NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Nov. 9)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, the Senate met in a rare Sunday session on the 40th day of the longest government shutdown. This comes after another rare Senate session yesterday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that nationwide air traffic could slow to a trickle if the shutdown lingers into the busy holiday travel season. Is America on its way to becoming an energy superpower? On our panel today, we'll unpack the latest moves from the Trump administration to expand offshore oil and gas leasing. The head of the BBC and its top news executive both resigning today. It follows criticism of the broadcaster's editing of one of President Trump's speeches. The body of an Israeli officer was returned after 11 years. And due to water shortages, Iran says residents may have to evacuate the capital if it doesn't rain by the end of November. And despite the government shutdown, a parade in the nation's capital honors veterans. Grassroots veterans groups and local marching bands showcase their support for those who fought to preserve freedom in America. This is NTD Evening News, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Senators on Capitol Hill today hold a rare Sunday meeting despite no promise of a vote to end the government shutdown. I've been in the elected office a long time and taking government hostage and shutting it down is always a losing proposition. It costs money to shut the government down. It costs money to open the government up. And we find out little is accomplished in the process. Government's supposed to be service to the American people. This comes after senators also gathered yesterday for a rare session. The unprecedented shutdown has now moved into its 40th day. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said the Senate will remain in session until a deal to fund the government is reached. Senate Democrats are still seeking to extend Obamacare tax credits, but Thune says he's willing to make concessions only after they reopen the government. This as President Trump has urged Republicans to end the filibuster that prevents them from passing their version of the funding bill So far, Congressional Republicans have not taken steps to end the filibuster. Millions of people who rely on food aid are now stuck in uncertainty as the Agriculture Department is now telling states to stop full food stamp benefits. In a memo issued yesterday, the agency told states to release only 65 percent of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. States were told to immediately undo steps taken to issue full benefits this month. The directive also warns of serious consequences for states that ignore it. It adds that the USDA is still working to keep the states informed about the funding situation. A Supreme Court order late Friday paused a lower court's mandate for full payments. After the lower court order, some states issued SNAP payments for November, including Wisconsin, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Hawaii and others. Air travel is taking a heavy toll from the ongoing shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration has cut flights four percent at the busiest airports due to unpaid controllers not showing up. As of Sunday afternoon, around 2,000 flights were canceled and nearly 7,000 were delayed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News today that Thanksgiving air traffic could slow to a trickle if the shutdown persists. Here's the Secretary and some travelers' reactions to the flight cuts. As I look two weeks out as we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, listen, I think what's going to happen is you're going to have air travel slow to a trickle. As everyone wants to travel to see their families, I think we're going to see air traffic controllers, very few of them coming to work, which means, yes, you'll have a few flights taking off and landing at our different airports across the country, but the thousands of flights that happen every day to move people around the country for this great American holiday, it's not going to happen. You're going to have massive disruption. I think a lot of angry Americans, and I think we have to be honest about where this is going. It doesn't get better. It gets worse until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid. I'm on my way to the airport today, flying back to Sarasota, and I get the alert this morning that it's been canceled, not yesterday, so now I'm scrambling trying to find a flight back. Do you have any good options right now? No, right now it's just getting through this fiasco. I would hope that both sides would start negotiating and get things back open for folks, but I understand from people coming to work without being guaranteed pay or, you know, waiting on back pay, I can understand why it's tough to keep everything staffed. Unfortunately, we're not going to be heading back to Atlanta right now. We are all going to get off the airplane. I don't know how long that delay is going to be, but we're, so everybody needs to take all of your stuff with you in case this isn't the plane we end up back on on our way to Atlanta tonight. I have to go on the aircraft. The pilot just told me he timed out. So just heard that announcement. The pilot just timed out. We're not getting home tonight. Secretary Duffy has said additional flight cuts, perhaps up to 20 percent, might be needed. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta had the most cancellations today, over 170. Following that is Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey with 115 cancellations. The FAA says staffing shortages at Newark and LaGuardia Airport in New York were leading to departure delays of around 75 minutes on average. Since October 1st, air traffic controller shortages have disrupted more than 4 million passengers in the U.S. That's according to Airlines for America. White House advisor Kevin Hassett said the nation could see a negative economic impact if holiday travel is down. The fact is that Thanksgiving, that Thanksgiving time is one of the hottest times of the year for the economy. It's, you know, Black Friday and all that kind of stuff. And if people aren't traveling at that moment, then we really could be looking at a negative quarter for the fourth quarter. The Federal Aviation Administration is taking action after a UPS cargo plane crashed in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday. The crash killed at least 14 people. Nine other people are still missing. The FAA announced yesterday it will ground flights of MD-11 cargo planes until workers complete an inspection of the planes. Investigators say in the Kentucky crash, the plane's left engine detached during takeoff. The FAA says the same problem likely exists or may develop in planes with the same design. Authorities don't know why the left engine fell off the plane, but say they are grounding the fleet out of an abundance of caution. Thousands attended the National Veterans Parade in the nation's capital today, honoring the courage and sacrifice that those serving in uniform gave to our country. NTD's Washington correspondent, Jack Bradley, has more. Here in the nation's capital, we celebrate veterans here at this parade with the Grand Marshal General Michael Flynn and many people paying tribute to veterans here around the world. This is the National Veterans Parade Foundation that's putting on the only nationally recognized veterans parade in the country. Despite the government shutdown, this parade is going on without a penny from the U.S. That's the fire department of Washington, D.C. that did this for us and they're just wonderful, wonderful people. This is the third annual National Veterans Parade held right in front of the National Archives on Sunday, filled with veterans groups and marching bands. And it's taking place despite the government shutdown with the help of grassroots support from private donations and sponsors. Yeah, so I'm actually the daughter of a veteran, come from a long line of veterans and so getting to spend days like this where we all come together and we acknowledge that service and that sacrifice that so many gave. They have kept peace for 250 years and it will be another 250 years for our next generation. We are able to walk in the streets free today because of people like that. I think it's very important that we celebrate those who have fought for us and just come together as a community. It's so incredible to see the way that they selflessly give their lives to serve our country. We're protecting our nation's heroes by honoring them today. The event highlighted veterans facing suicide when they come home from service. I think there's a misconception so often that they are some of the strongest and they have to remain that. But asking for help does not make you weak. Asking for help proves how strong you are. Honoring them with the Spartan Pledge. And what the Spartan Pledge is, it's a promise that us veterans or first responders, they make to one another that they won't take their own life, they won't commit suicide. Because as people know, we lose over 22 vets a day to suicide. The Spartan sword was made with steel crafted from the Twin Towers in New York City, honoring veterans and first responders alike. That is a symbol of what our country went through 25 years ago. And it means a lot to me as a veteran, because I had to respond. I had to go to Afghanistan after 9-11. The firefighters, all the ambulance drivers and the police officers, they rushed into those Twin Towers that day. The Spartan Pledge is not only for veterans, but first responders, because on that day, they were the warriors that were going in trying to save the people. As we celebrate veterans on this wonderful day, we give thanks to all of the veterans who gave their sacrifice so that we can enjoy our freedoms here in USA. Reporting from Washington D.C., Jack Bradley, NTD News. President Trump is attending a football game outside Washington D.C. between the Washington Commanders and the Detroit Lions. It's the first time since 1978 a sitting president has attended a regular season NFL game. The last sitting president to attend one was Jimmy Carter. The only other time was Richard Nixon in 1969. In February, Trump became the first sitting president to ever attend the Super Bowl, where he saw the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs. President Trump has attended other sports events like the Ryder Cup, the Daytona 500 and the U.S. Open. AP reported that the Washington Commanders Club said it was honored to host Trump, along with celebrating U.S. Armed Forces on the same day. The Commanders come into the game with three losses and six wins. They face the Lions, who have five wins and three losses. The head of the BBC has resigned. This comes after backlash over how the broadcaster edited a speech by President Donald Trump. The British public broadcaster confirmed today that Director General Tim Davey and Head of News Deborah Ternes both stepped down. The BBC was accused of misleading viewers by editing Trump's speech on January 6, 2021. Critics say it cut out a key line where Trump urged supporters to protest peacefully. In a letter to staff, Tim Davey acknowledged that while the BBC was performing well, some mistakes have been made. Deborah Ternes also says the controversy has quote reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC. Davey said he's working with the company's board on a smooth transition for new leadership in the coming months. A Daily Telegraph report this week pointed out major failings in the BBC's coverage of several issues, including the Israel-Hamas war, transgender topics and the speech by President Trump. And Trump today responded to the BBC leader's resignation. In a Truth Social post, he thanked the Telegraph for exposing what he called dishonest journalists. Coming up, is America on its way to becoming an energy superpower? We'll have our panel unpack the latest moves from the Trump administration to expand offshore oil and gas leasing in the quick break. And as long as paper money keeps losing value, they'll keep buying. So do what I did, buy gold from the only company I trust, Lear Capital. Give them a call today, you'll be glad you did. 