NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Sept. 27)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. I'm your host, Chris Beers. We begin with the latest on the U.S.-Iran war. President Donald Trump rejecting Iran's latest offer, saying he expects more talks this week as Washington and Tehran try to bridge major differences. Police in the U.K. arresting five men near a military base used by the U.S. Air Force. A local official says a suspected explosive device was found in a nearby village. Jason Perry has the latest. California's governor race heads into Wednesday's debate, with Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton set to face off over affordability and taxes. Japan's Prime Minister says President Trump gave her a detailed briefing on the latest talks with China's Xi Jinping, highlighting close coordination between the two allies over China and regional security. Pope Leo meets with 80,000 young people in France, sharing his hopes for the next generation. It's part of his four-day trip to France. President Trump takes the mic at the 2026 President's Cup in Chicago, addressing fans and greeting golfers on the first tee following an Air Force One flyover. This is NTD Evening News, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. A powerful Nor'easter continues to impact the Northeast with heavy rain, strong winds and a coastal flooding from New Jersey through New England. More than 130,000 customers were without power this morning, with the biggest outages reported along the New Jersey shore, Long Island and coastal Connecticut. In Brooklyn, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority worker was killed Saturday after being struck by a falling tree. Forecasters say the storm is gradually weakening, but another round of tidal flooding is possible today as the high tide moves in. Conditions are expected to improve gradually into Monday. President Donald Trump telling news outlet Axios today that he expects more U.S.-Iran talks this week, potentially as early as Monday. This comes after the president rejected an Iranian proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz for seven days. President Trump saying part of the deal was unacceptable. Listen. Well, I'm rejecting the deal. They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they're losing so badly. You know, you don't read that or you don't see that in the fake news, but we're winning tremendously. We have total control of the Hormuz Strait. Massive amounts of oil are coming out of the Hormuz Strait. Last night, we had 29 ships come out. They want to make a deal. And I think that's fine. I like making a deal, too. But I'm not. That deal would not be acceptable. Tehran wanted to reopen Hormuz if the U.S. lifted its naval blockade and removed oil sale sanctions, but apparently did not mention giving up nuclear ambitions. Oil is currently already moving through the Strait. Trump said the U.S. military is facilitating oil shipments with more than 20 million barrels passed through over the weekend. President Trump said Iran has overplayed their hand. So they outsmarted themselves. They said, let's close it and cause a problem for the world. And then I came along and we put up the greatest blockade ever in military history. It's a wall of steel. I would put it up. And guess what? They don't have any money now because they wanted to close the Strait. And I said, that's fine. We're going to close it on you. But everybody else is able to use it. Meanwhile, military escalation remains possible. When asked whether he was considering renewed strikes on Iran, President Trump said, quote, I am always thinking about it. Police in the U.K. have arrested five men near a military base that has been used by American forces. The men are being held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. NTD's Jason Perry has the details. Police in the U.K. arresting five men early Sunday morning near a Royal Air Force base that has been used by the United States Air Force. According to the U.K.'s counterterrorism policing, U.K. police received a call after midnight alerting them that three suspicious vehicles were heading toward the base. Armed officers then arrested the five men near the base in Gloucestershire, England, about 100 miles west of London. They were arrested on suspicion of committing offenses under the Explosives Act and were further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. A Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner says the area around the suspects' vehicles was cordoned off and about 85 households have been evacuated while the inspections take place. President Trump on Sunday commenting on the situation. The arrest in the U.K. was fantastic. Working with Britain, it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our port. And working with the British worked out great. It may have been Scotland Yard. I don't know. We worked with a lot of them. We had them under view for a long time and we got them. Thank you. That particular base in the U.K. is significant because it has been used by U.S. forces to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard previously warned in July that any base used in strikes would be a legitimate target. It looks like there's not a lot happening but I can guarantee that if you try to get into the base you'd be stopped pretty quickly. A local counselor in the U.K. says there was a suspected explosive device located in a village near the house and he adds this. It's no secret that we have American bombers here that are taking part in what's happening in the Middle East at the moment. This is an important base. The Americans who run it take their sense of responsibility of being in this location seriously. But I think there's always more we can do. Jason Perry, NTD News. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis say a Saudi Arabian airstrike killed seven people. The airstrike reportedly hit Taiz in southwest Yemen. The Houthis say four more targets in a different province were hit as well and that a squadron of Saudi F-15 fighter jets carried out the attacks. A Houthi military spokesman says the market attack will have severe consequences. Later on Yemen's government said its forces targeted a Houthi military camp and vehicles at the same junction where the market is located. Earlier this month the Houthis seized Yemen's Red Sea coast which includes a vital shipping lane. They also blocked Saudi energy exports that were already strained due to the Strait of Hormuz blockade. The state is now set for a debate as California governor's race narrows to Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton. The two will face each other in a one-hour CNN debate on Wednesday. It will be the first head-to-head televised debate between the two candidates. Steve Hilton is making affordability his central message. He says California's high costs are primarily the result of state democratic policies, regulations, and taxes. He pledged to veto bills that increase costs and promised to cut regulations and the government workforce. Hilton specifically criticized legislation involving local sales taxes saying they could increase costs for businesses and consumers. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman defending his position as a Democrat despite straying from party lines on key issues. Fetterman insisting he'll still be a Democrat after the midterms but doesn't say how he plans to vote if he becomes a possible tiebreaker. During his first term, Fetterman joined Republicans in voting against Iran war powers resolutions and opposing the cut of aid to Israel. The senator says a democratic control of the Senate after the midterms is quote entirely possible. If Democrats have 51 seats and Republicans 49, Fetterman could change the outcome of certain results if he votes with Republicans. If a vote is split 50-50, the vice president has the last vote. So in such a scenario, Fetterman could essentially act as a tiebreaker. But the Pennsylvania senator refused to say how he'd act in that case. At the same time, he insists that he's still a Democrat, not a Republican. President Trump attends the final round of the President's Cup golf tournament in Chicago today telling the crowd the country is doing better than ever before. You know, the fake news media will say I got a very bad reception, but we get a good reception. We love what we're doing. Our country is doing great now. Brian said, could you make a short speech? And I said, no, I don't have the courage to make a speech. These people want to see golf. They don't want to hear speeches. I'll only say this. Our country is doing way better than ever before. President Trump also greeted golfers during his appearance at the Medina Country Club in Medina, Illinois. Trump is serving as the honorary chairman of the President's Cup. The PGA Tour has implemented TSA-style security checkpoints around the first tee and surrounding area specifically because of Trump's visit. This is Trump's second President's Cup appearance. He previously attended the 2017 competition at Liberty National in New Jersey. Next, former NASA chief Bill Nelson sounding the alarm on the Chinese regime's space ambitions. In a forthcoming memoir, he says, quote, Beijing's intended strategy is to dominate the high ground of the 21st century. Nelson warns that the United States is not the obvious favorite to win the U.S.-China race for a long-term settlement on the moon. Here to weigh in on that race is former NASA mission leader Mike Ciannilli. Welcome back to the show, Mike. Do you agree that the United States is not the obvious favorite in the race to build a base on the moon? Thank you, Chris, for the invitation. He's exactly correct. We're in a very competitive race. Much like back in the 1960s, we were racing with the Soviet Union for the first landing on the moon. We find ourselves kind of repeating history back for the second round, 2.0, if you will. Now this time is with China, and it's a very competitive race, and it's coming down to the wire. And why is that? I mean, the United States used to have the most powerful space exploration system in the world. What happened at the same time that the U.S. was leading in space? China was nowhere near that. Exactly. That's a great question. So the 1960s, our focus was a lunar exploration to plant a flag on the moon and to claim that as the first. And after the Apollo program ended, Chris, we switched directions. We started up the space shuttle program, so we focused more on an Earth-orbit-type, close-to-home-type mission, so we can work and build and learn how to operate in space, but closer to Earth. So we kind of gave up the deep space ambitions and focused closer to home. That continued with the International Space Station, and the Russians did the same with their space program. But then the 1990s, China started emerging as exploring space ambitions themselves, and they've been very, very upfront. Their intention is to be a world power in space exploration, both for civilian and military purposes, and they're putting all the resources and energy into accomplishing just that. So it's heated up quite a bit. Now we're switching our focus back to more of a distant focus, the moon, deep space exploration. We find ourselves almost playing catch-up in a way. And so why are we trying to establish a base on the moon in the first place? What does that afford us? Well, it's technology. Technology and geopolitical positioning. So the country that leads in technology, of course, is viewed differently in the world. We, of course, want others to use space for peaceful purposes, and we want to bring others into that fold. So part of it is the prestige of being geopolitically number one. President Trump's been very forward-thinking in saying, America will lead in space. We will not be second, we'll be first. So there's those ambitions, but it's also driving technology as we learn the resources on the moon will help us go further. So exploration discovery, sometimes it's