Trump Pleads Not Guilty to New Classified Docs Charges; Judge Arrested in Fatal Shooting of Wife

Good evening and welcome to NTD News. I'm Stefania Cox. Here are today's top stories. Former President Trump appeared in DC yesterday where he pleaded not guilty to four charges related to the 2020 election. Today, the former president pleading not guilty to new charges against him in the classified documents case. That's as he calls on the Supreme Court to intercede after a third indictment. Tucker Carlson releases part two of his interview with Hunter Biden's business partner, Devin Archer. He divulges more details about Burisma. New documents reveal more details about the Biden administration's collusion with Facebook to limit information on COVID-19. We explore the legal implications. Another victim in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation identified by New York authorities. She went missing 27 years ago. A judge from California has found himself in handcuffs. He's been arrested and charged with shooting and killing his wife. Florida in a dispute with the college board over advanced placement psychology. The state wants to remove content on gender and sexual identity while the college board insists on keeping it. Another not guilty plea. Former President Trump today pleaded not guilty to new charges filed against him in the classified documents case, and he's now asking the Supreme Court to intervene. And T.D.'s Iris Tao has more. Just a day after pleading not guilty to all charges related to his actions after the 2020 election, former President Trump today entered another not guilty plea, but this time to the new charges filed against him in the Florida case involving his handling of classified documents. Last week, the Justice Department filed new charges against Trump, alleging that he tried to delete CCTV footage to try to hide classified documents. And today, Trump pleaded not guilty through a court filing, making it his fourth not guilty plea in just four months. If you can't beat him, you persecute him or you prosecute him. We can't let this happen in America. On Thursday, Trump was arraigned at this federal courthouse right behind me in Washington, D.C., after the indictment this week over his actions in the 2020 election. And on Friday, Trump wrote on social media that, quote, my political opponent has hit me with a barrage of weak lawsuits. It is election interference and the Supreme Court must intercede. That's as the Republican House Speaker said this on Thursday. Every time Trump goes higher in the poll, he gets a new indictment. But Trump could face a fourth indictment before the end of this month. Local officials in Fulton County, Georgia, said on Friday that they're ramping up security around the local courthouse there as District Attorney Fannie Willis is expected to seek another 2020 election-related indictment against Trump in the coming days. Reporting in Washington, D.C., I'm Ruz Tao, WNTD News. More insight from Hunter Biden's former business partner. Tucker Carlson released the second part of his interview with Devin Archer. The two spoke about then-Vice President Biden's influence in his son's business dealing. He was aware of Hunter's business. He met with Hunter's business partners. I mean, you found a letter that illustrates that he knew me. And he's thanking you. He's thanking you for his efforts. The interview with Carlson comes days after Archer testified before a House committee on similar topics. Carlson also held up a letter from Biden to Archer. In it, Biden apologizes for not meeting with Archer and thanked him for working with Hunter Biden. Archer was careful with his words during the interview, but he conveys that the Biden family name and Joe Biden's political position were the main appeal for business partners. Archer was ordered by the Justice Department to show up for a jail sentence last weekend, just before he was set to give testimony to Congress. Alleged collusion between the Biden administration and Facebook to restrict the reach of certain sites and de-platform so-called undesirable users. That's according to the Facebook files released by Representative Jim Jordan. Entity's Daniel Monahan. Jordan began releasing the files at the end of July. The representative says the White House wanted to control what narratives and content was posted on Facebook surrounding COVID-19. The files say that Rob Flaherty, President Biden's then-director of digital strategy, said that his dream was for Facebook to play ball with the White House on censorship. Jordan says Flaherty suggested controlling what Facebook users saw on the site, discussing changing the algorithm so that people were more likely to see New York Times or the Wall Street Journal rather than Daily Wire or more so-called polarizing sites. The files say Facebook suggested to the White House that it could contain content that it couldn't remove. Jordan wrote that the company admitted to the White House that it reduced content of certain posts, even if the posts didn't violate the company's terms and contain true information. According to Jordan, a Facebook employee said that they demoted posts from people sharing negative vaccine side effects or posts questioning whether a vaccine mandate was government overreach, adding that that's not false information, but it leads to a vaccine-negative environment. Jordan says Facebook demoted the reach of a video by Tucker