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WASHNGTON — Days before a Washington murder trial was to begin, prosecutors decided the evidence they had against the defendant — who was in custody for more than five years — was not good enough, and the victim’s family still wants an explanation.

When John Pernell was shot to death on Nelson Place SE in July 2010, witnesses told police the retired protective service officer fought with one of four men trying to rob him and others. Pernell and his friends were setting up their barbecues for a traditional Fourth of July get-together when the men jumped a fence and announced a robbery.

The investigation went nowhere until 2019, when a witness told police they should look at a man named Kavon Young.

According to a document filed in D.C. Superior Court, police said DNA discovered under Pernell’s fingernails matched the DNA profile of Young. The probability the DNA did not belong to Young was one in 3.4 billion in the United States African American population.

But that DNA evidence — presented in court as a match in 2019 — suddenly became a mismatch two days before trial. Prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the defense attorneys and the private lab that did the original testing will not say why.

“It’s shameful. We have a right to know what happened,” said Pernell’s daughter, Yolanda Pernell-Vogelson.

Two days before the trial was set to begin, Pernell-Vogelson and her sister, Ayana Pernell, say they got a call from Michael Spence, the prosecutor in the case, who told them the initial calculations were wrong.

“To this day, [we] have not been given a full, understandable explanation as to why this has happened,” Ayana Pernell said. “I mean, we are essentially victims also.”

Court records show the private lab that did the testing, Bode Technology Group Inc., lost the evidence and it cannot be retested. The judge told the prosecution and defense that at trial, the jury would be told “the government’s labs and/or agencies negligently lost the DNA extract in this case” just before the trial was set to begin.

In an April 9 filing, prosecutors noted again the DNA “matched the defendant” “as reported by Bode Technology” — a result prosecutors relied upon for five-and-a-half years until deciding two days before trial it was unreliable.

Bode Technology group declined to comment. Young was released in April, and NBC Washington couldn’t reach the attorneys who have been representing him.

Pernell’s daughters said they wrote letters to all lawmakers in the city.

“We extend our condolences to Mr. Pernell’s family and friends, including his daughters,” Washington Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah said in a statement Wednesday. “I’ve contacted them regarding his case, and we are investigating the matter to see if there is anything additional the District can do to be of assistance to ensure justice.”

EDMONTON, Alberta — Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play in overtime, Stuart Skinner made 29 saves and the Edmonton Oilers erased a multigoal deficit to beat the defending champion Florida Panthers 4-3 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final rematch on Wednesday night.

After Tomas Nosek’s penalty for putting the puck over the glass, Draisaitl’s goal 19:29 into OT sent the home fans into a frenzy and made sure the Oilers would not start this series like they did a year ago, when they fell behind three games to none.

A Canada-based NHL club hasn’t hoisted Lord Stanley’s famed chalice since 1993.

For a while, it looked like the Oilers would at least start the series trailing. Draisaitl’s goal 66 seconds in was followed later in the first period by Sam Bennett deflecting a shot in past Stuart Skinner after falling into him.

Edmonton’s Kris Knoblauch unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference, with the NHL’s situation room ruling that his own player, Jake Walman, tripped Bennett into Skinner. The resulting penalty paved the way for Florida’s Brad Marchand to score the go-ahead goal on the power play.

Bennett scoring his second of the night early in the second period put the Panthers up 3-1. They entered 31-0 over the past three playoffs since coach Paul Maurice took over when leading at the first or second intermission.

With Connor McDavid leading the way, the Oilers rallied. Fourth-liner Viktor Arvidsson brought the crowd back to life early in the second, and fellow Swede Mattias Ekholm — playing just his second game back from an extended injury absence — tied it with 13:27 remaining in regulation off a perfect pass from McDavid.

At the other end, Skinner made a handful of saves that were vital to keeping the Panthers from extending their lead or tying it late in the third. Florida counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky did the same, in between derisive chants of “Sergei! Sergei!” that followed goals he allowed.

