NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, July 10, 2025

Episode Date: July 11, 2025

Dozens of workers freed after tunnel collapse; Nine million people under flood alerts; Nearly a week after Texas flooding, some families still waiting for answers; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the tunnel collapse first responders are calling a miracle. 31 workers went underground, 31 came back up. The questions tonight about what went wrong on a construction site seven miles long and 200 feet underground are Liz Kreutz with the captain who led the rescue. What the workers did that likely saved their lives. The new flash flooding risk highways near Boston underwater. The man forced flooding risk highways near Boston underwater, the man forced to bail from his own car as severe weather is impacting nearly every corner of the country and the new threat right now.

Plus new tonight are Kristen Welker speaking with President Trump one-on-one, his big announcement on Russia and why he says Texas needs better warning systems after those deadly floods. Our new reporting tonight you'll hear the dispatch from a volunteer firefighter asking to send a code red to warn residents about the dangerous flooding. So many still waiting for answers with more than

170 missing. We meet the family taking matters into their own hands. Their father found dead as they search for their mother. In the air, it started with a loud bang in the middle of an international flight and ended with a 29-hour layover in paradise. The Stow-Away sentenced the new video showing the woman who slipped past TSA twice and made an international flight and move over deep dish pizza and Chicago dogs. Another local favorite is now exploding at the counter and on the

screen and we're all in. Nightly News, live from Chicago, starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamares reporting tonight from Chicago. And good evening tonight from Chicago where we are on assignment. We want to begin with that miracle rescue when 31 workers were pulled out alive after a tunnel collapsed at a massive Los Angeles construction site. You can see some were hosted to safety in that yellow metallic cage. The large concrete structure here leading to that work area deep underground where the 18-foot in diameter tunnel collapsed.

The workers may have saved their own lives by climbing through the debris to safety. L.A.'s mayor shaking hands with them after they emerged alive along with first responders. The mayor calling the more than 100 firefighters at the scene heroes. Liz Kreutz is in L.A. tonight and starts us off. That tunnel collapsed, trapping all of those workers.

Tonight, new details of the desperate struggle underground. Friends and family were counting how they watched as these cranes hoisted over two dozen trap workers to safety. I thought my husband died. I love him, but I'm so glad that he's okay. And I'm not going to take another day for granted. The mayor meeting with rescued workers and firefighters after an incredible survival story that's even shocking to the first responders. Last night was nothing short of a miracle. L.A. fire captain Danny Wu was in charge of the rescue effort

but telling us the trap construction workers save themselves by climbing over 15 foot piles of debris underground how were they all able to get out. By the grace of God they found little void spaces where the workers on the other side of the they all able to get out. By the grace of God, they found little void spaces where the workers on the other side of the tunnel were able to crawl through which is which is amazing. It all happened just before 8 last night a tunnel collapsing trapping 27 construction workers for others rushing into

help more than a 100 first responders on the scene. They have 28 people in the shop right now roughly an hour later later there they are. The escape you see this crane here and then that yellow basket at the end of it it is bringing out these trapped miners. The collapse site was five miles from the entrance,

40 minutes by underground vehicle, making a quick rescue by first responders all but impossible. It could have been days and weeks maybe just to go in and facilitate a rescue. The tunnel which was under construction carries water from the wastewater treatment center south of downtown L.A. to the Pacific Ocean, spanning 7 miles 400 feet below ground.

Everyone seems to be doing fine. Maria Arosco son was among those trapped. What I said to you just thank God for an answered prayer, she said. Tonight we were lucky. A disaster that could have been so much worse. And with that Liz joins us now live from that construction site. Liz, you can see one of those cranes there just behind you. Do we yet know why that tunnel collapsed?

Yeah, Tom, know that something that officials say they're still looking into. Investigators are here right now trying to figure out what went wrong and also how to fix it. And until then, this project is on pause indefinitely. Tom. Incredible. They all survived.

