NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Feb. 11)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight... It's been a busy day at the White House. President Trump announcing federal spending cuts from the Oval Office alongside Elon Musk after meeting with the King of Jordan. That's as Trump and Israel's Prime Minister set a Saturday deadline for Hamas to release all hostages. Jack Bradley reports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to attend multiple NATO meetings this week. He's the first Trump administration official to visit the alliance's headquarters. Arian Pozdar breaks down the goals of the trip. An American man is released from Russia after more than three years in wrongful detention. What the White House says about the prisoner exchange. Vice President J.D. Vance emphasizing the United States' leading role in AI technology at an international summit in Paris. He also warned EU leaders today about over-regulations and censorship practices that stifle businesses in the bloc. David Vives has the highlights. The Department of Homeland Security fires four FEMA employees, including the chief financial officer, over a $59 million dollar payment. 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. President Trump signed an executive order that calls on federal agencies to work with the Department of Government Efficiency to downsize the government. That's as Trump and Israel demand that Hamas release all hostages by this Saturday or fighting will resume. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has more. The White House says Tuesday that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has made more than $1 billion dollars in cuts in federal spending. Some of the biggest stem from canceling contracts related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump and Elon Musk said DOGE has identified billions more in fraud, including payments to deceased individuals, for instance. Billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse and I think it's very important and that's one of the reasons I got elected. I said we're going to do that. Nobody had any idea it was that bad, that sick and that corrupt. We have this unelected fourth unconstitutional branch of government which is the bureaucracy which has in a lot of ways currently more power than any elected representative. Last week, a federal judge blocked DOGE's access to Department of Labor data in response to a lawsuit from various unions. Another federal judge also restricted DOGE's access to Treasury payment system data. Trump alleging bias. And it seems hard to believe that judges want to try and stop us from looking for corruption, especially when we found hundreds of millions of dollars worth, much more than that, in just a short period of time. We want to weed out the corruption and it seems hard to believe that a judge could say we don't want you to do that. So maybe we have to look at the judges because that's a very serious, I think it's a very serious violation. The announcement comes as Hamas has halted the release of hostages. Trump says that Hamas is just buying time here, saying Hamas is releasing the healthy hostages first and the hostages they have left are in bad shape. Trump says that Hamas has until Saturday at noon to release all hostages or fighting will resume. And you know I have a Saturday deadline and I don't think they're going to make a deadline personally. I think they want to play tough guy, but we'll see how tough they are. A bully is the weakest person and they're bullies. Hamas is bullies. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the Israeli military is already gearing up outside of Gaza, ready to fight if the hostages aren't released this weekend. In the light of Hamas's announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I ordered the IDF to gather forces inside and around the Gaza Strip. This operation is being carried out at this time. It will be completed in the very near future. And Trump met with the King of Jordan at the White House on Tuesday. That says Trump is working to relocate Palestinians currently living in Gaza to Jordan and Egypt, saying that that area is too war-torn. King Abdullah committed to take in around 2,000 children with cancer and other illnesses in Gaza, but did not comment on if he will take more. Egyptian media is reporting that Egypt's president postponed his trip to Washington indefinitely. His foreign minister paid a visit to D.C. on Monday. Jack Bradley, NTD News. House Republicans announce a new Oversight Committee task force, while House Democratic leadership joins protests against President Trump and Elon Musk. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez has more on this story. Congressman James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, announced this The federal government has not answered these questions. This creates distrust in our institutions. That ends today. And the mandate of this task force is to acquire that transparency. The newly created task force will be led by Congresswoman Ana Paulina Luna. The task force will not have subpoena power, but will work closely with congressional and federal partners to compel testimony if required. We will be conducting investigations into the following. The assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Dr. Martin Luther King. Unidentified aerial phenomena, also known as UAPs. Unidentified submerged objects, also known as USOs. The Epstein client list, the origins of COVID-19, and the 9-11 files. According to Congresswoman Ana Paulina Luna, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson chose her personally to lead the new task force. