ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - Dec. 23, 2025

 

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.

 

00:00 Intro

 

Tonight, breaking news as we come on in the West. Dangerous storms bearing down on both coasts, and an explosion and massive fire at a nursing home turns deadly.

 

The urgent search efforts happening in Pennsylvania at this hour. First responders racing to the scene of a nursing home engulfed in flames. People trapped inside.

 

Aaron Katersky with late details and the images just coming in. The dangerous weather threats as millions hit the roads and the skies for the holiday. Slick roads slowing travel.

 

Ground stops at some major airports. And in the West, alarming warnings for potentially life-threatening flooding. More than 40 million Americans on alert.

 

Officials urging people to stay home and not travel. Our weather team tracking it all. The grim discovery in Utah.

 

grim [grɪm] adj. 无情的；严厉的；残忍的

 

In the case of the nine-year-old California girl missing for months. Melody Buzzard. ABC News has learned that her remains have been found. Her mother now under arrest.

 

remains [rɪˋmenz] n. 遗体；遗骨

 

The Department of Justice releases 30,000 more files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The information about President Trump.

 

sex offender 性罪犯、性犯罪者

 

How many times he allegedly flew on Epstein's jet in the 1990s. Trips he has denied. The newly revealed emails apparently linked to former Prince Andrew. And the warning signs missed that could have protected other women.

 

Former Nebraska Senator and one-time college president Ben Sasse. The husband and father revealing his terminal cancer diagnosis.

 

terminal [ˋtɝmən!] adj. 末期的，晚期的

 

President Trump hails the surprising expansion in the economy. The largest GDP growth in two years. But are Americans feeling it?

 

The weight loss game changer. The FDA approves a new once a day Wegovy pill. How much will it cost?

 

Superstar Taylor Swift and what she just did to help spread holiday cheer.

 

And America strong tonight. One local business owner turning her own loss into a personal holiday gift for her community.

 

From ABC News World Headquarters in New York. This is World News Tonight with David Muir.

 

02:16 Deadly explosion levels part of a Pennsylvania nursing home as first responders search for survivors

 

Good evening, I'm Whit Johnson. And for David tonight, we're tracking the dangerous storms on both coasts. Just as millions travel for the holiday.

 

But we begin with late breaking news as we come on in the West. The urgent rescue effort after a deadly explosion rocked a nursing home outside Philadelphia. The images just coming in.

 

A massive fire erupting at the facility in Bristol Township. Reports of multiple people trapped inside. First responders from neighboring towns.

 

Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey racing to the scene. Authorities warning people to stay away because of the huge response. ABC's Aaron Katersky leads us off.

 

Tonight, this roaring fire after a gas explosion leveled part of a Pennsylvania nursing home, trapping victims under the rubble and turning deadly.

 

The explosion was really quite catastrophic. We know that at this time, there are at least two fatalities.

 

fatality [fəˋtælətɪ] n.（因意外事故的）死亡；死者

 

We know that there are some number of individuals still missing.

 

First responders racing into Silver Lake Nursing Home outside Philadelphia.

 

There was a big boom. People are running off the facility. It was like a dynamite explosion.

 

boom [bum] n.（雷，大炮等的）隆隆声

 

Crews searching floor by floor, declaring a mass casualty incident.

 

casualty [ˋkæʒjʊəltɪ] n.（事故、灾难等的）死者；伤者；受害人

 

Need that basement water turned off urgently. We got people drowning down here.

 

Flames and smoke pouring out of the wrecked building that has space for more than 170 beds, according to a state report.

 

This building literally just exploded right in front of my eyes.

 

Witnesses consoling one another, staring at the blown out slabs of brick and debris.

 

console [kənˋsol] v. 安慰，抚慰，慰问

slab [slæb] n.（石、木、金属、食物等的）板，片

 

It's so devastating. And we all, it's like a big family in there.

 

Tonight, emergency crews and canine teams are trying to account for everyone who was inside. Fire department personnel immediately went into a rescue mode.

 

account [əˋkaʊnt] v. 解释，说明；对……负责[（+for）] (指确认每个人的下落或安全状况)

 

They pulled many residents out of the building via windows, doors, stuck in stairwells, stuck in elevator shafts.

