Trump Sentencing Postponed Indefinitely; Gaetz Not Returning to Congress

Good evening. Welcome to Capitol Report on NTD Television. Here's what's coming up. A new ruling today postpones Trump's New York sentencing indefinitely. What comes next? Plus, the latest news on Trump's transition team from Florida. Russian President Vladimir Putin is saying the conflict with Ukraine has intensified. This is after Moscow fired an advanced hypersonic ballistic missile. Risk of flash floods and rock slides persist on the West Coast. And a new storm could bring more damage to the area. This is Capitol Report, live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. Good evening. I'm Jack Bradley, filling in here for Steve Lance. President-elect Trump has picked for Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. The billionaire advised Trump during the campaign and founded the hedge fund Key Square Capital Management. He was also an investment officer at Soros Fund Management before joining Trump's MAGA movement. Trump said Besant will help, quote, usher in a new golden age for the United States. It comes as his team is hailing a new ruling that postpones sentencing in Trump's New York NTD's White House correspondent Iris Tao has more from West Palm Beach. President-elect Trump will no longer be sentenced in New York next week as originally scheduled. It comes after Judge Juan Marchand on Friday officially adjourned the proceedings in the so-called hush money case against Trump without setting a new sentencing date. The judge also granted Trump's request to toss away entirely his 34-count felony conviction. Trump's team hailing it as a decisive win, adding all of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed and we are focused on making America great again. While Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says he's opposed to dismissing the case, he agrees that proceedings in this case may not resume until after Trump completes his second term in 2029. All this comes as the Justice Department is also moving to wind down this election interference case and its classified documents case against Trump, that to comply with the long-standing tradition that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted. And as Trump continues to staff his second administration, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who on Thursday wished through as Trump's pick for Attorney General, on Friday said he's not returning to Congress despite just winning re-election. It's still going to be in the fight, but it's going to be from a new perk. Gaetz also praises Trump's new pick for Attorney General, former Florida AG Pam Bondi. Pam Bondi's confirmation won't have some of the sharp edges that mine would have. And on Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis set the dates for the special election to fill Gaetz's seat in the House. The primary will be in late January, while the general election won't happen until April 1st. And that means that House Republicans, who already have a slim majority, will get an even slimmer one, at least for the first three months of Trump's new presidency. Reporting from West Palm Beach, Iris Tao, NTD News. Fears are rising that Ukraine and the war with Russia could now go global. NATO is now preparing to hold emergency talks with Kiev after Russia used a hypersonic missile for the first time. NTD's international reporter, Arian Pasdar, has the latest on the war. Two people are reported dead and at least 12 more injured in Ukraine on Friday. That's according to officials from the northeastern city of Sumy, who say Russia launched a drone attack early Friday morning. This comes just one day after Russia attacked Ukraine using a hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time. President Vladimir Putin now says more such attacks will follow. We will continue tests, including in combat, especially since we have built a stockpile of such products and such systems ready for use. The use of stronger weapons is concerning some residents in Ukraine. Of course I'm afraid. Every sane person is afraid. You're afraid for yourself, for your relatives. NATO and Ukraine are now planning to hold emergency talks on Tuesday. And Poland's prime minister says the conflict is taking on dramatic proportions. The threat is serious and real when it comes to global conflict. The British military, meanwhile, says this about the possibility of Russia invading Europe. If the British army was asked to fight tonight, it would fight tonight. Putin accuses the US and the UK of expanding the conflict by allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons. The White House on Thursday denying those claims. 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. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky also says Putin is trying to take the conflict to the next stage. That is why the world must sound serious in response to make Putin really afraid of expanding the war. Zelensky added that by using new weapons, Russia is mocking the global powers that are calling for restraint. Ariane Pastor, NTD News. Tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war appear to be escalating, with Russia using a new ballistic missile on the battlefield and saying that it will use the weapon again. To impact this situation, we're joined now by Mike Cerelli, former Navy SEAL, author and CEO of Talent War Group. Mike Cerelli, thank you very much for joining us here today. Now, Russia struck Ukraine yesterday with an intermediate-range ballistic missile. It's the first of its kind seen on the battlefield, and these are designed to carry nuclear warheads, although it wasn't carrying one at the time. The fact that this breached Ukrainian airspace, how concerning is this? So Jack, thanks for having me. And the Orsnik missile, the ICBM that was utilized, there's actually reports that it had an inert warhead, meaning no major explosive attached to it. They are traditionally used for nuclear payloads. This is a response given Biden's sort of approval to the Ukraine to use the ATAKMS, the Army Tactical Missile Systems, to reach into Russia with strikes. What we're seeing is just a continual, systematic