NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Dec. 4)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, what authorities are calling a brazen targeted attack. The CEO of a top insurance company shot and killed in Manhattan early this morning. Chris Beers is in New York City with what we know so far. President-elect Trump is looking to have the criminal case in Georgia thrown out. That's as he announces more administration picks, including Peter Navarro as top trade advisor. Jack Bradley reports from Palm Beach, Florida. The French Prime Minister's government collapses in a no-confidence vote. What happens next as France navigates an unprecedented political crisis? David Vives reports from Paris. South Korea in turmoil. President Yoon's martial law sparks protests in an impeachment motion and resignations. Could this escalate further? Iris Tao brings us what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said about the situation today. A U.S.-backed group continues fighting alongside terrorists in Syria. How a U.S. ambassador to the U.N. responds to allegations of aiding terrorists in the Middle East. Ariane Posdar has the latest. This is NTD Evening News, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Here's Tiffany Meyer. Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. A shocking homicide at the highest levels of corporate America. The leader of one of the largest healthcare providers in the nation was shot and killed this morning in Manhattan. A manhunt for the shooter is now underway. NTD's Chris Beers has the story. The CEO of United Healthcare was shot in the back and leg right behind me at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan just before 7am this morning. At 7.12am, he was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital. The shooter fled the scene on foot and then got on a city bike and headed up to Central Park. It appears that the shooter does have a certain level of skill because he approached the victim from behind and took multiple shots while walking towards him. The gun actually malfunctioned in the middle of his shooting, allegedly, and he fixed it very quickly and continued to shoot. Here's NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish. 50-year-old Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, was shot and killed in what appears, at this early stage of our investigation, to be a brazen targeted attack. This does not appear to be a random act of violence. The victim was in New York City to speak at an investor conference. NYPD Chief Detective Joseph Kenney said the shooter arrived at the scene of the crime five minutes before the CEO. The victim left his hotel alone and crossed the street to the conference center at 6.44am. He was shot moments after that. Responders received a call about the incident at 6.46am and arrived at the scene two minutes later. The shooter appears to be a light-skinned male. He's wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a very distinctive gray backpack. The shooter steps onto the sidewalk from behind the car. He ignores numerous other pedestrians, approaches the victim from behind, and shoots him in the back. Detective Kenney went on to say the motive of the shooter is not yet known. There are multiple entrances to the Hilton Hotel, one of the largest hotels in the city. That's another indicator this was a premeditated attack because the shooter could have gone in any one of them. According to multiple media reports, Thompson's wife Paulette said the CEO had been receiving threats prior to the shooting. Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target. The suspect fled first on foot, then on an e-bike, and was last seen in Central Park on Center Drive early this morning. UnitedHealthcare is one of the largest private insurers in the United States, and its parent company, UnitedHealth Group, is the ninth-largest company in the world by revenue. The shooting occurred just hours before the scheduled lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Authorities said the lighting will not be affected. Chris Beers, NTD News. President-elect Donald Trump announced several more picks for his administration today. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley joins us live from outside of Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. President-elect Trump made quite a few picks this morning, but who are some of the more notable nominees? Trump said on Truth Social that the new role leverages Peter's broad range of White House experience while harnessing his extensive policy, analytics, and media skills. Navarro served a four-month prison sentence that ended in July. That's because he was convicted for refusing to appear before the House Select Committee on January 6 for the Capitol breach. We also have Paul Atkins, who was nominated for Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Atkins formerly served as the SEC Commissioner, and he's expected to take a more crypto-friendly approach here and push fewer regulations under Trump than the previous SEC chair. Trump wrote, Atkins, "...believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets and are responsive to the needs of investors and that provide capital to make our economy the best in the world." Trump also tapped Jared Isaacman for the head of NASA, a $26 billion budget there. Isaacman is a billionaire, CEO, and astronaut. He's flown to space twice. He's accepted the nomination this morning, posting