ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - Aug. 19, 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, the breaking news right now, there's been. a deadly helicopter crash. At least five Americans killed. The image is coming in right now. Authorities say the helicopter going down during a safari. tour, the chopper crashing in a remote, hard to reach area. All seven people on board killed, including at least.

five American tourists. Some well-known names on board that helicopter. and what we know so far. Also breaking as we come on tonight, the major. headline involving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. ABC News learning they're moving back to the UK, leaving the US. So what's behind this? What we've learned. Tonight, the newly released video here that medevac. jet crashed right into a Philadelphia neighborhood. In the air less than a minute, eight people killed, including an 11-year-old patient and her mother.

Tonight, we are tracking severe storms and extreme heat. Those storms on the move right now. Damaging winds up to 80 miles per hour already, and Sam Champion is here. The urgent manhunt in the Northeast. Tonight, the fugitive considered armed and dangerous, accused. of killing her police veteran husband and where. they're looking. Tonight the new turn in the sudden death of actress Hayden. Panettiere, where police were today. Tonight, the U.S. war in Iran about to begin its seventh. month and President Trump facing a record low approval rating.

Tonight the president taking reporters on a tour of his. renovation projects, including including the new helipad, his name inscribed in granite. Tonight there's a horrific scene unfolding, more than 100. people reportedly killed in a mine collapse, and the. picture's coming in now. Tonight there's major news in the fight against. cancer, new hope, an experimental mRNA vaccine. and what it shows. And our series, This American Wonder. Tonight we take you deep inside the Grand Canyon, 227 miles.

long and more than a mile Tonight, the crisis of. the Colorado River, what we witnessed firsthand. Come with us to the Grand Canyon right here tonight. [♪♪]. From ABC News World Headquarters in New York, this is World News Tonight with David Muir. Good evening, and it's great to have you with us. here on a Wednesday night. And we begin tonight with several breaking stories. There has been a horrific and deadly crash of. a tour helicopter. All seven people on board have been killed, including.

at least five Americans. Images coming in from the crash scene tonight. The chopper going down during a safari tour in a remote part. of Kenya, flying over a popular tourist area. Flames, smoke, and debris at that crash site tonight. The rough terrain slowing the search and recovery effort. Tonight we have learned there are some well-known. names on board that tour helicopter, including. a Telemundo executive, well-respected in South Florida. ABC's Victor Oquendo leading us off tonight. Tonight seven people are dead, including five Americans, after.

a safari helicopter crashed and burst into flames in Kenya. Authorities confirming these horrific videos, smoke pouring. out of the burning wreckage, pieces of the helicopter strown. on the rocky mountainside. Officials say the helicopter crashed shortly before 9.15 this. morning in the rugged foothills of the iconic Mount Ololokwe. in northern Kenya, a popular tourist destination. We have pictures that show that these helicopters. in the past had landed on top of this mountain. right on the edge of a cliff.

So what may have happened, happened just as the helicopter. was coming in to land, perhaps impacting the side of the cliff. and falling to the ground. Police telling ABC News respected Telemundo executive. Jose Suarez was among those five Americans killed. Also among the dead, well-known Miami. businessman Roger Duarte, once featured in Forbes 30 under. 30, survived by two children and his wife, whose family. owns the famous Versailles restaurant in Miami. Ecuadorian officials confirming the. nation's intelligence chief, Michel Sensi-Contugi, and.

his wife, Stephanie Hollahan, were also killed. David, the cause of the crash is under investigation. This news shaking the Miami community in a statement, Roger Duarte's family saying, in part, that. everyone on board was close and the magnitude of this. tragedy is impossible to comprehend. And there are no words to express the depth of our pain. We are thinking about their families tonight. David, no question about that. Victor Oquendo leading us off tonight. Thank you, Victor. There is also breaking news involving Prince Harry and.

