ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - Dec. 3, 2025

Tonight, there is breaking news. What ABC News just learned about the second strike on that alleged drug boat and what President Trump is now saying tonight about releasing video of the second strike. It comes amid growing pressure on Secretary Pete Hegseth. Martha Raddatz standing by with what she's learned about that second strike. As sources tell ABC News, the Pentagon's inspector general has found Secretary Hegseth put American troops at risk. Hegseth using the commercial app, the Signal messaging app, to share sensitive information about a previous military strike. Tonight, the dangerous, life-threatening cold sweeping in across much of this country.

Records will be set in several states, temperatures and wind chills well below zero. And from New York City to Boston, bracing for chilling winds Lee Goldberg is here tonight's breaking news president Trump's immigration crackdown unfolding right now federal agents in New Orleans and agents moving in in Minnesota at this hour reportedly targeting Somali immigrants the rates there come amid a major fraud

investigation. Tonight after Matthew Perry's mother face to face with the doctor who supplied Matthew Perry with ketamine, what she told him in court, and then the sentence. Tonight, the Jeffrey Epstein case video and images from Jeffrey Epstein's island inside his mansion, the room with a dentist chair and masks on the wall. Outside Boston tonight, the chilling evidence in a gruesome murder trial, a husband accused

of murdering his wife and mother of three dismembering her body. One of the alleged motives, a two point seven million dollar insurance policy. The growing concern tonight over self-driving taxis in this country in one city alone, racing past school buses, picking up children, their stop sign out. A company responding to ABC News tonight. This evening an F-16 crashing during a Thunderbirds training mission gone wrong. The jet bursting into

smoke and flames. The liquor store break-in. Bottles smashed on the floor. The suspect, a raccoon found drunk at the scene. Yes, a raccoon. At America's Strong tonight, we remember the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, that scene with the Christmas lights. You're not gonna believe our story tonight.

♪♪

From ABC News World Headquarters in New York, this is World News Tonight with David Muir. Good evening. We begin tonight here with breaking news, what ABC News has just learned tonight about that second deadly strike on that alleged drug boat from Venezuela.

And President Trump tonight and what he's now saying about releasing video of the second strike. It comes amid growing scrutiny surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And on a separate front tonight, sources now telling ABC News,

the Pentagon Inspector General has found Secretary Hegse put U.S. military personnel and their mission at risk by discussing sensitive information in a group chat using a commercial app, the Signal Messaging app, about another operation. Martha Raddatz leading us off tonight with late reporting here.

Tonight the controversy swirling around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expanding. Sources tell ABC News the Pentagon's independent watchdog has found Hegseth endangered the lives of American troops by using the commercial messaging app Signal to share highly sensitive plans for military strikes on Yemen with administration colleagues, his wife who is not a government employee and a reporter who was accidentally added to a group chat at the time Hicks said insisted he done nothing wrong.

Nobody

was texting war plans he blamed former employees he blamed the media.

It taken on a sources from disgruntled

former employees.

And then they try slashing burn people

and ruin their reputations not going to work with me. They're disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and

ruin their reputations.

It's not going to work with me.

But the Pentagon inspector general's new report has, according to sources, determined that if the information Hegseth shared on Signal had fallen into enemy hands, American troops could have been in danger and that it should not have been sent on the unsecure messaging app. According to sources, Hegseth refused to sit down with the inspector general, instead providing a statement saying he'd acted within his rights because he has the power to classify and declassify information.

Today, a Pentagon spokesman called the report a total exoneration and the White House said President Trump stands behind Secretary Hegseth. But the report is the latest blow to the embattled secretary, who had spent days trying to explain this September attack on a suspected drug boat off the coast of Venezuela. After this first strike, a second missile was fired reportedly targeting 2 survivors.

International law prohibits killing enemy combatants who no longer pose a threat. The day after the attack, Hegseth said he watched it happen.

I watched it live. We knew exactly who was in that boat. We knew exactly what they were doing.

Now, he claims he only watched the first strike.

I did not personally see survivors, but I stand, because the thing was on fire. It was exploded and fire and smoke, you can't see anything, you got digital,

this is called the fog of war.

The secretary insists he wasn't the one who ordered the second strike, instead pointing the finger at the mission's commander, Admiral Mitch Bradley. Tonight, ABC's Selina Wang asking President Trump if he will release the video of the second strike.

Will you release video of that strike so that the American people can see for themselves

what happened?

I don't know what they have, but whatever they have, we'll certainly release, no problem.

So we've seen the video of the first strike, but that second strike video that the president said would be released will be key. And tonight, new information. According to a source familiar with the incident, the two survivors climbed back onto the boat after the initial strike. They were believed to be potentially in communication with others and salvaging some of the drugs. Because of that, it was determined they were still in the fight and valid targets.

A JAG officer was also giving legal advice. So, again, David, that video will be key, and Admiral Bradley will be on the Hill tomorrow behind closed doors.

Behind closed doors. Martha Raddatz leading us off tonight. Martha, thank you. Meantime, tonight, the dangerous and life-threatening cold sweeping in across much of the U.S. tonight. Records will be set in several states. temperatures and wind chills well below zero and from New York City to Boston, millions now bracing for bone chilling winds. Lee Goldberg standing by with the forecast and Alex Perez with the images coming in tonight.