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It's part of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, seeking to boost domestic energy production while reducing reliance on foreign suppliers. The first lease sale is planned in the Gulf of America with another proposed auction in Alaska's Cook Inlet. Joining us to unpack what all this means is Ray Trevino, Vice President of Operations at Pico's Country Operating in Texas, and Bart McCoy, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Policy and International Affairs under the Bush administration. Thank you both so much for being here. Now, Ray, starting with you, the first sale will open roughly 80 million acres across the Gulf of America for oil drilling, with the BOEN setting the royalty rate at 12.5 percent or the lowest permitted by statute. Talk to us about how big of a deal this is and how long it'll take to kick off something like this. Well, thank you as always for having me and just so excited. This 12.5 percent is, as President Trump would say, a huge deal. The last administration, it was more over, I believe, 20 percent was the amount that the government was taking out of it. So this 12.5 percent really motivates oil and gas companies, along with oil and gas investors, to get back behind a lot of proven production in places like the Gulf of America and in Alaska as well. And Bart, this is part of the Trump administration's effort to unleash American energy dominance and cement the United States position as a global energy powerhouse. How do you see these moves in the Gulf of America fitting in with this goal? You can take out the word energy when you say global energy powerhouse. It makes us a global powerhouse. If we're dominant in energy, we're dominant in everything. We never would have had the Ukraine war. Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if Biden had not let the price of oil go up to over $80 a barrel and flirting with $100 a barrel, if I remember correctly, during part of that time. The best way to stop the war in Ukraine is to bring down the price of oil, and the best way to do that is to produce here in America. Ray, I take my hat off to you because you are a production guy. You're the guy out there drilling the wells and producing the oil. And I used to be a roustabout in Kern County, California, worked leases all over Kern County until I put myself through college. And I have just tremendous respect for drillers and production guys all over the world. And I thank you for producing oil. And Ray, certain environmentally sensitive zones will remain off limits. But talk to us about the regulation, environmental concerns that pop up around projects like these. How long would it take to kick off something like this? Yes, I wish I could say that we could kick these off overnight and just begin to see revenue. But the crude truth is it's going to take us a little bit of time to ramp up, obviously get these leases done, get the due diligence completed as well to then continue and to produce from these areas. And if I may, sir, thank you very much. That's high praise coming from you and your administration. So I just want to say thank you very much for the kind words. As far as regulation goes, what a great team we have right now leading the charge with Lee Selden, looking over the EPA and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, just working as a team to really remove the unnecessary red tape that was there in place during the last administration to make it more difficult to really create more energy security for the United States. And with these gentlemen now looking things over and seeing and understanding, more importantly, how business works in the energy sector and how important it is to the United States, we're really only going to continue to grow, especially in these prime exploration acreage areas of the Gulf of America and Alaska. And Barr, expanding on your earlier point, talk to us about the geopolitical implications here. If energy security is national security, how does all of this fit in? Sure. We produce about four billion barrels a year, about 13 million barrels a day of oil currently, give or take. It fluctuates up and down. There are an estimated, at least estimated, 30 billion barrels of oil in the Gulf of America alone. That's not including natural gas and it's about what's in Alaska. Cook Inlet, I love the name of it up there, the big, beautiful Cook Inlet lease. That's the official name of the lease they're offering up there. Not so much. But what that means is we cannot be held hostage by any oil producing cartel or nation. The Venezuelans can't hold us hostage. The Qataris, the Saudis, the Saudis are our allies now. They're not going to hold us hostage. But when it comes to money, everybody kind of looks at it. The Saudis have always been the swing producer. Well, we can outproduce the Saudis if we really develop these leases. Our production costs are higher, but we have a great deal of oil and it's about time we tap into it. If you think President Trump can sue for peace by threatening tariff measures and other