NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Episode Date: June 12, 2025

Anti-ICE protests growing across the country; ICE’s immigration enforcement operations ramp up nationwide; Musk apologizes to Trump after launching personal attacks; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, we're following several breaking stories, protest and fury growing and a chemical disaster in Ohio. In Los Angeles, a curfew now in effect as frustrations run high over immigration raids, violent protesters being rounded up, including a man accused of tossing a Molotov cocktail at police, business owners now arming themselves as demonstrations are expanding from LA's 101 to New York to Chicago, where a car drove through a crowd. It comes as immigration raids reach into new communities. A seven-year-old boy crying out for his father taken into custody, ICE agents chasing down

farm workers, as a new poll shows a majority of Americans approve of the president's deportation program. Also breaking tonight, the nitric acid leak, then the toxic cloud over an American city. The airspace closed for miles as hundreds evacuate. Plus, Elon Musk apologizing to the president. Will the world's most powerful man and the world's richest reunite after that very public breakup? Harvey Weinstein convicted of one sexual assault in his retrial but found not guilty on another. The woman who brought that allegation? Sitting down with our Chloe Malas.

The new video, a child drowning, no one around who could swim, and the construction worker who jumped into action to save that little boy's life. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yalmas. And good evening. Tonight as we come on the air, the arrests are mounting. More than 200 so far in Los Angeles with tonight's new curfew just hours away, including a dramatic arrest.

You see it right here, police pinning the car of a man DHS calls a violent rioter who they say punched an officer. And federal officials arresting a man they say tossed a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement. With frustration boiling over, those anti-immigration enforcement protests spreading. Overnight clashes got fierce from Portland,

seeing tear gas and flares to Chicago, where a car driving into a crowd is seen right here. ICE raids also ramping up a seven-year-old boy at an LA car wash in tears after his father was taken away into custody. And now DHS releasing this flyer, urging Americans to report, quote, foreign invaders. Liz Kreutz starts us off tonight from Los Angeles.

Tonight just hours before it takes effect for a second night in downtown Los Angeles protesters again taking to the streets demonstrations opposing ice immigration enforcement operations now in their 6th straight day organizers mobilizing across social media. How long you think this is going to go on. Well, the National Guard said they're going to be here for at least 30 days so I'd say as long as they're here.

Protests overnight in New York Denver and Chicago where car appears to speed through a crowd of protesters Texas Republican governor Greg Abbott deploying the National Guard. We want to make sure that what has happened in California does not happen in Texas. Back here in LA, an arrest captured on video, federal agents boxing in this car, drawing their weapons. Tonight, DHS telling us it was a targeted arrest of a violent rioter who punched a Customs

and Border Protections officer and attempted to flee. Well, tonight, DOJ announcing charges against two protesters for allegedly possessing Molotov cocktails, including a man in the U.S. illegally who they say threw this one at police. He's now charged with attempted murder and the U.S. attorney reviewing other protest videos. They think the mask is saving them. It's not saving them. We're coming after all these people.

So let's be clear. This is the beginning, not the end. Meanwhile, business owners boarding up their stores some heavily armed and standing guard after the city says more than 20 stores were looted since Friday costing millions of dollars in damage. This next door. Dozens of people broke in all after another dramatic night in

downtown La protests again erupting at la's federal building with some demonstrators then briefly making their way onto a major freeway, the police response overwhelming. This is now the second time in three days that the highway has been shut down. This is Highway 101. You can see these patrol cars here stopping southbound traffic during rush hour. Police corralling the protesters on a nearby street. Okay, we are witnessing now multiple people get arrested here by CHP officers.

They're out on the freeway blocking traffic, blocking people out on the freeway. One by one, the protesters hand-zip-tied and lined up, preparing to be loaded onto buses. This is definitely a change of tactic from what we've seen over the past few days, with officers now detaining many protesters. As LA gears up for the arrival of Marines deployed by President Trump to protect ICE agents, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom blaming the president for what he called a brazen abuse of power. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here.

Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived. Today, the White House firing back. Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom fanned the flames and demonized our brave ICE officers. Instead of defending their city and their state.

