NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, July 5, 2025

Episode Date: July 6, 2025

Dozens dead from Texas floods as campers remain unaccounted for; Hamas gives ‘positive response’ to Gaza ceasefire proposal; Elon Musk announces new political party; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the frantic search for potentially dozens of missing kids after a deadly flash flooding in Texas. At least 32 people killed after dangerously high floodwaters ravaged central Texas. I've never seen tragedy on this level. New drone video showing total destruction. On the ground, these RVs underwater as rescue efforts ramp up to find those missing children. Families desperate for answers, the latest on the ground. The Carolinas bracing for impact as tropical storm

Chantel barrels towards the coast. What to expect during landfall. A violent 4th of July, dozens of people hurt from shootings across the country. The new push for a ceasefire in Gaza. President Trump welcoming apparent progress from Hamas ahead of next week's visit from Benjamin Netanyahu. But is the end of the war actually in sight? Elon Musk announcing a plan for a new political party as the president signs his massive spending bill into law. But how will it impact you?

Take a look at this, a boat in Alabama bursting into a fireball in just the latest fireworks mishap over the weekend. A potential breakthrough, how researchers are trying to translate this noise to see if humans can talk to whales. And there's good news tonight about a reunion years in the making and heroes who changed this little boy's life. This is NBC Nightly News with José Diaz-Balart. Good evening.

We begin tonight with the devastation from catastrophic flash flooding in central Texas growing even more dire, this was the view from above in Kerr County, showing total destruction. Officials saying at least 32 people have been killed after a dangerous surge from the Guadalupe River overwhelmed the entire region, uprooting trees and leaving piles of debris everywhere. At the same time, dozens of families are in anguish tonight, desperately searching for at least 27 children who went missing after the water swept through a summer camp. You can see the aftermath in this photo posted today and the flood threat isn't

over yet. Our Ryan Chandler is in hard hit Kerrville, Texas. Ryan, good evening. Our Ryan Chandler is in hard hit Kerrville, Texas. Ryan, good evening. Jose, this is still an active search and rescue operation. We've seen the helicopters flying low above this destroyed river bank all day, trying to search for survivors. The governor stressing that they are treating all of the missing people as still alive.

While the fear for many here is when does rescue turn into recovery? In the Texas Hill country tonight, families hold onto hope as heartbreak overflows on the broken banks of the Guadalupe River, a trail of death and debris. Trees leveled and shredded families destroyed. I've never seen tragedy on this level.

The destruction that this flood has caused. the death toll rising with every update. Now 43 people dead, including at least 15 Children. And tonight, our first look at Camp Mystic, the Christian all girls retreat devastated inside one cabin bunks and bedding caked in mud. Officials say 27 campers are still missing tonight. And we've learned the identities of three girls who died, one of those killed little Lila Bonner. Her family tells NBC News we ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss down the river. Patrick O'Malley says his dogs woke him up as

water was already to his door. The water started coming through the flooring and I just felt the whole house pick up and been on a lot of boats and it felt like I was in a boat. 850 people have been rescued so far, officials say. These are the search and rescue missions frantically searching for anybody who may still be alive.

A massive search radius 30 miles down the river. We will be relentless in going after and ensuring that we locate every single person who's been a victim of this flooding event. It's like this for miles and miles. The Guadalupe swelled nearly 30 feet in just about an hour Friday morning. A holiday escape, now a hellscape, RVs abandoned and homes reduced to shells. People need to know today will be a hard day. It will be a hard day. Pretty devastating. A few hours east near Austin, flash flooding, killing at least three people today.

Officials encouraging people to evacuate in Georgetown, with the San Gabriel River cresting at more than 30 feet. Ryan, how much more rain could this area get? Yeah, Jose, it's not over yet. Governor Abbott has expanded the disaster declaration in Texas with more rain still on the way. Areas like Austin and San Antonio, six million people in fact under flood watches tonight. Some areas got more than 16 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, Jose. Ryan Chandler in Kerrville, Texas, thank you.

And now to the war in Gaza and the anticipated visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House next week. It comes as Hamas is reacting to the latest proposed ceasefire. Danielle Hamamjian has more. Tonight, the Israeli Prime Minister rejecting the changes Hamas has requested to the latest ceasefire proposal. This after a positive response by the militant group to the mediators. Despite the back-and-forth talks are still set to continue just days after President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed to the necessary conditions to

finalize a 60-day ceasefire. There could be a gas idea next week, yeah. Benjamin Netanyahu embarking on his third trip to Washington this year. Among the likely sticking points, the fate of the controversial aid distribution agency GHF, backed by both the U.S. and Israel. Today, it's said that two of its American security workers had been wounded by a grenade. The assailants, itants it said were Hamas. Asked by NBC News how it came to that conclusion given the presence of other armed militants, GHF said the assessment was based on local intelligence that Hamas attack was imminent.

