ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - August 31, 2025

Tonight, several developing stories as. we come on the air. Dangerous weather, including flash flooding with millions. on the move this holiday weekend. And. dozens of Guatemalan children loaded. onto planes for deportation until a. judge stepped in. We begin with the. flash flood threat in the southern. plains as a record number of Americans. are on the move. Highways flooded, planes halted in a major hub, and now. there's word of a midair collision of. two planes in Colorado. Beachgoers. running to safety with a water spout.

just offshore. And there's a rip current. warning for Southern California. Our. weather team has the holiday forecast. The fate of hundreds of Guatemalan. children hanging in the balance. The. Trump administration wants to deport. them. Some spending hours on planes. until a federal judge blocked the. flights. The latest in this. extraordinary legal battle. And another. battle. President Trump threatening to. send troops to Chicago, possibly as soon. as this week. The mayor and the Illinois.

governor fighting back. The president. says he wants to mandate voter ID for. every election in the US. But does he. have the power to do that? Mass resumes. at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, days after the attack that killed two. students. Handmade cards delivered to. one of the victims and Pope Leo speaking. out against what he calls a pandemic of. arms. Israel steps up its assault on. Gaza city ahead of its planned invasion. A mass exodus of Palestinians. And in.

Israel, protesters beg President Trump. to end the war. The heartstoppping video. of a young boy wandering onto the. Montreal tracks at Hershey Park. Adults. yelling to the child, fearful he would. fall. Finally, someone climbing up to. rescue the boy. New evidence in a story. that was the inspiration for movies and. TV shows. Why some are now saying a hero. may have murdered his own wife. At the. US Open, the last American man hopes to. stay alive in the tournament and the. showdown between two former women's.

champions. And not so fast, my friend. Lee Corso may be heading off to. retirement, but not before we look back. at his career and his legendary. headgear. From ABC News World Headquarters in New. York, this is World News Tonight. >> Good evening. Thanks for joining us on. this Sunday. I'm Mary Bruce in for. Lindseay Davis. A group of Guatemalan. children are in potential legal limbo. tonight. The Trump administration trying.

to deport them. Some spending hours on. planes until a federal judge blocked the. flights. But we begin here tonight with. the flash flood threat in parts of Texas. and New Mexico. All this amid a record. holiday travel rush in Colorado. Two. small planes collided midair at Fort. Morgan Municipal Airport about 80 miles. northeast of Denver. The airport now. closed. This is delays and ground stops. are piling up at some of the nation's. busiest airports. This water spout in. Galveastston, Texas, sending tents, umbrellas, and chairs flying. Beachgoers.

seeking safety. Drone footage capturing. these dark rain clouds hanging over the. Houston area. And there's a rip current. warning for Southern California. Waves. up to 7 feet. Hundreds rescued. Our. weather team is standing by with the. holiday forecast. But first, ABC's Faith. Abubet leading us off. >> tonight. The FAA investigating a midair. collision over Colorado around 10:40. a.m. Officials say two Cessna style. planes and the small airport in.

northeastern Colorado collided. Images. from an FAA weather camera showing a. plume of smoke in the distance. It's. unclear how many people were injured, but the crash comes amid the record. setting holiday travel rush. Tonight, delays and ground stops piling up at. some of the nation's busiest airports. Parts of Texas slammed by strong storms. and flooding rain. Drivers navigating. the rising waters. >> Look at that. Swimmers running for. safety in Galveastston, Texas after this.

water spout formed off the coast. Officials urging people to stay away. from the water. Florida also seeing a. heavy downpour. Flights at Miami. International and Fort Lauderdale. impacted by thunderstorms. Hundreds of. flights delayed and canceled this. weekend at Dallas Fort Worth. International. Even departures from both. airports in Houston grounded for a time. due to thunderstorms. The pesky delays. At the same time, the FAA says this. Labor Day is shaping up to be the. busiest in the skies for the holiday.

period in 15 years. The TSA expecting a. record 17.4 4 million travelers to fly. during the holiday stretch. Coast to. coast, officials are urging swimmers to. use caution. In Southern California, a. couple hundred people were rescued after. the National Weather Service warned of. dangerous rip currents and waves up to 7. ft. And Mary, tomorrow will likely be. another busy day at airports all across. the country as holiday travelers return. home. The FAA forecasting nearly 47,000.

