NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (April 25)

Our top story tonight. President Trump cancels the U. S. Trip to Pakistan for Iran talks. The president emphasizing that the U. S. Has all the cards, adding that the trip is too time consuming and costly. Middle East analysts on what this means for negotiations. President Trump set to headline the White House Correspondents Association dinner tonight after years of skipping the event as president. What to expect and a parade in New York City today, honoring a peaceful appeal that preceded a massive persecution of faith that continues to this day. This is MTV Evening News live from our global headquarters in New York City. Thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Arlene Richards. President Trump today canceling the U. S. Trip to Islamabad for the Iran peace talks, saying too much time wasted on traveling and too much work. We'll deal by telephone and they can call us any time they want. Again, we have all the cards. They have no military left. Practically, they have no leaders left. We don't know who the leaders are. Nobody knows who the lead. I don't think they know who the leaders are. Very important. The president added that this kind of travel is expensive as well, saying he's a cost conscious person. In a phone interview with Axios reporter Barack Ravid, he said the decision doesn't signal a return to hostilities ahead of the scheduled talks. Iranian officials had consistently signaled they were not planning direct engagement with Washington during the now canceled visit tonight for the first time in his presidency. President Trump is set to attend the White House Correspondents Association dinner. The president boycotted the event throughout his first term and in the first year of his second term, citing unfair treatment by the media. He accepted this year's invitation back in March, writing on truth social that it comes, quote, in honor of our nation's 250th birthday and the fact that these correspondents now admit that I am truly one of the greatest presidents in the history of our country. The Correspondents Association was founded to promote freedom of the press and protect access to the White House. Since Calvin Coolidge's attendance in 1924, every U. S. President has appeared at its annual celebration at least once. President Trump is expected to deliver remarks tonight. Stay with us for our coverage. A pair of ceasefires extended a major shift in marijuana policy, a dramatic ship seizure and updates from the 1st and 2nd ladies. And it is Daniel Monahan has your White House week in review. President Trump extending a ceasefire with Iran, citing what he called growing fractures within the regime. Not only have they been significantly weakened and obliterated militarily, but they are losing economically and financially. Every single moment that passes with this blockade, the federal government moving to reclassify certain FDA approved state licensed marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The move follows a December executive order by the president directing the Justice Department to loosen restrictions and expand research. This is a giant move forward to implement your promise. It's now classified as a Schedule three drug, a category for substances with a moderate to low risk of physical or psychological dependence, such as steroids. First Lady Melania Trump speaking at the 113th annual First Lady's luncheon, promoting legislation aimed at protecting Children and foster care. America's Children are our moral equals. As parents and leaders, it is our ethical obligation to ensure our kids develop emotionally and physically within a safe environment. Meanwhile, Second Lady Usha Vance has presented a handmade blanket as the second family prepares to welcome a baby boy. Dramatic scenes at sea as U. S. Forces take custody of an Iranian flagged cargo ship accused of violating the blockade. Auto Vessel Tosca. Auto Vessel Tosca. Vacate your engine room. Vacate your engine room. We're prepared to subject you to disabling fire. Moments later, U. S. Forces firing on the vessel's engine room before Marines repelled aboard and secured the ship. John Phelan stepping down as Navy secretary, President Trump saying he's a hard charger and had some conflicts with people mostly about shipbuilding and procurement. The president naming Hong Kao as acting Navy secretary. He escaped Vietnam with his family in 1975. This is the scariest sound you will hear when you live in a communist country. This is the last sound my parents heard when their fathers were taken away in the middle of night. President Trump announcing a most favored nation agreement with drug company Regeneron to lower prices for Americans. The numbers will come down at levels that nobody's ever seen before. We have made a decision, the unprecedented corporate commitment to provide this first of its kind gene therapy for hearing loss free to all the Children in the United States. He didn't know his name. He couldn't hear me tell him how much I love him. And now with Regeneron and this amazing surgery, he can listen to music. That's incredible. I mean, even the fake news has to be impressed with. You'll find a way to make it a bad story. Israel and Lebanon extending their ceasefire for three weeks at a meeting at the White House brokered by President Trump. Want to be a wonderful thing to get this worked out simultaneously with what we're doing in Iran, a generational investment in the United States military. That's how the Pentagon is describing President Trump's $1.5 trillion military and defense budget request for fiscal year 