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 alerts.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 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 mid -air 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 Packers 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.

Good evening, I'm Wade 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 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 Team Lifeguard Ryder Williams out about the harrowing i a child loses footing in I radioed it in, put my f my buoy and entered the to have had the opportuni child to his family safel boy is thankful his son s he was going to die.He w 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, while 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, and rising water levels from even more rain have complicated the search.And Whit, 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.

Whit?Okay Trevor, we appreciate it.Let's get right to ABC's senior meteorologist Lee Goldberg.Lee, millions of Americans under those heat alerts.

off the charts heat in th weekend.We have excessiv from the west into the so the heat humidity in the It's exact opposite outw warnings.L. A. Las Vegas Yes, we see 100 degrees i but 114 116.These are a and we've got fire dange terms of storms were cle the northeast, but in the weather now will be movi over the weekend, ultim All right, 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 the burns rushed to the hosp at a nearby home blocks a in the hospital tonight.tremors throughout the ne as far as two miles away my walls, my cabinets are Authorities telling our affiliate W. E. W. S. The force of it moved to other nearby homes off their foundation.

Crews demolishing two homes today.

There's even debris in the trees, glass and debris in the road.Um, unsafe structure.So we caution the public to stay away from the area.

and what investigators are looking into what triggered that gas explosion.

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 within the city.

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 Abubay.And Faith, this is an unprecedented conviction.

It is when this is now the first time in U .S.history that a parent will serve 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.

Witt.people, multiple labs trying to untangle it.And what we're now learning about that singlestrand of hair found at the scene.Here's ABC's chief investigative correspondent, Aaron Katursky.

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 as 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 ones belong to each of those individuals.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 make the right choice.Help us find her just this week.

Savannah Guthrie begged for her mother's kidnapper to do the right thing.

Tell us where to look for her.I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing.

The sheriff told us he still believes this case is solvable wit, but he could offer no timeline.

Aaron Kaczorski, our thanks to you.Next tonight, President Trump locked in a standoff with Republican senators now looking for a way to salvage Todd Blanche'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.pick for Attorney General Todd Blanche.Trump now suggesting he may yank Blanche'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 advisors wants to revive the fund.

The only reason why we wouldn't move forward with this language is because that same advisor 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 so 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 reign 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 yanked the

nomination He would still be the acting attorney general with J. 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 Brit Klennett Brit.

Good evening When 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, it 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 Europe.in Ukraine where Poland shares a border.

Those strikes killing at least eight people, including three children in one family.

All right, Brick Planet, 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 damage the device causing it to heat up and produce smoke.

The pilot came over and said we've got an emergency that is smoke in the cabin.

David Weinstein and Joshua Morris among 208 passengers and crew on board as the planelanded.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 OK.

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.Swiss Air says their crew undergoes comprehensive training to deal with smoke and fire on board.The FAA is investigating.Witt.

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 22.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 that he had the disease.A police department outside New York City using an unusual technique to catch distracted drivers.

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.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 the 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.

Super Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding and not Super Jeopardy! champion Ben Affleck.

playing for Ben's nonprofit, Eastern Congo Initiative.

Their couple's name is bending from here on out.

15 questions to win $1 million.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 a really obvious question on this show.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 stomach ache right now.

And all for a great cause.Well done.Thanks so much for watching tonight.I'm Witt 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.