ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - July 21, 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+. Most watched, most trusted. Now on Disney+ every night. Tonight, the breaking news right now, the threat of. tornadoes in New York City and Philadelphia and news. Two Americans have been stabbed at the famed. Acropolis in Greece. First tonight, these severe storms and a tornado watch. right now in the Northeast. Flash flooding and damaging winds gusting.

up to 70 miles per hour. The tornado watch right now from Philadelphia up. through upstate New York. A bus flipping and blinding rain on the New York State Thruway. Multiple people hurt. And we're tracking the tropical storm taking aim. at the Gulf Coast tonight. Ginger Zee is here. Also tonight, the 911 calls just released. The horrific drowning tragedy. Two children watching as their mother and father die. A total of five people dying, all trying to save a struggling. swimmer in the water. -We're right here on the riverbank, and we think we see a floating body.

-A young boy is found screaming for help. Tonight, the US war in Iran, and Defense Secretary Pete. Pegg said revealing the war has cost more than $37 billion. The fireworks on Capitol Hill over this, as the Pentagon tonight now asks for billions more. Tonight, the election error, New Jersey's governor revealing. more than 6,000 non-citizens were added to the. voter rolls there. How did this happen and how many actually voted? Just in tonight, news on this alarming attack, two American.

tourists stabbed and wounded near the famed. Acropolis in Greece. We have news on their conditions coming in. Dramatic new video showing the moment two oxygen tanks explode, one of the workers seriously In New York City, that fire. set at a federal building. Tonight, the former Army private accused of setting that fire. He was in court and what's been revealed. Tonight, the driver fleeing police making a. desperate attempt to escape by diving from a bridge. Tonight, remembering a young actress and rising star who.

was killed in a car accident. The air disaster, a mystery now solved tonight. after more than 70 years. discovery of Pan Am Flight 526, remembering the. famous saxophonist behind the Pink Panther theme. And the news tonight involving Luke Skywalker's. iconic lightsaber. A record now set. 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. tornado threat right now in New York City and Philadelphia and. right up through upstate New York and parts of the northeast. 85 million Americans under severe storm alerts right now. from Tennessee up through the northeast, heavy rain, flash. flooding, damaging winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. That tornado watch up right now. Dark clouds and rain rolling through New York. City already late today. The city darkened for a time. On the New York State Thruway, north of New York City, a. passenger bus overturning in the blinding rain.

Multiple passengers have been hurt. Several reported tornadoes already touching down in central. Wisconsin in the last 24 hours. And right now, Tropical Storm Bertha taking. aim at the Gulf Coast. Ginger Zee standing by with the forecast and ABC's Rhiannon. Ally leading us off tonight with the images already coming in. Tonight, powerful storms, torrential rain, high. winds and tornadoes slamming the Northeast. New York City under threat of tornadoes. Just days after devastating storms.

swamped the five boroughs. Our station WABC tracking storms late today. Let's be prepared in New York City for some. heavy thunderstorms, potentially capable of. producing tornadoes. The city disappearing from view amid the downpours. Trees down in Stanhope, New Jersey, after a. confirmed tornado there. North of the city, this bus rolling over in blinding rain. on the New York State Thruway. 23 on board, multiple hurt. The system moving into the northeast after spawning at. least seven reported tornadoes in the Midwest, this.

one west of Green Bay in Stratford, Wisconsin. Trees and power lines mangled by 80 mile an hour straight. line winds outside Des Moines. As this system moves east, Tropical Storm Bertha is gaining strength and making. a run west along the Gulf Coast. Outer bands bringing high waves and winds. to Panama City Beach, Florida, are Victor Oquendo in Louisiana. They're filling up sandbags here in New Orleans.

ahead of Bertha's strong winds and heavy rain. The message from the city, get your preparations done today. New Orleans now under a tropical storm warning. Conditions expected to deteriorate in the coming. hours as Bertha closes in. David, these storms have really wreaked havoc on Northeast. airports. More than 2,300 flights have been cancelled, more than 500 of them right here at LaGuardia Airport. And we've seen more than 5,000 delays so far today. David? Rhiannon Ally live. at LaGuardia tonight.