Liz joins us live once again. You're out there in those protests, Liz. City officials say the curfew is having an impact? Yeah, the city was saying that there are about 200 arrests that happened overnight, but none of them for vandalism or looting. Most of them just for defying the curfew. And the mayor is saying that that proves the curfew is working. In fact, even here at this protest, you can see the National Guard staging. The protesters have mostly been trying to stay on the sidewalk so they're not blocking traffic. We are starting to see some police in riot gear and there are protesters' protests

planned tonight, including one in an area where a curfew is not in effect, Tom. Liz Kreutz and her team right there at the front line of those demonstrations, those protests a showdown over President Trump's mass deportation efforts, which are ramping up, including an undocumented man arrested at a car wash as his seven-year-old son cried out to him. Here's Gabe Butierrez. A seven-year-old boy crying out to his father, who'd just been taken into custody by ICE agents at a car wash in Los Angeles.

That man undocumented, another one of his sons, who is a U.S. citizen, just turned 16. He says it easy, brought a lot of joy to my house. And now I feel that without him, we just, it's just the house feels dead. Also in California, this video shows ICE agents chasing down a farm worker, one woman recording on her cell phone when she's confronted by an immigration officer. We're doing our job. You can do whatever you like, but please stand back. In Omaha, the new Democratic mayor's office says ICE detained nearly 80 people at a meatpacking plant. The raid's so sudden, workers' lunch boxes were left behind.

I don't know why Omaha was targeted. There were 11 million illegal border crossings during the Biden administration. Tonight, President Trump is ramping up his mass deportation plan. Nobody can understand why they allowed people to come into our country totally unvetted, unchecked. The Department of Homeland Security saying in L.A. this week ICE agents arrested undocumented immigrants with convictions for murder, child molestation, domestic violence and other serious felonies.

A new poll finding a majority of Americans 54 percent approve of the president's deportation program. Now, two sources familiar with the planning of future ICE operations tell NBC News the agency is now preparing to deploy special response tactical teams to five cities run by Democrats, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and the D.C. area. These raids are not isolated incidents. They are direct assault in our immigrant families on working-class neighborhoods. Those sources say it's not clear if the raids in those cities will begin immediately,

but the tactical units have been told to be ready to deploy. Tom? All right, Gabe, we thank you for that. We're going to stay at the White House. We move now, though, to the apology to deploy Tom. All right, we thank you for that we're going to stay at the White House we move now though to the apology from Elon Musk after his personal attacks against President Trump the world's richest man saying now he has regrets Peter Alexander has more in this. Tonight after that explosive public feud where Elon Musk

launched several personal attacks against President Trump the world's richest man is now apologizing to the world's most powerful man looking to bury their bitter back and forth mosque early this morning backing away from some of his online attacks posting this apology I regret some of my post about President Trump last week they went too far the president today telling the New York Post quote I thought it was very nice that he did that earlier saying I

have no hard feelings I was I was really surprised. That happened. And tonight new details about the private personal diplomacy aimed at repairing their relationship. The New York Times reports Musk called president Trump Monday night according to 3 people briefed on the conversation and NBC News learning last Friday vice president Vance and the president's chief of staff

Suzy Wiles spoke to Musk pushing him to end the feud according to 2 sources familiar with the matter and said publicly called on Musk to back down. I'm always going to be loyal to the president and I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold all of it following the dramatic blow up just days after the president hosted that oval office send off giving Musk the key to the White House.

I look forward to continuing to be a friend and advisor to the president. And another headline out of the White House tonight the president is touting the framework for a trade deal with China setting tariffs on Chinese imports here at 55% down for the 145% the president initially slapped on them. Tom, the deal that's similar to an earlier agreement that fell through last month still

needs to be finalized by both President Trump and China's President Xi. Tom? Peter, our thanks to you. Now to that other breaking story, we're following the massive chemical leak at an explosives manufacturing plant causing a toxic cloud and urgent evacuations outside of Columbus, Ohio. Samantha Bender joins us tonight from our Columbus affiliate, WCMH Samantha residents. They're obviously worried about what this could mean for their health. That's right, Tom. This is a small rural town.

You can see the plant here behind me, a much different scene from this morning. After 3000 gallons of nitrate acid leaked, causing a massive chemical plume, this sent residents into a mass panic and forced them out of their homes. Some telling me today they're concerned about the lingering health impacts and how this will impact

their drinking water as of now, though officials say there are no reported injuries and the Health Department has confirmed the water is safe for drinking. Austin powder confirming the plume in the air is actively dissipating and is being monitored. The evacuation order has been lifted. The FAA still has temporary flight restrictions on the area through tomorrow morning. Tom?