on X, "...Americans will walk on the moon and Mars, and in doing so, we will make life better here And just in, former Congressman Billy Long of Missouri has just been tapped to head the IRS." Lawyers for Trump are moving to throw out the criminal case in Georgia. This comes a day after his lawyers sought to dismiss the business records case in New York. Jack, what are Trump's lawyers saying here? Well, it's because of his impending inauguration that they're saying that this case should be tossed. In the filing, they wrote, "...a sitting president is completely immune from indictment or any criminal process, state or federal." His lawyers also argue that this is a jurisdictional issue. To have local leaders prosecute a sitting president just doesn't sit well with them. And this comes right after Trump's attorney moved to dismiss the New York criminal case, which involved, that was already postponed indefinitely. And Trump's attorneys have argued that rhetoric that President Biden said when he pardoned his son Hunter should also apply to Trump. Biden wrote, "...his son was selectively and unfairly prosecuted." Trump's attorneys say that this rhetoric should also be applied to him in that case, Tiffany. And Jack, Vivek Ramaswamy spoke today about how he and Elon Musk will run the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Tell us about that. Right, so this is something we're really keeping our eyes on here. As far as DOGE, what they're really looking to put forward is the answer to a problem. And a lot of the elected leaders that are going to office aren't actually making the decisions that we elected them to make. It's someone else in the bureaucracy. Take a look. If you can't hold your elected leaders accountable, the people who are making a lot of those decisions weren't elected in the first place, you then have the economic consequences of that. You then have the spending and deficit and national debt consequences of that, that are really downstream of this loss of self-government. Now, looking ahead, former president and president-elect Donald Trump will hold his first media appearance since winning the election sit-down interview with Meet the Press on Sunday, Tiffany. All right, Jack, thanks for those updates. French President Emmanuel Macron now needs to appoint a new government. The prime minister and his cabinet members are forced to resign after a no-confidence vote in parliament today, the first successful one since 1962. The ouster marks the shortest-lived government in France's modern history. NTD international correspondent David Vives reports from Paris. France's parliament today voted on a no-confidence motion against the government. According to the French constitution, President Emmanuel Macron will need to appoint a new prime minister and form a new government. This is a situation not seen in 62 years in the country, and it marks the first time in history the national rally has joined the leftist coalition in a no-confidence vote against the government. For many members of parliament, this is a historic day. The prime minister has over-dramatized, hoping to extend his mandate. I think that, as the president of the National Assembly said, we must also respect our institutions. Alternative ways exist. It's not written in the constitution for nothing. The program of the left-wing coalition I support should be the basis for discussion. As there is no majority in parliament, we'll have to make concessions so that the different political groups move towards each other. Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a member of Macron's group in parliament, warned that France could face significant instability. The government, which began its mandate in September after snap elections in June, has become the shortest-serving administration in French history. There won't be a shutdown or any chaos. French President Emmanuel Macron said it. And even if I'm not from his groups, I agree with him. The no-confidence vote follows tensions over the 2025 budget. With no compromise reached in parliament, the prime minister invoked a constitutional article to bypass the legislative body. According to national rally member Philippe Ballard, the sharp rise in planned taxes made the no-confidence vote unavoidable. The budget was 40 billion in sub-commentary taxes, so it's unacceptable. And since the budget will be abandoned, retirement pensions won't be decreased, electricity taxes won't go up, and some medicines will continue to be reimbursed. That's why we voted to dismiss the government. The French parliament must vote on the 2025 budget law, a particularly challenging one as France's public deficit is skyrocketing. French President Emmanuel Macron urgently needed to find a solution to reassure the French but also the financial market and the EU institutions. Here in parliament, some members of political groups, in casual conversation, expressed concerns about a political crisis that could potentially escalate into a financial one. David Vives, NTD News, Paris. South Korea is reeling after its president declared martial law. Although the order was later lifted amid widespread condemnation, the move plunged the country's political landscape into chaos. South Korean defense minister, as well as Yun's senior policy advisors, offered to resign following the unrest. Here's a closer look. Six South Korean opposition parties submitted bills of impeachment for President Yun Suk-yol on Wednesday. That came