ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - Aug. 20, 2025

Air Hurricane Aaron growing in size, coming dangerously close to the East Coast. The state of emergency right now. Also developing a Navy fighter jet crashing off the coast of Virginia. The pilot ejecting just in time.

First, that monster hurricane pummeling the East Coast with massive waves, life-threatening rip currents. Mandatory evacuations underway. Beachfront property owners holding their breath, powerful surf crashing into homes flooding roadways officials warning people to stay out of the water beaches closed up and down it. Victor

Ocando live in the storm zone, our weather team standing by with Aaron's track news just coming in a Navy fighter jet pilot ejecting just moments before an F-18 crashed off the coast of Virginia. What we're learning about the daring rescue. A deadly blast rocking a neighborhood, destroying a home, sending debris flying, at least one

person killed. And the new video tonight showing the moment a business exploded in North Carolina. The major showdown in Texas. Democratic lawmakers on a marathon pushed to stall a redistricting vote aimed at reshaping the congressional map.

What we've just learned. Chilling surveillance video leading to an international investigation. Police say a California husband flees to Peru as his wife is found dead miles from their home. What they say a neighbor surveillance camera shows.

The heartbreaking testimony parents of some of the camp mystic children killed in that flooding disaster in Texas demanding answers and change. This loss is one no parent should have to endure nearly 2 months after the tragedy. A massive brush fire burning out of control in the Everglades sparks air quality alerts

across South Florida. The new video just coming in, a passenger plane veering off the runway in Boston. Angry passengers file lawsuits against two of the country's biggest airlines. They say their window seats had no windows. And remembering a beloved judge with a big heart whose countless acts of kindness made him a social media star and the king of second chances.

From ABC News world headquarters in New York.

Good evening and thank you for joining us on a busy Wednesday night. I'm Mary Bruce in for David. We begin tonight with Hurricane Aaron and states of emergency along the East Coast. Heavy rain, destructive waves and life-threatening rip currents

from the Carolinas to the Northeast. At this hour, the outer bands of the Category 2 storm are hitting North Carolina's outer banks. Winds up to 110 miles per hour. The massive hurricane more than 700 miles wide, running parallel to the coast. Waves crashing into homes on the shores along Cape Hatteras. Those waves expected to swell up to 20 feet high.

The storm surged damaging homes and flooding roads. Residents and visitors under evacuation orders. Double red flag conditions at a state park in Maryland. No one allowed in the water. New York and New Jersey beaches now also closed to swimmers through at least tomorrow. The water simply too dangerous to go in. The newest track and forecast coming up in a moment, but we begin with ABC's Victor Okendo leading us off again from North Carolina.

Tonight conditions deteriorating all along the East Coast as massive Hurricane Erin turns closer and closer to shore on North Carolina's fragile outer banks, waves and powerful storm surge crashing ashore, threatening homes, many but not all,

heeding the warning to get out.

If you are under an evacuation order,

take action now before it's too late.

Homeowners holding their breath. We do have a number of threatened oceanfront structures. These are houses that no longer have a protective dune in front of them. They're very vulnerable to the

waves, to the high surf. North Carolina's governor pre-positioning swift water rescue teams and National Guard troops, begging drivers to stay out of flooded roadways. Don't do it. You do not know how deep the water is or how fast it is running. Aaron more than 700 miles wide. So massive. There are tropical storm alerts on both sides of it as it threads the needle between the U. S. And Bermuda. The warnings extending to the Jersey Shore. Atlantic City authorities warning beachgoers not to go in past their ankles.

WABC's Anthony Johnson is in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey.

Nobody is allowed onto the beach. As a matter of fact, there are gates to block people from actually walking out on the sand. There are no lifeguards. Red flag warnings everywhere

along the Jersey Shore. Rip current dangers from Florida to New York's Long Island, New York City banning swimming at all beaches. Mary, this is the roughest surf that we have seen yet. Just watch those waves crash into the pier here in Kill Devil Hills. And we're also coming up on high tide, pushing water further up onto the beach and that's what has officials so concerned as hurricane Aaron approaches we're expecting prolonged periods of

destructive surf and dangerous recurrence along the east coast through

Friday. Mary it is expected to take some time for the water and that dangerous surface you mentioned to calm down Victor and the crew stay safe there thank you. Hurricane Aaron is already being felt in parts of the northeast. So let's get right to meteorologist Brittany Bell from our New York station

W. A. B. C. Hey, Brittany, Mary, even though Aaron hasn't changed much in intensity, it is growing larger and larger in size, sending widespread coastal impacts all along the eastern seaboard. So let's get right to the latest satellite image. It's still a category two hurricane this evening and the track keeps it offshore, but still close enough for tropical

storm warnings for the outer banks of North Carolina and the Virginia coast. Also, coastal flood alerts as far north as New York, even Connecticut. On top of that, there's a widespread risk for life

threatening rip currents from north of Miami all the way to Cape Cod. This risk could stay elevated through friday, potentially even lasting throughout the weekend and portions of the North Carolina outer banks are on alert for dangerous waves that could hit coastal Carolina tonight, approaching 10 to 20 ft and then next taking aim for sections of the northeast like the Jersey Shore with waves as high as 11

to 15 ft. Those coastal impacts slowly go down as we head into this weekend. Mary. And Brittany, we know you'll be tracking this all closely. Thank you. Next tonight with Hurricane Aaron stirring up the Atlantic,

the Navy racing to rescue a fighter pilot whose jet crashed off the coast of Virginia during a training flight. The pilot ejecting, floating in choppy seas for nearly 90 minutes. So let's get right to ABC's Mola Langy.