Carlson by 50%, though the content did not formally breach any rules. In July 2021, the head of global affairs at the FBI reportedly asked Facebook why it was censoring the lab leak theory regarding the origin of COVID-19. The company allegedly replied, because we were under pressure from the administration, adding that we shouldn't have done it. That month, President Biden accused Facebook of killing people by not censoring COVID-19 content that the administration perceived to be misinformation. The White House also reportedly wanted Facebook to remove humorous or satirical content suggesting the COVID-19 vaccine wasn't safe. Even honest information about the vaccines was allegedly targeted. A Facebook document stated, the surgeon general wants us to remove true information about the side effects if the user does not provide complete information about whether the side effect is rare and treatable. The White House has not responded to a request for comment. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. And earlier today, I spoke with constitutional attorney Jenna Ellis for her analysis of these so-called Facebook files. Let's see that now. Jenna, welcome. Thanks for coming on again. The latest Facebook files show more collusion between the White House and Facebook. Would you say that there are new revelations here or is it just more of the same? Well, I think it's new in the sense that this is showing how vast the Biden White House censorship enterprise really goes. And so thankfully, the Republicans with this House majority are able to get to the bottom of it. Imagine if we still had Democrats in control. I think none of this would have been revealed in terms of Congress. It might've been through the Missouri versus Biden case, but really what we're seeing is that the government through the Biden White House tried to co-opt the big tech agents like Facebook in order to circumvent the First Amendment. And that is censorship that is unconstitutional. And some of these documents show Facebook made certain COVID-related content less visible. That would also impact engagement. What's the significance of that? Yeah, well, a lot of people think that engagement, if it's low, meaning the likes and reshares and reposting, if that's low, then the content really isn't significant or newsworthy. But you have to have content that's visible in order to engage with it. So what Facebook and social media companies were doing was reducing visibility so that those arguments that they deemed misinformation or they deemed quote unquote dangerous to their preferred narrative would be reduced in visibility so people couldn't even find them. And so what you saw during COVID was the government's preferred narrative that would be amplified in visibility, thus getting more engagement. And then the narrative that they didn't prefer or counter arguments or simply discussion and debate would be reduced in visibility so that it would get less engagement. So visibility is what is really important. And what I love about what Elon Musk is doing to the new X that took over for Twitter is actually showing what the visibility rate is on each individual post so that people can see what their visibility rate is compared to other accounts and compared even between different posts on different content. And there's some pushback against this already. The Daily Wire is mentioned specifically among other names as targets of censorship in these communications. And now the outlet's co-founder, Ben Shapiro, is implying that they could sue the administration over these revelations. How would you expect that to play out in the courts? Yeah, well, I think that the Daily Wire's looking at all of their potential legal options and especially with the potential resolution of a permanent injunction and actual enforcement of the First Amendment in the Missouri versus Biden case that's being led by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana. That type of permanent injunction to stop the Biden administration from colluding with big tech is really the direction that the courts ought to go. And I do think that we are going to get there. And with these different news organizations and outlets like the Daily Wire, like Outkick, like the New York Post and others that have been specific target of this type of censorship, they should have standing to bring a lawsuit and to challenge this unconstitutional circumvention of the First Amendment. I hope that the courts are smart enough to protect free speech, the right to disagree, and have a permanent injunction and serious consequences, in particular for the Biden administration, as well. And so what would accountability look like to you here for the administration and for Meta? Yeah, well, obviously the permanent injunction to keep them from ever doing this again and stopping that collusion is the first step. We need enforcement of that. We also need to make sure that they are held accountable in terms of punitive sanctions and damages. There needs to be some admissions and accountability. And there also needs to be transparency because sunlight is the best disinfectant. So what Elon is already doing by showing those visibility metrics, there needs to be open sourcing or at least oversight by a nonpartisan entity, whether that's a government or there's some kind of board that's generated that is looking over these platforms to make sure that they're not censoring content at