NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Nov. 21)

Welcome to Entity Evening News, our top story tonight. Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrawing his President-elect Trump's pick for Attorney General. How Trump is responding and what happens next as Gaetz has already resigned his House seat. Iris Tao brings us the latest from West Palm Beach, Florida. The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister and his former Defense Minister. The White House rejects the warrants and is now discussing next steps to take with partners. Malcolm Hudson reports. Russia confirming it attacked Ukraine using a hypersonic ballistic missile. Why this raises concerns over possible nuclear attacks and how the US responds. Arian Pasdar has the latest. The atmospheric river is still looming in the Pacific Northwest and dangerous flooding is expected. Will there be record rainfall in Northern California? This is NTD Evening News, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Here's Tiffany Meyer. Good evening. Thanks for joining us tonight. I'm Paul Graney. In for Tiffany Meyer. With less than two months left in office, President Biden has some plans he's looking to implement. Among them is getting what he calls urgently needed funding for hurricane victims. NTD's Washington correspondent, Jack Bradley, brings us more from the White House. Among the top of the priorities over the next two months for the Biden administration is getting more funding to hurricane victims over in the Southeast, particularly $100 billion in disaster relief funds to get passed through Congress. House Republicans have already indicated that they would support such funding. In addition to helping the victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the funding would also go toward the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, which collapsed after it was hit by a container ship in March. We're going to continue to urge Congress to act quickly to pass a supplemental funding package to assist communities obviously impacted by recent hurricanes and other disasters. And what we have seen and what we know when we've seen these types of previous natural disasters in the past, we've seen Congress come together in a bipartisan way to get that done to help out communities in crisis. Now this comes right after the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency testified before a Senate hearing on Wednesday where she talked about how her agency needs more funds as a result of the recent hurricanes over in the Southeast. But these needs have rapidly exhausted our available funds and without a supplemental, our ability to respond to new disasters could be jeopardized. In addition to all of this, the Biden administration has also been making recent policy changes regarding foreign policy, granting Ukraine the use of US-made long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia. Now the White House most recently said that this is due to a significant change in the war by North Korea sending thousands of troops into Russia. Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons to strike Ukraine in response. But the White House says that there's no indication that Russia is doing so. Meanwhile, President Biden hosted the Boston Celtics at the White House on the South Lawn to celebrate their championship. 2024 NBA champions, the Boston Celtics. Not just any champion, but the winningest franchise in league history and now with a record 18 titles. Biden will travel to Angola the first week of December. It's his first trip to the continent as president. He'll discuss America's efforts to build infrastructure in the region as well as ensure food security. Reporting from the White House, Jack Bradley, NTD News. And Russia says the Ukraine war is now going global. President Vladimir Putin today admitting Russia attacked Ukraine using a hypersonic ballistic missile. He claims it's in response to aggression by the United States and other countries. NTD's international correspondent, Arjen Pasdar, has the war update. Russia on Thursday taking the Ukraine conflict a step further. Moscow attacked Ukraine using an intermediate range ballistic missile or IRBM. Ukraine previously claimed that it was an intercontinental ballistic missile, but the U.S. confirmed that's not the case. Ukraine says the missile struck a city in the central eastern part of the country. A rehabilitation center for people with disabilities was damaged. One of the newest Russian medium range missile systems was tested in combat conditions. The tests were successful. The goal of the launch was achieved. Russian President Vladimir Putin added that the missile struck a military target in the area. IRBMs are designed to carry nuclear warheads. The United States was pre-notified briefly before the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels. Putin says the equipment used in Thursday's attack was not nuclear. This comes after he signed a new nuclear doctrine for Russia earlier this week, raising concerns that nuclear tensions might escalate. But the Pentagon now says this. We haven't seen any adjustments that we've observed in their nuclear posture and we haven't adjusted our nuclear posture in exchange. Putin claims Russia's use of the IRBM comes in response to the U.S. allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons. The White House denies raising tensions and taking the conflict to the global stage. The escalation at every turn, at every step is coming from Russia. They're the ones who are escalating this. They're the ones who started this war. It is because of their aggression into a sovereign territory, Ukraine. The White House added that Russia had further escalated the conflict when it brought North Korean troops to the front lines. Ukraine's foreign ministry is now calling on allies for a swift response to Thursday's attack. This definitely is an escalation in terms of weapons used against Ukraine. We shouldn't wait for detailed expert conclusions. Just on Wednesday, the U.S. announced a new aid package for Ukraine of almost $300 million. The Biden administration also promised to send as much aid as possible before President-elect Trump returns to the White House. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. It's on grounds of alleged crimes against humanity. The court also issued a similar warrant for Hamas' terrorist leader that Israel says it's already killed. The White House said the U.S. fundamentally rejects the court's warrants against senior Israeli officials. NTD's international correspondent Malcolm Hudson has the story. The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Goland for alleged war crimes and alleged crimes against humanity. They also issued another arrest warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Da'ib Ibrahim al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Da'if, on the same grounds. Both Israeli leaders and the terrorist group Hamas have dismissed allegations that they committed war crimes. The ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Goland were criminally responsible for starvation in Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians. Netanyahu's office responded in a statement saying, Israel utterly rejects the false and absurd charges of the International Criminal Court, adding that no anti-Israel decision will prevent the State of Israel from defending its citizens. The warrant for Hamas' al-Masri lists charges of mass killings during the October 7 attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. It also includes charges of rape and the taking of hostages. Israel has said it killed al-Masri in an airstrike in July, but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this. The prosecution indicated it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the court chose to side with terrorism and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the international justice system into a human shield for Hamas' crimes against humanity. In an official statement, Hamas called on the ICC to expand accountability to all Israeli leaders. A White House National Security Council spokesperson said the U.S. rejects the court's warrants for senior Israeli officials, adding the U.S. is discussing next steps with partners. EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said the warrants are not political. It is a decision of a court, of a court of justice, an international court of justice, and the decision of the court has to be respected and implemented. Meanwhile in the United States, Senator Lindsey Graham said the court is a dangerous joke and called on the Senate to sanction the quote irresponsible body. Since the ICC does not have its own police force, it is now up to its 124 member states to see if they want to enforce the warrants. Israel and the United States are not members, while the European Union, Britain, Japan and the Middle Eastern nation Jordan are. Now, if the member nations don't want to enforce the warrants, they could face sanctions by the court, but this would realistically amount to little more than a diplomatic slap on the wrist. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News, London. And just a little over a week after President-elect Trump announced his nomination, former Congressman Matt Gaetz is now withdrawing from consideration as Attorney General. Trump's team says Trump is still committed to choosing someone who will change the Justice Department. NTD's White House correspondent Iris Tao brings us more from West Palm Beach. In a surprising turn, former Congressman Matt Gaetz on Wednesday announced his withdrawing his bid to be Attorney General in President-elect Trump's incoming administration. In a statement, Gaetz says, while the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump fans' transition, adding that there's no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle. President-elect Trump also responding, saying on two social minutes after that Gaetz was doing very well but at the same time did not want to be a distraction, adding that Matt has a wonderful future. Trump's transition team further adds that Trump remains committed to choosing a leader of the Justice Department who will end the weaponization of the justice system. It also says that Trump will make another announcement when he has a new pick in mind. The announcement comes after Gaetz on Wednesday held meetings with senators on the Hill. It also comes as Republicans on the House Ethics Committee on Wednesday voted not to release this report on investigations into sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz. Despite controversies, Trump earlier this week said he's not reconsidering his nomination. Mr. President, are you reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gaetz? No. And just on Wednesday night after meeting with senators, Gaetz told reporters that he looks forward to a confirmation hearing. Folks, I'm very supportive and say we're going to get a fair process. It was a great day. Paul Gaetz resigned from his House seat shortly after Trump announced his pick for him to be the AG. But remember, he resigned from this Congress and is still duly elected to be in the next Congress, meaning he could come back in January. But also in his resignation letter, Gaetz says he did not intend to serve in the next Congress. While it's unclear if Gaetz will walk that back, House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday said Gaetz, quote, has a bright future ahead of him. Meanwhile, some Democrats are still pushing to release that report on the allegations against Gaetz despite his recent resignation. The panel is expected to come back to vote on it on December 5th. Did she sexually assault a woman in Monterey, California? And on Thursday, former Fox News host Pete Hechtfess, Trump's pick for defense secretary, is also meeting with senators amid controversies. It comes the day after police records reveal new details about a 2017 sexual assault allegation against him. Hechtfess, in talking with reporters on Thursday, says he was completely cleared. I have, as far as the media is concerned, I'll keep this very simple, the matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared and that's where I'm