ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - March 25, 2026

[0:00] David Muir, ABC's World News Tonight, America's most watched newscast, now streaming same day [0:07] with all the breaking news of the day on Disney Plus. Most watched, most trusted, [0:12] now on Disney Plus every night. Tonight, the breaking news here, the TSA now reporting the [0:18] longest airport wait times in history. New images tonight from New York to Atlanta, Houston to New [0:24] Orleans. Massive lines snaking through terminals up and down between floors, outside then back [0:30] inside the terminal. Many travelers waiting several hours, now day 40 of this shutdown. [0:35] TSA officers going without pay. Some TSA workers now relying on food banks and some now selling [0:41] their blood just to make ends meet. What are lawmakers doing about this as they get ready [0:47] to leave for Easter break? The deadly crash of LaGuardia, the passenger jet and the fire truck [0:52] and tonight the investigation and what we've now learned about the two air traffic controllers. [0:57] Also breaking tonight, the war in Iran and tonight Iran [1:00] rejecting President Trump's 15-point plan, insisting there are no negotiations and asking [1:06] the U.S., are you negotiating with yourself? As the president surges forces in the region, [1:11] including up to 1,500 troops from the 82nd Airborne. What could be coming? Even some [1:17] Republicans tonight expressing concern about possible boots on the ground in Iran. Tonight, [1:23] Savannah Guthrie's first interview since the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, [1:28] 53 days ago. [1:30] We are in agony. It is unbearable. [1:35] Tonight here, her emotional message and what Savannah is now asking for. Tonight here, [1:41] the disturbing video, the husband accused of trying to push his wife off a hiking cliff, [1:45] beating her with a rock, trying to inject her with a syringe. For the first time, [1:50] we see the video, the Good Samaritans helping that wife get back down the trail. [1:55] Also late today, a California jury finding meta and YouTube negligent when it comes to children [2:00] on Instagram and other apps. [2:02] The parents who lost children speaking out. What those social media giants have been ordered to pay [2:08] and their reaction tonight. The JetBlue flight on the way to JFK hitting a coyote during takeoff. [2:14] Dramatic body camera video police pulling a driver from a burning car. [2:18] The news coming in tonight on Barry Manilow. America's strong tonight, the major league [2:23] surprise. The pitcher on the mound approached by the manager. Not always good when the manager [2:28] walks out. But what that pitcher was told. [2:31] Also tonight, we remember the famous songwriter behind Wild Thing. [2:39] ABC News World Headquarters in New York. This is World News Tonight with David Muir. [2:47] Good evening. We begin tonight with the worsening scene at several airports across the U.S. [2:51] The TSA now reporting the longest airport wait times in history. [2:55] This is now day 40 of this shutdown. Thousands of TSA officers not getting paid. [3:00] Tonight, the new images coming in from some of America's busiest airports from New York to [3:03] Atlanta to Houston. [3:05] Long line. [3:05] Signs of travelers snaking through terminals. Some up and down floors. Inside, then outside the terminal and back. [3:11] Tonight, some of those TSA workers now relying on food banks. Some giving blood just to get paid. [3:16] Just to put food on the table. And what are lawmakers doing to solve this with just days before Washington [3:22] leaves for Easter break? [3:24] Whit Johnson leading us off tonight. [3:26] Tonight, more than 40 days into the partial government shutdown and the TSA says millions of travelers are now [3:32] experiencing the worst airport security lines ever. [3:35] We are being. [3:36] We are being forced to consolidate lanes and may have to close smaller airports if we do not have enough officers. [3:42] The sustained backlog comes amid the spring break travel crush. Airlines expecting to fly 2.8 million passengers every day through April 30th. [3:51] The TSA says more than 3,100 officers called out sick yesterday nationwide. Many of those officers say they have to find other ways to make money. About 40% of the workforce at both of Houston's airports. [4:03] That's 100% spring break loads going through the airport. [4:05] That's 100% spring break loads going through the airport. [4:05] That's 100% spring break loads going through the airport being processed through less than 50% of our TSA lanes. That is not sustainable. [4:11] Travelers waiting more than three hours to get through security. The long snaking lines even stretching outside the terminals. [4:18] You have to go down to the third floor, up to the second floor, outside, back inside. But if you're in the line, it's pretty bad. [4:27] Our Christian Cordero is there. [4:29] Here at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport, they have seen record TSA call out numbers over the past week. [4:34] They usually have eight security checkpoints. Today, they're down to two. [4:39] And from New York to Atlanta to New Orleans, more than 30% of TSA officers not reporting to work yesterday. The biggest impact during those peak travel times. [4:49] We were here yesterday, and our flight left at 8.05, and we got here at 3.30. We missed our flight after being in line for like four hours. [4:59] Tonight, about 50,000 TSA