ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - April 26, 2026

David Muir, [music] ABC's World News. Tonight, America's most watched. newscast, [music] now streaming same day. with all the breaking news of the day on. Disney Plus. Most watched, [music] most. trusted, now on Disney Plus every night. Tonight, new details just coming in on. the shooting at the White House. Correspondents Dinner. What happened. when the shots rang out and the writings. authorities say they discovered in the. suspect's hotel room. Shocking video. appears to show the gunman racing past. Secret Service agents [music] gunshots.

as guests posed on the red carpet. Inside the ballroom, agents wrapping. themselves around President Trump, hustling him off the [music] dais. The. night's featured entertainer tells us. what he saw when he came face to face. with the president as they hit the. floor. Chaos and confusion as the. uniformed officers are seen pointing. long guns toward the crowd. [music] The. suspect quickly taken down. One Secret. Service agent shot, a bulletproof vest. stopping the round. What are we learning. about the 31-year-old suspect, a teacher. [music] and computer programmer who.

authorities say traveled by train across. the country to DC? The notes they say he. left in his hotel room allegedly [music]. show he disliked the president and his. administration and called himself a. friendly federal assassin. FBI [music]. agents swarming his home in a late-night. raid. New questions about security. How. did someone get weapons into that hotel, especially after two prior attempts on. Mr. Trump's life? And new safety. concerns as the king and queen of. England prepare to visit the US. Are. they still planning to come? Our team is.

following [music] every angle. Also. tonight, powerful storms on the move. 30. million Americans on alert over the next. 24 hours. A devastating tornado in. Texas, at least one death reported. [music]. Drivers forced to climb out of flooded. cars. Plus the wildfires tearing through. the South, one [music] doubling in size. overnight. A small plane crashes in a. ball of flames killing [music] two, including a North Dakota lawmaker. And. the marathon runner who did something no. human [music]. had ever done.

From ABC News world headquarters [music]. in New York, this is World News Tonight. Good evening everyone. [music] Thanks so. much for joining us on this Sunday. I'm. Lindsay Davis. We begin with that. shooting at the White House. Correspondents Dinner tonight. White. House officials say they believe the. gunman may have been targeting Trump. administration officials. Once gunfire. erupted, Secret Service agents swarmed. President Trump and quickly rushed him. off the stage. The chaos and confusion. as uniformed officers were seen pointing. their guns toward the crowd. Many in.

attendance ducked for cover, hiding. under tables as others raced out of the. dinner. The dramatic images of the. suspect identified as 31-year-old Cole. Allen pinned to the ground. Authorities. say he was armed with guns and knives. and traveled across the country by train. from California. Overnight, the FBI. swarmed his home in Torrance. Sources. say he referred to himself in writing as. the quote friendly federal assassin. We. have team coverage tonight. ABC's Chief. Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.

leads us off. Tonight, the full chaos that unfolded at. the White House Correspondents Dinner is. coming into sharper view. The moment. federal agents rushed through the crowd. of 2,600 of the nation's most powerful. government officials and the journalists. who cover them, bounding onto the stage. and whisking President Trump to safety. The night had been on schedule. The presentation of the colors, [music].

the crowd rising for the national. anthem, the president and the first lady. on the dais. Then just outside the. ballroom, security cameras capturing. this scene. A gunman charging past the. security checkpoint. The video later. posted by the president. CNN's Wolf. Blitzer just feet away. When the cops. saw me only a few feet away from the. shooter, they. threw me to the ground and and got on. top of me to protect me. And I I think I. heard at least three, maybe six.

gunshots. Boom, boom, boom, boom. And it. was just enormously loud. I had no idea. what was going on. Moments later, chaos in the ballroom. The Secret Service rushed to the front. of this room in a way that I have never. seen, knocking over little barricades. that crashes as they came down. Agents heading straight for the. president. He was talking with Oz. Pearlman, the mentalist, the evening's.

entertainer. So, you were right there as. this happened. What what was going. through your mind? What I was literally. performing for the president, for the. first lady, and for the press secretary. First Lady Melania Trump, visibly. shocked, mouthing the words, "What. happened?" as the Secret Service stormed. the stage. Vice President J.D. Vance pulled out of. his chair, an agent throwing himself. toward the president. I'm watching up, and I watch the two Secret Service guys. get behind the president, bring him.

down. I go I In my head, I go, "Oh, no. Are we about to die?" That was my first. thought. And then. split second later, I'm looking at him, and I can't gauge from him what happened. to him. Yeah. >> Because So, you thought he was shot? >> So, I I didn't know if he was shot, but. I did not rule it out. ABC's Karen. Travers was on the dais, sitting next to. press secretary Karoline Leavitt. >> She told me, "Get down." We fell from. our seats to the floor, and just a few. feet away from me, the president was. underneath Secret Service agents. As the. president was hurried backstage, in the.

room, chaos. The crowd dropping to the. ground, hiding under tables. The cabinet. secretaries taken away by their own. security details. Secretary of State. Marco Rubio. Health and Human Services Secretary. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And soon. we learned law enforcement had subdued a. suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen, seen. here on the ground of the hotel. Authorities say he was armed with knives. and two guns, including a shotgun.