difficult to find the tangible aspects. When you look back at the Apollo program, all of the spin-off technology and all the things we learned drove our consumer industrial base for a long time. So we're looking to pick that back up again, explore the unknown, discover things that we don't know today. The moon is a perfect training ground for that. Takes about three days to get there. And then once we really get good at that living and working relatively close to home, figuratively speaking, about a quarter million miles away, we can look at Mars, which is quite a bit further. Yeah, it's such an exciting time. I mean, most of my life, you know, space was this near-Earth orbit thing. And now we're talking about the moon and beyond. I want to go to NASA Administrator Jarek Isaacman describing the scarcity of real estate on the moon at the All In Summit recently. This is basically what underpins the intensity behind this moon base race. Watch. There are only so many good landing spots. And what do I mean by that? I mean, surface area of the moon is like the size of Africa. The South Pole of the moon is like Washington, D.C. And there's only so many good craters that have these permanently shaded regions, which, by the way, I mean, that is a harsher environment than Mars itself. That's where the water ice is. But the crater cliffs can also give you near-eternal access to light for solar power. So there's only so many good landing spots. Can you expand on that, Mike? What is the winner of a moon base race get that the loser does not? He's exactly right. Administrator Isaacman is correct. The real estate is relatively small. We think the moon is a large place. It's about 2000 miles in diameter. But when you find the real estate, you can really have it. So think of in your city, the choice property that you want is actually very limited. We have to find a place that's got water ice that we can use for propellant, oxygen and water, drinking water. Somewhere's got continuous sunlight, a path that's got good communications to Earth. And that's kind of steep because you have to land your spacecraft less than eight degrees or so. So you have to be relatively flat. You can't take too much of the incline. And so the winner gets that. Who gets there first really establishes, you know, who gets who gets control of just like a piece of property. You get land rights, if you will. We don't own it. But by being there, you can kind of control the domain around you. And as you said, there's not much real estate that meets those specific criteria. So you certainly want America to get choice property, which affords us all the best benefits of that. The Chinese are looking closely as we are. They actually have a probe set to go next year to the Shackleton Crater area, which is really prime real estate. So they're also looking at the same maps that we are, and they want that choice property as well. So getting us that, Chris, will get us that vantage point for the best positioning to set up our base. And then the point of the base itself is to have a long duration. In Apollo, we stayed for a day to a couple days. Here, we really want to stay for weeks, months, and perhaps even years, because you really need that time to learn how to survive the radiation, to learn in a very, in a hospital environment. And we see the moon is a very beautiful place when we look out our backyards. But in reality, it's a very harsh environment. There's no oxygen, there's no water, there's no atmosphere, tremendous radiation and temperature swings. So we want to make sure we get the best place so we can build a base to learn, again, like camping in your backyard, so we can go to Mars and further in the years and decades to come. Yeah, and it could, you know, set the course for the future of the race to Mars and put the United States far ahead in that as well. So what key metrics should we watch as we assess the state of the space race in the next few years? And the race is razor thin, so it's a great question. Keep a sharp focus. So on the Chinese side, for their program, they've got the lander, which was scheduled this year, it's been bumped to next year. So they're going to be flying their mission. They're focusing a lot on robotic missions right now to get their technology right. But their intention is to land before 2030, perhaps earlier than early as 2029. So we're talking just a couple years away. On the American side, we just flew Artemis 2. Next year is going to be Artemis 3, where we test out our human landing systems. And then that sets the way for Artemis 4 in 2028. So there's a lot of pieces that need to come together. As a matter of fact, even tomorrow, another major milestone, SpaceX will be launching their Starship, the largest rocket in the world, 8.15 a.m. Eastern time. And that rocket is actually going to be the landing system that's going to put our astronauts on the moon in 2028. So tests like tomorrow, test flights are critical. So I invite everyone to watch, not just the big milestones down the road, but we got some near-term ones that'll really pave the way of who's going to win that prize in a couple years. And it's so important to keep track of this and ensure that the United States does stay ahead, because we're not talking about a space competition with our allies like the UK or Japan. We're talking about the number one adversary of the United States, the largest totalitarian regime on Earth that puts state power above all else, including the good of its own people. So, former NASA mission leader Mike Giannulli, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, Chris. Japan's Prime Minister said President Trump gave her a detailed briefing on his latest talks with China's Xi Jinping, highlighting close coordination between the two allies over China and regional security. And Swiss voters have rejected stricter neutrality rules that would have limited military cooperation with NATO. The vote preserves Switzerland's current flexibility on security partnerships. Stay