ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - July 30, 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. Breaking news tonight, hundreds rescued from dangerous waves and. life threatening rip currents slamming roughly 700 miles. of the U.S. coastline, and the teenage hero. "Lifeguard" speaking out after saving a young. child from the violent surf. Tragedy in the Northeast.

The 10-year-old swept away, trying to help his sister. caught in a fast-moving river. Now, another threat. More than 80 million Americans under excessive heat alert. The dramatic new video coming in, showing a powerful home. explosion, rocking an entire neighborhood. The blast injuring two people, one of them sent. airborne. Tonight, for the first time, a father sentenced. to prison for murder for giving his son the rifle he used in. a deadly high school shooting. Also breaking tonight, new details on the disappearance.

of Nancy Guthrie, what the sheriff is now telling ABC News. about DNA taken from her home, and what we're now learning. about that single strand of hair. Facing resistance from members within his own. party, President Trump now threatening to withdraw his. his pick for attorney general. What we're learning tonight. Sources telling ABC News, federal and state authorities. are investigating a series of cyber attacks targeting. dozens of water plants. Is Iran behind the hack? The midair scare, a passenger jet flying.

in New York's JFK Airport, the cabin filling with smoke. What forced the jet to make an emergency landing? The American teenager bitten by a barracuda. on her first day of vacation, describing the terrifying. moments. An NFL legend, the And Packer's all-time. rushing leader revealing his personal health battle. And it's the moment everyone's talking about, Ben Affleck. teaming up with a Jeopardy! champ, their million-dollar answer. From ABC News World Headquarters in New York, this is World.

News Tonight with David Muir. Good evening, I'm Whit Johnson. And for David tonight, we begin with the dangerous. waves and life-threatening rip currents slamming. the coast as millions of Americans brace for potentially. record-smashing heat. Violent surf battering roughly 700 miles along the California. shoreline, about 500 water rescues over the last 48 hours. A tragic discovery in the Northeast following. those severe storms.

Authorities in New Jersey recovering the body. of a 10-year-old boy from the Passaic River. They say he died trying to save his sister. before being swept away. In Washington, D.C., flash flooding and winds. gusting up to 60 miles per hour, homes damaged. Tonight, more than 80 million under dangerous heat alerts. from California to Florida. Lee Goldberg standing by with the forecast, but first ABC's. Trevor Ault leads us off. Tonight, dangerous waves and high surf churning. up and down 700 miles of the California coastline.

as Hurricane Genevieve spins in the Pacific. Los Angeles County officials say they've performed. nearly 500 ocean rescues in the past two days. It's been like near record, if not record breaking, rescue work for us over the last couple of days. We'll have continued large surf, very strong rip currents. Over the weekend in Santa Cruz, dramatic video captured. teen lifeguard Ryder Williams rescuing a 10-year-old. boy from pounding surf. That 16-year-old guard now speaking out about.

the harrowing incident, saying, "I saw a child lose his. footing in ankle-deep water. I radioed it in, put my fins on my wrist, popped my. buoy and entered the water. I m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the. child to his family safely. And the father of that rescued boy is thankful. his son survived. He assumed he was going to die. He was drowning. He knew he was drowning. The high surf threat comes as the region also. faces an increasing heat dome, with tens of. millions of Americans under extreme heat warnings.

across the Southwest. And in the Northeast, cleanup efforts are underway after a. massive storm system brought up to 10 inches of rain there, prompting more water rescues. Whipping wind shearing the roof off this building in Maryland, on nearby Salisbury, this woman having a frightening close. call with a lightning strike and a tragedy in New Jersey. Authorities were covering the body of a 10-year-old. boy swept away in fast-moving Passaic River waters. And officials say he died trying to save his sister.

As he was going under, he pushed her and she ended up by. the rocks and she climbed out. Another 10-year-old girl is also missing. Rising water levels from even more rain have. complicated the search. And went back here in Los Angeles, officials say last. weekend lifeguards made well over a thousand rescues and. they are expecting similar numbers this weekend, they say, with the water and the heat, this could easily be their. busiest summer in recent memory. Wit. OK, Trevor, we appreciate it. Let's get right to ABC's senior meteorologist Lee Goldberg.