 

stairwell [ˋstɛr͵wɛl] n. 楼梯井

shaft [ʃæft] n.（电梯的）升降机井

 

Late today, the utility company said it responded to a call for a gas odor when the blast occurred.

 

And when evacuated residents are being taken to local schools, crews are bringing heavy machinery to the devastated site, and they need to find beds for the displaced two days before Christmas.

 

Just an awful scene. Aaron Katersky, thanks so much.

 

04:30 Powerful storms on both coasts impact Christmas travel rush

 

Now to the dangerous weather threats slamming both coasts right now during the peak of holiday travel.

 

The storms forcing ground delays at Newark Airport in the northeast and San Francisco in the west. People packing airports nationwide. Large crowds at LAX this morning.

 

Millions of Americans across Southern California bracing for dangerous flooding up to a foot of rain over the next few days. Officials warning residents to stay home and off the roads. We'll have the forecast in just a moment.

 

But first, here's ABC's Matt Rivers at Newark Airport.

 

Tonight, millions on the move for the holidays on roads and airports coast to coast. With more than 45,000 flights scheduled to lift off today alone, LAX was packed this morning.

 

Amy Volman's trying to get home to Vermont.

 

Well, I'm a little nervous. My mom told me you might want to keep checking your flight, because I guess as I'm landing in Boston, there's a snowstorm.

 

That snowstorm blanketing the northeast with snow and rain from Rochester to Philly to upstate New York. And New York City surveillance video showing a garbage truck slamming into several vehicles and a scaffolding, killing a woman underneath. Roads were slick at the time.

 

It's getting pretty bad. Northern California slammed with more than a half foot of rain since Sunday.

 

In Humboldt County, Coast Guard rescuers smashing the sunroof of this vehicle, hoisting a 72-year-old woman trapped inside to safety.

 

sunroof [ˋsʌn͵rʊf] n. 天窗；可开闭的汽车顶

hoist [hɔɪst] n.（用绳索，起重机等）吊起

 

And as the waters subside in Northern California, the National Weather Service has issued their highest alert for flooding for parts of Southern California. Our Melissa Adan in fire-ravaged Altadena.

 

You see these blue tarps here on the ground trying to prevent a mudslide.

 

tarp [tɑrp] n. 防水布

 

This as homes here are just frames under construction that are now threatened by these hillsides that could collapse from the rain.

 

With nearly a foot of rain forecast, officials begging everyone to heed evacuation warnings and orders.

 

heed [hid] v. 留心，注意

 

What worse time, right, for something like this to happen, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day.

 

And we're back here at Newark Airport. Look at that crowd behind me. This isn't even the security line.

 

These people are waiting to go up to get to the security area. Ground delays right now averaging about 45 minutes, the next busiest day to fly just after Christmas, Whit, on December 28th.

 

Yeah, those crowds not letting up. Matt Rivers for us. Thanks so much.

 

let up 变慢, 停止

 

06:45 Tracking life-threatening flash flood threat targeting SoCal on Christmas Eve

 

Let's get right to Chief Meteorologist Lee Goldberg with our New York station WABC.

 

And Lee, one storm moving out, but another dangerous threat moving in.

 

Indeed, Whit, we sound the all-clear sign here in New York, but still lingering effects upstate in New York, northern New England. There's a rain-snow mix in Boston, snow in the interior.

 

There'll be enhanced snow in Maine tomorrow morning, 6 to 12 inches in spots. Portland's under a winter storm warning. And then the major flood event that's unfolding over Southern California.

 

See that rare high risk? You've heard about it for days. On those days, you have the most flood fatalities and damage. That area includes part of L.A. and Burbank and Glendale.

 

Let's see how it all unfolds tonight. Rain becomes more widespread. The brunt tomorrow morning, about 7 in the morning local time to 3 in the afternoon.

 

brunt [brʌnt] n. 冲击，撞击；最沉重（或强烈）的部分

 

Then lighter rains after that. But an inch an hour of mudslides and burn scars. We're very concerned about this flooding.

 

Through tomorrow night, we can see a half-foot of rain in the high elevations north of L.A. Maybe up to 10 inches of rain, 2 to 6 feet of snow in the Sierra.

 

More rain Thursday and Friday will be lighter. While that's happening, the rest of the country quieter with record warmth over the middle of the country for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Whit?

