ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - March 22, 2025

Tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air, including a mass shooting at a car rally, three dead and. more than a dozen injured. And the growing wildfire danger, red flag warnings. for 25 million Americans across 10 states. First the chaotic scene in New Mexico, people running for. cover as shots are fired during an unsanctioned car rally. Authorities say at least three teenagers were. killed, 15 others hurt. 50 to 60 shell casings recovered, police now pouring. through social media and asking the public for help.

finding suspects. Dangerous fire threat impacting millions, dry, windy conditions, raising the risk of wildfires from the plains to the east. coast, rolling, Charlotte and Denver, just some of the cities. in the crosshairs this weekend. And our weather team is tracking a cross country storm system. with rain, snow and high winds. Also tonight, new body camera video, first responders. arriving at Jean Hackman's home. The actor and his wife were found dead inside, disresse caretakers and police discussing what.

may have happened to them. Pope Francis now set to be released from the hospital. tomorrow, but his doctors say he still faces a long recovery. from double pneumonia. President Trump versus the lawyers, the White House taking. aim at immigration lawyers, it accuses of coaching clients to. file fraudulent asylum claims. Days after a Cornell PhD student sued to stop deportations, the Justice Department is telling that student. to turn himself in. Also tonight we remember George Foreman from. fearsome, heavyweight boxing champ to pasture.

to beloved TV pitchman. The legal battle between actors Justin Baldoni and Blake. Lively takes another turn. White Baldoni is now suing his former publicist, a historic. showdown in March madness, two Hall of Fame coaches going. head to head for a spot in the sweet 16 and the unforgettable. moment in the NBA. A young boy finally gets to see his dad in action. From ABC News, World Headquarters in New York,

this is World News Tonight. Good evening. Thanks for joining us on this Saturday. I'm Wade Johnson. We begin tonight with yet another deadly mass. shooting in America. Three people are dead and 15 injured after shots were fired. during a car show at a park and lost Crusades, New Mexico. The crowd running for a cover after the gunfire erupted. Authorities saying it started with an altercation. between two groups during an unsanctioned rally. with modified sports cars. About 200 people attending the event, 50 to 60.

shell casings recovered. Two men and a 16-year-old died. The injured victims range in ages from 16 to 36. Mayor calling this a senseless and horrible event and tonight, the search for suspects. ABC's Melissa Don leads us off. Tonight, authorities searching for the armed shooters in. connection to a mass shooting that killed three and injured. 15 at a local park overnight in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Video posted on Instagram shows the moment gunfire erupted.

dozens of people seen running. The victims as young as 16 rushed to area hospitals. Authorities say about 200 people gathered during an unsanctioned. monthly car rally when an altercation between. two groups escalated. Police describing a massive scene, saying they found about.

50 to 60 handgun caliber casings across the park. The suspects on the run. We will find each and every one of them and we will. We will hold them accountable. Las Cruces police chief Jeremy Story says unsanctioned car. shows have become an issue in the area. That area has been troubled with crime in spite. of some of the efforts. We are still struggling with that obviously. Wait, police say at this point, no one has been. arrested or detained. This has investigators are looking into leads. and even asking the public for help as they.

search for those suspects. A frightening scene in New Mexico. Melissa Don, thank you. Now to the dry and gusty conditions, fueling. wildfire dangers across the central U.S. and Southeast. More than 25 million people in 10 states under red flag. warnings tonight that includes big cities like Raleigh, Atlanta and Denver. North Carolina issuing a statewide bird ban. Here's ABC's Ikejachi. Tonight, multiple areas across the country are under. an elevated fire threat.

Over 25 million people in 10 states remain under red flag. warnings as warm, dry and windy conditions continue to raise. the possibility of wildfires. Those warnings stretching from New Mexico to South Carolina. covering major cities such as Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta. The Denver metro area also under a red flag warning. In the southeast, the greatest risk across portions of North. Carolina where a statewide bird ban is in effect.

Three separate wildfires are burning, mostly uncontained. In Miami-Dade, Florida, firefighters are making. progress, battling a large brush fire that's. already claimed 27,000 acres. There's still going to be obviously smoke for. days or weeks to go. With a couple weeks ago, North and South Carolina were. ravaged by 175 wildfires. Tonight, those same areas once again under threat. Whit. Ikejachi, thanks so much.

Let's get right to meteorologist Danny Bextram from our New. York station, W-A-B-C, and Danny, how long has this fire. threat expected the last? With this current threat last through this evening, but the. dry conditions continue through the weekend until much needed. rain arise with the next storm system crossing the country. Just look at the alerts, red flag warnings in. effect until 8 p.m. local time, then our attention. turns to rain, snow, and wind. Moving from the mountain west to the Midwest tonight. into tomorrow morning. By Sunday night, a severe threat develops from East Texas to.

western Tennessee with damaging wind gusts in large hail. Expect heavy rain in cities like Cincinnati and Chicago. Then that rain moves to the northeast, with a messy Monday. morning commute for the I-95 corridor, so the next 48. hours stay very active. Whit. Something to watch, Danny Bextram. We always appreciate it. Thank you. Tonight, we're learning new details in the. death of legendary actor Gene Hackman, newly. released body camera video showing New Mexico. sheriff's deputies arriving on the scene and. discovering the bodies of the Oscar winner and his wife. And what they heard from witnesses and.

caretakers at the home. Here's ABC's are in shock. Tonight, new body camera video revealing the moments after. actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy, were found dead in. their Santa Fe home last month. The family's workers shop. Sheriff's deputies releasing this body. camera video, including interviews with a witness, an initial fears that the cause of death could have been. carbon monoxide poisoning. I would communicate with her pretty much on a weekly basis.