Samantha Bender on that breaking news for us. Samantha, thank you. Back here at home to a wild day in court at Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault trial, the jury reaching a split verdict, Chloe Molasse reports. After five days of heated deliberations, including jurors say, arguments and threats, today they reached a partial verdict.

Finding Weinstein guilty on one count of a criminal sexual act and not guilty on another they remain divided on the last charge third-degree rape that not guilty verdict concerns an allegation from Kaia Sokola a former model who said Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006 there's no win or lose for me I was not the one who was on the trial we have one life to live and if we won't fight for our own justice then who will Sokola one of three accusers to testify during this latest trial. His 2020 trial, which resulted in a conviction for rape and sexual assault, was overturned by New York's

highest court last year. Harvey Weinstein has maintained all along that all of these relationships with all of the women were consensual. What message do you have for him today? The same message that I had to his lawyer, that they should be ashamed of themselves. Sokola's attorney saying despite the verdict, her testimony was crucial. I don't know that it would have resulted in this conviction if Kaia didn't testify. And so it's a victory no matter what. Last week Weinstein's speaking out in a phone interview.

Sokola says she's relieved this chapter is now closed. When you look back at this trial, it doesn't sound like you regret taking part in it. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. You know, I did it not to prove Harvey guilty because I don't have anything to prove to anyone. Nothing will change that. Chloe Malas, NBC News, New York. When we return the closing frame of the Karen Reed retrial, what she just said outside of court. Stay with us. We are back now with an update on Karen Reed's retrial for the murder of her boyfriend.

The defense team resting their case today without Reed taking the stand, but she did talk to reporters outside of court. Here's Emily Aketa. After nearly two months of testimony, Karen Reed's murder trial redo, entering its final stretch in Massachusetts. You think your case is stronger this time? I thought it was strong last year. It's stronger, yes.

The defense resting its case today, arguing the police investigation was riddled with errors, and Reed never struck her police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe with her car. Reed's lawyers pointing to crash recreation tests cont John O'Keefe, with her car. Reed's lawyer is pointing to crash recreation tests contending O'Keefe's injuries don't line up with the collision prosecutors allege. It's inconsistent with the evidence we have, with the actual abrasions to the arm. Multiple defense experts telling the jury

the gashes on O'Keefe's arm look more like an animal bite. One person not taking the stand, Karen Reed herself. They have heard my interview clips. They've heard my voice. From TV interview clips. I mean, I didn't think I hit him, hit him, but could I have clipped him? To voicemails the night O'Keefe died,

played for the jury by the prosecution. Judges, I f***ing hate you! The prosecution says after a night of drinking, night O'Keefe died, played for the jury by the prosecution. The prosecution says after a night of drinking, Reed struck O'Keefe with her SUV and left him to die in the cold outside of this house, a crash expert for prosecutors testifying that data from reads car show her SUV drove forward 34 feet and then reversed at nearly 24 miles an hour, just hours before O'Keefe's body was found in that area. Now more than three years ago.

Closing arguments will get underway Friday before jurors get the case. It will be the second time Reed's fate is deliberated after her first trial ended in a hung jury. Tom? All right, Emily Aketa for us. We are back in a moment with a shocking video. Look at this, a Corvette going airborne and crashing hard. Get this. The driver made it out alive. That's next.

We are back now with a dramatic pool rescue in Fort Lauderdale as summer starts to heat up. Look at this surveillance video. You can see a little boy there falling into the pool and struggling to get out. The boy's cousin you also see there did not know how to swim then out of nowhere police say a construction worker jumped to the rescue providing CPR the boy was then taken to the hospital police say tonight he is in good condition that is great news and then there's this terrifying crash caught on camera look at this Corvette racing to the finish line before it goes

totally airborne crashing onto the track before falling off the side of the raceway. It happened during a drag race in Illinois. Somehow that driver walked away with only minor injuries. And if you recognize these soldiers carrying flowers and a saxophone, you are a massive fan of K-pop. Two more members of the group BTS, Chimmin and Jungkook completed their mandatory service with South Korea's military. Two other members wrapped up their service this week and fans are cheering for a reunion. They are one of the biggest groups in the world. That's

nightly news for this Wednesday. Remember tonight and always we're here for you. I'm Tom Yamas. Thanks so much for watching. Have a great night.