NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Episode Date: July 2, 2025

Jurors in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial reach partial verdict; Senate narrowly passes Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’; High levels of bacteria causing beach closures in multiple states; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight breaking news, the jury has reached a partial verdict in the Sean Diddy Combs case. We'll take you inside court. What Combs did when he learned the jury had already reached a verdict on four counts after just two days of deliberating. But the most complex and punitive charge, racketeering the jury still not unanimous, were live. Travel nightmare, severe storms, crushing travel along the

I-95 corridor, ground delays and ground stops at airports along the East Coast. Thousands of delays nationwide are inside look at the mad dash to keep millions traveling on time. Plus, beaches shut down across multiple states due to high levels of bacteria. What you need to know to stay safe this week. Alligator Alcatraz, President Trump on hand at the opening of a migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, greeted today by protesters. Our cameras capturing the alligators, officials say, will act as natural deterrence. President Trump's mega bill now goes to the House. The Vice President casting the tie-breaking vote. The moment captured by our team highlighting the GOP divide as

the Trump and Musk feud erupts again, the President threatening Doge will look into Musk. And a fentanyl bust like you've never seen before will show you the undercover sting to catch Chinese nationals selling the raw chemicals needed to produce the deadly drug. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamares. And good evening. We come on the air with breaking news tonight. A federal jury has reached a verdict on four charges against Sean Diddy Combs. But not all. Now the judge has asked the jury to keep deliberating, but leaving us all to wonder how they decided. The jury indicating the loan charge they could not reach a unanimous verdict on, racketeering.

Sean Combs' lawyers circling their client and hugging as the world awaits word of what the jury, comprised of eight men and four women, decided. But we will have to wait, at least least until tomorrow morning when they return to deliberate. It's all been rapidly unfolding tonight. We begin with Chloe Moloss, who was in the courthouse. And Chloe, what did Combs do when the jurors came back so fast with a partial verdict? Tom, that's right. I was in the courthouse watching Combs as he read that latest note from the jury and like you said his attorneys

circling around him in a very powerful scene at one point combs putting his head in his hands even rubbing his eyes looking clearly dejected. We've reached a verdict on counts 2, 3, 4, and 5 read the note from the jury that came just after 4 o'clock but we cannot reach a verdict on count one, they wrote because some jurors have unpersuadable views. That means they've reached a unanimous decision on whether Sean Diddy combs is

guilty of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. But the jury of eight men and four women is split on the most serious and complex charge racketeering conspiracy for that. Count jurors must decide whether they believe Combs ran a criminal organization and committed underlying crimes like kidnapping and arson. Late today, the judge urging the jury to keep deliberating, to try to reach a decision on that last count before revealing their verdict. As the jury's note came in, Combs' attorneys hugged and formed a circle around the music mogul, who put his head in his hands, at one point giving a thumbs up to his family.

During the seven-week trial, prosecutors alleged that the music mogul ran a criminal enterprise and used power, violence, and fear to get what he wanted, calling 34 witnesses, including two of Combs' former girlfriends, Cassie ventura and another known only as jane combs opting not to testify his defense team calling no witnesses telling the jury that the claims against combs were badly exaggerated and that physical abuse and love of baby oil are not federal crimes the jury will resume deliberations tomorrow morning chloe malas nbc news new york tomorrow morning. Chloe Malas, NBC News, New York. Also tonight, 26 million are under flooding alerts and 33 million are at risk of severe weather as thunderstorms roll through the northeast. All during one of the summer's busiest travel weeks. NBC's Tom Costello is at Newark Airport as crowds are trying to catch flights tonight.

Tom, how's it looking? Yeah, we've got a lot of people who have been waiting a long time to get out of here, but the delays have been building through the day. At the moment, we've got more than 5,700 delays in the United States, 1,300 flight cancellations, and they are extending from Washington, D.C., all the way through New York City. Tuesday evening and day two of severe weather tearing into the I-95 corridor with DC and Virginia getting sheets of rain, heavy flooding in Maryland and New Jersey. Hours long ground delays and ground stops at all three New York area airports and Philly,