Meghan Markle at this hour. ABC News has learned they're now moving back. to the UK, leaving the US. So what's behind this? Let's get right to ABC's Trevor Alt in Los Angeles. They're leaving California. Trevor, what have you learned? Well, David, we have now confirmed that Harry and. Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are going to be. moving back to the UK with their children, Archie and. Lilibet. And while Buckingham Palace has no comment, we. have learned from a source We're familiar with the. situation that King Charles learned of these plans. on Sunday and he welcomes the opportunity to see the.

family more frequently. But we have learned that there's going to be no change. in Harry and Meghan's official status as non-working royals. They're going to be sticking with that agreement that they. reached when they left the UK all those years ago, David. All right, Harry and Meghan and the children leaving the U.S. Trevor Ault on the breaking headline. Trevor, thanks. Tonight the newly released video showing the chilling moments. of medevac jet crashing right into a Philadelphia. neighborhood. That plane in the air less. than a minute, eight people killed, including an 11-year-old. patient and her mother.

Here's Morgan Norwood. Tonight, newly released videos capturing the terrifying. final seconds of a medevac jet that crashed into a busy. Philadelphia neighborhood, killing eight people, including an 11-year-old patient and her mother. Doorbell camera video showing the Lear. jet from that horrific crash last year plunging out of the. sky, slamming into the ground, Exploding in a fireball and damaging nearby homes. Investigators say the jet was only in the air for less.

than a minute after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia. Airport, climbing to 1,600 feet before veering into a lethal. dive at 275 miles per hour. All six people on board that jet bound for Mexico, along. with two people on the ground, Investigators finding the jet's damaged cockpit voice. recorder, saying it hadn't been functioning for years. And David, the NTSB is stressing that the official cause of. this crash is still unknown. A final report could take up to two years to complete.

David? Morgan Norwood reporting. Morgan, thank you. Tonight we are tracking severe storms and extreme heat. Those storms on the move right now, damaging winds up to. 80 miles per hour already. Heavy rain moving east tomorrow. Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City all on the path. So let's get right to Sam Champion tonight. tracking it all. Hey, Sam. Good evening, David. And those storms are already. rolling, expected to be severe and flooding. Let's go to the maps. I'll show you what I'm talking about. There are flood watches out from Illinois all the. way through into West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Now, this goes through Indiana, Indianapolis in. particular, more than a foot of rain there recently and. terrible flooding there. put these storms in motion overnight and by 9 p.m. we're talking about them being. near Paducah, Kentucky, very strong. But look what happens when we get them to. the east coast from Washington to Philly to. New York. This is more than three inches of rain per. hour and this extreme heat. Let's not forget it. These heat index levels again anywhere from 100. to 111 from anywhere from Texas into Florida. David Sam champion with us, Sam. We appreciate it. Tonight there's an urgent manhunt. underway in Worcester, Massachusetts, outside.

Boston. Police say they are searching for fugitive. Karen Solomon, suspected in the death of her husband, a 31-year police veteran found dead in their home. Authorities say she's considered armed and dangerous. Solomon is a therapist who co-founded. a group working with police officers and their families. Tonight, the war in Iran and President Trump now facing a. record low approval rating. And this evening, the president taking reporters on a tour. of his renovation projects. Here's John Karl. With the war in Iran soon to enter its seventh month.

and concerns about the conditions for US. troops on Navy ships and a new poll showing his. approval rating at just 33%, a record low, President Trump. today summoned reporters to check out his new. White House helipad. Nice job, fellas. The president placing gold coins on the granite. And these will go like that. And signing a slab engraved with his name. It looks pretty good. He says the helipad will be more than just a place.

for his helicopter to land. They can have people go there for cocktails and. then walk to the ballroom. And so it went for nearly 40 minutes. The president showing off White House renovations, which the Washington Post reports will cost. more than $900 million. It's unclear how much of that coming from taxpayers. He brushed off questions about whether peace talks. with Iran will resume. In other news, David, here at the White House, the president.

said that he would meet by the end of the year with North. Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Now there is no indication as to when or where that meeting. would happen and no indication, no confirmation from. the North Koreans about the meeting either. John Karl live at the White House again. tonight for us, John. Thank you. We turn now to the sudden death of actress Hayden Panettiere. Police in Greenville, South Carolina tonight were seen. leaving a home belonging to the family of her long-term.

boyfriend, Brian Hickerson. Authorities say they were responding to a. call for a welfare check. Police say Hickerson and his brother were with the actress. at the time of her death and called 911. Authorities found no signs of foul play in this case. They say it could take weeks before we learn. a cause of death. We turn tonight to our series, This American Wonder. Our journey tonight deep into the Grand Canyon, 227 miles. long and more than a mile deep. Tonight the awe, the wonder, and the worry. The crisis unfolding on the Colorado River.

and what we witnessed firsthand, our journey to this. American wonder. The sun rising over the Grand Canyon, one of America's true natural wonders. So vast, it is impossible to fully grasp its beauty. For six million years, the waters of the Colorado River, carving away at the rock. The canyon, 277 miles long, 18 miles wide.

