NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Dec. 29)

179 people dead in the deadliest plane crash in South Korea. What caused the Boeing aircraft to burst into flames? Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle weigh in on the H-1B visa program debate. Hear what changes they want to see. At least four people are dead after tornado-inducing storms hit southeast U.S. The severe weather system now headed south. Azerbaijan's president says he's sure Russia shot down a commercial airplane on Christmas Day, killing 38 people. The demands the president is now setting for Moscow. Get ready to ring in the new year with a colorful twist. Times Square just gave a sneak peek of its iconic New Year's Eve confetti drop. This is NTD Evening News, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. Former President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. That's according to a statement from the Carter Center. The statement on X reads as our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia. Carter was the 39th U.S. president serving one term in office. The flag was lowered at the White House following the announcement. The former president began home hospice care in February 2023 after a series of short hospital stays. Jimmy Carter's post-presidency lasted more than 43 years, the longest of any former commander-in-chief by more than a decade. Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter died on November 19th, 2023. A deadly plane crash in South Korea today killed nearly everyone on board. Investigations are underway as to why the aircraft carrying 175 passengers and six crew members crashed into a wall. The plane concerned is a widely used Boeing model. Here's a look at possible causes of the crash. The deadliest air accident ever in South Korea killed 179 people on Sunday. An airliner crash-landed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport. Two crew members sitting in the back of the plane survived and are being treated for medium to severe injuries. Officials said many victims appeared to be residents of nearby areas returning from vacation. Jeju Air Flight 7C-2216 was arriving from Thailand. Local media footage showed the Boeing aircraft skidding down the runway with no landing gear before crashing into navigation equipment and a wall and exploding. She was almost home. She didn't feel the need to make a call. She thought she was coming home. By the time she took out her phone, the plane probably was crashed. This is a complete disaster. It wouldn't have been this bad, but no one lived except the two flight attendants who were in the tail. I don't understand why he, the pilot, had to try to make a landing on the runway which led to the crash to the wall. Local news reported authorities saying that a bird strike may have caused the landing gear to malfunction. Investigators are examining bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors. A transport ministry official said the control tower issued a bird strike warning. Shortly after, the pilots declared a mayday and tried to land from the opposite direction the plane had come from. An aviation expert weighs in on the possible cause of the crash landing. There were so many different aspects to this and unanswered questions. I don't see any connection between a bird strike and whether the landing gear was able to come up or down or not. I really can't see that those two things are related. However, what can be related is the response to a bird strike. So after you've hit a flock of birds, you may have an engine out, you might have things going on. And that creates a lot of chaos in that cockpit as far as how the aircraft is going to land, where it's going to land on the runway. All of those things, you don't have a lot of options. The Boeing model involved in the crash, a 737-800, is one of the world's most flown airliners with a generally strong safety record. It was developed well before the MAX variant involved in a recent Boeing safety crisis. Under global aviation rules, South Korea will lead a civil investigation into the crash and automatically involve the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States, where the plane was designed and built. President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the United States is prepared to provide any necessary assistance to South Korea. Biden said in a statement, quote, our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragedy. Don Ma, NTD News. Azerbaijan's president says he's now sure Russia shot down a commercial airplane on Christmas Day, killing 38 people. The president is setting demands for Moscow, this as the pilots and a flight attendant were laid to rest today. NTD's international correspondent, Aryan Pazdar, has the latest on the tragic crash. Crying family members in Azerbaijan laid to rest two pilots and a flight attendant on Sunday. They died on Christmas Day when an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed after entering Russian airspace, killing 38 people. Also on Sunday, Azerbaijan's president said, we can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia. We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done. A day before that, on Saturday, the Kremlin commented, saying, Vladimir Putin apologized for the fact that the incident happened in Russian airspace. President Biden was later asked about the apology. Putin didn't