economic measures, imagine what he can do if he can threaten to withhold oil or promise to give oil at concessionary rates to nations that he's making peace deals with. It's an enormous bit of political and diplomatic leverage. There is no larger than outright military action. And Ray, as Bart mentioned, it's not just the Gulf of America. The BOEM is also proposing to make about 1 million acres available for leasing in Alaska's Cook Inlet. Now, that also includes the 12.5 percent royalty rate. The sale is the first of six actually required by the One Big Beautiful Bill. Now, there does seem to be more environmental concerns over this move. What do you expect the EPA under Lee Zeldin to do on this? Well, I expect Lee Zeldin to run the EPA the way that it was designed to be run. We don't hear about the acid rain in the Northwest anymore or any of these other things. And that's because of the EPA in the 1970s and 80s, when it did a great job protecting America and our environments and the people. And I expect it to continue to do the same. What we're excited about is that this administration and EPA have removed basically political red tape to allow America to have that energy security. So I do expect a lot of oil and gas companies and the majority, I should say, to continue to run their companies with the environment first and safety first at the same time, because I don't know any oil and gas men or women that aren't conservative and conservationists at the same time. We all love Mother Earth and we all are blessed to tap into the resources that it has. And we know that we need to respect it. So we all want to continue to do what's best to produce oil and keep the area as clean as possible. And staying with you very quickly, Ray, there does seem to be increasing focus on Alaska lately, including in terms of, say, minerals. Talk to us, though, about the resources in Alaska when it comes to the Cook Inlet. Yes, Alaska alone is also another strong area for oil and gas, along with other natural resources. And keep in mind also of the location that Alaska is in on the globe and how important that is as well to the United States and the security of the United States. Prudhoe Bay up there and the North Slope has always continued to produce great oil, and we expect it to continue to do so, adding on the Cook Inlet as well. So Alaska is also a very important hub for the energy sector and an important security measure for the United States. And Bart, the BOEM says the offshore leases will help support high-paying jobs, coastal infrastructure, and state-level revenue sharing while bolstering federal finances. What are you anticipating critics to say about these projects? Critics will say the same thing they've been saying for decades since Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, that they're going to claim that there will be massive environmental damage and they'll pick some poster child of a species and say this species is going to suffer damage. But I want to talk about that and I want to say something. I'm a Republican, I'm a partisan Republican, but I need to point out that it's not just the other party that are the bad guys on manipulating concern about the environment. The regulatory barriers are essentially a license for blackmail by the administration and members of Congress, and both parties are guilty of it. The whole reason there are environmental regulations that could not be undone by either administration is there are members of Congress that don't want them to go away, and it's not the earth they care about. What they care about is that if there's somebody like Ray that wants to drill and needs a permit and the permit isn't being issued, Ray's got to call his congressman or his senator and say, hey, can you do something about this? And the senator will say, absolutely, I will pick up the phone and I will call those SOBs over at Bureau of Land Management or Army Corps of Engineers and I will hustle that permit along. Well, there are 147 steps for a permit to be issued in some cases, and that's 147 phone calls that the congressman has to make, and that's 147 times that the congressman can send Ray and his buddies an invitation to a fundraiser and let him know that, boy, it sure would be good to see you again. That's what is driving the regulatory burden. It's members of Congress who don't want it to go away because it gives them the power of incumbency, the power to raise money, the power to extort money from their constituents who are just trying to create jobs and do business and do things that are good for the country. And people need to stop being emotionally blackmailed, the voters, by threats that are really meant to increase the power of members of Congress to extort the business community. And on that note, Ray, there is a lot of focus on the cost of living right now. Talk to us, though, about the impact these new projects might have on domestic energy prices. Could we see those come down? This day and age, anything is possible. I know President Trump just last week touted he'd love to get gasoline prices back down to $2. As we continue to produce oil from the Gulf of America, we will see that needle continue to move. I would think that we would see prices go down. When it actually comes to America and watching the price of oil globally change, nothing moves a needle more than the Gulf of America. That right there is one of our best areas of production. Of course, here in Texas, we do have West Texas that produces about six million barrels of oil a day itself. However, we also know that, hey, the Gulf of America is still the number one spot that we continue to produce from. So, yes, we could definitely see some ways of the oil prices continuing to get lower. And as Bart mentioned earlier, that we will not be at the mercy of people like OPEC or these other countries that don't like us. Keep in mind, when the Iran issues happened in the 1970s, OPEC alone had an estimated 50% of the excess global oil. Today, that is down to less than 10%. That is because of the hardworking men and women in America that produce 14 million barrels of oil a day that we now really continue to help better control the price and give us more, not only energy security, but more importantly, national security. That's a great transition because, Bart, I want to go to your earlier point about the U.S. being a global powerhouse. How do you see communist China watching all of these moves and what this means for the U.S.