NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (April 8)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, the White House announcing the time and place of in-person Iran negotiations. And the President drawing a red line on the fate of Iran's nuclear dust. Mario Tsu at the White House. As the ceasefire with Iran continues to hold, the U.S. saying all military objectives have been achieved and that U.S. troops remain ready to resume combat operations if necessary. Jason Perry reports. The United States demanding that Iran completely reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of the new ceasefire. Arian Pasdar has the latest on the reopening of the crucial waterway. The Justice Department launching a sweeping crackdown on fraud. Thousands of cases already underway with billions in taxpayer dollars at stake. Jack Bradley brings us the latest. And results are in for two elections. A Trump-backed candidate is set to serve in the U.S. House and an expanded liberal majority on Wisconsin's Supreme Court. Melina Wyskopf with the details. 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. I'm Kevin Hogan in for Tiffany Meyer. The White House announcing that Vice President Vance will be leading the U.S. delegation for Iran peace talks on Saturday. This comes as President Trump declares a big day for world peace and the White House says Iran has agreed to a ceasefire proposal with the U.S. And we go now to NTD's White House correspondent, Mari Otsu, at the North Lawn. Mari, good evening. Hey, Kevin. Good evening. That's right. The White House today is announcing that President Trump will be dispatching his negotiation team led there by Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan, where they'll begin talks, Iran peace talks on Saturday. The White House is also declaring that Iran has agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying that President Trump's maximum pressure campaign on the regime, combined with the leverage made from Operation Epic Fury, led to the Iranian regime asking for and ultimately agreeing to a ceasefire proposal with the U.S. Take a look. Privately, we have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today, and I will reiterate the president's expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly and safely. That is his expectation. It has been relayed to him privately that that is what's taking place. And these reports publicly are false. This coming as the White House says Iranian uranium enrichment is a red line that's top of the priority list for the president. Right now, their dust is deeply buried and watched 24-7 overhead. The president has been clear from the beginning there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons. Period. Full stop. President Trump declaring, quote, there will be no enrichment of uranium and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried B-2 bombers nuclear dust. It is now and has been under very exacting satellite surveillance space force. Nothing has been touched from the date of attack. The Pentagon saying any material the Iranian regime should not have will be removed immediately. On the uranium, we're watching it. We know what they have and they will give it up and we'll get it and we'll take it. If we have to, we can do it in any any means necessary. Meanwhile, President Trump saying that authorities are determining whether a crime was committed by CNN for issuing a, quote, false and dangerous statement pretending it came from the upper levels of the Iranian government, calling it very dangerous and saying results of the investigation will be announced in the near future. He adds that, quote, numerous agreements, lists and letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the USA Iran negotiation. They will be rapidly exposed after our federal investigation is completed. There is only one group of meaningful points that are acceptable to the United States and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these negotiations. What Iran says publicly or feeds to all of you in the press is much different than what they communicate to the United States, the president and his team privately. Never underestimate President Trump's ability to successfully advance America's interests and broker peace. This coming as the White House condemns American media outlets for what it calls falsely reporting on the Iranian regime's first 10 point plan as acceptable, a plan the White House calls fundamentally unserious. I've seen various organs in New York Times, CNN, others pick up and run the original 10 point proposal based on little more than a random Yahoo in Iran submitting it to public access television in the country of Iran and then them saying that somehow represents the negotiating position of the government. It doesn't make an ounce of sense. And Kevin, President Trump is also announcing that any country that sells any military supplies or weapons to Iran will be tariffed on any goods sold to the U.S. immediately at 50 percent. And today, the NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte met with President Trump here at the White House. That's coming as the president says that NATO was, quote, tested and that they failed amid their lack of support during Operation Epic Fury. Back to you. Thank you for that update, Mari. And U.S. officials saying all military