confirm that Russia's air defense shot the plane down, but Azerbaijan's president is now setting demands for Russia. Those responsible must be punished and be brought to criminal responsibility, and compensation must be paid to the Azerbaijani state, to the injured passengers and crew members. These are our conditions. He added that Russia must admit its guilt for the crash. But another question remains, which is why the pilot crossed the Caspian Sea all the way to Kazakhstan instead of landing in Russia, where the issues took place. An aviation expert commented, What I've heard the explanation for that is that the first alternate airport that they had selected was closed that day, but if it was closed that day, they wouldn't have had it as an alternate. Russia's aviation chief previously said the plane couldn't land in Russia due to fog in the area. More information is still expected to be confirmed. Ariane Pasdar, NTD News. The new president leads the country of Georgia, even though not a single citizen voted for him. Protests erupt against both him and his pro-Russia stance. Here's the story. Former soccer player Mikhail Khabelishvili is now the president of the country of Georgia. After a controversial election, where he was the only candidate, he was voted for only by members of parliament and not by a single Georgian citizen. We are showing him a red card, and the next step will be sending him off the pitch. Georgian protesters are unhappy with the new president, as well as the president's party, called Georgia Dream. Citizens were already protesting after Georgian Dream suspended efforts to join the EU last month. The vast majority of Georgians want to join the EU, 86%, according to an International Republican Institute poll. I plan to be everyone's president, regardless of whether they like me or not. President Khabelishvili says he wants to unify Georgian society, regardless of differing opinions. Critics say Georgian Dream was founded by a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia. They say the party has fostered closer economic ties to the country and has taken a more conciliatory stance. Outgoing President Solomon Khabelishvili called the election a parody. She says she's not relinquishing her claim to the presidency, even though she is leaving the presidential palace. Sunday's events are seen to push Georgia closer to Russia and farther from the West, though the president is mostly a ceremonial role. Georgia's Prime Minister, Irakli Kolokitsvei, holds more real power. He is also a member of Georgia Dream and has announced he will take a privatic approach toward relations with Russia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being hospitalized in Jerusalem today. He underwent surgery to have his prostate removed. The surgery comes after Netanyahu was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. This resulted from a prostate enlargement. Netanyahu's convoy arrived at the hospital after 6 p.m. local time. He underwent treatment later in the evening. Netanyahu's office says he's in good condition and fully conscious after the surgery. He has now been transferred to a protected underground recovery unit. The Prime Minister is expected to remain there for several days. This means a hearing for Netanyahu's corruption trial, scheduled for next week, might be canceled. Back here in the U.S., extreme weather in parts of the Southeast today. NTD's Fiona Gee reports. At least four people are dead after strong storms whipped up tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi. Footage shows the aftermath in areas where the storms have already passed through. Roofs are torn off of houses with debris strewn about. Elsewhere, entire trees are uprooted. At least six tornadoes appear to have touched down in just the Houston area alone. So far, there have been about 40 tornado reports from southeastern Texas to Alabama. But this number could change as surveys of the damage continue. The severe weather began Saturday and is expected to continue through Sunday. The National Weather Service has issued severe thunderstorm warnings across portions of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Experts are forecasting the storms will dwindle into Sunday evening. This comes during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. According to FlightAware.com, more than 7,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. have been delayed on Sunday alone. And over 400 flights canceled. Fiona Gee, NTD News. A debate over H-1B visas after both Elon Musk and President-elect Trump spoke in favor of the issue. Republicans and Democrats alike are now weighing in. Here are Senator Eric Schmidt and Representative Ro Khanna speaking on Fox News earlier today. The context that we need to, I think, keep in mind here is that the American workers have been left behind by this economy. Many factory jobs have been sent overseas, and I think the abuses of the H-1B program have been evident. Get rid of the abuses, make it merit-based, and make sure that we're not undercutting wages. It shouldn't be for accountants or entry-level IT jobs. It should really be for exceptional talent, and we can have that balance. New York Representative Mike Lawler also spoke out in support of the visa program, speaking with ABC News. The congressman said he believed it was important to have a functional visa program for highly skilled workers