tuned for more on that. I was a young dad of three amazing kids. I was finally following my dream. Just when you feel like life is starting to come together, you get kind of hit in the face. I was born with a congenital heart defect and had open heart surgery as a kid. I was supposed to go to the heart doctor once a year, and I finally went. He listened to my heart, and I'll never forget, he sat back and he said, yeah, it's time for open heart surgery, or you risk your aorta rupturing. And that's it. I was scared out of my mind. The night before my open heart surgery, I made a goodbye video for my kids. Be strong. Take care of your mom. I love you guys. Seeing all the kids hug him goodbye and hoping that they were going to be able to hug him again. But I did make it, thanks to the work of the American Heart Association. So that's why I'm asking you to join me. Please call now or go to helpheart.org. For only $19 a month, just 63 cents a day, you can help get the next person trained in CPR, get the next hospital certified in high quality cardiovascular care, as well as fund the next medical breakthrough, like these heart valves that helped save my life. When you give $19 a month with your credit card, we'll send you this special t-shirt to show you're a part of our community of monthly donors. I'm most grateful that I get to have a husband that I get to grow old with, and a husband that gets to be there for his children. I believe without the American Heart Association, I would not be here today. If this can happen to me, it can happen to you. It can happen to anybody. Your donation can literally help save a life. Please call the number on your screen or go to helpheart.org now to become a monthly donor. Picture this, the heart of Manhattan, full of energy, movement, and life. Now imagine bringing that same vitality into your home with trusted health insights for your body, mind, and soul. Every week, Vital Signs dives into health issues that matter the most. The foods that strengthen your immune system, the exercises that keep you moving, the mindfulness practices that calm your mind, plus expert advice from doctors and health leaders you can trust. This isn't just another health show. It's real insight designed to keep you informed, inspired, and in motion. So whether you're starting your day with focus or winding down with balance, Vital Signs brings health and vitality straight into your living room. Welcome back. President Donald Trump briefing Japan's Prime Minister Tsunai Takeichi in detail on Saturday about his latest talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The call comes as Washington and Tokyo agreed to coordinate closely on China and regional security. In a post on X, Prime Minister Takeichi said President Trump called her shortly after hosting Xi Jinping in Washington. Takeichi said Trump gave her a detailed briefing on the U.S.-China summit, the two leaders also discussing issues involving China, including economic and security challenges. This marks the second top-level interaction between the two leaders in a single week following their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Takeichi said the latest call underscored the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance. She said the two countries are now among each other's most trusted allies and will work together for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. Following a high-stakes Washington summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Taiwan is sending a direct message to America. Officials in Taipei say continuing U.S. military support and safeguarding Taiwan's high-tech semiconductor industry directly serves American national interests. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping wrapped up a three-day summit in Washington on Friday. Taiwan was among the most sensitive issues on the table. During the talks, Xi urged Washington to oppose Taiwan independence. On Saturday, Trump was asked about Taiwan issues. We didn't spend a lot of time talking about Taiwan. He understands very much how I feel. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of China. Taiwan's democratic government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims. I think that so far our government had carried out a lot of scenario planning in advance and had access to fairly comprehensive information. Looking at the outcome, many of the very bad things we had thought might happen did not happen after all. So I think that looking at the overall outcome, there has been no change in the United States' policy towards Taiwan. Taiwanese officials are now making their case for continued U.S. support. The deputy foreign minister, Francois Wu, says continued U.S. arms sales serve America's national interest. Maintaining arms sales so that Taiwan has sufficient capability to defend itself, maintaining peace in Taiwan, maintaining democracy and freedom, and allowing Taiwan's semiconductor industry to continue contributing to the world. These are important U.S. interests. The Trump administration has already approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan. A second package worth about $14 billion remains pending. Trump has not announced a decision on that package following his meeting with Xi. The White House says the summit was aimed at building a more stable U.S.-China relationship. But Taiwan remains a key point of tension between Washington and Beijing. And Taipei is now watching for Washington's next move. Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping departing on Friday from Washington, D.C. after his first visit to the White House in over a decade. Lawmakers used the summit as an opportunity to denounce Xi and the Chinese Communist Party over Beijing's harmful actions on the global stage. NTD's Fiona Ji reports. This week in the nation's capital, lawmakers calling out Xi for his aggression against America and Americans. She's a despicable person that is killing us with fentanyl, building a military to try to defeat us. Our commander in chief should keep in mind that his guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator who seeks to dominate his neighbors and whose massive military arsenal is aimed directly at the United States of America. Others saying that China cannot be trusted in the A.I. race and in the technological industry in general. Well, I don't trust China. I haven't trusted China. And I think we need to treat this the same as we do with our nuclear triad. We need to have strategic deterrence. I do think China poses an existential threat to our status as a world superpower. They want to be the world's sole superpower. Another hot button issue is China's violation of human rights and persecution of religious groups. Decry Xi, who I said is the number one villain around the world when it comes to human rights violations. You are a disgrace and you need to leave American soil because you do not stand with our values as a country. And we will hold you accountable for what you've done to my constituents and to so many around the world. Representative John Molinar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, also saying that Xi could learn a thing or two from the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, which he saw on a visit to the National Archives Museum earlier today. Molinar writes, quote, America's values are life and liberty for all people, while the values of Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party are tyranny, genocide and oppression. We can only hope that Xi Jinping's visit to the home of America's founding documents inspires him to end his cruel policies and allow the Chinese people to have freedom of expression, freedom of religion and free, prosperous lives. Now that Xi has left the United States, the work still remains. Lawmakers are urging Americans to realize the threats posed by the Chinese regime and to come together and work as a team to counter them. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Fiona Ji, NTD News. Next, TikTok is settling with Alabama over allegations the social media platform harms teens. The deal comes just days before a trial was set to begin. Alabama has reached a settlement with TikTok and its parent company ByteDance over allegations the platform is harmful to young users. Under the deal, Alabama will receive at least $100 million within 45 days, with the potential for up to $300 million. TikTok also agreed to new safeguards, including a two-hour daily limit for young users, breaks after 15 minutes and stronger age checks. The settlement comes just days before a trial was set to kick off Monday in Montgomery. It would have been the first state trial over claims that TikTok harms teens. Alabama accused TikTok of using an addictive video feed and steering young users toward increasingly intense content including violence and self-harm. TikTok has denied the allegations. The company has also argued federal law protects online platforms from liability for user-generated content. At least 27 other states and Washington, D.C., have filed similar lawsuits against TikTok. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham highlighting the need for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own security. This as some European leaders voice fears that Russia could attack more European countries. Here's Burnham making the remarks with his Norwegian counterpart earlier today. Now we have new challenges to work on together and I'm sure this afternoon we will talk about our common challenges in relation to defense and security. We are collaborating on defense investment and that is very beneficial both for our security needs but for industry in Norway and here in the UK. During the United Nations General Assembly this week, multiple European leaders said they think Russia plans to expand the war and attack more European countries. Earlier this month, the European Union backed the creation of a European Security Council. This would bring together leaders from the EU, Britain, Norway, Ukraine and Canada to counter possible threats. The Kremlin weighed in on the issue on Friday denying any plans to expand the war. Moscow says the fact that Europe is increasing its military force shows that it's actually Europe trying to provoke Russia. Swiss voters today rejecting a proposal that would define Swiss neutrality. The measure would block Switzerland from cooperating with NATO, imposing sanctions and more. More than two thirds voted against the proposal for a stricter version of neutrality to be written into the Swiss constitution. The measure was brought by Switzerland's right-leaning party. The party argues that Switzerland was getting too involved in the Russia-Ukraine war after having imposed sanctions on Russia. The party used the slogan No War, Yes to Neutrality. However, most voters rejected it. Swiss neutrality has been internationally recognized since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. But how exactly the government implements it is not spelled out. Tesla has opened a new factory in Nevada. The company says the facility will increase production of its electric semi-trucks. Plans for ramping up the number of electric semi-trucks to hit the road are seeing reality. Tesla opened its first heavy-duty truck factory in Sparks, Nevada on Thursday. The car manufacturer plans to produce 50,000 of its semi-models each year at its 1.8 million square foot space. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the trucks will have self-driving features in the near future. So this is really going to be a game-changer truck. The semi was first unveiled in 2017. Tesla offered the trucks in limited quantities to early customers, including PepsiCo. It's going to be really also a driver's truck. Drivers are going to love driving this truck because it just has so much acceleration. It's almost like a sports car in truck form. Tesla has said it invested at least 6.2 billion dollars into the Gigafactory since 2014 and hired 11,000 employees as of 2023. The factory opening comes as competition increases across the globe for electric vehicles. Other competitors like Aurora Innovation and Kodiak Robotics are already conducting driverless tests and moving cargo on public U.S. roads. Also, the long-awaited Tesla Roadster was teased this week, hinting at the debut of Tesla's electric sports car next week. David Lam, NTD News. A masterpiece by Italian Renaissance artist Giotto now unveiled in Florence after a four-year restoration. The restored frescoes depict the life of Saint Francis and give experts a closer look at Giotto's work. NTD's Niku Bani has the story. This masterpiece by Giotto, the stories of Saint Francis, has undergone a four-year restoration. The frescoes were unveiled ahead of the 800th anniversary of the saint's death on October 4th. Painted by the Italian master in the early 1300s, it adorns a chapel in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. Work to remove centuries of wear allowed for new insights into the techniques used by Giotto and his collaborators. What this restoration allows us to see and interpret, which is almost an unveiling as it has removed the later additions and layers that obscure Giotto's original vision, is the extraordinary mastery of an artist who transformed Western painting, an artist who knew how to draw upon a profound capacity for expression. The frescoes cover about 180 square meters inside the Bardi Chapel and tell seven key stories from the life of Saint Francis. Saint Francis was a 13th century Italian friar who gave up his wealth to live a life of poverty and founded the Franciscan religious order. The scenes show Francis giving up his worldly possessions, the founding of the Franciscan order, and his famous trial by fire, where he offered to walk through flames to convert the Sultan of Egypt. They also depict his death and an apparition after his death. The frescoes become famous for the way Giotto captured human emotion through facial expressions and gestures. A great many decorative details have been lost. However, what this restoration has gained, thanks to the fresh perspective arising from the research carried out over recent decades, is the opportunity to reinterpret the architectural innovation that underpinned the entire structure, which Giotto considered fundamental. The restoration strengthened the most fragile parts of the fresco, removed dirt and damaged materials, and replaced old restoration materials with ones better suited to the original plaster. The story also reflects a long tradition of private support for the arts. In the Middle Ages, the wealthy Bardi banking family funded the chapel and commissioned Giotto to paint the frescoes. Today, that tradition continues. About 250 private donors contributed nearly $800,000 toward the $1.5 million restoration. The Bardi family were prominent Florentine merchants, but above all, bankers in the Middle Ages, who were, of course, the patrons of the time, what we would call today a patronage chapel, and whose story remains relevant today because, in the case of the Santa Croce project, the organizers have brought together a team effort, a collaborative endeavor involving numerous patrons who have, in fact, chosen to support this restoration, ranging from local patrons with ties to the area to international patrons. During the restoration, experts digitally recorded the lines and markings Giotto used to plan the figures and architecture. For the first time, researchers can see these details together, revealing how precisely Giotto designed the scenes. The restoration also supports the idea that several painters worked under Giotto's close supervision to create these complex frescoes. Nico Bonni, NTD News. Staying in Italy, Rome's Colosseum is open to tourists again after a three-day closure following the death of a worker on site. The landmark reopened Saturday as authorities continue investigating the fatal accident. I'm happy because I'm here on holiday and it's finally going to open, but safety is a major concern in Italy because there are far too many workplace deaths. The closure followed the death of 22-year-old Andrea Moretti. Moretti was a rope access technician. He was working on a new lighting system inside the Colosseum. He fell overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. The archaeological park closed on Wednesday. The Investigators examined the accident and workplace safety procedures. I think any worker's safety should always be looked after. I think they should be offered the proper amount of harnesses or other supporting material that they need to do their job effectively. It's really sad if anyone dies in their line of work. Purely as a visitor, as long as I'm being safe and conscious of my surroundings, I feel personally safe, but I do appreciate that. The Colosseum is Italy's most visited monument. Nearly 15 million people visited in 2024 according to Italian government data. The landmark is now welcoming visitors again while the investigation is still underway. Coming up, are those who attend church regularly happier in marriage? A new study says yes. We look at the relationship between happiness in marriage and religion. And Pope Leo meets with 80,000 young people in France sharing his hopes for the next generation. It's part of his four-day trip to France. That's next after the break. Hi, I'm Ryan Blaney, a third-generation race car driver, and we dedicate a lot of our time to going as fast as possible. My Grandpa Lou is the reason why my dad and I started racing, and I'm really proud to follow in his tracks. But when my Grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it was a very unexpected bump in the road for us. I've learned a lot on this journey with my Grandpa Lou, and the memories of my Grandpa will always be with me. And in our family, we're used to getting involved, and I encourage you to do the same, especially when it comes to caring for your loved ones. When I think about Alzheimer's and the impact it had on my family, I recognize