ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - Aug. 25, 2025

Tonight, the breaking news. The home. explosion up in flames, igniting. multiple homes in the neighborhood. The. images coming in. The powerful blast. leveling homes. One home igniting two. more. Then two additional homes going up. in flames. Authorities on the scene at. this hour. The public being told to. avoid the area. What we know so far. Also breaking as we come on tonight, the. record heat fueling large wildfires. across several states. Firefighters. forced to chopper in to battle the. fires. Millions of Americans tonight. under extreme heat alerts. And in the.

Northeast, the major shift in the. weather as the Labor Day weekend. approaches. Lee Goldberg is here. Tonight, President Trump doubling down. on his deployment of the National Guard. in Washington DC. The guard now armed, patrolling the streets. The president. suggesting Chicago is next. Outrage. tonight over the 9-hour Department of. Justice interview with Gain Maxwell, convicted of sex trafficking. Tonight, more of that audio. what she says about. President Trump, about former President. Clinton, and about claims that there is.

a Jeffrey Epstein client list as the. family of one of Epstein's accusers. blasts the interview tonight, saying the. Department of Justice is now allowing. Maxwell to rewrite history. Tonight, 3. days after being released from custody, Kilmargo Garcia is back in custody. The. administration saying he will be sent to. Uganda. But tonight, what a judge is now. saying about this. Tonight, Israel's. deadly air strike at a hospital in Gaza. Five journalists among at least 20. people killed. Israeli Prime Minister.

Benjamin Netanyahu tonight calling it a. tragic mishap. The countdown right now. after multiple dramatic setbacks. SpaceX. and the test launch set for a short time. from now. In New York's Central Park, two separate attacks. The horrific. scene. And there is news coming in on. this. The stunning crash. A firefighting. helicopter trying to fill its bucket. The pilot losing control, plunging into. the water. The major meltdown at the US. Open playing out with millions watching. And the new turn tonight. And the.

Powerball jackpot. How does 750 million. sound. from ABC News World Headquarters in New. York. This is World News Tonight with. David Mure. >> Good evening. It is great to be back. with all of you at home. We do begin. tonight here with the scene of. destruction after a massive explosion. Multiple homes up in flames in a. neighborhood just north of St. Louis, Missouri. The images coming in late. today. At this hour, residents are being. told to stay away. Authorities on the. scene. The explosion erupting in one.

home, setting others nearby on fire. The. flames continuing to spread. Multiple. homes going up in flames, damaging more. than 20 homes in all. Tonight, a rescue. task force searching for any possible. victims in the rubble. So far, they say. three people have been injured. The bomb. and arson unit called to the scene, leading the investigation. and crews. from the gas company are there as well. All now investigating what could have. caused this. ABC's Mola Leni with the. images tonight and what we know so far. Tonight, a neighborhood in St. Louis.

County rocked by a massive home. explosion. One home erupting, catching. two nearby homes on fire. The fire. continuing to spread. >> Upon arrival on scene, we had five. buildings that were on fire. >> Multiple houses leveled, more than 20. others damaged. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., firefighters racing to the scene in. Florison. The fire still cracking and. popping as they tried to get it under. control. Smoke billowing into the sky. A. car engulfed in flames. The interior of. this home charred down to its frame.

Bricks and 2x4s scattered across the. area. At least three people injured. Remarkably, no one killed. >> You can look at this carnage and the. fact that no one was killed is an. absolute blessing. Officials asking. residents to stay away as they assess. the damage. >> If there's extensive damage in these. homes, people will not be able to go. back in there. It's just too dangerous. at this time. >> Well, David, as far as what caused that. explosion in the initial home tonight, the local gas company there says so far.

they have found no structural issues in. that area. And tonight, the bomb and. arson unit are leading the. investigation. David. >> Mola Langi Mola, thank you. We turned. out to the weather. Record-breaking heat. fueling multiple wildfires forcing. evacuations across several states. While. in the Northeast, a major shift in the. weather just as the Labor Day weekend. approaches. First, the fires tonight. north of San Francisco. These are the. images. Firefighters battling the Picket. Fire. An emergency now declared. Evacuations underway in central Oregon. tonight. The Flat Fire exploding in.

size, scorching more than 30 square. miles. Families forced to leave there as. well. And tonight, they're now using. helicopters to get firefighters to the. front lines because it's been so. difficult to fight the flames. And. you'll see it. Lee Goldberg on the heat, the fires, and the big change in the. Northeast. And Trevor Al in California. tonight. Tonight, record-breaking heat fueling. multiple wildfires in the West, destroying homes and forcing thousands. to flee. North of San Francisco and Napa. County, a massive dayslong battle to.

keep the picket fire away from. neighborhoods. Choppers making daring. nighttime assaults on the flames. And. with the terrain there extremely rugged. and remote. This footage from Cal Fire showing a. helicopter attack crew flying into an. area impossible to reach on foot. That. fire still burning out of control now. more than 10 square miles. Up in Oregon, the Flat Fire has destroyed multiple. buildings southeast of Portland, including at least four homes, more than.