-China rivalry, if you will? China is an enormous consumer of oil. I don't think they're the biggest. I think they're the second biggest. I don't remember. But they are enormous consumers of oil and they're watching this very carefully. They have been going around the world for nearly 30 years trying to lock up the production of critical resources, critical minerals. We know they have a monopoly on rare earth minerals or a near monopoly. They have been trying to lock up energy resources. They have been far less successful. The people in the GCC have staved off Chinese interference. I wrote about it 20 years ago. I spoke with some high-ranking officials from some GCC countries and said, China is knocking at our door every day. If we wanted to retire and get rich, we could give a lease to China and they would support us for the rest of our lives. But we want to keep them out of the Gulf. They would give anything to have leverage over the world economy like America is going to have. America is a benign power. We're not going to use it to oppress people. We're going to use it to force open markets and force open opportunities for people to trade with one another and opportunities for American companies. That's a big difference between us and China. Bart Merkoid, Ray Trevino, thank you both so much for joining us. Thank you. Coming up, Super Typhoon Fenghuang is battering the Philippines. At least two people have died and over a million have been evacuated. And the body of an Israeli officer was returned after 11 years. Due to water shortages, Iran says residents may have to evacuate the capital if it doesn't rain by the end of November. That's coming up. During high school, I hung with the wrong crowd and I never graduated. I helped Santiago in many different ways like all fathers do because he always wanted to go to college. I felt a little embarrassed to come back to school, but eventually once I came here, I knew that it's for a bigger goal. He was very dedicated, hardworking. He connected with his teachers. He connected with other students. That was one of the key reasons why he was able to keep forging ahead. It was amazing to see him graduate. This was one thing that meant so much to him, and of course it meant so much to us too. With the help of my father and having my son, that was all the motivation that I needed. That support is everything. Find free adult education classes near you at finishyourdiploma.org. Every day, thousands of kids start vaping, and I can't let this happen to my kid. Of course, it's awkward to talk to kids about the dangers of vaping. Hey, bestie. How sketchy. It's hard to get their attention. Ready? Go. Yes. Look at that. You didn't even turn yours over. So if you want to talk to your kids about the dangers of vaping, you have to get it trending. Right, backpack kid? Let's do it. First, invite your kid to do the vape talk. Let's try this. All right. Why is he here? Yeah, I got to get it trending, honey. Come on. Honey, can we talk? Yeah, what's up? I see a lot of your friends vaping. Visit talkaboutvaping.org for tips on when and how to have the vape talk. We said we'd never give into a meltdown. We'd never babysit with a screen. We said we'd never let the toys take over. Never leave the house looking, well, and never let them out of our sight. Cars get hot fast, and kids can be at risk. Before you leave the car, always stop, look, lock. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. In the Middle East, the Hamas terrorist group returned the body of a hostage that had been held for 11 years. Meanwhile, in response to water shortages, Iran's president said residents may have to evacuate the capital if it doesn't rain by the end of November. NTD's Jason Perry has the Middle East update. The Hamas terrorist group has continued to return the bodies of deceased hostages after agreeing to the Gaza peace plan brokered by President Trump. And the body they handed over to the Red Cross on Sunday was later identified to be of Israeli army officer Hadar Golden. Terrorists killed Golden in the Gaza Strip in 2014, and his family has been waiting for his return for 11 years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this on Sunday. I know the longing for his return that united the people of Israel, and today we're united in bringing him finally to his parents, to his family, to a grave in Israel. Israel's chief of the general staff on Sunday gave Golden's mother a hug and met with their family about Israel's efforts to return the bodies of hostages. Now there are still four bodies that remain in the Gaza Strip. And Israel's government spokeswoman said that Hamas knows where those bodies are located. Meanwhile, in Iran, residents could soon need to evacuate the capital. Iran's president recently said that Tehran is facing an unprecedented water and energy crisis. And the capital's reservoirs have reportedly fallen to their lowest level in 60 years. According to Iran's state-run media, the president said that if it doesn't rain in Tehran by late November, we'll have to ration water, and if it still doesn't rain, we'll have to evacuate Tehran. This comes as Iran continues