NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, July 6, 2025

Episode Date: July 7, 2025

Search efforts intensify as Texas flood rescues enter critical phase; Millions travel home from Fourth of July holiday weekend; Trump criticizes Elon Musk’s new political party announcement; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight the desperate search for survivors in Texas with more rain making rescues riskier tonight, hundreds of first responders combing Hill country to try to find anyone left alive nearly 80 people killed so far in those devastating flash floods dozens still missing including girls from a sleepaway camp our correspondent getting a view from above with the Coast Guard and on the ground catastrophic destruction flood survivors now sharing more about their terrifying escapes.

I've seen it flood, but I've never seen it come up this high. What they saw while the water rose faster than they could have imagined more than 20 feet in about an hour plus the threat of more rain in the flood zone right now. Also tonight more bad weather means delays for many as millions head home after the holiday weekend. And the new date to circle just days out from a White House deadline to reach trade deals to avoid tougher tariffs. Plus what the president's saying late today about Elon Musk's third party announcement. President Trump set to meet with Israel's prime minister tomorrow as the push for a Gaza ceasefire ramps up. A strip mall exploding overnight.

How a massive car crash started it all. Look at that. National parks more popular than ever. How they're handling more visitors with fewer staff this summer. And there's good news tonight about a small town marking its historic holiday milestone. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good evening. We are coming on the air tonight with new complications and new evacuations from more

rain near where hundreds of rescuers are trying to find any survivors of that horrific flash flooding catastrophe. A staggering number, nearly 80 people killed. Among them, children at an all girls camp along the banks of the Guadalupe River. We are getting our first look now at these scenes from that camp, rescue dogs, flipped cars, smashed cabins.

Its owner, believed to have died, trying to save campers, some of whom were able to escape alive. You'll hear from one of those teenagers tonight as you can see a truck bed full of girls making their way out a new video as the Coast Guard rescued others in the area look at this pulling this man up in a basket. But among the missing 11 people from camp mystic a local fire chief believed to be washed away in the floods, the water rising so fast it carried

away whole houses look at this one slamming into a bridge now tonight, new warnings to get out a sap with thunderstorms set to swamp and already saturated region overnight with any rain adding more risk to this massive response. We have team coverage tonight starting with our Ryan Chandler on the ground for us right good evening. starting with our Ryan Chandler on the ground for us. Ryan, good evening. Well, Hallie, that worst weather has arrived. Some very unwelcome rain coming here as these rescuers move to try and find signs of life and triggering that alert that so many people here

have learned the fear of wanting people to move to higher ground. Rising water threatening the Texas Hill country ton are still missing along t yearn for answers. More t catastrophic flooding dev friday. At least 79 peopl central texas. Most of th river. Officials say 68 people are dead in

Kerr County alone, among them 28 children. Some young girls at Camp Mystic washed away. It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through. 10 girls and a counselor are still missing. Is the priority rescue at this point or recovery? So obviously you know we're going to do our best to try to 10 girls and a counselor are still missing. Is the priority rescue at this point or recovery?

So obviously, we're gonna do our best to try to rescue anybody that's still out there and needing a rescue. We joined the Coast Guard as they searched from the sky, a thousand feet above the river. From up here, you can see the Swolland River banks for miles. The US Coast Guard is scanning this entire area

for heat signatures or recoveries. But after flight, they did not spot We're desperate at this p rushed here from Austin t Steve, who she says was s her mother from their RV. on to hope that you'll fi

dad's a fighter. He's al been a fighter and just I know he has a strong will and he'd do everything he could to get back to us. The National Weather Service giving its timeline of when it alerted people to potential flooding. It says Kerrville was alerted early Thursday. A flash flood warning tagged as considerable came in at 1 14 Friday morning. They say that tag automatically triggers cell phone alerts and the White House tonight saying the National Weather Service did their job.

