NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Dec. 5)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, the White House unveiling a new national security strategy that frames China as America's chief competitor. And President Trump delivering a major warning to Europe, Mario Otsu reports from the White House. The Indiana House approves a new congressional map that favors Republicans, but will it become law? A Supreme Court decision could reshape birthright citizenship in the U.S. Christina Corona has more on the ruling that could change the application of a law first enacted more than 150 years ago. Updates on the mysterious January 6th bombing attempt as the suspect makes his first court appearance. David Lamb brings us more on that. And also a look at a newly released timeline of what happened nearly five years ago. The Manhattan District Attorney releases a 911 call placed by a McDonald's manager in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case. How did she describe suspect Luigi Mangione? Arlene Richards is following this story for us. 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. The White House unveiling its new national security strategy, framing China as America's main competitor. The policy focuses on economic and technological competition and calls for Indo-Pacific allies to take on greater defense responsibilities. And the president urges Europe to reclaim its identity, secure its borders, and take the lead in its own security, while Washington shifts to support it. NTD's Washington correspondent Mari Otsu brings us more from the White House. Simply, we are putting America first, and I have since I've been elected. I've always put America first. The White House releasing a new national security strategy that lays out the Trump administration's America First approach and highlights President Trump's achievements, including raising NATO allies' defense spending target to 5% of GDP, up from 2%, and Operation Midnight Hammer, which the White House says obliterated Iran's nuclear program. The strategy casts China as the U.S.'s chief competitor and focuses on rebalancing the relationship through fairer trade while countering Beijing's aggressive stance on Taiwan. I know you have said that Xi Jinping wouldn't dare move militarily on Taiwan while you're in office, but what if he does? Would you order U.S. forces to defend Taiwan? You'll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that. He has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, we would never do anything while President Trump is president, because they know the consequences. The strategy says that the U.S. will keep a strong presence in the Western Pacific but insists that its allies must take far more responsibility for regional stability. It also says Europe is facing what it calls civilizational erasure due to migration and political censorship. I can go down the list. Why has he focused on mass migration? It's very simple, because no country is safe if you can just walk in, without us knowing who you are, into your country. And urges Europe to regain its self-confidence. We've seen the destruction that that's wreaking, not just in our own country, but the impact that it's having in Europe and in many other parts of the world. Meanwhile, President Trump talks tariffs and trade with Mexico's President Claudia Scheinbaum and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney. After the three world leaders participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center. Let's give it a shot. I agree. OK? This is shocking. The United States of America! And President Trump accepts the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. This is truly one of the great honors of my life. And beyond awards, John and I were discussing this. We saved millions and millions of lives. I want to thank, by the way, my family, my great first lady, Melania, you're right here and thank you very much. After the first lady spent her morning hosting a Christmas party at Children's National Hospital with 20 young patients and their families. Continuing a decades-long first lady tradition. Reporting from the White House, Mario Tsu, NTD News. The Indiana House approved a new congressional map today. It will give Republicans a two-seat advantage in the 2026 midterm elections. The map passed by a vote of 57 to 41. 12 Republicans joined all Democrats in voting no. Indiana currently has two Democrat and seven Republican districts. The new map would split Indianapolis into four separate districts. This would give Republicans control over all nine of the state's congressional districts. The Trump administration has lobbied heavily for the state to redraw its map amid a nationwide battle over redistricting. But not all Republicans in the Indiana Senate are fans of the idea. Senate President Pro Tem Roderick Bray, a Republican, has been reluctant to act on it. The Indiana Senate will meet next Monday and it's unclear whether the new map will pass. Republicans have a better chance to pick up five congressional seats in Texas during the midterms after the Supreme Court okayed the state's new map. Florida is the next to act in a domino of redistricting around the nation. NTD's Melina Weiskop has the details. The midterms are looking more favorable to Republicans in Texas after the nation's highest court approved the Republicans' new map. GOP candidates will now have a better opportunity to flip Democrat seats in five districts. The Supreme Court ruled against a lower court that tried to block the map. Justice has stated that the lower court violated the rules. Effectively, the Supreme Court has indicated that states have free reign in situations like this. The five potential gains in Texas could be offset by the five potential gains in California after voters approved a new map favoring Democrats. Now another southern state is gearing up to draw a new map. Florida lawmakers met yesterday to start the process. Several other states are working through redistricting too, all in a chain reaction to what started in Texas. This is not going to be the last redistricting case brought to the Supreme Court. Other states will be challenged too. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is still weighing a major Voting Rights Act case. The ruling could cause further shakeups to the nationwide battle for control of Congress. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Weiskop, NTD News. President Trump's bid to restrict birthright citizenship is heading to the Supreme Court. The high court announced it will hear the case in the coming months. NTD's Christina Corona has the details. The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it will hear a landmark case over the legality of President Trump's executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship. The order, which was signed on his first day back in office, would prevent children born to illegal immigrants or some temporary residents from automatically receiving U.S. citizenship. Back in June, Trump argued that the policy was being misused. It wasn't meant for people trying to scam the system and come into the country on vacations. Hundreds of thousands of people are pouring into our country under birthright citizenship and it wasn't meant for that reason. If the justices side with the administration, birthright citizenship could be limited to children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident. Courts have already blocked the policy, calling it unconstitutional, and legal challenges argue it would put hundreds of thousands of babies born each year at risk of becoming effectively stateless. Birthright citizenship in the 14th Amendment has been a core principle in the U.S. since the 19th century. The amendment states all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States. The Trump administration holds that the phrase subject to the jurisdiction thereof does not apply to children of illegal immigrants. Justices have not yet set a date for oral arguments, but a decision could come by mid-2026. Christina Corona, NTD News. An update on the January 6th pipe bombing attempt. The man suspected of placing bombs near the RNC and DNC buildings appears in court. Officials also released a timeline of events. NTD's David Lam has more. Brian Cole Jr. made his first court appearance on Friday. He's suspected of placing two pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. the night before the events of January 6, 2021. The 30-year-old from Northern Virginia was arrested on Thursday and is charged with the interstate transportation and attempted use of an explosive device. He did not enter a plea. As he left the courtroom, his family members told him, I love you. According to an FBI affidavit, 2019 and 2020 financial records showed Cole buying items consistent with making pipe bombs. His cell phone data also indicated he was near the Republican and Democratic National Committee buildings around 8 p.m. when the makeshift pipe bombs were placed on January 5, 2021, coinciding with surveillance footage. At around 1 p.m. the next day, authorities received reports about the materials. The bombs did not detonate, but officials say they could have been lethal. The FBI says that Cole lives in Woodbridge, Virginia with his mother and family members and works in the office of a bail bondsman. His height is listed as 5 feet 6 inches. Cole's arrest is the first time investigators have publicly identified a suspect in this case. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the case had not made progress for four years until the Trump administration brought in FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino early this year. Cole will remain in custody with the next hearing scheduled for December 15. David Lam, NTD News. Hours after a hearing in the Luigi Mangini case was canceled today, the Manhattan District Attorney released the 911 call placed by an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonald's manager. NTD's Arlene Richards has more. I'm a manager at Plank Road McDonald's out here on the boulevard. Okay. And I have a customer here that some other customers were suspicious of, that he looks like the CEO's shooter from New York. Newly released audio from a 911 call reveals the moment a Pennsylvania McDonald's manager reported that Luigi Mangioni might be in the restaurant. She told the dispatcher that six customers had identified Mangioni and they were really upset. The manager described what Mangioni was wearing. But he's wearing a black sweater jacket with a medical mask and a tan khaki colored like beanie and like the blue medical mask. The manager said she attempted to identify Mangioni herself by looking into it. Yeah, well, he has his beanie pulled down, so the only thing you can see is his eyebrows. Because I tried to Google it, I could try to calm them down a little bit. And I'm like, guys, it's kind of hard to tell with his eyes and his eyebrows. The audio was released just hours after a planned day of testimony in the case against Mangioni was suddenly canceled after court officials said the defendant was sick. The delay pauses a week-long evidentiary hearing that focused on what evidence will be allowed at trial. The recording was played in court earlier this week during the evidence proceeding. Members of the press had advocated for its release. Mangioni, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges. Before a trial is scheduled, defense attorneys have asked the judge to toss out key evidence, including statements Mangioni made to police and items removed from his