He is a teacher from Torrance, California. Officials say he took a. train to Washington and checked into the. hotel. And tonight, sources tell us he. allegedly sent his family a message just. before the attack, describing himself as. a friendly federal assassin. Many of the. reporters in the audience heading to the. White House in their gowns and tuxedos. to cover the story. President Trump. showing the nation he was not hurt. We. very much wanted to continue it cuz I.

don't like to let these sick people, these thugs, these horrible horrible. people change the fabric of our life. President Trump called me early this. morning praising how quickly the Secret. Service jumped into action. One Secret. Service officer was shot directly in the. chest by the gunman, saved by his body. armor. This evening, the White House. tells me that that Secret Service. officer is, quote, "totally fine.". Lindsey? Glad to hear it, John. Thank. you. Now, what we're learning tonight. about the suspect, a teacher and.

computer programmer. The alleged gunman. was captured on surveillance video. sprinting toward a Secret Service. checkpoint. The writings the Caltech. grad allegedly left behind in his hotel. room. Here's ABC's Chief Justice. Correspondent Pierre Thomas. Tonight, we're learning more about the. man investigators believe opened fire. near that ballroom with the president. inside. Authorities say this is Cole. Allen, seen here lying on the ground. shirtless. They believe Allen is the. heavily armed suspect racing past.

security before the Secret Service took. him down. He was armed with a shotgun, a. handgun, and multiple knives. And law. enforcement sources say they're learning. more disturbing new details about the. suspect's alleged motive and willingness. to kill as many people as possible to. get to his intended targets, Trump. administration officials. It is clear. based upon what we know so far that this. individual was intent on doing as much. harm and as much damage as he could. Sources describing a message Cole Allen.

allegedly sent to his family before the. attack. The message describes grievances. against Trump administration officials, expressing a willingness to kill from. the highest ranking to the lowest, including any Secret Service members. that got in his way. The alleged message. ends with a critique of hotel security. and how his plan to check into the hotel. allowed him to have weapons in the. building without anyone knowing. And. sources say it included a reference to. himself as Cole, friendly federal. assassin Allen. The FBI and Secret.

Service launching a nationwide. investigation. Within hours FBI agents. and a SWAT team was at the Allen family. home in Torrance, California. We believe. that he traveled by train. from Los Angeles to Chicago and then. Chicago to Washington, D.C. Allen got an. engineering degree from Caltech in 2017. and went on to get a master's from Cal. State last year. This interview appears. to be the suspect in college showing an. emergency brake he built for a.

wheelchair. The wheelchair brakes tend. to lock the wheels but don't actually. lock the chair to the ground. The idea. with this is to prevent it from moving. at all. More recently Allen has been working as. a tutor, even once winning an award for. teacher of the month. Allen is expected to face gun charges. including assaulting a federal officer. with a deadly weapon. He's set to make. his first court appearance tomorrow, Lindsey. Pierre, thank you. The shooting. is of course raising questions about. security surrounding the president and.

other public officials. The Secret. Service jumped into action stopping the. gunman, but it was a dangerous reminder. of violence in this political. environment. Here's ABC's Chief. Investigative Correspondent Aaron. Katersky. When a man charged the Secret Service. checkpoint, it exposed a security. vulnerability that law enforcement. officials have long feared. Authorities. say the suspect booked a room at the. Washington Hilton giving him access to. an otherwise secure hotel with unchecked. baggage. That's what happened in 2017. when a gunman loaded bags full of.

weapons into Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. and committed the deadliest mass. shooting in US history. Being a hotel. allowed people to enter the location. without their bags being searched and. without being vetted. So, these are the. types of locations that are really. challenging for law enforcement to. secure. The Secret Service is crediting. the strength of our layered security. posture for stopping the gunman before. he entered the ballroom. The system. worked. The Secret Service kept us safe. and and that man was quickly apprehended. and subdued um minutes seconds after he.