increase in responses by both sides, and we know where that leads when there's no dialogue. Now, is Putin trying to scare Ukraine and its allies? Why do you think we're seeing all this right now? You touched on this a bit. Yes. So Putin, knowing that negotiations are around the corner with the Trump administration, has launched an offensive, and this is what facilitated Biden's, I would say, reckless decision to allow Ukraine to use the ATAKMS. But he's essentially going for a land grab to push his forward line of troops as far into the Ukraine, so that when the negotiations start, he's got more credibility to say he deserves more of the Donbass region. But Biden's decision to reach or allow Ukraine to utilize these missiles, especially in the portion of his lame duck presidency with only 60 days to go, is just reckless and ill-timed. What he should have done in another course of action, knowing that Putin was going to launch an offensive, was instead double down on the defenses of the Ukraine to repel that offensive. And what I fear is that negotiations between the Western powers, NATO and the U.S., and Russia, have really not taken place for two years, and I view that as a failure in leadership. Now, there were initial negotiations led by Turkey that failed, but the German Chancellor Scholz made the first call from a Western leader in November of this month, almost 1,000 days into the war. And you have to open dialogue. I'm not advocating what Putin did was right, but if you live in a state of reality, given the negotiations that are around the corner, he most likely will walk away with part of the Donbass region. Now, Putin's blaming the U.S. for escalating the Russia-Ukraine war by allowing Ukraine to use these long-range missiles to strike the Kursk region. But the U.S. says Russia started it, and it's being escalated by sending those 10,000 or so North Korean soldiers to that region. How are you seeing all this? So there is validation in Biden's decision, albeit I think it's reckless given where he's sat in his presidency, is Putin is known for doing a show of force. And we fell right into a trap, so to speak, with a decision, especially by the Biden administration. We need to come to the table. Nobody wants this war. Of course, Zelensky and one of his top generals said we are now in World War III. Nobody wants that. We don't want to send American sons and daughters to fight in a conflict that, at the end of the day, doesn't have a dramatic impact on the United States. And I will say that the European Union, those that belong to NATO, have not stepped up to do what they can to end this conflict through negotiations. And quite frankly, as you've probably heard, a lot of the EU countries don't carry their weight with NATO, given what they spend in accordance with their GDP to contribute to the overall cost of NATO. So we've got to get to the table, we've got to end this conflict, and then we need to focus on the Middle East. Now, a U.S. envoy is traveling to Israel to try to secure a ceasefire deal with Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist group. Could we likely see the conflict on Israel's northern border die down, at least? The old Washington answer is it depends. Israel is justified in this fight, and the Middle East is a little more complex of a situation. While they can seek a ceasefire with Hamas in Lebanon, Iran is the real cancer that needs to be dealt with, that previous administrations have kicked this can down the road. But for Bibi Netanyahu, you've got to understand that his stance is that there is no negotiation, there's no ceasefire until all the hostages are returned. And similarly, we would probably have a very similar approach within the U.S. if it was Americans being helped. Mike Cirelli, thank you very much for your insight here today. Jack, I appreciate it. A new storm could bring more damage to the northwestern coast already battered this week. Forecasters warn about continued risks of flash floods and rock slides. NTD's David Lamb reports. A new storm is strengthening off the northwest coast of the country. It could bring more damage to the west coast after the area already was hit by a strong bomb cyclone. Forecasters warned the risk of flash flooding and rock slides would continue, and scores of flights were canceled at San Francisco's airport. The storm system has dumped nearly 18 inches of rain in parts of northern California since Tuesday. An additional 5 to 10 inches of rain is possible into Saturday morning. Earlier today, we responded to a vehicle in the flooded water, as you can see behind me. It was unoccupied, and we flagged it. There is markings on the road that the road is flooded. You can see the floodgates there, too. We ask that nobody else drive through. Santa Rosa saw 6.5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, marking the wettest day on record since 1998. Out at the coast, we've got high surf advisories and gale force winds out there. Please know that our coastline is absolutely beautiful, but it is very dangerous. Stay out of the water. Gusty winds from the new storm would increase throughout Friday in Washington. As of Friday morning, more than 180,000 homes and businesses were without power for the third day, according to Power Outage.us. Hurricane force winds earlier this week knocked out power to more than half a million customers. David Lam, Entity News, California. And coming up, we'll talk with the senior advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign about how the campaign fell short and where the party goes from here. According to the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, China just carried out the worst telecom hack in our nation's history. How concerned are Americans? Sam Wong was out at the National Mall to find out. That and more after the break. A performance that truly matters for each and every one of us. This is what you've been waiting for. See it at least once in your lifetime. Shen Yun. Get tickets now at ShenYun.com. What if you could whiten your teeth by simply brushing your teeth? 