30 square miles charred since Thursday. The Pacific Northwest sweltering. This. weekend, officials in at least two. Oregon counties reporting heat related. deaths. And in the desert southwest, monsoon. storms threatening to spark new. lightning fueled fires. In Nevada's. Black Rock Desert, a powerful overnight. dust storm sending festival goers. scrambling for cover at Burning Man. Several tents damaged, but no one was. hurt. And David, the causes of both the picket.

fire and the flat fire are under. investigation. Thousands of firefighters. have been dispatched to try to get them. contained. David. >> All right, Trevor. All tonight, Trevor, we appreciate it. Chief Meteorologist. Lee Goldberg of WABC tracking it all for. us, including a major cool down in the. Midwest and the Northeast with Labor Day. almost here, but Lee, I know you're. going to start with these fires tonight. >> Absolutely, David, because it's another. day tomorrow of high heat and fire. danger in the Northwest. Highs in the. 90s, triple digits, dry breezes. You. have heat alerts from California all the.

way to Washington. Well, there is some. relief and that's coming midweek. We go. into the 80s, even into the 70s places. like Boisey all the way back to Seattle. The monsunal flow in the west is helping. that, but we're also getting some. flooding. We have some flood watches. from California to Colorado all the way. to Oklahoma. Those areas in yellow can. see some rainfall rates of 2 in an hour. and cause some flooding. Then the. eastern two-thirds of the country, a. major cool down. We're skipping to. September. Feels like 70s and this. coolness is stretching eastward. It'll. get to the coast as we go through. midweek and last into the weekend. David.

>> Lee Goldberg with us here on a Monday. night. Lee, we appreciate it. Tonight, President Trump doubling down on his. deployment of the National Guard in. Washington DC. The troops are now armed, patrolling the streets as people head to. work and as tourists visit the. monuments. Tonight, the president. suggesting Chicago is now next. And late. today, Illinois's governor responding. Here's Rachel Scott. >> Tonight, 2,200 National Guard troops. patrolling the streets of the nation's. capital. commuters seeing them in train. stations and stationed outside national. monuments. And now those troops are.

armed. >> They're armed, capable of defending. themselves and others if need be, supporting law enforcement. >> Right now, the Guard is not deployed to. Washington's most high crime areas, stationed instead around tourist. attractions and the metro. Local. officials insist crime was already. falling in DC. Homicide down 32% last. year after hitting a 20-year high the. year before. But the president insisting. that's not good enough now setting his. sights on other cities. >> Look, Chicago,

uh, everybody knows how bad it is. They. should be saying, "Please come in.". >> Homicide in Chicago is down 50% over. four years after surging dramatically. during the pandemic. Tonight, the. Democratic governor of Illinois firing. back. This is about Donald Trump. searching for any justification to. deploy the military in a blue city in a. blue state to try and intimidate his. political rivals. >> Today, I asked the president if he would. send National Guard troops into red.

states, too. The cities with the two. highest homicide rates, St. Louis and. New Orleans, though run by Democrats, are both in states with Republican. governors. >> We've talked a lot about Democratic run. cities and states. Would you also. consider sending the National Guard into. red states and red cities that are also. seeing high crime? >> Sure, but there aren't that many of. them. If you look at uh the top 25. cities that for crime, just about every. one of those cities is run by Democrats. >> The president says he has not decided.

whether to send the National Guard to. Chicago. But tonight, a blunt message. for the president from the governor of. Illinois saying, "Do not come. You're. neither wanted here nor needed here.". David, >> Rachel Scott live at the White House for. us. Rachel, thank you. Now to the. outrage over the 9-hour Department of. Justice interview with Galain Maxwell, convicted of sex trafficking. Tonight, more of the audio here. What she says. about President Trump, about former. President Clinton, and about claims. there's a Jeffrey Epstein client list as. the family of one of Jeffrey Epstein's. accusers blasts the interview now,

saying the Department of Justice is. allowing Maxwell to rewrite history. Here's Aaron Kurski. Tonight, the anguished family of Jeffrey. Epstein's most vocal accuser says the. Justice Department's quote bizarre. interview of Epstein's accomplice, Galen. Maxwell, gave her a platform to rewrite. history. The family of Virginia Duprey. furious after DOJ released audio and. transcripts of Maxwell's 9-hour sitdown. with Deputy Attorney General Todd. Blanch, who used to be President Trump's. personal lawyer. In the interview,