objectives have been achieved in the war against Iran. And as the ceasefire with Iran continues to hold, America's top general says U.S. troops remain ready to resume combat operations. And today's Jason Perry has the update. Smoke was seen rising from an Iranian oil refinery on Wednesday, just a day after a two week ceasefire was announced between the U.S., Israel and Iran. The truce appears to be holding, as Secretary of War Pete Hexeth says, quote, Iran begged for this ceasefire. In last night's wave of more than 800 strikes, we finished completely destroying Iran's defense industrial base. Their command and control is so decimated they can't really talk and coordinate. So they still may shoot here and there, but that would be very, very unwise. But they can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers or build UAVs. UAVs are attack drones. And Secretary Hexeth says that U.S. forces have destroyed the factories that make them. You see, in less than 40 days, one of our combatant commands, Central Command, CENTCOM, using less than 10 percent of America's total combat power, dismantled one of the world's largest militaries. The world's leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable. Secretary Hexeth adding that together with Israeli forces, America's military achieved all of its objectives, striking over 13,000 targets. He also highlighted the success of the recent rescue operations, which included U.S. boots on the ground to recover two U.S. pilots on enemy territory. Zero American casualties. The Iranians humiliated and demoralized. We control their fate, not the other way around. That's why they came to the table. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain honoring the 13 U.S. troops who died in the war and also commenting on the ceasefire. As the Secretary said, we hope that Iran chooses a lasting peace. But as Secretary Hexeth said, let us be clear, a ceasefire is a pause. And the joint force remains ready if ordered or called upon to resume combat operations. However, the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon continues as that conflict was not included in the ceasefire. And on Wednesday, Israel reported striking more than 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites across Lebanon within a 10-minute time frame. On the same day, an Israeli general vowed to protect the citizens of Israel from the Iran-backed group. Jason Perry, NTD News. The United States demanding Iran completely reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of the new ceasefire. Data shows the first vessels are already managing to pass through the crucial waterway. NTD's international correspondent, Arian Pasdar, has the latest on the strait's reopening. This ceasefire is subject to of the free, safe and immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levin on Wednesday highlighting the importance of reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz. President Trump taking to social media, saying the United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action, just like we are experiencing in the U.S. This could be the golden age of the Middle East. According to ABC News, the president says he's considering starting a joint venture with Iran, charging ships passing through the strait. Levin commenting on the report. It's an idea the president has floated, as you know, and it's something that will continue to be discussed over the course of the next two weeks. But the immediate priority of the president is the reopening of the Strait without any limitations whether in the form of tolls or otherwise. Data indicates that the Strait of Hormuz is already reopening on Wednesday. Tracking service Marine Traffic posted footage showing that one Greek and one Liberia flagged vessel managed to pass through the strait. Various nations are now working to reopen the passage fully. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. It's our job to work with other countries in the region, not only on the cessation of hostilities, but also on opening the Strait of Hormuz. But many operators from across the globe are still expressing doubts. Starmer says he also heard concerns from the British shipping sector. But in order for them to feel safe to move through the Strait of Hormuz, they need to know there are diplomatic and political confidence behind what they're doing. We're here to build that. And a spokesman for the German government saying Berlin appreciates the ceasefire while adding that things won't go back to normal right away. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz will take time and will not immediately restore the situation to what it was in February. It will take time for shipping to return to pre-war levels. Shipping giant Maersk also says that the ceasefire can open some opportunities for vessels in Hormuz, but that it's not yet providing enough security certainty to resume normal operations. Arian Pasdar, NTD News. Congress is weighing its next move as the United States enters a ceasefire with Iran. One lawmaker is looking back at the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. NTD's Chris Bobb has more. A two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran is now in place, opening the door to possible peace talks as soon as Friday. Lawmakers from both parties are already reacting, even as Congress remains out of session until April 14th. The pause comes after weeks of escalating conflict, with questions now turning to whether this window can lead to a longer-term agreement. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham took to X following the announcement on Tuesday, saying in part, quote, At this early stage, I am extremely cautious regarding what is fact versus fiction or misrepresentation. That's why a congressional review process like the one the Senate followed to test the Obama-Iranian deal is a sound way forward. Fair and challenging questions, with a full opportunity to explain and a healthy dose of sunlight, is generally the right formula to understand any matter. Later Wednesday, he added, quote, The supposed negotiating document, in my view, has some troubling aspects, but time will tell. I look forward to the architects of this proposal, the Vice President and others, coming forward to Congress and explaining how a negotiated deal meets our national security objectives in Iran. Congress never approved the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also called the Iran Nuclear Deal, but it also did not block it. Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, lawmakers reviewed the deal, but opponents couldn't get enough votes in the Senate to advance a resolution of disapproval. Without that, and lacking the numbers to override a veto, the deal moved forward. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling for GOP Senate and House leaders have not so far issued statements on the ceasefire. Chris Bobb, NTD News. As the United States enters a two-week ceasefire with Iran, what items are likely to be included in a future peace plan, and what could be done to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon? Stay tuned for analysis tonight on Capitol Report with Steve Lance at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The Justice Department is ramping up efforts to tackle what it calls a growing fraud crisis across the country. A new nationwide enforcement effort is underway to track down increasingly sophisticated schemes. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has more. The Justice Department is launching what it calls the most aggressive anti-fraud crackdown in U.S. history, targeting criminals accused of stealing billions from taxpayers. The American people deserve an end to the crisis of fraud. At the center of it all, a new National Fraud Enforcement Division, bringing together prosecutors and investigators across multiple agencies in every state. Officials say 93 additional prosecutors will now be deployed across the country, focused specifically on fraud. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says that there are already around 8,000 cases under investigation, but warns that that's just a fraction of what he calls a massive and growing problem. Who exactly are you targeting? Doctors? Owners? When it comes to hospice fraud specifically? Yes. Exactly. I mean, everybody that participates in it. I mean, you see those, that fraud is, the question was about hospice fraud, and that's the purest form of stealing from your, from the American people's pockets, in that it is a lot of money designed to help the most vulnerable among us. And officials say that the results are already rolling in. This week alone, the DOJ announcing enforcement actions totaling more than half a billion dollars in alleged fraud. In Florida, an insurance brokerage accused of enrolling vulnerable patients in unnecessary health plans, pocketing more than $140 million in subsidies. In California, a man pleading guilty to a nearly $270 million Medicaid fraud scheme. And over in Nevada, a business owner sentenced to prison for stealing close to $100 million in COVID-era tax credits. With over a trillion dollars at stake every single year, threatened by increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters, the time for this comprehensive and coordinated approach is now. The crackdown extends beyond the DOJ, with a White House task force led by Vice President and J.D. Vance signaling a broader multi-agency push. The administration says that this is just the beginning of a sweeping effort to track down fraudsters and recover taxpayer dollars. For NTD News Washington, I'm Jack Bradley. Results are in for two key elections, one to replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia, and another for a seat on Wisconsin's Supreme Court. NTD's Melina Wyskup has the details. Georgia voters have elected Clay Fuller, a district attorney, to serve in Congress. If you need to see any proof that God guides everything in this country, all you have to do is look at the man that is standing on this stage right now. And it's not because we had a huge victory tonight, because we had a huge victory tonight. But it is because I'm an absolute miracle to be above ground at this point. The congressman-elect says a diagnosis of thyroid cancer was a wake-up call from God. President Trump endorsed Clay Fuller, who won nearly 56 percent of the vote, though his opponent said the race showed progress for Democrats in the Ruby Red District. The Republican Party had to spend almost two million dollars in a smear campaign to get this win. They should never have to spend money on a Ruby Red District. That tells you that things are changing here in northwest Georgia. Harris