planes will be in the skies. Mary, >> as they say, pack your patience. Faith, thank you. So, let's get right to. meteorologist Danny Beckm from our New. York station WABC. And so, Danny, how. long is this flooding threat going to. last? >> Oh, heavy rain tonight and it looks like. another round of it possible tomorrow, Mary. We've seen the heavy rain, the. thunderstorms for the past several days. sweeping across the southern plains. And. that threat continues tonight. Flood. watch in effect from Abene down to. Austin into San Antonio. And we could. see another round of heavy rain into. tomorrow morning. Tomorrow in general,

looking at Labor Day, the center of the. country stays wet where both coasts are. drier. In the east, gorgeous conditions, nice temperatures, sunny skies with the. exception being Florida where scattered. storms are possible. Now, in the west, it's all about the heat. We're talking. temperatures that uh prompt heat. advisories from LA up through. Sacramento. We're looking at heat. building north into Tuesday. Highs in. the 90s in Portland on Tuesday. And then. we cool down in a big way for the. Midwest. Looks like a taste of fall. coming to start September by the end of. the week. Certainly feels like summer is. over. Danny, thank you so much. And next.

tonight, another showdown between the. judiciary and the White House over. immigration. A federal judge temporarily. blocking the Trump administration from. deporting potentially hundreds of. Guatemalan children. Some just moments. away from departure, already boarded on. planes until a judge stepped in. Here's. ABC's senior White House correspondent. Selena Wang. Tonight, a group of Guatemalan children. trapped in legal limbo as their legal. advocates raced to stop their. deportation. They argue the Trump. administration violated their rights to. due process and ignored protections for.

children who cross the border alone. A. federal judge stepping in, grounding. those flights with children already. boarded, ordering the government to stop. any effort to transfer, repatriate, remove, or otherwise facilitate the. transport of those children. During an. emergency hearing, the Trump. administration insisting it was acting. out Guatemala's request to remove the. more than 600 children to reunify with. their parents. But the judge skeptical, saying conflicting narratives from both.

sides leave it unclear if those children. could face harm upon their return. It's. just the latest controversy in President. Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown. Officials telling ABC News the. administration plans to surge. immigration enforcement operations in. Chicago as early as this week. Homeland. Security Secretary Christy Gnome vowing. to target the worst of the worst. >> We've already had ongoing operations. with ICE in Chicago and throughout. Illinois and other states, making sure. that we're upholding our laws, but we do.

intend to add more resources to those. operations. Chicago Mayor Brandon. Johnson signing an executive order to. resist federal involvement. >> We will not have our police officers who. are working hard every single day to. drive down crime deputized to do traffic. stops and checkpoints for the president. >> The order says Chicago police will not. collaborate with federal agents on civil. immigration enforcement and urges. federal law enforcement to remain.

unformed and unmasked. Chicago isn't the. only city bracing for an increased. federal law enforcement presence. Boston. now also preparing for a potential. surge. >> Unlike the Trump administration, Boston. follows the law. >> And in Alabama, Republican Congressman. Barry Moore heckled after declaring. non-citizens are not protected by due. process. >> So due process for a citizen and a. non-citizen are different. >> False. False.

>> No, it's not. lies. >> A tense scene there. And Selena join. Selena joins us now from the White. House. And Selena, Congress returns on. Tuesday. And immigration isn't the only. issue that members have been getting an. earful about. So what should we expect. on the Hill this week? That's right, Mary. In fact, controversy over the. Epstein files is expected to consume. Congress when they return. There's a. bipartisan effort to force a vote on the. House floor to release those files. But. Mary, the most urgent task for lawmakers. is avoiding a government shutdown. That.

deadline is October 1st and the clock is. ticking. Mary, that shutdown looming. large. Selena, thank you. President. Trump says he'll sign an executive order. requiring ID to vote in all US. elections. It's just his latest push to. overhaul the nation's election laws. ahead of the midterms next year. So, let's bring in ABC's Alex Pchet. reporting from Washington. And Alex, lots of questions about whether the. president has the authority to do this. Election rules are decided by the. states. >> That's right, Mary. and there are sure. to be legal challenges to this effort.