the government's behest. I mean, all of these things could be solutions and remedies to make sure that there not only is transparency and accountability, but that this never happens again moving forward. What happened during COVID should never, ever happen ever again in terms of the propaganda and the government's preferred narrative. That impacted everyone. And we should be able to hear all of the arguments and decide for ourselves because we're American. Dana Ellis, always great to have you on our show. Thanks so much. Authorities in New York have identified another victim in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation. Jane Doe 7 is now being identified as Karen Vergata, a former New York City resident who went missing 27 years ago. Investigators say the identification came last September through DNA evidence. Authorities said they would not be announcing charges at this time in connection with the identification. Suffolk County Police have said authorities are actively investigating if there are more alleged victims. 59-year-old Rex Huerman is charged with killing three of the Gilgo Four, a group of women whose remains were found along Long Island's Gilgo Beach in 2010. He's pleaded not guilty. Huerman is scheduled to be back in court on September 27. And in a stunning twist, a California county judge finds himself in handcuffs, facing charges for the tragic death of his own spouse. NTD's Christina Corona has more. Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, has been arrested and charged with shooting and killing his wife at their Anaheim Hills home. On Thursday, police received a 911 call about a shooting at the 8500 block of East Canyon Vista Drive home just after 8 p.m. When officers arrived, they found 65-year-old Cheryl Ferguson suffering from at least one gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. According to investigators, officers contacted Jeffrey Ferguson at the location and arrested him without incident. He was booked into the police department's detention facility and was being held on a one million dollar bail. A booking photo showing Ferguson in an orange jumpsuit was released by authorities. Authorities also said detectives are not disclosing any additional details at this time because the investigation is ongoing. Christina Corona, NTD News, Orange County. Six former police officers are charged with torture and abuse. The Mississippi men pleaded guilty to 16 felonies yesterday. All of the officers are white, while the victims were black. The officers called themselves the Goon Squad. In the early morning on January 24, they raided the home of Eddie Parker without a warrant after handcuffing Parker and Michael Jenkins. The officers beat, tased and threatened them with rape. A deputy shot Jenkins in the mouth. The federal charges culminate from a months-long investigation by the FBI. And coming up, national security concerns, this time in the agriculture industry. China stealing farming technology and high-tech seeds, tightly guarded secret in the trade industry. But why? Russian political opposition leader Alexei Navalny has received an additional 19 years behind bars. Plus, an overnight drone strike from Ukraine hit a Russian port. Stories and more after the break. Anyone who's ever sold a home will tell you it's really hard. And it's one of the biggest financial decisions you'll ever make. That's why who you work with matters. Together with HomeLight, we take care of every detail. 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We are not imperial. Words spoken by Justice Elena Kagan yesterday in response to questions about a proposed Supreme Court ethics code. Questions about holding Supreme Court justices accountable for ethics violations stem from recent Senate scrutiny over the court's lack of an official code of conduct. At a Ninth Circuit judicial conference, Kagan said the Supreme Court is part of a checks and balances system and that the justices have been discussing whether or not to implement a code of conduct. But she said there's no consensus on how to proceed. She declined to say whether or not Congress could impose an ethics code on the Supreme Court. Last month, a Senate panel passed a Supreme Court ethics bill along party lines. Kagan said there are limits to what Congress can do, saying it can't do anything it wants. If the court drafts and adopts its own code of conduct, she said questions about Congress's powers to regulate the court would stop. But she expects that a new ethics law may come before the high court someday. And we know that Chinese ownership of US farmland has increased dramatically over the past decade, which some in Congress consider a major national security issue. A related issue involves allegations of agricultural espionage. The House Select Committee on China held a hearing in Iowa to hear about this firsthand. NTD's Melina Wisecobb has the details. There were many aspects as to what was discussed at that Iowa field hearing. But one major concern that was highlighted was the CCP's ongoing efforts to steal highly prized agricultural technology. They gave one example that happened in Iowa about 10 years ago. There was a Chinese man spotted digging up and stealing seeds straight from an Iowa farmer's land. Not just any seeds. These were hybrid seeds. So these high-tech seeds are among the most tightly guarded trade secrets in the industry. Crops that are grown from these seeds can