that losing a race isn't such a bad day after all. It's important to notice if older family members are acting differently, experiencing problems with their memory, or having trouble with routine tasks. Talking about Alzheimer's can be really tough. But if you notice something, have a conversation with your loved one. Encourage them to see a doctor or offer to go with them. Early detection of Alzheimer's can give your family time to explore support services, make a plan for the future, and access available treatments. If you or your family are noticing changes, it could be Alzheimer's. Talk about seeing a doctor together. If you love them enough to crawl into a play place to get them to come down, then surely you'll check nhtsa.gov slash the right seat to make sure they're in the right car seat. What I thought was a complete life was nowhere near complete, but it is now. Learn about adopting a teen at adoptuskids.org. Welcome back. Are regular churchgoers happier after tying the knot? A new report by the broadly cited Institute for Family Studies says yes. Joining us now to look at the relationship between happiness and marriage and religion is J.P. DeGantz, founder and president of Communio, a non-profit that helps churches foster healthy relationships and marriage. J.P., it's such a pleasure to have you on. Now, this IFS report called The Devout Difference finds that 79 percent of churchgoing Catholics and 74 percent of churchgoing Protestants report being very or extremely happy in their marriages compared with 66 percent of the religiously unaffiliated couples. So what do you think is behind that? You know, one of the big factors, Chris, is the feeling of permanence in marriage is closely associated with feelings of greater levels of happiness. Right. And those who are regular churchgoers are more likely to see their marriage as lasting until death do us part. Also, what we know about churchgoing Christians is they're going to place a priority on forgiveness in their lives. Right. We as a husband myself, I know I make mistakes and my wife makes mistakes. And when I do, I say I'm sorry and try to prioritize that, not just because it's good and healthy, but because it's part of my faith. Right. And so churchgoers are more likely to do that. They're more likely to be generous toward one another. There's a lot of data on generosity, and it would stand to reason that that's linked here also in marriage. We also see, Chris, churchgoers are more likely, they're about 1.4 times higher odds of being sexually satisfied in their marriage. They're more likely to have reported they had sex at least over the last at least once a week, whereas that's a minority case within the nuns. So on gosh, on a variety of levels, churchgoers, active churchgoers, Protestant and Catholic churchgoers are happier. They seem to be doing marriage better than their non-churchgoing counterparts. And from what I gathered from this study is that those Christians, those Catholics and Protestants most closely, more Orthodox, tend to have happier marriages in general. So what do you think's behind that part? Yes, look, I think if they are more likely to hold to an Orthodox expression of faith, they're more likely to hold to a biblical worldview. That means it's going to have a higher likelihood of having a cascading effect in the behavior of their lives. You know, they're, like I noted on forgiveness, right? In the Lord's Prayer, we know that we're supposed to forgive those who trespassed against us, and anybody who's been married knows that marriage is a school of love. It's a place where you, in a family, we all make mistakes, and it's a place where we can learn to forgive. And I think that expression of forgiveness is oftentimes more likely to happen. Prayer itself is also associated with frequent prayer. Prayer together as a couple is associated with better marital satisfaction, and we know folks who are regular churchgoers are, on average, going to be praying more regularly, and I think that is also playing a factor here. Yeah, it's very interesting, and you talked about forgiveness. I mean, it just makes sense. If you hold a grudge, you know, that's going to cause problems in your marriage over time. Now, your organization helps churches encourage and support healthy marriages. So why have you made that your issue? You know, if you're looking at whether it's loneliness, isolation, right now, Chris, we've got a happiness crisis, and we've got less people married, we've got more people digitally isolated, less people meeting in real-life settings, right? And these are huge social issues. My ministry works with churches, really, I think, to solve the issue at the heart of all of it. It's the collapse of marriage itself, right, that actually married Americans are more likely to be avoiding both the loneliness crisis and the happiness crisis, right? And so the local church can be a place to solve these great social problems. These big problems cannot be solved by the government. They can't be solved by the federal government, the state government can't make you love, can't make you live in community and love someone until death do you part, right? So it just so happens, of course, as churches, we think, in ministry, we also think this is deeply tied to the Great Commission, right, that as Christians, we're to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them. And so this area of relationship need, marriage need, is a great opportunity to be a front porch to the community, invite people in. We work now with close to 600 churches around the country in 33 states. These churches we work with, they're providing a front porch to the local community. They're inviting folks in to live in real life community, have fun together, go on a date night, socialize, maybe have a cornhole tournament, do something fun together, and then work on your relationship. And we're seeing when churches do this, they're growing. Churches we work with are growing 24% every 12 to 24 months. So big things are happening when you lean in to this need of healthy relationships in marriage. Wow, 24%, that's remarkable. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of happy marriages in America? I mean, you kind of just answered the question. Yeah, look, I'll tell you, as a Christian, I have hope, but I'm also an optimist over the long term. The fact is the world has been selling us a bad bill of goods, right? I think we've gone on this journey where we don't see the enduring things of faith and our family as being really, really important or more important than every other relationship in our lives, sort of. Modernity has told us that we've got a buffet of limitless choices, and any one of them might make us happy. And the reality is God's made us for purpose, that we come into this world in a family. Humans are social animals. We need community. And those who are embracing these enduring goods, these closest relationships of marriage and family life, they tend to be happier. And the longest running study, Chris, on happiness was done by Harvard, 80-year study, trying to understand what separated happy alums from non-happy alums, and it was those who reported having good, close relationships, and that's borne out from marriages and family life, right? That's much more likely to happen than friends giving, right? And just only engaging in friendships outside of marriage and family life. Yeah, I mean, just think about having a really nice meal with your friends or family, your loved ones. It's just, there's nothing quite like it. All right, marriage and relationship expert J.P. de Gantz, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, Chris. Great to be with you. Pope Leo is in France on a four-day visit. He's visiting sites throughout four different locales, and he has a message for the youth. I invite you all, dear young people, to keep your hearts open to the suffering of your peers. At the same time, may the experience of fragility, of any kind of fragility, become an opportunity for a disciple of Christ to bear witness. Pope Leo spoke at a Catholic shrine in Lourdes today. He urged the Catholic church to admit its own failings and heal deep wounds inflicted within its ranks. That was hours before he was set to meet with victims of child abuse by priests in France. Leo said the church must have the courage to face its past, but did not directly reference abuse scandals in France that sparked nationwide shock. A 2021 report found that some 330,000 French children had been abused by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over seven decades. I think this is the courage, the humility, and also to, you know, he told us to show our faith and not to be afraid of, you know, modern challenges. He really looked very attentive to each of the person that came to him, and we could see how he paid attention to the people that were here, and he was really present to the moment, and we could see his emotions being in front of the young Christians, and that was really beautiful. He spoke in front of 150,000 people there on Saturday in Paris. 800,000 people joined him for an outdoor mass. On Friday, he told the crowd of 80,000, mostly young adults in Paris suburbs, that the church needs them. There's one more day left on his visit. Tomorrow he'll be in Metz. In November, he heads to South America. Coming up, thousands braving the rain in New York City today for a run rooted in remembering the heroes of 9-11. 25 years later, the route still carries a powerful message. Stay tuned. This is how I keep my joints happy. Omega XL is a powerful natural supplement backed by 40 years of clinical research. Take control of your pain like Cynthia Bailey. 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Rainy weather didn't stop thousands of runners from taking on the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Walk and Run, following the path of a firefighter who made that same journey toward the Twin Towers, but never made it back. NTD's Stefania Cox and Niku Bani were there today. Thousands participating in the Tunnel to Towers 5K Walk and Run here in New York City, honoring all of those who passed away on 9-11. Following the footsteps of a firefighter who ran toward the Twin Towers and never made it back out again. Firefighter Stephen Siller was off duty on September 11, 2001, when he heard what had happened. He strapped on his gear and ran this route, never to make it home. Today, firefighters, first responders, and families retrace that journey, remembering Siller, the 343 firefighters, and thousands of others who lost their lives that day. The first time I ran the race, I really tried to think about Stephen Siller. I really tried to think about how he felt with all that weight on his back, running for three miles, saying, I'm coming, I'm going to help. So I really thought about him. I think in other times, I was looking for my husband's banner. And as the runners emerge from the tunnel, the cheers follow them into lower Manhattan. Names and pictures line the course, a reminder of the lives behind the numbers. To see so many people collectively shouting USA, or singing in unison, and just kind of being kind to each other and getting out of the way for each other. It's just always a nice thing to see people coming together. We're the ones that were lucky that we survived. I survived. So it's my job now to carry on the guy's memories. And this year, there's greater significance. It's been 25 years since the attacks that changed the country. There's brotherhood between firefighters all around the world. So it sounds very important for us to be here today for 25th anniversary. Beyond the finish line, the mission continues. The Tunnels to Towers Foundation, now putting on a feast for what really has become the TTT family. Reporting from New York City, I'm Niku Bhani. I'm Stefania Cox. And this is MTV News. That's all for today's news. For around the clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thank you for tuning in. I'm Chris Beers. Good night.