All right. Liz Kreutz leading us off tonight. Now to the wave of dangerous storms hitting across the country tonight with nine million under flood alerts from the East Coast to the Midwest. Aaron mclaughlin with the late details and where the storms are headed next. Relentless rain leading parts of the East Coast a waterlogged mess overnight in North Carolina flash floods submerged entire neighborhoods. Similar scenes to the North in New

Jersey. In Massachusetts where this morning's commute descended into chaos after sections of the critical I-93 interstate washed out. Some drivers rescued from nearby roads. My car started filling up with water all the way up to the seat inside. There were three offices that I had to climb through the window and he gave me a piggyback. All this while the village of Ridoso, New Mexico is now focused on cleaning up after flash floods damaged hundreds of homes.

This sped up surveillance video showing how quickly waters rose in the store. Tonight, harrowing accounts of survival. They were watching the water come up. They thought they were gonna die. We thought they were gonna die. Jason Fulcher says a wall of water tore through the trailer park.

His seven year old daughter and 13 year old son were trapped inside their home. They said that the bed was floating. And so they got on the mattress of the bed that was floating up and they were holding onto the ceiling fan. There's only, you know, maybe two foot before they were out of room and they would have drowned.

And flooding remains a concern on the East Coast. Tonight, flood watches are impacting nine million Americans from North Carolina to Maryland. Tom? So many on alert tonight. All right, Erin, we thank you for that. Now to Texas, where crews are searching mile after mile of a debris-filled river. Tonight for the first time, we're hearing a dispatch of a volunteer firefighter who wanted to call a code red to alert residents about the flooding.

So what happened? Here's Morgan Chesky. Family comes first. This is what we're supposed to do. Nobody, nobody goes home till both of my parents are found. Tonight in Texas, with more than 170 people still missing, searches on a river offering little closure. Robert Brake Jr. on a mission to find his beloved mother

swept away alongside his father in Friday's deadly surge. I would hold him and hug him and tell him I love him. Thank you for being such great parents. I made questions about whether more could have been done to warn people. Tonight new dispatch audio obtained by NBC Austin affiliate KXAN revealing a volunteer firefighter asked to send a code red alert at 422 on the morning of July 4th. Is there any way we could send a code red out to our hunt residents asking them to find higher ground or stay home? We have to get that approved with our supervisor. It's unclear when the first alert went out to Code Red subscribers, though the mayor says the first notification he received was at 6 a.m. 90 minutes later. City leaders say they are committed

to a transparent and full review of processes. It was apocalyptic. Lisa Miller visiting Camp Mystic today after her three daughters survived sharing how a counselor saved her youngest as the waters rose. And it got up to her shoulders. So her counselor put her on her back to keep her safe. A former mystic camper herself, Miller says her daughter linked arms with girls in her cabin to keep from floating away, holding hands kind of in a chain. Her daughter describing the last word she heard from camp director, Dick Eastland.

Okay, you girls be safe. I'm going to go help bubble in. And that's the last that they saw him. And tonight, authorities say that five campers and one counselor still remain unaccounted for from Camp Mystic. In the meantime, the White House saying, President Trump will visit Kirk County tomorrow, although the details are still unclear.

Tom? Morgan Chesky for us, and we're going to pick up right there. As Morgan reported, President Trump is set to visit Texas tomorrow, and he's making new headlines about local officials' response to that flooding. In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press moderator, Kristen Welker, Kristen joins me now. And Kristen, you just spoke to the president on the phone. What did he tell you? I'm your host and moderator Kristen Welker. Kristen joins me now and Kristen you just spoke to the president on the phone.

What did he tell you? Tom we asked President Trump if Texas officials could have done more and if there should have been a better warning system. He told us that local officials quote love those children love those people and nobody ever saw

a thing like this coming. This is a once in an every 200 year deal he said. In retrospect he said after having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you'd put up alarms in some form. But he also praised Texas officials for doing a great job, Tom.

And then, Kristen, I know President Trump is also making headlines tonight about Ukraine, and he mentioned to you something about Russia. Tom, that's right. The president said he's disappointed in Russia and told us he thinks he'll have a major statement to make about Russia on Monday. Though when pressed, he did not say what that statement will be. The president also said he just made a deal today with NATO in which he says the U.S. will send weapons to Ukraine through NATO. And NATO

is, quote, paying for those weapons 100 percent, including the Patriot air defenses that Ukraine has been asking for and that NATO will distribute them. We reached out to NATO tonight, no response yet, Tom. All right, Kristen, we thank you for all that new reporting. Now to the woman sentenced in federal court today after she stowed away on a flight from JFK to Paris, getting through security and past agents at the gate despite having no boarding pass.