conceded the race Tuesday night. Fuller will fill the seat of retired Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene until the end of this year, but will have only one month off the campaign trail. Fuller will have to run in another Republican primary in May to secure a full two-year term. Nevertheless, the win will help cushion the bare-bones Republican majority in the House. House Speaker Mike Johnson quick to congratulate Fuller to continue delivering results and saving America. Now, the Democrat Party poured millions of dollars into this campaign, poured lives into this campaign, but they can't beat Donald Trump, and they never will. And I will be on Capitol Hill as a warrior to have his back each and every day. In a separate election in Wisconsin, Supreme Court candidate Chris Taylor defeated conservative-backed Maria Lazar. Lazar called Taylor to concede the race. I know that your votes were not cast in vain, and that you did set a mark and draw a line and say, Wisconsin deserves better, and I'm hopeful in future years that will happen. Taylor's win will expand and secure the court's liberal majority until at least 2030. People are hungry for a judiciary that prioritizes them, that protects our rights, that affords all Wisconsinites equal justice under the law. Her campaign largely centered on abortion access. Taylor previously served as a policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. Coming up, a new photo of the Milky Way is shared by NASA as the Artemis II is about 48 hours away from touching back down on Earth. Jason Blair reports. And social media giant TikTok seeking a dismissal of a New York case that accuses the company of harming users' mental health. Arlene Richards has more on the proceedings next. Absolutely perfection. Hands down the best show I've ever seen. I almost cried like eight times. I don't think anybody realizes how good this show is until you actually get into the theater and see it. I feel better about the world. I feel uplifted. It fills the cup with joy. Could not get enough of it. You have to come see it. It's a must-see. Must-see. Returns to David Koch Theater March 25th through April 12th. Get your tickets at shenyun.com. I trod on my glasses yesterday, and I had to pay up front for a new pair that I can't even pick up for another ten days. So I looked for another way, and I found Select Specs. I ordered online. 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We're known for our uncensored China coverage you won't find anywhere else. We cover the stories that affect you and shape our world without the political noise. We report from the heart with you in mind. Watch us right here on MTV News. Welcome back. NASA shares a new look at the Milky Way from the Artemis II. This while a crew in the Pacific Ocean is already preparing for the ship's splashdown on Friday. NTV correspondent Jason Blair has more. The crew also took an image yesterday of the Milky Way, which is stunning. A new photo shared by NASA shows the latest view of the Milky Way galaxy from near the moon. The photo was taken on day seven of the 10-day mission. NASA says the Artemis astronauts received photography training before the flight. This morning, we're going to send them a note that says how great their photos were and how much the world is talking about them. And the Monday eclipse photos from the far side of the moon were not easy to take. The automatic system on the camera would not give you the picture that you saw, right? Because you've just got a very little bit of light around the edge of the moon. We took an array of photos at different exposures to make sure we got it. And after some good and bad days, the issue with the only toilet on board remains mostly resolved. The toilet remains operational. The challenge that we're working through is evacuating the wastewater tank. The vent is a lot less than we were expecting. And so we're having to fall back to some other alternate means. Crews have been already setting up on the Pacific Ocean for when the Artemis 2 will return to Earth. I'm currently at sea aboard the USS John P. Mertha with a joint NASA and military team who are ready to safely recover the crew once they splash down off the coast of California. The splash landing is scheduled for 8.07 p.m. Eastern on Friday. Jason Blair, Entity News. Social media giant TikTok today seeking a dismissal of a New York case that accuses the company of harming users' mental health. Entity's Arlene Richards has more on the proceedings. But isn't it a product? A New York appellate panel of judges on Wednesday hearing arguments over whether the state of New York can sue TikTok on behalf of the platform's users. TikTok argues that only people who are harmed can bring claims. To answer the question of whether a state can sue TikTok, the courts have to grapple over whether the state's case is about the content posted on TikTok, in which case the company would be immune from liability under the First Amendment, or the design of the platform and its algorithms, which may arguably be called a product. The TikTok itself, is that not a product? No, TikTok is a platform, the algorithm, that's all a publication mechanism, a service under New York law compared to a product. Does the First Amendment protect human beings or artificial intelligence? As you're gathering together things based