But with midterms next year, President. Trump says that he is planning to sign. an executive order requiring voter. identification. He also wants to. restrict mail and voting and allow only. paper ballots for upcoming elections. Many states expanded mail-in voting in. response to the CO 19 pandemic. It made. up 43% of the turnout in the 2020. election according to a report by the US. election assistance commission. Now that. election, President Trump was defeated. by Joe Biden. And Trump has since. repeatedly claimed without evidence that.

mail-in voting enables voter fraud. But. Mary elections, even presidential ones, are overseen by the state. So any effort. by the president to influence them would. likely be met with political and legal. push back. In fact, there are already. some prominent Democrats that say that. this effort by President Trump is an. effort to suppress the vote in reliably. blue states. Mary, >> lots of questions about how this will. play out. Alex, thank you. >> Next here tonight, after the deadly mass. shooting at a Catholic school in.

Minneapolis, the community there now. healing and praying together. And at the. Vatican today, the first American pope. calling for an end to the quote pandemic. of arms. Here's ABC's Jacqueline Lee. Tonight, the head of the Catholic. Church, Pope Leo I 14th, denouncing the. horrific mass shooting that rocked. Minneapolis, calling for an end to the. pandemic of arms. >> Our prayers for the victims of the. tragic shooting during a school mass in.

the American state of Minnesota. Let us. plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our. world. This weekend, mass resuming for. the first time for parishioners of. Annunciation Catholic Church. >> I've never in all my years experienced. such an outpouring of love and light and. hope. >> The service held in the auditorium. The. sanctuary remains closed after. 10-year-old Harper Moy and 8-year-old.

Fletcher Merkel were shot and killed. while praying in the pews. 18 other. people, including 15 kids, were injured. It's a difficult memory and my first. instinct was just to rush towards where. the bullets were coming from. >> Father Dennis Zaren was presiding over. Wednesday's service when the shooter. opened fire, emotional as he told ABC. affiliate KSTP he did everything he. could to protect the children. >> If I could have got between those. bullets and the kids,

that's what I was hoping to do. And for. the victims still recovering tonight, dozens of handmade cards from fellow. classmates can be seen adorning their. hospital rooms. 11-year-old Genevie Bick. still lying in the intensive care unit. Genevie's condition has been upgraded. from critical to satisfactory. Several. other victims are still in the hospital. Mary, and we are thinking of them. tonight, Jacqueline, thank you. Overseas. now to the crisis in Gaza. The IDF.

saying today that the longtime spokesman. for Hamas's military wing was among. those killed in a deadly strike. This is. Israel's security cabinet met to discuss. expanding the offensive there. Dozens of. Palestinians killed this weekend in a. relentless round of Israeli strikes. And. we do want to warn you, some of these. images are disturbing. Here's ABC's. Marcus Moore. >> Tonight, Israel intensifying its strikes. in Gaza. New bombing raids killing at. least seven people and injuring dozens. more. The IDF striking a residential.

building in Gaza City. There, rescuers. scrambling to pull people from the. rubble, including several children. >> This is video of injured children. arriving at a Gaza hospital. The IDF saying the strike targeted and. killed the spokesman for Hamas's. military wing. Israel's expanded military operations. sparking another mass exodus. But thousands of residents deciding to. stay.

despite Israel calling it a combat zone. >> One woman saying, "If we want to leave, where are we going to go? Israel's relentless bombardment leaving. this Palestinian refugee camp engulfed. in flames.". As starvation continues to grip the most. vulnerable in the region. >> The Hamashang Gaza Health Ministry says. 339 people have died from starvation. 124 were kids. And children here seen collecting drops.

of water from a dripping water tank. While protesters renewing their calls. for a ceasefire and hostage deal, pleading with President Trump to lead. new negotiations. One banner reading. Trump make history. and Mary. Israel's. relentless bombardment comes amid a. flurry of strikes in Yemen, including. one that killed the prime minister and. several other senior leaders. Prime. Minister Netanyahu says those attacks. will continue as long as the Houthies. are a threat. Mary. >> Okay, Marcus, thank you. Back here in. the US and a frightening scene in.

Pennsylvania, a young boy walking high. up on the Montreal tracks at Hershey. Park. The dramatic rescue effort. captured on camera. Here's ABC's Perry. Russ. Tonight, the terrifying video. A little. boy standing dangerously on the edge of. the Montreal track at Hershey Park in. Pennsylvania. The boy walking the metal. beam as people on the ground yell for. him to stop. Others yelling, "Keep. going. >> Stop. Keep going. No. No. Keep going.". >> The young child reported missing.