2027. Our adversaries are rapidly advancing capabilities across every war fighting domain in the air, land, sea, space and cyberspace. And finally, the White House is invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950 to boost U. S. Power grid capacity, citing national security risks from aging infrastructure, foreign dependence and supply chain gaps. Daniel Monaghan and T. D. News House lawmakers returned next week with a focus on spending as key agencies defend their budgets and priorities for fiscal year 2027, with deep cuts in some agencies and major increases in others. And it is. Chris Bob has mawr on the week to come. Monday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will testify on the agency's fiscal year 2027 budget, outlining plans to return Americans to the moon by 2028 and built a sustained presence there. The proposal comes under pressure after roughly $15 billion in cost overruns since 2009, with programs repeatedly exceeding projections. These include the experimental X 59 aircraft program rising from $468 million to nearly $800 million and space launch system upgrades climbing into the multi billion dollar range, with one expected to reach $5.7 billion. Isaacman is expected to argue that NASA must move away from programs that are too costly to succeed. Later Monday, Lee Zeldin will present a sharply reduced budget for the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal calls for $4.2 billion, a 52% reduction from current levels. The cuts fall hardest on state grants, water infrastructure and climate related programs. By midweek, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will appear before the House Armed Services Committee defending a $1.5 trillion defense budget request, a 42% increase over current levels. The proposal includes $756.8 billion for new weapons and capabilities, $74 billion for drone warfare and $65.8 billion for shipbuilding, the largest naval investment in decades. Then Thursday, the Air Force will request $338.8 billion, a $92.5 billion increase, or 38% higher than current funding. That includes $267.7 billion for the Air Force and $71.1 billion for the U.S. Space Force, a 124% increase. And finally, Congress is moving to extend Section 702 of FISA, which allows intelligence agencies to collect communications on foreign nationals overseas. The authority is set to expire on April 30th after repeated failed votes. House Speaker Mike Johnson's latest plan would renew the program for three years without a warrant requirement, relying instead on adding reporting and oversight provisions. Chris Bob N. T. D. News. Coming up, the president cancels the U. S. Delegation trip to Pakistan, emphasizing that the U. S. Has all the cards. Middle East analysts on what this means for negotiations with Iran when we come. 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 could 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 pen. This plan was designed for people in a fixed income with coverage options that started $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, 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. This is such a gentle painting, so beautifully portrayed. A group of people reading together in this simple, everyday looking living room. A young girl reading along with an adult, a grandparent sitting in the lotus position, a businessman in his typical suit. You see all those people, they look like they have quietly settled down there. And you as a viewer, it looks like you've just stepped in the door. You can't see what it is they're reading, so you're a little bit curious and you're kind of invited to walk in. This harmonious feeling is not by accident. It is the very subject of the work. The book they are reading is the main text of Falun Gong, which is an ancient Chinese spiritual discipline in the Buddhist tradition. At the core of Falun Gong are the values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Unfortunately, the practice is banned in China, where the artist resides. Thousands have been killed for their faith. Golden energy blooms into the room as a result of their steadfast faith. The painting on the back wall reminds us of this work's title, Plum Blossoms in a Muddy World. It's also a metaphor for the practitioners that are sitting in the room as plum blossoms. They signify perseverance and hope that all brutal winters end and life is renewed once again. The magical thing. There are real consequences to controlled media and NTD's founders know them firsthand. Our freedom of thought is the price This is the lesson that guides us in everything we do. So there's a tear gas there. We know the value of a free society, and we take seriously the responsibility to preserve it. We are NTD. President Trump today canceling the U. S. Delegation's trip to Islamabad, emphasizing the U. S. Has all the cards and that all Iran has to do is call any time they want. We're bringing in now David Wormser, Middle East Affairs Analyst at the Center for Security Policy and former senior advisor to Vice President Cheney on the Middle East and Strategic Affairs. Also with us, Middle East historian Jacob Oladour. He's also the chief research officer and director of American Security at the America First Policy Institute. Thank you both so much for joining us. Thanks. So I want to start with the president's comments on why he canceled the trip. So let's watch that now. We'll deal by telephone, and they can call us anytime they want. Again, we have all the cards. They have no military left. Practically, they have no leaders left. We don't know who the leaders are. Nobody knows who the lead. I don't think they