upon the user, and what the user has exhibited some interest in, and then feeding that directly to the user. New York is one of a coalition of 14 state attorneys general who filed lawsuits in 2024 against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance. They are accusing the social media platform of harming young users' mental health while deceiving the public about its dangers. New York State Supreme Court ruled last May that Attorney General Letitia James could sue the platform and rejected TikTok's request for a dismissal of the case. In Wednesday's proceeding, the New York attorney explained why the algorithm is a product and not related to free speech. How do we get past that being like speech from different people just pulled together in a way that they say is interesting versus it being an actual product? So I think that this is a product in the same way like a child's toy would be, a child's entertainment or a child's toy would be a product. Since the platform's U.S. operations were sold to a group of American investors in January, concerns have remained over whether its algorithm could still manipulate content on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. The chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, Congressman John Moulinard, recently told Cliff May on the Foreign Policy Podcast that he wasn't satisfied that TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, still owns a minority stake in the U.S. operations. There's a lot of unanswered questions. To your point about the algorithm, to what degree does ByteDance still have control of that algorithm? And how secure is the data when it comes to Americans' data? In the New York case, the panel didn't rule on Wednesday. Arlene Richards, NTD News. Coming up, the White House saying the ceasefire deal with Iran will hold if the Strait of Hormuz is open. What's happening in the Strait? And will Iran agree to give up its highly enriched uranium? 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We know the value of a free society. And we take seriously the responsibility to preserve it. We are NTD. Good to have you back. Following sharp criticism from President Trump over NATO's limited support for U.S. military operations against Iran, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited the White House this afternoon. Meanwhile, the White House says the ceasefire deal with Iran will hold as long as the Strait of Hormuz is open. And joining me now to discuss this is Rear Admiral Peter Brown, retired U.S. Coast Guard officer and Senior Fellow for Western Hemisphere Security and Maritime Affairs at the America First Policy Institute. He also served as a former homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to President Trump. Great to have you with us, Admiral. President Trump's meeting with Rutte was closed to the press, but the White House Press Secretary had this to say just hours before the meeting. Take a listen. I have a direct quote from the President of the United States on NATO, and I will share it with all of you. They were tested and they failed. And I would add it's quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks when it's the American people who have been defunding their defense. As you know, President Trump will be meeting with Secretary Rutte in a couple of hours here at the White House, and I know he looks forward to having a very frank and candid conversation with him. Admiral, when asked about President Trump's threat of withdrawing from NATO, Press Secretary Leavitt said, quote, I think it's something the President will be discussing in a couple of hours. Do you think leaving NATO is a step America should take, or is this primarily a negotiating tool? Well, thank you very much for having me on, Kevin. And President Trump doesn't need me to negotiate for him, so I think I'll let him continue on in that vein. But the criticism of NATO and its relative lack of effectiveness is, I think, a valid one. And for a long time, European countries have offloaded a lot of their security requirements onto the United States. And in doing so, they've actually weakened themselves internationally. And I think one other thing about NATO that's important to realize is they tend to operate or want to operate by consensus. But consensus, unfortunately, is the opposite of leadership. From a position of leadership, he's articulated clear strategic objectives for the United States, and he puts those objectives above political niceties that other administrations and the foreign policy establishment have done and would like him to continue to do. And on that topic, Admiral Brown, what do you expect of NATO in this situation in terms of the charter, whether or not NATO is responsible for taking the initiative to pursue U.S. military objectives? Of course, what President Trump says is something that benefits the entire world. Or are they simply only response when there's an attack on American homeland or one of the NATO countries, for example? One of the benefits of NATO is the interoperability of the military forces that are within the coalition. And that interoperability has been applied to other contexts other than Russia invading Western Germany in the 1980s. And so the idea that NATO has to sit out unless it's an existential military threat to the territory of one of the member states is just not