going to leave it. More picks by Trump are expected to make rounds on Capitol Hill in the coming weeks to gauge and boost their chances of getting confirmed. Reporting from West Palm Beach, Iris Tao, NTD News. And after Republicans gained control of the White House and both chambers of Congress in the November election, Democrats now reflecting on their losses. Has the Democratic Party lost touch with everyday Americans, especially rural Americans? You can tune in to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris' former senior political adviser on Capitol Report with Steve Lance at 7 p.m. Eastern, right here on NTD. That's right, right after our show, don't miss it. And heavy mountain snow and rainfall are hitting parts of the Pacific Northwest. Dangerous flooding also expected there. NTD's David Lam reports. A powerful atmospheric river is still impacting the Pacific Northwest. Widespread rainfall of three to six inches is possible across Northern California on Thursday alone. Combined with rainfall from Wednesday, a potential record-breaking 16 inches or more of rainfall is possible, especially in Northern California. About a dozen small landslides have already struck across the area in a 24-hour period. This, as meteorologists consider the storm a bomb cyclone after the system rapidly intensified earlier this week. The storm hit Washington on Tuesday, killing two people and damaging property. I come out here all the time to run. And we didn't get hit that hard in the city. And I just didn't assume that, you know, it would be this kind of situation out here. I mean, obviously, you feel the most for people who have had their homes partially destroyed by this. As of Thursday afternoon, around 300,000 people were without power on the West Coast, mainly in Washington. Well, people are leaving to go stay with friends and family that do have power. There are pockets of power in the area, Seattle and Bellevue, and then just, you know, looking out for each other. And luckily, it's not in the 30s yet. More than a foot of snow has already fallen in parts of the Cascade Mountains and in the Golden State. California's Department of Forestry and Fire recommends drivers to replace worn-out windshield wiper blades and avoid driving on flooded roads, saying six inches of water can stall a car. David Lam, NTD News, California. And while Northern California is anticipating record rainfall, the Colorado Ribbon Basin is suffering from drought conditions. Now three southwestern states have made an agreement to help protect water levels by NTD correspondent Jason Blair has the story. In a landmark decision, California, Arizona and Nevada agreed to cut down on sourcing water from the Colorado River Basin within the next three years. The river is being depleted due to drought conditions, and the states have agreed to by at least three million acre-feet through 2026, which is a 10 percent reduction. California is the river's largest consumer, and California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken the lead to initiate the agreement, which he blames on climate change. Newsom said in a statement, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo praised the effort, saying, Through this partnership, we look forward to equitably advancing our mutual goal of conserving our shared water resources. It's never been more important to protect the Colorado River system, and this partnership is a critical next step in our efforts to sustain this essential water supply. And Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs stated, From here, our work must continue to take action and address the long-term issues of climate change and over-allocating to ensure we have a sustainable Colorado River for all who rely upon it. The river supplies water to 40 million people across seven U.S. states, parts of Mexico, and more than two dozen Native American tribes. The river has been in crisis for years due to a multi-decade drought in the West. This, along with increased demand and overuse, has lowered levels at vital reservoirs to record lows. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair, NTD News. Colin Gray has pleaded not guilty today to charges related to his son's alleged school shooting in Georgia. Gray did not attend court. His lawyer entered the plea, though. Gray is facing 29 charges. This includes two counts of second-degree murder. A grand jury said Gray gave his son access to a firearm despite warnings. He's just the third person in the United States charged in a school shooting by their child. Investigators said Gray bought the rifle used in the shooting as a Christmas gift for his son. This happened after the family was questioned about online threats. The defense now plans to file new motions in the next two weeks. And the Illinois Supreme Court today overturning the Justice Smollett hate crime hoax conviction. They said prosecutors violated Smollett's due process rights. NTD's legal correspondent Arlene Richards has more. The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday resolved the question of whether prosecutors' agreement to dismiss a case prohibits them from bringing a second prosecution. The court says yes. The five-justice panel agreed that a second prosecution is a violation of due process. The ruling stems from 2019 charges brought against Jesse Smollett, who is black and gay. Prosecutors said Smollett had fabricated a story that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks. He was accused of staging a hate crime. Charges against Smollett were originally dropped by Cook County State Attorney Kim Fox, pursuant to an agreement. But after the agreement was made, Fox reopened the case, resulting in a conviction on five felony counts. Justice Elizabeth Rockford, writing the opinion for the court, stated that the terms of the agreement clearly indicate that charges against Smollett would be dismissed in exchange for the performance of community service and forfeiting a $10,000 bond. The court said the state intended for the agreement to be final. In the opinion, Justice Rockford writes, Because the charges were dismissed in exchange for