Tonight, millions bracing for bone chilling cold after that powerful nor'easter turned roads to ice rinks all over the northeast. It's a slip and

slide just north of New York City and out of control. Plow truck slamming a in Nor'easter turned roads to ice rinks all over the Northeast. It's a slip and slide.

Just north of New York City, an out-of-control plow truck slamming a car into the back of a school bus in Monroe, New York. Thankfully, no one was hurt. On Interstate 71 in Cincinnati, watch as these cars fishtail and crash on black ice, other vehicles slowing down just in time.

Outside Boston and Seekonk, Massachusetts, this cruiser mangled after hydroplaning and flipping several times. The officer inside was injured. In Nashua, New Hampshire, Marcus Gordon says even his four-wheel drive was

no match for the slick roads.

The roads were already wet, and then the snow just came up on top of it. So you can't really see the black ice.

And now the coldest air of the season moving in icy conditions sure to be a problem in the days ahead. And David here in Minneapolis that temperature is a tumbling by tomorrow morning, the actual temperature will be 4 below 0 and it will feel like 15 below 0.

David we knew it had to come Alex Perez Alex, thank you let's get right to chief meteorologist Lee Goldberg from wabc here in New York.

Haley. Hey, David. December just not messing around. The coldest air of the season is pouring into the upper Midwest tonight. We'll wake up to sub zero temperatures in Minneapolis and Sioux Falls, maybe a record in Des Moines by Friday. That record cold is pushing into the east, which could bring snow showers tomorrow into the Northeast. It will be in the teens in New York and into Philly and probably feel like it's zero in Boston. We can see those winds will be gusting 35, 40 miles an hour, then calm down on Friday, but subzero wind chills in northern New England. Then as we look at the South, it's a new storm, heavy

rain from Houston and New Orleans. David?

Lee Gilbert with us tonight on the forecast. Lee, we appreciate it. We turn now to this new turn in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Rare video and images right here tonight from Jeffrey Epstein's island. Inside his mansion, the room with a dentist chair and masks on the wall. You'll remember President Trump signed that bill into law 30 days to release the files with two weeks now left.

Here's our chief investigative correspondent, Aaron Kaczorski.

Tonight, a rare look at Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island, where he allegedly exploited dozens of young women and girls. Video of the secluded hideaway shows the grounds, the pool, the view, along with interior images of a bedroom and bathroom, and a room with a dental chair and face masks of men tacked to the wall.

House Democrats releasing these images today as they pressure the Trump administration to release all of the Epstein files, joining a chorus of Epstein's accusers.

We're ready for the next step and we're ready to finally release the files.

All the files.

Congress passed and President Trump signed a law requiring the Justice Department to release the records within 30 days. There are just two weeks left. But tonight a potential obstacle. An attorney for Epstein's co conspirator, Glenn Maxwell, said today she'll soon file a petition challenging her sex trafficking conviction. Maxwell is expected to file her petition at this courthouse. David in

the Justice Department could try to use it as a reason to withhold certain

files in the event Maxwell is granted a new trial. However unlikely that may be David Aaron Katursky with us again tonight, Aaron. Thank you. There are also breaking developments involving President Trump's immigration crackdown now unfolding in two parts of the country tonight. Federal agents now in New Orleans and agents moving into Minnesota at this hour reportedly targeting Somali immigrants. The raids there come amid a major fraud

investigation involving members of the Somali community. Here's Mary Bruce.

Tonight, the trump administration expanding its deportation efforts, federal agents now hitting the streets of New Orleans and in Minnesota ice now targeting the Somali community as the president doubles down on his

attacks. That beautiful land, that beautiful state. It's a hell hole right now. And the Somalians should be out of here. They've destroyed our country. And all they do is

complain, complain, complain. The president calling Somali immigrants, quote, garbage.

We're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country. It comes

as House Republicans launch an investigation into widespread covid era fraud involving some members of Minnesota's large Somali community. The New York Times reports 59 people have been convicted in schemes involving more than 1 billion dollars in stolen taxpayer money that was supposed to go to children and other social services. President Trump seizing on this story as he widens his

immigration crackdown. But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry defending the Somali community.

He's wrong and we want them here. Somali people have been an extraordinary benefit.

And again, David, tonight we are told that ICE operations are now underway in Minnesota.

Sources describe this as a targeted enforcement operation going after immigrants with final deportation orders. David.

Mary Bruce with us tonight as well. Thanks, Mary. Now to the Matthew Perry case and an emotional moment in court in Los Angeles today. The actor's mother face to face with the doctor who supplied Matthew Perry with ketamine, what she told him in court and then the sentence. Here's Trevor Ault. Tonight the doctor who sold ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry leading up to his overdose death was face to face with the actor's family as they described their heartache. Dr. Salvador

Plasencia sentenced to 30 months in prison for selling dozens of vials of ketamine to Perry in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars. Placencia cried and nodded in agreement as Perry s family accused him of betraying his Hippocratic oath. Perry s sister saying, instead of protecting him, you exploited him. And his mother, standing before Placencia, saying, I just want you to see his mother. This is his mother.