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Get store wide savings at Mathis Home with Black Friday deals all month long. We have all the latest styles with hundreds of sofas starting at just $3.99. Dining sets and bedrooms at the lowest prices ever and we're the only place with top name recliners starting at just $1.95. It's all in stock so you get it faster with our free delivery. So for the latest in fashion for your home at the best value, shop Black Friday deals at California's furniture superstore, Mathis Home. Welcome back. I'm Jack Bradley. How are Democrats regrouping and reconnecting to rural Americans? NTD's Steve Lance spoke with Nick Rathode, former senior political advisor for presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former campaign manager for Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke. Nick Rathode, thank you so much for joining us. Pleasure to be here. Thank you. It's great to have you with us. Nick, I want to play a soundbite from Congresswoman Marie Glusenkamp Perez from Washington state. She won reelection in a Republican district. She shared with CNN, though, her frustrations with the Democratic Party. I want to get your thoughts on the other side. Great. Having, you know, a set of talking points and priorities and values imported from Washington, D.C. to our home, and we want to see our values and priorities reflected in advance in Washington, D.C., not the other way around. Like, we've got to flip that stream of influence because the things that we care about are not often talked about in national media. Right now, in in one of my largest hospitals, 40 percent of the babies born have at least one parent addicted to fentanyl. And then she went on to say it is ravaging a lot of rural America. Nick, I want to get your thoughts on what the congresswoman said. How are the Democrats, the Democratic Party kind of reassessing the loss this past November? I think what that the congresswoman was saying was spot on. We really do need to spend time listening to people and understanding where people are at. And I thought that was what Trump actually and his team did pretty effectively. They understood, you know, kind of where their base was in terms of the issues that they cared about, where they wanted to focus. And they really emphasized that. And for them, you know, I think the country generally is feeling very frustrated. I think post-COVID, there was inflation, there were all of these issues happening, and people are struggling right now to pay to pay bills, to just feel, you know, feel whole again. And Trump made a really good case. I'm using good in quotes, but a good case for them to say that, you know, what's the problem is, is that Democrats have let all of these immigrants cross the border. Those are the boogeymen. Those people are the problem. They're focused on the wrong issues, they're focused on transgendered bathrooms and those sorts of things. And he really kind of defined what the playing field looked like. And Democrats didn't really offer an alternative to that. We didn't say, no, we think this is actually the issue. This is what we're going to fight for on your behalf. And so in the absence of that, in that kind of vacuum, especially on things like the economy, we just didn't, you know, I think Americans just made a calculated decision. They're like, OK, we at least know what Trump stands for. These guys, we have no idea. And what it feels like and what I'm seeing on these television ads is like, they're not for me. They're for other people. So that's really where the challenge is, I think, for Democrats. To your point, there's been a bit of a discussion about what some might refer to as fly over country, a rural America. You and I were just talking about Nebraska. Yeah. A lot of interesting things in Nebraska. You know, some fun models where that one, they do it based on the electoral vote, based on congressional district. And a few of those have actually swung blue. What does the Democratic Party's message need to be to more rural voters? That's really good. I mean, you know, so I did grow up in Nebraska. My dad was a preacher there. And I go back and I still have good friends there who are farmers or cops, you know, that sort of thing in the state. And I talk to them all the time and they're all Trump people. And they tell me this, the same thing that the congresswoman was just saying, that y'all are just out of touch. You know, you hobnob with the Hollywood elites. You feel very elite to us. Meanwhile, we're we just want to do right by our families. You know, we want our kids to have good schools. Safety is a big issue, you know, with with farmers. There's a lot of struggling farmers right now, especially small family farms. And we don't talk about any of that stuff as Democrats. And that's something I think we need to get back to is, like, again, really listening to people. I think a populist economic message is really important. The other thing they have and they've done well is control a lot of levers of communication. Conservatives have control over things like Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting and even talk radio and the podcast. I mean, you know, I wish Kamala Harris would have gone on Joe Rogan, for example, and she didn't. Trump did. And he was able to communicate and reach a bunch of people that otherwise wouldn't be really following the election. And he spoke to something that that really, I think, you know, helped him out in that and in the election. You touched upon a lot of very interesting points. Like you mentioned, Vice President Harris, she tried to position herself as a leader of kind of a new generation within the Democratic Party. Why do you think Trump was able to ship some of those Gen Z voters? There's probably a couple of things that that he was able to do that that she wasn't. I think first, if you looked across the world, most incumbents lost. And again, it was back to this economic economic issues, inflation. People are feeling really squeezed, that type of thing. And he was directly addressing those things that he was going to make your lives better. He was going to stop inflation, whether it was true or not. He was saying it. She was also saying it. And I think the problem was she was so tied