then be sold by China at much cheaper prices. Trade is also a major issue. Especially when agricultural exports, especially from your district and others, are so vital to our economy. And a separate issue that has garnered much more attention, especially from folks here in Congress recently, is the issue of the Chinese buying farmland here, especially near military bases. Where they could potentially monitor our activities. This has led to half of the states having passed or considered restricting Chinese purchases of US farmland. And lawmakers are looking to do so on a federal level. Now there's a mysterious land purchase that is right around a California air base, which is known as the gateway to the Pacific. One concerned congressman saying, we have no idea where the nearly $900 million has come from. They bought well over 55,000 acres of land in the area, and the purchase raises a major concern. Reporting from Capitol Hill, Melina Weisskopp, NTD News. Did Chinese officials influence US energy policy? The head of Biden's energy department spoke multiple times with the Chinese regime's top energy official. Then just days later, Biden released a historic amount of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The administration released 50 million barrels of oil from the reserve in 2021 to counter high gas prices. It was sold to the highest bidder, which included some Chinese state-run energy companies. Just days before that, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm spoke privately with the CCP energy official. The energy department now says the meeting was about climate change, but isn't saying specifically what it was discussed. Republican leaders have criticized the oil releases, saying it weakened national security and helped foreign adversaries. And Russian political opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has received additional jail time on extremism-related charges. And a Russian port was attacked overnight by Ukrainian drones. NTD's Sam Wong has the latest. This is Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader known for his fierce criticism of President Vladimir Putin. He has now received 19 additional years behind bars, on top of the 11 1⁄2 years he's already serving. Footage shows Navalny dressed in a prison uniform, smiling occasionally along with his attorneys as the judge handed down the sentence. The court tried him on six criminal charges, two of which include what the Kremlin called inciting extremist activity and rehabilitating Nazi ideology. Navalny himself and his supporters denied the accusations, saying the aim of the case was to get him out of politics. You might say he's a model politician, such a courageous approach to his political stance, to his political stance and attitude towards the country, to the state of politics in society. The Biden administration said that it will keep advocating for Navalny's release, as well as for the more than 500 other designated political prisoners Russia holds. Navalny once led a nationwide political opposition movement against Putin and has repeatedly revealed details of the corrupt lifestyles of the Russian leadership. He was nearly killed by a nerve agent poison while sitting on a flight back in August 2020. The Kremlin denied his involvement in the incident. Navalny's spokeswoman said that she feared for his health as he would be facing even tougher jail conditions going forward. They will be able to create unbearable conditions there and he won't get any meetings with family, any phone calls, any parcels, and maybe there will be even no correspondence. She added that Navalny has remained positive despite the additional jail time. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones attacked a Russian Black Sea naval base overnight. According to a Ukrainian intelligence source, a Russian warship was struck during the attack and was no longer operational. The targeted civilian port handles 2% of the world's oil supplies and export grain. All ship movements were temporarily stopped due to the drone strikes, but the port soon resumed operations. Russia's defense ministry said that the attack was unsuccessful and that the drones were destroyed, without mentioning any damage. Tensions around the Black Sea have escalated since Russia withdrew from a deal allowing the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports last month. Sam Wong, NTD News. West African defense chiefs have drawn up a plan for potential military intervention if Niger's coup is not overturned by the weekend. It's what a leader from the regional bloc said on Friday after mediation failed in a crisis that is troubling global powers. Grace Lee has more. West African defense chiefs have drawn up a plan for potential military intervention if Niger's coup is not overturned by the weekend. The Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, has taken a hard stance on last week's toppling of President Mohamed Bouzoum. It's given Niger's coup leaders until Sunday to step down. It's the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. Western donors have cut support and protest, even though Niger relies on aid for 40% of its budget. Regional countries have imposed economic sanctions that residents say are starting to bite. Late on Thursday, the country's new military junta revoked military cooperation pacts with former colonial power France. France said it was taking note of the junta's