This new video showing the moment Rita Olson and her family realized the floodwaters were approaching. A first responder coming to her house urging them to evacuate some places, seeing more than 20 inches of rain in the last three days. I've seen it flood, but I've never seen it come up this high.

This video taken from a bridge in Kirk County Friday shows just how fast the River Rose. You can see a wave of water rush in and in little more than half an hour, all this debris piling up. And then in the distance, a house crashing here high above what had just been a creek. This is the worst. I've seen it tonight for all those who call central Texas home desperation grows as each hour passes. Ryan is back with us now and Ryan we've now heard President Trump suggest he will visit the area later this week.

That's right Hallie, President Trump saying late today he's probably coming to this area of Texas on Friday. That comes as the White House moves to defend the National Weather Service and the timeline of its warnings. Ryan Chandler near where those first responders are taken off in Kerrville Texas. We're also learning more tonight about the victims of these floods, including the youngest ones and the stories of survivors in central Texas. Our Morgan Chesky reports. I think

while it was going on I kind of felt like a sense of numbness. For Stella Thompson reality still sounds unbelievable the 13 year-old one of hundreds evacuated from Camp mystic amid a river turned nightmare. You'd see kayaks like in trees. And it was kind of horrific because we had no idea there were huge trees ripped out of the ground and it didn't look like can't miss it anymore.

Now as uncertainty hangs heavy, tragic closure coming to many. Renee Smeistrula, Eloise Peck and Janie Hunt confirmed as three of the lives lost at Camp Mystic, where ten campers and one counselor still remain missing. Smeistrula's family sharing, while not the outcome we prayed for, we are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life. The family of fellow camper Eloise Peck sharing the family is grieving and processing this unimaginable loss. Here in Camp Mystic, where volunteers are still scouring the river, friends of the family say owner Dick Aislinn sprang into rescue mode, putting multiple girls inside an SUV as those waters rose. He tried to drive to safety but was soon overtaken. On social media, his grandson writing, if he wasn't going to die of natural causes,

this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved. The first tax law, it was already under bed, that's what looked her up. I mean, it came up so fast. Jeeper and Julie Ragsdale are still coming to terms with the abrupt loss of their beloved sister Jane, the longtime head of the Heart of the Hills camp nearby which also flooded. Sounds like she devoted her entire life

to helping these girls. She just wanted to me. Like she just wanted to get back her childhood experiences to other children. He gave her so much joy. I think that's what drew her to it. But amid so much loss, stories of survival and heroism. It's a miracle that she did survive it, I think.

I mean, it's a God thing to me. Carl Jeter spotting this woman clutching onto a tree as floodwaters rush beneath. Her car, long since washed away Jeter flagging a DPS agent to radio firefighters who were finally able to rescue her after the more than four-hour ordeal I mean it was like it had to have been like swimming a marathon. I mean it just I Don't get I mean I'm not gonna try to understand it. It's just absolutely a miracle.

Morgan Chesky is joining us now from Kerrville. And Morgan, you know, our viewers may not know this is your hometown. You know this place. You know these people. And I wonder if you could share more about what it's been like covering such a difficult and nightmarish moment for your community. Yeah, Hallie, there really aren't the words. You cover disasters to some degree for a living and then it hits your own hometown and you're

at an absolute loss. I am fortunate enough to say that my family is safe. My mother did evacuate overnight as the waters rose, but we do have friends who are directly impacted by this and please know that our hearts are with them forever through this. Hallie, I will say that the heartbreak is only added to by scenes such as the one I'm about to show you now. This is a debris pile about 100 yards from where we're standing that crews have been digging through for the last several hours. My mother tells me that they pulled two bodies from that that will likely only be added to what is a tragic death toll here. Morgan Chesky in his hometown of Kerrville thank you for more