Mola, what are you learning?

Well, Mary, after safely ejecting from that jet, that pilot was in the water for about 90 minutes before finally being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. And remember, as you mentioned, the Atlantic Ocean pretty rough right now with Hurricane Aaron out there brewing and churning. A Navy spokesperson tells us the pilot was taking off from a naval base in the

Norfolk Virginia area this morning on a routine training mission when that pilot ejected from the Super Hornet fighter jet. We're told dozens of miles off the Virginia coast, sending the plane crashing into the Atlantic where it remains tonight. Meanwhile, that pilot is undergoing a medical evaluation

and that incident is being investigated.

Okay, Mola thank you. We move on now to a deadly home explosion in Virginia, a woman killed in the blast a man now fighting for his life the House completely leveled a dozen homes in the neighborhood also damaged by flying debris. Here's ABC's Aki Kajichie.

Crews in Virginia are sifting through piles of debris tonight, investigating how a home exploded in this neighborhood near Charlottesville.

It appears we've got one house flattened on the ground.

We've got debris field for over a block.

Calls pouring into 911. Right now we're getting inundated with phone calls. field for over a block. C

Right now we're getting i

at least one person killed by the violent explosion. as police in North Caroli the pieces from a separat raining down in thick bla Wilmington, three firefighters trapped inside. Police say 46 year old Jason Lee Beach now

charged with felony DWI and fleeing the scene is responsible for the blast after he crashed his vehicle into that building, striking gas line. Mary investigators in Virginia are zeroing in on a possible gas leak behind the home explosion with state fire marshals due back on scene tomorrow.

Mary? Just a remarkable scene there, Ike, thank you. Now to the showdown in Texas, the battle to redraw the state's congressional map getting national attention. Late today, Democrats racing to stall a vote

on a new map that would likely give Republicans five more seats in the House. Here's ABC's chief Washington correspondent, Jonathan Karl, with the late developments.

More than two weeks after dozens of Democrats left Texas, stalling a vote on the controversial new congressional maps favoring Republicans.

88 ayes and 52 nays, House Bill 4 is finally passed.

The bill passed to the state's House of Representatives. The new maps, which were drawn at the request of President Trump, are designed to turn five congressional districts that are now held by Democrats into districts that will likely be won by Republicans in next year's midterm elections. Democrats were so outraged by the move, they had left the state to deny the quorum needed to have the vote.

Many of those Democrats returned to Texas on Monday and learned they couldn't leave the state capitol unless they signed a document agreeing to have a police escort to ensure that they would return for today's session. Democratic State Representative Nicole Collier refused, forced to spend two nights locked in the capitol building.

Well, they're trying to harm people of color with the big map. The fight is personal to me and I'm going to fight with every fiber in my body.

Now Democrats in California are vowing to retaliate moving forward with a plan to redraw its maps an effort that could cost Republicans their 5 congressional seats.

Yes, we'll fight fire with fire. Yes, we will push back. It's not about whether we play hardball

anymore. It's about how we play hardball. The California legislature will vote tomorrow on the new maps proposed by Democrats. If it's approved, California voters will still have to vote on the issue in a referendum later this year. And Mary, the battle over redistricting will not stop in Texas and California. Several other states are reviewing plans as well.

It is tit-for-tat expected to continue in other states as well. John, thank you. Next tonight, haunting testimony from the families of children killed in the horrific flooding at Camp Mystic in Texas. At least 138 people killed in last month's floods, 27 victims from the camp. Heartbroken parents making an emotional plea to lawmakers, including a mother whose daughter has yet to be found. Here's ABC's Maria Villarreal.

Tonight anguish and heartbreak pouring out from parents who lost their daughters in the Camp Mystic flooding. This loss is one no parent should have to endure. 27 campers and counselors killed as the waters rose on July 4th, among them 9-year-old Janie Hunt.

She left for camp full of excitement and joy. She came home in a plywood box.

More than a dozen parents testifying before the Texas Senate frustrated by the preventable tragedy.

Camp is supposed to be a safe place.

Protocols that should have been in place were ignored.

As a result, my daughter was stolen from us.

Cece Stewart speaking through tears, her nine-year-old daughter Seal still missing.

48 days later, Seal remains somewhere in the devastation of the Guadalupe River.

We wait, trapped in agony, until she is brought home. The family's calling for change, pushing to pass a bill that will improve safety requirements for camps.

It is the start of a promise that their lives and their deaths will mean change.

State senators equally emotional.

This tragedy is gonna impact future lives.

Promising to work with House representatives to pass a bipartisan bill. There's a responsibility on all of us, and I hope people will hold government to account.