to the incumbent, Joe Biden, and unable to distinguish herself from him in that regard, that I think that that really that that did not help her. And I think that that was really problematic for her. If she would have been more kind of like defining what her how she would solve the problem and not say things like, I wish, you know, we're not going to do anything different from the Biden administration. I think that could have also helped with young people specifically. Trump, Trump is very charismatic, and they've done a good job of especially speaking to young men who I think are kind of lost in in in the country right now. There's not any group really kind of speaking to them or talking to them or engaging them on the issues that that demographic, that set of people care about. And so I think he was trying to connect to them through the Rogan interview, through other things that I think was also an effective approach that they took. Yeah, I really appreciate you sharing your insights. Thank you. California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a nearly $60 billion investment plan for the central San Joaquin Valley yesterday. Newsom said that although there may be a lot more Trump supporters in that region, that doesn't matter. None of it. It's not about voters. I care about people. I don't care who you voted for. I don't. I care about people. I care about Trump supporters. I care about RFK Junior supporters. I care about Tucker Carlson supporters. I care about Charlie Kirk supporters. I care about Ben Shapiro supporters. I care about all people. The plan is called the Jobs First Initiative. Newsom says it aims to revitalize the central San Joaquin Valley. He said it will focus on job creation, economic development and regional collaboration. According to Newsom, the initiative is expected to generate nearly $100 billion in economic impact. And on Capitol Hill, a forum marks a major milestone. 440 million Chinese citizens have cut ties with the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates two decades after the release of the editorial series Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party by The Epoch Times. NTD's Jason Blair has more from Washington, D.C. The Tui Dong, or Quit the Party, movement celebrates 20 years. As one of the largest grassroots movements in history, it has helped 440 million people disconnect themselves from the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP. Xi Van Fleet lived through the CCP's cultural revolution when millions lost their lives and Chinese traditional culture was attacked and ridiculed. She says that the CCP's communist ideology enslaved the minds of the Chinese people. And now I think they found an opportunity to participate in this movement, to free themselves from this toxic, deadly ideology. Today also marks 20 years since the book Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published. The book details the CCP's record of propaganda, persecution, famine, massacre, tyranny, and censorship to help people who grew up in the ideology to break free from its grip. John Lenczowski was the principal Soviet affairs adviser to President Reagan. He says the Tui Dong movement and books like the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party help support the breakdown of a communist system. He says the power of the Chinese Communist Party depends on lies and removing objective morality. There is a relationship between truth and morality. And if people are stop and think and are exposed to alternative, to the real truths in the face of the party's lies, then they're going to be less inclined to cling to the reef and be accessories in the instruments of the repression of their own people. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair, Entity News. It's the worst telecom hack in our nation's history by far, in the words of Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He's referring to a Chinese breach into U.S. telecom companies, including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies. Authorities said that China-linked hackers had intercepted surveillance data intended for American law enforcement agencies. The hackers stole the U.S. customer call records and communications from a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in governments. That's according to a statement from the FBI and CSIA. Now, there are also reports that Chinese hackers targeted telephones belonging to then-presidential and vice-presidential candidates Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. Warner said that this is an ongoing effort by China to infiltrate telecom systems around the world for huge amounts of data. And what do Americans think about China potentially having access to our phone calls and text messages? NTD's Sam Wong was out at the National Mall in D.C. to find out. First question, are you familiar with China's social credit score system? No, I know. No, I have not. I have not, no. I think I did come across it one time on social media, but I didn't really, like, go too deeply into it. Basically, what that is, is China is compiling data from their citizens and tracking their behaviors and rank them accordingly. So, just wondering, what's your reaction to that? Oh, it sounds like one of those episodes from Black Mirror. Wow, like, I did not know that was a thing. That's crazy to think that, oh, you're getting scored based off your facial recognition and also everything that you got going on in your life. It seems quite, um, restrictive. If it were me, I'd be, feel a little concerned. So, recently the U.S. has found out there's a hacking campaign going around. Basically, they're going around compromising major telecom companies like AT&T, Verizon, and stuff like that. So, just wondering, are you concerned that China is tapping into your messages and phone calls? Yeah, again, it's obviously something to be concerned about, especially being a young teenager with, like, always on our phones, social media, stuff like that. Well, that's a very interesting question. When we're buying security systems, we have to make sure that those security systems that we buy off of Amazon, they're not using a