decision while adding that those deals had to be signed with Niger's legitimate authorities. France has between 1,000 to 1,500 troops in Niger, helping battle groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The United States, Germany, and Italy also have troops stationed in Niger. The country has strategic significance for the U.S., China, Europe, and Russia, given its precious resources and its pivotal role in the war with Islamist rebels in the Sahel region. The junta has cited persistent insecurity as its main justification for seizing power, but data on attacks show that security had actually been improving. Detained at the presidential residence in Niger's capital, Bouzoum said in his first remarks since the coup that he was a hostage and in need of U.S. and international help. If the coup succeeds, it will have devastating consequences for our country, our region, and the entire world, he wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece backing ECOWAS economic and travel sanctions. Up next, Florida in a conflict with College Board over gender topics in advanced placement psychology. Students in the Sunshine State may not be able to take the course. And New York City's mayor says he's considering tents in Central Park to house illegal immigrants. That and more after the break. Did you know ESG is impacting every part of your life? From rising gas prices to global food shortages to out of control inflation, even losing your freedom of speech and being censored on the internet, it's all being driven by ESG ideology. Who's in control? What can you do about it? Find out in The Shadow State, the first documentary exposing ESG. The ESG movement of governments and corporations operates in the shadows. Only the light of truth can expose it. Watch The Shadow State documentary streaming now. My employees and I are excited to announce it's our 20th anniversary. And to celebrate, we're bringing you a limited edition MyPillow. The Giza Elegance MyPillow is made with the most amazing cotton, two inch pipe gusset, comes in four custom loft levels, and it's machine washable and dryable. When I got MyPillow, I'm asleep almost immediately. 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We'd like to share the tastiest meals with you because you are part of our family. interesting and exciting things so we can enjoy every single day together. Kanjing for Humanity. Welcome back. If you're just joining us now, here are some of today's top headlines. Former President Trump pleads not guilty to new charges filed against him in the classified documents case. He calls this election interference and says the Supreme Court should intervene. Authorities identified another victim in the Gilko Beach murder investigation. She is Karen Vergara, a former New York City resident who went missing 27 years ago. A judge in California has been arrested and charged for his wife's death. Authorities are investigating the case of Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson. Florida high schoolers may not be able to take an advanced psychology class this year. The College Board and the Florida Department of Education are disputing content on gender identity. The course AP Psychology asks students to describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development. It also teaches about sexual orientation, but it might be in violation of a law passed by Florida earlier this year. It restricts the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through 12th grade. The College Board oversees advanced placement courses for high school students in the US, including AP Psychology. The Board stated in June that the Florida Department of Education asked it to audit and potentially modify content to align with Florida laws, which it refused to do. The College Board called it an effective ban on the course and said colleges wouldn't accept the altered course for credit. The agency said in a statement Thursday that any AP Psychology course taught in Florida will violate either Florida law or college requirements. Therefore, we advise Florida districts not to offer AP Psychology until Florida reverses their decision and allows parents and students to choose to take the full course. The Florida Department of Education responded, saying it didn't ban the course and accused the College Board of playing games with Florida students. It encouraged the College Board to continue to offer the course and allow teachers to operate accordingly. Florida's conflict with the College Board comes as the state overhauls its education system. Other than gender theory, the state has also banned teachings of critical race theory and other theories that Governor Ron DeSantis refers to as neo-Marxist. Meanwhile in California, some students and teachers are suing their school board after it banned critical race theory. They say the policy is too broad and that it's difficult to teach diverse material. NTD's David Lam has the story. Several students, parents and teachers are suing the Temecula Valley Unified School Board over its decision to ban the teaching of critical race theory in classrooms. Along with the local teachers union, the group filed a complaint on August 2nd seeking to overturn the district's ban and create a precedent that could affect other school boards with similar bans. This comes after the Temecula Valley School Board banned the teaching of CRT in a 3-5 vote back on December 13th, 2022. CRT