backpack during the arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The hearing is expected to be rescheduled sometime next week. Court officials did not provide any details on Mangioni's condition. Arlene Richards, NTD News. Coming up, lawmakers are set to vote on proposals to address the expiring ACA health care tax credits before the end of the month. Democratic leaders continue to push for a three-year extension. Luis Martinez has the latest. Multiple investigations are underway into alleged welfare fraud in Minnesota tied to the state's Somali community. Jason Blair has details when we come back. As we naturally age, many people are getting zero amount of this incredible and unique substance. That's when we start seeing an impact in our joints, skin, nails, and even our digestion. People ask me, Dr. Rex, what is the number one supplement I should be taking? My answer is multi-collagen protein. People's reactions to me, people were like, what are you doing? What is going on? You look amazing. You have a glow about you. What makes Ancient Nutrition multi-collagen stand out from other brands? Ten types of collagen. It's grass-fed, pasture-raised, with vitamin C and probiotics. It's proven to reduce joint discomfort rapidly, continuously, and persistently. It improves the appearance of crow's feet after four weeks and improves skin tone after eight weeks. And it promotes hair thickness, growth, and a reduction in hair breakage. It has transformed everything from my hair. My hair was starting to kind of just come out, and I don't have that anymore. My skin feels amazing. Call the number on your screen and find out how to get a free bottle when you order, plus free shipping and our 30-day money-back guarantee. And as a bonus, we will include Dr. Josh Axe and Jordan Rubin's revolutionary book, Multi-Collagen Makeover, free with your order, plus free shipping and free returns. I have implicit trust in Dr. Axe because the plan worked. I am living proof of it. This is the collagen protein that is backed by clinical studies. It's what my family uses, it's what I use, and I know you're going to benefit in a big way as well. Love the results or get your money back? This special TV offer is not available in stores. 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. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. The vaccine guidelines for newborn babies could be changing. A federal advisory committee is now recommending that federal officials should stop directing parents to get their infants quickly vaccinated against hepatitis B unless the baby's mother tests positive for the virus. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted on the matter today. The majority of the panel said the CDC should update its vaccine recommendations. They said because the safety and effectiveness data for the current recommendations are inadequate. The CDC's director typically adopts advice from the committee without any changes. Around 0.5 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. test positive for hepatitis B. Roughly 80 percent of babies born in 2020 and 2021 received a hepatitis B shot within three days of birth. Lawmakers are set to vote on proposals to address the expiring ACA health care tax credits before the end of the month. It remains to be seen if any of the proposals on the table will have the votes to become law before the end of the year. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez has more on the story. The Affordable Care Act, COVID era health care tax credits will expire by the end of the year as per Democrats' design. And Congressional Democratic leadership has not changed its maximalist demands since the government shutdown, the longest in American history. Today I'm announcing that Senate Democrats will introduce legislation for a three year clean extension of the current ACA tax credits. The Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, tens of millions of people on the verge of experiencing dramatically increased health care costs. Democratic congressional leadership is calling for a clean three year extension of the Affordable Care Act health care tax credits, while a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House has tabled a different proposal. What you see before you are a bipartisan group of congressmen and women who have come together to find a solution to a problem that all Americans care about, health care. We did what we said we would do after the 43 day government shutdown. We came together to discuss health care reform and the looming expiration of ACA enhanced premium tax credits. The House bipartisan proposal includes a two year extension of the ACA health care tax credits and a series of reforms to be determined before July of 2026. For us, this is all about working together to find common ground for the American people and to make life more affordable for them. The framework includes an extension of health insurance premium savings for American families with targeted modifications to help ensure families can still get the help they need. Some of the reforms that are being discussed by the bipartisan group of lawmakers are income caps so that families making more than $200,000 a year are not eligible for the subsidies as well as restrictions on the use of the subsidies for abortions. Both the Democratic leadership proposal and the bipartisan House proposal will receive a vote before the end of December. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. After filing paperwork to run for governor of Minnesota, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he plans to make a formal announcement by next Thursday, while the state is facing a congressional investigation into allegations of widespread welfare fraud. NTD correspondent Jason Blair reports. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is expected to formally confirm a run for Minnesota governor before next Thursday, according to Lindell. Lindell would be the 13th Republican to join the race. Lindell was launched into the national spotlight following the 2020 presidential elections. He aggressively advocated for the use of paper ballots over voting machines, alleging that machines are easily vulnerable to fraud. The governor election will be held in November of 2026. Democrat incumbent Governor Tim Walz has announced his run for a third term. Walz has been under fire recently for allegations of widespread fraud happening in the state. Authorities are alleging that networks of fraudsters, many from the Minnesota Somali community, exploited welfare programs, bringing in billions of taxpayer dollars. U.S. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer launched an investigation on Wednesday. Comer wrote a statement to Walz, saying the committee has serious concerns about how you as the governor and the Democrat-controlled administration allowed millions of dollars to be stolen. The committee also has concerns that you and your administration were fully aware of this fraud and chose not to act for fear of political retaliation. Governor Walz previously made comments about the fraud allegations happening in his state on Meet the Press. We'll put folks in jail. I don't care what your nationality is. These are programs that were meant to serve students with autism, to housing and to making sure people had enough to eat. People are taking advantage of that. They're going to prison. Somali-Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was asked about the fraud during an interview with CNN. Can you shed any light on why the fraud got so out of control in Minnesota? I think what happened is that, you know, when when you have these kind of new programs that are designed to help people, you're oftentimes relying on third parties to be able to facilitate. And I just think that a lot of the COVID programs that were set up, they were set up so quickly that a lot of the guardrails did not get created. The U.S. Treasury Department also recently announced that it is looking into claims that Minnesota taxpayer funds were rerouted to a terrorist group in Somalia through fraudulent nonprofits. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson says U.S. Treasury is investigating allegations that under the fecklessness management of the Biden administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans' tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization al-Shabaab. Jason Blair, Entity News. A federal judge in Florida today ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the federal six trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. President Trump last month signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It compels the Justice Department, FBI and federal prosecutors to release by December 19th the vast troves of material of a mastering investigations into Epstein. U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith said the law from last month overrode a federal rule prohibiting the release of matters before a grand jury. Just when Florida Epstein documents will be made public remains unknown, but it could happen later this month. Two other requests in New York to unseal Epstein documents remain pending. Coming up, the European Commission fines Elon Musk's ex $140 million for breaching online content rules. U.S. officials criticize the move as censorship against American people and American tech companies. Malcolm Hudson reports. Court arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and others will stay in place. Ariane Posdar has the latest on the developing situation. And residents in Syria celebrate one year since the fall of the former regime. And residents in Israel continue to rally for the last remaining hostage held in the Gaza Strip. Jason Perry brings us the details when we come back. I was a quarterback at Hardaway High School, college first round draft pick on and off the field. We were taught to not show any signs of weakness. During the football season, I would stop eating. But I didn't know I was depressed. I thought that something was wrong with me. For 20 plus years, it was physical, physical, physical. We didn't have any education behind what mental health was. I started to learn it starts here first. If this is together, I'll be better as a father, as a man, and as a husband. Put the importance on your mental health. I'm not scared to talk about it anymore. The first tool is therapy. The second one is positive self-talk. Then journaling. Putting your thoughts on paper. We have to redefine what being a strong man is. And heal. Love your mind. There is a road laid out for me. Boxes everywhere. And this is going to be Addie's room. I think you're really going to like it. I hope so. Yeah. I know this road is there for me. First night here, but Amy seems cool. Waste down by the river. I got this. Okay. Take me down to the river and wash me. My mom and dad were traditional Asian parents. Now my father would go to work before I woke up in the morning. And then he would come home too tired to play with me. I tell my son, I love you every single day. Now my dad has never said that to me. Not because he doesn't love me. But because culturally it wasn't comfortable for him. So I teased him the other day. And I said, how come you never say that to me? And he said, you're too old now. 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 material things. Forget the cultural restrictions. They grow up way too fast for you to waste even a single precious minute or moment. Say bye bye. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. The European Commission fines Elon Musk's ex $140 million for breaching online content rules. U.S. officials have criticized the move and said the days of censoring Americans online are over. NTD's international correspondent Malcolm Hudson has more. European Union regulators on Friday fined Elon Musk's social media platform X $140 million. In what U.S. officials have called censorship against Americans. The EU sanction follows a two-year investigation into X under the Digital Services Act or DSA, which regulates online content. This is the first ever fine under the DSA. X has indeed breached its transparency obligation under the DSA. EU regulators said X's violations included the deceptive design of its blue checkmark for verified accounts, which users can get by paying $8 per month. The common practice among other social media sites is an identity verification, which is largely reserved for celebrities, politicians and other influential accounts. Musk said the goal was to democratize verification rather than have it be controlled by a group of biased elites. Regulators said other breaches were the lack of transparency of X's advertising repository and X's failure to provide effective data access to researchers. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though Musk has criticized the EU's move. Rival company TikTok did not receive a penalty because it made concessions. At the same time, we have adopted today and accepted TikTok's commitments to make its own advertising repository work. TikTok promised changes to its ad library to be more transparent so researchers and users can detect scams. The European Commission says its crackdown on big tech aims to ensure smaller rivals can compete and consumers have more choice. But it has been criticized by the Trump administration, which says it singles out American companies and censors Americans. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the fine is not just an attack on X, but an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people, adding that the days of censoring Americans online are over. And Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said that Europe is taxing Americans to subsidize a continent held back by Europe's own suffocating regulations. President Trump has previously vowed to retaliate if Brussels targets U.S. tech firms. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News. International criminal court arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and five other people accused of war crimes will stay in place. This is even if a blanket amnesty is approved during U.S.-led peace talks. NTD's international correspondent Ariane Postar has more. Peace and justice can march together. And many would argue that justice is not possible or peace is not possible without justice, that there must be the possibility of accountability in order for peace to be enduring. The deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says the court's investigation into the invasion of Ukraine cannot be halted by peace talks. The court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and five others for their alleged involvement in war crimes in Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of war crimes. This as Putin is meeting with his Indian counterpart. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says trade between the two countries will reach $100 billion. As per my conversations with President Putin since yesterday, December 5th, and the potential we see, I don't think we'll have to wait until 2030 to achieve the target of $100 billion bilateral trade. I can see it clearly. Putin agrees, praising the connection between Moscow and New Delhi. Ariane Postar, NTD News. Residents in Syria celebrated the one-year anniversary of the fall of the former Syrian regime. But with outbreaks of sectarian violence since then, the country's new leader faces a complex situation as he tries to lead the war-torn country. NTD's Jason Beyer has the update. Residents in Syria filled the streets on Friday to celebrate the one-year anniversary since rebels overthrew the Syrian regime. The crowd gathered in the city of Hama, which is a key city that Syrian rebels captured on December 5th, one year ago. And that victory was a major loss to the former Syrian regime. Some local residents shared their thoughts. It is an indescribable feeling. It is a feeling that came after that many martyrs sacrificed their lives. We were scared of our country, scared of the army. Now we have an army that we care about. Now we are not afraid. We go to pray dawn prayers at the mosque without fearing anything. Thank God. Syria's former leader Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, where he is now believed to be living in exile. And since then, the new Syrian security forces have been accused of sectarian violence against religious minorities in the country, including the Alawites and the Druze. However, Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, recently met with President Trump at the White House. And Trump said al-Sharaa was a strong leader and that he's confident that al-Sharaa will be able to do the job. We'll do everything we can to make Syria successful because that's part of the Middle East. We have peace now in the Middle East, first time that anyone can remember that ever happening. Also on Friday, the United States Central Command, or CENTCOM, reported that Syrian security forces had intercepted multiple weapons shipments that were intended to reach the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon. CENTCOM added that the U.S. and regional partners have a shared interest in disarming Hezbollah. And one of those partners is Israel, which has recently been holding talks with the Lebanese government about the ceasefire, which includes the disarmament of Hezbollah. The leader of