Maxwell, who was serving 20 years for. sex trafficking, proclaimed her. innocence, insisted she didn't witness. any inappropriate behavior by any of. Epstein's powerful friends, and said a. long rumored list of Epstein's. high-profile clients does not exist. >> There's no list. There's never been a. list. >> And you never heard Mr. Epste talk about. such a list? >> Never. >> Maxwell was also asked about President. Trump, who had a decadel long friendship. with Epstein before their falling out. I. never witnessed the president in any. inappropriate setting in any way. The.

president was never inappropriate with. anybody. in the times that I was with him. He was. a gentleman in all respects. >> But she also contradicted Trump's claim. former President Bill Clinton went to. Epstein's private island 20 times. >> You're not aware of President Clinton. ever going to the island? He never. absolutely never went and I can be sure. of that because there's no way he would. have gone I don't believe there's any. way that he would have gone to the. island had I not been there because I. don't believe he had an independent.

friendship if you will with Epstein. >> At the outset of the interview, the. deputy attorney general telling Maxwell. she shouldn't expect to be rewarded. >> by you meeting with us today. We're. really just meeting. I'm not promising. to do anything. Um, I'm not promising to. ask Judge Nathan or any of the judges. have been assigned to your case to do. anything. Um, it we're just talking. >> But Democratic Senator Adam Schiff says. that just doesn't wash. >> So, she wants a pardon. She says exactly. what her lawyers tell her is going to be.

necessary to get a pardon. >> Shortly after the interview, in a highly. unusual move, the Justice Department. transferred Maxwell to a minimum. security prison camp. Tonight, Virginia. Dupre's family says that sends a. disturbing message that child sex. trafficking is acceptable and will be. rewarded. The interview really was extraordinary, David. We can't think of another time a. deputy attorney general flew to meet a. convicted sex offender at her. invitation. We know Maxwell wants out of. prison. So, the question tonight, David,

does the President Grant her wish? David, >> you'll continue to follow this case. Aaron, thank you. Now to the case of. Kilar Abrego Garcia, three days after. being released from custody, he's now. back in custody. Tonight, the. administration now saying he will be. sent to Uganda. Late today, a judge. stepping in. And here's Pierre Thomas. Just 3 days after he was released from. federal custody. Kilar Argo Garcia. arrested again by ICE officers when he. arrived at his scheduled immigration. appointment in Baltimore. And tonight, the Department of Homeland Security says.

he's being processed for deportation to. Uganda. We are all Kmart. >> Abrego Garcia, who has returned to the. US after being wrongfully deported to a. notorious prison in El Salvador today, surrounded by supporters. >> Even though injustice is hitting us. hard, he said, "We do not lose faith.". He's facing criminal charges filed after. his deportation to Al Salvador became. the focus of an international. controversy. >> He's currently charged with human.

smuggling, including children. The guy. needs to be in prison. >> Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty, but his attorneys say the administration. offered him a deal. If he changed his. plea and serves time in prison, he would. then be deported to Costa Rica, which. has agreed to accept him as a refugee or. a resident. They say if he didn't take. the deal, he'd be deported to Uganda. David, tonight a federal judge putting. the brakes on the government's plan to. deport Arrego Casia to Uganda, saying, "For now, US officials are absolutely.

forbidden from removing him from the. US." The judge said it seems the. administration wants to punish Abgo. Garia simply because he has exercised. his constitutional right to a trial. David Pier Thomas live in Washington. Pier, thanks. Overseas tonight to. Israel's deadly air strike in a hospital. in Gaza. Five journalists are among at. least 20 people killed. Israel's Prime. Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tonight. calling it a tragic mishap. Here's our. chief international correspondent, James. Longman.

>> Outrage is growing tonight after Israeli. air strikes on a Gaza hospital killed. five journalists among at least 20. killed and dozens more injured. NASA. hospital in Carunis was hit with an. initial strike and after rescuers and. journalists had rushed to the scene, a. second strike came in. Graphic video. capturing these moments just before it. blasts the hospital. Smoke and dust. billowing where people stood seconds. earlier. Camera equipment found in the. rubble. Israel says they were targeting. Hamas and regrets the harm to civilians.

not involved and that journalists are. not specifically targeted. The five. killed all work for international news. outlets. And it comes less than 2 weeks. after an Israeli strike killed six. journalists outside a different. hospital. >> Any reaction to this? Are you going to. talk to about it? I don't want to see. it. At the same time, we have to end. that whole nightmare. >> The Committee to Protect Journalists. accuses Israel of deliberately targeting. journalists in order to stop information. from leaving Gaza. They say nearly 200. journalists have been killed since this.