And finally, millions of Americans under. those heat alerts. Off the charts heat in the west through the weekend. We have excessive heat all the way from the. west into the southeast. Thankfully, the heat and humidity in the. southeast subsides. It's the exact opposite out west. Extreme heat warnings LA, Las Vegas, all the way to Arizona. Yes, we see 100 degrees in Vegas and in Phoenix, but 114, 116, these are approaching records. And we've got fire danger in the northwest. In terms of storms, we're clearing out finally. in the northeast, but in the plains, some.

severe weather now will be moving into the midwest over. the weekend, ultimately into the northeast by. early next week. Witt? Alright Lee, we will. brace for that, thank you. Now to a dramatic video showing a powerful home explosion, rocking an entire neighborhood in Canton, Ohio. Two people injured, one of the victims thrown from the house. Nearby homes damaged, the blast felt two miles away. Here's ABC's Morgan Norwood. Tonight, the terrifying moment a massive explosion went off like. a bomb, tearing through this vacant Ohio home in the.

middle of the night. Authorities racing to this home in Canton, just south of Cleveland. Two people seriously hurt in what authorities believe. was a natural gas explosion. The fire spreading to nearby homes. We have a total destruction of a house. One person with severe burns rushed to the hospital. Another found at a nearby home blocks away, both recovering. in the hospital tonight. The blast sending tremors throughout the neighborhood. Some felt as far as two miles away.

It blew everything off my walls. My cabinets are open. My TVs are blown off the walls. Authorities telling our affiliate WEWS the force of it. moved two other nearby homes off their foundation. Crews demolishing two homes today. There's even debris in the trees, glass and debris in the. road, unsafe structure, so we caution the public to. stay away from the area. And what investigators are looking into what. triggered that gas explosion. With Morgan Norwood, thank you.

Sources tell ABC News federal and state authorities. are investigating a series of cyber attacks. targeting dozens of water plants in Minnesota. Investigators believe Iran-linked hackers. may be responsible. Here's ABC's Chief Justice Correspondent, Pierre Thomas. Tonight state officials and the FBI are trying to determine. who is behind a wide-scale cyber attack targeting more than. 30 water treatment systems in the state of Minnesota. In one case, the hackers were actually able to shut down the.

flow of water from the well and water treatment plant in. the tiny city of Brahm, forcing officials to provide clean. water to residents already stored in its water tower. In a statement, the city says it was informed that there were. at least four other communities attacked with the same result. When an event like this comes up where we can run in manual. operations just to ensure the quality and quantity. of water is not affected. Today Minnesota officials said authorities have not yet. identified who is responsible. But sources say a number of officials suspect hackers.

tied to Iran are involved, in part because of the. ongoing conflict unfolding in the Middle East. Officials are also suspicious of hackers tied to Iran because. the goal of the attacks appears to be to disrupt services, not. to blackmail ransom payments. A major concern, Pierre Thomas for us tonight. Breaking late today, the father of a convicted high school. shooter in Georgia, sentenced to 15 years in prison for. giving his son the gun he used in the deadly attack. Let's bring in ABC's Faith Abubey.

And Faith, this is an unprecedented conviction. It is, Witt. This is now the first time in U.S. history that a parent who served prison time specifically. for murder after their child carried out a. deadly school shooting. The judge today telling Colin Gray that he failed as a. parent and that his negligence led directly to the deaths of. two students and two teachers at Appalachee High School. He said the warning lights were flashing bright. Prosecutors argued even though Gray's 14-year-old.

son had mental health problems and was obsessed. with school shooters, the Georgia father bought. him an assault-style rifle for Christmas. His son is serving life without the possibility of parole, and now Colin Gray is sentenced to 15 years in prison. And Witt, this landmark case is now the latest in a wider. push across this country to hold parents accountable. for their children's deadly school shootings. Okay, Faith Abubey, thank you for that. Next tonight, new details on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. The sheriff telling ABC News DNA taken from her home is a mixed.