the Iran-backed group did not agree to the Lebanese government holding talks with Israel, saying it was a concession to Israel. Meanwhile in Israel, residents rallied at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv for the return of the last hostage from the Gaza Strip, Ron Gavilli. His sister said this. 254 hostages have been returned from Gaza, and Arran is still there. On the Shabbat, they tell the stories of Jacob's return home after 20 years. I am pleading for the return of Arran after more than two years. Jason Perry, NCD News. Clues into what China prioritizes for its agents in the U.S. A text message in the trial of a former New York state official says this about the Uyghur situation in China. Quote, I will definitely not let the governor bring it up. Here from Taylor Hawthorne about how the CCP is using soft power to suppress discussion of China's human rights abuses. Tonight on Capitol Report at 7 p.m. Eastern. Coming up, two YouTubers take on a global cybercrime wave. Their investigations expose international scam networks, efforts that sometimes put them in real danger. Stay tuned for their interview with Epic TV's Bay Area Innovators when we come back. Food. It fuels our bodies. Nourishes our spirits. And brings us together. Because we all need nutritious food to thrive. Food gives me energy and it also helps me focus. But not everyone knows where their next meal is coming from. And one in seven people in America face hunger. It's tougher than ever for too many of us. But the simple truth is ending hunger is possible and it starts with you. Call or go online to helpfeedingamerica.org and give $19 a month, just 63 cents a day to help families in your community facing hunger. Feeding America works from coast to coast with partner food banks, food pantries, and meal programs. Your monthly gift delivers food where it's needed most, puts fresh food on the table, and helps kids have healthy meals all year round, even when school is out. You can see the difference with the kids when they're full. Food is everything. Please call the number on your screen or go online to helpfeedingamerica.org. Give $19 a month. Your first gift can double in impact. And we'll send you this free canvas grocery bag as a reminder of how you're helping to end hunger for good. When it comes down to it, it's about taking care of your family first and the loved ones that you need to provide for. Food donations help me tremendously and I'm very grateful for the food bank. I have hope. The simple truth is ending hunger in America is possible. You can help make it happen. The need is urgent. Call or go online now to helpfeedingamerica.org and your gift can double in impact. I've stayed hidden for decades, but I had to come back because they started selling Folicious at Walmart. This isn't your average soup. It's made with real beef tallow and fresh spices. They think I survive on berries and bark, but this? This is real pho with real broth and I'm never going back. They followed the smell of the pho. I gotta move. If they find this stash, it's over. Folicious. Restaurant quality anywhere. Looking for the perfect gift this season? Get a new recliner from Mathis Home during the holiday savings event. They have hundreds of recliners from top brands starting at just $199. Take your pick. These genuine Lazy Boy recliners are holiday priced at just $485. It's your chance to save on the comfort and quality Lazy Boy is famous for at just $485. With our incredible selection, you're sure to find the recliner just right for you. They're all in stock ready for fast, free delivery during the holiday savings event at your furniture superstore, Mathis Home. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Ashton Bingham and Art Kulik run a YouTube channel with more than a million viewers where they expose online scammers by posing as vulnerable victims. Their work has uncovered international fraud rings, revealed how criminal networks operate across countries, and even assisted major law enforcement cases. In their interview with Bay Area Innovators, they shared why they feel a responsibility to protect the public and how confronting global scammers has led to real risks, from bounties on their heads to dangerous overseas investigations. Now, you know, there's so much on the internet and most of it is entertaining. I would say not everything is useful, but I want to ask you, how do you feel about, you know, doing a show that's, first of all, it's entertaining, has 1.7 million viewers, but at the same time, it's really useful to the people? It's definitely, again, when we by accident discover this pandemic, cyber security, cyber pandemic that's happening online, the more we start exposing the methods of scammers, that scammers, a lot of the different types of scams based on different regions, different countries, and we see, like, how nobody's doing about it, nobody's talking about it, and we're like, okay, so now maybe that's going to be our role, that's going to be our mission to taking care of our neighborhoods, taking care of our community, and bring awareness, and do whatever it takes to educate people. It really all starts with scam baiting, us putting ourselves out there to appear as a vulnerable victim in the most common types of things we go after, like tech support scams, romance scams, and manipulation in that sense, and, you know, we pretend to be vulnerable, sometimes we pretend to be elderly. What else do I need to do now? What's going on here? Oh yeah, I lost you, dude. I got what? What do you mean, you don't know? I just get told to pick up, that's all. We literally just let the scammers scam us, without taking the money, of course, but we let them lead us down their path, step by step, of what they want us to do, what they want us to say, and it allows