defendants' community service and forfeiture of his bail bond, and because defendant fully performed his end of the agreement, the state is bound by the agreement. Special Prosecutor Dan K. Webb, a private attorney who was appointed by a Cook County judge, emphasized in a statement to Fox News that Smollett is not innocent. He said the court didn't find any error with the overwhelming evidence presented at trial. Smollett's attorney had argued in court filings that the trial violated his Fifth Amendment protections against double jeopardy or being prosecuted twice for the same crime. Webb vows to pursue a pending civil lawsuit against Smollett in order to recover what he says is over $120,000 in overtime expenses incurred by the Chicago Police Department to investigate a fake hate crime. Arlene Richards, NTD News. And still to come this evening. In a break from tradition, the leaders of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security declined to testify publicly at an annual hearing on global threats to national security. Luis Martinez brings us the reactions from Capitol Hill. Congressional Republicans are gearing up to work closely with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in the new Department of Government Efficiency. Melina Weiskopf brings us the latest developments and how lawmakers feel about a possible shake-up in the federal government. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. versus Froot Loops. The health secretary nominee vows to crack down on the popular cereal's artificial coloring. We have that and more after the break. 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So go to mypillow.com or call the number on your screen. Use your promo code to save on all MyPillow products. For example, final sheets for as low as $59.98. Our six-piece towel sets, just $29.98. But that's not all. I'm extending our 60-day money-back guarantee until March 1st of 2025. Plus, all orders over $75 or more ship absolutely free. Welcome back. The director of the FBI and the DHS secretary declined to testify in today's Senate hearing on ongoing threats to national security. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern over the lack of transparency from the executive branch. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez joins us from the Capitol. Democratic Senator Gary Peters, the chairman of the Senate's Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, was forced to postpone this Thursday's annual hearing on threats to the homeland. In a statement, Chairman Peters denounced that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security's choice to not provide public testimony robs the American people of critical information and the opportunity for public accountability of what the federal government is doing to keep Americans safe. This is the first time since the beginning of these hearings 15 years ago that the executive branch refuses to publicly testify. House Republicans are concerned at Americans' inability to see Congress provide oversight over what the federal government is doing. Should Americans be worried about the current... We should always be worried. We have a wide open border. Thank God they elected Donald Trump. He will close the border. That's one of our greatest security risks. Internationally, the world is in crisis, right, because we've had a weak, feckless leader. I think we all should be concerned. I mean, if you're asked and compelled, if you're asked to come before Congress or the Senate or the House to testify, you should show up. That's like the bare minimum of doing your job. But we've got a new sheriff in town. We'll have a new administration here in a few weeks to clean house, literally. The Senate's version and the House's version of the hearing titled Threats to the Homeland have been postponed. And it's worth noting that it's Democratic Senator Gary Peters, the chairman of the Senate's Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, the one insisting that these hearings remain public. Gary has talked to me, too, and he is very adamant that there be some part open. And we're going to do that. Just when we can get a classified setting for the level of classification that America says he's supposed to tell us some stuff on. So as soon as we can get that done, we'll do it. These week's postponed hearings were scheduled just as President-elect Donald Trump is considering who will be his new FBI director and has also tapped South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to replace Alejandro Mayorkas at the helm of the Department of Homeland Security. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. The newly created DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to get a handle on the $36 trillion of national debt. The goal is to cut down on the $7 trillion federal budget Musk and Ramaswamy on this effort have outlined their vision in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. They say they'll take a fine-toothed comb to federal agencies to find out where there's waste and then make recommendations to Trump on where he can take executive action to pause spending. Congressional Republicans today created a subcommittee to work closely with the new department. NTD's Melina Wyscope is on Capitol Hill with more details and reactions. So I wanted to find out from lawmakers today how they're feeling about the creation of this DOGE department. As well as for Democrats specifically, I wanted to ask them how could they get the national debt under control if not taking such a dramatic approach as this one. Here's what some of those Democrats told me. For instance, being able to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, finally. Not just the 10 that we started out, but a much broader swath of them. I think that we can also save by fixing our legal immigration system and upskilling our workforce. Well, first we have to repeal the Trump tax cuts, many of which expire. You have to have precision, and you have to make sure that you don't hurt the most impacted in this country. Especially by cutting programs like Social Security. With folks like