Officials later determined that carbon monoxide. was not a factor. Instead, Hackman died from severe heart disease. with Alzheimer's as a significant contributory. factor and Betsy died a week earlier of the rare. hunt of virus disease. Officials determining one of their dogs who was in a crate, likely died of dehydration and starvation. Workers saying they had no idea about major health issues.

Workers at the property overcome with a couple's passing. Officials say the case is a case of death. Attorney John Chafforce, attorney to politics. now in the White House taking aim at the U.S. legal system. President Trump directing his attorney general to take action.

against attorneys and law firms and engage in what he calls. frivolous and unreasonable litigation against. the federal government. ABC's senior White House correspondent, Selena Wang. reports from Washington. The night President Trump escalating his threats. towards the U.S. legal system directing attorney. general Pambondi to punish law firms engaging in. frivolous, unreasonable and vexatious litigation. against the United States, vowing to use the full. power of the Justice Department, including.

imposing sanctions and revoking security clearances. The White House memo saying, lawyers and law firms that. engage in actions that violate the laws of the United. States or rules governing attorney conduct must be. efficiently and effectively held accountable. The President also ordering his Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Nome, to find immigration lawyers they accuse of coaching. clients to file dishonest asylum claims to circumvent. immigration policies. All of this, apparently part of a broader.

campaign of retribution against lawyers and judges. who've opposed Trump personally or politically. Retaliating against law firms that have worked on cases. against him, revoking security clearances for lawyers at Paul. Weiss, Perkins Kui and Covington in Berlin, rescinding his. executive order targeting Paul Weiss this week only after. Trump says the firm promised to abandon its diversity. policies and give $40 million in free legal. work for administration initiatives.

This comes as Trump calls for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James Bowsberg, who. ordered the administration to halt the deportation of hundreds. of Venezuelans accused of being members of the. trended agra gang. But the flights did not stop, sparking a tense standoff. between the president and the courts. Trump taking to Fox News. "Many people have called for his impeachment, the. impeachment of this judge. I don't know who the judge is, but he's radical left.".

And when on Monday the Trump administration is expected to. be in the appeals court to try and get Judge Bowsberg. thrown off the case they claim that he is biased. And tonight a Trump administration official. tells me that deportation flights continue nearly. every day with 21 migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay this week. Whit. "Solidawang at the. White House, thank you. Now to the immigration crackdown and Cornell grad student facing. deportation, ICE officials telling that student a. pro-Palestinian activist to surrender this after.

he filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. And the new details coming in tonight. Here's ABC's Alex Prasheye. "Tonight, the Trump administration intensifying. crackdowns and sparking fear at colleges and. universities across the country. Cornell University graduate student, Mamadou Tall, seen here. on the social media platform X, is the latest pro-Palestinian. protestor to be allegedly targeted by immigration and. customs enforcement. Court records show he was temporarily suspended twice last. year for his part in student protest of Israel's war.

against Tomas and Gaza. It had since been allowed to continue his studies remotely. Tall, a citizen of the UK in Gambia, who was. here on a student visa, filed a lawsuit last. weekend challenging Trump's executive order aimed at. deporting foreign nationals who participated in protests. critical of Israel. On Wednesday, he posted to X that law enforcement. from an unidentified agency had been parked outside. his home. On Friday, his attorney says they received an email from. the Justice Department asking the PhD student to. turn himself into ICE.

The Department of Education has launched investigations. into 60 universities over claims of anti-Semitism. and discrimination, including Columbia University in New. York, where there are still protests over the arrests. and detention of Buck Mood Khalil earlier this month. The Columbia University graduate was a leader of student. protest on campus last year, and now apparently detained. in Louisiana without any formal charges filed. against him as he awaits to court appearance in April. As for Tall, his attorneys say that they haven't been notified.

by the government as to whether he faces charges or deportation. A hearing is slated for Tuesday in Syracuse. Wait. All right, Alex. Prashe, thank you. And tune into this week tomorrow morning. John Carl speaks with White House borders, our Tom Holman, on the continued court clashes over the Trump administration's. deportation policies. We go overseas now in the exchange of missile attacks. between Israel and Hezbollah. The first since the ceasefire was declared back in November. Let's bring in ABC's Matt Rivers reporting from Tel Aviv and.