tried to breach the perimeter. Still, it. was a vivid reminder of the violent. threats coursing through the country. President Trump has already been a. target. A gunman targeted him in Butler, Pennsylvania. An armed man was arrested. outside one of his golf courses. And in. February, an armed man drove through the. security perimeter at Trump's Palm Beach. resort. June will mark 1 year since the. speaker of the Minnesota house and her. husband were killed in a politically. motivated shooting. And a year ago this.

month, an arsonist firebombed the. Pennsylvania governor's residence. There are calls tonight, Lindsey, for a. national reckoning to deal with the. crisis of political violence. And there. are security questions for high-profile. events like tomorrow's visit from King. Charles, the World Cup, and then in. July, Lindsey, America's 250th birthday. >> And of course, the president's desire to. host this dinner again within the next. 30 days. >> he wants to do it. He says we should do. it. Aaron, thank you. And as Aaron. mentioned, security is looming large as. King Charles and the Queen head to to.

White House tomorrow. Let's bring in. ABC's chief international correspondent. James Longman. James, what's the latest. on this trip? Hi Lindsey. Well, the palace issued a. statement saying the king was greatly. relieved that the president, the first. lady, and all those guests were. unharmed. Uh and that after discussions. on both sides of the Atlantic, it was. decided that the trip will still go. ahead. This is intended to celebrate 250. years of American independence. The king. and queen are due to arrive here in DC. tomorrow for an informal tea at the. White House. On Tuesday, that is the. main event. The king will address both.

houses of Congress, and then there'll be. a state dinner uh at the White House. hosted by Donald Trump. Charles and. Camilla will go to New York where. they'll visit the 9/11 memorial. Diplomatic relations between Britain and. the United States have been strained. over the war in Iran. It was hoped. Charles would help calm those problems. Now, it will feel like a timely visit. from a close ally during a troubled. moment. Lindsey. Seems that way, James. Thank you. Now, more than 30 million. Americans are bracing for severe weather. from the Midwest to the plains. The.

deadly storms have already left a trail. of destruction across the plains. Some. narrowly escaping floodwaters near Fort. Worth, Texas. ABC's Ike Ejiochi is in. the storm zone tonight. Tonight, a deadly outbreak of severe. storms leaving a trail of destruction in. the South as a massive wildfire rages. out of control on the East Coast. One. person is dead and six injured in Wise. County, Texas after an EF2 tornado. touched down ripping the roofs off these. homes, piles of debris and wreckage.

throughout the area. Here in Runaway. Bay, Texas, that EF2 tornado caused. widespread damage all over the county. leaving unprecedented damage. Local. authorities issuing a disaster. declaration as families look to begin. rebuilding. >> Wise County takes care of Wise County, and we are going to stand strong, and. we're going to stand together. And in. Georgia, firefighters there combating. several large wildfires. This one in. Brantley County doubling in size. overnight fanned by powerful winds and. dry conditions, now burning over 20,000.

acres, forcing evacuations. >> I can tell you we lost a lot of homes. last night and yesterday. Only 7%. contained. Officials there say the fires. are expected to grow. We're expecting. this fire to get bigger. We're ordering. more resources in. Back in Texas, that system bringing. hail, flooding, and powerful winds. overnight. This woman escaping a car. seemingly being carried away by. floodwaters. The storm system bringing. 40 reported tornadoes in the last couple. days. Lindsey, the county judge told me.

that these roads back here won't reopen. for another two to three days. However, the recovery effort is still ongoing. Lindsey. Ike, thank you. Let's get right. to meteorologist Danny Beckstrom from. our New York station WABC. Good evening, Danny. More severe weather on the way. this week? Hi Lindsey. Yeah, even tonight we're. seeing strong storms develop. So, I want. to get you right to the radar to see. those strong to severe thunderstorms. developing over Kansas and Missouri. tonight, prompting a severe thunderstorm. watch with flooding downpours and. damaging wind gusts. Also, a tornado. watch from Texas to Missouri until 11:00.

p.m. This system slides east tomorrow. A. line of strong storms developing right. in time for the evening rush Monday. The. bull's-eye over major cities like St. like St. Louis and Chicago running the. risk for destructive wind, very large. hail, and strong tornadoes through late. tomorrow night. This system still has. some punch Tuesday as it swings the. severe threat through the south. We'll. be watching a stretch from Dallas to. Louisville with damaging wind and large. hail. If there's one benefit to these. dangerous storms, it's the opportunity. for much needed rain in the parts. southeast. Not enough to alleviate the. drought, but it will make a a dent in.