know who the leaders are. Very important. David, I'll start with you. What is your reaction to the move? Well, I think he's definitely getting tired of the stringing along that the Iranian regime is doing and trying to drag this out while they're rebuilding capacity and porting things from China, perhaps, that are dangerous like man-pad missiles and reconstituting missile forces. So he sees that they're they're beginning to play games, and the president's not one who really likes people playing games with him. So this is a real warning shot across Iran's bow that this is, he's on to their game, and he doesn't want to continue this way. So he hasn't shut the door on diplomacy, but he's pretty strongly put the Iranians on notice that he's losing patience with their dragging this out. So Jacob, I think I mispronounced your name, Jacob Awadort, the president pointed to fractured leadership among the Iranians that he doesn't even know if they're aware of who the leaders are. So what does this mean for negotiations? It's great to be with you. I think that's an important point of all of this, and I would say probably different from the Iranian tactic for the last 47 years of dragging out negotiations. It's an important part of a negotiation. The deal is probably less important than the fact that the negotiations take place and their role in exposing the chaos at the top of the regime. We've known that the IRGC would have been in the ascendancy for many years now, but this is an unprecedented state in that you have no functioning ayatollah there. So nobody really knows what to do, nobody knows with whom to communicate and on whose behalf they do communicate, and I think that is an asset to the United States which also has the element of time on its hands. So I think it's all a net positive and helps reinforce the strategic aims of this engagement. Now David, in terms of ideology on the Iranian side, is there a significant rift among them, or are they pretty much after the same things? No, I think the rift is not that wide in terms of ideology. They're all of a type that actually was a small coup within a coup in 1989. They consolidated their power. They all believe in this eschatological apocalyptic view, and they don't necessarily see Iran as their country or the welfare of Iran. They believe that it is a leverage point or a vehicle for delivering their ideological ends at all costs. So I don't think you're gonna see a big fissure among the leadership on ideology, but you will see a big fissure, and I think Jacob alluded to this. You're dealing with mafia leaders, thugs essentially, that are at the top of the structure, and there's an empty seat. Mojtaba Khomeini poetically has appeared as a cardboard box or a cardboard figure, and that's really like the tent cards we have in these conferences, which says, seat is reserved. And that is exactly what's happening. It's an empty seat, and now you're seeing these mafia dons, or these these barracudas, or cobras, or however you want to put it. They're circling around this chair, one eye on the chair, and they want to make a move for it, but one eye on each other, because they all have their posses, they all have their mafia structures, and they're all measuring each other up. So you have a real tense standoff that is very dangerous for the regime, and I think that is part of the nature of these negotiations. It is causing some of these fissures to be much more intensified, to excite them, to stimulate them, which is a strategic objective in its own right. Now Jacob, let's go deeper into the president's comment about the U.S. having all the cards. How much grace has he demonstrated to the Iranians during these talks? Well, he's obviously always preferred the diplomatic approach and has extended that time and again, but of course, as we've seen, especially in the first term and now the second term, this president does not stand idly by while Americans are at risk, and he goes further than any other administration has gone in eliminating the threats to the American people with strategic, targeted actions, military and economic and otherwise. And so the maximum pressure campaign that we've seen in the first term, that was unprecedented. We've seen in this term Operation Midnight Hammer to eliminate the nuclear threat, and now Epic Fury, which is a combination, and then Economic Fury as well, in recent days. It is a targeted military and economic campaign together to choke the Iranian regime, to pressure it to meet the U.S. demands, beginning with the Iranian commitment to abandon its ambition of seeking a nuclear weapon, which of course they have not done to date. And so it is all trending towards that objective, and it will be met one way or another. Now, David, President Trump says Tehran, interestingly, offered a better proposal following the cancellation. And meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister saying today on X, quote, yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy. So your reaction to his public skepticism? I think Iran is, it probably conceded one or two points, but it's still, the president said it's not good enough. So we're not really getting to this resolution, and that is a typical Iranian negotiating strategy, is never quite get there. But I think we have to also look at these Iranian statements and the Iranian offers that are not quite good enough. In the context of orchestrating what goes on henceforth, I think the cards are in the United States hands, and it is slowly choking this regime to death. We're actually hitting quite a threshold in the next two or three days with the filling of all the