is an ideology that, in part, groups society into oppressors and oppressed based on race. Somebody's labeled by their race. It treats them, it devalues their inherent worth. It's about your race and it begins with a theory that racism occurs in all the interactions and it wants you to critically look for it in everything. One of the board members said, quote, divisive ideology that assigns moral fault to individuals solely on the basis of an individual's race and therefore is itself a racist ideology. But two of the members that dissented said, I can't tell you how disappointed I am as a board member that the first two resolutions that came to this board were ridiculous, should never have been proposed. CRT is not being taught in our schools. There is no need for this resolution. However, what this resolution does is it does in fact silence history. But another board member who voted in favor of the ban disagreed. I don't see anything in this policy that seeks to undermine the teaching of true American history. The plaintiffs state that the rule bans a sweeping and ill-defined range of content and censors concepts that conflict with the trustees viewpoints. One plaintiff and teacher said the ban brought a, quote, climate of fear to classrooms as they didn't know what to teach, saying, As a teacher, my role is to introduce my students to a broad range of viewpoints so they can learn to think critically, inform their own opinions about the world. But board president Joseph Komoroske told the Epoch Times, I do not believe that critical race theory or any racist ideology is a suitable educational framework for classroom instruction at the elementary and secondary level. David Lam, Entity News, California. A California mayor is proposing to set up a buffer zone around schools as homeless encampments grow out of control. Students and staff who proposed the idea say they're grateful. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is proposing a new ordinance that would prohibit encampments and lived in vehicles around schools. During a press conference Thursday, he joined Councilmember Peter Ortiz and students and faculty from KIPP San Jose Collegiate, a school that has reported theft, trespassing and drug use on campus. This is one step of many. I believe that our students should not have to walk through an encampment every day just to get in and out of their school campus. And that's why, while it's not the complete solution to our challenge of homelessness, I think it's important to send a clear signal to all of our young people that we value their education. We're going to create a modest buffer zone around each school and say we will not have tents and RVs right up against the campus property. Some of those issues include breaking into school grounds, damaging and stealing school property, and even the threatening of community members with violence. We've heard stories of a student having to carry pepper spray because an RV resident started following her on her trips between school and home. The ordinance would prohibit such encampments within 150 feet from preschools, daycares and K-12 schools. Alfredo Hernandez Jr., a student at KIPP San Jose Collegiate, founded a club to create a political platform for students. We had people from all backgrounds in our club and still, you know, to this day, and especially from all grade levels. It just shows how unique this club is and how supportive young people are and how they're willing to collaborate and work cohesively with me and my classmates to ensure that our communities are safe and secure. I'm just very thankful we have a mayor like that who's not only focusing on the other sides of San Jose, but specifically Eastside, since Eastside tends to be very underrepresented and always has had these issues. And we know there may be some challenges at the council level, but we urge all council members to vote in favor of this ordinance, as it will provide a safer and more secure school environment for all schools here in San Jose. They're living out our school mission as well, which is, you know, the last lines of our mission says that we want our students to become agents of change, especially in their communities, so we're very, very proud of them. The students and faculty from the school say they don't have anything against the homeless, but they do need to maintain students' safety. And in New York, the city's mayor, Eric Adams, says he's considering a plan to shelter illegal immigrants inside tents in Central Park and other major public green spaces. Hundreds of border crossers arriving at the city each day. Pressure is rising. Earlier today, I spoke with Michelle Steebe, the author of Answers Behind the Red Door, and a former CEO of St. John's Shelter Program for Women and Children, for her perspective. Michelle Steebe, great to have you on our show. New York City Mayor Eric Adams now says he's considering housing illegal immigrants in Central Park. You have extensive experience working on homelessness issues. How do you see this potential plan? New York City has what I would call a triple whammy that it's facing. Number one, New York City is a right to shelter, meaning any person, any individual who is homeless in New York City has a right to shelter. On top of that, New York City is a sanctuary city, meaning they welcome everyone who wants to come to that city regardless of their status as a citizen. And on top of that, we