right, Elizabeth Schultz. in Washington tonight. Elizabeth, thank you. Tonight, a major change to the congressional map in Virginia.

that could have a big impact on the midterm elections. Voters in Virginia overnight approving a plan to redraw the. map, giving Democrats a better and the House Democrats. winning 10 of 11 congressional districts in the state. This measure in Virginia passed last night comes in direct. response to President Trump's demand for Republicans in Texas. to redraw their map some time ago in an effort to pick up. more seats in the House for Republicans. We have learned tonight that Georgia Congressman David Scott. has died. He was running for a 13th term in Congress.

His health declining in recent years, once a leading voice in. the Democratic Party, the first black chairman of the House. Agriculture Committee. House Minority Leader Hakeem And the Democratic Party leader, Hakeem Jeffries, tonight calling him a trailblazer. Congressman David Scott was 80. Tonight, there are new developments in the case against. the popular singer known as D4vd. Charged with sexually abusing and murdering a 14 year. old girl in Los Angeles. The autopsy now states that Celeste. Rivas Hernandez, who authorities say was found in the trunk. of his car, died from quote multiple penetrating injuries. to her upper body.

Prosecutors say her remains were found. in two bags in that trunk last September. D4vd, his real name, David Burke, has pleaded. not guilty to all charges. When we come back here tonight, the disturbing discovery in. New York City's Times Square, a baby found in what. we've learned tonight. Also dramatic moments, a state trooper trying. to stop a suspected DUI driver on the wrong. side of the road. What that trooper has to do. Also the urgent search for crew members tonight, an. American cargo ship capsizing. The impact of the war in Iran tonight on fuel, a major. airline now canceling flights.

and celebrating the endangered baby elephant making her debut. on this Earth Day right here in the U.S. at 500 pounds. Well, you can call her America strong. We'll be right back here. A lot more news ahead. Tonight, authorities here in New York City are searching. for a man who they say abandoned a baby girl in. New York's Times Square. They say a one year old dressed in a pink onesie was. left in her stroller just before midnight last night. She appeared to be unharmed. Police say they are in touch tonight with that baby's mother. Tonight, the dramatic police chase of an alleged intoxicated.

driver in southwest Colorado, a trooper in a high-speed. pursuit right here of a pickup truck. traveling on the shoulder on the wrong side of the road. The trooper then performing a pit maneuver, pushing the. truck to the other shoulder. The 81-year-old driver was arrested and charged with DUI. Tonight, an urgent search still underway off the. northern Mariana Islands. The vessel overturned last week in a powerful typhoon. The body of a crew member found in the hull. Authorities hope the other five crew members.

made it to a life raft. When we come back here tonight, remembering an iconic singer and. songwriter, guitarist, feeling all right, we'll look back. And we celebrate the endangered baby elephant, 500 pounds. already, America Strong. To the index of other news tonight, the effects of the war. in Iran affecting travelers now, the shortage of jet fuel. leading Lufthansa Airlines to cut 20,000 flights. over the next six months. European airlines have been warning already that. the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would lead. to fuel shortages and disruptions. Meantime, here in the U.S., troubled.

discount carrier Spirit Airlines is reportedly. close to a deal with the Trump administration, according to a source familiar with the talks. Spirit's stock soaring nearly 300% today. Spirit currently in its second. bankruptcy in a year. We do have a passing to note. tonight. What a song rock and roll icon Dave Mason has died. An english singer and guitarist who wrote the. classic feeling all right. The song was not an immediate hit but was. eventually covered by more than two dozen stars.

Dave Mason, 79. San Antonio Spurs star Victor Weminyama suffering. a concussion in last night's playoff loss to Portland. The 7-foot-4-inch forward slamming face-first into the. court in the second quarter. He's now in the league's concussion protocol but may. still play in the Spurs' next game, which of course is Friday. When we come back here tonight, we'll take you to. the Zoo right here in the U.S. celebrating their endangered baby elephant tonight. to mark this Earth Day. You have to see her in a moment.

Finally, tonight here on this Earth Day, the endangered. baby elephant making her debut tonight, she and. the team caring for her America strong tonight, the. historic debut on this Earth Day at the Smithsonian. National Zoo in Washington. Baby elephant Lin by the first endangered Asian. elephant born at the zoo in nearly 25 years, making her first public appearance today playing. in the water, her trunk right to the camera there. Good girl. She's about two months old now, nearly.

#500 already. She eats every two hours. If we're pushing it just a few. minutes past feeding time, she lets us know that we're. late. Elephant manager Robbie Clark, part of. her care team. She's very smart. She's curious. She's showing us that she has. some independence, which is fantastic. Her favorite activity, they say, bathtub. She has her own little kiddie pool that. she has the opportunity to go splash around in. She gets very playful. I think she looks forward to.

it every day. Lin, my joining a helpful herd alongside. her doting and swan, and they call her. She's ready to meet you. Starting today, you can visit her at. The zoo and you can see her on the zoo's live. webcam on their website. So tonight on this Earth Day, we celebrate the new baby. endangered Asian elephant. The first time at the zoo there in nearly 25 years. We hope that when people come here to the zoo and. see her, they fall in love and turn that into action, learn about ways that they, too, can help prevent the extinction.

of this incredible species. An important message. Lin Mai is going to be quite a draw at the. Smithsonian National Zoo. Five hundred pounds and growing fast. Not going to fit in that kiddie pool for long. I'm David Muir. I'll see you right back here. tomorrow from all of us. Tonight, David Muir, the most trusted anchor in America, the. most watched anchor in America. Thank you for making World News Tonight with David Muir, the. number one newscast in America.