HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell. In an already crowded field, the U.S. presidential election could be getting another candidate. Chris Christie is set to jump into the race at his alma mater. NBC Universal has severed ties with Donald Trump after he described illegal immigrants from Mexico as drug dealers and rapists. He made the comments at the launch of his presidential campaign. Until Monday, NBC jointly owned the Miss Universe and USA Pageant with Donald Trump. And now the network says it won't air them. Trump is standing by his comments.</s>DONALD TRUMP, CEO, TRUMP GROUP & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Somebody has to come out and tell it like it is. Politicians are all talk and no action. We have to be less politically correct. And we have to be strong. And, you know, you take beatings. You really take beatings when you tell the truth.</s>HOWELL: Donald doubling down there. In a statement, Trump said, quote, "If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract-violating closure of Miss Universe will be decided in court." NBC has not commented on a possible lawsuit. Sometimes it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day. But today there will be enough seconds. That's because a single extra second of time, known as a leap second, will be added today. The atomic clocks that keep universal coordinated time will read 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, then 23 hours, 59 minutes and 60 seconds. July will begin, as usual, back to zero. I can hear the producers telling me that I'm running out of seconds. We thank you for watching this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. My colleagues, Zain Asher and Errol Barnett, are next on deck with news around the world. You are watching CNN, the world's news leader.
NBC Severs Ties with Donald Trump.