 

We know you'll be tracking it all, Lee. We appreciate it.

 

07:52 Thousands more Epstein files released, some referencing Pres. Trump

 

Now to the latest on the Epstein files.

 

The Department of Justice releasing thousands of more documents, some of them making reference to President Trump and other high-profile men. And tonight, growing anger from some of Epstein's survivors, suggesting authorities should have stopped his crimes years earlier.

 

ABC's Jay O'Brien reports from Washington.

 

Tonight, the new details in more than 30,000 pages of Jeffrey Epstein files released in the middle of the night by the Department of Justice, some mentioning President Donald Trump.

 

In one email written during Trump's first term, a federal prosecutor handling the case of Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, alerting his colleagues that flight records reflect that Donald Trump traveled on Epstein's private jet many more times than previously has been reported, or that we were aware.

 

accomplice [əˋkɑmplɪs] n. 共犯，同谋，帮凶

 

Didn't want any of this to be a surprise down the road.

 

A total of eight flights in the mid-1990s, prosecutors said, most later made public. But just last year, Trump, who had a decades-long friendship with Epstein, claimed he was never on Epstein's plane.

 

Another new email shows the FBI pursuing possible Epstein accomplices the day after he was arrested in 2019, asking for an update on the status of the 10 co-conspirators.

 

But this summer, the Justice Department said there was not enough evidence to warrant prosecuting anyone else in connection to Epstein.

 

warrant [ˋwɔrənt] v. 授权给；批准

 

Maxwell is the only co-conspirator ever charged. The records show prosecutors repeatedly tried to interview others in Epstein's orbit, including former Prince Andrew, seen here in a newly released photo with Maxwell and others who are unidentified.

 

orbit [ˋɔrbɪt] n. 势力范围；活动范围

 

Virginia Giuffre long claimed Epstein trafficked her for sex with Andrew three times in 2001 when she was a teenager, which Andrew denies.

 

He knows exactly what he's done.

 

And newly released emails from that same year show a message to Ghislaine Maxwell from someone going by the letter A, saying they're writing from Balmoral Castle, calling it summer camp for the royal family, and asking, have you found me some new inappropriate friends?

 

Maxwell writing back, so sorry to disappoint you. I've only been able to find appropriate friends.

 

The records raise serious questions about why Epstein wasn't stopped years ago. This Palm Beach police report shows authorities looked into Maxwell in 2001 for allegedly recruiting college students to work for Epstein, saying at least two girls complained about Epstein touching them inappropriately.

 

And tonight, top Democrats on Capitol Hill calling for an investigation into how this 1996 FBI tip was ignored.

 

A child pornography complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photos of 12 and 16-year-old girls possibly to be sold. Epstein wouldn't face criminal charges for another decade.

 

How can a woman be making such a serious accusation not be true, and nobody looked at it? So we do ask the DOJ to do their job.

 

With many of those Epstein survivors angry tonight, still waiting on the Department of Justice to release all of the files it has. Days after the legal deadline to do so, more than 100,000 pages have come out so far.

 

Just a fraction of what sources tell ABC News could be upwards of 1 million pages the department has. Whit.

 

All right, Jay O'Brien, thank you for that. Tonight, a grim discovery ending the search for a California 9-year-old Melody Buzzard.

 

ABC News has learned that her remains have been found in Utah, and now her mother is in custody. Here's ABC's Stephanie Ramos.

 

11:02 Ashlee Buzzard in custody after missing daughter's remains found in Utah, sources say

 

Tonight, Ashley Buzzard, mother of 9-year-old Melody, missing since October, taken into custody in Southern California on suspicion of first-degree murder.

 

Authorities revealing they found human remains with gunshot wounds to the head in Utah earlier this month. DNA testing confirming a match for Melody.

 

And arrested Ashley Lynn Buzzard for the murder of Melody Buzzard.

 

The mother and daughter leaving their home in Lompoc on October 7th for a three-day road trip to Nebraska. Ashley renting a white 2024 Chevy Malibu and traveling more than 3,000 miles round trip, according to authorities. This is the route investigators believe she took.

 

Authorities claiming Ashley wore wigs and switched license plates along the way. Ashley returning home on October 10th. But Melody no longer with her.