Skinner was greeted with friendlier chants of “Stuuuu” after saves, including one in the first minute of overtime on a quality scoring chance. Bobrovsky stone-cold robbed Trent Frederic nine minutes in but eventually cracked.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will deny visas for foreign students trying to come to the United States to attend Harvard University, his latest attack on the prominent Ivy League college.

The administration tried late last month to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students — a move that was swiftly blocked by a federal judge.

In a proclamation Wednesday, Trump said Harvard failed to present sufficient information about its foreign students to the federal government.

“Harvard provided data on misconduct by only three students, and the data it provided was so deficient that the DHS could not evaluate whether it should take further actions,” Trump said, referring to the Department of Homeland Security.

Harvard said it would fight to protect its international students.

“This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” a spokesperson for the university said Wednesday night.

Trump made his pledge as he announced what amounts to a travel ban for 12 countries and limitations on nine others.

The proclamation said the president would “restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University.”

It added that the State Department would review existing foreign students under F, M or J visas to see whether their visas should be revoked.

Trump and his administration have attacked Harvard, saying it has not done enough to combat antisemitism on campus during demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war.

Harvard in April rejected Trump administration demands that included auditing viewpoints of the student body. In response, the federal government said it was freezing more than $2 billion in federal grants.

The administration previously sought to limit Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students by revoking its certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, Harvard said. The government also sought to prohibit Harvard from issuing F and J visas.

Harvard President Alan M. Garber responded in a letter on May 23 that Harvard was being retaliated against for refusing to surrender to the Trump administration’s illegal attempts to control it and its students.

“We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action,” Farber said. “It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams.”

Spoilers ahead for the ending of the first “Wicked” movie and the Broadway musical.

The witches of Oz are back — this time, for good.

The “Wicked” storyline continues, as the trailer for the long-awaited second movie dropped Wednesday, giving fans a glimpse into how Glinda and Elphaba’s story ultimately plays out.

The “Wicked: For Good” trailer brings back the film’s beloved and star-studded cast, including an update on Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda friendship, as well as the love triangle dynamic between Jonathan Bailey’s Prince Fiyero.

Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard are also seen in the first look, showcasing the power they have over Oz.

Fans can also get excited as they hear teases of songs featured in the sequel, including “No Good Deed” and “For Good.”

“Wicked: For Good” is set to hit theaters Nov. 21.

Unlike the first half, which matches the soundtrack to Act 1 of the Broadway musical, the second “Wicked” film features two new songs, composer Stephen Schwartz previously told TODAY.com.

The title for the second half of the story comes from the heart-wrenching ballad between Glinda and Elphaba, “For Good,” which is historically sung at the end of the stage show.

Though the detailed plot line for the next “Wicked” movie has not yet been fully revealed, it’s expected to follow the musical — similar to the initial release.

A casual viewer could be forgiven for mistaking Democrats’ first New York City mayoral debate for the roast of Andrew Cuomo.

All eight of his primary opponents took turns throwing verbal daggers at the former New York governor on Wednesday evening, who arrived on the debate stage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza with multiple suitcases of baggage to go with his status as the polling frontrunner.

Cuomo has consistently led polls of the nine-candidate field, leveraging his name recognition as a longtime public official in New York and the scion of a storied political family. He resigned the governorship in 2021 amid multiple sexual misconduct allegations and an investigation into those claims, but he is now attempting a comeback in New York City, where Democratic Mayor Eric Adams is running for re-election as an independent.

Cuomo’s frontrunner status in the Democratic primary made him a constant target Wednesday night at the debate hosted by NBC 4 New York, Telemundo 47 and Politico. When Cuomo sidestepped a question about a 2021 report from New York’s state attorney general accusing him of undercounting nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, his opponents laughed in his face and jeered him.

When Cuomo cited “the state of the Democratic Party” when asked to name his biggest regret in his political career, Adrienne Adams, speaker of the New York City Council, pounced.

“No regrets when it comes to cutting child care?” Adams asked. “No regrets when it comes to slow walking PPE and vaccinations in the season of COVID to Black and brown communities? Really, no regrets?”