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson also threw his support behind the works of the Department of Government Efficiency regarding government spending. They're uncovering things that we have known intuitively have been there, but we couldn't prove it. Now the proof is being provided. And no one can argue the counter to that. So stay tuned. There's a lot more to come. Congressional Democrats joined protesters outside of the Capitol demanding the resignation of Elon Musk and even called on federal employees to refuse what they called illegal orders. If you are able, stand up. If you are able, I want you to decline to enforce an illegal instruction. If you are able and the facts support the case, sign up in one of those whistleblower portals that the United States Senate Democrats have put up. We are not powerless. We are out of power. We are not powerless. It is worth noting that the newly created task force under the classification of Federal Secrets will begin its investigations on the assassination of JFK, RFK and MLK. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is in Germany today. He'll spend most of the week in Europe to attend different NATO meetings in Brussels. NTD's international correspondent Ariane Pasdar has more on Hegseth's trip. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he's representing the guidance given by President Trump. That's to raise standards in the military, bring back meritocracy and more. On Wednesday, Hegseth is set to become the first member of the new Trump administration to visit the NATO headquarters in Brussels. He laid out the goals of his trip. Hegseth will first take part in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, he's set to attend a meeting with NATO defense ministers. While still in Germany, Hegseth was asked what the biggest threat to the U.S. is at the moment. Right now, the biggest threat was securing our own border, which we are addressing rapidly. And I'm proud of what NORTHCOM has done and the Defense Department has done is shifting there. You don't have a country if you don't have borders, as the president has pointed out. And we've been defending other people's borders for a long time. Time to defend ours. The defense secretary is not expected to make any announcement on new weapons for Ukraine while attending this week's meetings. Ariane Pasdar, NTD News. President Trump says he's sending the Treasury Secretary to Ukraine for a high-level meeting. That says Ukraine's president proposes to exchange seized territory with Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Guardian in a recent interview about his plan to swap seized lands. Ukraine holds small parts of Russia's Kursk region, while Moscow holds about 20 percent of Ukraine's land near Russia. Zelensky did not say exactly which territories he would exchange. The Ukrainian president also told the outlet he's open to President Trump's idea of giving the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals. That's to pay back the almost $200 billion in aid the U.S. sent to Ukraine since the war started. Trump is sending someone to Ukraine in order to work on plans for that repayment. The president announced that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen won't meet with Zelensky in Ukraine. Trump also highlighted that the U.S. has spent billions of dollars with, quote, little to show. An American teacher who the U.S. said had been wrongfully detained by Russia has been released. Mark Pogol is expected to return to the U.S. soil tonight, according to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Waltz said an exchange was made with Russia for the 61-year-old's release, calling it a show of good faith. Pogol taught history at the Anglo-American School in Moscow for nearly a decade. In 2021, he was arrested for carrying 17 grams of cannabis, which his lawyer said was used for back pain. Vice President J.D. Vance gave a speech at the AI Summit in Paris today. He reaffirmed the Trump administration's push for U.S. AI dominance, but also warned EU leaders about existing over-regulation and censorship. NTD's international correspondent David Vives has the story. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance cautioned European leaders on Tuesday that excessive AI regulation could hinder technological progress. Speaking at a global AI summit, Vance criticized the European Union's stringent approach, warning that over-regulation stifles innovation, particularly for smaller companies. America wants to partner with all of you. We want to embark on the AI revolution before us with the spirit of openness and collaboration. But to create that kind of trust, we need international regulatory regimes that fosters the creation of AI technology rather than strangles it. The AI Summit in Paris focused on potential AI-based innovations and new investments, a shift from debates over AI safety concerns to global competition. The U.S. Vice President's remarks became a topic of discussion in France's parliament and were met with mixed reactions from lawmakers. We feel that there is a positive potential of artificial intelligence, like better health care, maybe better education. But there are some issues. What if our personal data are owned by big tech companies? This is about privacy. I mean, there's a possibility that some people might possess very private data about you. That's why I disagree with Mr. Vance. This is what happens with total freedom here. We need standards. It's true. In France, we want to over-regulate before even knowing what we're talking about, before seeing what evolves. Therefore, we are less competitive, I dare to say it, and I agree this over-regulation is working against us, against our company's ability to innovate. Vance reaffirmed the Trump administration's commitment to U.S. dominance in AI, rejecting EU-style content moderation as authoritarian censorship. French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the summit, urged the EU to reduce bureaucracy and create a more innovation-friendly environment. David Vives, NTD News, Paris. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, fired its chief financial officer and three other employees today. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the four individuals unilaterally made egregious payments for New York City hotels to house migrants. The spokesperson said, quote, DHS will not sit idly and allow deep state activists to undermine the will and safety of the American people. The news comes one day after head of DOJ Elon Musk announced they uncovered a $59 million payment made last week. He said sending this money violated the law. A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's effort to cut the National Institutes of Health funding for research programs at universities and medical systems. Lawyers for dozens of research institutions told the judge the change would have a severe impact on critical public health research. The judge agreed with 22 Democrat-led states that cost-cutting should be blocked temporarily. A second lawsuit filed on Monday also says the cuts would devastate medical research. And a third lawsuit asked the judge to expand her initial action to apply not just to states that had sued. Late Monday, the judge expanded the pause on NIH cost-cutting nationwide. Coming up, a new California bill could mean tougher penalties for looters and scammers in wildfire zones. And FEMA will begin wildfire cleanup efforts on private properties this week. What homeowners need to know. And what's the state of the U.S. economy and where are interest rates headed? The chair of the Federal Reserve testified in the Senate today. Jason Blair brings us the details when we come back. I'm Jonathan Lawson. If you're 50 to 85, please listen closely. The lock I want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. It's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees that once you're insured, your rate can never go up at any time for any reason. Many policies you see don't have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock from Colonial Penn. This plan was designed for people on a fixed income with coverage options that start at $9.95 a month. That's less than 35 cents a day. Your rate is locked in for life. Coverage can never be canceled, and your acceptance is guaranteed. You cannot be turned down because of your health. See for yourself. Call for an information kit and gift. Both are free with no obligation. Call 1-800-624-6556 for your free information and your free gift. That's 1-800-624-6556, 1-800-624-6556. Call now. I'm Ilka. I live with my daughter and with my grandchildren. There's a sense of comfort that comes with eating a good meal. We try to make the most, you know, of what we have. We have rent to pay, and then there are lights, and there are gas, and while my daughter and I both work, it still just doesn't seem like there's enough to go around sometimes. Every day, millions of our neighbors face hunger, including one in five children, and food costs keep rising. Please call or go online right now to join Feeding America with your gift of just $19 a month, only 63 cents a day. Your monthly support can fill plates with nutritious food for families across the country and in your community, thanks to a nationwide network of food banks and volunteers. If you were over and playing with us, you were part of our family, and you were going to eat. A real cook can take nothing and make something. No one should ever have to wonder if they will have enough to eat, and our neighbors are working hard to feed their families every day. Call or go online now. Visit HelpFeedingAmerica.org and give $19 a month. 98% of donations go directly to help millions of people facing hunger from coast to coast and in your own community. Use your credit card, and you'll get this exclusive canvas grocery bag as a thank you for joining hands with people across America to help end hunger. Some of the lessons that I hope that my family will take, it is important to treat people the way that you want to be treated. I have carried on the tradition of loving people through food. Please call right now or go online to make a monthly gift at HelpFeedingAmerica.org. Your support helps our neighbors bring food home to their families. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. California lawmakers are pushing for a new bill to impose tougher penalties on looting and impersonating first responders in wildfire zones. As officials tackle a surge in scams from January's deadly wildfires, FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are starting efforts to remove debris. And today's Christina Corona has the details. L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hockman and state lawmakers announced a new bill on Monday, AB-469, to combat looters and scammers in fire zones. The proposed law would make such crimes a felony with longer prison sentences. What it does is it strengthens the laws of looting. So now it's a felony. Now you can go to state prison. If you engage in these acts of looting during a state of emergency, it strengthens the laws dealing with impersonating a firefighter, a police officer, a national guardsman during this state of emergency. The bill would make looting a felony with up to four years in prison, addressing scams in the Palisade and Eaton fire zones. January's wildfires led to over two dozen looting arrests, including suspects posing as firefighters to access evacuated homes. When people see a firefighter or other first responder during an emergency, they need to know with absolute certainty that the uniform and equipment is being worn and used by someone who is sworn to protect. Hockman said the law closes loopholes such as entering evacuated homes or abandoned cars during emergencies. It also remains in effect through recovery and rebuilding. That if they want to engage in their despicable acts during a state of emergency, they will be held maximally accountable. FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started Tuesday to remove fire debris from private properties damaged in the January wildfires. The cleanup, in partnership with LA County, includes removing ash, hazardous trees, and damaged structures for those who submitted right-of-entry forms. Once the EPA clears hazardous material, the Corps can begin removing debris from residential properties destroyed in the fires. Right-of-entry forms are available online at recovery.lacounty.gov forward slash debris dash removal. LA County has received over 7,300 right-of-entry forms, which are due by March 31st. Reporting from the City of El Monte, Cristina Corona, NTD News. The Chair of the Federal Reserve testifies in the Senate, sharing updates on the economy and interest rates. NTD's Jason Blair brings us the latest. Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, testified on Capitol Hill. He told the Senate Banking Committee that the economy overall seems to be moving in a pretty healthy direction and is doing pretty good. He says indicators are suggesting that conditions in the labor market are imbalanced. Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace. GDP rose two and a half percent in 2024, bolstered by resilient consumer spending. And one big question a lot of people have is about interest rates. Now Powell said that the central bank is in no rush at the moment to make any changes related to interest rates. With our policy stance now significantly less restricted than it had been, and the economy remaining strong, we do not need to be in a hurry to adjust our policy stance. And during the hearing, both the chairman and ranking member expressed concerns about possible politics seeping its way into the Federal Reserve. Chairman Scott said that back in 2020 at the start of the Biden administration that the Fed was, quote, influenced by green financing and climate change. And then earlier this year with the incoming Trump administration, it flopped on that issue. And Senator Warren, the ranking member of the committee, also expressed concern about possible lack of banking oversight. If the CFPB is not there examining these giant banks to make sure they are following the laws on not cheating consumers, who is doing that job? I can say no other federal regulator. No one. In other words. Some Republicans see the CFPB as an overreach. And there are a lot of indicators saying that the agency is currently undergoing a lot of major changes with the Trump administration. And Powell also talked about mortgage rates. He said that due to the central bank's limited influence on long-term interest rates, mortgage rates are not likely to go down anytime soon. And also due in part to housing shortages around certain parts of the U.S., housing costs are also likely to stay high. Reporting on Capitol Hill, Jason Blair, NTD News. Anyone who has tried to buy eggs recently has likely noticed the skyrocketing prices. In the last year, the cost of eggs jumped nearly 37 percent, according to the Consumer Price Index. What's causing the spike in costs? Let's take a look. Egg prices have hit a record high, and consumers are noticeably frustrated. I'm in Wal-Mart right now. Check this out. This is 12 eggs. K3 large white. Great value. This is the cheapest brand. So what's causing this? Between November and December, prices jumped 14 percent due to a shortage of eggs. At the end of last year, the average cost of a dozen eggs was $4.15, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of February 7, those costs have nearly doubled, jumping to $7.34, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But some shoppers are seeing prices much higher than that average. How did it jump from $5 to $18, almost $20? This got to stop. The highly contagious avian flu is fueling the nationwide shortage of eggs, causing the deaths of 130 million birds since 2022. You can have two. Frank Hilliker, the owner of Hilliker Ranch in Lakeside, California, is limiting how many eggs customers can buy. If you have a healthy farm, you're producing the same amount of eggs you've always produced. It's just those eggs have gotten a lot more valuable. Big box retailers like Trader Joe's and Costco are also limiting