And officials say it's not the first time she's tried it. Anne Thompson with the video tonight. Stole away Svetlana Dali is proof practice almost makes perfect. Two days before she snuck onto a New York to Paris flight, there she is trying to get by TSA at Hartford's Bradley International Airport. Seen here in a pink hat and scarf, an agent foils her first attempt. So she tries a different lane and succeeds,

sneaking in behind an airport worker showing her badge. Officials say Dolly then tries to get on a JetBlue flight. With no ticket, she's denied. Today, she was sentenced in federal court to seven months' time served for successfully sneaking on to that Paris flight what prosecutors call a serious offense that endangers air passengers you can see her blending in with a flight crew to get by TSA in a special lane

for airline employees at New York's Kennedy Airport. Then in a gray hoodie getting past gate agents boarding Delta flight to 64 and hiding in the bathroom undetected until the flight was in the air. Today, the green card holder from Russia told the judge she tried to flee the U.S. to avoid unknown people she says are poisoning her no word yet on when she will be tried for the Connecticut incident. Anne Thompson, NBC News.

Now to our series, The Cost of Denial, and the mother of two who says she lives with debilitating pain. Her doctor recommended a procedure to help, but her insurance company denied coverage. Steve Patterson has this story. Time for you to say I told you so. A lot of people told me that my mosaic stairs would crack over the winter and you...

Do It Yourself influencer Aurora McCausland posts a lot of videos to her 300,000 followers. Holiday cookie boxes, okay? But this one, calling out a denial from her insurance provider, caught our attention. I got the prior authorization from my insurance company denied today. Aurora explaining she has a chronic inflammatory condition called lipidema and needs a surgery attention. I got the prio my insurance company deni explaining she has a cron condition called lipidema that cost $35,000. Her fr

she had at the time. Sig through the screen. They that I don't need it or h more. So we went to Utah City to meet her. Some days ar but on some days even jus stairs, one flight of sta be really, I mean they'll

glance, the mother of two causes a disproportionate in the legs and Aurora means fatigue, brain fog, blackouts, and pain. Has this pain gotten any worse? Has it gotten different? Yeah, it's definitely gotten much worse the older I've gotten.

You can have a stage one patient that has very severe and crippling symptoms of pain and swelling. Aurora's doctor, Dr. David Smart, is a board certified dermatologic surgeon. Really only surgery helps to reverse the disease process and treat the symptoms in a more long lasting improvement. But Cigna, the insurance company Aurora had through her husband's job, said no to covering

the recommended liposuction surgery twice, writing medical necessity has not been established, citing among its reasons that exam records did not show tenderness in the affected areas. They say it doesn't look like I experience tenderness in those areas and that it doesn't. How do they know? Exactly, how can they tell

because you feel that on the inside. So they said that they can tell that I don't experience tenderness and that it doesn't look like there's fat in the affected areas. We also asked Cigna why it denied her coverage and we're told Ms. McCausland's case was carefully reviewed by multiple doctors,

including a plastic surgeon with expertise in lipidema. Based on the information submitted by her doctor, she did not meet the clinical criteria for liposuction. Dr. Smart left as frustrated as his patient at being unable to treat her condition. Are we talking about something that's crippling? In many instances, yes. The decrease of mobility, the pain, the swelling from lipidema can be crippling to many patients.