to pay money to the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon. The United States said they were seeking to cut Iranian funding to Hezbollah and pressed the group to disarm, adding that, quote, the Lebanese people could get their country back. And in Syria, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior said security forces had carried out nationwide preemptive operations against ISIS terrorist cells. The raids come just before Syria's leader is set to meet with President Trump at the White House on Monday. Jason Perry, MTD News. Moving to Asia, Super Typhoon Fenghuang started battering the northeastern coast of the Philippines over the weekend. It's the biggest storm to threaten the country this year. At least two people have died and over a million have been evacuated. Super Typhoon Fenghuang brought storms and strong winds across the Philippines earlier today, causing widespread flooding. Citizens were advised to stay home. Strong winds were seen swinging tree branches and knocking down power lines. The national police have mobilized nearly 10,000 personnel and resources to protect the nation. The super typhoon has forced authorities to suspend work, cancel flights, close schools and halt sea travels in multiple areas. The government expects the typhoon to make landfall at its peak intensity tonight or tomorrow in a region northeast of the country's capital. China suspended an array of export control measures it imposed on October 9th, including curbs on some rare earth materials and equipment, as well as lithium battery materials. China suspended expanded export controls on rare earths materials and equipment on Friday. The country's commerce ministry said increased curbs on lithium battery and super hard materials were also stopped. Beijing had imposed the measures just under a month ago, but it said Friday's suspensions were effective immediately and would apply through to November next year. The announcement confirmed and formalized an agreement reached after US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed a trade truce last month. Industry sources had earlier told Reuters China has begun designing a new rare earth licensing regime. They added it could speed up shipments but likely won't lead to a complete rollback of restrictions as hoped for by Washington. The sources said Chinese authorities told some rare earth exporters they will be able to apply for new streamlined permits in the future. The export curbs have become Beijing's strongest leverage in its trade rivalry with Washington. China produces more than 90% of the world's processed rare earths and rare earth magnets. The ingredients are key for products ranging from cars to missiles. The Supreme Court heard arguments on President Trump's authority to issue emergency tariffs. What implications will the high court's ruling have on our nation? NTD Steve Lance spoke to former federal prosecutor Jim Trustee for insight. The justices had really tough questions for both sides. How are you reading this case based on the are there any indications when the justices are sort of giving both sides a hard time? Yeah, I mean, look, it's tough because these guys are professional interlocutors and there's times where there's devil's advocacy and they can be pretty good at masking where they're coming from. But I think this is going to be a problematic case for the administration. I think thought that before and really hearing what some of Justice Coney Barrett and Justice Roberts had to say today was pretty worrisome in terms of the use of this particular law for tariffs. This is a law that's based on the idea that in emergencies, Congress will delegate the power to control trade to the president. And it's very unclear. And that's what this argument was all about. Very unclear as to whether the emergency power to regulate commerce means you can levy taxes or tariffs across the board against a whole bunch of different countries. So I think they have real issues with what the intent of this statute, this International Emergency Economic Powers Act or IEPA, whether it's supposed to allow you to do tariffs in the first place. And then is it really an emergency if you're imposing tariffs on almost every country in the world? You know, it's one thing for Canada, Mexico, China to say this is an emergency based on fentanyl. But when you get down to, you know, Trinidad, Tobago and Australia and you're saying I just want to make trade fair, that sounds like something that creates this separation of powers issue that the court seems to be leaning against. That's just it, Jim. You know, when it appears to be perhaps somewhat subjective, yet you have very pressing issues on the table, like you said, the fentanyl crisis. Trump says that he used the tariffs to leverage India and Pakistan to stop, you know, potentially both nuclear powers from a major clash. And then, of course, China that infiltrates the United States in various asymmetric ways that we can't do over there. And so another way we can push back on them is tariffs. Are there any other avenues to protect our sovereignty in these particular cases? Yeah, it's a great question. And I don't pretend to have a perfect answer for it. I mean, look, there are other areas of delegation that you might be able to use instead of the IEPA, the Emergency Economics Power Act. And frankly, you know, I think the safest bet here, if you could pull it off politically, would be to have Congress backing it up every step of the way. You know, Congress, if that's where the primary authority to levy tariffs is, you know, have them kind of cleaning up behind the elephants a little bit, you know, as the parade marches on of, I think, pretty undeniable success in using tariffs without harming the American economy. If Congress would somehow validate it on