their sales of eggs. The shortage has even led to egg thefts. In Pennsylvania, thieves stole about 100,000 eggs from a distribution trailer. And recently, outside of Seattle, thieves caught on camera stealing hundreds of eggs from Luna Park Cafe. We couldn't, like, order any eggs, so we had to drive around all the markets to get the egg. Unfortunately, these high costs aren't expected to come down anytime soon. The USDA says prices are expected to rise another 20 percent this year. Coming up, the ceasefire deal in Gaza under threat. A Middle East affairs analyst joins us to sort out the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war. New York City Mayor Eric Adams responds after the Justice Department orders federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop the corruption charges against him. And former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon pleads guilty in the border wall funding case. What his plea deal looks like after the break. This past year has been one of the hardest in my pillow's history. It's because of you that we're making it through. My employees, I want to thank you for your continued support by extending our wholesale prices on Classic MyPillows. Get standard Classic MyPillows only $14.98. I can't believe I'm even saying that. Only $14.98. But it gets nations will meet soon, adding he would like to wait until the Egyptians can come and present their plan to Trump. What can we expect from these Arab nations? Well, I think that their intention is essentially to have a more robust version of what they've been offering for a long time, which is the Palestinians stay in place. And Israel provides a ramp toward a Palestinian state that may have more moderate leadership under the Palestinian Authority, which then is flooded with tremendous amount of money and development with the hopes that that moderates it. The problem is neither the Israelis are willing to accept that anymore at this point. They've tried for 35 years to have a Palestinian state, and it's resulted in a lot of bloodshed for them. But the United States believes that this has been tried over and over again, and that there needs to be new thinking out of the box. So I think what we have is the United States and some of these Arab countries are headed for a disconnect. I don't believe Jordan, though it rhetorically is aligning with Egypt right now, I think Jordan in the end will cut its own path. And I think there's a series of other Arab countries that would much rather work with the Israelis and solve this or move to a different circumstance than to get stuck again on trying to do the same thing that has been tried, but at a higher level. And all of this does come as Hamas and Israel are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire. Hamas saying it won't release the next batch of hostages and Israel now threatening to resume full military force in Gaza if all hostages are not released by noon on Saturday. How do you see this being settled? Yeah, everybody assumed that the second stage of the ceasefire agreement would unlikely hold because the Israelis were required to give up all the remainder of Gaza, every inch, including the border area between Gaza and Egypt, which is particularly sensitive because that's where weapons and smuggling flowed through. But the other side of it, too, I mean, it's not only the Israelis who never really saw the reality of the second phase of this agreement. The Palestinians, first of all, don't want to give up all the hostages because once they do, their last real leverage over Israel is gone. So I don't think they ever had any intention of giving it all up. And second of all, in the second phase, the leadership of Hamas has to leave Gaza. It has to be turned over to a different structure, whether it's an Arab force or whether it's the Palestinian Authority is all open for debate. But what isn't open for debate is they are committed in the second phase to for Hamas to be dismantled as the government of Gaza. So neither side was willing really to accept the second phase. Israel only had to go through it because it really does want its hostages back. So everybody assumed that this whole ceasefire would break down after phase one. The Israelis, though, in under American encouragement now, I mean, the United States is actually leaning further ahead than the Israelis in a unique circumstance. But essentially, the United States says, yeah, look, we all know it's not going to get to the second phase. So let's try to have all the hostages released now. That's the Israeli position, and the United States added to it an ultimatum. Now, the Israelis may give Hamas the ability to flee and to be removed. But my sense is we're now in the last week or two before a breakdown. Now, today, the King of Jordan spoke of rebuilding Gaza without displacing Palestinians, while President Trump reiterated that the U.S. would gain control of Gaza and redevelop it. What do you see as the future of the Gaza Strip? Well, I think, first of all, from a security point of view, you still have Hamas, and I don't think they're going to relent. So I think we still have, unfortunately, another round of warfare ahead of us, which will bring Israel into full control of Gaza. The security situation will be fully under Israel's control. Israel will establish a military occupation. At that point, Hamas will be rooted out. But the Israelis are already preparing structures independent of Jordan in Egypt to absorb