For the civilians in Gaza, the days are spent waiting for food with no guarantee they'll leave the site alive. Health officials here say hundreds have been killed while trying to get aid. 45 miles north of Gaza might as well be another world. In Tel Aviv, a message from many Israelis. So far it's been proven that only President Trump is capable of making things move in a serious way. They have more faith in the US President than they do their own Prime Minister. Danielle Hamamjian, NBC News. Back here at home, Elon Musk announced there will be a new political party for President Trump signed his massive tax and spending bill into law.

The bill now setting the stage for a political fight ahead. Yamiche Alcindor has more. Tonight on the heels of President Trump signing his massive domestic policy bill into law, his former close ally, Elon Musk, announcing the formation of a new political party. Musk, the world's richest person taking to his social media site, asked to say, we live in a one party system, not a democracy. Today, the America party is formed to give you back your freedom. Musk, who was president Trump's top campaign donor, has been feuding with the president over the so-called one big beautiful bill,

which the non-partisan congressional Budget Office says will add more than $3 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years. Musk has referred to the legislation as a debt slavery bill and had been teasing a new political party for days. The Tesla CEO did not respond to questions from NBC News seeking clarity about today's announcement. The stock market's at an all-time high. For his part, President Trump has been celebrating the bill. The legislation extends the tax cuts from his first term, reduces taxes on tips and

overtime pay, and provides funds for his immigration priorities. It also makes some of the biggest cuts in history to social safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance. also make some of the biggest cuts in history to social safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance. In Missouri, Kimberly Gallagher is worried about how the bill's new work requirements could affect her and her son's access to Medicaid. Her son, Daniel, has a rare genetic disorder and autism, and she is his primary caregiver. Medicaid is in every facet of our life. It's not just medical, it's financial, it's care. And to lose any of those parts

would drastically change our lives. Yamiche is traveling with the president tonight. Yamiche, going back to Elon Musk's announcement of a new political party, what could his approach be here? Well, Jose, we should note note it's not clear at this point if Elon Musk has officially found paperwork to start the America party, but he has said that a new party could target just a handful of seats in Congress and then act as the deciding vote on key laws. Jose?

Yamiche Alcindor in New Jersey with the president. Thank you so much. Also tonight, a wave of gun violence sweeping across several cities during the Fourth of July holiday, leaving dozens of people hurt. Shaquille Brewster has the latest. Deadly gun violence tonight interrupting holiday weekend celebrations. Two years old were killed in shooting early this morni injured. We should all be occurred. Police say shot

of teens were out past mi supervision. We are not your children's keepers. You are and parents and guardians have got to step up. In San Francisco overnight, five people were shot, one of them killed. While police say at least eight

were struck at a Philadelphia bar, it comes as crime across the country has dropped significantly in the first half of this year. Compared to this point in 2024, homicides are down 46% in Seattle, 37% in Chicago, and have fallen 35% in San Francisco. What we're seeing now is actually just a continuation of a trend since about 2023. And everything's supporting that the rates are dropping by large numbers. Even as this weekend shows, there's more work to do. Shaquille Brewster, NBC News, Chicago. Still ahead tonight, new safety concerns after a slew of fireworks accidents on this 4th of July weekend, including

this boat turning into a fireball. What happened next? We're back with dangerous fireworks incidents across the country, including some that turned deadly on this 4th of July weekend. Camila Bernal has more. Celebrations turning dangerous and even deadly. Some with the use of illegal fireworks around the country. In Alabama last night, a boat modified into a fireworks platform, malfunctioning and erupting into a fireball on Lake Martin. You knew right away that something had gone terribly wrong. Oh yes, so I knew when it blew up that big right in front of my face and it lit up everything,

we literally felt it in the water. Six people were injured and the fireworks unpermitted according to the Alabama law enforcement agency. In Massachusetts, officials say a 70 year old man was killed after fireworks he was setting off exploded in his face. And in California, an eight year old girl died after police say a large illegal fireworks display failed and misfired towards the house where the girl was, igniting more illegal fireworks near her. And chaotic scenes as people set off fireworks on this Los Angeles bridge.