officers have gone nearly a month without pay. [5:04] For some, this is their second government shutdown since October. [5:07] Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet. [5:13] TSA officer Taylor Desert in Indianapolis says she's now forced to rely on her local food bank. [5:19] It's extremely awkward. I never thought I would be in a position to where working for the federal government that I would need to go to a food bank. [5:28] And now hundreds of ICE agents who are still getting paid deployed to at least 14 different airports. [5:34] To assist with crowd management. But this TSA employee says those agents are seemingly unable to help speed up the lines. [5:41] I would hate to call out another agency, but what I'm getting from some of the officers is that they're just in the way. [5:47] In Washington, mounting pressure for senators to reach a deal before Friday's scheduled two-week recess and another missed paycheck for those government workers. [5:56] Today, frustration boiling over. [5:58] They keep asking for things. We give them what they want, and then they say no. [6:03] Yes. [6:05] They're trying to fully fund all DHS agencies except immigration enforcement, but Democrats again insisting on specific reforms to immigration operations including barring ICE agents from wearing masks and requiring warrants before they can enter private homes. [6:20] I don't know how long Republicans are going to obstruct and block this really simple solution. Pay TSA, pay FEMA. [6:28] And David, we've seen those ICE agents going to more airports across the country. [6:32] Again, they are still getting paid. [6:34] Well, TSA officers say they're not getting paid. [6:35] And now President Trump says he may have to call up the National Guard for more help. [6:40] David. [6:41] With Johnson leading us off tonight and with, as you know, with the concern over TSA lines, there is also news tonight about the deadly runway collision at LaGuardia Airport. [6:48] The passenger jet and the fire truck. [6:50] The investigation raising questions about staffing and safety equipment. [6:54] And what we've now learned tonight about the two air traffic controllers working at the time of the crash. [7:00] Again tonight, Gio Benitez. [7:02] Tonight is the investigation into the runway collision of that aircraft. [7:06] The Air Canada Express flight and Port Authority fire truck enters its third day. [7:10] One focus, the two air traffic controllers who were on duty that night. [7:14] One of them heard saying he, quote, messed up after clearing that fire truck to cross the runway in front of the plane. [7:21] He did the best he could. [7:32] Investigators looking at why that controller wasn't relieved after the crash as he should have been. [7:37] We know that that controller was still on duty for several minutes afterwards. [7:42] We have questions about that. [7:44] Was anybody available to relieve that controller? [7:46] We don't know that yet. [7:48] Those two controllers were doing the work of four, performing multiple duties, which the NTSB says is standard operating procedure at airports during the midnight shift when it's less busy overall. [7:59] While there is a nationwide shortage of controllers, LaGuardia Airport is considered better off than most when it comes to staffing levels. [8:06] But given LaGuardia's notoriously busy airspace and this latest incident, investigators are now questioning the practice. [8:14] This is certainly something we will look at as part of this investigation. [8:18] And David, earlier today we saw teams moving that fire truck and the plane from the runway. [8:23] A preliminary report on the accident is expected within 30 days. [8:27] Meanwhile, four people are still in the hospital. [8:30] David. [8:31] Gio Benitez with us tonight. [8:32] Gio, thank you. [8:33] Tonight there's breaking news on the war in Iran. [8:35] Iran rejecting President Trump's 15-point plan. [8:38] Iran insisting there are no negotiations taking place. [8:41] Tonight, President Trump surging forces to the region, including up to 15 million people. [8:44] And now even some Republicans are expressing concern tonight about possible American boots on the ground in Iran. [8:53] Rachel Scott at the White House tonight. [8:55] Tonight, Iran flatly rejecting President Trump's 15-point plan to end the war, insisting no negotiations are taking place despite what the president says. [9:06] They want to make a deal so badly. [9:07] But Iran's foreign minister today declaring there are no negotiations with the enemy. [9:12] Iran sarcastically asking if Americans were negotiating. [9:15] Despite the clashing claims, sources tell us the two sides are trading messages, using Pakistan as a go-between. [9:24] Iran aware Trump's overtures come as he surges military forces to the region. [9:28] Up to 1,500 American paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division now on the way. [9:35] The president has not ruled out putting boots on the ground. [9:38] Tonight, even some top Republicans sounding concern. [9:41] My hope is that we do not have boots on the ground. [9:44] We do not have boots on the ground. [9:47] In a new Quinnipiac poll, just 34% of voters approve of how the president is handling Iran. [9:52] 59% disapprove. [9:55] Gas prices up more than a dollar, with the average price of a gallon soon expected to hit $4. [10:01] That number even higher in some parts of the country. [10:04] The rising cost of fuel now causing airlines to raise ticket