Rhiannon, thank you. Let's get right to Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee. watching these tornado watches right now. Hi Ginger. Hi David. We've actually got several tornado warnings from Wildwood, New Jersey, back to London, Kentucky, all within. those watches that yes, still include parts of. Connecticut to Philadelphia, but most of the action is going. to be on the ugly line in Southern New Jersey, back just. west of Washington, D.C., headed toward places like Bristol. or over into Roanoke, Virginia There's a lot going on in. California Beach, too. That front is going to settle down. around North Carolina, become stationary and trap a lot of.

moisture. We could see flash flooding in North Carolina. upwards of six-plus inches through the end of the week. And we've got to track Bertha because it is making its way. west slowly and we'll have those tropical storm warnings. from Mexico Beach over to New Orleans, Gulfport, Pascagoula, Mobile, all could see anywhere from one to four feet of storm. surge. Not a lot of rain. Most of the rain's going to stay over. the Gulf and then it becomes a low pressure system. But it's going to be a very wet area. And that's going to be a big concern for us. I think we're going to have to keep an eye on. that. And I think the weather is going to be good for us.

Here's Trevor Ault. Tonight, these are the harrowing. 911 calls from a mass drowning in an Ohio River. We're right here on the riverbank and we think we. see a floating body.

A driver reporting a young boy. screaming for help moments after his parents died. There was like a little baby. I think it was like a boy. He was like screaming, like crying, like Mama, Mama. Police say Sunday Yesterday evening a group was. fishing in the Scioto River just north of Columbus when one. of the adults dove into that river and started to struggle. Two children left on shore, both under 10 years old. They saw that heartbreaking struggle as their mother and. father jumped in to help.

The children running into the street for help. Rescue crews scoured the river with. helicopters and drones. Two women died at the hospital. Monday, the bodies of three men were found in the river. On Monday, the bodies of three men were found in the river. David, every adult who entered the water in. this tragedy drowned. Those two children are now in the care of child services.

David, really just awful. Trevor Ault tonight. Thank you, Trevor. There's also news coming in tonight about. an alarming attack. Two American tourists stabbed and wounded near the famed. Acropolis in Greece, a husband and wife. Here's our chief international correspondent, James Longman, with what we know so far. Two American tourists are recovering in the hospital after. a random attack near the famed Acropolis in Athens. Just after the gates opened at 8am. local time, a Greek-American couple, a 53-year-old. man and his 48-year-old wife were stabbed.

We just heard people screaming and a crowd running away, so we obviously took cover. The man is understood to have lost a lot of blood. with wounds to his arm, and his wife sustained minor. leg injuries, but both are in a stable condition in the. hospital. You said you saw blood? Yes, she got cut on the leg and then there was a guy. lying in the bush over there. This happened right outside the Acropolis Museum, an area. crowded with early morning tour groups. This is Greece's top tourist attraction and it was open. early this morning so tourists could avoid the dangerous.

summer heatwave in Greece. David, police say the suspect was out on the. street brandishing a knife. He is now in custody. He's understood to be a 60-year-old man known to. police with significant mental health issues. James Longman reporting tonight, James. Thank you. We turn now to the breaking developments involving. the U.S. war in Iran. Secretary Pete Hegseth revealing the war has now. cost more than $37 billion. And the heated moments on Capitol Hill lay. today as the Pentagon tonight asks for billions. more. Just as the Pentagon also. reveals this evening the names of another American.

soldier that has died, Sergeant Michael Emanuel. Swinton of North Carolina. And tonight, what his wife has told ABC News. Martha Raddatz from Jordan again tonight. Tonight, U.S. forces targeting Iran for the. 11th straight night. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealing the. U.S. has spent more than $37 billion on this war, And the Pentagon is now asking for more. You are asking for unlimited money for bombs. when people can't feed their families.

And I don't know how this administration intends. to defend those decisions to the American people. Not unlimited bombs, Senator. I'm asking for the right bombs at the right time. to ensure we can deter our adversaries into the future. Are Mary Bruce pressing President Trump on. how this will end? Do you know something that I don't know? Do you know something I don't know? I will tell you they want to desperately meet. and until they're ready to meet in a meaningful. way we have no interest in even...

