We appreciate your time. Im dion lim. For all of us here, thanks so much for inviting us tonight, right here, President Trump on why he suddenly called off the attack on iran. After iran shot down that u. S. Drone, the president says the u. S. Was cocked and loaded. Saying, ten minutes before the strike, i stopped it. Tonight, the president in his own words. What changed his mind. Martha raddatz with late reporting. The massive explosions in philadelphia. The largest refinery on the east coast going up in flames. The blasts felt for miles. Families told to shelter in place. The driver who felt the heat wash over his car. Were live on the scene tonight. Authorities just a short time ago in the Dominican Republic coming before the cameras, explaining why tourists have died. Pushing back, saying there are no mysterious deaths. As tonight we now learn of another american tourist who died there. The new surveillance showing the brutal assault on tsa
agents. A man knocking down one agent, trying to punch others. The Severe Weather threat on this friday night. Dangerous winds and Blinding Rain across several states. Rob, and where it hits this weekend. The weekend sting. The Trump Administration now saying they plan to arrest thousands of undocumented Family Members in this country. Launching raids in as many as ten cities. There is reaction pouring in tonight. The new warning on the beach after this rare attack. A sea lion attacking a 13yearold girl. The toxin the sea lion ingested. And the son, with Millions Watching, who thanked his mom first. Who is our person of the week . Good evening. Its great to have you with us here on a very busy friday night. Just 24 hours ago, last night, the u. S. Was within minutes of striking iran. But President Trump suddenly stopping the strike before it could happen. When news of this broke today, President Trump at first saying the u. S. Was cocked and loaded, ready to target three different
sites, saying he called it off with ten minutes to spare. It was meant to be retaliation after iran shot down that u. S. Drone. So, what was it, at the last minute, that abruptly had the president halting the mission . Martha raddatz leads us off. Reporter just 24 hours after the drone shootdown, which iranian tv claims can be seen in this fireball, the u. S. Military was minutes from striking back. They made a very bad mistake. Reporter despite that mistake and after a day of urgent pentagon preparations, a stunning change in plans. Around 7 00 p. M. Last night. The u. S. Military was ready to launch warplanes and warships at iranian targets until one final meeting between the president and members of his National Security team, where trump made his dramatic reversal, against the advice, say sources, of National Security adviser john bolton and secretary of state mike pompeo. Even some conservative voices on the president s Favorite News Channel were urging restraint. He knows it will define his administration. He knows that It Doesnt Serve American interests. But that people who work for him are pushing the United States into a position where war is very likely, if not inevitable. Reporter this morning, as iran was displaying images of wreckage they say they recovered of the drone, trump confirming overnight reports. At 9 00 a. M. Tweeting that ten minutes before the mission was to be launched, he changed his mind. We were cocked and loaded to retaliate last night on three different sites when i asked, how many will die . 150 people, sir, was the answer from a general. Trump later telling nbc he stopped it because it would not have been a proportional strike. They came in about a half an hour before and they said, sir, were about ready to go. I said, i want a better planes in the air . Were planes in the air . No, were about ready to go. No, but they would have been pretty soon. Things would have happened to a point where you couldnt turn back. So they came and said, sir, were ready to go. Wed like a decision. I said, i want to know something before you go. How many people will be killed . They said came back, said, sir, approximately 150. And i thought about it for a second. I said, you know what . They shot down an unmanned drone, plane, whatever you want to call it, and here we are sitting with 150 dead people that would have taken place probably within a half an hour after i say go ahead. I didnt like it. I didnt think it was proportional. Reporter the iranians claimed today that they too made a humanitarian decision, deciding not to shoot down a manned u. S. P8 Surveillance Plane they claim was in iranian territory. A p8, which usually has a crew
of eight, was in the region taking this image of the drone falling into the water, but was in international airspace. But it was passengers aboard commercial aircraft who appeared to be in the greatest danger over the gulf of oman, with a flight track showing the missile passing just miles in front of a civilian Qatar Airways flight. This is a completely irresponsible action by the iranians to shoot a missile just miles in front of a commercial airliner. If the radar track had shifted from the drone to that commercial airliner, we would be talking about hundreds of people who would have been killed by this iranian missile. Very alarming. Martha raddatz back with us live tonight. A lot of pressure within the administration to move forward with this as you reported there. But tonight, nancy pelosi saying shes glad the president held back. Take a listen. The strength of that amount of Collateral Damage would be very provocative. And im glad the president did not take that. She went on to say the