applicable here. There are other compelling security interests for the West, Western Europe, as well as the United States, as well as NATO member Turkey, that actually borders very close to Iran, that are compelling security interests. And NATO should have a role to play in achieving those objectives. On the Iran ceasefire, the White House reporting an uptick of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz today and says that reports from Iranian media about it closing are not trustworthy. That's with Iranian media saying traffic is now stopped, likely due to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. What are the possibilities that can happen in the Strait? So the Strait of Hormuz is recently providing an excellent example of what happens when a choke point, either a geographical or political or economic choke point, is closed off to worldwide commerce. Obviously, the Strait of Hormuz is important, depending on whose figures you believe, about 20 percent of worldwide hydrocarbons flow through there, particularly toward Asia and Europe. And so it is vitally important to the global economy. And whether it's oil through the Strait of Hormuz, critical minerals being processed in China rather than in the West, whenever a critical transportation node or a critical supply chain can be put at risk by one adversarial actor, it creates instability and it can be weaponized, basically used to hold other nations hostage when their critical economic needs are being choked off due to the policies of an adversary nation. I think that's what we're seeing now with the Strait of Hormuz. I think this will come to a negotiated settlement of some type. And again, Vice President, Secretary Rubio and others are in the best position to negotiate those terms, and the U.S. Department of War are in the best position to dictate those terms. And Admiral, Iran's parliament is saying the U.S. ceasefire terms are unreasonable. What will likely the regime do if it doesn't agree? It may disagree, but it's hardly in a position now to meaningfully resist. Most of the conventional weapons capability has been destroyed. They know that their economic lifelines are being held at risk right now. So I think that it may not be in the next day or two, but over the course of the coming weeks, I think that the cooler heads in Iran will realize the existential threat to their nation and will come around to a settlement that allows the Strait to open to worldwide commerce, which is really the only way that Iran will get back into the business of selling its oil to its preferred trading partners such as China. And the War Secretary Hegseth says that there is an overwhelming victory in Iran. And now at the same time, President Trump has threatened to attack civilian infrastructure, but Hegseth says that, no, he backed off on that because of mercy. Now, what will the U.S. do if Iran doesn't concede to the demands? So one of the challenges that we have is we're dealing with an adversary that doesn't respect the rules-based international order. The idea that nations will respect one another and even in times of conflict will abide by the law of armed conflict, the Geneva Convention. And when the adversary doesn't agree to that same set of rules, it becomes very difficult for our side, in this case the U.S., Israel, and those Gulf states that are inclined to participate to achieve their military objectives without kind of running afoul of some of those rules because, you know, some people say, well, it's a war crime if we drop a bomb on such and such a facility. It's equally a war crime to put civilians deliberately in harm's way in the course of ongoing hostilities. And yet we see the Iranian government has been very willing to put its own civilians, particularly women and children, in harm's way, which makes it kind of an asymmetric threat of them committing war crimes against their own people. War crimes. And, of course, we've seen thousands of civilians being killed by the regime in the protests. Now, the U.S. has largely dismantled the Iranian military, including destroying its missile capabilities and Navy. Foreign Secretary Hegseth says it's an overwhelming victory, as we mentioned, and that Iran came to the negotiating table when President Trump threatened to attack that civilian infrastructure. And Iran is also claiming victory after the ceasefire announcement. Why is that? Well, they have an internal satisfy both within Iran and within the greater Islamist world. Some of the other Gulf states obviously see it very differently. And you'll notice that and I noticed in some of the coverage that a lot of the messages are written in English for Western consumption. And so they are they're trying to spin the facts to their favor and the facts continue to move in the opposite direction. And that's why I'm confident that in the coming days and weeks, perhaps over the term of this two week conditional ceasefire, we'll see Iran come to the table agreeing to conditions that they clearly would have dismissed just a few weeks ago. And there's another aspect to this. President Trump says China played a role in bringing Iran to the table. And Chinese special envoys have been engaged in shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East since the war began. And military analysts have told media the Chinese satellite images using A.I. could