after Yun's sudden move imposing martial law the night before. In an address, he had claimed there were anti-state forces among his opponents. But after parliament unanimously rejected his decree, hours later, Yun backed down. A vote on his impeachment is expected within the coming days. It would pass in South Korea's National Assembly if two-thirds of lawmakers support the bill. And that would then lead to a trial held by South Korea's constitutional court. On Wednesday morning, the country's National Assembly building bore scars of violence the night before. Boxes, chairs piled up as barricades. Security camera footage released Wednesday gave a better view of events the night before. Soldiers tasked with imposing martial law landing on the sports pitch near parliament, before smashing the building's windows and clashing with parliamentary aides. It all marks South Korea's biggest political crisis in decades, and the first time martial law has been declared since 1980, before it became a democracy. Yun, a career prosecutor, had been very unpopular with the South Korean public. He's faced discontent over his economic policy, scandals and other controversies. Should Yun resign or be removed from office, Prime Minister Han Deok-su would fill in as leader until a new election is held. The U.S. is welcoming the reversal of martial law in South Korea, and President Biden's national security advisor urges the Trump administration to strengthen the defense industry, that too, counter adversaries like China. NTD's White House correspondent Iris Tao has more. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. welcomes South Korean President Yun's decision to withdraw his martial law decree, stressing that South Korea is one of the U.S.'s closest allies. We're obviously watching the developments very closely. This is one of our closest partners and allies around the world. We welcome President Yun's statement, withdrawing the martial law order. Any political disagreements need to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. South Korean President Yun Suk-yok is now facing impeachment proceedings for declaring martial law on Tuesday, citing anti-state forces, before being forced to lift it amid pushback by lawmakers. White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan, at an event on Wednesday, says the U.S. will speak out to South Korea to safeguard democracy. Sullivan added that the Biden administration first learned of Yun's declaration of martial law by live television, repeating that the U.S. was not given a heads up by its close ally. Meanwhile, at the event about fortifying the U.S. defense industrial base, Sullivan also urged the incoming Trump administration to ramp up domestic defense industry. In a warning, he says the U.S. could quickly run out of munition if a war with China breaks out. Saying, quote, any war with a country like the PRC is going to involve the exhaustion of munition stockpiles very quickly. Sullivan also stressed the need to counter cooperation among U.S. adversaries, including China, North Korea and Russia. Reporting by Iris Tao, NTD News. Fighting continues in Syria. Both sides are getting help from forces from outside the country. That's as the U.S. confirms, carrying out a strike in the region after American troops were targeted. NTD's international correspondent Arian Postar has the update. Civilians from the Syrian city of Aleppo are fleeing their homes. Violence continues in Syria's 13-year-old civil war after terrorists started an uprising last week. Displaced people reached a town near Aleppo on Tuesday. Aleppo's university hospital suffers from a severe shortage of personnel and medical supplies. Footage shows blown-out windows and destruction in the building. The main battles at the front line on Wednesday are around the key city of Hama. Both sides report that pro-government forces managed to drive the rebels back overnight. And the U.S. confirms carrying out a strike in eastern Syria, apparently unrelated to the uprising. The Pentagon says Iran-backed fighters targeted U.S. troops. To be clear, these self-defense actions successfully eliminated imminent threats to U.S. personnel and were not linked to any broader activities in northwest Syria by other groups. Syria's government is being backed by Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and other forces. The uprising was started by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. But they are now also being supported by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which is being backed by the United States. Because of those connections, Russia accuses the U.S. of aiding terrorists. You were unable to summon the courage to condemn a clear terrorist attack undertaken against peaceful civilians in peaceful Syrian cities. An American ambassador to the U.N. denies those claims. The United States has for decades fought the scourge of terrorism and will continue to fight that scourge of terrorism. And State Secretary Antony Blinken on Wednesday confirming that the terrorists are attacking now because the Syrian government's supporters are distracted. Whether it's Russia, whether it's Hezbollah, whether it's Iran, have all, in different ways, been distracted, notably by problems of their own making. And it looks like HTS took advantage of that fact. He added that the most important thing right now is de-escalation and making sure that malign groups such as ISIS don't gain power in Syria. Ariane