- 6/22/2025
Stephanie Ramos reports on the severe thunderstorms moving into the Northeast as 200 million Americans brace for extreme heat; Mary Bruce and Martha Raddatz have the latest after Pres. Trump met with his national security team for a third straight day as he weighs possible direct U.S. action in Iran; Trevor Ault has details on the dozens of federal officers in masks and tactical gear that were seen near Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, but were denied entry as protesters also gathered outside; David Muir shares the Juneteenth celebrations across America – from Galveston, Texas to Savannah, Georgia to Knoxville, Tennessee; and more on tonight’s broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Tonight, severe storms slamming the Northeast.
00:03Authorities say a boy struck by lightning in New York's Central Park.
00:06A tornado warning near Philadelphia.
00:08Ground stops at airports.
00:10Flights canceled tonight.
00:11Damaging winds, lightning, and heavy rain along the I-95 corridor.
00:15From Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, New York to Boston.
00:18Winds gusting more than 60 miles per hour.
00:21Hundreds of thousands without power at this hour.
00:24More than 500 flights canceled.
00:26Multiple airports issuing those ground stops.
00:28The storms and then more than 200 million Americans bracing for extreme heat.
00:34It'll feel like 105 degrees in New York City.
00:37Lee Goldberg has the forecast.
00:39Also tonight, the new statement from President Trump on Iran.
00:43President Trump huddled with his national security advisors in the Situation Room for the third day in a row.
00:48His new timeline at this hour for any possible direct action against Iran.
00:52And tonight here behind the scenes, what sources are telling Martha Raddatz,
00:56the concerns, and this 30,000-pound bomb that is one U.S. option.
01:01It's been tested, but never used in war.
01:05Also tonight, here in the U.S., the explosion of the test pad.
01:08Ship 36 just blew up.
01:10A SpaceX Starship erupting into a ball of flames.
01:13The blast rattling homes miles away.
01:15What Elon Musk is saying about this tonight.
01:17Also developing the tense scene outside Dodgers Stadium, dozens of federal officers in masks and tactical gear positioned right outside the gates.
01:26The L.A. Dodgers tonight saying they denied the officers' entry.
01:30Protesters quickly gathering.
01:31Trevor Ault is there.
01:33Tonight, you will hear from the nine-year-old girl surviving a terrifying shark attack in Florida.
01:38The surgery to reattach and save her hand.
01:41And this is remarkable.
01:43Tonight, the deadly plane crash in the northeast.
01:45A small plane going down right into a neighborhood.
01:48Dramatic body camera video showing officers racing to save a car full of people that plunged upside down into the water.
01:55And tonight, the image is seen around the world.
01:57The driver taking his car down the famous Spanish steps of Rome.
02:02It did not go well.
02:03From ABC News World Headquarters in New York, this is World News Tonight with David Muir.
02:14Good evening.
02:15It is great to have you with us here on a very busy Thursday night.
02:17We do begin tonight with severe thunderstorms up and down the East Coast.
02:20Authorities say a boy struck by lightning in New York Central Park.
02:24A tornado warning near Philadelphia.
02:26Ground stops at major airports.
02:28More than 500 flights canceled.
02:30And as we come on the air tonight, hundreds of thousands are now without power.
02:34Lightning damaging winds more than 60 miles per hour and heavy rain moving up the I-95 corridor.
02:39Some of those storms slamming New York City seen moving in over the Manhattan skyline
02:43and across the East River there to the Brooklyn waterfront.
02:46Police say it was a 15-year-old boy who was struck by lightning in Central Park.
02:50Tonight, they say he is alert and conscious.
02:52The system spawning at least 12 reported tornadoes damaging a sports park in Jacksonville, Illinois.
02:57And massive flooding as well, shutting down I-40 in both directions.
03:01This is right near the North Carolina-Tennessee border.
03:04And right behind these storms, more than 200 million Americans bracing for extreme heat.
03:08It will feel like 105 degrees right here in New York City.
03:12Lee Goldberg has the forecast.
03:13He'll take us right through it.