Aurora had hoped when her husband's workplace switched insurers earlier this month, her situation would change. But she says the new insurer already told her it typically doesn't cover the procedure. I think that it's ridiculous that we live in a country that we have health care available to us, but it's so inaccessible that none of us can afford what we need. Denied coverage and left to live with the pain. Steve Patterson, NBC News, Salt Lake City, Utah. And when we return in 60 seconds, live from Chicago, how a sudden bang mid-flight turned a delta trip with hundreds of passengers into an emergency landing. The 29-hour layover in paradise. And again, we are live tonight from downtown Chicago. A look at the bean, that beautiful bean, in Millennium Park as we head to break.

a look at the bean, that beautiful bean in Millennium Park as we head to break. We're back now with a scare in the air. Tonight we're hearing from some of the passengers who spent more than 24 hours stuck on a remote island in the Atlantic after their Delta Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing. Here's our Tom Costello. It was supposed to be an eight and a half hour flight from Madrid to New York's JFK airport, but roughly a third of the way over the Atlantic, passengers reported a loud noise. Delta Airlines says an engine problem forced Flight 127 and Airbus A330 to make a sharp left turn and make an emergency landing at the closest airport and Air Force Base in

the Azores, Portugal's remote island chain in the middle of the Atlantic. In a statement, Delta says the flight landed safely and we sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience and delay in their travels. But it wasn't a quick stopover. The unexpected detour lasted 29 hours. We spent the last 24 hours in these outfits because they didn't give us our bags. The pilot reassured the passengers

the plane can fly on one engine. Delta says it provided the customers with meals on hotels, though some booked on their own. Ken Elder, a Delta Platinum passenger, took photos of the postcard beautiful island but says he and others felt abandoned. The handling of all of us and

what was going on was not good. I had five in my group. All of us were on the phones with Delta. We were never offered accommodations. We were never offered any help with food or anything else. A replacement aircraft arrived more than a day later to fly on to JFK. The airline tells NBC News safety comes before all else at Delta Tom. Alright, Tom Costello for us

and we're back in a moment. Good news in the music world with Paul McCartney announcing a new North American tour where he's playing. That's next nightly news live in Chicago and a beautiful look at the Great Lake, Michigan. Stay with us. We are back now with wild new video of this shipping attacked

in the Red Sea you can see the moment it came under fire from Iran backed who the rebels who film this video before it sinks into the water there that attack is raising concerns that the who these might begin another push to attack commercial shipping in the region and some good news for Beatles fans, the legend himself, Sir Paul McCartney, will hit the road with his Got Back Tour across North America this fall.

The first of 19 dates will start in Palm Springs in September and end where we are tonight in wonderful Chicago. All right, when we come back from one of the great food cities in the world, how the hit show, The Bear, helped elevate the Italian beef sandwich from beloved Chicago staple to the greatest thing since sliced bread. And as we go to a break, a look at the iconic Wrigley Field,

home of the NL Central leading Cubs. We're right back after this. Finally, there's some good news tonight from right here in Chicago. Food is such a big part of this wonderful city's culture, and one of the most popular shows on TV is giving a sandwich, beloved by locals, some new fans. For decades, Chicago's food scene was dominated by deep dish pizza and loaded Chicago style hot dogs. But if you ask locals the real favorite in town, the Italian beef. And now that hot drippy sandwich is stealing the

spotlight in part because of the hit Chicago Bay showed the bear. The award-winning show highlighting the passion and pride in the Chicago original that's been satisfying cravings for nearly a 100 years. Me is so tender so juicy. That's what I love about the bread the experience. We went down to Mister beef the legendary local shop that

inspired the bear. I tell you beef, hot and sweet peppers. Stacked with peppers loaded into a bun and smothered with jus, the sandwich is a classic part of Chicago's culture. Each place does it differently. Owner Chris Zuccaro serves hundreds each day. It's a sloppy sandwich, it's on the go, everybody's working, it was created for that, for people, you know, for guys that were working in the stockyards. The pilot of the bear was filmed here inside his shop. The creator, his close friend, and he even has a small role on the show. When you start seeing it in like menus in small town America you realize okay wow this

really did hit like the cultural zeitgeist. Sandwiches so good we had to get in on the action. Why is the Italian beef like a great part of Chicago's history and culture? Because it is, it's ours. It really is who we are as Chicagoans and that's it. And a big thanks to Mr. Beef that powered us through our reporting day here in Chicago. That's Nightly News for this Thursday. I'm Tom Yamas.

Thanks so much for watching. Tonight and always, we're here for you. Good night.