the back end, maybe that would be a way to keep this in place. But you're right to point to the problem, which is, you know, this has been used apparently quite successfully in a number of different avenues. And the disruption by saying he no longer can use this statute, does not have this power, has to give money back to importers. It can be a very disruptive moment where I guess only if you're a complete free trade person that doesn't believe in tariffs are you going to be happy with that outcome. And I mean, I don't know about the Supreme Court's daily briefings. Do they get an Intel briefing that perhaps could open their eyes to some of this? I don't know. But you raise, you know, another important question with regard to the economy, another subjective item. Trump's, you know, legal team warning that a ruling against him could have catastrophic consequences for the nation's economic health. In simple terms, can you help explain this? And would it be viable for that reason? Well, I mean, I think the starting point is the court is going to view this as, you know, kind of a self-created problem. If they rule against the administration, they're going to know they're going to say, yes, this is disruptive as heck, and it's going to create problems where the Treasury has to calculate refunds to a number of importers who have essentially paid the tax. But it's a strange scenario. I mean, you've had, you know, months of these probably billions and billions, at least in the dozens, if not hundreds of billions that have been imposed by way of these tariffs. And suddenly you're being told Treasury has to let go of all that. I know the Supreme Court cares about practical consequences, but I think from the questioning, again, from Roberts and from Coney Barrett, asking questions like, you know, to John Sauer, the representative for the administration, you're saying that this president under IEPA can basically levy taxes for every country in the world for unlimited times and unlimited amounts. I mean, that type of question tells me they realize that the separation of powers issue is so powerful to them that they're not going to care too much or they're not going to be overwhelmed by the practical consequences. So, you know, we'll see. But it's not didn't look like a great day for the administration. You know, the CCP has been out in full, full fledged on K Street in Korea and really lobbying against these tariffs. Now, if the court rules against Trump, would the government need to refund the one hundred and ninety five billion as it's being so far since September and tariff revenue? Yeah, I mean, that's that's the big devil in the details. It does suggest that that's a possible outcome and how that gets calculated, how that gets distributed, when that gets distributed. Seems like there's going to be a cottage industry of litigation that grows up and it blows up after that. And Jim, how would such a ruling affect our national security? And do you think it might prompt some of these foreign governments that we've made close deals with or solidified deals with to perhaps renegotiate some of these recent trade agreements? Yeah, it does give them that leverage. And that's a worrisome moment. And again, maybe the force of personality wins out and President Trump can keep all those deals in place. But it's going to be a real temptation, excuse me, and a real opportunity for some of our less friendly countries to say, well, you know, you've been undercut by your own court. Let's start from scratch. Now, Jim, I want to turn our attention to the Big Apple, New York City's new mayor, elect Democratic Socialist Zoran Mamdani. President Trump posted on Truth Social after Mamdani's win, saying, and so it begins, just, you know, four short words with an exclamation point. Can the president withhold federal funding or deploy the National Guard there? And could he increase ICE operations within the city? How do you see this all playing out? Probably with a lot of litigation and a lot of lawyers, unfortunately. I mean, look at Chicago, that might be a bit of a preview. And so, look, the National Guard part is certainly inflammatory. It leads to litigation. I think it actually leads to a reduction in crime just based on deterrence, because they're not there to make arrests. They're there to support other federal agents. Whether he plays that card or not, I'm not sure. But, you know, a surge in federal investigations and federal resources being poured into any particular locality is a completely fair game. And most fair-minded politicians would realize, hey, you know, if they want to give us more ICE, more DEA, more FBI to take on street crime in our city, we'll take it. So that one, I think, you know, not only is it constitutionally protected, there's no such thing as sanctuary cities in the eyes of the Constitution. But I think practically that's a move that would be hard for any mayor to really thwart. He can complain. He can moan. He can sue. He can find some friendly judges, maybe like they did in Chicago at first. But eventually that's going to bubble up to an appellate court that says, you know, you do not have the power as a local governor or mayor to thwart federal law enforcement taking place in your jurisdiction. So I think the president has some options that are safe in terms of trying to fight crime. In terms of funding, you know, the shutdown might be a part of this where you can kind of use the shutdown as a vehicle for also thwarting particularized local spending. But at the end of the day, you know, the president's power over the purse is very limited. And when he wants to fight, when he wants to have rescission of funding that's already been delegated by Congress, you're limited to essentially the same fiscal year. So if you really want to get the money rescinded, you