03:15And ABC's Stephanie Ramos tonight with the images.
03:17She's right here in New York City.
03:19Tonight, a severe weather system sweeping into the Northeast, bringing potentially damaging winds and flooding.
03:24Storm cells dumping buckets of rain on New York City late this afternoon.
03:29I was getting a couple calls from Fifth Avenue and East 96 and someone struck by lightning.
03:35Get me in the park.
03:36Police saying a 15-year-old boy was struck by lightning in Central Park near Manhattan's Upper East Side,
03:42adding he was alert and conscious after the incident.
03:45The storms forcing ground stops at airports in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Newark this afternoon.
03:51Hundreds of flights canceled.
03:53Thousands delayed.
03:53Winds gusting to more than 60 miles an hour.
03:57More than 500,000 households without power in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
04:01The system leaving a trail of damage as it crossed the central U.S.
04:05Heavy rain and winds downing tree limbs in Indianapolis.
04:09Right there!
04:10At least 12 reported tornadoes across four states since Wednesday afternoon.
04:15This section of I-40 near the Tennessee-North Carolina border inundated by floodwaters.
04:20Authorities say it'll be closed for at least two weeks.
04:23David, here in New York City this afternoon, we've had spells of extreme heat alternating with those powerful storms.
04:30Much of the Northeast expecting similar conditions tonight.
04:34David.
04:34Stephanie Ramos here in New York.
04:35Stephanie, thank you.
04:36Let's get right to Chief Meteorologist Lee Goldberg of our New York station, WABC, tracking it all.
04:41Lead these storms right into the evening and right behind a dangerous extreme heat.
04:44David, skies are darkening behind me right now.
04:48Within the hour, we're going to see these storms get into New York City.
04:51There are severe thunderstorm warnings over parts of New Jersey right now.
04:54A volatile afternoon in the Mid-Atlantic, and it continues in the evening.
04:56All the way from Virginia up to Maine, 60-mile-per-hour gusts.
05:00There have been some damage, lightning strikes, homes, injuries.
05:03We have to deal with this through the early evening hours.
05:05Tomorrow, the severe weather is going to shift to the northern plains and the Midwest.
05:08In the severe zone, it's Bismarck and Fargo and Aberdeen for destructive winds and large hail.
05:13The front causing those storms at least to the north.
05:15It opens the floodgates for the heat as we go into the weekend.
05:18It'll feel like 108 in Omaha, 106 in Minneapolis on Saturday.
05:21Blazing heat that spreads into the Northeast over the weekend.
05:24We're talking triple-digit feel-like readings in D.C., New York, and Boston.
05:28It's the start of a heat wave into next week.
05:30Probably record highs as well.
05:31David.
05:31Yeah, extraordinary feel-like temperatures there.
05:34We'll have to take that very seriously, Lee.
05:36We return now to the new statement tonight from President Trump on Iran.
05:39The president huddled with his national security advisors in the Situation Room for the third day in a row now.
05:44His new timeline tonight for any possible direct action against Iran.
05:49And tonight here behind the scenes, what sources are now telling our Martha Raddatz,
05:52the concerns and this 30,000-pound bomb that is one U.S. option.
05:57It's been tested but never used in war before.
06:00But first, Mary Bruce with what the president is now saying about any potential direct U.S. action against Iran.
06:06For the third day in a row, the president hunkered down in the Situation Room, deciding whether the U.S. will take direct action against Iran.
06:16This was the official statement afterward read in the briefing room.
06:19I have a message directly from the president and I quote, based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future,
06:30I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.
06:35I asked the press secretary if there's no progress in the next two weeks, does that mean the U.S. will bomb Iran?
06:41Is he saying that if Iran does not come back to the negotiating table within the next two weeks, that the president will strike?
06:47The president is saying that he will make a decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.
06:52It's very clear and direct.
06:53Is he seeing any signs of progress?
06:55He obviously is holding out hope for negotiations.
06:57But is he seeing any inklings of progress that give him that hope that talks are still possible?