But the president has repeatedly said during this nearly. five-month conflict that Iran has wanted a deal and tonight. the Pentagon has identified another American soldier who. was killed, 30-year-old Sergeant Michael Swinton. of North Carolina, his wife telling ABC News. he was an amazing husband and father to. his two young children. Also among the Americans killed in recent days, the youngest, 19-year-old Isabella Gonzalez from Texas. Tonight, her high school friend shocked.

My really good friend, you know, she's not here anymore. And I didn't even get to see her. I didn't even get to say bye. And David, 18 American service members have now. died in this conflict. And one more note tonight, amid the standoff in the Strait of. Hormuz, new concerns emerging in the critical Red Sea. Two oil tankers turning around after Iran-backed. Houthi rebels threatened shipping traffic there. All of this spiking oil and gas prices.

David. Martha Raddatz reporting live. from Jordan again tonight. Thank you, Martha. Back here in the U.S. tonight, and to an alarming scene, the moment two oxygen tanks explode. in the back of a garbage truck in Milwaukee. One of the workers seriously injured tonight. Here's Aikajachi with the pictures. Tonight, the terrifying moment for two Milwaukee. sanitation workers standing at the back. of a garbage truck when oxygen tanks. exploded inside. One worker knocked off his feet, then rolling on the ground. before he was rushed to the hospital with a. concussion and eye injury.

One of the pieces of shrapnel was lodged in his eye. They were able to remove that. We're very fortunate that he was wearing his safety glasses. That blast, officials say, was triggered when. the truck compacted the two oxygen tanks that. were improperly thrown out along with regular trash. There's a blade that packs it in to make room for the next load. that pressure caused an explosion. There were two more tanks that didn't explode. [explosion].

We've seen similar close calls before, like this. one in Ohio last year. Police say the explosion was so loud, it triggered the. city's gunshot detection system. David, officials say oxygen tanks should never be placed. in your normal garbage bin. Instead, they recommend contacting the supplier to. schedule a pickup or your local hazardous waste program. Ike Kajotje tonight. Thank you, Ike. In New York City tonight, after that fire set at a federal. building late today, the former Army private. charged in court in what prosecutors revealed.

Here's our chief investigative correspondent, Aaron. Katersky, again tonight. Tonight arson charges for the former Army private allegedly. seen in this video dousing an entrance to the federal. building in lower Manhattan with gasoline and setting it on. fire. Oh, my God. An attacked federal prosecutor said Andrew Arabaca had been. planning since January, spending months amassing a small arsenal, including a hatchet, knives, pellet gun, BB rifle and. fireworks. 26th Federal Plaza houses.

Immigration Court, and authorities said they. found signs Arabaca is anti-ICE. What was affixed to the suspect's cart was a sign. reading "ICE OFF OUR STREETS.". Federal prosecutors said the suspect considered other targets. in the city before choosing an employee entrance to the federal. building because it's busy, telling the judge this. attack could have ended much more tragically. I just came from court, David, where the judge denied bail. The defense said the suspect has an underlying mental health. issue, but federal prosecutors called his alleged actions.

calculated and targeted. All right, Aaron, thank you. Now to the election error revealed here in the Northeast. New Jersey's governor tonight revealing. more than 6,000 non-citizens were mistakenly added. to the voter rolls in that state. So how did this happen and how many actually voted? Here's Mary Bruce. Tonight, New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill. revealing that because of a computer error, about 6,600 non-citizens applying for a driver's license. were also improperly registered to vote. In the case of this error, some individuals indicated that they.

weren't citizens and weren't eligible to vote. But the software registered them anyway. The governor says about 400 of those non-citizens. actually voted, but that there's no evidence. their votes swayed any elections. She says officials became aware of the issue last week, and that all 6,600 people are being scrubbed from. the voter rolls. We don't deflect, deny, or exploit problems. for our own gain.

We find them and we fix them. The White House says the episode "underscores the absolute. necessity of the Save America Act," President Trump's. bill requiring voter ID and proof of citizenship. The president has been amping up his unproven. claims of widespread election fraud, pointing. a finger at China. of China's sinister election meddling. Just three months ago, Trump heaped praise on China's. longtime leader, Xi Jinping. You're a great leader. I say it to everybody.