storage facilities for oil, which would force shutdowns of Iranian wells, which can destroy them. And that means the Iranian regime now is under immense pressure. We think very much as if we would have the cards here to restart the war. But remember, Iran can restart it too. And I think some of their negotiating strategy is to tee it up in a way that does not lay the blame on them for the start of the war. Specifically, they could start it through Lebanon, forcing Israelis to respond with Hezbollah, which then they blame for the resumption of the war in the Gulf, and blame essentially Israel for everything that happens henceforth. So these negotiations are part of the backdrop, I think, to say, listen, we were negotiating, we were conceding, everything was going swimmingly until the Israelis decided to to respond to Hezbollah heavily. Now, Jacob, do we know of any other players, like maybe China, that could be influencing Iran's position in these talks behind the scenes? Well, of course, Iran is a client of China, of Russia in many ways. The relationship has only gone in one direction, and that is taking from Iran. Iran, of course, supplying Russia with military know-how. Obviously, as David mentioned, taking parts for missiles and other weaponry from China. But I think as far as who is calling the shots for the Iranian regime right now, I think it's frankly a bit of survival mode for the IRGC right now, and figuring out what it is their plan is beyond trying to survive in a physical, literal sense. What their plans are as far as the regime, what their plans are as far as succession, all of these are, I think, secondary to the immediate concern of actually getting through this, which, you know, they still believe that they have time on their hands. In fact, the time factor is, for the first time now, on the U.S. side. And so I think that will be, there's a lot that could obviously happen in the ensuing weeks and thereafter. And David, same question for you. Well, can you repeat it quickly? Is China or any other nation influencing Iran during these talks? Yeah, they signed a strategic agreement five years ago, six years ago, that involved a lot of intelligence cooperation and so forth. And that is one of the problems here. Who is feeding Iran some of this intelligence that has definitely improved, even as the war went on? Second of all, we do see the flow of weapons into Iran that are dangerous, that can cause problems strategically. For example, manpads. The strategic environment changes if an American or Israeli plane are shot down, as well as missile precursor parts. So they're playing a major role there. The second thing is, I think that they are globally trying to convince the world, through their propaganda structures and so forth, that America is the one that has lost this war. The Americans are the ones who need to come to terms with the Iranians, etc., etc. And they're trying to essentially support Iran's narrative in these talks, despite the fact that the reality on the ground doesn't bear it out. So I think the Chinese government has essentially shown it considers Iran as a major strategic asset, and their overall desire to weaken the United States in the Middle East and bog it down, and to, in general, strategically weaken the United States globally. Now, Jacob, a big question here is how much more time the president is willing to give the Iranians. So your thoughts on that? Well, I think the objectives all along are to eliminate the immediate threats to the American people that they face from the Iranian regime. That largely has been met, as the president has said. Now, of course, there's the question of eliminating Iran's ability to use its last point of leverage, the Strait of Hormuz, which, of course, we have a blockade over. I think right now, you know, a lot will depend on how Iran reacts. I think Lebanon will be an important piece of this, as the president mentioned in recent days. You know, I think he even said that Iran's agreement to have Hezbollah out of Lebanon is a part of the negotiations. We'll see if that is, in fact, the case, but I think that would be a major clue as part of this process. And then, of course, we're not engaged kinetically militarily at the moment, and so there isn't much in the way of, you know, incentives or time pressures that we face to, let's say, stop the blockade or stop the pressure on the regime. And so, until the circumstances change, I would say, is when, and that, of course, is the president's determination. David, before we go, your final thoughts on all of this? Yeah, I think, I think the points that Jacob are making are important. We, time is on our side. As long as we can keep the southern, the southern half of the Persian Gulf, those states trading, both through alternative pipelines or through the southern part of the Gulf, then it doesn't really affect the international economy. And even if it does, it's a much less of an impact than what we're doing to Iran. So, we really do have the cards here. Time is on our side, but we must not fall into the way I used to play chess, which is, I had great plans, but I forgot there was an opponent that also was playing chess opposite me. And the Iranians are capable very much of changing the subject and completely shuffling the chessboard. And that's something we have to anticipate. All right. David Wormser and Jacob Alador, thank you both so much for coming on and have a great weekend. Thank you. Thank you. Coming up, a parade in New York City today honoring a peaceful appeal that preceded a persecution of faith that continues to this day. Nikubani brings us a look. Is deep-sea fish oil really healthy? 