Chinese cloud. It's always concerning when someone has your data that you're maybe not willingly giving to them, but also, I think the internet these days, nothing is secure. To be honest, all governments do that. You ever read into China's, like, human rights record or anything else? Yes, I know a lot about Tiananmen Square and how people are, the Uyghurs in the northwest are being treated. I'm worried about people there. I don't know whether it's going to happen to people here. You know, that's a lot of privacy and whatever information that you do throw out there, like, you could be texting your parents about information on their car, their car, and next thing you know, you could just end up with, like, nothing one day. So, yeah, I would be definitely concerned if that's the case, if China's tapping into our phones. And coming up, Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs says she'll work with the Trump administration on stopping fentanyl trafficking, but not on mass deportation. We'll talk with the mayor of Nogales, Arizona, where more than half of all border seizures of fentanyl are reportedly made. The lame duck session of Congress is proving consequential for Trump's plans. We'll break down the top priorities for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle just after this break. Fathom the Good equips children with wisdom against the world. Our homeschool curriculum teaches high schoolers to think critically. We provide primary texts, original content, reasoning tools, and mentoring videos to help them transform America. Teach your children to navigate the world's woke confusion. Teach them to fathom the good. The Kindness is Cool Video Awards are back for their second year. Record and nominate acts of kindness, both big and small, from individuals, families, and communities. Submit your videos on ganjingworld.com with the hashtag kindnessiscool. Win a $10,000 grand prize and be featured on a New York Times Square billboard. Visit ganjingworld.com and start sharing today. Kindness is Cool. So at the age of five, I was sexually molested. I had my first child at the age of 15 and became homeless at the age of 16. The scariest part about not having a place to live was having a child and not having a place to live and not knowing where our meal was going to come from and where we're going to sleep. To be homeless as a teen, I didn't ask for that. No young person should ever have to worry about having a safe place to sleep at night or a warm meal to eat or whether anyone cares about them. One in 10 young adults will experience a form of homelessness this year, and that's unacceptable. But the good news is there is an organization making a big difference, Covenant House. Call or go online now for a gift of only $19 a month, just 63 cents a day. You can provide hot meals, safe shelter, medical care, and love to more than 2,000 young people who sleep at a Covenant House every night. For over 50 years, Covenant House has been helping youth in crisis. It was pretty tough, but Covenant House really helped me and really helped mold me into the woman I am today. Call or go online right now to safeplacetosleep.org with your gift of just $19 a month. With your monthly donation, you'll receive this soft, comforting blanket as a reminder of the warmth and safety your gift will provide a young person tonight. I have no words to express how Covenant House changed my life. They gave me the love that I needed. They just really genuinely just wanted to help me succeed, and I'm succeeding. Your $19 monthly gift is urgently needed to reach other young people who are facing unimaginable situations. Call or go online to safeplacetosleep.org. Your support makes the work of Covenant House possible. Thank you for caring. Welcome back. I'm Jack Bradley. President-elect Trump has just announced his nomination for the Director of Office of Management and Budget. His pick is Russell Thurlow-Vout, the same man who served in his role in the first term. Now, Trump calls him, quote, an aggressive cost-cutter and deregulator. He also just announced Oregon Representative Lori Chavez-Durmer, her Secretary of Labor. And now, President-elect Trump flipped Arizona in the November 5th election. Governor Katie Hobbs says she'll work with his administration on fighting fentanyl, but not on mass deportations. Joining me now to discuss is Mayor Jorge Maldonado of the border town of Nogales, Arizona. How you doing? Hi, Mayor Maldonado. Very good to have you on. Thank you for joining us. I want to play this clip of Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs in Nogales on Monday, saying that she'll work with the incoming Trump administration to an extent in combating illegal immigration. Just as I worked with this current administration to launch Task Force SAFE, I will work with the next one to deliver border security. I will not allow everyday Arizonans to suffer from misguided policies that will only divert resources from the important work happening here and across our border. Mayor Maldonado, your thoughts on this? Well, you know, we got to take it one step at a time. We got to look at what it's all going to come about. You know, Nogales has done a great fighting the drug lord fentanyl. And, you know, we are a party and we work with all administrations as they come. We look at how we could help each other, how we could support each other. And, you know, depending on the situation, we got to make decisions to be positive and make decisions to help not just my community, but the state and the nation. And now Governor Hobbs said that she'll work to help stop the trafficking of fentanyl with the incoming Trump administration. But when it comes to mass deportation of illegal immigrants, Hobbs' response to Trump's proposed policy would be not as much help there. Would that make it a proposed sanctuary state? Well, you know, what we'll see in the interior of the state is a lot different from what I'll see at the border. Because, you know, when we had migrants, we really didn't have them in Nogales. And the migrants all had thought of going into the interior of the country. We really don't have that issue at the border. You know, they