Meanwhile, families impacted by that massive fireworks warehouse explosion in northern California this week. Still waiting for the victims to be identified. Camila Bernal NBC News. When we return, we've all thought about talking to animals, but now scientists are one step closer to actually doing it with whales.

So what will it take to speak their language? Back now with a potential scientific breakthrough, a team of researchers piecing together language from whales, hoping humans will soon be able to talk to them. Erin McLaughlin has a closer look. This is the sound of sperm whales. With a brain that can weigh up to 18 pounds and a lifespan of more than 200 years, they're considered to be among the most intelligent animals on Earth.

They communicate using clicks called CODAS. And now scientists say we are closer than ever to actually understanding them. Thank you. All right, welcome to the laboratory. NBC News was invited into Harvard University's new micro robotics lab, where researchers at Project SETI are using artificial intelligence to decode the clicks.

Are whales talking to each other? Definitely. This is what it looks like through the goggles. David Gruber is the project's founder and president. You're dealing with an incredibly complex Morse code click type with infinite amount of possibilities. So it's possible they're having elaborate, dramatic even conversations. It's possible that they're communicating in ways that we've never thought of before. Project said he has turned to the Caribbean and the island of Dominica to record as many clicks as they can transforming the stretch of ocean into an elaborate

underwater sound stage. Well in the lab they practice tracking the whales with drones it's pretty tricky to find a well in the vast ocean test runs like this look like this in the field, the team tags the whales with special recording devices complete with suction cups designed to fall off on their own. We don't want there to be disruptions to the whales we want to understand them as minimally invasive as possible.

So far the team has discovered sperm whales have their own phonetic alphabet even vowels uncovered while observing rare scenes like this a sperm whale birth. 12 whales hold the baby above water for 6 hours until it could swim we know they're living very complicated very social lives. The hope is that one day for the first time we we'll be able to have full conversations. What do humans have to gain from a conversation with a sperm whale? It has the capacity to bring us closer to the natural world in a way that the microscope allowed us to see inside a cell

or a telescope allowed us to see the stars. It's like a whole new frontier. It is a whole new frontier. Erin McLaughlin, NBC News. When we come back, there's good news tonight about a special reunion for this little boy and the heroes who helped show him the ropes. There's good news tonight.

So often the good news doesn't get as much attention as the bad. So every Saturday we highlight the many people who spread joy and love and these are just some of those stories this week. And so all the brave This is the sound of the American dream coming true. That I take this obligation freely. In Chicago, more than 700 people becoming U.S. citizens this week after years of waiting for this moment.

Congratulations. I announce you as new citizens of the United States. My whole family is a U.S. citizen and I wanted to be part of that as well. And get this, these people are from everywhere, more than 93 countries. America's newest citizens thrilled to officially call the United States their home. I'm so excited right now. And now my dream come true. You won't find this at a museum.

In Trussville, Alabama, Ron Burkett wanted to celebrate the 4th of July in a different way. This one took about 20 hours, and I spread that out over six days. So he got to work with his pressure washer as his paintbrush and his driveway as the canvas. The end result, his own Statue of liberty that looks just like the real thing. I would hope that people would see this and be reminded of the liberties that we have

here. And for Ron, the satisfaction of a job well done. It is very fulfilling because it's very challenging to do something on this large scale. When all of this comes together, it just offers a good sense of accomplishment. Can you take me alive? And in Arkansas, a reunion years in the making. This is Grayson. That's three-year-old Grayson meeting the firefighters who saved him years ago as a newborn.

You got it? Alright! Grayson was dropped off at the Conway Fire Department by his birth mom in a safe baby box back in 2022 before his parents Kelly and Britton adopted him. Knowing his story, Grayson wanted to visit those firefighters and have his heroes show him the ropes. How much was this a full circle moment both for your son but for the two of you as well? It's such a precious memory for him to make to see him celebrated in such a way and how everybody

just welcomed him with open loving arms. It was just such an amazing feeling. What has that boy meant to each one of you? He's the best friend I never thought I'd have. He's everything to me. We wanted to be parents for our whole lives. We never thought that we would get the blessing of a baby. And when we got that call, it changed everything.

Grayson says he thinks he wants to be either a firefighter or a preacher, or both. That's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. Hallie Jackson will be here tomorrow night. I'm Jose Diaz-Bolot. Thank you for the privilege of your time, and good night.