ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - April 2, 2026

0:01 David Muir, ABC's World News Tonight, America's most watched

0:04 newscast.

0:05 Now streaming same day with all the breaking news

0:09 of the day on Disney+.

0:10 Most watched, most trusted.

0:12 Now on Disney+ every night.

0:16 Tonight breaking news.

0:17 President Trump fires Attorney General

0:19 Pam Bondi.

0:20 It's the second major cabinet shakeup in just

0:22 weeks.

0:23 The two spotted together 24 hours ago.

0:25 What sources say was behind Bondi's ousting,

0:28 failed political prosecutions and the Jeffrey Epstein files.

0:31 Tonight, who will replace her at the Justice Department?

0:34 Pierre Thomas is standing by.

0:36 Booster ignition and lift off.

0:39 Breaking news in the historic mission to the

0:41 moon.

0:41 The critical next step for the Artemis

0:42 two astronauts blasting toward the moon.

0:45 Gio Benitez with late reporting.

0:47 Tonight, oil prices are surging after President Trump's first

0:50 primetime speech to the nation on the war in Iran.

0:53 The president vowing to escalate the attacks, posting video

0:56 of the bombing on the tallest bridge in the Middle East.

0:58 Trump warning Iran to make a deal before it's too late.

1:01 Iran firing back at Israel and the Gulf states.

1:04 And the critical Strait of Hormuz essentially shut down.

1:07 So how much higher could energy prices go?

1:09 Rachel Scott reports from the White House.

1:11 Just in tonight, the Army's top officer forced to step down

1:15 will go live to Martha Raddatz.

1:17 The dramatic new body camera video

1:19 of the arrest of Tiger Woods, accused of DUI.

1:22 The moment officers realized it was the golfing great

1:24 who'd rolled over his Range Rover

1:26 and taking a field sobriety test.

1:28 So at this time you are under arrest for DUI, yes sir.

1:31 The stunning testimony from the doctor accused

1:34 of trying to kill his wife on a hiking trail in Hawaii,

1:37 the intense scrutiny by prosecutors.

1:39 The dangerous back-to-back storms,

1:41 tornadoes, destructive winds and ice,

1:43 just as millions travel for the holidays.

1:46 A chilling new video just coming in,

1:48 a suspect shoving a man in front of a moving train.

1:51 And a new development late today,

1:53 a judge throws out most of actress Blake Lively's

1:55 claims against Justin Baldoni.

1:57 And America Strong tonight, the eight-year-old

2:00 whose stuff creation is now part of America's

2:02 mission to the moon.

2:03 (upbeat music)- From ABC News World Headquarters in New York,

2:11 this is World News Tonight with David Muir.

2:15 Good evening everyone, thanks so much for joining us.

2:17 I'm Lindsay Davis in for David.

2:19 A short time ago, a critical next step

2:21 in the historic Artemis II moon mission,

2:24 24 hours after lifting off, the four astronauts on board

2:27 triggered an engine that set them on a course to the moon.

2:30 More on this in a moment.

2:31 But we do begin with that breaking

2:33 news.

2:33 President Trump's firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi,

2:36 his second cabinet shakeup in a month.

2:38 Bondi is a longtime Trump loyalist who helped defend

2:41 him in his first impeachment trial.

2:43 Just yesterday, she was seen accompanying

2:45 him to the Supreme Court for arguments on ending

2:47 birthright citizenship.

2:48 But the president was reported to have grown

2:50 and impatient with Bondi's lack of success in prosecuting his

2:53 enemies and her PR blunders on the Epstein case,

2:56 including a combative hearing on Capitol Hill.

2:59 But Pam Bondi does leave the Department of Justice more

3:02 firmly under his control.

3:03 ABC's Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas

3:07 leads us off tonight.

3:08 Despite being perhaps the most loyal attorney general in recent

3:12 history, Pam Bondi is out.

3:14 President Trump, the greatest president in American history.

3:17 President Trump is the most transparent president

3:20 in American history.

3:21 Today, President Trump posting on social media

3:24 that Bondi, whom he called a friend and an American patriot,

3:27 will be transitioning to a much-needed and important

3:30 new job in the private sector.

3:32 Bondi and Trump seen as recently as yesterday

3:34 outside the Supreme Court.

3:36 But sources telling ABC News Trump

3:38 Trump had been frustrated for months about Bondi's inability

3:42 to bring successful prosecutions against some of his enemies

3:46 like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney

3:49 General Letitia James.

3:50 We have to act fast.

3:52 If they're not guilty, that's fine.