Elon Musk and Ivek Ramaswamy leading something like this, I have very little confidence that this is going to be done objectively. And a theme I heard from House Democrats is that they're not necessarily opposed to the idea of slashing wasteful federal government spending. They're more opposed to who's in charge of the effort. That's definitely the case now that you have Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's the chairwoman of the DOJ subcommittee. As for Republicans, I asked them which federal agencies or areas would they like to see cuts coming from first. Here's what they said. Let's stop funding it. Let's stop letting them do some of the harmful things that are unjustified in the Constitution as well. Health and Human Services, Department of Energy, the EPA. There's just so many departments where we could cut back tremendously immediately. I hope they look at things like that. You know, my background is health care. And I've said this since I got here. We need to restructure the FDA, the CDC, the NIH. CMS needs an overhaul. Some of these programs haven't been changed in 20 years. I hope they take on cost drivers, waste, and abuse and don't step into political hot potatoes. Now, Vivek and Elon Musk did list a couple of areas in that Wall Street Journal op-ed where they'd like to cut from first. Some include more common sense areas like preventing federal government benefit paychecks from going to deceased Americans, which was an issue over the years. It was reported that in 2023 the federal government wasted over $1 billion sending paychecks to dead people. There are also more controversial areas that they want to take a look at. The Pentagon is on that list since they failed their seventh consecutive audit. But there's also another more controversial area that they listed in that op-ed yesterday. That is they say they want to take $300 million from planned parenthood. They also want to slash the size of the federal workforce by laying off some of those federal workers, which could get quite controversial. So they're already preparing for that. What they're trying to do is to transition those federal workers into the private sector and offer them incentives for leaving early or retiring early, saying that they want to make a rule to require federal workers to come here in the office in person to work five days per week. And if they choose to voluntarily resign because of that, then they're going to get severance packages for choosing to do so. Now, we know that this DOJ department could see a lot of legal challenges in the future. And in the op-ed, they said they're already preparing for this, but they're optimistic that the courts are on their side. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Wisecup, NTD News. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing to take on Fruit Loops. That's if he becomes the nation's highest health official. He's expressed concern in particular over artificial coloring of foods. Here's the story. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he'll remove artificial colors from America's foods once he becomes the country's top health official. Yellow dye, tartrazine, causes tumors, asthma, developmental delays, neurological damage, ADD, ADHD, hormone disruption, gene damage, anxiety, depression, intestinal injuries. Kennedy says he believes these dyes are one reason Americans are less healthy than people from other nations, according to many major metrics. He puts a spotlight on Yellow 5, one of the most widely used food dyes. This dye was originally made out of this sludge that's left over when you turn coal into coke for blast furnaces. It's called coal tar, and I've actually sued many big industries for legacy contamination of coal tar all around the country because it's so toxic. Artificial dyes were first developed in the mid-1800s as a byproduct of coal tar. Now, tens of thousands of foods contain these potentially unhealthy dyes, according to the USDA-branded foods database. The vast majority of them come from either petroleum or coal tar. Foods containing them include M&M's, Kool-Aid, Squirt some in the water and boom, Kool-Aid. and Fruit Loops. The dyes make foods more colorful and attractive, especially to children. Kennedy told Fox News the government isn't banning them because of corruption. 75% of FDA's budget comes from regulated industry, and that means food processors and pharmaceutical industry, all of them profit from a sick population. Big food companies did remove artificial dyes from their foods around a decade ago, but they put the dyes back in because they say consumers prefer them. Fruit Loops maker Kellogg's says its dyes have been rated safe by scientists worldwide. And still to come this evening, Matt Gaetz' sudden withdrawal from consideration as Attorney General is shocking many. Two political strategists and attorneys join us to react to his announcement and speculate on whom President-elect Trump will pick next. Do that and more after the break. As the universe nears the end of its cycle of creation and destruction, the merciful King of Kings descends to save it. Confronting the chaos sown by the malformed Red Dragon, the ultimate battle where humanity faces a defining choice. Our eternal fate hangs in the balance during this pivotal moment of cosmic shift. In front of soldiers and then the soldiers begin to dig. Imagine being a child, you know, having a child mentality and these evil people come and wheel you away from the only safety you've ever known. Welcome back. If you're just joining us now, here are some of today's top headlines. International criminal court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister, as well as top Hamas leaders. Netanyahu condemned the arrest warrant against him, saying Israel rejects the false actions. Ukraine claiming that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile at one of its cities overnight. Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at U.S. air defense systems cannot stop. A major storm moving through Northern California, damaging homes, toppling trees and dropping heavy snow and record rain. It also killed two people and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands in the Pacific Northwest. And former congressman Matt Gaetz withdrawing as president-elect Trump's pick for attorney general. Trump's team says Trump is still committed to nominating a leader of the DOJ who will end the weaponization of the justice system. And joining us now to discuss Gaetz's withdrawal and whom Trump will pick next are two political strategists and attorneys. Dante Mills is an attorney and founding partner at Mills and Edwards and Gerard Felitti is senior counsel at the Lawfare Project. Gentlemen, it's great to see both of you. Thanks so much for coming on this evening. Gerard, just yesterday Trump and Gaetz suggested they were ready to move full steam ahead. Are you surprised by today's announcement? Not entirely surprised. Gaetz was not the strongest candidate given his history and there was a lot of opposition on the Senate side, even from Republicans. So this was not someone who would be flying through the confirmation process and there were a lot of questions that he had to answer. Dante, what about for you? I want to ask you, vice president-elect J.D. Vance has said that the choice of attorney general would be Trump's most important pick. Trump had even called for recess appointments to fill the cabinet quickly and easily if there was any challenges. Is Gaetz withdrawing a sign that maybe things may not be so straightforward for him? No, and we do know that attorney general is the most important pick in this cabinet for incoming President Trump because he said multiple times, he said the top ten mistakes of his previous administration was having Jeff Sessions as the attorney general because they weren't aligned on policy. So he wanted to make sure that the person who was going to be his attorney general, he was aligned with and he knew that they would operate his agenda and do it his way. Gaetz seemed to be that person and it seemed as if Trump wanted him in, but the mounting evidence and the things that Gaetz, the trouble that he was into, all of the investigations just became too much to substantiate a former, incoming President Trump justifying having Gaetz as his attorney general just because of all of that background noise and he didn't want that baggage to come into the White House. Gerard, was this a misstep for the Trump campaign and who do you think will be nominated in Gaetz's place? I don't think necessarily it was a misstep for the Trump campaign. If anything, it may have been a strategic move. We've seen in previous administrations that some nominees are put there not because there is an expectation that they will pass through, but rather as sort of a compromised candidate, which makes it easier for other subsequent nominations to get through. In other words, because so many people were opposed to Matt Gaetz, they may be more likely to approve, the senators are more likely to approve another candidate who is also imperfect, but not at the level of Matt Gaetz. So this very well may have been a strategic move by Trump in choosing Gaetz to begin with. Dante, what do you think? Was it a strategic move? Well, I hear at the level of Matt Gaetz, I don't know if it's going to be difficult to find someone that exceeds the level of Matt Gaetz, both the trouble that he came with, but also his experience. We have to know that Matt Gaetz, yes, he's an attorney, but he's never operated within the Department of Justice. He never held a position as an attorney where he had to be a part of an investigative body, not as an attorney. So I think that there's a lot of options out here for incoming President Trump. I don't know if it'll be difficult to find someone who meets the qualifications other than someone who's as loyal to incoming President Trump as Gaetz was. That's what Trump is going to be looking for, and that's what he's going to be hoping to find with the next person he puts up as the potential attorney general. So on that point, Dante, I'll stay with you. Like, with that in mind, what Trump is looking for, not a business as usual AG, what qualities are you hoping for in the next nominee? I hope there's some, listen, incoming President Trump, he won this election, and it seems to be a mandate. He won the popular vote, and he carried some states that Republicans haven't carried in a while. So you want him to have the ability to bring in his cabinet that's going to push his agenda forward, because that's what American people want. But you want someone who has the credibility to do that and that is going to come into that office and not have the kind of cloud around them that's going to make people question their investigations. With Matt Gaetz, if he moved forward with an investigation, you're going to say, well, is it right, or is he doing that because he wants to get back at somebody or something like that? So you want somebody that's going to step in that has a clean record and that's honorable, because they're leading the attorney general. They're the most important attorney in this nation, and you want them to have that honor and respect associated with their name. Right. Gentlemen, we have some breaking news. Great to have you both here. We just learned that Trump has nominated the attorney general of Florida, Pam Bondi, as attorney general. Gerard, your initial reaction? I think it's a pretty straight choice. Pam Bondi has been a known entity in Republican politics for many years now, and she has been a stable force as attorney general in Florida. This is something that is not a bad pick for him. She is a loyalist. She is someone who has stuck by Republican agendas in Florida for many, many years and has been able to argue persuasively, I think, when it comes to the rule of law and the policy agenda that aligns with what Donald Trump wants to implement. So this is a safe choice and a good one. Dante, I think that was the right word that Gerard used. It's a safe choice. She has that experience being the attorney general in Florida that can carry over to being the attorney general of the United States. She also has, she's persuasive. So when she'll be in front