let's bring in NBC New York meteorologist violated us and violated with more rain on the way the overnight hours could get dangerous again right. Yeah, how it's the last thing we want to hear of course, but we've had showers and thunderstorms ongoing across central Texas all afternoon, prompting numerous flash flood warnings. You can see they've been more concentrated here between San Angelo, Waco and Dallas, but scattered and also on the strong side from Kerrville all the way down through the Guadalupe River, still packing a punch with those heavier downpours. So we can expect the flood threat to continue through this evening, putting 5 million people at risk. Rainfall rates in some of those heavier downpours could reach up to three inches per hour. So something to keep in mind here through Monday, the unsettled pattern is going to continue. We could be seeing an additional one to three inches of rainfall with some locally higher amounts before we finally get some dry air to move in beginning Tuesday

and lasting the rest of this upcoming week. Hallie. Violetti. Thank you. And more severe weather in other parts of the country is making for a messy ride home for some of the millions of Americans traveling after the holiday weekend. Shaquille Brewster is at Chicago O'Hare airport tonight. So Shaq, how's it looking?

Well, Hallie, some of that severe weather we just heard about slowing things down at major airports including here at Chicago's O'Hare where an afternoon storm led to some hour long delays. Another system in Florida forcing temporary ground stops. All of this happening on the busiest travel day of an already record setting holiday weekend. AAA says more than 72 million Americans were traveling this holiday, including a record number of folks on the road, some drivers taking advantage of those lower gas prices, down 36 cents on average compared to last year.

Ali? Shakil Brewster at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, thank you. Also tonight, a new deadline date for tougher tariffs on multiple countries that could spike the price you pay, with the White House ready to make moves tomorrow on all of it. Yamiche Alcindor reports. Tonight, the global economy braces for what comes next, as President Trump says countries that don't make trade deals by this Wednesday, July 9th, will now pay skyrocketing tariffs starting August 1st.

I think we'll have most countries done by July 9th. Either a letter or a deal. This morning, the Treasury Secretary warning that those take it or leave it offers will come at steep prices. You will boomerang back to your April 2nd tariff level. So I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly. Back in April at the White House,

the president laying out a series of increase in tariffs on dozens of countries, 30% for South Africa, 24% for Japan, 20% for the European Union. The president then pausing most of those rates for negotiations. So far, the US has only announced frameworks of deals with a few countries, including the UK, Vietnam, and China. A White House economic adviser saying this.

It's important that countries line up to make concessions to get those deals, to convince the president that they should get lower tariff rates. Meanwhile, as President Trump and Republicans continue to celebrate the passage of the so-called one big beautiful bill, Elon Musk wants a close Trump ally announcing the formation of a new political party after lashing out at the massive bill for adding too much to the national debt. Moments ago, the president responded. I think it's ridiculous to start a third party.

We have a tremendous success with the Republican party. So he can have fun with it. Yamiche Alcindor, NBC News. Back here in Washington, a high-profile one-on-one with President Trump, set to meet with Israel's prime minister tomorrow and new developments in the push for a Gaza ceasefire. Danielle Hemanjan is monitoring all of it. Danielle, what can we expect? Well, Hallie, we've been here before talking about a possible ceasefire deal only for negotiations

to fall apart. Benjamin Netanyahu is now on his way to Washington for his third trip in six months as his negotiators resume talks in Doha. This time, his recent success in Iran might give him the political support he needs to reach a deal with Hamas, which would bring the remaining hostages home and end the bloodshed in Gaza. But Netanyahu has called Hamas' latest demands unacceptable. Those include assurances fighting won't resume

if no permanent truce is reached. This comes after President Trump said a deal could be reached this week. Ali. Danielle Hemanjian, thank you. Back now with the dramatic explosion in Utah. Look at that. After a three-car crash sent one of them into a strip mall,

more than 60 firefighters then works to put out the flames from a ruptured gas line officials say 2 good Samaritans helped get the driver and the passenger out of the burning call with our team's inside look at America's National parks as they face a big test this summer. For a lot of folks a classic summer vacation often starts with a trip to a national park. But this season, the government's staffing cuts mean a big test for some iconic sites that draw a big crowd.