sample of up to four people, multiple labs trying to untangle. it, and what we're now learning about that single strand. of hair found at the scene. Here's ABC's chief investigative correspondent, Aaron Katersky. Tonight, ABC News has learned investigators searching for the. man who abducted Nancy Guthrie are ruling out one of the. forensic clues retrieved from her Tucson area home. They finished testing hair and Pima County Sheriff. Chris Nanos told us today it does not point to a.

suspect. I think the hair analysis was done and. there was nothing. That leaves a mixed sample of. DNA is the only potential piece of biological evidence left. The sheriff said they're working to untangle a mix of DNA. from as many as four people. My understanding is there's at least five, maybe six labs. across the country that are working on all of this. And they are using genetic genealogy. You're looking at millions of genetic markers, trying to. determine which one, which ones belong to each of those.

individuals. If they are able to accomplish this, it will be a first and it will be groundbreaking. And tonight, six months after Guthrie was taken from. her home, the sheriff is unable to say whether that. masked man was working alone. I don't think anybody's here ready to say, it's. one guy, it's 10 guys. Did he have help? Could have.

Aaron Katersky, our thanks to you. Next tonight, President Trump locked in a standoff with. Republican senators, now looking Looking for a way to. salvage Todd Blanch's Attorney General nomination, what those Republicans are demanding and the new. threat from President Trump. ABC's Jay O'Brien on Capitol Hill.

Tonight with at least four Republican senators. saying they're not ready to support President. Trump's pick for Attorney General Todd Blanch. Trump now suggesting he may yank Blanch's nomination. The senators want written proof the Justice Department has. killed the president's $1.8 billion fund of taxpayer. money to be doled out to his supporters, including those who. stormed the Capitol on January 6th. Blanche, who was Trump's personal lawyer and is now the. acting attorney general, insists the fund is dead.

There is no weaponization fund. The weaponization fund is dead. It's not moving forward. But the Justice Department hasn't said that in. writing, Senator John Cornyn today blaming. the White House. I think he's being prevented from agreeing to put that in. writing, which is simply all we're asking for. Senator Tom Tillis saying one of Trump's advisers. wants to revive the fund. The only reason why we wouldn't move forward with this language. is because that same adviser wants to bring it back.

to life at some point. Today, the president lashing out, saying he. refused to endorse Cornyn and Tillis and killed. their political careers, and suggested temporarily. withdrawing Blanche's nomination until both. senators are out of office. It doesn't really solve any problems because. there's no guarantee he's going to have enough. Republican votes in January to confirm him. And there are other Republicans not sold on Blanche. I have expressed the same concerns and I am waiting. for the same answers. Senator Bill Cassidy saying he's worried too.

I'm very concerned about the weaponization of. the Justice Department. If the vote happened today, would you support him? I'm not going to answer that because I'm still in the. information gathering stage. Senator Cornyn also wants the Justice Department to rein in. an agreement it reached with the president, his family. and their businesses for immunity from IRS audits. He met today with Tillis and Todd Blanch. Sources tell us it was productive, but. there was no deal. And worth remembering here, even if the president yanks Blanch's.

nomination, he would still be the acting attorney general. Jay O'Brien on the Hill tonight. Now to the growing concerns about Russia's war in. Ukraine possibly expanding. A Russian missile hit Poland during an attack on Ukraine. The Russian incursion sent NATO jets scrambling. Let's get right to ABC's Britt Klenet. Britt, good evening. A Russian missile crashed inside Poland today, violating NATO. airspace, raising the risk of escalation and. testing the alliance's collective defence posture. The Kremlin has not yet commented on the.

incident, but Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says. there's no reason to believe that Poland was a target. Poland and NATO saying their air and ground. defences were activated. Prime Minister Tusk also saying that it was a Russian. KH-101 cruise missile. And it comes as Russia unleashed yet another massive air assault. into western Ukraine where Poland shares a border. Those strikes killing at least eight people, including. three children in one family. All right, Brit Klanit, thank you. Now to the midair scare, a passenger jet flying.

to New York's JFK Airport with smoke in the. cabin after a charging case got too hot. The jet forced to make an emergency landing. Here's ABC's Stephanie Ramos. Tonight a midair scare forcing this packed Swiss Air flight. to make an emergency landing after the pilot reported. smoke in the cabin. The passenger jet from Zurich to New York City diverting. on Monday to Maine's Bangor International Airport.