07:02Well, that's why he said in the statement that I just read for all of you, based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future,
07:12he will make that decision within the next two weeks.
07:14What makes him think there's still a substantial chance?
07:16I'm not going to get into the reasoning and the rationale.
07:18The president believes that, but that's his position and he will make a decision within the next two weeks.
07:22The White House today stressing that Iran has everything it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,
07:27saying once the supreme leader gives the go-ahead, they could complete production within a few weeks.
07:33A source familiar telling ABC News a key factor weighing on the president's decision,
07:38the time needed for additional U.S. military assets to arrive in the region to defend American interests if needed.
07:44It could take several more days.
07:46One carrier strike group still in Virginia.
07:49But the pressure to make up his mind only growing.
07:52According to a source, the president is troubled by the deep divisions in his own party about what he should do.
07:58Hold out for negotiations or join the attack.
08:00One key ally who's been urging restraint, Steve Bannon, spotted at the White House today.
08:05Tonight, one source telling us Trump is trying to psych himself up,
08:09convince himself that whatever he ultimately decides to do is warranted.
08:14The president's new two-week timeline to decide, a blow to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
08:20who has been desperate for the U.S. to join Israel's ongoing assault on Iran.
08:24In the last 24 hours, Iran's striking back.
08:28Video circulating online showing the moment a ballistic missile hit a major hospital in Israel.
08:35Smoke billowing into the sky.
08:37Tel Aviv struck too.
08:38Our Ian panel is there.
08:40Dozens of Iranian missiles fired into the heart of Israel's biggest city.
08:45You can see the destruction of the building here.
08:47Tonight, Netanyahu pressed on Trump's decision.
08:50President Trump will do what's best for America.
08:53I trust his judgment.
08:55And, David, all of this is coming as European leaders are expecting to meet tomorrow with the Iranians in Geneva.
09:01One senior official telling us tonight the president hopes this two-week timeline will, quote,
09:06give the Iranians some room to come to their senses.
09:09But, David, make no mistake, the president still has this high-stakes decision to make,
09:13and he's now given himself a deadline to make it.
09:16David, Mary Bruce, asking questions there in the briefing room today.
09:19Mary, thank you.
09:20Let's get right to Martha Raddatz with new reporting as well tonight.
09:23We heard Mary report there, Martha, that part of the calculus here includes the fact that the U.S.
09:27is still rushing assets to the region.
09:30And, Martha, something you've been reporting on today, this 30,000-pound bomb,
09:34we know it's been tested, but it's never been used in war before.
09:37Exactly, David.
09:39This bomb, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, can only be delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber.
09:45The 30,000-pound bomb can penetrate deep into rock and has been tested successfully numerous times
09:52but has never, ever been used on the battlefield.
09:56The U.S. has used the smaller Moab, the 22,000-pound bomb, with success blowing up caves in Afghanistan.
10:02But if the president decides the U.S. will hit the Fordow nuclear facility, it will be the first time it has been used.
10:10So there are some concerns about how effective it would be in an actual strike, since much is not known about Fordow.
10:18But there would likely be several of these bombs launched because of the uncertainty.
10:23And, of course, David, the U.S. still wants to get all its assets into the region.
10:27David.
10:28Martha Raddatz back in Washington for us again tonight.
10:31Now to that dramatic explosion of a SpaceX rocket ship during a pre-flight test in Texas.
10:36Look at the images tonight.
10:37The starship on the test pad erupting into a ball of flames.
10:40The explosion rattling homes miles away.
10:43And tonight, what SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is saying about the blast.
10:47ABC's Mireya Villarreal in Texas tonight.
10:50Tonight, the stunning images from a SpaceX pre-flight test.
10:54Whoa!
10:55No!
10:55The starship erupting in a series of massive explosions.
11:00Ship 36 just blew up.
11:02Those staggering flames filling the South Texas sky.
11:06SpaceX was preparing for a routine static fire test, loading fuel before igniting starship's engines.
11:12They believe a pressurized tank exploded, setting off a series of blasts.
11:18Fire department inbound.
11:19The test site has already been cleared and there were no injuries.