Kathy Park reports. Our national parks have never been more popular. It's just been beautiful and we've loved every minute of it. With a record breaking 331 million visits across hundreds of sites last year alone. But this year tourists could be heading into uncharted territory, citing internal data from the interior department. A watchdog group says a national park service has lost 24% of its permanent staff

since January. I think if I were to describe the the smokeys in a word or be a roller coaster. Jack Smokey's Life, a nonprofe services and support to g National Park. She says h been stepping in for year visited National Park in

this year, people may notice some setbacks. There's been some reduced capacity around things like campgrounds and picnic areas. Those all opened later than typical. Katie Branderd and her family drove in from Nebraska. They say they were aware of possible disruptions even before they left home. We did things like looked ahead

on the national park websites to see where there their extra passes we need to get or admission kind of vouchers if they were going to kind of cut back on the number of tourists coming through the area. And challenges aren't just isolated to the Smokies, they're happening in national parks across the country. A National Park Service official telling NBC News at Yosemite seasonal hirings were delayed earlier in the year and as a result staff, including scientists and park managers, took on extra duties like cleaning restrooms

and trash maintenance, which lasted for about a month. That official adding, the park is now well staffed and they can provide safe, meaningful experiences for visitors. Dan Bergman, visiting Yosemite from Ohio, telling us he noticed large crowds, but nothing big enough to ruin his trip. We had already booked our travel so we came, figured we would just make the best of it. And it's not just tourists, some nearby businesses say they're facing challenges. Lee Zimmerman owns and operates Rush Creek Lodge. Bookings have been way, way down this year, for the

summer in particular. People were scared about whether the parks were going to be sufficiently staffed. That ended up not being a problem, but at the time that scared people away. Over at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, Kevin Heatley says he became the park superintendent in January, and nearly five months later, he stepped down, citing the strain on staffing.

Crater Lake is getting by on a thread right now. We have employees that are putting in routinely on a two-week pay cycle have employees that are putting in routinely on a two-week pay cycle, putting in 60 hours of overtime on snow removal. That's just not sustainable. We reached out to the National Park Service regarding changes to staffing this year, but haven't heard back yet. While the summer has been running smoothly, some fear what the future could hold for America's crown jewels. The National Park System is iconic.

It is beloved by the American people. If you want to shoot yourselves in the foot, mess with the National Park System. Kathy Park, NBC News, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When we come back, there's good news tonight about a small town with big energy going all out on this holiday weekend. And as we close out this holiday weekend, there is good news tonight about a small town's big moment, a celebration of community and tradition. moment, a celebration of community and tradition. In Bristol Rhode Island. 2025.

Is the new 1785. This is Americana right here. That's because the 4th of July is this town's time to shine. I love 4th of July! Happy 4th! Happy birthday, America! For 240 years, Bristol has kept the party going every year, making it the oldest continuous July 4th celebration in the country. This is our Christmas. We start preparation two days after the parade and it takes us all year. During the Revolutionary War, the British raided these streets. But now, people line them every year to celebrate what America means to them. We have our freedom. That's what it means to me.

And this enduring tradition. It's been around 240 years. It's part of the Bristol culture, the Bristol community, and people from all over the country come to this parade. Even with visitors from near and far, seed to shining sea, this parade's biggest star is the hometown crowd. I've been coming to this parade my whole life, 35 plus years. It's been a family tradition. We have not missed a single parade. It was something that I grew up with. It's just very special.

There's nothing I can say about it that doesn't bring me just a little bit of emotion. It's nice. A small town with big energy and a powerful message. Let freedom ring and celebrate America the Beautiful on the fourth and every day of the year. Patriotism is very, very strong here in this community. It's something that you feel every day of the year

and it's kind of what we do. And that is nightly news for this Sunday, Tom will be back tomorrow and he will be live from the flood zone in Texas and our Savannah Guthrie is also on the ground in Kirk County that's tomorrow morning on today we'll see you then I'm Hallie Jackson for all of us here at NBC thanks for watching and have a great week.