have the Biden administration's open border. So those three things are, you know, triple whammy, untenable, and they continue to stick to these same policies that make this an unworkable situation for New York, but for its residents and for the people it's trying to serve. And what would you recommend under these circumstances as they are? I don't know what their process is to do that, but they should not be a sanctuary city. They should demand the Biden administration, again, with their open border policy, has allowed this to happen. And they've done very little to help New York. And I really believe that the Central Park, you know, idea of putting tents in Central Park is to create awareness and to create frustration that will rise to the level of the Biden administration because it's a very visible site. This is a very heavy tourist period for New York and New York relies a lot on tourism for its economy. So I think this is really going to heighten awareness, you know, amongst the people visiting, amongst the residents. And I believe it is Mayor Adams attempt to heighten awareness amongst the members of the administration, including the president, to get the kind of help that they need. Michelle, Steve, great to speak with you. Thanks for coming on. Thank you so much. The U.S. job market is continuing to cool down, adding just 187,000 positions in July. The unemployment rate ticked down to three and a half percent. That's according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There's more from NTD's businesses Don Ma. And now here to talk to me about the jobs report is Julia Pollack, chief economist at Zip Recruiter. So, Julia, tell us what you're seeing with this report. 187,000 jobs added, you know, a little bit lower than expected. Job growth is slowing, but it's still very, very solid. This is a respectable job gain. And the other parts of the report are encouraging, too. Unemployment is very low at 3.5 percent. And some of the worrying signs in last month's report that suggested that maybe a slowdown in the labor market would be painful for certain groups of workers, those partially reversed themselves. So the huge increase we saw in the number of underemployed workers working part time for economic reasons, that reversed. And also the big increase in the black unemployment rate. And I just want to point out 187,000 is still more than the flow of number of people entering the labor market, right? That's correct. That's more than enough to keep pace with population growth. And that's why we're still in this very tight labor market. What are some of the strengths right now in the job market? And then we can talk about weaknesses later. Well, the main area of strength is health care. That is the sector projected to add the largest number of jobs over the coming decade due to demographic reasons, because we're getting wealthier and demanding more and better health care services. And also because that industry is normalizing. People who put off knee replacements and hip replacements are finally coming back to doctors offices and getting those done. All right. So I remember the last month when we spoke, you mentioned some cracks in the labor market. What are some of the weaknesses? Are they still present? Well, interest rate sensitive sectors of the economy, mining, manufacturing have been weak for months now. In tech, that sector has now lost 55,000 jobs since November, and there doesn't appear to be any sign that the tech session is ending yet. We're also seeing weakness in mining. Employment's been pretty flat in that industry. And manufacturing is also hurting. It's a very capital intensive industry. And when interest rates are high, it's just very, very difficult for manufacturers to break even. What do you think is one of the bigger contributors to this cooling of the labor market? Well, largely this is just a return to normal. It's sort of mean reversion. You know, the economy overheated mid-2021 through mid-2022. Companies were racing to rehire, but labor force participation hadn't quite recovered yet. And so there was this unprecedented moment in the labor market where wages were growing very quickly. And there were way more openings than unemployed job seekers. That's now back to normal. We're seeing much more normal turnover rates. Rather than 3% of workers quitting their jobs every month, it's down to 2.4%, which is much closer to the pre-pandemic level. And employers are finding it a bit easier to retain workers, a little bit easier to find new candidates as well. Although it's still tough and startling. All right. Thank you so much, Julie. Always a pleasure speaking with you. Good talking to you too. Coming up, more in realignment. College sports has three major schools switch conferences. Can the Pac-12 survive the latest defections? NTD's Dave Martin brings us more after the break. Being prepared is a part of who you are, but it's especially important in the case of a disaster. Be informed about possible emergencies in your area. Make a plan that covers where you go in an emergency. Build a kit for the things you need to survive. There's no one more capable of planning for your situation than you. Start your plan today. Go to ready.gov slash myplan. It's a painting that is peaceful. There's a lot of beauty in it. and you forget about whatever you might be worried about. One in five children worldwide are faced with the reality of living without food. No