president needs to deescalate that situation. And now the white house and administration will take concerns over iran to the u. N. . Reporter they will. The u. S. Has called for a closed door u. N. Security Council Meeting monday to discuss iran. With the president seemingly dialing back military action for now. Saying he is in no hurry and believing the sanctions are working. But this standoff with iran is far from over. David . Martha raddatz with us again tonight. Thank you, martha. We are also following the massive explosions in philadelphia, the Largest Oil Refinery in the east erupting in smoke and flames. Fireballs igniting the sky. The blast felt miles away. Homes shaking. Communities on lockdown for a time. And one driver saying he could feel the heat wash over him while sitting in his car. Tonight, the fire is still burning. Abcs whit johnson is on the scene for us. Oh, my gosh. Reporter at least three blasts, starting around 4 00 a. M. , rocking people from their beds in south philadelphia. We just had an explosion with heavy fire. Reporter a giant fireball soaring above a sprawling oil
refinery. The explosions shaking nearby homes, knocking artwork off the walls. The strongest, so intense it was seen on satellite images. Debris raining from the sky. It was just boom, and then everything just lit up. Reporter the concussion felt miles away in new jersey. Hazmat and fire crews rushing to the scene. Chris stein driving on nearby i95, sharing this dramatic video. It was a mushroom cloud. You could really feel the heat coming from that explosion in the car. Reporter tonight the fire is contained. The cause under investigation. Officials initially concerned, issuing a shelter in place warning. Now saying air quality tests Philelphia Ergsolutions confirming five employees suffered minor injuries. This marking the second fire at the same facility in just 11 days. And whit johnson joins us live tonight from that refinery in philly. As weve said, its the largest on the east coast. Officials saying the refinery is operating at reduced capacity. What could that mean for gas prices, at least here in the region . Reporter david, this complex processes 335,000 gallons of crude oil each day. Aaa tells us the fire here could slow supply, so dont be surprised if gas prices in this area jump five to ten cent in the future. David . Whit, thank you. There are new developments this evening in the deaths of tourists in the Dominican Republic. Authorities a short time ago with autopsy results. This as we now learn about the tenth death in the last 12 months. Heres victor oquendo. Reporter tonight, the fbi telling abc news it has a small team on the ground in the Dominican Republic, assisting with the investigation into american deaths there. This as we are learning about another american dying in the country. State Department Officials confirming mark hurlbut, from arizona, is at least the tenth american to die while visiting different resorts across the island in the last year. There werent a lot of answers. We still dont have a lot of answers, i dont think. Reporter hurlbuts family telling our dallas station he told his wife he felt sick the night before he died last june. Local officials determined the cause of death was a heart attack, but his family says he didnt have any heart issues. There is no indication that the ten deaths are connected. Today the d. R. s Minister Of Tourism pushing back on reports, saying there are no mysterious deaths, adding the Fatality Rate is actually lower than some previous years among the 3 million americans who visit. Saying, what some media have characterized as an avalanche of deaths does not correspond with the reality that we are seeing today. Officials are awaiting the results of toxicology reports. But families of those who died, anxious to hear more. Nobody can give me a solid answer on how she passed away. Reporter and late today, the family of the couple who died called the tourism ministers remarks repugnant. David, the Statement Department has said they did not see an
uptick in deaths. David . Victor oquendo with us live tonight. Victor, thank you. And next this evening, new images of the tsa attack in phoenix. Five agents injured. Surveillance shows a man pushing through security at Sky Harbor International airport, knocking down an officer and trying to punch others. Heres david kerley. Reporter the shocking pictures tonight of the 19yearold man barreling through a Phoenix Tsa Checkpoint and swinging at officers. As he starts to push through a scanner, an officer tries to stop him. She is thrown to the ground. The suspect then takes swings at two other officers. Tyrese garner was finally subdued. I always think there must be something wrong, he must have been high. Reporter police say they were unable to determine if the young man, who was yelling and making noise during his interview after the incident, was under the influence or unstable. One of the officers was taken to the hospital, four others to urgent care. All released after tuesdays incident. Assaults appear to be increasing at tsa checkpoints. There were 88 last year, but