11:22You can still hear some of the popping.
11:24Although it's not yet known how much damage was done to the launch area.
11:28Oh my God, I'm shaking.
11:29SpaceX was preparing for starship's 10th flight test.
11:33The previous three ending with explosions.
11:37Here, blazing debris streaking across the sky in the Caribbean after one starship experienced a catastrophic failure.
11:46The incident forcing flights to reroute.
11:49The FAA requiring SpaceX to investigate what went wrong.
11:54David, early this morning, Elon Musk seemed to refer to this explosion as, quote, just a scratch on social media.
12:01But, you know, starship's success is crucial to his eventual goal to try and send humans to Mars.
12:07David.
12:08Those were extraordinary images today, Maria.
12:10Now to the tense scene outside Dodger Stadium in L.A.
12:12Dozens of federal officers in masks and tactical gear positioned right outside the gates.
12:17The L.A. Dodgers tonight saying they deny the officers entry.
12:21Trevor Ralt is there for us.
12:22Tonight, tense scenes at Dodger Stadium.
12:25Dozens of federal officers in masks and tactical gear seen right outside the gates.
12:30Protesters quickly gathering as well.
12:34The LAPD called to the scene.
12:36The Dodgers saying in a statement those agents requested permission to access the parking lots.
12:41They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization.
12:44But DHS responding, saying this had nothing to do with the Dodgers.
12:48Customs and Border Protection vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly.
12:52Unrelated to any operation or enforcement.
12:55It follows days of heated clashes between law enforcement and protesters.
13:00With President Trump sending in hundreds of Marines.
13:03ICE continuing to ramp up operations across Los Angeles County.
13:07This video today showing an agent chasing a man down near a Home Depot detaining him.
13:12And agents also raiding this car wash in Glendale.
13:15As the administration vows they will increase deportations undeterred by protests.
13:21David, the Dodgers have drawn criticism for remaining silent during these escalating ICE raids.
13:26But the organization is reportedly planning to announce initiatives supporting impacted immigrant communities.
13:32David.
13:32All right, Trevor, all on this for us tonight.
13:33Trevor, thank you.
13:34We turn to that horrific shark attack in Florida.
13:36And tonight we are hearing from the nine-year-old girl who survived the attack.
13:40And tonight her doctors described the surgery to reattach and save her hand.
13:45Victor Akendo from Florida tonight.
13:47Tonight, that nine-year-old shark bite victim and her doctors sharing remarkable details on the attack
13:53and how they were able to reattach her hand that she nearly lost.
13:58Something hard bit me and then it tried to take me away.
14:03Then I pick up my hand and it's all in blood.
14:08It was just last week.
14:09Officials say a shark bit off most of Leah Lindell's right hand
14:12while she was snorkeling in Boca Grande on Florida's Gulf Coast.
14:16It was almost completely gone, you know, in that second.
14:19And there was so much blood in the water.
14:21Leah airlifted to Tampa General Hospital for emergency surgery.
14:25Doctors there performing the operation in less than an hour after she arrived,
14:30saying they used blood vessels from her leg to help restore blood flow to her hand.
14:35That was key to the success of this, stabilize the wrist and be able to stabilize that base
14:41so that we could then work on getting blood flow back.
14:44X-rays showing the extent of the wound.
14:46Much of Leah's hand detached from her wrist.
14:49Doctors inserting temporary pins to stabilize the area.
14:53Her family saying Leah can now move her fingers.
14:56I didn't think there was any chance at all of saving it.
14:59And I'm just so thankful to the surgeons for making such a miracle.
15:05Doctors say Leah has a complex recovery ahead.
15:07But because she is so young and still growing, she actually has an even better chance of recovering.
15:13David.
15:14We are all pulling for Leah tonight.
15:15Victor, thank you so much.
15:16Freed American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander has returned home to Tenafly, New Jersey tonight
15:20to a community waving and welcoming him home.
15:23The 21-year-old captured during the October 7th Hamas terror attack was freed last month
15:28after 584 days of captivity.