And from the rim, it's more than 6,000 feet down. to the canyon floor. And on this day, we begin our journey as the sun comes up. We're about to fly over the canyon. with the explorer who spent 14 months. hiking the entire length of the canyon. - Morning. - Hey, Pete. - How are ya? - A beautiful morning. - Thanks for getting up early. - Yeah. - Yeah, you ready to go see something pretty cool?

- We're not gonna hike the whole canyon like you. We take off from Flagstaff, Arizona, headed to. the northernmost part of the Grand Canyon. with National Geographic Explorer Pete McBride. So this right here out the window, we're. looking at the South Rim where millions of. Americans come every year. We're about to cross into what is arguably one of. the most iconic national parks in the United States. The magnitude of the canyon etched so deep into the earth,

it makes it unmistakable one of the few canyons that can. be seen clearly from space. Our first real glimpse here of the canyon is the. north rim being illuminated by the morning sun here. It's really spectacular. From above, the depth of the canyon is astounding. You could stack how many Empire State Buildings. to get to the top of the rim there? You could stack five. Five. That puts it in perspective. Now you're getting your first glimpse.

of the architect of the canyon, the Colorado River. 1,450 miles through seven states. We can see the Colorado River snaking its way. through the canyon, But we notice. something else, too. There are parts of the canyon changed by climate. So this rock formation that we're looking at used to. be surrounded by water. Correct. Now completely. surrounded by dry land. We land on the north side of the canyon.

Nothing like landing in the canyon, huh? Right. And we make our way. to the Colorado River. So where are we headed? This is Lee's Ferry. Watch your step. We head to one of the most iconic points on the Colorado. River, Horseshoe Bend, which draws millions. of visitors every year. And on this day, we look up, the visitors dotting. the edge of the canyon, thousands of feet above us. They're tiny, which gives you an idea of.

the scope of the canyon, but it's the draw, right? I mean it's a huge lure to come to these places. I mean we all feel awe and wonder. And I think part of the dance and the balance is how to do. it in a way that's sustainable. Yeah, that's always the struggle, isn't it? That's always the dance. It was not long ago I was one of those visitors up on the rim, capturing my own videos, marveling at the beauty. of the canyon from above. This is Horseshoe Bend in Arizona.

Clearly we're not the only ones on the lake. I'll show everybody. The howling winds and the crush of people at the canyon's edge, all looking out at Horseshoe Bend and the Colorado. River wrapping around it. And as we make our way down the river, we see the wildlife. The ducks crossing the river, the family of. bighorn sheep making their way down to the water. The little guys.

The wild horses along the edge of the river. The Grand Canyon is a refuge for thousands of species. There are five different ecosystems here. And soaring high above the California condor, not so. long ago, nearly extinct. Their rebound is considered one of the great. success stories here. We head upstream, weaving our way through the canyon. So you can see the dam coming into view. We approach the Glen Canyon Dam, a wall of.

concrete, 710 feet tall. They started building it in 1956. On the other side of the dam is Lake Powell, the second. largest reservoir in America. The sheer number of people who depend on the water from the. Colorado River is staggering. So this dam right here is a reminder of what this river. is being used for and the tens of millions of Americans. who depend on this water. Forty million Americans rely on this water. And on the other side of the dam, a looming crisis.

The fact that Lake Powell on the other side of this dam, which is supposed to be full because of this. dam, is no longer. It's currently at about 23% full. How concerning is that? Very. It's alarming because. we're in our third decade of drought that's. impacted by a hotter, drier climate. We have too many straws in the drink, basically, and. it's hard to claw that back. And just this week, we learned Lake Powell, that reservoir, has now fallen to a record low.