In a statement, the family says no one alive and in touch with the world at all could have been unaware of Matthew struggles, pointing to that cruel text Placencia sent to another doctor supplying the ketamine. I wonder how much this moron will pay. Let's find out. Perry had been candid about his years long battle with addiction, opening

up to our Diane Sawyer a year before his death.

Your disease is just outside, just doing one-arm push-ups, just waiting, just waiting for you, waiting to get you along.

Today in court, the former doctor admitted, I failed Mr. Perry, I failed his family, turning to them and saying, I am so, so sorry. Family was asked if they agreed with the sentence.

Does it matter?

No,

not really. Look, it's a tragic story. And, um, you know, sometimes apparently nice guys do bad things and the legal system has to take account of. David

Placencia is the first to be sentenced of five people charged in Matthew Perry's death, including an alleged drug dealer known as the ketamine Queen, who's pleaded guilty to providing the dose that killed him. David Trevor rolled on the

Matthew Perry case tonight. Trevor, thank you. When we come back here tonight, an F 16 crashing during a Thunderbirds training mission gone wrong, that jet bursting in the smoke and flames. What we've learned tonight. Also an escaped inmate knocking on front doors, doorbell cameras capturing this. You remember he had escaped in hospital pants authorities and moving in. You'll see it in a moment here and that liquor store break in making a lot of headlines today. Bottle smashed on the floor. The suspect found drunk at the scene. Take a very close look at this picture in a moment tonight in F 16 crashing during a Thunderbirds training mission gone

wrong in central California. The jet bursting into flames in the Mojave Desert. The pilot ejecting seen parachuting to the ground. That pilot is in stable condition tonight. The investigation is underway. Outside Boston, chilling evidence in a gruesome murder trial. Brian Walsh accused of murdering his wife, a mother of three,

dismembering her body. In court today, a crime lab specialist walking jurors through at least 10 bags of evidence. Prosecutors say these are the bags that Walsh dumped after killing his wife on New Year's Day in 2023. One of the alleged motives of $2.7 million insurance policy. Nearly three years later, the body of Anna Walsh still has not been found. An escaped inmate back behind bars tonight, caught after knocking on doors near Atlanta. Take a look. Authorities say they captured Timothy Shane in Covington just east of Atlanta. He was seen on a doorbell camera at the front

door of this home right here. Police say he had stolen all the cars and called an uber while on the run. When we come back here tonight, the major cheese recall to share with you also tributes pouring in for a former basketball star tonight and then that drunk suspect found at a liquor store.

You've got to see the video

To the index of other news tonight a major recall more than 250,000 cases of shredded cheese products sold at major retailers including Aldi Target and Walmart Sold in 31 states in Puerto Rico under different brands Great Lakes cheese company says that cheese may contain metal fragments We have much more on our website for you tonight

We do have a passing to note basketball star Eldon Campbell has died a standout in college says that cheese may contain metal fragments. We have much more on our website for you tonight.

We do have a passing to note, basketball star Eldon Campbell has died. A standout in college, he went on to play 15 seasons in the NBA. Known for his effortless style on the court in 1990, he set the record for the most career points at Clemson,

a record that still stands tonight. Eldon Campbell was just 57. Tonight, that drunk suspect caught in a liquor store getting a lot of attention. Authorities in Ashland, Virginia, catching the suspect surveillance video showing a raccoon rummaging through the store, breaking bottles found passed out in the store's bathroom, drunk from the bottles, animal control, letting the raccoon sleep it off before releasing it back

into the wild. That is a first for me. The drunk raccoon tonight. When we come back here, we all remember the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. That scene, Clark Griswold trying to turn on the outdoor Christmas lights, you have to see what we found tonight. Finally tonight here, America's Strong,

who can forget Clark Griswold trying to turn on the outdoor Christmas lights? Well tonight here, one dad who had much better luck. Tonight, it's that time of year the movie will be playing on TV. Chevy Chase and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Playing dad, Clark Griswold with the Christmas lights,

he tried and tried again. Then finally, it happens with a little assist from mom.

Ah!

♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ At Lancaster, Pennsylvania tonight. You're not gonna believe this. The Lewis family dad Noah putting up the lights all day. They kept the Children inside blinds down and just watch their reaction. 123. Wow! Wow!

Do you like it? Yeah.

That's why you were out here for so long.

Even their baby girl was impressed.

What did you say?

Wow. Wow. Wow. She said, wow.

The boys walking up to the lights, they couldn't believe it. Mom Amanda's sharing the moment online, where it's now been watched tonight by millions and right here tonight. Hey David so I'm gonna be turning the lights on here. Dad, mom, the children they wanted to turn the lights on for us. All right you boys ready? Oh here we go. Running through the lights. Whoa! Stepping into the Christmas trees.

Can you wave?

Hi!

They love it, so do we. And by the way, he got it on the first try. He did a little better than Clark.

It's just fun to add to the magic of Christmas with lights and it's been super special to see how special it is to them. and it's been super special to see how special it is to them. Merry Christmas, David!