prices. [10:07] The CEO of United Airlines telling ABC News customers should expect an increase of roughly 20%. [10:13] And tonight, for the first time in a decade, we're going to be talking about the U.S. economy. [10:14] We're going to be talking about the U.S. economy. We're going to be talking about the U.S. economy. [10:15] First time ever, the U.S. Postal Service is preparing to roll out a fuel surcharge on package deliveries, probably around 8%. [10:23] For voters, it's all adding up. [10:25] That new poll showing only 38% approve of how the president is handling the economy. [10:30] Another reason the president may be looking for an off ramp as this war enters its fifth week. [10:36] As more troops head to the Middle East tonight, the Pentagon briefing lawmakers over on Capitol Hill. [10:41] But the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee sounding unsatisfied, [10:45] telling reporters we want to know more about what's going on, what the options are, [10:49] and why they're being considered, saying we're just not getting enough answers to those questions, David. [10:53] Rachel Scott live at the White House again tonight. [10:55] Rachel, thank you. [10:56] We move on tonight to Savannah Guthrie's first interview since the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, 53 days ago now. [11:03] Tonight here, her emotional message and what Savannah is asking for. [11:07] She and her family remain convinced that someone out there saw something or might know something, [11:12] and they're asking them to please come forward. [11:14] Here's Trevor Ault. [11:15] Tonight, Savannah Guthrie speaking out in her first interview since her mother's kidnapping, [11:20] opening up about her family's pain. [11:23] Someone needs to do the right thing. [11:25] We are in agony. [11:28] We are in agony. [11:31] It is unbearable. [11:35] Savannah sharing with Hoda Kotb how she is haunted imagining what her mom might have experienced. [11:41] And to think of what she went through. [11:43] I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night, and in the darkness. [11:53] I wake up. [11:56] I imagine terror. [12:05] And it is unthinkable. [12:07] But those thoughts demand to be thought. [12:09] And I will not hide my faith. [12:14] She needs to come home now. [12:21] It comes just days after Savannah posted a new call for the Tucson community to zero in on the hours around the kidnapping and about three weeks before. [12:30] We hope people search their memories, especially around the key timelines of January 31st and the early morning hours of February 1st, [12:38] as well as the late evening of January 11th. [12:40] Investigators have asked neighbors for footage around that time. [12:44] Sources tell ABC news they believe this image of the suspect without a backpack was recorded outside the home weeks before he appeared on Nancy's doorstep the night of the abduction. [12:55] And David, investigators stress they are still following up on every one of the thousands of tips that continue to pour in as Savannah Guthrie describes on day 53 how she still wakes up at night imagining what her mother might have gone through. [13:08] David. [13:09] Yeah. [13:10] And we here at ABC remain hopeful for Savannah, too. [13:12] Trevor, thank you. [13:13] We move on tonight to the disturbing video. [13:15] The husband accused of trying to push his wife off a hiking cliff, beating her with a rock, trying to inject her with a syringe. [13:21] For the first time here, we see the video of the Good Samaritans helping that wife get back down the trail. [13:26] Here's Rhiannon Alley. [13:27] Tonight, dramatic evidence at the trial of a Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife during a hike for her birthday. [13:37] For the first time, prosecutors played police body camera footage of a wounded woman. [13:39] We're going to take a look. [13:40] We'll be right back. [13:41] Good morning, everyone. [13:42] This is the morning of the [13:45] footage of a wounded Ariel Koenig just moments after she says her husband tried to push her off a cliff and inject her with a syringe before hitting her repeatedly in the head with a rock. [13:55] Blood streaming down her face as she was gently guided to safety by two Good Samaritan nurses who were hiking nearby and heard her screams, calling 911. [14:07] There's a man trying to kill her. [14:09] Another woman joins the nurses as they helped a dazed Ariel Koenig to the ground, wrapping her head in gossip. [14:11] cause. Ariel calmly giving the officer a description of her husband, who police say [14:24] fled the scene. How tall is he? About how much does he weigh? 160. Ariel said it took months [14:34] to recover. On the witness stand, she recalled the moments those women came to help. I was saying [14:39] something like, please help. He's trying to kill me. Gerhard just kind of froze and knelt back [14:46] away from me, and I just crawled away really slowly. David, prosecutors say Gerhard Koenig [14:53] was angry over flirtatious texts he discovered between his wife and a co-worker. He is charged [14:59] with attempted murder and faces up to life in prison if convicted. David? Rhiannon Alley with [15:04] us tonight. Rhiannon, thank you. We turn now to the major decision late today. A California jury [15:08] now finding Meta and YouTube negligent when it comes to children on Instagram and other apps. [15:13] Here's Elizabeth Schulze now. Tonight, in a landmark [15:17] verdict that could open the floodgates