Pastor, NTD News. Israel today announcing it has retrieved the body of a hostage who was held by Hamas. Israel's military says Itay Svirsky was taken hostage during the October 7th attacks. The Iran-backed terrorist group killed him while he was in captivity. May his memory be a blessing. He was rescued from Gaza and brought to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas terrorists killed Svirsky in January. Netanyahu added that the victim's parents were killed as well. They died during the October 7th attack. Israel's military also commented on the death of six hostages, whose bodies were recovered in August. The army says their deaths might have been linked to an Israeli airstrike. Israel struck an area close to the site where the hostages were being held. An Israeli spokesperson says the military would not have attacked if it had known that hostages were in the area. Coming up, the Supreme Court today weighed in on the controversial issue of gender transition procedures for minors. Our legal correspondent Arlene Richards lays out the arguments in the case. Meanwhile, outside the Supreme Court, parents and activists are speaking out against such procedures. Sam Wong hears from them. California has approved more than a thousand new laws this year. Starting in 2025, Californians will see changes in laws on retail theft and public safety. David Lamb reports from the Bay Area. And Los Angeles taking a big step today toward becoming a sanctuary city. The council held a second vote to finalize the measure. Christina Corona brings us more from LA when we come back. Shop the Mathis Design Studio for Black Friday savings on luxury designer furniture. 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The Supreme Court today heard oral arguments on the state of Tennessee's restrictions on gender transition procedures for minors. Our legal correspondent Arlene Richards breaks down the arguments. The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard an appeal from transgender teens and the federal government who say Tennessee's ban on their gender transition procedures is illegal. The court considered whether a state law that bans puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery for transgender minors discriminates on the basis of sex. The law makes exceptions for minors who need treatment for other reasons. Plaintiffs argued that children born male are permitted to receive testosterone treatments, but children born female are not. They say minors who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria or experiencing gender identity issues need appropriate treatment to prevent serious psychological and physical harm. The Biden administration claims the law violates the 14th amendment's equal protection clause. Tennessee's attorney general argued there is uncertainty around certain risks and benefits of gender transition procedures for minors. Risks include infertility, heart disease, and cancer. They say the medical treatments prohibited by the law have very little scientific support for their effectiveness. Chief Justice John Roberts expressed concern about the medical issues involved. Here it seems to me that the medical issues are much more heavily involved than in many of the cases that you you look to and of course we are not the best situated to address issues like that unlike in you know like Morales and Craig reborn and some of the other ones. Overall the justices seem split on whether the 14th amendment protects transgender individuals. Justice Brett Kavanaugh questioned the impact on women's and girls sports. And I want to ask in particular about one thing. If you prevail here on the standard of review what would that mean for women's and girls sports in particular? Would transgender athletes have a constitutional right as you see it to play in women's and girls sports, basketball, swimming, volleyball, track, etc.? A ruling on the case is expected by the end of June 2025. Harleen Richards, NTD News. Meanwhile outside the Supreme Court, parents and activists are making their voices heard about the potential dangers of gender transition procedures. NTD's Sam Wong was right outside the court to hear from the crowd. For the first time on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing a tenancy measure that prevents transgender youth from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The court's decision could have implications for roughly half of the states in the U.S. Kids on puberty blockers and hormone treatments for gender dysphoria face serious risks of losing their fertility forever, of losing their sexual function forever, of dealing with medical conditions for the rest of their lives. The Constitution allows the states to protect kids from unproven life-altering procedures based on uncertain science. A state law now in the national spotlight. Tennessee is one among 26 states that prohibit medical professionals from performing gender transition procedures on minors. The measure has encountered legal pushback from activists and the Biden administration, but some argue gender transition procedures for minors are inappropriate and can do irreparable harm. Children, our children, they are not, their brains aren't fully developed, they are not able to make a decision, a lifelong decision, non-reversible decision. And that's why Tennessee and these other states have needed to step in, to pass laws to make sure that these gender clinics that are driven by profit are