3:54 If they are guilty or if they should be charged,

3:56 they should be charged.

3:57 And he was not happy with the way Bondi and DOJ handled

4:01 the Jeffrey Epstein files, at times frustrated over repeated

4:04 questions about the case.

4:06 Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?

4:09 This guy's been talked about for years.

4:11 Are people still talking about this guy, this creep?

4:14 That is unbelievable.

4:17 Bondi had gone to the White House promising transparency,

4:20 but handing out mostly old Epstein files,

4:23 leaving many of Trump's MAGA supporters underwhelmed.

4:26 And there was this moment on Fox News.

4:29 The DOJ may be releasing the list of

4:32 Jeffrey Epstein's clients.

4:33 Will that really happen?

4:35 It's sitting on my desk right now to review,

4:38 but DOJ later trying to shut down

4:40 the release of the Epstein files and

4:42 acknowledging there was no list.

4:44 White House Chief of Staff Susie Weil said on the

4:46 record in a vanity fair interview that Bondi quote

4:50 completely whiffed on Epstein.

4:53 Democrats celebrating her departure

4:55 with Senate Minority Leader Chuck

4:56 Schumer saying good riddance, claiming that DOJ had been

4:59 turned into a political weapon.

5:01 But Republican Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate

5:03 Judiciary Committee, thanking Bondi for her work and touting

5:07 that she had helped bring violent crime down to historic

5:10 lows.

5:10 Bondi becomes the second major

5:12 cabinet official to lose her job in less than a month after

5:15 Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was

5:18 removed from her post.

5:19 The AG is being replaced by Deputy Attorney General Todd

5:23 Blanch, respected attorney, but also a former defense

5:26 counsel for President Trump.

5:28 Just days ago, Blanch tallied DOJ's removal of

5:30 agents and prosecutors who worked on criminal

5:33 cases involving Trump.

5:35 There is not a single man or woman at the Department of

5:40 Justice who had anything to do with those prosecutions.

5:45 Pierre Thomas joins us now.

5:47 So Pierre, is the president likely to get different results

5:49 with Blanche or whomever he appoints permanently

5:51 as US Attorney General?

5:53 Well, it's hard to imagine anyone more loyal than Bondi,

5:56 and there's no guarantee that judges, grand juries,

5:58 and juries will give DOJ the results that it wants.

6:01 Today, Bondi posting that she's eternally grateful

6:04 for the trust Trump placed in her,

6:06 and that she will continue fighting for Trump

6:08 and the administration, Lindsay.

6:10 Pierre, thank you.

6:11 Next tonight, that big event for Artemis 2,

6:14 firing up an engine, putting the spacecraft

6:16 on a path toward the moon.

6:17 24 hours after their spectacular launch,

6:20 the crew is working out the bugs on their brand new spacecraft,

6:23 among them a problem with the toilet.

6:25 Here's ABC's Gio Benitez.

6:27 And liftoff.

6:29 Tonight, after that picture-perfect liftoff

6:30 and a full day orbiting Earth.

6:32 Welcome on board the Integrity spacecraft.

6:35 The crew of Integrity taking the next critical step

6:37 on their mission to the moon.

6:39 We have the start of the translunar injection burn

6:41 that will send the crew around the moon,

6:42 the first humans to do so in over 50 years.

6:46 Starting what's called the Translunar Injection Burn,

6:48 or TLI, firing up the final engine

6:51 that will push the crew out of Earth's orbit

6:53 and on a four-day trip to the moon.

6:55 Getting ready for rendezvous and proxops demonstration.

6:58 Overnight, teams testing everything on board

7:00 the 330-square-foot spacecraft.

7:03 Pilot Victor Glover steering the Integrity,

7:05 getting a feel of what it would be like to dock with a

7:08 spacecraft on future missions.

7:10 "Here comes two left.

7:12 One, two, left." Just before they went to sleep, they had to troubleshoot a

7:17 problem with the ship's toilet.

7:18 Hours later, Mission Control waking them up with the song

7:21 "Green Light" by John Legend.

7:23 "Give me the green light!"

7:26 And messages from their team back on Earth.

7:28 "We're so proud to support the journey to the moon."

7:31 "That was awesome.

7:33 Thank you for all of those messages."

7:37 Artemis 2 launched into space at 6.35 p.m.

7:40 Wednesday.

7:42 The ground trembling and crowds cheering as

7:44 it tore across the sky.

7:46 The crew blown away by their breathtaking

7:49 view of planet Earth.

7:50 From about 38,000 nautical miles,

7:54 the entire half of the Earth is spectacular.