And when Cuomo was asked about allegations of sexual harassment and responded by attacking his opponents for calling for the defunding of police, former state Assemblyman Michael Blake turned to the cameras to speak directly to the women of New York.

“Every woman watching tonight. He was just given a chance to actually address the clear claims that were stated and ignored it,” said Blake. Cuomo would later repeat his denial of the allegations that mushroomed into an investigation spearheaded by state Attorney General Letitia James, which found that Cuomo had harassed 11 women and subjected some of them to unwanted touching and groping.

Each candidate took a different tack attacking the 67-year-old former governor. His most viable opponent, according to recent polls, is democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who cast Cuomo as bought and paid for by billionaires.

“The difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in D.C.,” said the 33-year-old state legislator.

After Cuomo dodged difficult questions about his controversies, Mamdani said the frontrunner is “allergic to any accountability or acknowledgement of a mistake.”

Cuomo did not hang back, instead trying to give as good as he was getting when he was attacked. And Mamdani, the youngest candidate on stage, also received his own slew of barbs. After confidently proclaiming “I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare,” Cuomo replied, “Donald Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani me like a hot knife through butter.”

“He’s been in government 27 minutes. He passed three bills. That’s all he’s done,” Cuomo said, contrasting his own experience to his opponent, who is less than half of his age.

Jessica Ramos got a jab in Mamdani when asked about her own biggest regret. “I regret not running for mayor in 2021,” said Ramos, a state senator.

“I had been in the Senate for two years. I’d already passed over a dozen bills. I thought I needed more experience, but turns out, you just need to make good videos,” she said, poking fun at Mamdani’s social media strategy, which has propelled his candidacy.

Issues, including the city’s housing crisis and public safety, took a back seat to bickering, which saw debate moderators struggling to control the nine candidates speaking over one another and jousting for airtime ahead of the June 24 primary.

In addition to Cuomo and Mamdani, who has burst onto the New York City political scene on a progressive platform, candidates jockeyed for position in the city’s unpredictable ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to choose multiple candidates and rank them on their ballots. The stage also included the current and former city comptrollers, Brad Lander and Scott Springer; state Sens. Ramos and Zellnor Myrie; Blake; and former hedge fund executive Whitney Tilson.

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday that bans nationals from a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti and the Republic of Congo, from entering the United States, framing the travel ban as necessary to fortify national security and building upon one of the most contentious policies of his first term.

“I directed the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, to identify countries throughout the world for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a full or partial suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries,” Trump wrote in his proclamation.

Trump banned nationals from 12 countries from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Several of the countries on the list, according to Trump’s proclamation, regularly declined to accept the return of their citizens or had visa overstay rates the administration deemed “unacceptable” and indicative of “a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws.”

Others on the list, like Sudan, Yemen and Somalia, were included for inadequate screening and vetting measures.

An additional seven countries came under partial travel restrictions, in which entrance into the country under several visa programs was suspended but an outright ban was not implemented: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The travel restrictions are set to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Monday.

For the crowds outside Nintendo’s store in New York’s Rockefeller Center on Wednesday, a long wait was well worth getting their hands on the new Switch 2 console.

Some camped out for hours, bringing their own makeshift waterproof tents and lawn chairs. Others stood in the line, which stretched several city blocks. A handful even dressed up as iconic Nintendo characters, including Luigi, the beloved brother and sidekick in the video game “Super Mario.”

“Really, it’s just all about the community and sort of sharing that love of Nintendo with each other,” said Lauren Hyde, who has been in line since she traveled from Maryland on Monday.

The Japanese gaming giant is releasing the coveted console Thursday, eight years after the original version hit shelves. The first iteration of the Switch was a major hit for Nintendo, selling roughly 150 million units, according to the company, making it the third-best-selling console of all time, behind the PS2 and the Nintendo DS.

The hype for the Switch 2 has been building for months, with Nintendo teasing a brief first look at it in January. With a bigger screen, better graphics and larger controls, the next iteration of the console has drummed up enough enthusiasm among gamers that many showed up early at stores like Best Buy and GameStop to pick up their units at midnight.