be giving Iran the ability to launch precision strikes against U.S. positions. Is China using soft power to support Iran for its own interests? Well, China and Iran have been using soft power to advance their interests around the world, including in the Western Hemisphere, for example, Venezuela and Cuba. So the idea that the two of them would act in concert to improve Iran's negotiating position is not a surprise at all. And also, I am absolutely certain that China is is closely observing the tactical and strategic lessons of the hostilities over the past few weeks. And we'll we'll put them into their planning factors for any potential future engagement with the West, including how they might might defend the South China Sea and other critical, critical waterways. And adding to that, about 40 percent of China's oil imports come through the Strait of Hormuz. So a lot at stake in that particular region. Now, Rio Admiral Peter Brown, thank you for coming on the show and sharing us that insight. Thank you, Kevin, appreciate you having me. As the U.S. and Iran agree to a ceasefire, is this an outcome of President Trump's peace through strength approach? And as the president deliberates whether to withdraw from NATO, has the alliance lived up to its original mission? Entities Sam Wong was out in the National Mall in D.C. to hear from the people. Do you think the ceasefire is a product of the president's peace through strength policy? I do. I do, because when he went in on day one and took care of the matter, I think he definitely was able to bring strength through peace in a certain way. So I'm hoping that that can actually transfer into a peace deal, which I'm very confident he'll be able to do so. I would wager to say there's more behind the scenes that we're aware of and things are just falling into place as planned. But just like with children, you've got to set the rules and keep the consequences. You have to be tough. I like that he's taking steps to help. I mean, I really think it'll make a difference and it'll change the face of the world, but I think it'll be positive in the end. I care for the people of Iran and I want to make sure that they are protected and they are liberated. I hope that they came to some sort of agreement towards peace and towards the people of Iran being safer. President Trump has previously threatened to withdraw from NATO. What do you make of that? Do you think NATO has been living up to its original purpose? I think NATO has drifted from the original purpose and that we need to get everybody back on track. I don't think he has any other choice or the whole thing will just end up being not NATO, but the European Union. Not knowing its full extent of what their original mission was, I know that we contribute a lot of money to that. And that should ensure that we're all linked arms to protect those defending our liberty throughout the world. Right now, I think NATO isn't living up to their mission right now, especially with the handling of Iran, their stances, their different process of how they believe they should go across with handling Iran. I think that overall it's more of a threat, basically, to bring them to the table, to understand and get them to realize the viewpoint of where we need to go as a country and what they need to go to as an organization with handling with Iran. So I think it's just bringing them to the table, understand what's going on and get them on board. I think we've helped so many countries in the past, and they're not helping us. So I think that's why he's going to pull out. You know, on the instructions on the airplane, if it's going down, you have to put your mask on first before you help your child. We've got to take care of ourselves first before we start helping the whole world. Coming up, in baseball, the Pirates reportedly signing a 19-year-old rookie to a nine-figure contract after just a week in the majors. Dave Martin joins us with all the details next. Dave Martin speaks Chinese How it started. Our back and forth. Victory. Fumble. Repeat. It always came back. You probably don't remember what you told me. Welcome back. And now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, we've got some golf news as well as NBA and NHL, but let's start in baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates have reportedly agreed to sign 19-year-old phenom Connor Griffin to a nine-year contract extension worth more than $100 million. What do you make of this? Well, you know, even though it's worth, you know, a reported $140 million for a guy who's only played six career baseball games in the major leagues anyway, there's a good chance the Pirates actually got a good deal here. Now, Griffin, he was a first-round pick by the Pirates in 2024. Last year, he was named the top minor league player in all of baseball. You know, if he continues along with this path, it would at least seem that they've got a starting shortstop for the next decade, if not an all-star or maybe even an MVP candidate. Now, if he has a good season this year, you know, at age 19 and 20, I mean, his value really would skyrocket. And getting it for nine years means you're getting the usual six years of player control, which you get when you bring up a minor leaguer, plus you're buying out three years of what will be his free agency years, which will easily be most