15:31He was the last living American held hostage.
15:33When we come back on the broadcast, the deadly plane crash in the northeast, a small plane
15:37going down right into a community and what we've learned.
15:40Also, dramatic body camera videos showing officers racing to save a car full of people
15:44that plunged upside down into the water.
15:48There's also news tonight about the death of beloved Food Network host Ann Burrell.
15:51What the FDNY here in New York is now saying about that initial emergency call in a moment.
15:58Tonight there's been a deadly plane crash near the airport in Beverly, Massachusetts, north of Boston.
16:02The small plane going down in the street just after takeoff.
16:05One person on board was killed.
16:07Another is in critical condition tonight.
16:09You can see the debris there on the street and in the trees.
16:11No one on the ground was hurt.
16:13In Seattle, the image is tonight police racing to save six people in a car that had plunged
16:17into the water following a police chase outside Seattle.
16:20Body camera video showing officers trying to pull them from Puget Sound.
16:24Authorities say the driver was initially speeding and refusing to pull over.
16:27The car at one point going up to 120 miles per hour then driving off the dock.
16:32Two people were killed.
16:33Four others, including the driver, hospitalized.
16:36When we come back here tonight, the death of Food Network host Ann Burrell
16:39and what the FDNY here in New York is now saying tonight about that initial emergency call to 911.
16:45And the big news tonight involving the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.
16:49The big change.
16:51To the index of other news tonight, new reporting here on the death of popular Food Network host Ann Burrell
16:56who was found dead at her home in Brooklyn, New York.
16:58The FDNY now says it responded to an initial call of someone in cardiac arrest.
17:03She was unconscious and unresponsive when they arrived.
17:06Authorities, of course, are waiting for the autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
17:10To a stunning sight in Rome tonight.
17:12Video showing a driver driving his car down the famous Spanish steps in Rome.
17:16Getting stuck along the way there.
17:18An 80-year-old driver behind the wheel.
17:19Authorities say reportedly confused.
17:21He tested negative for alcohol.
17:22Perhaps making a wrong turn there.
17:24The fire department removing the car with the crane.
17:26The steps built back in the 1700s were not damaged.
17:30Back here now, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they're getting a 400% raise.
17:35After years battling for a pay hike, the news was revealed in the streaming series
17:38America's Sweethearts, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.
17:41Their pay had already increased from $200 to $400 per game following a lawsuit settlement in 2019.
17:46They say this raise is four times that amount.
17:49One of the veteran cheerleaders calling the new raise, quote, life-changing.
17:53When we come back, America marking this day.
17:56Finally, tonight here, America strong from Texas to Tennessee to Georgia.
18:01So many honoring Juneteenth.
18:03And we remember what Opal Lee, called the grandmother of Juneteenth, told us about this day.
18:09Tonight, across America, a country commemorating Juneteenth.
18:13The day 160 years ago, enslaved people in Texas learned they were free.
18:18From Galveston, Texas to Savannah, Georgia to Knoxville, Tennessee tonight.
18:22Communities coming together.
18:2414-year-old Layla Jordan in Knoxville and her sign Juneteenth honoring the past, inspiring the future.
18:30In Washington, D.C. today, hundreds lining up inside the National Archives to see the Emancipation Proclamation.
18:36And in Dallas, the Dallas Historical Society displaying the only known surviving piece of paper of General Order No. 3.
18:45That order, posted by Union troops all over Texas, declaring all slaves are free and have, quote, absolute equality.
18:53It would come two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation.
18:57And in Fort Worth, Texas today, hundreds joining Opal's Walk for Freedom.
19:02Of course, honoring Opal Lee, who you met right here on this broadcast, called by many the grandmother of Juneteenth.
19:09And we remember what Opal told us about the importance of coming together on this day.
19:14She said, under our skin, we're all the same.
19:17So we have to be in the business of helping each other.
19:21So true.
19:22I'll see you back here tomorrow night.
19:24Good night.
19:24Thank you for making World News Tonight with David Muir, America's most watched newscast.
Recommended
20:01
|
Up next