already 76 this fiscal year. The suspect faces two Felony Counts of resisting arrest and trespassing, and five Misdemeanor Counts of assault against those officers. David . David kerley tonight, thank you. We move to the Severe Weather threat heading into the weekend. Flash flooding and dangerous winds from colorado to tennessee. The system spawning a tornado near redwood falls, minnesota. And violent thunderstorms in the heartland. This lightning is from near kansas city, kansas. Incredible pictures there. Lets get right to rob marciano. Hes live in colorado tracking it all tonight. Hey, rob. Reporter hi, david. Winds gusting over 60 miles an hour in kansas city. And in colorado, a severe Thunderstorm Watch for Colorado Springs and parts of kentucky. Big boomers there. Heat going from texas to georgia so, that will spawn storms sava al toklahoma city. Ov h of owlodo rockies tonight. Always. We learned that the Trump Administration plans to launch major mexico crackdown this weekend. I. C. E. Planning raids in as many as ten cities. Targeting undocumented Family Members. Tonight, some cities are urging, if i. C. E. Comes knocking, do not open your door. Heres mary bruce. Reporter tonight, immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing a mass roundup of migrant families that have already received deportation orders. Predawn raids, reportedly known as family op planned for this sunday in as many as ten major cities. The director of i. C. E. Speaking on abc news live. One of the greatest pull factors for families to come here is they know that once they arrive in the United States, they remain here untouched. We have to change that message. Reporter these kinds of raids typically target criminals, not families. Houstons police chief sounding a warning. The last thing we need is to evoke that kind of fear where people go further into the shadows and fail to cooperate with Law Enforcement at the local level. Reporter the raids come just days after the president kicked off his Reelection Campaign by promising that i. C. E. Will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens starting next week. At the time, a Senior Administration official told abc those massive deportations were, quote, not imminent. Immigration Officials Say they dont know anything about a planned roundup of millions of people the next few days. Well, they know. They know. And theyre going to start next week. Reporter the raids planned for this weekend are sweeping but fall far short of the president s promise to deport millions. And overall, trump is deporting far fewer people than obama did at this point in his presidency. Mary bruce live in washington tonight. Officials in some of the cities where raids are expected already sounding the alarm tonight . In fact, we have a statement just in from chicago . Reporter the chicago mayor says they will not cooperate with the raids, and they are warning people not to open doors if i. C. E. Agents come knocking. Saying they are not required by law to let them in. David . Mary, thank you. Now to the major ruling from
the Supreme Court tonight. Throwing out the Murder Conviction of a Death Row Inmate in missouri. Curtis flowers claimed racial bias during Jury Selection that kept him from receiving a fair trial. A white prosecutor blocked black jurors. The Supreme Court agreeing, 72. So, what is next . A seventh trial. Heres Steve Osunsami tonight. Reporter Curtis Flowers has insisted to this day that he did not murder four people in 1996 inside this mississippi Furniture Store where he used to work. His case is the subject of a Popular Series on starz. How do you put somebody on death row with a circumstantial case . He didnt do it. Reporter prosecutors never found a Murder Weapon or physical evidence tying him to the scene, and in todays decision it was Justice Brett kavanaugh writing for the 72 majority, accusing the state of discrimination, and allowing a seventh trial. His words were a slap to the prosecutor, saying that mississippis relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of black individuals strongly suggests that the state
wanted to try flowers before a jury with as few black jurors as possible, and ideally before an allwhite jury. Justices thomas and gorsuch dissented. During oral arguments, some of the other justices were dumbfounded. After that, every black juror that was available on the panel was struck . Yes. Reporter flowers lost at his trials with nearly allwhite juries before going to the Supreme Court. His attorneys point out that the two times the juries were more diverse, both juries deadlocked. David . Thank you. Still ahead on world news tonight. The dramatic scene on the highway. The Deadly Police chase. The suspects car crashing into another vehicle. Their car bursting into flames. Also, the new warning on the beach. Look at this. After a rare attack, a sea lion attacking a 13yearold girl, the toxin the sea lion had ingested. And now the warning for other families. And tonight a new case here. The Lottery Winner who had filed
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