 

wig [wɪg] n. 假发

 

A school administrator reported her disappearance several days later.

 

Maternal filicide is rare and always difficult to comprehend. But this level of criminal activity is particularly shocking.

 

maternal [məˋtɝn!] adj. 母亲的；母性的；母亲一方的；母系的

filicide [ˋfɪlə͵saɪd] n. 杀子女（者）

comprehend [͵kɑmprɪˋhɛnd] v. 理解，了解，领会

 

Ashley Buzzard is being held without bail at the Santa Barbara County Jail. She does not yet have a court date. Whit.

 

Stephanie Ramos for us. Thank you. We're following more breaking news tonight.

 

12:28 Delaware State Trooper killed at DMV facility, several others hurt

 

A Delaware state trooper was killed in a shooting at a DMV facility in Newcastle County near Wilmington. Police say several other people were hurt. They say the alleged shooter was also killed.

 

State police now working to determine a motive.

 

12:44 Former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse reveals terminal cancer diagnosis

 

Now to the devastating diagnosis from a former senator and former University of Florida President Ben Sasse, the 53-year-old husband and father revealing that he has stage four pancreatic cancer. Here's ABC's Mola Lenghi.

 

Tonight, former U.S. Senator from Nebraska Ben Sasse revealing a sudden and devastating diagnosis. He has stage four pancreatic cancer. The 53-year-old posting a heartfelt message saying, this is a tough note to write.

 

Last week, I was diagnosed with metastasized stage four pancreatic cancer and I'm going to die. Sasse served in the Senate for eight years, a staunch conservative, yet a sharp critic of President Trump, particularly after January 6th.

 

metastasize [məˋtæstə͵saɪz] v.【医】（癌细胞或病菌等向身体其他部分）转移

staunch [stɔntʃ] adj. 坚固的；坚定的，可靠的

 

Donald Trump has acted shamefully. He has been in flagrant dereliction of his duty.

 

flagrant [ˋflegrənt] adj. 明目张胆的；公然的；凶恶的；罪恶昭彰的

dereliction [͵dɛrəˋlɪkʃən] n. 玩忽职守

dereliction of duty【文】失职

 

Sasse was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump during the president's second impeachment trial in 2021, which ended with an acquittal.

 

acquittal [əˋkwɪt!] n. 宣告无罪，无罪开释

 

He resigned from the Senate in 2023 and briefly served as the president of the University of Florida.

 

Tonight, the married father of three saying, this is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad. Adding, he's not going down without a fight.

 

wired [waɪrd] adj.（因未来的某事而）紧张不安的，兴奋的; nervous or excited

 

Whit, medical experts say Sasse's diagnosis is the most advanced form of pancreatic cancer.

 

Patients at that stage may only have months to live. Whit?

 

All right. Mola Lenghi, our thanks to you tonight.

 

14:08 U.S. economy grows 4.3% in 3rd quarter, beating analysts' expectations

 

President Trump celebrating the better than expected news on the economy. The gross domestic product growing 4.3% through the end of September. The data delayed by the government shutdown, the strongest growth in two years.

 

President Trump saying the numbers are blowing past expectations, but are Americans feeling it? Here's ABC's senior White House correspondent, Selena Wang.

 

Tonight, President Trump taking credit for a surging economy after a new report showed growth at its fastest pace in two years. The president posting, the Trump economic golden age is full steam ahead.

 

take credit 邀功; 抢功劳; 居功

 

The US economy grew at an annual rate of 4.3% from July through September, beating analysts' expectations and driven by consumer spending. But polls show 57% of registered voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy.

 

People feel that even if they're working and even if they get a raise, if it's just going towards higher prices, are we really getting ahead?

 

Trump claiming the tariffs are responsible for the great USA economic numbers just announced.

 

But while some grocery prices like eggs have come down, Americans are paying higher prices on everything from bananas to beef to coffee, goods impacted by Trump's tariffs.

 

And where President Trump is in the process of choosing the next chair of the Federal Reserve, Trump announcing that anyone who disagrees with him is never getting the job. He is calling on the next leader to lower interest rates, even if financial markets are doing well. Whit

 

Selena Wang. Thank you.

 

15:43 Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago area

 

Next tonight, the Supreme Court refusing to allow President Trump's bid to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area.