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 porcelain 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. This land, our America, built on hard work, determination, and grit. Sometimes the days run long, but hope, it never runs out. Even when the food does for America's veterans, working parents, even kids. Because in every corner of every town, even yours, millions of hardworking neighbors are facing a hunger crisis. Many for the very first time. 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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. Because you're not just giving food, you're fueling resilience for people across the nation. You're Feeding America. Call or go online today to helpfeedingamerica.org, and your gift can double in impact. Looking to refresh the style in your house? Come to Mathis Home during this spring style event and see hundreds of options for your perfect living room. Take a look at this sectional. We can help you build it into the style you want, from sleek and modern to something more eclectic to an updated traditional look. You can also reconfigure it just by adding or removing pieces. The sofa version is a great value at just $12.89. Come find the look that's right for you at your furniture superstore, Mathis Home. In New York City today, a parade and rally marking a too-little-talked-about moment in recent history, one demonstrating a community's courage and peaceful resilience against a campaign targeting their freedom of belief. Entity's Niku Bani has the story. In New York City today, hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners marching to commemorate April 25, 1999, where 10,000 practitioners gathered in Beijing calling for the release of those beaten and imprisoned for their faith. The first peaceful protest after China's regime change and subsequent 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Now, more than two decades later, practitioners remembering this moment, saying the message is just as urgent today. It's a very important event here today to remember and commemorate, and also let the people know the persecution is still ongoing in China. There are people on the other side of the and so just to have that sympathy and my fellow neighbor kind of empathy for other people. We are so tied up with China, and whatever happens to China carries over and happens on Main Street here in America. It happens over the dinner table here in America, whether we know it or not. I became aware of how important it is that there are millions and millions of people who are not being denied what I take in my faith as a right to practice my beliefs. Falun Dafa is a spiritual practice rooted in truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Practitioners saying these principles gave them the courage to stand up on April 25, 1999, to protest peacefully against a regime it was rare to speak out against, and again, doing so today. They're peaceful members of our society. They are the example of what peace is, and today I'm here in the name of peace. I guess one thing that stands out, that peacefulness that I describe at 425 has not changed. The practitioners you see here today and around the world embodying truth, compassion, tolerance. It's this constant. We continue to speak out in a peaceful way, and we want the message to be the same, that we're calling on people to side with history, side with justice. Just months after this peaceful appeal, the Chinese Communist Party launching a brutal crackdown on Falun Gong, one that continues today, including mass detentions, labor camps, torture, and forced organ harvesting. Today's events not only remembering what happened, but calling for an end to a persecution. Nikubani, NTD News. When looking to get fit, many women opt for cardio and not strength training, often out of a wish to appear slender and avoid building the bulk of an 80s action movie star. But is this fear really justified? In this episode of Vital Signs, certified nutrition specialist and health fitness instructor J.J. Virgin shares how muscle training can benefit women. Here's a preview. I'm Brendan Falun, health journalist. I'm here at the Integrative Health Symposium here in New York. It's my pleasure now to be joined by J.J. Virgin, an established authority in women's health and a pioneer in fitness. We're going to be talking about the link between women maintaining muscle mass beyond 40 and longevity. J.J., great pleasure to have you on the show. Thank you for having me. To me, it's a relatively new thing to hear about, women maintaining muscle mass. I've heard so much about cardio. This has been a tradition going back decades. Jane Fonda comes to mind these heavy aerobic cardio workouts. Has that been a mistake? Have they been missing what's really important up to this point? Should muscle have been the main focus? So full disclosure, I was an aerobics instructor. I did wear the leg warmers way back when. Here's what's interesting. At the time, I was in graduate school. I distinctly remember now, everything that we were doing in graduate school, we were funded by Precor. Everything was about aerobics, aerobics, aerobics. We were taught, do not have women lift weights or anyone, men and women, but do not lift weights until you lose the weight. What was interesting for me is I was actually paying my way through graduate school working as a personal trainer. I'd graduated from the aerobics world. That was different than the other people in our graduate school who were graduate students and they were basically being TAs. I was in the real world, which was fantastic because