to keep the U.S. economy growing. The H-1B visas program lets U.S. employers temporarily hire foreign workers to fill highly specialized positions in the U.S. workforce. Critics of the program want to replace the lottery visa system with a merit-based points system. Look at the southern border now as President-elect Trump's inauguration on January 20th approaches. Some migrants in Mexico are deciding to turn back. I'm heading to the border. Since I got here, it's been eight months, and I've tried three times. The worst of the seven countries we've traveled through is Mexico. The worst. I have had enough, and I'm going back to Venezuela. I have decided to stop wasting time. This comes as Trump promises the largest mass deportation in history once he takes office. Here's the president-elect's border czar, Tom Homan, speaking on CNN. We want to arrest as many people as we can that are in the country illegally, again, based on prioritization. We want to arrest every criminal, every gang member that's here illegally. That's a public safety threat. If you're here illegally, you're not off the table. I mean, it's a violation of the law. It's a crime to enter this country illegally. Mexican authorities announced they've detained 475,000 migrants since October. President-elect Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all goods imported from Mexico if the country didn't stop the flow of illegal immigrants along the U.S. southern border. A train hits a fire truck in Florida, injuring three firefighters and a dozen passengers. Video of the collision shows the fire truck with its lights flashing, driving around cars to cross the train tracks. That's when it was struck by a high-speed passenger train. According to local reports, the crash happened at 10.45 a.m. in crowded downtown Delray Beach. In the aftermath, the train was seen stopped at the tracks, its front destroyed. The fire truck's ladder was ripped off. A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said in the afternoon that it was still gathering information about the crash and had not decided whether to investigate. However, the Federal Railroad Administration will investigate. In California, a new law prohibits parking within 20 feet of any crosswalk. The daylighting law aims to increase visibility at intersections. The law applies to all intersections statewide, regardless of whether a red curb or no parking signage is present. The goal is to make it easier to see pedestrians and other road users. It will take effect on January 1st. Police will issue warnings for the first 60 days of enforcement. Beginning March 1st, violators will get a fine of $77.50. Currently, 43 states have similar daylighting laws, most of which prohibit parking within 20 feet of intersections. Studies show that greater visibility at crosswalks can significantly reduce pedestrian-involved crashes. Brazilian authorities have suspended issuing visas for BYD over concerns of human trafficking. Their investigation says the workers were living in slavery-like conditions. There are some expensive reservations in Manhattan on New Year's Eve, much higher than most people's party budgets, but they sell quickly. Tired of scrolling Netflix? Trying to find something that's worth watching? Want to skip the censorship and mainstream media? Well, now you can with Epic TV. New exclusive content every day with over 100 never-before-seen movies, films, and documentaries. Available and streaming now at your fingertips. For a limited time now, you can get 60% off Epic TV by subscribing or upgrading to a yearly plan. 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Tesla's biggest competitor, Chinese electric vehicle maker EYD, is under the spotlight due to an alleged scandal. On Friday, Brazil said it has suspended issuing certain work visas for the company, accusing it of being involved in human trafficking and slave labor. NTD's Flora Hua has more. Brazilian labor authorities said last week that they found 163 Chinese nationals were working under slavery-like conditions. They were working at the construction site of a plant for Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD and hired by the company's contractor Jin Jiang. Authorities have been investigating the site since last month. They found that these Chinese workers lived in narrow, dark rooms in unhygienic conditions with very intense work schedules. Their passports were also taken away by the employer. Zooming out, the U.S. and European allies have imposed high tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles due to overcapacity concerns. They have also accused these carmakers of using ways like high-state subsidiaries or forced labor to lower their costs. Back to Brazil, the country is a key market to BYD, and this is BYD's first plant outside of Asia. The company plans to start production in this factory early next year. Now, the local government has paused part of its construction work. Jin Jiang denied the Brazilian government's claims in a video, which was later reposted by BYD. Flora Hua, NTD News. Today, crowds gathered to watch a practice confetti drop in New York City's Times Square ahead of the famed ball drop on New Year's Eve. Children along with Times Square officials could be seen scooping confetti from bags and hats and tossing it from a stage to a crowd gathered below. Tourists and locals had the chance to write down their wishes