war began. Israel denies that claim and. say they've launched an investigation. David, >> all right, James Longman in London. tonight. James, thank you. Back here in. the US tonight, the countdown to that. launch after multiple dramatic setbacks. SpaceX and the test launch set for just. a short time ago. Gio Bonedz on how this. played out tonight. >> Tonight, just moments before launch, SpaceX scrubbing the 10th test flight of. the Starship because of bad weather. The. world's most powerful rocket sitting on. the launchpad in southern Texas, waiting. for the go-ahad to launch. Back in June,

a Starship exploded on the launchpad. during a pre-flight engine test. And. over the past three flights, the. Starship either blew up or broke apart, sending debris streaking across the. skies over the Atlantic, forcing ground. stops at airports. A lot is riding on. this mission. Elon Musk is hoping that. the Starship will one day take people to. the moon or even Mars. >> Each launch is about learning more and. more about what's needed to make life. multilanetary and to improve Starship to. the point where it can be taking.

ultimately hundreds of thousands if not. millions of people to Mars. >> And David Elon says that the whole goal. here is to quickly reuse rockets to. eventually build a colony on Mars. David. >> Gio Bonitz following this into the. evening. Gio, thank you. When we come. back tonight in New York's Central Park, two separate attacks, the awful. descriptions of these attacks, and there. is news coming in on this. Also, the. major meltdown at the US Open, what a. tennis player did with millions. watching. And look at this tonight, the. stunning crash. A firefighting. helicopter trying to fill its bucket.

right there. The pilot then losing. control. The chopper then plunging into. the water. What happens next here in. just a moment. Tonight in New York City, police. arresting a suspect accused of two. separate attacks in Central Park. Authorities say an 18-year-old victim. was punched, kicked, and choked near. West 62nd Street in Manhattan. Police. believe the same suspect later threw a. 37year-old man to the ground, biting his. ear at West 93rd Street. Both victims. are in stable condition. Overseas.

tonight, dramatic video of a. firefighting helicopter crash in. Britany, France. The chopper filling its. bucket with water, then spinning out of. control and plunging into the pond right. there. The pilots obviously losing. control. Both though escaping without. injury. Just extraordinary. When we come. back here, the remarkable scene, the. tennis tantrum at the US Open. What a. player did in front of millions watching. and the new turn tonight with this and. the Powerball jackpot. The new jackpot. number tonight and it sounds real nice. to the index in the epic meltdown at the. US Open here in New York. Russia's Denil.

Medvidev taking on Francis Benjamin. Bonsi in the first round. It began with. a photographer, mistakenly walking out. of the court in a third set. Medvidev. fuming at the chair umpire for giving. Bonsi a doover on his first serve, riing. up the crowd, causing a six-minute. delay. He went on to lose in five sets, smashing his racket to pieces. Uh, this. went on and on. The photographer, by the. way, who sparked the meltdown now banned. from the tournament. But tonight, Medvidev says he does not blame the. photographer. The Powerball jackpot. Tonight's drawing now worth 750 million.

That's 338 million if you take the. lumpsum payment. Let us know if you win. When we come back here in the Northeast, the lifeguard at the beach getting all. the attention and he should. Finally, the lifeguard America strong. Tonight, with swimmers across this. country getting ready for the Labor Day. holiday at Bayhead Beach in New Jersey. They are celebrating a beloved lifeguard. who has kept them safe for 63 years. According to Guinness World Records, at. 82 years old, Ed Kazukowitz is the.

oldest openwater lifeguard in the world. In 1960, he was just 18, Ed began. lifeguarding at the local pool. Two. years later, he started lifeguarding all. along the Jersey Shore. In the 70s and. 80s, that's Ed with his daughter. Christina, just 2 years old in the. picture. Through the decades, he has. trained and mentored countless. lifeguards. And right here tonight, >> hi David. >> Ed at 82, why he's still doing it. It's. out in the sunshine, able to do what I. like doing, which is watch people water.

>> And joining us too, >> oh David, >> Bayhead Beach Superintendent H Canen, who hired Ed for his current post at. this beach more than 20 years ago. >> Every year I get people asking me, "Is. that coming back? Is that coming back?". I said, "As far as I know, he'll be. back.". >> So many stopping by to see Ed right. there in the lifeguard chair. >> Hi, David. Bayhead Council President. Dennis Shanning. >> brings a lot of the young guards along. He teaches them what they need to know. >> 18-year-old Dylan Johnson. It's his.

first season as a lifeguard. >> What Ed taught me a lot about this. summer was seeing where rip currents. are, how to identify if the swimmers in. distress. >> And tonight, Ed here with one simple. message for you with Labor Day now. approaching. >> It's a nice sunny day. Have a great. time. >> Thank you, Ed. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night. David Mure, the most watched newscast in. America. And now ABC's World News. Tonight has won the Emmy for best live. news program for the third year in a.

row.