Saturday evening, separated from his. parents. He was spotted on the track 20. minutes later. Apparently overwhelmed. and confused, the boy covers his ears. A. bystander jumps into action, climbing on. the roof of a nearby ice cream shop, clapping for the boy's attention. The. man then makes the dangerous decision to. jump on the track. He pulls himself up. as the boy walks toward him, lifting him. to safety. >> Yes. Oh my god. >> It comes just a month after 9-year-old. Sophia Subidi, seen in this GoFundMe,

tragically drowned in the wave poolool. at Hershey Park. The first guest to die. in the park's 119year history. Police. say her death was accidental, stating it. did not involve any criminal activity on. the part of Hershey Park or its. employees. On yesterday's incident, Hershey Park says the Montreal was. closed at the time. They are thanking. their guests for saving the boy, saying. they are committed to the highest levels. of safety. Mary, >> and we are glad that he is back down. safely. Perry, thank you. Now to a day. of dramatic finishes and close calls at.

the US Open. A marathon match for Taylor. Townsend as she had fans on their feet. the match more than three hours. Townsen. though ultimately losing. Next up, Taylor Fritz hoping to extend his run so. he can become the first American male to. win the US Open in 22 years. And two. former champions Naomi Osaka and Koko. Goff square off tomorrow. And now to. breaking news about former New York. Mayor Rudy Giuliani hospitalized after a. car crash Saturday near Manchester, New.

Hampshire. A spokesperson saying he. suffered a fractured vertebrae as well. as other cuts. Giuliani's rental car was. hit from behind at high speed, though he. is said to be in great spirits. And. there is still much more ahead here on. World News Tonight this Sunday. He was. portrayed as a hero in the movies and on. TV, but new evidence suggests a. Tennessee sheriff may have committed an. unthinkable crime and injuries reported. when a remotec controlled plane crashed. during a demonstration. [Music].

Next tonight, video of a serious crash. involving a remotec controlled plane. This happened Saturday in Watsonville, California during a flight. demonstration. The plane veering off. course and crashing just outside a. nearby home. Two people were injured, one seriously. The plane also damaged. the house. The cause is under. investigation. And tonight, details are. just coming in. A death at the Burning. Man Festival in Nevada is being. investigated as a possible homicide. A. man's body was found in one of the. campsites just as the ritual bonfire was. lit last night. That man has not been.

identified and it's not clear how he. died. The desert festival draws up to. 80,000 people each year. And when we. come back, the Tennessee Sheriff who was. long considered a hero but may have been. hiding a dark secret. A made for Hollywood tale of a heroic. Tennessee sheriff may have been based on. a lie. According to investigators, Buford Pusser's story inspired the 1973. movie Walking Tall and later a TV series. and a remake starring The Rock in 2004.

He claimed his wife had been shot and. killed in an ambush meant for him. But. Tennessee investigators now say there's. evidence that the sheriff actually. murdered his wife. Pusser died in 1974. And when we come back, a sendoff for a. college football icon. Finally tonight, the end of an era. >> Not so fast, my friend. >> That signature pronouncement from ESPN's. iconic broadcaster Lee Corso, part of.

the Saturday morning football ritual, the pregame college game day. 90-year-old Coach Corso signing off. yesterday for the last time after almost. 40 years of hosting the show. A beloved. figure, Corso embraced his TV role with. infectious exuberance. and sometimes. brutal honesty. >> That dog is ugly. >> Fans and well-wishers flooding the OSU. stadium for Corso's last road show. A. talented athlete in his own right. Corso.

playing quarterback for Florida State. University seinals. After graduating, he. coached college football for 28 years. Corso is credited for spearheading a. lighter side to sports casting. A. highlight of college game day, his. tradition of dawning mascots headgear. Starting with Ohio State's Brutus in. 1996. [Music]. >> Did you think that was going to become a. iconic moment in this sport? >> I had no idea. >> The tradition has continued.

>> major upset. >> and continued. >> a goal with the Trojans. >> Yesterday, Corso making his final picks, choosing his alma mater, Florida State. to upset top ranked Alabama. And he was. right. And then he put on his last. headgear. >> Give me my first love. >> Number 431. >> I'm Mary Bruce. Have a 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.