 

It's the first time the high court has weighed in on the legal fight over President Trump's use of the Guard to support immigration enforcement and fight crime.

 

The decision, while temporary, is a significant setback for the White House, which has activated troops in four states plus Washington, D.C.

 

The White House responding tonight saying it does not distract from the president's core agenda, protecting federal personnel and enforcing immigration laws. When we come back, he helped shape a generation of gaming.

 

What we're learning about the deadly car crash that took the life of co-creator of the popular video game Call of Duty. Hundreds of donated holiday toys stolen from a New York charity. What authorities are saying tonight.

 

And a potential weight loss game changer, the drug Wegovy, soon to be available in pill form. Coming up, the price you can expect to pay.

 

coming up 即将发生

 

16:40 Vince Zampella, co-creator of 'Call of Duty,' dies at 55

 

Next tonight, the co-creator of the popular video game Call of Duty has died.

 

Vince Zampella died in a single car accident on Sunday near Los Angeles. Zampella is being remembered as a pioneer in the gaming industry, the force behind several best-selling video games. Call of Duty is one of the most successful game series of all time.

 

More than half a billion games have been sold. Zampella was 55.

 

17:04 Charity pleads for stolen toys for homeless children to be returned before Christmas

 

The plea tonight to return hundreds of toys stolen from a New York charity.

 

plea [pli] n. 请求，恳求

 

The toys were for homeless and needy children in Long Island. About $50,000 in toys were stolen over the weekend. Toys that weren't stolen were damaged.

 

People are also now making donations to replace the missing toys. Police are searching for the suspects. When we come back, big news tonight from Taylor Swift.

 

We'll show you how she's spreading some holiday cheer.

 

17:33 FDA approves Wegovy pill for weight loss

 

To the index now, a new era for weight loss medications is here. The FDA has approved a pill version of the immensely popular Wegovy.

 

Novo Nordisk, the drugmaker, claims the once-daily pill is as effective as the injectable. It could hit U.S. pharmacies as early as January. Without insurance, it's expected to cost about $150 a month.

 

drugmaker [ˋdrʌg͵mekɚ] n. 制药者

 

With insurance, that drops to as low as $25.

 

17:57 Taylor Swift spreads holiday cheer with donations to Feeding America, American Heart Association

 

Taylor Swift is spreading some holiday cheer. Swift donated $1 million to Feeding America, a nonprofit network of 200 food banks fighting hunger in the U.S. She also donated $1 million to the American Heart Association in honor of her father.

 

Scott Swift underwent heart surgery earlier this year. Still ahead, the local toy store and the massive final gift before closing its doors. Finally tonight, America Strong.

 

18:23 Arizona toy store donates all remaining toys to Salvation Army before closure

 

The remarkable gift the closing toy store determined to spread holiday cheer. Tonight in Tucson, Arizona, one toy store is giving one final gift to its community. After five years in business, Astro Toys faced the hard decision to close its storefront.

 

storefront [ˋstɔr͵frʌnt] n. 店面

 

It was just really hard to stay open. A lot of people weren't shopping.

 

But owner Lorena Fierros decided to turn her pain into purpose, planning for a special toy delivery right before Christmas.

 

We started thinking, we have so many toys here, you know, what we don't, why are we going to pack all these up?

 

Lorena donating all of her inventory to the Salvation Army. More than 2,000 toys in all for the children and families who need it most.

 

salvation [sælˋveʃən] n.【宗】拯救，救世

 

I don't know what got us to this point, but if it was meant to be able to give some people a good Christmas, you know, this year, then it was all worth it.

 

For Lorena, these donations are deeply personal. Here she is as a baby, a recipient of the Salvation Army's Christmas gifts herself.

 

recipient [rɪˋsɪpɪənt] n. 接受者；受领者

 

My mom was a single mother and we were actually one of those children that used to go to those events and pick up toys.

 

The Salvation Army shares gifts with hundreds of thousands of children across the country every year, their team grateful.

 

They support us. It's a beautiful time.

 

Lorena hopes her business ambitions can begin a new chapter in the new year. But for now, she's embracing this full circle moment, delivering some holiday magic.

 

Merry Christmas, truly a special gift.

 

I'm Whit Johnson. Have a great night.