7:58 Can actually make out the coastline of the continent.

8:01 It is just absolutely phenomenal.

8:04 You guys look great.

8:06 And Lindsay, if everything goes as planned,

8:08 those Artemis astronauts will reach the moon by Monday.

8:12 Super exciting, Gio, thank you.

8:15 Next tonight, oil prices soaring after President Trump's

8:18 first primetime speech about the war in Iran.

8:20 The president telling Americans

8:22 the war is already a success while urging Iran

8:24 to make a deal or be bombed back to the stone ages.

8:28 Hours later, the U.

8:29 S.

8:29 And Israel destroyed a

8:30 bridge near Tehran, a key piece of Iran's

8:32 infrastructure.

8:32 While you're at home, concern over the

8:35 economic fallout grows.

8:36 Here's ABC's Rachel Scott

8:39 tonight.

8:39 Oil prices soaring just hours after President

8:42 Trump threatened to step up attacks on Iran.

8:44 The U.S.

8:45 and Israel carrying out an airstrike near

8:47 Tehran on the tallest bridge in the Middle East.

8:50 In this video circulating online, people seen standing

8:54 nearby seconds before an explosion.

8:57 President Trump warning much more

8:59 to follow, saying it is time for Iran to make a

9:02 deal before it is too late and there is nothing left.

9:05 We're going to hit them extremely hard over the

9:08 next two to three weeks.

9:10 We're going to bring them back to the stone ages

9:13 where they belong.

9:14 Iran showing no signs of backing

9:16 down an Iranian missile slamming into this

9:19 neighborhood east of Tel Aviv seen in video posted on

9:23 social media and tonight Iranian media reports the

9:26 regime has executed Amir Hussein Hatami seen here

9:29 in a photo shared on X by Iran human rights.

9:32 The 18 year old sentenced to

9:34 death for participating in nationwide protests

9:37 against the government.

9:38 Thousands have been killed in the crackdown.

9:40 Five weeks into this war, President

9:42 trump has not laid out an exit strategy or a

9:45 concrete plan to reopen the critical straight of her

9:48 moves, which today sent oil prices spiking.

9:51 The price for a gallon of gas

9:52 here at home now tops $4 a gallon and could reach

9:57 $4.45 in the next two weeks.

9:59 Diesel could reach a record $6 a gallon.

10:02 The extra costs already adding up

10:04 quickly for truck drivers like Corey Reese in

10:06 Missouri.

10:07 I mean literally, I mean it's crazy.

10:09 These trucks, you know, they carry

10:11 200, 300 gallons at a time in Virginia.

10:14 Thomas Walker says he's making tough

10:16 choices.

10:16 I had to do grocery shopping at

10:18 the Dollar General.

10:19 Because it's food or gas.

10:21 So I'm splitting it between gas and food.

10:24 But as Americans are feeling the pinch at home,

10:26 the president says it's not possible for the U.S.

10:28 to fund some domestic programs.

10:30 In this video obtained by Business Insider.

10:32 It's not possible for us to take care of daycare.

10:36 Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things,

10:39 they can do it on a state basis.

10:41 You can't do it on a federal.

10:42 We have to take care of one thing, military protection.

10:46 The president is once again urging our allies

10:48 to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz,

10:50 but tonight, French President Emmanuel Macron

10:52 saying the United States could deplore the fact

10:54 that they're not getting help, but he insists this is not

10:57 our operation, Lindsay.

10:58 Rachel Scott from the White House, thank you.

11:00 Also developing tonight, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

11:03 ousting the Army's top officer, ordering Chief of Staff

11:06 General Randy George to immediately retire.

11:09 It's the latest clash between Hegseth and the military

11:12 senior leadership, and it comes in the middle of a

11:15 war.

11:15 ABC's Martha Rannetts joins us now, Martha.

11:18 Lindsay General Randy George is a decorated

11:21 army general, but he was formerly a senior aide to

11:24 Joe Biden's Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and

11:27 his name was rumored to be on the chopping block

11:29 for many months.

11:30 Pete Hegseth made it official

11:32 tonight, saying George will be retiring effective

11:35 immediately.

11:35 His vice chief of staff, Christopher Leneve, will

11:38 be taking over a general close to Hegseth.

11:41 Hegseth has purged the Pentagon of numerous

11:44 senior officers since he became secretary.

11:47 This one, of course, now happening

11:49 in the middle of a war.

11:50 Lindsay?

11:51 Martha Raddatz for us.

11:52 Thank you.