Those 8-year-old little girls stuck in a cabin because the adults around them failed.

Mary, the goal is to get this first bill through the House and the Senate in the next day, calling it Heaven's 27 in honor of the victims, possibly having it on the governor's desk by Friday, ready to sign. Mary. And our hearts go out to those

parents. Maria, thank you. Overseas tonight, Israel starting its operation to take control of Gaza City. The Israeli military calling up 60,000 reservists ahead of a planned new offensive. Troops taking up positions on the outskirts of the city. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City in dire need of food and aid

will be forced to evacuate once again. Here's ABC's chief international correspondent, James Longman.

The Israeli military has tonight started its operation to occupy Gaza City, calling up 60,000 reservists, saying Israeli forces are already on its outskirts. Recent satellite images appear to show military vehicles positioning nearby. Starvation has gripped Gaza for months, with scores of Palestinians dying just trying to get to aid. Hamas says more than 62,000 people have now been killed. Hundreds of thousands took refuge in Gaza City. They are now being forced to move again.

Satellite images show tent encampment on August 7th. Ten days later, those tents largely gone. Most of Europe and many in his own country against Prime Minister Netanyahu's plan, but he does have President Trump's support. Trump called him a war hero and declared himself one too for deciding to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities.

Bibi is a good man. He's in there fighting. He's a war hero because we work together.

He's a war hero. I guess I am too. Nobody cares, but I am too.

Mary, this could still be a pressure tactic by Israel to force the release of the remaining 50 hostages. Hamas has said it's had a positive response to a plan which would see some of them freed, but Israel is now pushing for better terms.

Mary?

Okay, James, thank you. And when we come back, chilling surveillance video leading to an international investigation. Police say a California husband fled to Peru as his wife is found dead. A fire burning out of control in the Everglades

leaves part of South Florida under a blanket of smoke and ash, triggering air quality alerts. And the dramatic new video after a passenger jet veered off the runway at Boston's Logan Airport. Next tonight, an international investigation is underway tonight for the husband

of a woman found dead in a Southern California forest. Police say a neighbor's surveillance camera captured the husband, Josimar Cabrera, dragging something heavy wrapped in fabric outside their Lancaster home about 70 miles north of LA. Authorities say he has now fled to Peru.

The couple's three children are being looked after by their grandmother. And a massive brush fire in the Everglades is sending a blanket of smoke across parts of South Florida. Officials issuing an air quality alert, firefighters racing to contain the fire

and keep it away from populated areas. More than 19,000 acres have now burned.

And stunning video just coming in from populated areas. More than 19,000 acres have now burned.

And stunning video just coming in of the moment a JetBlue plane veered off the runway at Boston's Logan Airport. The JetBlue flight had just landed, the plane then cutting sharply to the left and onto the grass. The incident happened back in June. No one was hurt, but passengers said they were shaken up. And when we come back, a mother and good Samaritans are hailed as heroes after a car plunges into a river in Wisconsin with a one-year-old baby inside.

To the Index now, a mom and good Samaritans rescuing a one-year-old from a sinking car in Wisconsin. Surveillance video shows the car with the mother and child inside driving down an embankment and into a river outside Green Bay. A man immediately scaling a fence followed by others. Police hailing the mom and the Good Samaritans as heroes. The car later pulled from the river. And two of America's largest airlines, Delta and United, facing class action lawsuits from angry passengers. Both being sued by customers who say they paid for window seats that didn't

exist. Instead, they say they wound for window seats that didn't exist.

Instead, they say they wound up sitting in seats against a wall without a window, where the design of the plane prevented one from being installed. Both airlines had no comment. And when we come back, remembering a beloved judge whose ruling from the bench inspired millions. And finally tonight, the judge with a heart of gold. He was t judge seen by millions wh

so many lives for the bet

is close enough to 10 mat

you for 40 years. Judge F hear cases from his provi bench along the way, ear as America's nicest judge.

In that location, it's like mad lights, I was confused.

In your lane of traffic, there's a green light. In the other lane of traffic, which is not your lane, there's a red arrow. See, I knew he had a great argument. He came in well-prepared today.

Guilty or not guilty, what do you say?

Guilty or not guilty? What do you say? Guilty. Guilty.

In later years, his hit TV show, Caught in Providence, put his humor and heart on full display. I was making a right hand turn.

Did you ever read the driver's manual?

I mean, it was so long ago, I don't even know what I had for breakfast.

Late today, his family sharing, Judge Caprio passed away at the age of 88, following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Judge Caprio would often say he wasn't always so compassionate. His first day on the bench, his father proudly watching on. The young judge was tough on a mother of four who hadn't paid her parking tickets,

and that didn't sit well with his father.

He said, Frank, she had four kids. Now suppose she can't feed the kids tonight if she paid those tickets. She doesn't have a car. She can't drive them to school. What are you doing? You weren't brought up that way. The moment would change the course of his life and so many others. My first day on the court set the tone of my judgeship of over 30 years. After that, I took everybody's personal situation into consideration.

The king of second chances. Thank you for watching. I'm Mary Bruce for David and All of Us here. Good night. of Us here. Good night.

David Muir, 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.