NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, June 29, 2025

Episode Date: June 30, 2025

2 dead after firefighters are ambushed in Canfield Mountain, Idaho; GOP Sen. Tillis not seeking re-election after opposing Trump-backed bill; Dangerous weather impacts millions nationwide; and more on tonight's broadcast.

Breaking news tonight, firefighters under attack in Idaho. Officials saying an active shooter situation is happening near Coeur d'Alene. At least two people dead, multiple others shot while responding. A shelter-in-place order now in effect. We've got the latest on this late breaking story. Here in Washington, the Senate, set for an all-nighter debate over what President Trump calls his big beautiful bill What's been added to get more people on board? What it means for you your taxes your health care and why one Republicans surprise announcement could put a trump in the Senate next election

dangerous weather battering the country more than a dozen reported tornadoes in the plains flash floods look at that in Atlanta and in Phoenix This family of hikers rescued from heat exhaustion The jury in the Diddy trial set to get the case tomorrow what to watch for with Sean Combs freedom on the line Robots on runways may be coming soon to an airport near you to help make your flight safer and more efficient. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good Sunday evening. We begin tonight with a dangerous and very active situation unfolding near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Officials say at least two people are dead and multiple others shot while responding to a call about a fire. The two dead are believed to be firefighters.

They say their personnel are, and I'm quoting here, actively taking sniper fire even now. The situation is developing so quickly that officials say it's not clear how many shooters there are or even how many days this could last if it is not resolved quickly. The county sheriff's office telling people to shelter in place. You're looking at some of the

images coming into us late tonight. My Eaglin is tracking all of this for us tonight. Maya, what else do we know? Hi, Holly. Well, this happened in Kootenay County near a quarter lane in northern Idaho. The sheriff there says at least two people are dead and an unknown number of people are hurt on Canfield Mountain. Here's the sheriff a short time ago. We still have civilians that are coming off of that mountain. We might have civilians that are stuck or in shock on that mountain. So this is a very, very fresh situation.

We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak. He says they don't know if there's one or multiple suspects. Officials say if the suspect is not neutralized quickly, they expect this to be a multi-day operation. The sheriff describing the scene that is still very active tonight and that it appears high powered rifles are being used. It started around 1.20 p.m. local time with reports of a fire.

Then around 2.00 p.m. is when officials say they received reports of firefighters taking shots. Idaho's governor tonight asking people there to pray for the firefighters and their families and to stay clear of the area. Hallie. Mya Eaglin, thank you. For more on this, let's bring in NBC's law enforcement analyst, Jim Cavanaugh, who's

with us now. Jim, a very intense scene for first responders, given how they became targets with so much that we still don't know. Help us understand what might be happening on the ground right now. Well, it looks like a set up ambush, a brush fire, a call in, the firefighters arrive and they're taking fire from obviously from somebody with a rifle, one or more, and they kill two firefighters and wound some others who may be in serious condition. So a very exacerbated situation, Halley, up there and night falls coming, you know, are

the shooter or shooter still in a brush and the fire still burning. So the commanders have decisions to make. How can they put the fire out? They've got to protect firefighters. Did they let it burn for a while? Did they try to flush them out? Use their infrared equipment on the helicopters tonight to see if somebody's still in the woods.

But they could have got out as well. It sounds like it was a planned ambush. So it's a very, very dangerous situation in Northern Idaho at the moment, Hayley. Part of the difficulty too, part of the confusion. It's not clear as the sheriff made clear, it is not at all clear how many people are attacking the firefighters and the other first responders up there. That's exactly right.

And you've got a shooter shooting firefighters with a rifle in cold blood. Knowing those firefighters are not armed, they're not law enforcement, they're not carrying firearms. Very cold-blooded to set an ambush like that. So you've got a very dangerous one or more people involved. It's tough to find them in a mountainous area like that. They may have some skills in mountaineering,

so it's gonna be a tough night in Idaho. Jim Cavanaugh, thank you for bringing us your expertise and your analysis. We're gonna be watching that very closely as it continues to unfold. We are also watching what's happening in Washington where lawmakers are inching closer to a vote on President Trump's so-called big, beautiful bill

with Democrats doing everything in their power to try to slow down the process. Our Ryan Nobles reports from Capitol Hill. Tonight, Democrats forcing the Senate clerk to spend nearly 16 hours reading every word of what President Donald Trump has dubbed his big, beautiful bill. 139L, the following new-