of the media explaining why investigations are happening, I think she'll do a good job of that, articulating the cause of these investigations and making sure that the public knows that there's a legal reason behind it. This is a good choice, and from what I understand, she was on the short list before. I don't know why this wasn't the first choice, but I think it's a good thing that it kind of settled into her as the next person to be put up for attorney general. Do you think, Dante, first of all, she will manage to make it through the confirmation? Yes, I mean, everybody's going to have some issues. There's nobody that can be put up that's going to be 100% clean. But I don't think that there's going to be these glaring things that cause someone to say, I'm not going to vote for her, especially now that we know in Pennsylvania Bob Casey has conceded. So there will be 53 Republican senators. They'll have some leeway there with at least three votes that can go the other way, and she'll still be okay. So I don't think there's going to be a problem putting her forward, especially when you compare her to the history of Matt Gaetz. I think it's going to be an easy determination for people to say she's better than what the alternative was. So I'm just going to go with her. Right. I've got about a minute, guys. Gerard, I'll finish up with you. Assuming Pam Bondi gets in, what do you think are the main priorities for herself within the Trump administration? I think one of the main priorities will be immigration. I think that when we are looking at what Donald Trump wants to do with illegal migration, he has targeted sanctuary cities, sanctuary states, and what we're seeing is that these cities, these states, it's officials who are ignoring federal law and actively hampering the ability of immigration officials to remove illegal immigrants. So I think what we will see are prosecutions by the Justice Department of elected officials in some of these states who have been obstructing justice by hiding illegal immigrants and preventing them from being withdrawn from this country. Dante Mills, Gerard, for the ladies and gentlemen. And if I can jump in, hopefully that is what we see. And Gerard is right. Incoming President Trump has made that a focal point, this immigration. Hopefully what we don't see, and I think it's important to mention, is going after some of incoming President Trump's political opponents and things like that. So hopefully that rhetoric is toned down and we can focus on those policy issues and not make this a retribution thing. And I think this pick, kind of, it's a safe pick to where you don't expect that to happen, and I hope that's what we see. Dante Mills, Gerard, for the ladies and gentlemen. Thank you both so much. Thank you. Still to come this evening, baseball. Will Shohei Ohtani win his third MVP award? What about the American League vote? Dave Martin joins us to discuss after the break. What if you could whiten your teeth by simply brushing your teeth? Now you can, with SmileActives, the teeth whitening breakthrough that safely gets your teeth white and keeps them white every day, just by brushing your teeth. Simply add SmileActives to any toothpaste and our patented PolyClean technology activates into a powerful microfoam that penetrates into the enamel surface to safely lift and remove stains. You need a simple way to whiten your teeth without strips, without trays, without going to the dentist. I eat the blueberries, I drink the coffee, and I know that SmileActives will keep my teeth white every day. Now you can whiten your teeth with new SmileActives Pro Whitening Gel every time you brush your teeth. Call or go to SmileActives.com and for a limited time, get new Pro Whitening Gel for just $24.95. 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That's 1-800-984-7221 or go to GetBullseyePro.com. My graduation was something I will never forget. People like you and me sometimes may have doubts in ourselves, but I feel that everything's possible. Find free adult education classes near you at finishyourdiploma.org. And now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, great to see you as always. Great to see you, Paul. Dave, baseball MVP awards. Aaron Judge just took one home. You're probably expecting Shohei Ohtani to take the other one. Yeah, absolutely. I don't think it's going to be any surprise here, especially in the case of Ohtani. This is his third MVP. But amazingly, the first two were because he was a very good hitter and a very good pitcher. But because of that shoulder injury this year, he couldn't pitch. He's just a hitter this year. This one I think he's going to win just on the merits of his hitting. He's been the best in the National League. First player to hit 50 home runs, steal 50 bases in a season. Nearly won the National League's triple crown. He led the league in home runs, runs batted in, but was second in batting average. He did it all with that bum shoulder that I just mentioned. Now he should be the first DH to win the MVPs. That'll be something. It should be denounced very soon. Judge, meanwhile, he had an even better season in the American League. In the AL, he led the league in home runs, runs batted in, was third in batting average. Despite his September slump, which would have been a great season for probably anybody else because he was on a torrid pace there. Anyway, it was kind of fitting that both these two players met in the World Series. Neither one had a great series. I mean, sometimes that's the way it goes. So congrats to those two hitters. If you had to pick one? Who was better? I would say Judge. You know, Judge, I mean, he had more home runs. He had more runs batted in. He had a better season slightly. You could say that. Okay. I'm going with Judge. Really? Ohtani was kind of the big star. He was the big star. He had the 50 stolen bases. If you look at wins above replacement, this is an advanced metric. Judge was significantly better than Ohtani. I'll leave it at that. I would say there are some Japanese fans who might beg to differ, okay? Well, they can call in, all right? Women's college basketball. UConn