to more lawsuits against social media titans, [15:22] a jury finding Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube harmed young users by designing their [15:27] apps to be addictive. We've sent a message with this that you will be held accountable. The jury [15:33] in Los Angeles awarding 20-year-old Kaylee at the center of this case $6 million. Kaylee testifying [15:40] she started using social media as young as age six. She says it led to depression, anxiety, [15:45] and body image issues. [15:47] During the trial, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended safety features, but said Meta has [15:54] acknowledged for a while that people get around the age restrictions. The first of its kind verdict [15:59] comes just one day after a New Mexico jury ordered Meta in a separate case to pay $375 million for [16:06] failing to warn kids about predators online. Tonight, families reacting outside of court. [16:12] The shot's daughter, Annalie, took her own life at 18 years old after Lori says social [16:17] media triggered body image issues. [16:19] Big tech, your gig is over. [16:23] Both Meta and YouTube say they disagree with the verdict and will appeal. David. [16:29] Elizabeth Schulze with us tonight. Elizabeth, thank you. When we come back here this evening, [16:32] news on Barry Manilow coming in tonight. Also here, we remember the famous songwriter [16:36] behind Wild Thing. Also ahead tonight, the JetBlue flight on the way to JFK hitting a coyote [16:41] during takeoff. What happened? And then look at this tonight, the major league surprise, [16:45] the pitcher on the mound approached by the manager. Not always good when the [16:48] manager walks out, but what that pitcher was told in a moment here. We'll be right back. [16:54] Tonight, a JetBlue flight from Providence to JFK hitting a coyote on takeoff. Passengers could hear [16:59] a loud bang, the plane once in the air, then turning around making an emergency landing. [17:03] That plane inspected before taking off again. The daring rescue in Tampa, officers racing to [17:08] pull a man from a burning car. One officer smashing the car's window to get him out. [17:12] The driver had suffered a medical emergency before crashing. When we come back tonight, [17:16] the news on Barry Manilow. Also remembering the famous songwriter, [17:19] behind Wild Thing, and that rookie pitcher, and quite a surprise. To the index tonight, [17:26] singer Barry Manilow says he's now cancer-free, still recovering from lung cancer surgery. [17:30] The 82-year-old telling people it made him take stock of his life. He hopes to return to the [17:34] stage soon. Tonight, songwriter Chip Taylor has died, best known for the 1966 hit, Wild Thing. [17:40] A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, brother of actor John Boyd, Chip Taylor was 86. [17:48] When we come back tonight, the rookie pitcher on the mound, not always good when the manager [17:52] approaches. But this was quite something. Tonight, America's strong, the rookie pitcher, [17:58] and the surprise. Tonight, the rookie pitcher, and the surprise of a lifetime, [18:03] with that manager approaching the mound. In Arlington, Texas, Texas Rangers rookie pitcher, [18:08] 24-year-old Carter Baumler, right there. Right in the middle of a spring training game, [18:13] bottom of the fifth inning, Rangers manager Skip Schumacher, walking right up to him, [18:17] approaching the mound. And of course, it's not always good when the manager approaches. [18:21] But this time, his teammates surrounding him. [18:24] Just listen to the announcers, and watch his face. [18:27] So, Schumacher, out there, with a word for Baumler, and it looks like I, [18:33] you get the sense, right, that he just let him know some pretty good news. [18:38] Yeah, I think he told him he made the team. [18:40] The Rangers manager telling Carter he made the opening day roster. He made the team. [18:45] What a neat moment, out on the mound with Skip Schumacher. Congrats. [18:49] That young pitcher training for years for this moment. It turns out his parents were watching [18:54] the broadcast back home in Des Moines. [18:56] Iowa. And they realized pretty quickly what was happening. The news confirmed by their own son, [19:01] in the interview, right after. [19:03] What were you expecting when he came out to the mound to talk to you? [19:07] I mean, honestly, I thought I was like, getting taken out of the game. I was like, I didn't know [19:12] what was going on. Obviously, whenever the manager comes out, like, you know, you're usually done. [19:17] So, yeah, he just came up and told me I made the team. Yeah, you know, it's went through a lot of [19:23] hard times over the last, like, few years. And pretty cool. Pretty special. [19:28] And that rookie pitcher, emotional on the moment. [19:32] You know, like, a few years ago, I never would have expected this. You know, looking back, it's just, I'm glad I, you know, kept my head down and kept hammering away. So, yeah. [19:45] Tonight, the surprise on the mound. It's not always bad when the manager approaches. And one life changed on the eve of opening day. [19:52] That's pretty cool. Best of luck to Carter. His life-changing moment on the mound. And glad his parents are watching, too. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night. [20:01] Trusted anchor in America. The most watched anchor in America. Thank you for making World News Tonight with David Muir, the number one newscast in America.