Baltimore and DC with delays building nationwide. Ethiopian 509 give way to Air India to disconnect on spot 26. You may disconnect on spot 27. Inside United Airlines Newark Ops Center, a tightly choreographed ballet. Newark is United's busiest East Coast hub, 760 departing and arriving flights every day. As we start to see the weather impacts start to build up out here to the west, so some of our west fixes are going to get hit. Just six weeks after Newark melted down due to air traffic control equipment failures

and the loss of runway four left. Now reopened, the airport is running at full throttle. Newark shares this airspace with three other airports, major airports, JFK, LaGuardia, Teterboro. There's also 50 smaller airports nearby, and it makes this the most complicated airspace in the country. Athens inbound 125 will have a medical emergency on board. ETA is 1356. Getting priority clearance, a United flight from Athens

with a 25-year-old in medical distress. The aircraft taxiing is going to have to hold, and then the medical emergency is the first aircraft on the ground and to that gate. Amazingly, United says Newark is now the Big Apple's most on time airport. Depending on the airplane type, we have between 30 and about an hour and 10 minutes to turn that plane. Tonight, Mother Nature seems intent on ruining best laid plans. How well can we manage this tonight?

So tomorrow morning looks like nothing ever happened. Tom Costello, NBC News, Newark Airport. And the holiday travel colliding with a mounting public health crisis closing beaches across the country just ahead of the 4th of July. Maggie Vespa is at a beach closed for swimming outside of Chicago and Maggie,

the timing couldn't be worse. Yeah, Tom, exactly. At least 17 Chicago area beaches are closed tonight due to high bacteria levels. We're also tracking closures in at least five other states from New York to California. Of particular concern is Vibrio, a bacteria that occurs naturally in coastal waters and can spike amid extreme heat or heavy rain, causing serious, even potentially life-threatening infections in those who swallow the contaminated water or swim with open wounds. extreme heat or heavy rain, causing serious, even potentially life threatening infections in those who swallow the contaminated water or swim with open wounds.

Public health officials pleading with people to heed these beach closures and adjust holiday plans as needed. Tom. Maggie Vespa with that alert tonight. Maggie, thank you. Now to Washington and that big victory for President Trump. His massive budget bill narrowly passing the Senate, But tonight there's still a divide among Republicans. Ryan Nobles is tracking it all for us.

Tonight the dramatic moment, Vice President Vance breaking a tie vote. The Vice President votes in the affirmative. The bill as amended is passed. In a major win for President Trump, the Senate narrowly passing what he calls his big beautiful bill, which extends the Trump tax cuts, increases border security, and eliminates taxes on tips and overtime. As President Trump would say, promises made, promises kept. But three Republicans and every Democrat voting no.

Republicans passed the biggest tax breaks for billionaires ever seen. Ultimately, it came down to Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski who negotiated a special carve out for Alaska to soften the blow of the changes to Medicaid on the ire of Kentucky's Rand Paul who knows now they chose to add more pork and subsidies for Alaska to secure that we pressed Murkowski senator Paul said that this was that your vote was a bailout for alaska expense the rest of the country

that's a senator this is certainly got the status for your response my response i have an obligation the state of Alaska. And I live up to that every single day. Now the bill goes back to the House. President Trump optimistic

and sexually I think it will be easier in the House that it was in the Senate and responding to new criticism of the bill from Elon Musk who says it's full of quote insane spending. The president posting without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. Those is gonna look at Musk and if those looks at must, we're gonna save a fortune. While Speaker Johnson insisting he can get the bill through the House again, despite a razor thin Republican majority,

a lot of work ahead, but that's that's the job, so we'll get done. Ryan joins us now live from Capitol Hill. And Ryan, we just saw that moment in your piece with Senator Murkowski, and now you have new reporting about a Republican divide in the House. Yeah, that's right, Tom. House conservatives have said that they are unhappy with the changes that the Senate made to this bill,

but GOP leaders are confident that with President Trump's help, they will get the votes they need to get this bill passed by Friday. Tom. Ryan Nobles for us. And President Trump was in Florida to tour a new migrant detention center. He's dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, calling it a blueprint to speed up his mass deportation efforts. Gabe Gutierrez is there.

Deep in the Florida Everglades, tonight President Trump says this massive migrant detention camp, built in just eight days, has an unusual deterrent to prevent any escapes. Don't run in a straight line. Run like this. He calls it alligator Alcatraz. This meant more as a joke, but the more I thought of it, the more I liked it. With gators clearly visible outside, NBC News getting a first look inside. The partnership with the state has been great. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons telling us the goal is to keep detainees here no longer than two weeks, where they can appear before a judge and be deported from the camp's existing runway.