That bill could add more than $3 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. The GOP wants to overhaul social programs like SNAP, also known as food stamps, and Medicaid. The cuts to Medicaid are what led North Carolina Republican Senator Tom Tillis to vote against moving the bill forward, prompting threats from President Trump

to meet with primary challengers. Then today, in a shocking announcement, Tillis announced he would not seek reelection and slammed gridlock in Washington. The Senate's bill would tweak the way states receive Medicaid funds, reducing the amount they take in via a special tax, instead creating a $25 billion fund to help support rural hospitals. The new funding formula, leaving people like Sierra Matthews from Missouri worried her hospital could shut down.

If you take that away from a small rural area already, is that another two hour drive? Is that a three hour drive just to see a doctor? Democrats argue the bill's growth is out of control. This bill stinks. It's a moral abomination. Everybody that learns about it hates it. It's filled with special carve outs, like $85 million

to move the retired space shuttle discovery from a museum in Virginia to Texas. The creation of a one thousand dollar Trump saving account for all newborns and requiring a one hundred dollar fee for anyone applying for asylum. President Trump is popular and the bill is extremely popular. Our chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles is at his post tonight. And Ryan, important to point out, things could change in this bill even overnight. Yeah, that's right, Hallie. After the debate wraps up, there's this process called a Voterama, where every single Senator

has an opportunity to tweak the language in this bill. But those Medicaid changes, which Senator Tillis voted against, they will likely make it through. And we're learning tonight from a source close to the Trump family that the president's daughter-in-law, Laura Trump, may be eyeing Tillis' seat in the upcoming 2026 midterms. Hallie?

I need to watch Ryan Nobles for us there at the Capitol. Thank you. From the White House, President Trump is watching all of it, ready to ramp up pressure and previewing new moves on another signature issue, immigration. Here's Von Hilliard. Tonight, the president with potentially defining days ahead for his Republican Party in Washington. The passage of its major package on the line.

As long as we have it, it's very important. Trump writing in one post, very proud of the Republican Party tonight. This major domestic challenge as questions persist about the effectiveness of last weekend's bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities. There is, of course, an important setback in terms of those capabilities. The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency today, though, pushing back against the White House's claims that Iran's nuclear program is obliterated saying the country could produce enriched uranium again in quote a matter of months.

Frankly speaking one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there. The president also threatening today to cut off federal funding to New York City if Democratic nominee Zoran Memdani is elected mayor in November. If he does get in, I'm going to be president and he's going to have to do the right thing but they're not getting any money. Mamdani on Meet the Press ahead of a potential run-in with the White House over deportation efforts.

We have to stand up and fight back. The administration's mass deportation effort set to receive a major financial boost if the bill on Capitol Hill passes this week more than 150 billion dollars. The president today however also now explicitly suggesting the creation of a new immigrant worker program for some farm and hotel workers, those undocumented but already in the country. We're working on it right now we're gonna work it so that some kind of a temporary pass where people pay taxes, where

the farmer can have a little control. And Vaughn Hilliard is joining us now from the North Lawn. Vaughn, the president today also suggesting a new group is poised to buy TikTok. That's what the president is saying, Hallie, but only noting that it is a group of very wealthy people. And it'll probably be able to say in about two weeks. Now, TikTok is facing a ban in the U.S. if a deal is not struck. Hallie. Von Hilliard at the White House.

Thank you. We are also tracking dangerous weather across the country tonight with more than a dozen tornadoes reported over the last 48 hours and millions now under heat alerts. Aaron Gilchrist has the latest. Tornadoes report. Summer severe weather on an unrelenting march across the U.S. Storm chasers in South Dakota capturing an outbreak of twisters barreling through the open plains. Violent swirling funnels snatching up trees, power lines and other debris. Fifteen reported tornadoes touched down in the Dakotas and Minnesota on Saturday alone.

Nothing hit the house and nothing hit the barn. It came close, but nobody was hurt. There's waves. There's actual waves. Look at that car. It is submerged. The southeast battered for days on end by torrents of rain from afternoon thunderstorms. Atlanta drivers slow rolling through flash flooding on city streets and on highways.