not harming our children and pushing them towards this medicalized path. The transgender issue has long been a topic of discussion among families across the country. In July, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that requires schools to withhold a student's sexual orientation from their parents. To some, it has escalated to a battle over their child's custody. My name is Harrison Tinsley. I'm a dad. I saved my son from gender ideology and won full custody in California. I love my son and I love kids and I just want to protect kids and fight for the truth. They stripped me of all my father's rights and all my parental rights when my son was three years old. Not at one time has Children's Hospital ever come to the father to ask the father what he thinks is going on with his son. The Supreme Court will decide whether Tennessee's measure is constitutional and the verdict is expected to be reached by next summer. Reporting from Washington D.C., Sam Wong, NTD News. In other health news, a new study projects 260 million Americans will be overweight or obese in 25 years. Here from a doctor specializing in obesity medicine and preventative medicine on NTD's Capitol Report with Steve Lance. Tune in at 7 p.m. Eastern to hear his recommendations. Election results for the last unresolved House seat were certified yesterday with Democrats flipping the seat in California. Republican Congressman John Duarte conceded to his Democratic challenger Adam Gray in California's 13th congressional district. Gray won the five-county district by 187 votes. Overall, Republicans will hold a tight majority with 220 seats to the Democrats' 215. The Republican majority is likely to be even tighter in the early part of next year. Former GOP Congressman of Florida Matt Gaetz resigned from the House last month. That means he won't take his seat in the new Congress. And Republicans Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida are expected to take positions in the Trump administration. More than a thousand new laws will go into effect in California next year. Here's what will change in 2025 in the Golden State. NTD's David Lam reports. California lawmakers and Governor Gavin Newsom approved many laws this year. Here are some that will be in effect in 2025. Legacy admissions. If a college accepts state funding, it will not be allowed to give special consideration to applicants that are related to alumni or donors. Sales of firearms between two people and a dealer are no longer exempt from a 30-day law. They will be limited to one application to buy a handgun every 30 days. The state also passed nearly a dozen laws to prevent retail theft. Senate Bill 1144 requires more sellers to register their identities with online platforms. This is to track people who sell stolen items. Senate Bill 905 says that victims can press burglary charges without needing to prove that their cars were locked. Currently, thefts under $950 are considered misdemeanors in California. New laws will allow district attorneys to work together to prosecute retail crime across multiple counties and aggregate multiple thefts to reach the $950 threshold for felony charges. Retail stores can now pursue restraining orders against perpetrators. And punishments have increased for large-scale organized retail theft. AB 1960 increases jail time for those who steal or damage more than $50,000 of property. And more on safety. Food delivery platforms will need to give customers the first name and photo of the delivery driver. And police would be able to issue citations for drivers who park too close to crosswalks. People can't park within 20 feet of crosswalks in most circumstances. David Lam, Entity News, California. The Los Angeles City Council passed a so-called sanctuary city law on Wednesday. The measure would prohibit the use of city resources or personnel to assist in enforcing federal immigration laws. Entity News Christina Coronat tells us more from City Hall. The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously last month to advance a proposed sanctuary city ordinance. The measure aims to strengthen protections for migrants in the country illegally. The ordinance was finalized Wednesday afternoon after securing the 12 votes required for its passage. The ordinance would ban city officials from sharing any data with federal immigration authorities directly or indirectly. Elected leaders say the ordinance closes gaps in past policies. Wednesday's vote was passed with an urgency clause, meaning it would take effect within 10 days of the mayor's signature. This action follows the election of President-elect Trump, who campaigned on border security and deportations. As a guy who spent 34 years deporting illegal aliens, I got a message to the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden's you better start packing now. Mayor Karen Bass is expected to sign the ordinance once it clears the council. Reporting from downtown Los Angeles, Christina Corona, Entity News. Coming up as the deadline for the National Defense Authorization Act approaches, lawmakers are expected to include legislation to counter the Chinese Communist Party. Luis Martinez brings us more from Capitol Hill. Should the dangers of communism be taught in public schools? A bill requiring that was heard today in the House. Jason Blair has the update. And a world-class performing arts company based in New York says it's being attacked by the Chinese communist regime right here on U.S. soil. The arts group says this reality should serve as a warning to all Americans. That and more after the break. What if you could whiten your teeth by simply brushing your teeth? Now you can with Smile Actives, the teeth whitening breakthrough that safely gets your teeth white and keeps them white every day just by brushing your teeth. I never thought that whitening my teeth could be so easy. 