all looked at going into the interior of the country and not to stay in the border city. So my concern is more of migrants wanting to be deported into Mexico. And what's going to happen with the migrants that are not Mexican citizens? Because President Steinberg already said, you know, that she'll take all the Mexican citizens, but not other nationalities. Now, as far as Nogales, more than half of all border seizures of fentanyl are reportedly made there. From your experience, what is the most effective way to prevent fentanyl trafficking? Well, basically, you know, continue to have these confiscations of them. You know, they're doing a great job with technology. You know, they're going to be putting new technology in so they can now check all vehicles and all human traffickers or human pedestrians walking across the border. You know, fortunately, they've been found, you know, gas tanks, you know, inside tires and even inside taped on human bodies. You know, so with the new technology that they're looking to put with x-rays machines for every human that cross and every vehicle that cross, that's going to be a big plus for security of having those drugs stopped at the border. Mayor Maldonado, the head of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has praised National Guard members as a critical force multiplier for the agency's operation at the Nogales port. What's the impact of using the National Guard and state resources for border security operations? It's going to be good because we're looking at support to help our agents. We all know that we lack manpower at the border. You know, so that manpower is going to help. You know, the National Guard is going to help with the lack of manpower that we have at the border, you know, to be able to do their, you know, have the CBP, the men in blue, do their job that they should be doing. And National Guard's going to kind of help out with, you know, you could say the dirty work or the, you know, training of the dogs and searching the cars and stuff like that. And, you know, the CBP officers are going to be doing their job in what they're trying to do and seeing that all vehicles are checked and all people have the right documentation to get across the border. Mayor Jorge Maldonado, thank you very much for sharing your insights with us here today. Thank you. And four years ago, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin, the compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. Drug reform advocates at the time praised the state as a progressive leader. But now a growing list of cities are banning the hallucinogenic substance. A dozen communities that approved two-year moratoriums in 2022 voted to make the restrictions permanent in the November 5th election. Voters decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs, including heroin and methamphetamine back in 2020. The state legislature reinstated drug laws earlier this year amid growing public use and overdose threat deaths. Now scientists are exploring whether psilocybin can help treat depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress. The lame duck session of Congress is already proving to be consequential for the Trump administration's nomination process. It's also consequential to the outstanding budgetary bills that will determine policy into 2025. NTD's Washington correspondent Luis Eduardo Martinez joins us from the Capitol with more on this story. The nomination of Peter Heksev for Secretary of Defense is next in the crosshairs of Senate Democrats who, with half a dozen Senate Republicans, have already rejected the nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. We're going to push for all of the files from local police and prosecutors, as well as whatever written interviews and testimony have been provided, and we're going to make sure that Pete Heksev is thoroughly vetted and all of the files are turned over to the committee. Making these decisions so quickly may have led to an early constellation that looks more like a reality TV show casting call than serious and credible proposals for cabinet. Senate Republicans are divided in between offering full support to Peter Heksev and demanding the release of investigations into sexual assault allegations against Peter Heksev. Pete Heksev is a Tennessean. We look forward to supporting him, and I'm so happy you all have something to watch. Wasn't the first question of due diligence to be, let's see the full report, let's understand the context and also understand from the prosecutor who chose not to move forward with it, why? That seems like a logical question. In the House, Republican leadership have already shown their opposition to the president's $98 billion request of supplemental funds for FEMA and the president's decision to forgive nearly $5 billion in loans to Ukraine. I think President Trump is looking for persons who will shake up the status quo, and we got a mandate in this election cycle to do that. The status quo is not working for the American people, and so these are persons who will go in and bring real reform, significant reform to the agencies that they lead. House Democrats, who reelected their leadership this week, are setting the tone for the culture wars that will surely take place in the 119th Congress. The first flashpoint being the incoming first transgender representative to Congress, Sarah McBride from Delaware. The notion that this incoming small House Republican conference majority is beginning to transition to the new Congress by bullying a member of Congress. The 118th Congress is expected to vote on a continuing resolution before December 20th, thus punting the government funding battle onto 2025. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. Staying on Capitol Hill, both sides will get their chance to choose which judges to take the bench in several courts. This follows a bipartisan deal struck last evening in the Senate. The deal comes as Democrats rush to seat as many judges as possible before losing their majority in the House, while Republicans pull out every trick to slow the process, rather, in the Senate. And as much as possible here, NTD's Melina Wisecup reports. Democrats are inching closer to catching President-elect Trump's record for sitting judges. And now that their majority is nearing its end, the party has resorted to late nights to get more seated. And again, we're in strong position to confirm many more judges when we come back. We hope to make progress on as many as we can. Now, I thank all my colleagues for their hard work last night and for being flexible amidst all the roll call votes. But Trump has repeatedly encouraged Republicans to block the process, writing, quote, Republican senators need to show up and hold the line. No more judges confirmed before inauguration day. Republican absences have not allowed for a full blockade, but Republicans have used floor tactics to lengthen the process. This led to a bipartisan deal that allows for Democrats to move several lower level federal judicial appointees in trade for letting go of four appeals court nominations. Now, Trump will have the ability to fill those higher court vacancies while Democrats fill the lower ones before going into minority mode. The Senate is now out for the week, but will return after Thanksgiving to confirm the remaining judges. The Republicans say they won't use the same delay tactics. They will still put up a fight. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Wisecup, NTD News. How are lawmakers reacting to Gates' withdrawal from consideration for Attorney General? Senators from both sides of the aisle share their thoughts. Well, I mean, there's a sense of relief about it, of course. I think he did a pretty noble thing, frankly, honorable thing by getting out himself. I thought his statement was appropriate. And I look forward to a new nominee that we can get fully behind. The main message for me here is that my Republican colleagues who did the interviewing and made an assessment obviously sent a message. So the big question for the Senate as an institution, will we exercise our constitutional responsibility for advice and consent? I see this as a good sign that the Senate will do that. It's very respectful for him to make that decision, I think, thinking with all of the — we're all thinking about the administration coming in. We want to be positive and supportive in every way we can to make sure they're successful. I think every American should want that. And you don't want to start out with a cloud where you have to defend something all the time. I'd like to remind everybody that when the side that wins, they get to pick the people. And I hope and I expect that there's going to be enough that we can work together. And I'm looking for that. And then there's going to be some picks that are unacceptable. But I also want to remind you that they have the majority in the Senate, and they are going to have the ability to pick whoever they want. President-elect Trump just came out with yet another pick for his leadership team this term. Dr. Janet Nishiwot, he says, quote, that she's a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health. She'll serve as the Surgeon General. Now, coming up, the Justice Department wants a federal judge to break up Google and force the company to sell Chrome. We'll talk to an antitrust professor about the implications of the landmark case and the proposed penalty. Spruce Wayne has arrived on Capitol Hill. The festive tree comes all the way from Alaska and took three weeks to get to Washington. We'll take you to see it when we return. If you're watching this, I didn't make it. Thanks to people like you and the American Heart Association, my family never had to see this video. I was a healthy 47-year-old, no symptoms. But then my doctor discovered I had a bad heart valve that was beyond repair. The scariest day of my life was when I was sitting on a gurney as I looked at my wife was at my side and my kids had me surrounded. Deep down, you know, this could be it. This could be all there is. Not having him around for Riley to grow up with and have that pop-off figure in his life, that would have been hard. This little heart valve did something really big. It saved my life. I wouldn't be here today without it. The research for this heart valve was funded by the American Heart Association, and that's why I'm asking you to become a monthly donor for just $19 a month. When you do, you'll help fund the next medical breakthrough that could save your life or the life of someone you love. You'll also provide life-saving CPR training and help certify hospitals to give the best care to those who have had a heart attack or stroke. When you give $19 a month, we'll send you a t-shirt just like this one. From the moment you put it on, you'll help raise awareness for heart disease and stroke. Since my surgery, I had a son get married. I had a daughter graduate high school. I had another daughter give birth to a precious boy. I would have missed all that. And that's why it's personal for me. We're very thankful for everyone who is a donor because it gives us more time. Every 40 seconds, someone has a heart attack. The next person you help save could be someone you love or even you. Become a monthly donor today by calling or going to helpheart.org because it's personal. Is deep-sea fish oil really healthy? Due to pollution in the oceans, most fish contain heavy metal elements and radioactive substances. That's why it's so important to choose a pure source of omega-3. Puritan Green Vegetable Omega-3 is made from porcelain and pyrolysis, which are rich in nutrients and minerals, especially vitamins A, D, E, calcium, and iron. With natural processing and no harmful chemical additives, it has more than 90% concentration of omegas-3, 6, 7, and 9. It effectively improves brain power and is beneficial to the heart's health. Puritan Omega-3 does not smell of fish and contains no pollutants. So both adults and children can safely and easily consume it over a long period of time. Puritan Green Vegetable Omega-3. Greener, healthier, and more effective. Visit puritan.com to learn more. Welcome back. I'm Jack Bradley. What could the Justice Department's proposed breakup of Google and Chrome mean for the tech giant, competitors, and users? Joining me now to discuss the latest developments