“We have a lot of wonderful products that create buzz,” said Jason Bonfig, Best Buy’s senior executive vice president in charge of customer offerings and fulfillment. “Switch is very, very special. They’re a passionate community.”

Bonfig estimated that 70% of Best Buy’s customers indicated they wanted to pick up their Switch 2s in-store, “and the vast majority of those customers will be there at midnight to do so.”

“Something about consumer electronics in general with that instant gratification is really important,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Nintendo Store is selling units at midnight only to those who secured reservations on its website, meaning many lining up outside its New York City location were doing so mostly for fun.

Nintendo even warned in a message on its website that “delivery by June 5 is not guaranteed” for customers who had not already secured pre-order invitations.

Though consumers have been fatigued by high prices amid the ongoing global trade war, Nintendo said in April that it would not hike the price of the $449.99 device at launch.

There is also hope among some in the gaming world that the Switch 2 could spur the creation of new games and therefore new jobs. The industry has taken a hit in recent years after widespread layoffs affected many studios, and a performers strike has continued into 2025.

While some companies release consoles to reviewers early, Nintendo has remained quiet about many of the details of the Switch 2, holding off on review copies for gaming news sites like IGN.

Nintendo has not commented on how many customers have pre-ordered the Switch 2.

This is a free article for Diddy on Trial newsletter subscribers. Sign up to get exclusive reporting and analysis throughout Sean Combs’ federal trial.

Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Diddy’s former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, testified today to a terrifying moment involving the music mogul in September 2016. Bongolan said she was sleeping on the couch at Ventura’s 17th-floor Los Angeles apartment when Diddy banged on the door. She went out to the balcony to smoke marijuana, and Diddy, who had gotten inside, “came behind me and lifted me up and had me on top of the rail,” she testified. He held her for about 10 to 15 seconds, she said, and “for a second, I thought I was going to fall.” She said Diddy was yelling at her and she didn’t know why.

Here’s what else to know about today’s testimony:

• Bongolan testified that while upset, Diddy once threw a knife in Ventura’s direction, and she threw it back; both their throws missed. In another interaction, Bongolan said, Diddy allegedly told her something along the lines of, “I am the devil and I can kill you.” She testified that Diddy had taken cocaine at the time he made the comments.
• During cross-examination, defense lawyer Nicole Westmoreland tried to discredit Bongolan’s memory of the alleged dangling incident. Bongolan answered, “I don’t remember,” multiple times when challenged.
• The government also called Frank Piazza, a forensic video expert, who testified about the authenticity of the hotel security video of Diddy assaulting Ventura in March 2016 as well as related cellphone videos. The hotel video, which has been central to the prosecution’s case, was not altered, according to Piazza.

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🔎 The view from inside

By Adam Reiss and Jing Feng

Diddy watched the jury closely when they first took their seats. He was also attentive when it came to the testimony. Much of today was spent looking at security footage and cellphone videos, and he peered at the monitor in front of him.

Piazza’s testimony going over the videos may have seemed technical, but the long stretch spent looking at Diddy assaulting Ventura could also have a cumulative effect on the jury.

In other news: Diddy’s lawyers complained to Judge Arun Subramanian that although Diddy has 300 minutes for phone calls, for some reason, he can’t get in touch with lawyers at night. Defense lawyer Xavier Donaldson called it “unacceptable.” Subramanian said he would reach out to the jail and see what could be done.

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👨‍⚖️ Analysis: Is the video relevant?

By Danny Cevallos

The last two days have featured testimony about the 2016 hotel beating video. The government first called a hotel security officer who testified that Diddy paid $100,000 in cash in a brown paper bag in exchange for the video. Today, prosecutors called a forensic video expert, who narrated the events on screen, frame by frame. So why is the video relevant if Diddy was not charged with the assault that was recorded?

The defense tried mightily to exclude the video, arguing, in part, that any relevance was outweighed by the prejudicial effect. It lost.