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That's right the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025 is the bill that sets the spending priorities for the national defense programs of the Department of Defense and the nuclear weapons programs within the Department of Energy. Now the House of Representatives passed its version of the NDAA back in June with only Republican support in the Senate Armed Services Committee also passed its version with broad bipartisan support back in June. Our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee completed their work on the NDAA back in June and they did it with bipartisan support. They handed the legislation off to the town clerk leader with months to spare. The number one highlight of the product is what the chairman mentioned is the focus on quality of life for our service members and their families and certainly one of the biggest issues was pay for junior enlisted. We upped that pay by 19.5 percent. It is expected that later this week congressional leaders will unveil their agreement for the NDAA for fiscal year 2025 and it's also expected that a slew of nearly 70 bills that have already passed on the House floor and that are meant to counter the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party worldwide will be attached to the NDAA for fiscal year 2025. This cannot continue. You can't continue to do business with the Communist Chinese Party and not knowing not realizing that there's concentration camps in China where they forcibly harvest. They take they cut out the organs of the people that they're incarcerating. Yes we want to say something this is unacceptable. You must stop it. You must be held accountable for these these atrocities. That was Republican Congressman Scott Perry from Pennsylvania discussing the Falun Gong Protection Act, a bill that is expected to be attached to this year's National Defense Authorization Act alongside the Biosecure Act and other bills designed to counter China in the realms of AI military capabilities and critical infrastructure. July of this year the Bipartisan Commission on the National Defense Strategy published its final report. Commission finds that in many ways China is outpacing the United States and has largely negated the U.S. military advantage in the Western Pacific through two decades of focused military investment. The National Defense Authorization Act of fiscal year 2025 will authorize the spending of nearly 1 trillion dollars in government spending. Reporting from Washington DC, Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. House lawmakers held a hearing on the Crucial Communism Teaching Act. The bill would add a national high school curriculum to teach the dangers of communism. One proponent of the bill says 25 percent of Gen Z students hold a favorable view of the ideology. NTD correspondent Jason Blair brings us the latest. The Crucial Communism Teaching Act was heard by the committee on rules on Tuesday. That's when the amendments were chosen to be included with the bill. Then on Wednesday afternoon more arguments were made before those amendments and rules get voted on in the House. Mr. Speaker, a report recently found that nearly half of Gen Z students are unaware that the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for more deaths than Nazi Germany. A quarter of Gen Z students hold a favorable opinion of communism and nearly 20 percent think that communism is a better system of government than capitalism. I guess the Republicans want us to spend time debating whether high school students should be taught that communism is bad. The last time I checked most schools already do that. Reb McGovern also wants to see fascism included with the bill. The bill aims to make a federal civic high school curriculum that will have students quote learn that communism has led to the deaths of over 100 million victims worldwide, understand the dangers of communism and similar political ideologies, and understand that one and a half billion people still suffer under communism. The final version is expected to go to the House for a final vote later this week. Reporting in Washington D.C. Jason Blair, NTD News. The world-class performing arts company based in New York State says it's under attack by the Chinese regime right here on U.S. soil. The arts group says what's happening to it should serve as a warning to all Americans. And for full transparency NTD is a media sponsor of Shen Yun. New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has a warning for all Americans. It says the Chinese Communist Party wants to control American businesses and news media and that if Americans can't recognize this they'll be unable to stop it. Shen Yun is an elite dance company that has been targeted by the Chinese regime for almost 20 years. Shen Yun says a lawsuit just filed against it by a former dancer is part of the Chinese regime's long-standing campaign. The arts group added that a series of negative media reports that it called one-sided and deeply flawed came out just before and after the lawsuit and helped bolster the attack by giving the suit greater prominence. This is all the same points, this is all the same tactic. It's now just being delivered here right in the United States on U.S. soil. In a press release Shen Yun said that the woman behind the suit now works with a Chinese government entity. In her filing the woman denies working for the regime but Shen Yun says her narrative parrots the Chinese Communist Party's campaign to cancel Shen Yun. Last month the Chinese Communist agent was sentenced to prison in New York for trying to bribe an IRS official. The agent's goal was to get Shen Yun's non-profit status revoked. Another man was recently convicted for collecting intelligence on Falun Gong practitioners here in the United States. Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline practiced by many of Shen Yun's performers. We are in the midst of a very determined, unprecedented anti-Falun Gong campaign right here in America on U.S. soil. Since the 1940s the CCP has systematically destroyed traditional Chinese culture so that it can indoctrinate its people with communism. Because Falun Gong and Shen Yun are rooted in traditional Chinese culture, the CCP sees them as a threat. So the regime has tried to block and cancel Shen Yun since its founding in 2006. The regime has threatened theaters, pressured elected officials, made bomb threats, and even slashed the tires of Shen Yun buses. But Shen Yun says despite two decades of threats and attacks including in the media and via lawfare, it remains steadfast in its mission to showcase the beauty, majesty, and spirituality of China's 5,000-year-old civilization. And you can watch my full exclusive interview with Levi Browdy of the Falun Dafa Information Center and Shen Yun Vice President Ying Chen on Friday 9 a.m. And Shen Yun will kick off its tour of Germany in Berlin on January 28. The organizer of the performing arts company in Germany said the city of Leipzig has once again seen outstanding ticket sales. The box office for the four performances in Leipzig was sold out three and a half months in advance. Let's take a look. Shen Yun is the world's leading Chinese classical dance company. It showcases 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture and virtues from before communism. In 2024, Shen Yun visited Leipzig, Germany for the first time, and tickets were sold out two months in advance. For the 2025 season, the box office in Leipzig continues to be popular. When there were about four months left before the performance, we had only a handful of tickets left. But the enthusiasm, the line is always ringing, and there are always people calling to buy tickets for Leipzig. So we have to suggest they drive 150 kilometers north to Berlin to watch the show. There will be two theaters in Berlin performing Shen Yun. Shen Yun's performance has attracted people from all walks of life. It's great. This is real art, the most superb art. The performance shocked me. Today I watched the complete performance for the first time. It was amazing to see such a perfect work of art, and it was accompanied by live music and their own originally composed pieces. The performance was extremely brilliant, elegant and magical. The energy field of the artists is very strong. German audience members who attended previous performances expressed their appreciation for Shen Yun and said everyone should experience it for themselves. I would recommend everyone to see Shen Yun and experience what the real China is like. Because the China the CCP wants people to know is not the real China. What Shen Yun showed today is the real face of China. It's not just me. I feel that all the audience members in the crowded theater are captivated. There are some metaphors in the dance stories showing the value of freedom, compassion and love, which is different from violence. This is a huge signal released through such performances. Elegance, beauty, perfection, elegance, brilliant colors, I can't describe them in words. And there is also the energy and information conveyed and the values they convey. Every artist conveyed this message so sincerely that I was deeply moved. Shen Yun will perform 47 shows in eight theaters in seven cities in Germany from January to April 2025. If you haven't seen Shen Yun yet, you can go to the website shenyun.com to book tickets in advance. Coming up in women's golf, the LPGA adopted a new transgender policy for 2025. Dave Martin joins us to explain after the break. Shen Yun Creations, the streaming platform from Shen Yun, featuring world-class dance, past programs, and all original music, masterclasses, behind the scenes, comedy and more. Explore shenyuncreations.com As we naturally age, many people are getting zero amount of this incredible and unique substance. That's when we start seeing an impact in our joints, skin, nails, and even our digestion. People ask me, Dr. Rex, what is the number one supplement I should be taking? My answer is multi-collagen protein. People's reactions to me, people were like, what are you doing? What is going on? You look amazing. You have a glow about you. What makes ancient nutrition multi-collagen stand out from other brands? Ten types of collagen. 