coach Gino Auriemma became the all-time leader in wins, over 1,200. Is it safe to say he's the best ever? I mean, I think so. He's already the leader in national championships won. He's won 11 most Final Four appearances ever. He's got 23. I mean, he's at the point where it's a surprise if his team doesn't at least make the Final Four. Some teams, some programs have never even been that far. His teams have made it 15 in the last 16 seasons, and it's actually considered a drought that his team hasn't won a national title since 2016. At that point, they'd won four in a row, six the last eight. Now, the last couple years, they've had some injury problems. They've still been very good, though. Amazingly, he started at UConn. This is back in 1985. The program had only had one winning season, albeit somewhat short history. He had a losing season his first year there, has not had a losing season since. Now, of course, when you mention best women's basketball coaches ever, you have to mention former Tennessee head coach Pat Summich. He won eight national titles in 18 Final Fours, but it's safe to say he's past her, so congrats to him, too. Some worrying news for the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic injured his wrist in Tuesday's win. Now, he was the third MVP in voting last year. What is his status going forward? Yeah, he's out at least with a sprained wrist. Now, they said they'd evaluate him next week and see what happens. It's a big loss. You mentioned he was third in the MVP voting last year. He's been in the top ten each of the last five years. This guy's only like 25 years old. He's really what makes this team go around, and they're not off to a great start this year. This is a team that made the Finals last year. They're just eight and seven right now, so it's a big loss there. Now, he's not the only starter that's out. Reigning rookie of the year, Victor Wemenyama, that 7'4 guy from France. He's out tonight with a knee injury for San Antonio. Also, we have Paul George, nine-time All-Star for Philadelphia. He left last night's game after suffering a hyperextended knee. Now, that's the same knee he hyperextended in the preseason and ended up missing the first five games of the year. Now, meanwhile, for the Phillies, I'm sorry, for the Phillies, for the 76ers, Philadelphia 76ers, last night's game was the first where they had their three All-Stars in the starting lineup together. That's Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid. Now, George looks like he might be out again, so they are having a tough time there in Philly. Anybody to step in to Luka's shoes at the Mavericks? I mean, no. I mean, this guy is a guy who's like top five in points, rebounds, assists. There's really no player like him. We're talking like Magic Johnson type of numbers. There's no one that, I mean, every team has a backup player, but there's no one that puts up those kind of numbers. So, yeah, good luck to him. I think he's very inspiring for the rest of the team. He's really a fighter. Oh, yeah, for sure. Now, football. Steelers, Cleveland Browns, rivalry game. Who's your pick? Who's my tip? I'm going with the Steelers tonight. Now, that's not going out on a limb. I mean, the Steelers are 8-2, Cleveland is 2-8, so it's no surprise to pick them. Russell Wilson, 4-0 as the starter for the Steelers. He really doesn't put up insane numbers, but they're definitely winning with him at the helm. Meanwhile, for Cleveland, they're on their second quarterback of the season too. That's Jameis Winston. He's actually put up pretty decent numbers, but I mean, I think they already waved the white flag when they traded receiver Amare Cooper, who's their best receiver, to Buffalo a couple weeks ago. Now, for Pittsburgh, a win here tonight gets them just half a game behind Kansas City for the top seed in the AFC. I mean, I gotta say, I did not see them being this good in the preseason. This is always a well-run organization, a well-coached team under Mike Tomlin, but this could be his best coaching job ever. Taking a couple of quarterbacks, we call retreads, where the former team didn't want them anymore, turned them into winners. Quite a job by Mike Tomlin. Recycling quarterbacks. Recycling quarterbacks. Yeah, yeah. We appreciate it. Thank you so much. NFL going green. Thank you. There you go. Now, Paris experienced a rare snowstorm today, surprising both tourists and locals, despite challenging conditions for drivers and commuters. The snowfall offered a mesmerizing sight for many. Today's international correspondent, David Vives, has the story. Tom Ketanoko's the first early winter episode for France with high winds and snow as far down as the plains. Snowfall is a rare sight in Paris. It stirs two reactions among Parisians. Some pose to admire its beauty. Comme Cebu, how beautiful it is. Others, caught in the chaos of endless traffic and blocked trains, rumble at the disruption it causes. For tourists, the snow creates opportunities to capture stunning photos of the Eiffel Tower beneath the white sky. And during the cold, sometimes pays off with magical memories. We're here, actually. My dream. It is a dream, yeah. We're here on our honeymoon and we arrived five hours ago from Bodrum in Turkey. And it's just incredible. It's a dream. Snow drizzled over the Sacré-Coeur Basilica as tourists and Parisians in the Montmartre neighborhood took pictures, some caught by surprise by the snowfall. It's just really magical because I don't know, there is a really poetical sense, you know, with the snow and I like this, with Merry Christmas, etc. And I think it's a good timing you know, because autumn is I don't know, sad or depressive and now it's just more cool so, yeah. Weather Authority Météo France issued an amber weather warning for much of northern and central France. With temperatures above 32 degrees Fahrenheit for the next day, the snow isn't expected to freeze. David Vives, NTD News, Paris. Christmas in Paris. That's all for today's news. For around the clock coverage, you can visit us at NTD.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Paul Graney. Have a great night.