How the video fits into the government’s theory of the case appears to be this: Prosecutors allege the drug-fueled sexual encounters known as “freak offs” constituted commercial sex acts (for purposes of sex trafficking).

The video shows Diddy using force or coercion — one of the necessary elements of sex trafficking — to prevent Ventura from escaping a “freak off,” as she said during her testimony.

The cash payment to hotel security is then an effort to conceal that conduct. Plus, racketeering charges are often about a boss corrupting his own company.

Finally, the government is very skilled at finding a way to introduce the most devastating evidence against a defendant — which it’s done here.

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🗓️ What’s next

Tomorrow: The defense plans to continue cross-examining Bongolan as court resumes later than usual. Also, a Diddy accuser who will go by the pseudonym “Jane” is expected to begin multiple days of testimony. Jane, who was identified as “Victim-2” in the prosecution’s indictment, was allegedly engaged in commercial sex acts “as a result of force, fraud or coercion.”

PSA: Every night during Diddy’s trial, NBC’s “Dateline” will drop special episodes of the “True Crime Weekly” podcast to get you up to speed. “Dateline” correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News’ Chloe Melas and special guests — right in front of the courthouse. Listen here. 🎧

Democrats will have to win some red states if they have any hope of taking control of the Senate next year, and the senator tasked with leading that effort believes President Donald Trump has given them an opening after he won those states easily months ago.

“I look at the map, and every state’s on the table because of this growing backlash that President Trump’s decisions have created, with his cuts to Medicaid and his unwillingness to address affordability issues,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told NBC News in an interview at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters on Wednesday.

Gillibrand also said she isn’t ruling out taking sides in Democratic primaries as her party looks to net four Senate seats to take control of the chamber, saying that she is “definitely not ruling out anything in any state.”

“We’re going to look at every state on a case-by-case basis and make our assessment as to who’s the best candidate in that state, and then make decisions based on that,” Gillibrand said.

Democrats’ ripest targets in 2026 are GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, which Trump lost by nearly 7 percentage points in November, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, which Trump won by 3 points. Both incumbents are battle-tested, winning contested races in their last cycles on the ballot.

Former Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel has already launched a run in North Carolina, while former House staffer Jordan Wood is running in Maine. But Democrats are still eyeing Maine Gov. Janet Mills and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper as possible recruits.

While Cooper is weighing a run, Mills has not exactly sounded enthusiastic about challenging Collins, telling the Maine Trust for Local News in April, “I’m not planning to run for anything. Things change week to week, month to month, but at this moment I’m not planning to run for another office.”

Asked if it has been difficult to recruit against Collins, who has a record of winning tough races, including victory in 2020 even as Trump lost Maine decisively, Gillibrand said negative reaction to Trump’s policies is “changing the thinking of a lot of potential candidates.”

“So I am certain we will have formidable candidates in North Carolina and Maine because of this growing backlash that President Trump has created,” Gillibrand said.

Even if Democrats win those two states, and hold on to their current seats in other battlegrounds, they would still need to flip two additional Senate seats in states Trump won by double digits last year to get to a majority. That could mean targeting ruby red states like Texas, Iowa, Alaska, South Carolina and others.

Democrats do not currently hold a single Senate seat in the 24 states that Trump carried in all three of his presidential runs, after several red-state losses in 2024. And Trump won each of those states by double digits last year.

Gillibrand said the “magic formula” for Democratic success involves a combination of “deep Republican backlash” to Trump and some of his policies, like slashing social safety net programs and imposing steep tariffs, and “extraordinarily strong candidates who represent their states well,” as well as boosts from the DSCC to help those candidates build up their campaigns.

Contested Democratic primaries are already taking shape in Iowa, where GOP Sen. Joni Ernst is up for re-election, as well as in competitive states where Democrats are defending open seats, including Michigan and Minnesota.

Ernst has also been in the spotlight for responding to a constituent at a town hall who suggested the House Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts could cause people to die and saying, “Well, we all are going to die.”