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And I know you're going to benefit in a big way as well. Love the results or get your money back? This special TV offer is not available in stores. Call the number on your screen or go online now. Kids love it. Parents trust it. Obviously. Explore GJW Plus Kids Series and Gone Deal campus courses led by expert educators. This is spectacular. Children will learn values like respect, responsibility, and knowledge in language, science, and more. All while having fun. Subscribe today at GJW Plus Kids, where learning meets fun. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. They have a lot going on today, but let's start in women's golf as the LPGA has announced a new transgender policy that largely prohibits men from playing. What are the exceptions? Yeah, basically one exception here. If you're born male, but you've transitioned to female before puberty, so essentially before the age of 13, and you maintain a certain level of testosterone, then you're eligible. That's the only exception that I've seen in this rule. Now, this new policy would have prevented, uh, overhooded transgender golfer Haley Davidson from competing, or at least trying to anyway. Davidson recently fell short in an LPGA qualifying event, but she did earn status in the developmental circuit, but not anymore with this new rule. Now, in August, more than 275 female golfers signed a letter to the LPGA calling for them to repeal all policies that allow men to compete. I don't think this fully satisfies their request, but it's certainly closer than the current rules provide. It's also very similar to World Aquatics, which governs swimming worldwide, as well as the World Athletics Council, which oversees track and field. So, right or wrong, these seem to be the new, kind of, accepted standards in sports. Well, moving to NFL News, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion Sunday. Is his season over? I mean, essentially, yes. If you're put on injured reserve, you have to be out for at least four games. There's only five games left in their season, plus they're out of playoff contention, so I don't see them chancing him in the final week for no reason. And he was already dealing with a shoulder injury, so I'm guessing he's done. Mac Jones now will start in his place. Now, Lawrence, now how Lawrence got injured, it was by an illegal hit by Houston linebacker Aziz Al-Shayer, who was ejected from the game, and then he suspended three games by the NFL for it. Now, what made it illegal was that Lawrence actually gave himself up by sliding feet first. At that point, the play should be over then, but instead the NFL said that Al-Shayer led with his forearm and helmet to Lawrence's head and neck area, who had to be taken off on a stretcher. And of course, the hit led to several skirmishes between the two teams, so it was quite a scene. Just another week in football, though. Looking at college football news, the latest playoff rankings came out last night with a three-loss Alabama team ahead of a two-loss Miami squad for the final spot. Now, is it possible this changes by next week? You know, it technically is, but neither team plays this weekend, so if the After all, next week's rankings, they are the final ones to determine the playoffs. These preliminary ones are just really to show what they're thinking, and they've done some flip-flopping in the past. Ten years ago, Ohio State was behind two teams for the final spot. That was TCU and Baylor heading into the final weekend. Now, TCU and Baylor both had quality wins, but Ohio State routed Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten title game, so they all of a sudden, they jumped Ohio State above those two other teams. It was quite the weekend. Anyway, I will say when I was projecting these spots yesterday, I forgot about Tennessee from the SEC. They only have two losses. I would say they're a lock, which really means there's only one spot up for grabs, so Alabama has that right now, but if Clemson beats SMU in the ACC title game, that could really shake things up, because then you've got a two-loss SMU team. Where would they place them? I guess that's going to depend on, you know, how close this game is, but that's a what-if scenario, of course. Shifting gears to college basketball tonight, we have a number of ranked teams in action, including four top 25 games. What are some of the games that stick out to you? Yeah, UConn versus Baylor. UConn's ranked 25th, but I talked last week about them needing a bounce back win, because they lost three straight games last week in Maui. This is a good night for them to get a signature win, and it's in Connecticut, too. Ditto for North Carolina. They're just four and three, but there are three losses to number one Kansas, number two Auburn, and Michigan State, which is always a tough out. The Tar Heels played 10th-ranked Alabama tonight. I think Duke is also looking for a signature win, as well. Now, they also lost to KU, plus Kentucky, but they did win in Arizona. Now, they're going to play at Auburn tonight. That's going to be another top-10 matchup. Another top-10 matchup, fifth-ranked Marquette against number six Iowa State in the Big East Big 12 battle. Now, there's another matchup in that battle. Of course, Kansas is at Creighton. Now, that'll be more of a battle between traditional big men in that game. You've got Hunter Dickinson of KU against Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner. So, it's really a big night in college basketball. Well, Dave, as always, thanks for joining us. Well, thank you, too. And that's all for today's news. For around-the-clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Good night.