In a statement today, the airline saying. the smoke occurred in business class after this. headphone charging case slipped into a seat and became. jammed, adding this damaged the device, causing it to. heat up and produce smoke. When the pilot came over and said, we've got an emergency. that there's smoke in the cabin. David Weinstein and Joshua Morris among 208 passengers. and crew on board as the plane. Fire crews waiting on the runway. The fire brigade were coming on board. They said they wanted to come on board and check.

They checked the plane, make sure it was okay. -Yellow school buses standing by to transport passengers. That aircraft later towed to the gate. where everyone disembarked. The airline says everyone on board was safe and well. and that it worked to ensure customers. made it to their final destination. -Witt Swiss Air says their crew undergoes comprehensive training. to deal with smoke and fire on board. The FAA is investigating. Stephanie Ramos, our thanks to you tonight. When we come back, the terrifying attack, the.

13-year-old girl speaking out after being bitten by a. barracuda while on vacation. New information in the search for a missing American woman. who vanished in Grenada. An NFL legend reveals a major health battle. And the unique way officers in one New Jersey town are cracking. down on distracted drivers. Stay with us. Next tonight, a Texas teen bitten by a barracuda. on the first day of her vacation in Turks. and Caicos is speaking out. Claire McDonald was in shallow water when the fish sunk.

its teeth into her hand. Luckily, a nurse happened to be there and came to her aid. There was a big cut on my hand that I first saw, and there. was just blood pouring down my arm, like, rushing. And then I just called my mom. I was like, "Mom, something bit me. I don't know what to do.". Frightening scene. McDonald says the experience has. not ended her dream of becoming a marine biologist. Tonight, the husband of an American woman missing in. Grenada says he believes there was no foul play. in her disappearance. 44-year-old Liz Waddell was last seen July 22nd.

She was vacationing in Grenada with a friend. Her husband traveled to the island two days later. He says the search for her is ongoing. When we come back, the Packers all-time rushing leader opens. up about his health battle and how one police department. is trying to get drivers to pay attention to the road. To the Index now, NFL legend Amon Green revealing he. has Parkinson's disease. A 49-year-old career rushing leader for the Green Bay. Packers saying he was diagnosed with early onset.

Parkinson's last year. Another Packers legend from the same era, quarterback. Brett Favre, revealing in 2024. A police department outside New York City using an unusual. technique to catch distracted An officer dressing as a shrub. and using a pair of binoculars. Other officers then pulling drivers over. Officials say they issued 74 citations to drivers distracted. by their devices in a six-hour period.

When we come back, Ben Affleck and his Jeopardy! ringer hit the jackpot in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ABC World News Tonight with David Muir, sponsored by Vivgard. Finally tonight, it's the moment everyone's talking. about. Oscar winner Ben Affleck with a Jeopardy! champ and the million dollar question. It was the stunning moment last night on a celebrity edition of. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. We are here with Super Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding and not Super Jeopardy!

champion Ben Affleck. Playing for Ben's non-profit, Eastern Congo Initiative. Their couple's name is Ben Ding, from here on out. Fifteen questions to win one million dollars. Our final answer is sea sleeping. Swan, final answer. Hot ones, final answer. That is right. They were getting close. I had a nightmare last night that I was going to get. asked like a really obvious question on this show and... Like who played Batman? Yeah, something like that. For all the marbles.

And then the final question. You must be kidding me. Yeah. Guessing the answer. D, spaghetti and meatball. Final answer. I have such a stomachache right now. [LAUGHTER]. Computer, please reveal the correct answer. The suspense.

[SCREAMING]. And they got it. [APPLAUSE]. Jamie Benner has just won a million dollars. Tonight, both saying they are grateful to have won for the. charity and for each other. Ben Affleck joking, "It was a great honor to ride Jamie's. coattails all the way.". And all for a great cause. Well done. Thanks so much for watching tonight. I'm Whit Johnson in New York. For David and all of us here, have a great 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.