Asked if such comments give Democrats a better shot at defeating Ernst next year, Gillibrand said Ernst’s remarks exemplify Trump’s “very callous approach towards health care, cutting seniors, cutting people with disabilities, children, pregnant women and veterans off of their Medicaid.”

Gillibrand said those cuts are creating “a significant backlash that certainly puts a state like Iowa in play” along with “many other red states around the country.”

Democrats, meanwhile, are going to be focused on “commonsense, kitchen table issues” of affordability and public safety, Gillibrand said.

The New York Democrat argued those were winning messages for successful candidates in her home state last year, where she led a coordinated campaign with Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to boost Democratic House candidates.

Democrats flipped three GOP-held House seats in New York even as Trump made gains throughout the state. Trump ultimately lost New York but improved on his 2020 election margin by 11 points, which was the biggest swing toward Trump of any state in the country.

Republicans are looking to capitalize on Trump’s gains as they target Hochul in her re-election run next year, as well as other House Democrats. (Gillibrand said she is supporting Hochul for re-election as she faces a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.)

Republicans are also looking to reprise attacks on Democrats over whether transgender women should be allowed to compete in female sports.

One Nation, a nonprofit tied to the GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, already launched an attack on the issue against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia. Ossoff represents one of two states, along with Michigan, that Democrats are defending that Trump also carried last year.

“Each candidate will address it as they see fit,” Gillibrand said when asked how Democrats should respond to those attacks.

Gillibrand said she is “very optimistic that Sen. Ossoff will not only win his race, but show rest of the country, you know, who he is and what Democrats stand for.”

As more parts of the world face intense drought, new technologies are emerging to clean and reuse existing water. Investors are seeing potential for big profits.

Water treatment is expensive. It uses a lot of energy and produces its own waste that gets disposed of at a hefty price. Capture6, a startup in Berkeley, California, says it’s developing a solution, and one with an added benefit to the environment.

Capture6′s technology repurposes industrial and water treatment waste, generating clean water and capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“That combination of water treatment, brine management, and carbon capture all at once is part of what makes us unique, what makes our process innovative,” said Capture6 CEO Ethan Cohen-Cole, who co-founded the company in 2021. “We are able to do so at reduced energy costs.”

The process is complex. It starts with the waste from any sort of water treatment process. Once the solids are removed, that waste is called brine, which is leftover water plus concentrated salt — sodium chloride. Treatment facilities usually have to pay to get rid of it.

But Capture6 takes that brine, strips out the fresh water and separates the salt into sodium and chlorine. It then turns the sodium into lye.

“That lye has the really neat property that if you expose it to the air, it will bond with CO2 and strip it from the air, and that’s the punch line to the process,” said Cohen-Cole. “We have processed the waste salt, we’ve returned fresh water to our partner, and we’ve captured CO2 from the air.”

It’s a particularly attractive proposition in areas most in need of clean water. Capture6 is working in Western Australia, South Korea, and in drought-stricken California, at the Palmdale Water District north of Los Angeles. The district is still testing the technology, but is already projecting huge cost savings in its brine management.

“It will save us 10% on that capital cost, as well as saving us 20 to 40% in operational costs,” said Scott Rogers, assistant general manager at Palmdale Water District. “We’re recovering anywhere from 94% to 98% water out of water that would just normally be wasted.”

Rogers says it’s early but when more facilities start using the technology, it will create a circular economy that can benefit the environment.

Capture6 has raised $27.5 million from Tetrad Corporation, Hyundai Motors, Energy Capital Ventures, Elemental Impact and Triple Impact Capital.

Cohen-Cole says the company’s entire process could run on renewable energy, so all of the CO2 that it captures will be net negative, improving the environment. That allows the company to generate added revenue by selling carbon credits.

It’s just one technology in a growing field of carbon capture, removal and sequestration. Others include direct air capture, burying carbon underground or injecting it into the ocean.

The Trump Administration recently canceled $3.7 billion worth of awards for new technology, including carbon capture, to fight climate change. Capture6 has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and from state-level sources including California, according to the company. So far, none of that has been canceled.

— CNBC producer Lisa Rizzolo contributed to this piece.