Matt, what more are you learning about this tonight? Wait, this has been the most intense day that we have seen. in months at the Israel Lebanon border. Tonight, the IDF saying six projectiles fired from Southern. Lebanon, undoing damage here, Israel responding with. massive airstrikes killing seven people, though. In Israeli official says they don't yet know who exactly. fired the projectiles. Lebanese militia group has Bola denying it was them. Remember, when his Bola and Israel fought each. other fiercely last year up until a U.S.

brokered ceasefire went into place since then, it has largely held up. So, wit, this is the question whether it is a quick blip or. escalates into something bigger remains to be seen. That is the concern across the region, Matt Rivers. Thank you. We do turn down to the historic showdown in the NCAA tournament. Two Titans of college basketball coaches, John. Calapari, Rick Patino, squaring off with a sweet 16. spot on the line. And tonight, the other tournament highlights and men's. and women's basketball as March Madness kicks into high gear.

Here's ABC's Philip Off. Between Calapari and Patino tonight, a historic showdown. between two of the games best. Rick Patino and John Calapari facing off for. a spot in the sweet 16. The Big E's champions, St. John's battling to the end, but it was the Arkansas Razorback's. defense that pushed them over the top. This is the fifth time these two coaches have met in the. tournament before the game, both sharing their respect.

for one another. My hope is people look and say they both get their. teams to play really hard. Cox of three. In that arena hours earlier, the Purdue Boilermakers taking on. 12 seed McNeese, going up early, never looking back. The other Cinderella fighting to stay alive, 11 seed drake hoping to continue their historic. tournament run after shocking Missouri in. the first round matchup. Michigan and Texas A&M squaring off too. Two of the nation's best scorers, Wade Taylor and Danny.

Wolfe, hoping their play can push their teams. to the next round. On the women's side, the stars were in action, coast to coast. Yukon with a dominant performance, beating. Arkansas state by 69 points. But all eyes were on this scary moment on the court as. USC battled UNC Greensboro, Juju Watkins appearing to play. through an injury, limping to the locker room, but quickly. coming back out.

And with more great women's action tonight into tomorrow, more potential upsets, which is what everybody loves. about this time of year. As we watch teams like Duke, Notre Dame, UCLA. and TCU, look to advance. And some incredible games already fill it off. Thanks so much. There is a lot more ahead on world news tonight. this Saturday, including a new development. in the legal fight between Justin Baldoni and Blake. Lively, why he's now suing his ex-publicists. and this special moment for Father and Son at an NBA game.

Next tonight, Pope Francis will be discharged from a Rome. hospital tomorrow after 38 days. His medical team says Francis will require at least two months. of rest as he continues his recovery back in the Vatican. The Pope, who's 88 years old, was admitted to the hospital. mid-February, suffering from bronchitis, that worsened. into a life threatening case of pneumonia. An urgent search continues tonight off Jacksonville, Florida after a boat capsized Friday night.

Four people were rescued, but several others were. tossed into St. John's River. One body was later recovered, but an adult and two. children are still missing. Still ahead, a champion boxer with a personality to match. We'll remember George Forman. To the index now, a new salvo has been fired in the escalating. legal war between actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. Baldoni has now added his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, to his lawsuit against Lively, claiming Jones maliciously.

leaked private information about him to Lively. Jones could not be reached for comment. This all started last year when Lively sued Baldoni, alleging. sexual harassment on the set of the film It Ends With Us. Baldoni is now counter-suing, accusing Lively of defamation. And what a moment in Minneapolis Friday night, NBA veteran Joe. Ingalls was in the starting lineup for the first time in. nearly three years and his eight-year-old son Jacob got to. see it.

Jacob has autism and recently achieved the. milestone of watching an entire game in person. The team made sure that dad got to play and Jacob. could watch and enjoy it. And the Timberwolves, by the way, they beat. New Orleans 134 to 93. Special moment. When we come back from the ring to the grill, we look back at. the remarkable life of George Forman. Finally tonight, we remember a heavyweight boxing champion, George Forman, who died last night at the age of 76.

Here's ABC's Morgan Norwood. He was the two-time heavyweight champion who. proved age has no limits. Standing six foot four, nicknamed "Big George.". "The impossible dream has happened.". At just 19 years old, George Forman took home Olympic gold. in Mexico City, using what ESPN eventually dubbed his. "recking ball fist.". "We've got the excitement.". And going 40 and 0, including a stunning knockout of. then undefeated Joe Frazier. "It is over.

It is over.". And in perhaps the most famous fight of all time, he took on. Muhammad Ali and the historic rumble in the jungle in 1974. and suffered his first loss. His career spanning three decades, Forman. retiring in 1977, but returned to the ring and. in a shocking move chose to face Michael Moore, who. was 19 years his junior. Forman at 45 years old, pulling off a spectacular.

knockout in the 10th round. "It happened. It happened.". Becoming at the time, the oldest man in history to. hold the champion title. And despite his dominance in the ring, his good natured. personality helped him become a successful businessman when. he retired from boxing, promoting the George Forman girl. used by so many. The venture made him wealthier than the sport ever did, selling more than 100 million units. Growing up in Houston, he came from simple roots,

going on to become a pastor. And in 1994, telling ABC's prime time, his. message for the world. "Keep dreaming. Believe in yourself. It doesn't matter what people say about you. It matters what you say about yourself.". George Forman was 76 years old. Morgan Norwood, ABC News, New York.