what I saw very quickly was this dependence on aerobic exercise as for weight loss wasn't working. I remember reading a study way back when and scratching my head at the time, not really understanding why it was the way it was, but basically it showed that if you were relying on cardio for weight loss, the minute you stopped, you started gaining the weight back. Now we understand it. If you're relying on cardio, cardio does not help you hold on to and build muscle. You have to lift weights to do that. Now, back 40 years ago, that was a scary concept for women because they were afraid they were going to get bulky, right? I mean, they still think this, which blows my mind. I like to say that muscle is your metabolic spanx because women get that. It holds everything in tighter and boosts your metabolism. What I saw back then was that if I started to have my clients lift weights, that it basically changed the equation. That all of a sudden, back then there was no exercise endocrinology, so we didn't know the role of muscles. There wasn't anything being talked about with hormones and exercise. There was no cortisol discussion, no insulin discussion. Of course, what we now know is when you're doing resistance training, not only does that muscle require more energy to be on your body, but the bigger impact are those myokines, is that becoming insulin sensitive so that your body's easier for it to burn off fat. What I saw was when I made that shift, and this was literally 35 years ago, I shifted from the focus on cardio to the focus on resistance training, that it allowed a woman to get off the diet roller coaster. Now, the big thing I had to do so that they didn't freak out was I used skinfold calipers and a tape measure because we didn't have bioimpedance scales back then. I was doing all these things to show them the change in their muscle, that it wasn't, in fact, that they were gaining weight because what would happen is their weight wouldn't really change much, but their body would change significantly, but they'd have body dysmorphia because they were so focused on the wrong metric of success, the scale, rather than looking at what their weight was made up of. You said their weight wasn't changing? Right. Here's what will happen, and this is why. If I could have one piece of legacy work, it would be this. We would stop using a traditional scale ever as a determinant of our health success. You do not lose weight to get healthy. You have to get healthy to lose weight, and you want to ensure that that weight is fat, not muscle, and that you're holding on to or building muscle. Well, you can't tell that from a normal scale. Now we have these bioimpedance scales that will tell us our fat-free mass, our fat mass, and we'll be able to track it, but quite often, I think back to a client I had, Vicky, who came to me and she wanted to lose 10 pounds. Well, her BMI was 19, which is on the low end of healthy, and she looked fine. She was just squishy. Her body fat was 25 percent, which for her, as a kind of ectomorphic lean woman, was high. So we worked for a year, and she did, in fact, lose 10 pounds of fat. However, she also put on 10 pounds of muscle, which is about what it would take. It takes about a year for that to happen. She dropped two clothing sizes. Now, here's the crazy thing. You hear that, and you're probably going, that's great. She looked amazing. She went from 25 percent to 18 percent body fat. Her weight didn't change, and she was frustrated. This is the craziness that can happen here. This is why we have to shift from looking at weight to looking at what that weight's made up of, because when you're really talking about not having to think about diet, and you're really looking at longevity, and brain health, and bone health, all the things that muscle is so critical for, you have to make sure that you are building muscle as you age. We think that as we age, we lose muscle, and yes, that's true, but I think it's more because of our sedentary lifestyle, and this idea that as we age that maybe we should move to just doing Pilates instead of lifting heavy. We start to get all concerned about it, whereas we really need to continue to challenge our muscles and continue to move. To see that full interview and others on how to optimize health, go to ept.ms forward slash vital signs. Vital signs offers general health information not intended as medical diagnosis or advice. Please consult your doctor before undertaking a new health regimen. Coming up, a historic partnership that transformed Baroque art in Rome. An exhibition traces the journey of a young prodigy as he becomes an artistic icon with the support of a powerful pope. And a new club in Amsterdam encourages attendees to step away from their screens and reconnect to the real world. We take a look. Kids love it. Parents trust it. Obviously. Obviously. Explore GJW Plus Kids Series and Gone Young Campus courses led by expert educators. This is spectacular. Children will learn values like respect, responsibility, and knowledge in language, science, and more. Wow. All while having fun. Perfect. Subscribe today at GJW Plus Kids where learning meets fun. The 8th NTD International Piano Competition welcomes distinguished pianists from around the world. Celebrating the depth, discipline, and expressive power of the Baroque, classical, and romantic repertoire. September 1st through the 5th, 2026, New York City. Apply at piano.ntdtv.com. Honoring the timeless tradition of the piano. The fastest-growing independent news source in America, bringing you breaking news from around the world. Expert analysis, investigative reporting, and original award-winning documentaries. 