have to go through Congress and get them to say we take everything back from last year. That's a tough sell. But if you have the ability of stuff that's in stream to delay it, you're allowed to do that for several months at a time. So maybe the president does that on some of the macroeconomic ideas in terms of grants and spending that's in New York City. But I'm not sure. I think he might have been commenting more broadly that New York has actually succumbed to the foolishness of putting a socialist in power. And it was more of a ruining the day for New York than any sort of announcement of a plan. Two Major League Baseball pitchers face charges for taking bribes. We have that and more after this break. Due to pollution in the oceans, most fish contain heavy metal elements and radioactive substances. That's why it's so important to choose a pure source of omega-3. Puritan green vegetable omega-3 is made from purslane and perilla seeds, which are rich in nutrients and minerals. It effectively improves brain power and is beneficial to the heart's health. Puritan green vegetable omega-3. Eat two a day and you'll feel brand new. We've known each other for more than 60 years now. Every cello has its own personality. Only when you get to know it, can you truly play it. So I hope that every cello I give you is the first one I trust. I tell my son I love you every single day. And my dad has never said that to me. Not because he doesn't love me, but because culturally it wasn't comfortable for him. Now that he's a grandfather, he says I love you to my son every time he sees him. My advice to all the fathers out there, forget the cultural restrictions. They grow up way too fast for you to waste even a single precious moment. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emano Clase and Luis Ortiz have been charged with taking bribes to intentionally throw certain types of pitches. According to an indictment, Clase and Ortiz helped bettors from their native Dominican Republic win bets on pitch speed and outcome, including intentionally throwing pitches outside the strike zone. Both pitchers have been on paid leave since July. The MLB says it contacted federal law enforcement when it began investigating the unusual betting activity. Ortiz was arrested by the FBI today at Boston Logan International Airport. He's expected to appear in federal court in Boston on Monday. Authorities say Clase is not yet in custody. The top charges carry a 20-year prison sentence. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the moment lava spewed from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano today. Since late last year, Kilauea has been spewing molten rock from vents in its summit's crater. Scientists view each episode as part of the same eruption because magma has been following the same pathway to the surface. The lava is contained within the summit crater inside Volcanoes National Park and isn't threatening homes or buildings. Kilauea is on the Big Island of Hawaii, the largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It's about 200 miles south of the state's largest city, Honolulu. The holiday season is approaching. In Berlin, a unique art installation is captivating attendees. Yes, here in the hall behind me, this is Forest Winter Lights. So we're here on the dark matter site. This is our new hall, Transformator. And this year, we have 600 Christmas trees with 250,000 lights, a 400 square meter ice rink, and a light show that lasts almost an hour. Hopefully, all of this together will create a really nice Christmas atmosphere. Visitors can skate on an ice rink immersed with an ever-changing light show synced up with electronic beats, as well as disco balls hanging from the ceiling and 600 Christmas trees upside down. The music's intended to retell the stories of the season, from footsteps in the snow to the excitement that children have at Christmas. Located on the outskirts of Berlin at a repurposed industrial plant, the installation will be up and running until next February. A nursing home for penguins. At the New England Aquarium in Boston, critically endangered penguins can live out their years in comfort and safety. So behind me, we have our geriatric island, home to seven of our oldest individual penguins. We have around 50 penguins as part of our colony. Over half of them have exceeded that 10 to 15 year life expectancy. Some of our birds on this island are even approaching their 40s. A lot of these animals are rescued, rehabilitated, or here for genetic and conservation reasons. And so this is a really important population of genetically valuable but non-releasable individuals. So it's really important that we can help them succeed in day-to-day life. Meet Lambert, a 33-year-old African penguin receiving eye drops and specialized care at the New England Aquarium. These penguins, with their trademark black and white feathers, stand about two feet tall and weigh about the In the wild, their maximum lifespan is typically 15 to 20 years. In captivity, with regular meals, veterinary care, and protection from predators, they're defying expectations. Some of the aquarium's African penguins are in their 30s and one lived into its 40s. That's twice as long as they would live in the wild in South Africa and Namibia, where pollution and lack of food due to overfishing threaten the critically endangered species. So Lambert's caregivers at the New England Aquarium created something special, a geriatric island where he and six other aging penguins can live together safely. Every individual matters for the species' conservation, making the specialized care of aging birds not just a welfare issue but a conservation priority. And that's all for today's news. For on-the-clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Good night. Shen Yun creation