for the coming year on scraps of paper that would be mixed in with the confetti released during the famed New Year's Eve celebration. Within minutes, the stage and nearby streets were blanketed in confetti. A preview of what crowds can expect in Times Square on Tuesday when 3,000 pounds of confetti will be dropped by hand from nearby buildings. There are some expensive places in Manhattan, New York, for getting a premium view of the ball dropping on New Year's Eve, while many will be piling into Times Square to watch the ball drop. Some will be paying top dollar for premium reservation spots around Manhattan. NTD's Sean Marshall has more details. There are some premium spaces available for reservation for those who would like to see the ball drop on New Year's Eve in Manhattan, New York. For enough money, you can avoid fighting with the crowds in Times Square. The $7,500 per person Marriott Marquis gold admission private VIP table with eight-floor terrace access, a ball drop view, buffet, desserts, and a five-hour open bar are no longer available as of this report. The VIP couples package at $15,000 is also already sold out, but they still have the $999 VIP admission and the $599 silver admission available, and even the over $700 Times Square Applebee's reservation spots are sold out. Along with B54, New York City's highest rooftop bar at Hyatt-centric Times Square also appears to be sold out for New Year's Eve. If you happen to be in New York City before the big night and are hoping to find a premium spot, well, there's a wishing wall in Times Square where you could make a wish to find an available high-class premium reservation. And there's always the much cheaper option of hanging out alone or with friends from the comfort of your own home. Sean Marshall, NTD News. Base jumping and wingsuit flying are some of the world's most extreme sports where athletes must confront fear and risk at every step. Jeb Corliss has dedicated his life to mastering these dangers. NTD's Daniel Monaghan spoke with Corliss about his journey. Jeb Corliss' journey into wingsuit flying started with a simple inspiration at just five years old. I was sitting in my aunt's car in the back seat and I had my hands on the glass and I was looking out the window and I saw a little bird standing on a telephone pole, like on the wire, and I watched a bird step off, start heading towards the ground, open its wings and start to fly. And I'm instantly, I'm like, I'm doing that. Corliss would go on to become one of the world's most daring wingsuit flyers and base jumpers, but first he had to master skydiving, an essential foundation. You have to do hundreds and hundreds of skydives, then you can start learning to base jump. In both skydiving and base jumping, wingsuits take him far beyond the limits of a standard free fall. With a wingsuit, you can fly three feet forward for every foot you fall. So if you jump off a mile-high cliff, you can fly for three miles away from it. The dangers of base jumping and wingsuit base jumping are extreme. Both have incredibly small margins for error. And when you make mistakes in these sports, the consequences are very big. They're large, they can be very serious. Corliss' dedication led him to attempt one of the most challenging jumps from the Eiffel Tower's second platform. So I had a one and a half second window to deploy a parachute and live. If I deployed too early, I'd hit the first platform. If I deployed too late, I'd hit the ground. So it was a very technical jump, and I ended up doing a double reverse flip through the center. The consequences for making a mistake were so high that to call it horrifying would be an incredible understatement. Corliss says overcoming fear is like building muscle. You have to start small and train gradually. A big problem with fear is if you get too much fear, some people have a tendency to shut down. Like their brains just turn off, and they turn into, we call it data dumping. Their brain just dumps, and they actually become, like their eyes get big and they become like a deer in headlights, and they just let the car run them over. And that happens in base jumping sometimes. Sometimes a person who hasn't done the proper training, hasn't done the proper preparation, and has rushed themselves into it, will step off and then data dump, and their brain just shuts off, and then they just die. With thousands of jumps under his belt, Corliss has flown by some of the world's most iconic locations. That includes the Great Pyramids in Egypt, a triple reverse flip off the Golden Gate Bridge, and a wingsuit flight down Mount Fuji in Japan. Corliss has faced fears underwater as well. I've been in the water with great white sharks without cages. I've had four great white sharks circling me with no cage. And yes, I've had many great white sharks. Corliss' near-death experience at age five, during an almost fatal bout of dysentery in New Delhi, India, had a big impact on him. At that point, I got an understanding that death was coming, that I was going to die eventually, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Corliss began exposing himself to fears to understand and control them. He says fear now sharpens his focus. Jeb Corliss is the author of Memoirs from the Edge, exploring the line between life and death available worldwide. Daniel Monaghan, NTD News. Thank you for tuning in. I'm Brendan Fallon. Good night.