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 NTV News. An exhibition now on display in Rome is focusing on the relationship between a Baroque master and Pope Urban VIII. The pots of support during the period helped elevate the young artist from a prodigy into an artistic and architectural icon. NTD's Andrew Thomas has the details. During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, Catholic popes were the primary patrons of the arts. The exhibition Bernini and the Barberini examines the connection between Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini and the Feo Barberini, who would become Pope Urban VIII. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was undoubtedly Urban VIII's favorite artist, and as soon as he was elected to the papal throne, Pope Urban VIII decided to make him his personal artist. The relationship between Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Urban VIII had begun much earlier, when the pope was still a cardinal. Modern art history professor Andrea Bacchi at the University of Bologna curated the new exhibition. Bacchi describes the relationship between Bernini and Urban VIII as fundamental to the birth of Baroque art in Rome. It is worth remembering that on the very day Urban VIII became pope, he summoned Gian Lorenzo Bernini and said to him, it is your great fortune, Cavalier Bernini, to live in the Rome of Urban VIII, but it is Urban VIII's greater fortune to reign when Cavalier Bernini is in Rome. This was not a paradox, because in fact even today, if we remember Urban VIII, it is above all as the great patron of Bernini. Urban VIII commissioned Bernini for some of the final details inside St. Peter's Basilica, one of Rome's most iconic landmarks today. The basilica that Julius II had wanted, and that all the greatest architects from Bramante to Michelangelo had built, was finished but not decorated inside. So it was a question of creating altars for this basilica, which was out of scale, and therefore an altar like the Baldacchino, which, let's not forget, is as high as Palazzo Farnese. The exhibition includes works loaned from museums and private collections around the world. The Baldacchino canopy is a highlight, recently restored and cleaned in time for the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year. Normally, artists created ephemeral works, large portals, stage sets, creating the appearance, with poor materials, of rich materials such as marble and bronze. Bernini did the opposite, using very noble materials such as bronze to create a work that alludes precisely to what is an Baldacchino, altar canopy. That is, not an architectural structure, but something made of wooden poles and fabric that serve to protect images. Some objects have not been in Italy for centuries, but will be on display at the National Galleries of Ancient Art through June 14th. Andrew Thomas, NTD News. And a new club in Amsterdam is helping people step away from their screens. Attendees participate in a variety of offline activities, alone with each other, in an effort to reconnect with the real world. You'll need to check your phone at the door. Around 200 people are attending a two-hour creative session at this former church in Amsterdam. An organization dubbed the Offline Club is hosting the event, structured around different themes. One of them is connecting with yourself through creative activities, or reading, or writing, or puzzling. So really something that makes you slow down and reflect, go inward. But the club isn't just about self-reflection. It's about making social connections in real life instead of online. And then also more connection-focused events where you talk to others, you play board games, you go on offline walks in nature, for example, and meet people in a dynamic and natural way. The meetups give participants a break from the digital grind. I think, you know, it's nice to like touch that pen and paper, you know, like that physical element. It just grounds you, I think. Breaking dependence on digital dopamine can be tough. That's by design. And those apps are developed to have you sort of stay as long as possible, by having short-term rewards, right? So I move to the next image and, oh, that's nice. And then you have a 10-second reward rush. And then, oh, but what's the next image? And then it really works by sort of having you cling on to this app. Nicola Cloherty says the experience reminds her of what life was like before the ubiquity of screens. Being like nearly 42 and having had both sides of technology and device life, this just returns me to a simpler way of being and the joys that I experienced as a kid. Artist Brian Hermerlane describes his need for a digital break. Yeah, I think it's important to just connect. For me personally, I find myself like being quite often on the internet, but also scrolling. So these kind of activities is allowing me to like really understand, okay, what it means to be present. Marketing specialist Penny Steenbeek appreciates the social aspect. What I just really love is that you can kind of unwind, but also with other people. So when you're at home, it's just by yourself and you're like, okay, I cannot use my phone right now, or I should just chill. And then it's a bit harder than when you're actually, yeah, go somewhere someplace like. Founded by students in 2024, the offline club has expanded across Europe. The group organizes sessions in 18 cities for those looking to break away from their screens. Andrew Thomas, NTT News. And that's the news for this evening. Thank you for tuning in. I'm Arlene Richards. Good night.