You're a great leader. Sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it. anyway because it's true. Today, asked if China will now face consequences for their. alleged election meddling, Trump brushing it off. Well, we're going to talk to him about it. It took place a long time ago. I think China is maybe a little bit different. today than it was then. And David, back to New Jersey. The governor there says they are now scrubbing their voter rolls. and she vows this will never happen again, saying when they. find problems, they fix them. David. Mary Bruce, live at the.

White House tonight. Mary, thanks. When we come back here, the man diving from a bridge trying. to escape police, that driver fleeing, making a. desperate attempt to escape with that jump. Also tonight, remembering a young actress and rising star, her performance in Godzilla. She's been killed in a car accident. Also tonight, the air disaster decades ago. Well, the mystery has now been solved tonight. The discovery of Pan Am Flight 526. And you'll see the moment. Tonight, Luke Skywalker's iconic lightsaber, how much it just. sold for, breaking a record. And take a look at this bride tonight, the extraordinary.

surprise that suddenly had this bride in tears. and you'll hear it in just a moment here. Tonight, a driver fleeing police near Branson, Missouri, diving from a bridge. Deputies pursuing that driver onto the Kimberling City. Bridge. He suddenly dove headfirst from that. bridge and he survived. Deputies and found Gavin Lundgren in the water. arresting him. He faces multiple charges. There is sad news to report tonight. The passing of a young star, Kaylee Hottle, a deaf. actress known for playing Gia in two Godzilla movies.

has died. She was just 18 years old. Police say she was a passenger in a. single vehicle accident in Maryland. When we come back here tonight, the Pan Am mystery just solved and you'll see. the incredible discovery right here and remembering. the man behind the Pink Panther theme in a moment. to the index tonight. An air disaster mystery solved. Now, after 74 years, Pan Am flight 526 crashed off. the coast of Puerto Rico just after takeoff for New York. All 69 people on board survived the initial impact, but then.

52 died in the chaos of that sinking plane. The wreckage found just last month explores in that moment. Teams including the Discovery Channel's Expedition. Unknown finding it 2,000 feet down that tragedy, course, triggering those safety briefings we. now get on every flight. The saxophonist behind the Pink Panther theme. has died, Plas Johnson. The 1963 film The Pink Panther, that theme.

written by Henry Mancini, improvised by Plas Johnson, Johnson, a member of the elite group of the L.A. Session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. He was 94. A Star Wars lightsaber for one of the most famous scenes. in Hollywood history, of course, is now sold for a. record $3.75 million. Of course, the weapon Luke Skywalker uses. in that duel with Darth Vader, who cuts off Luke's hand and. then reveals he's Luke's father. The prop made from a cast of actor Mark Hamill's hand. When we come back tonight, you have to see this. The bride on her wedding day and the extraordinary surprise.

that suddenly has her in tears in a moment. Finally tonight here, the bride on her wedding day. and the first graders who found a way to be. right there with her. Tonight here, the remarkable gift for a beloved. elementary school teacher on her wedding day. from her first graders. Their teacher, Miss Isabella Mosher, was recently named. Teacher of the Year at her school. And on her wedding day, her first graders had an. extraordinary surprise. Just listen to their voices at her wedding reception. Hi, Miss Mosher, sweetheart, have a great day.

- I love you. - Hi, this is Abigail. You're just as beautiful and you're the best. teacher in the world. - Hi, it's Alana. Congratulations on your special day. - Miss Mosier's first graders were courting messages. to be given to her on her wedding day. - Hi, this is Ava. I hope you have the best day ever. Hi, this is Colton, your pretty bride.

Miss Phoebe, thank you for being a good teacher. Hi, this is Stella. I hope you have a magical day. Tonight that beloved teacher saying, "Having my students. be a part of my special day," meant everything to me. My students are my world. And Miss Mosier's students had one more surprise for her, ending their wedding day messages. with her new last name, Mrs. Reyes. - Love you, Miss Reyes!

(audience applauding). - Those first graders going right for her mascara. That was an incredible moment. I'll see you right back here tomorrow 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.