the deficit. Lindsey. All right, at. least there's that. Danny, thank you. Now to those stall talks between the US. and Iran, President Trump is ruling out. any travel to Pakistan for peace. negotiations. Let's bring in ABC senior. White House correspondent Selina Wang. Selina, what does this mean for a. possible deal? Well, Lindsey, this is. the latest sign that the US and Iran. remain far apart on a deal to reach an. end to this war. The president abruptly. canceling his top negotiator's planned. trip to Pakistan this weekend and is now. ruling out any in-person talks in the.

near future. President Trump is now. claiming that Iran can call on secure. telephone lines if they want to talk, but Iran has made it clear that they. won't negotiate until the US ends its. blockade of Iranian ports and the. president says that blockade won't end. until there's a deal. So, tonight. there's no clear path for when or if. those talks resume. Meanwhile, the. Strait of Hormuz remains closed and here. at home gas prices are now averaging. about $4 a gallon, up more than a dollar.

since the war began, Lindsey. >> Still a standstill, Selena. Thank you. There's so much more ahead on World News. Tonight this Sunday, the deadly [music]. plane crash that took two lives, including a state lawmaker, and the. marathon man who ran his way right into. the history books. Next tonight, authorities have. identified the Chicago police officer. who was shot and killed inside a. hospital on Saturday. Officer John. Bartholomew was 38 and a 10-year veteran. of the force. A second officer was also. shot and is reportedly in critical.

condition. Police say the suspect who. was brought to the hospital in custody. fled the scene, but was later arrested. Police are investigating how he may have. obtained a gun. A state lawmaker from. North Dakota was one of two people. killed in a plane crash in Minnesota. The single-engine plane went down and. erupted in flames just after takeoff. Saturday near Minneapolis. North Dakota. state representative Liz Conmy was. killed. The second victim has not yet. been identified. Federal authorities are. investigating just what caused the. crash. In Florida, the search continues.

for a missing student 2 days after the. body of a second missing student was. found. A suspect is now under arrest. Nahita Bristy was last seen 10 days ago. She's a graduate student at the. University of South Florida. The remains. of that second student, Zemile Lemoun, were found Friday. His roommate faces. multiple charges including two counts of. pre-premeditated murder. When we come back, how a hunting. expedition [music] turned deadly for a. big game hunter. To the index now, a big game hunter from.

California was killed apparently by an. elephant in Central Africa. Ernie Dossi. was 75 years old and hunted with groups. and include Wagon Hound Outfitters. Francie Dossi was part of a group. tracking antelopes when they stumbled. upon a herd of elephants protecting. their young and he was gored to death. And history was made on the streets of. London today. Sebastian Sawe of Kenya. became the first to officially break the. two-hour mark. He covered the 26 miles. in a blistering 1 hour, 59 minutes and. 30 seconds. The second place finisher. also broke two hours. Sawe gave credit.

to the crowds that packed the streets. for helping to carry him to the record. When we come back, America strong, [music]. something special is on the other side. of this door. Finally tonight, America strong, a. promposal with the royal treatment. Even better than a corsage, prom season. kicked off with kindness in Salt Lake. City. It started with a knock.

And then, mounted on a hobby horse, a. message unfurled like a fairy tale. Queen Jane, your majesty. An invitation. fit for the royal ball, a promposal with. a touch of magic, a crown gently placed. >> [laughter]. >> And a prince, Carter, waiting nearby on. a pony. Not just dressed for the moment, but rising to meet it with their best. smiles and something even rarer, intention. 17-year-old Jane Adamson was born with. Down syndrome. At school, they call her.

Queen Jane. Her dress is still. undecided, but it will no doubt be. twirling on the dance floor. The dance. off. Her mother, Summer, overwhelmed by the. moment. What's say you, my queen? The. amount of effort and time that they put. in to make this so special for Jane, it. just blew me away and honestly brought. me to tears. The video has spread far beyond their. neighborhood, a reminder of what it. looks like to truly see someone, to. reach beyond the familiar and make room.

at the table, or in this case, on the. dance floor. To think of others, to. reach outside their friend group and to. those who maybe don't always get asked. or have a chance, and to invite them. because it means the world. A simple. invitation that means so much. I felt I was loved by them. Just for a moment. So touching. Thanks so much for. watching. David back here tomorrow. I'm. Lindsey Davis. Goodnight.

David Muir, the most trusted anchor in. America, the most watched anchor in. America. Thank you for making World. [music] News Tonight with David Muir the. number one newscast in America.