voluntary emigration of Palestinians through a port just to the north of Gaza and an airport just to the east of Gaza. So you could definitely see thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Palestinians already leaving very shortly after the Israeli takeover of Gaza. The United States is not expected to come in with any boots on the ground. What the United States' role is to be is to basically take over the construction and the development of Gaza, not the security condition of Gaza. That will be the Israeli military. And then that would become a world industrial zone. It wouldn't anymore be truly a Palestinian zone. It would be a world industrial zone. The impetus behind it is the fact that right now it's destroyed. Almost every house was booby-trapped by Hamas. There's a lot of unexploded ordnance as well, and there's toxic spills from warfare. So the area is frankly quite uninhabitable for at least 10 to 15 years as it gets cleaned up. And the idea is leaving the Palestinians for 10 to 15 years in tents is really not a very optimal future. It's much better to build cities and modern facilities for them in neighboring countries or disperse them around the like China or Qatar or Egypt, really, and have them actually go to homes and build lives rather than sit in tents for 10 to 15 years. When it comes to President Trump's vision for Gaza, a former Jordanian foreign minister told NPR that it would breach a peace deal Jordan signed with Israel in 1994. Others say Trump is pushing back against the idea of a two-state solution being the only solution to Gaza. In your view, is there merit to Trump's vision here, or is this more of a negotiation strategy? What pushback, legal or diplomatic, might we see about this? No, I actually think there's great merit to President Trump's idea because I think it's the only realistic solution. I think that the solutions that keep returning and are being done over and over again have proven themselves not to be solutions and actually have exacerbated the problem. October 7th is the worst war Israel's fought since 1973, and it's the most deadly war for the Palestinians ever. And as a result, all these peace efforts over the last 35 years to establish an independent Palestinian state have led to such a tremendous catastrophe that that really is a dead end now. And President Trump's view, in my view, is actually the only realistic way forward at this point. So I think it has much more legs than people think. And we all, you know, we Americans understand President Trump, and we know that when he puts his mind to something, he can be quite stubborn about pursuing it. So I would not rule out the feasibility of this and the implementation of this. David Wormser, thank you so much for joining us. Amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, President Trump is proposing plans to rebuild Gaza and resettle Palestinians into neighboring Arab countries. Are everyday Americans on board with the plan? NDD's Sam Wong was out on the National Mall in D.C. to hear from them. The U.S. is right now in talks with Egypt and Jordan about resettling Palestinians into neighboring Arab countries. And Trump, at the same time, he has proposed a plan to rebuild Gaza. So what do you think is going to come out of this? I mean, I think it's a good plan. It's like Trump's kind of coming in as the, I feel like, as the father between two people. I think both parties will be happy in the end. What's going on there right now can't go on. So it's a very difficult position. It's another idea. Let's see what happens. I think they should rebuild Gaza, frankly. But I don't think the other Arab nations are really going to play ball. So whatever happens, it's going to be a monumental effort. But I'm hoping that it gets ironed out. I mean, historically, what do you do? You try to put the Israel people, the Jewish nation, into some land. You displace the Palestinians. Now you want to move. I mean, there's just no solution. And I think it's just good that he's going to try to get in there, clean it up, and then bring a better area for the people there is what I'm hoping. With President Trump now in office, what kind of changes do you expect in our approach to the Middle East? I feel positive about it. I think he's taking some, a practical approach to it, maybe a little crazy at first, which is how he operates. But I think that, I think eventually it's going to get settled down. I'm excited to see what's going to happen. And I know he's not going to bring in military. So I think it's going to be done locally with their enforcement there. I think that's what we're going to see more on him is some strategies to get some other nations involved with aid across the world and protecting around the world instead of it just being on America's shoulders. We need to back up our allies. I don't think we should be afraid of backing up our allies, showing a strong presence and backing up Israel. I think those are really good things. I think that's what he's trying to do. The guy is not a politician. Don't treat him as a politician. He's a businessman. I think what he's doing is trying to get in a negotiation position and then go from there. Hopefully by being strong, the peace will come. The Justice Department has directed federal prosecutors in New York to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams maintains he is innocent, telling reporters this afternoon it's time for the city to move forward. My fellow New Yorkers, as you may have heard, the Department of Justice has directed that the case against me be dismissed, finally ending a months-long saga that put me, my family, and the city through an unnecessary ordeal. As I said from the outset, I never broke the law and I never would. I would never put any personal benefit above my solemn responsibility as your mayor. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emile Bove said the case was stopping the mayor from assisting the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration. Adams was a close ally of President Joe Biden when he began his mayoral term in 2022. After Biden's DOJ indicted the former police captain, Adams said he had been unfairly targeted over his criticism of the president's immigration policies. Trump pleaded not guilty to four sets of criminal indictments in 2023. He has also argued the charges against him were politically motivated. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon pleaded guilty today in the border wall funding case. The case involves a private fundraising drive known as We Build the Wall, launched during President Trump's first term. As part of the plea deal, Bannon avoids jail time but is barred from fundraising for or running any charitable organization with assets in New York state. New York prosecutors charged Bannon with money laundering and conspiracy. He's accused of deceiving donors in 2019 who contributed more than 15 million dollars to the private border wall fundraising drive. Bannon had previously pleaded not guilty and called the case a political persecution. Coming out of the courthouse today, Bannon called on the Justice Department to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bannon's trial is scheduled for March 4th and a pre-trial conference is scheduled for later today in New York state criminal court. Coming up in the NFL, a record audience tuned in for the Super Ball Sunday despite a lopsided contest. Avon joins us with the details when we come back. They're just young people, hungry, homeless, and vulnerable. Covenant House is helping young adults facing homelessness. We're providing safe shelter to thousands but the need is overwhelming. Please call or go online now. With your gift of $19 a month, we'll send you this blanket as a reminder of the comfort your gift provides a young person tonight. You'll provide safe shelter, hot meals, and medical care. Call the number on your screen or go online to safeplacetosleep.org. Looking for a healthy and smooth tasting brew? Drop by Day's Coffee Roasters today and explore our wide selection of specialty grade small batch roasted coffee. Home to North America's first enzyme fermented coffee, we source a wide selection of specialty grade coffee beans from around the world and our baristas are ready to craft your customized brew. Visit Day's Coffee at 28 North Street, Middletown, New York. Come experience a brew like no other. Eyes forward, don't drive distracted. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, a lot going on today but let's start with the Super Bowl. As a record average audience of more than 127 million viewers tuned in, is that a surprise despite the lopsided game? I mean, I'm surprised. You know, it beat last year's record of 123 million but last year's Super Bowl, there was a back and forth contest between Kansas City and San Francisco, went to overtime. A very exciting game. And as you said, Sunday's game, lopsided. That was over, before halftime probably. Of course, the Chiefs, they were the two-time defending champions. This was the first time a two-time defending champion had made it back to the Super Bowl. So of course, people are hoping to see something never done before. I mean, because I was. Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar's halftime show ravaged 133 million viewers. Very star-studded affair overall. We had Taylor Swift in attendance to see her boyfriend play, of course. Donald Trump was there, the first ever sitting president to show up. And Fox made it easy to watch. I mean, you can watch it on Fox or you can watch them on their free streaming service, Tubi. So, you know, with these numbers, I mean, whoever has a Super Bowl next year should be able to charge even more for a 30-second commercial. They were like $8 million average this year, so it could be close to $10 million maybe next year for a 30-second commercial. Just a guess. And the seats are also very expensive. Well, jumping to amateur sports, the Department of Education is asking the NCAA to restore titles, awards and records that have been, quote, misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories. Yeah. And this was asked of high schools as well, actually, even, you know, those in the National Federation of State High School Associations. Now, this follows last week's executive order that essentially bans biological males from playing in female sports. The day after that was signed, the NCAA changed their participation policy as well in kind. Now, the most obvious situation to this new policy would be, of course, Leah Thomas, formerly known as well, the Pennant swimmer who won the NCAA title in 2022. That win really put this issue at the forefront. Now, I don't know, so I don't know, though, about a team competition. Of course, this past fall, there was a lawsuit alleging a player for San Jose State's volleyball team was a transgender player. Now, numerous teams forfeited their games against them. But, of course, I