family dinners. No special treats. No full bellies. All around the world, parents are struggling to feed their children. Toddlers are suffering from acute malnutrition, which stunts their growth. Kids are forced to drop out of school so they can help support their families. COVID, conflict, inflation, and climate have ignited the worst famine in our lifetime. And we're fed up. Fed up with the fact that hunger robs children of their childhood. Fed up with the lack of progress. Fed up with the injustice. Help us brighten the lives of children all over the world by visiting getfedupnow.org. For as little as $10 a month, you can join Save the Children as we support children and families in desperate need of our help. Now is the time to get fed up and give back. When you join the cause, your $10 monthly donation can help communities in need of life-saving treatments and nutrients. Prevent children from dropping out of school. Support our work with communities and governments to help children go from short-term surviving to long-term thriving. And now, thanks to special government grants, every dollar you give before December 31st can multiply up to 10 times the impact. That means more food, water, medicine, and help for kids around the world. You'll also receive a free tote bag to share your support for children in need. Childhood without food is unimaginable. Get fed up. Call us now or visit getfedupnow.org today. And now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, there's been some more realignment news in college sports today. What's the latest? Yeah, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington have all left. Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten, Arizona to the Big 12. And now the latest is actually that Arizona State and Utah have applied to membership of the Big 12. Now certainly the writing was on the wall last week when Colorado left for the Big 12, with the lack of a TV deal also. That's a problem for them. But all in all, the Pac-12 now, they're just down to four members, unfortunately. So do you think this is it for the Pac-12? Yeah. I really don't see how they recover from this. I actually think the worst day for them was still a year ago when USC and UCLA left for the Big Ten. Essentially that was their two flagship schools. And then after that, probably the second worst thing was in the Big 12. Essentially they jumped them in line and got their TV deal done ahead of the Pac-12. So when the Pac-12 went to get their media rights agreement, all they had was a streaming deal from Apple TV. Meanwhile, the other power conferences, they all have deals on major networks. So that was another loss for them, I thought. So you're saying this all comes down to media agreements. Yeah, it essentially all comes down to money, really. I mean, listen, when USC and UCLA left, the Pac-12 was already behind at that. That essentially made the Big Ten, they got richer, the Pac-12 got poorer. It was much like when Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC. It was the same effect. What you have now is essentially the SEC and the Big 12 are really in a league by themselves as far as revenue. The ACC, the Big 12, and I guess whatever's left of the Pac-12 are significantly behind them. So what could be next? You know, I think there's got to be a place for Cal and Stanford. I mean, who knows, maybe the Big 12 decides to become the Big 18 and adds those two. But unfortunately for Oregon State and Washington State, there's really been very little chatter about those two. Maybe they join a lower conference, who knows. But all in all, it certainly is a catastrophic day for what's left of the Big 12 for sure. Or sorry, the Pac-12. Right. Now moving on to baseball news, Shohei Ohtani is still hitting well despite an injury. What can you tell us about that? Yeah, he started last night on the mound, pitched four innings, but he had to come out because he had a cramp on his middle finger on his pitching hand. So he stayed in though as a hitter and what would you know, he hit his 40th home run that leads the major leagues. He's on pace for 59 home runs, which actually could challenge Aaron Judge's AL record of 62, amazing. But we're not sure about pitching-wise. He had a blister on the same finger a couple weeks ago, so we'll have to see if he makes his next start. Now shifting gears a bit to the World Cup, what's next for Team USA? So they play Sweden Sunday morning, 5 a.m. Of course this is over in Melbourne, Australia. This is the knockout round and everybody I think is curious to see how they respond. Not too many people were impressed with their play in the group stage. They got a win in two draws. Harley Lloyd, former player for them, was critical of them. I think it's actually good for them that she said that. I think it gives them something to prove the next time out. And I think a lot of people are going to be watching this match. Alright, Dave Martin, thank you for joining us. Thank you, Steph. And if you have any news tips or feedback for our show, remember you can email us at EveningNews at NTD.com. And that's all for today's news. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Stephanie O'Cox. Good night. Thanks for watching us on YouTube. Did you know YouTube only keeps selected videos on its platform? So if you want to make sure you get the full picture, just subscribe to our newsletter. Go to newsletter.ntd.com and sign up. It's free.