11:53 Now to that newly released body camera video

11:55 showing golfer Tiger Woods after he crashed his Range Rover

11:58 last week, how he performed on a sobriety test and

12:00 what he said when deputies found pills in his pocket.

12:03 Here's ABC's Victor Arquendo.

12:06 Tonight for the first time we're seeing the

12:08 police body camera video moments after Tiger Woods crash.

12:12 Down my phone and all of a sudden boom.

12:16 The accident happened almost a week ago in

12:18 Jupiter Island, Florida.

12:19 You can see the trailer Woods clipped before

12:22 flipping his Land Rover.

12:23 Is anybody in the car?

12:24 No he's out.

12:26 I pulled up after it happened.

12:28 Who's involved?

12:29 Who's involved?

12:32 Woods had to crawl out of the passenger side

12:35 window.

12:35 Martin County Sheriff's deputies checking on

12:37 the golf legend first.

12:38 This is this comfortable for you.

12:42 Woods seen on the phone, apparently

12:45 speaking with President Trump.

12:47 I just keep it down here with us, please.

12:49 Yeah, I was talking to the president.

12:51 Deputies then bringing Woods to their

12:53 cruiser where they perform field sobriety

12:55 test.

12:55 And how much have you had to drink today?

12:59 None.

12:59 Do you take any medication?

13:01 I take a few.

13:02 Yes.

13:03 Then arresting woods.

13:04 So at this time, I do believe your normal

13:07 faculties are impaired.

13:08 Okay.

13:08 And you're under the unknown substance.

13:10 Okay.

13:10 So at this time you're under

13:11 arrest for D.

13:12 U.

13:12 I.

13:12 Yes, sir.

13:14 After going through his pockets, police finding

13:16 these prescription pills That's an Arco.

13:19 It's an Arco?

13:19 Yeah.

13:20 Okay.

13:21 Woods, taken to jail, charged with DUI.

13:24 He's since pled not guilty.

13:26 Woods pled not guilty to DUI.

13:29 A judge granted him permission to seek

13:31 treatment outside the U.S.

13:33 Victor, thank you.

13:34 Now to Hawaii, where the doctor charged with attempting to

13:37 murder his wife, taking the stand for a second day after

13:39 his emotional testimony claiming he acted in self-defense.

13:43 Tonight, prosecutors are challenging him on that claim.

13:46 Here's ABC's Trevor Aul.

13:47 Tonight, prosecutors grilling the Hawaii anesthesiologist

13:51 accused of trying to murder his wife on a birthday hike.

13:54 The prosecution's suggesting he was motivated by anger

13:57 over his wife's alleged emotional affair.

14:00 And you're upset, right?

14:02 That's not the primary feeling at the time.

14:06 I was feeling a lot of other feelings,

14:08 but I was also upset.

14:10 You were mad, right?

14:12 I was not mad.

14:13 You were not mad when you confronted your

14:15 wife about these messages.

14:16 I was upset.

14:17 Officials say Dr.

14:18 Gerhard Koenig tried pushing his wife Ariel off a cliff on this trail

14:23 before attempting to inject her with a syringe and

14:25 repeatedly striking her in the head with a rock.

14:28 He claims she attacked him and he acted in self-defense.

14:32 How fast was this all happening?

14:34 Mm hmm.

14:35 Pretty fast, really fast.

14:38 Doctor Konig claims after a pair of hikers stumbled upon them,

14:41 his wife covered in blood.

14:43 He was stunned at what happened and became suicidal.

14:46 Did you ever want to hurt her that day?

14:49 You reacted to defend yourself in the heat of that moment.

14:54 You said yes, yes.

14:56 And Lindsay Doctor Konig son testified.

14:58 His father called him and said he tried to kill his wife.

15:02 says his son misunderstood him.

15:04 He denies ever confessing.

15:06 Lindsey Trevor, thank you at the Vatican.

15:09 Pope Leo opening his first Holy Week

15:11 service with a warning against the

15:12 abusive power presenting life of unity

15:15 and service as an antidote to what he

15:16 called the imperialist occupation of

15:18 the world in this dark hour of history.

15:21 The pontiff, then conducting a traditional rite of humility,

15:24 washing the feet of 12 priests.

15:27 When we come back, we're tracking

15:28 dangerous storms and tornadoes just as millions

15:30 travel for the holidays.

15:31 The urgent manhunt here in New York for a suspect

15:34 who fled the scene of the deadly shooting of a baby

15:36 girl in Brooklyn.

15:37 The close call on the tracks.

15:39 A man appears to shove another

15:40 man into the path of an oncoming train.