How would you respond to critics who think that this is not where immigrants should be housed? Well, what I would say is that obviously individuals that want to come here to enjoy the American dream should think about returning on their own. So they're not in a detained setting, right? President Trump was elected pledging to deport the record number of migrants

who crossed into the U.S. under President Biden. I ran on the issue of illegals, and we have to get them out. According to data reviewed by NBC News, almost half of those currently in ICE custody have neither been convicted of nor charged with a crime. Is the administration still going after the worst of the worst? We are.

The administration stresses the priority is violent criminals, but anyone who is here illegally is breaking the law. Through the course of another law enforcement investigation, we do come across people that are just here illegally. We will no longer turn a blind eye to that. Still environmental groups are suing. While Trump supporters are cheering this detention center. I think it's great. Get the holes out of here.

The department of Homeland security says this center will be paid for by FEMA funds. The Biden administration previously used to house migrants, including in New York City. Nationwide, ICE's detention space is at 140 percent capacity. So the president says this center could be a blueprint for other states. Gabe Gutierrez down in Miami for us. Gabe, we thank you. And when we return, we take you inside the fentanyl trade, tracking the supply chain from China to Fiji to America with DEA informants our

Exclusive access that's next We are back now with our exclusive access into a DEA sting that led to the arrest of two Chinese nationals For their roles in America's fentanyl crisis Prosecutors say they sold the raw materials used to make the deadly drug. Here's Stephanie Gosc with that video. Come to China. This was no friendly call. I'm looking up to make up to 50 to 55 kilos of the final products. It was a drug deal, according to federal prosecutors. The video exclusively obtained by NBC News.

The executives worked for a Marvel Biotech, a China-based company that sold fentanyl precursors, the raw chemicals used to make the deadly drug. Boasting online, 100 percent stealth shipping, prosecutors say, by disguising their illicit products as dog food, nuts, and motor oil. The Chinese company arranged to have roughly three kilos of the precursor sent to this address in lower Manhattan. But what they didn't realize was that the person they were dealing with was not a drug trafficker. He was actually a DEA informant.

And this was the beginning of a sting operation that was going to put both of them behind bars. A Marvel biotech is one of thousands of companies just like it, according to Ray Donovan, former DEA chief of operations. It was one of those companies that we knew was connected to Sinaloa cartel in Mexico in Mexico. That's the cartel once run by notorious drug lord El Chapo Guzman, who now sits in federal prison in Florida. Donovan helped put in there. But soon after that conviction, the DEA's strategy to fight fentanyl started shifting.

We had to do more to go after the bad actors that were way upstream. Bad actors like a Marvel biotech. But to make the arrest, the DEA had to lure them out of China. And that's what they did. Here they are sipping coffee in the lobby of a fancy hotel in Fiji in 2023, hoping to secure a huge sale. Me, like in Mexico, like I pay officials so that way I don't have problems. Moments later, both of the Chinese nationals were arrested and extradited to the U.S. where they were convicted on drug charges and money laundering. They will be sentenced in August. How are you able to get these two particular people out of China to meet you in Fiji? Money.

So it always comes down to greed. But Donovan says going after these companies is a game of whack-a-mole and the U.S. needs China's help. How can cooperation with the Chinese government affect this fight against fentanyl? The cooperation with the Chinese government will immediately, overnight, impact the entire industry. That quickly? Yes.

With that, Stephanie Goss joins us in studio. Stephanie, you said it there, we need China's help. So are they helping? Well, last week, Tom, the Chinese government banned the production of two fentanyl precursors. But Donovan told me that that was pretty superficial. And there was a congressional report last year that said that the Chinese government was actually providing tax breaks. Tax breaks. To some of these companies.

Yes. All right. Stephanie Gosper. Stephanie, we thank you for that. We're back in a moment with the heat wave complicating so many American summer trips to Europe. Even the top of the Eiffel Tower forced to close. And check this out, the incredible sight in the sky. What did beach goers here experience? Stay with us.

We're back now with the scorching heat waves hitting Europe. The heat climbing to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris today, forcing the Eiffel Tower to close its summit early due to the extreme temps. France's National Weather Service issuing the highest red alert for Paris right now. And take a look at this, a rare cloud surprising beachgoers in Portugal.

It's known as a roll cloud. Look closely, weather experts say this rare formation makes it look like the sky is rolling horizontally. You don't see them very often, but when you do, they tend to occur around thunderstorms. It's Nightly News for this Tuesday. I'm Tom Yama. Thanks so much for watching. Tonight and always, we're here for you. Good night.