Then there's the heat. 14 million people across the country under alerts through Tuesday. Parts of Arizona and Southern California could top 115 degrees. In Phoenix today, officials say firefighters rescued a family of 11 hikers after the children complained about heat exhaustion. The hot, dry conditions complicating a new firefight in California as teams battle walls of flames trying to knock down the lake fire, growing to nearly 500 acres in less than 24 hours. Right now, it's only 10% contained. Erin joins us now from Atlanta. And Erin, with a big travel week for a lot of people,

any good news to report on holiday week weather? Well, Hallie, this area, the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic, could still see some wind, some lightning, and some flash flooding, but the severe weather risk goes down tomorrow and Tuesday with the 4th of July looking picture perfect for most of the country. Allie? Nice to hear.

Erin Gilchrist in Atlanta, thank you. Here at home, Diddy's bombshell sex trafficking trial will enter a crucial new phase tomorrow when the jury is expected to get the case and begin their deliberations to determine the fate of Sean Combs. Liz Kreutz has more on what to expect. Following seven weeks of dramatic testimony on Monday, the fate of hip hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs will officially be in the hands of a jury. A group of eight men and four women

will begin deliberating in New York Federal Court to determine whether Combs is guilty of five felony charges, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, two counts of sex trafficking, and one count of racketeering. The Grammy Award winner has pled not guilty, his defense team making their closing arguments Friday telling the jury the claims against Combs are badly exaggerated and part of his swinger's lifestyle.

He may have done bad things, the defense argued, but he didn't do these federal crimes. But prosecutors alleging the singer, who didn't testify, ran a criminal enterprise and that Combs used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted. The prosecution calling 34 witnesses, including his longtime ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Prosecutors playing jurors this 2016 security video showing combs beating Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel saying combs physically abused and sex traffic tour and another woman forcing them to participate in sexual encounters combs called freak offs. But combs is lawyer telling the jury there's no evidence to support those claims and that if he was charged with

domestic violence he would have pled guilty on Monday the judge will give jurors instructions before deliberating behind closed doors. They need to reach a unanimous agreement on each count, with Combs facing the possibility of 15 years to life in prison if convicted. Liz Kreutz, NBC News. We are back in a moment with the future of airports and a look at how this technology on the tarmac could help your next flight. Back now with what could be the future of airports across the

country robots on runways new technology on the tarmac designed to make your travel experience safer and more efficient. Sam Brock has a closer look. At Atlantic City International Airport, this new technology is taking off. Researchers here just wrapped in a week trial testing the ability of robots to rain in costs ramp up efficiency of key airport tasks backed by the FAA the airport autonomy

initiative is a project involving tech companies and academic institutions with support from the Defense Department. The results looking excellent David Hickey is the CEO of coast autonomous, the company spearheading the project using how will this change the commercial flight experience for passage. I think what's for the flying public this is going to make it so that flights that are otherwise canceled or

delayed actually make it to their destination. NBC News got a closer look at how it all works. So it's going through right now knowing along. Researchers are monitoring robots like dusty Bob which mows the grass one of 3 autonomous vehicles tested here. This one scans the airport's perimeter sending out alerts about people animals or objects that shouldn't be there.

And this robot clears dangerous foreign object debris from the tarmac which cost the aviation industry billions of dollars per year by damaging planes and could even cause crashes. These robots can go up to 25 miles an hour and allow operators to know exactly what was swept in wet, but this same technology can also be used eventually for things like pushing planes off from the gate, even shortening delays during ground stops. The ground stop that goes on right now, particularly for lightning strikes, will be a thing of the past.

The old-fashioned approach might look closer to this. So this enormous piece of equipment would be used typically for sweeping at airports? Yes, Atlantic City International Airport, which is a relatively small commercial airport, has several of these large trucks with a sweeper attached and a vacuum capability behind it. But Hickey says the spiffier, cheaper bots won't come at a human cost. We need to look at robots in this area as supplemental it be augmenting the ground staff and actually keeping that ground staff safer.

Now that the trial is over pending fa approval the tech could be coming to a city near you you're saying this is the future of airports, I think this is the president of airports will be seeing these robots out on active runways very very soon. Sam Brock NBC News, a Harbor Township, New Jersey. That's nightly news for this Sunday. Tom, we'll be back tomorrow.

I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us here at NBC, thanks for watching and have a great week.