It provides water and electricity for millions, and it's a crisis. It's bottom line. Americans everywhere have a vested interest in. the future of this river. completely. Along the river here, the steep canyon walls. We go in search of the secrets still being discovered here. The ancient rock writings that tell the story of the. Native American ancestors who first lived at the canyon. As you hike through the Grand Canyon, you're. met with reminders of the ancestral Puebloans,

the work that they did here, the cultural work. And you can see that this is a petroglyph here, etched into the side of the stone over my shoulder, reflective of the time. By some accounts, this right here is a thousand years old. The vastness of the Grand Canyon and the areas that surround. it is simply staggering here. Everywhere you look, the rock formations, you can see layers. in the rock that actually help tell the history, the age of the earth. In fact, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon itself is rock.

that dates back nearly 2 billion years. And over my shoulder here, off in the distance, you. can see the Navajo lands. Native Americans have called the Grand Canyon home. for at least 12,000 years. Carletta Tlousy was born deep within the Grand Canyon, a. member of the Havasupai tribe. They're considered the guardians of the Grand Canyon. They have lived here at least 800 years. When you look back at this natural wonder behind.

you, do you call this home? I'm standing here at my homeland, and I'm very happy to. be a part of the Grand Canyon. It's a part of my history, and it's also part of my ancestors, and it runs through my blood. When Americans come and millions come every year, tourists from all over the world for that matter, and when they look out from these points at the. beauty of the canyon, is it your hope that. they also think about the indigenous people. who were the original caretakers of this wonder?

We're making sure that they do. I have a Supai tribe who has never left the canyon. And back at the canyon, we meet the Whitaker family from. Anderson, South Carolina, as they hike back up. to the canyon rim. I wonder if the quietness of the canyon, this. relative silence, if that's been a gift for you all. You can sit and not hear anyone except maybe. a condor or something. You know, we live in such a world that you just can't, you.

can't find silence anymore. You can't escape the noise. Yeah. But here it's somewhat. humbling, isn't it? It is. It points you beyond yourself for sure. I'm so glad you came. And as the sun sets on this day we witness the. silence that sets in. Only the birds fill the void. So one of the greatest things about the silence, it's the.

ability to hear things you never hear. It's pretty humbling, isn't it? It's extraordinary. Now I realize the immensity of it, the beauty, the awe and. wonder that we all have to stand have to protect this place. It is breathtaking in its beauty. And as for the record low water levels in. those reservoirs, federal and state officials have. taken emergency steps to try to avoid catastrophe.

Some voluntary restrictions are in place, but still no. agreement among several states on how to address. the crushing dependency on the dwindling waters of. the Colorado River. We'll stay on it when we come. Welcome back. We are learning of a horrific scene unfolding right now. Take a look at the images. You can see at the top right here, that is mud caving in. There has been a mine collapse. There's an urgent effort to get to people trapped. A lot more news ahead right after the break. Tonight there is an urgent effort underway, a rescue effort.

in the Central African Republic following a massive. mine collapse. Look at these images of mud sliding down that hill there. The tunnels of a gold mine actually caving in. At least 100 people have been killed so far. There is an effort right now to get to many. believed to be trapped. When we come back here, there's major news and hope tonight. involving a cancer vaccine, and the penguins are. multiplying here in the U.S., and you'll see it. To the Index, new hope tonight in the fight against cancer. Drugmakers Merck and Moderna say an experimental mRNA.

cancer vaccine showing promise in clinical trials. the technology where a vaccine is made from a patient's. own tumor to then target it. So far, significantly reducing the recurrence of. cancer in melanoma patients. When we come back here tonight, the penguin baby. boom right here in the U.S. You'll see it. ABC World News Tonight with David Muir, sponsored. by the Wellness Company. Tonight, America Strong, the penguin baby boom at. the Tennessee Aquarium, Two sets of penguin. parents welcoming baby penguins this summer.

They'll join the colony at 70 days old, and they say after passing a swim test. Good night. - David Muir, the most trusted, most watched. newscast in America. And now, World News Tonight has won the Emmy. for Best Live News Program for the fourth year in a row.