is Rebecca Ha-Allensworth, Associate Dean for Research and Antitrust Professor at the Vanderbilt University Law School. Rebecca Ha-Allensworth, thank you very much for joining us here today. Thanks for having me. Now, the Justice Department is asking a federal judge to force a sale of Google's Chrome web browser as a penalty for violating antitrust laws. If the judge approves this penalty, how would that change user choice for Americans? Well, Chrome is a very, very popular browser, and it's one of the main ways that we access any search products. So it would give a potential opening for a competitor to get a huge section of the market if they could be on Chrome, which they can't now because, of course, Google wouldn't let them. But a competitor search product could really reach a lot of people. Right, and how would that impact the innovation, also the competitors in the market? Yeah, exactly. So if you don't have competition, you don't have innovation. There's no incentive to try to make a better search product at the moment because you're just going to get squashed by Google. If you had the opportunity to actually get on Chrome and get that kind of eyeballs, get that kind of data, maybe it's worth it to put in the effort to try to make a better product to compete head to head with Google. Now, Google argues that the government's proposal would have unintended consequences undermining user security and privacy. What are the potential negative consequences if the DOJ does force Google to share search results and user data with its competitors? I think that the idea is that they would be handled through ongoing oversight. You know, I think that Google is going to have to prove that there really are more problems than there are benefits from this particular solution, and they may well be able to do that. You know, a breakup is still seen as a pretty unusual remedy, and having a judge oversee this kind of stuff for a long period of time is burdensome. On the other hand, it is a very good way to restore some competition, or at least potential competition to this market. And can you break down for us the other side of this, the DOJ, what they're arguing, and then also reference how this references other previous cases that happened in the past, the Microsoft case in the 1990s? Yeah, so the case here is that Google dominated search, not just because it was better and because it was big, but because it actually took affirmative steps to lock up the ways that any other search products might reach users, mostly through contracts with Apple, but also through its Chrome browser, which is why their ask here is to spin off Chrome. But it's also to do other things, too, like to stop paying Apple to be the default browser on their iPhone and other behavioral remedies. And it's a lot like Microsoft in the sense that it's a very high-profile, antitrust case against a tech monopoly against a platform, and it's in the same jurisdiction. So actually, that judge in the Google case is looking carefully at precedent of Microsoft to make sure that he follows it. And one more thing I'll say about Microsoft is that in Microsoft, the judge did order a breakup of Microsoft and then was reversed on appeal. So I think the judge here is going to be paying very close attention to that and not want to repeat that mistake. What are the long-term effects of breaking up monopolies in the tech industry? Well, we don't know because we haven't done it, but I would say there's two categories of long-term effects. One is what happens to those companies and what happens to competition going into the future, and the idea there is that we would do it if we think it's going to improve the competitive environment, which it may very well. But the other long-term effect is that if big tech companies know that this is a possibility, it will alter their behavior even before the lawsuit is brought. So it has kind of a disincentivizing effect that I think is important to think about too. You know, the judge called Google, their search engine, a monopoly. Can you just briefly summarize what their positioning on this is? Yeah. So Google was found to be a monopoly, to have monopoly power, and that's because the judge defined the market as general search, you know, the search bar that we use to sort of find things on the Internet, and found that they had a very, very high market share of it. He also found that there were high barriers to entry, so that kind of protected the power that Google had over the market. So that added up to monopoly power. But it's not unlawful to be a monopolist. You have to have monopoly power and to have either acquired it or maintained it unlawfully. And that's where those exclusive dealing contracts came in. Rebecca Hall Allensworth, thank you very much for your insight here today. Thank you. Thanks for having me. President-elect Donald Trump just came out with three more picks. The CDC director is now going to be former Congressman and doctor Dave Weldon from Florida. And two more choices for his leadership team. Alex Wong as assistant to the president, focusing on national security. And Dr. Sebastian Gorka as senior director for counterterrorism. Both served in the White House in similar roles in Trump's first term. And now it's finally here. That's right. The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree has just reached Washington, D.C. to join the nation's holiday festivities. This year's tree is an 80-foot Sitka spruce. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Capitol Christmas tree. And that means peace, joy and happiness. And we hope that's what this tree brings to the nation here today. The tree has been named Spruce Wayne through a social media vote. It journeyed more than 700 miles overseas and more than 4,000 miles on land. Once Spruce Wayne is securely in place, it will be adorned with ornaments handcrafted by communities across Alaska. And that's all we have for you tonight on the Capitol Report. For around-the-clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com slash live. Or download our NTD app from the nation's Capitol. I'm Jack Bradley. Have a nice evening and we'll see you back here on Monday.