expensive. Plus, of course, your best years are usually in their 20s, which he will soon be. Now, obviously, the Pirates are still taking a risk here because, you know, baseball, it's the toughest sport to project. But $140 million over nine years is not huge, actually, by baseball standards. I mean, think Shoei Itani with that $700 million contract, of course. It is the most, though, however, handed out to a rookie player. All in all, Kevin, I like this deal for the Pirates. I mean, if they tried to get this guy in free agency in six years, chances are they're not going to be able to afford him. It's a good gamble, I think, for a small market team especially, too. Yeah, they've got to put their chips in somewhere. All right, golf news, Masters begin play tomorrow. Which players are considered some of the favorites to win? Yeah, well, we've got, of course, number one ranked Scottie Scheffler, for one thing. I mean, he's the number one player in the world. He's won this event twice before. Now, just behind him, you'd probably have to say players like Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, as well as second ranked Rory McIlroy. Now, remember, McIlroy won it last year to complete the career Grand Slam, winning all four of the majors. There's also a lot of perks to winning this event. You get to wear the green jacket that the winners do. You also get to pick the menu for their annual dinner of past and present champions. It's a very cool tradition. Let's actually listen to what McIlroy said, who's Irish, about this event. People keep asking me, why didn't you go more Irish? And I said, because I want to enjoy the dinner as well. So, you know, I tried to do a few things that I thought everyone would eat. The club encouraged me to do one vegetarian dish in the appetizers. So that's where the peach and ricotta flatbread came from. I think that one was probably for Gary Player. Yeah, it's been fun. You know, it's been fun to work through. The club have been amazing, amazing to work with. And as I said, the fun part was getting access to that wonderful wine cellar that they have. And, you know, I'm excited to share those wines with everyone tonight as well. You know, Kevin, CBS has those Masters promos where they call it an event unlike any other. You've got the Dinner of Champions as part of that. But it's also probably the most overall fan-friendly event. They only allow CBS to air four minutes of commercial per hour. Plus, the ticket prices when you go there are extremely reasonable. So are their concessions. It is really a unique tradition, I'll say that. That's awesome. You get the who's who. But you know what the shortest book in the world is, they say? The Irish cookbook. I did not know that. Well, it sounds like they still like the meal anyway. Moving on to hockey news. Alex Ovechkin says he'll wait until the season is over to decide on his future. Yeah, Ovechkin's contract expires this summer after the season ends. Plus, he's 40 years old. He'll be 41 by the time next season starts. Now, he's cited health as the most important factor on determining whether to retire or continue playing. Now, look at his production, though. He can obviously still play. He has 31 goals this year, tied for 30th in the NHL last year. He was third in goals, which was incredible, really, for a 39-year-old. Now, this week marks the one-year anniversary of him passing Wayne Gretzky for that all-time goals record. He now has 928 in his career. Now, meanwhile, though, the Washington Capitals have just four games left in the regular season, including their one at Toronto tonight. But they're going to need some help if they're going to continue the season into the playoffs. So these could be possibly his final games here in the NHL. We'll have to see. Yeah, a lot more goals than teeth. That's exactly right. You've ever seen him smile? For sure. Oh, boy. All right, now shifting gears to the NBA. We have seven games on tonight as the regular season soon comes to a close. How close are we to the playoff teams being decided? Yeah, very close. Ten of the 12, you know, guaranteed playoff spots have been decided. Those are the one through six seeds in both the Eastern and the Western Conference. Only the five and six seeds in the Eastern Conference have yet to be decided. But Atlanta can clinch one of those spots tonight if they win at Cleveland. Now, in that scenario, they would also win the Southwest Division Conference title. Now, meanwhile, Oklahoma City, the defending champions, can clinch the overall number one seed in the playoffs with a win tonight or a loss by San Antonio. The Thunder play at the Clippers while the Spurs host the Trailblazers. And, of course, being the top seed means you get home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. They might need it if they actually have to play San Antonio, which they could play in the conference finals. The Spurs ended up beating them four out of their five times this season, although the Thunder really had few problems with any other teams. And, meanwhile, the NBA playoffs start at the end of next week, so get ready. Ah, exciting stuff. Thanks for coming on, Dave. Thank you, Kevin. And that's all for today's news. For round-the-clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com slash live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Kevin Hogan. Good night.