15:43 The news just coming in.

15:44 A judge dismisses most of Blake

15:46 Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni and

15:49 America strong tonight.

15:50 One young man's creation now on its way to the moon.

15:56 Next tonight, a federal judge in New York

15:57 throwing out most of Blake Lively's lawsuit against

16:00 Justin Baldoni, including sexual harassment

16:02 claims.

16:02 The judge saying some of Baldoni's conduct

16:05 was not so far beyond what might be expected

16:07 between two characters in a sexually charged film

16:09 like it ends with us.

16:11 Lively can proceed with her claims of a smear

16:13 campaign by Baldoni's PR team.

16:15 An urgent search is underway tonight here in New

16:17 York City for a suspect in the deadly shooting of

16:20 a seven month old baby in Brooklyn.

16:22 The baby was riding in her stroller when

16:24 she was hit.

16:25 Her two year old brother was grazed by

16:26 a bullet.

16:27 Police say two suspects fled on a moped

16:29 and were hit by a car moments later.

16:31 The suspects are believed to be gang

16:33 members.

16:33 When we come back, we're tracking

16:35 dangerous storms happening right now and the close

16:38 call on the tracks.

16:39 A man appearing to push

16:40 another man into an oncoming train

16:44 to the index, a harrowing scene on a train

16:47 platform in Seattle.

16:48 A man appears to shove another

16:50 man right into the path of a train.

16:52 The man was able to stay on his feet and

16:54 was not hurt.

16:55 The suspect was arrested and charged

16:57 with attempted murder.

16:58 The dangerous tornado threat for several states

17:00 tonight.

17:01 Part of the same system that spawned this

17:03 massive supercell in north texas 24 hours ago, the

17:05 sweeping storm system now bringing snow, ice and

17:09 severe weather to the upper midwest.

17:11 A tornado watch is in effect through

17:12 tonight when we come back the proud eight year

17:15 old who's watching his creation head to the moon.

17:20 Finally tonight, America strong, an eight year

17:22 old dreamer eyes turned skyward watching imagination

17:26 become ignition as Artemis rises to the heavens

17:29 with his creation on board tonight with a historic

17:33 moon mission now underway.

17:35 Take a close look inside the Orion crew capsule.

17:38 The smiling plushy toy right

17:39 there in the middle was the smart and out of this

17:42 world idea of an eight year old from Mountain View

17:45 California.

17:45 There is their zero G indicator.

17:48 A tradition now for decades

17:50 of missions for astronauts to bring toys into space,

17:53 calling them zero gravity indicators or Z.

17:56 G.

17:56 I.

17:57 S.

17:57 Artemis to mission specialist Christina Cook.

17:59 It's not a scientific instrument, but it does tell

18:02 everybody who's watching where everything else

18:04 might be strapped in.

18:05 We really are in space.

18:06 NASA put out a call for ideas.

18:08 What toys should the Artemis astronauts fly up with

18:11 thousands sent in their designs.

18:13 Commander Reed Weissman announcing the winner.

18:16 We are holding our our zero G indicator rise.

18:20 The team proudly holding it.

18:22 Our buddy here named Rise was submitted by second grader

18:28 Lucas Yee from California.

18:31 Thank you, Lucas.

18:33 Eight year old Lucas Yee, the winner.

18:36 Hello, my name is Lucas.

18:37 Designing the toy he calls Rise,

18:39 based off that famous 1968 photo of the Earth

18:42 from the Apollo 8 mission.

18:44 The cap is representing Earth and Earth Rise.

18:49 The visor is representing the two past

18:52 and future moon missions.

18:54 The team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

18:56 making the stuffed toy to their exacting safety standards.

19:00 My name is Paula Kane.

19:01 Paula, a thermal blanket technician, sewing it up.

19:04 This is the Rai ZGI doll.

19:07 All I have left to do is to close the opening here

19:10 and hand sew the hat on, make sure the stuffing

19:15 is stuffed in there.

19:17 NASA inviting Lucas and his family to watch the launch.

19:21 (crowd cheering) The crowd and Lucas cheering, as tonight we all applaud Lucas

19:26 and his big idea on its way to the moon.

19:29 Later on, guys.

19:31 Yay!

19:32 Proud moment.

19:33 Thanks so much for watching.

19:34 I'm Lindsay Davis.

19:35 Have a great night.

19:35 [END PLAYBACK] David Muir, the most trusted anchor in America,

19:40 the most watched anchor in America.

19:42 Thank you for making World News Tonight with David Muir,

19:45 The number one newscast in America.