don't know what they would do about a team competition. Might be a little bit murky in that area, though. Well, shifting gears to the NBA, the Charlotte Hornets are reportedly considering disputing the L.A. Lakers' decision to rescind the trade over center Mark Williams, failing his physical. What options do they have? Well, very few. Now, the trade deadline has passed. You know, they can dispute it. If the league agrees with them, then the trade's probably back on. But I don't think they can amend it because the, you know, aforementioned trade deadline has already come and gone. Now, ESPN was the one reporting this. They said Charlotte is in talks with the NBA regarding their options. But this is a problem for the Lakers as well. They needed Mark Williams because they're really short of big men after trading with Anthony Davis in that shocking blockbuster deal for Luka Doncic. You'd think they have to see something pretty serious for them to rescind it. And actually, you know, it's kind of difficult on both teams as well, because players were told when they were traded, which usually kind of sours the relationship with the team. And then all of a sudden they're informed the trade is off. They can return to the team that tried to trade them just a couple of days ago. It's a bit of an awkward situation. So I think if there was a way to work this out, both teams would like to do that. While elsewhere in the league during last night's game in Dallas, multiple fans were ejected due to violations of the NBA's code of conduct. What was this all about? Yeah, it seemed to be fans' anger over that Luka Doncic trade. You know, fans held up signs that That's probably a reference to general manager Nico Harrison. Majority owner Patrick Dumont, he heard it from the crowd as well. Every time a fan was escorted out, then more people booed. Saturday, there were about a thousand protesters outside the arena before the game, chanting, fire Nico, sell the team. Clearly, they're not happy Doncic was traded or how it suddenly happened. There were no rumors of this going on down as well. We were all blindsided by teams normally do not trade superstar players at age 25 either. I think maybe they had gotten more in return, maybe this kind of cushion to blow. Anthony Davis, though, he's a great player. The problem is he's 31 years old. They do get a future first round pick. But overall, the Hall seemed to kind of favor the Lakers. But obviously, time will tell who won this. Well, Davis, always thanks for joining us. Well, thank you. New York-based performing arts company Shen Yun performed at a British seaside resort among the audience with the Mayor and Mayoress who described the show as absolutely magical. The classical Chinese dance company has the mission to revive China's 5,000 years of traditional culture and towards the world with a brand new choreography and music every year. NTD is an official sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. Here's what the Mayor and Mayoress had to say. The Mayor and Mayoress of Llandudno enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts on the 9th of February at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. They've seen the show twice now and would come back again. Beautiful, beautiful. We have been to China and we've seen a lot of shows in China, but this one has them beaten hands down. And the orchestra, the whole show is fantastic. It's wonderful. And if you come back again, we will be here again. Absolutely wonderful. We were here last year and I think it's even better than last year. It's magical. That's probably one of the best words I can say. It's absolutely magical. Shen Yun dancers are trained in classical Chinese dance, an expressive and dynamic dance form. The Mayor and Mayoress described the energy. Off the scale. It's just got so much, I don't want to say energy, that doesn't describe it. It's got a magical quality that defies description sometimes when you see the movement, the energy, just the very vibrancy. Oh, I wish I was like that. They have so much energy, but they're all young. They're all young, but it's fantastic. It just comes over all the time. Energy, energy, energy. And it's just wonderful. Shen Yun portrays ancient legends and modern tales from China's 5,000 year history, a culture said to be deeply spiritual and inspired by the divine. It obviously comes across because they obviously all work very well together. So there's something that binds them together. And perhaps that's being spiritual. And perhaps we've got an awful lot to learn from watching the performance, watching how they feel about things. And it comes from the heart. And I think perhaps a lot has been lost, not just to China, but to the world basically generally, of so much beauty, so much elegance, so much belief. And they encourage everyone to go see Shen Yun. You go away and talk to your friends and say, unfortunately, you've not seen it, we've seen it, and you've missed out. It was well worth, I wish everybody could see it. Stunning. Absolutely beautiful. If you get a chance to go and see it, even though it's not here, please go and see it. It's absolutely stunning. It's absolutely magical. Please go and enjoy it. Go and feel the show. Shen Yun will continue its UK tour in the coastal resort town of Bournemouth on the 12th and 13th, with three more towns and cities to follow later this month. NTD UK News, Llandudno, Wales. 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.