us to not only document the entire thing and identify the red flags along the way, but also with some social engineering and experience, we can get them to make little mistakes, and we get them to reveal things about themselves, sometimes reveal exactly who they are. If law enforcement wants to be involved, our door's always open, but at the end of the day, it's about holding them accountable, raising awareness and teaching people how they work, so that less people fall for it. Let me ask you this. Are you at any time worried or scared that some of these, you know, you're dealing with international criminals, with network, you know, with cartels or whatever, right? Are you worried that they may come after you if you're bothering their business too much? The biggest danger came to us when we traveled to India and we shut down three call centers and local mafia put bounty on our heads, right, because we came and we intercept, interrupt the business that's been making billions for decades. We just got back from Nigeria. So international busts sometimes can be dangerous. So that's why we will bring extra security. We will try to communicate with the local law enforcement and just making sure that we do everything right, especially when you're not in your country. So we briefly alluded about the case, I think it was just last month, right, the 25 arrest, $65 million ring that was apparently it was a Chinese network that was working with the Indian network and they were working together. How did you get involved with that and what were some of the details there? Scams come in waves and the way that they operate come in cycles. That was at a time when we were first investigating that particular scam, which is kind of called the refund scam, but it's basically a tech support scam based out of India. But when we started going after it and confronting the cash mules, we confronted one. It was a person of Chinese descent staying at an Airbnb in California. We did another one. It was a person of Chinese descent staying at an Airbnb in California. We did that like three or four more times. And it was the exact same situation where a Chinese person was staying in an Airbnb, expecting a box of cash from a victim shipped to California. It was kind of interesting. It's a pattern, but we can't really do much else with it until we got reached out to from law enforcement. That time it was Homeland Security. And they said, hey, those videos you just put up, let's talk. And if you're willing, we'd love to see the unblurred footage, the raw footage. Of course, we always supply that when asked by law enforcement. And it turns out it overlapped with something they were already looking into. And then our videos of confronting those very guys went into this massive indictment that, yeah, it took five years, which sucks, but at least it happened. And it turns out, as we learned, that Indian call centers were recruiting Chinese mafia, in this case, a lot in California, to be the pickup people here in the states to facilitate the money transfers. That's amazing. Can you please give us a sense of how do you view these scammers? What kind of people are they? Is there any hope for them to become better? I believe people deserve second chances if they want them, but they don't always want them. You know, we've I think our channel might not be the biggest one in the world, but I think we've broken a lot of ground and been a pioneer in a certain way with certain things. And one of those things being really exploring the humanity behind a scammer's actions and one that really doesn't want to do what they're doing. And they're doing it for other reasons. And one of the earliest stories that we ever did on our channel was this very thing, which was a scammer on the phone that expressed what felt like honest, true remorse and expressed, you know, certain life and life, life factors and cultural differences that led them there that keep them there, not by choice. And so I'm getting blackmailed. It's never, ever, ever black and white, but it is fascinating. And that's why we like to go down those roads. Now, don't get me wrong. We talk to hundreds, thousands of scammers. The vast majority of them are pretty sick, horrible, vile people. But every now and then you'll come across one that has a story that is interesting. And we like to tell those when the opportunity presents itself. Why do you think scamming is skyrocketing or at least, you know, increasing? Is it that law enforcement is not doing enough or just people's morality is going down? I would say technology, because we don't stay on the same level, right? We have iPhone 1 and now we have iPhone 17 with new things, with AI and deep fake and these and technology becoming so strong, getting involved in our lives. So that's why instead of like a thug will come to you and, you know, beat the crap out of you and get your cash that you have in a pocket. It's exactly the same, but inside of your computer. So technology is definitely helping, but it's still the people making the decision to do the wrong thing. So I think the barrier of entry being easier now is a big part of it. It might bring out ones that might not necessarily have done it before, if it took more work or took more risk. But it's so easy to be untraceable now that it might invite new opportunity, quote unquote, for ones that want to do wrong to others. It's easy. It's also scammers thrive when there's any kind of worldly or political upset. And any time that there's panic or widespread fear or widespread uncertainty causes people to do some pretty crazy things. And so it's unfortunate, but it's the world we live in. And that's all for today's news around the clock coverage. Visit us at ntd.com slash live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Good night.