Steve Bannon Surrenders to Court Over New Charges; Queen Elizabeth Under Medical Supervision | NTD

Welcome to NTD News Today, I'm Kevin Hogan. Let's take a look at our top stories. Former Attorney General William Barr weighs in on what he thinks is next in the DOJ-Trump saga. This while an ex-FBI official says a key document might be thrown out entirely. The founder of the Oath Keepers is set to go on trial for his alleged January 6th involvement. He wanted to change lawyers this week, but the judge had different plans. Public school teachers in Seattle go on strike on the first day of the school year, canceling classes for close to 50,000 students. And a mom in Pennsylvania is suing a school district over explicit books in the school library. She says inappropriate books are in school libraries across the country. Steve Bannon has surrendered to authorities in New York. It's over fresh charges reportedly related to his fundraising to build sections of a border wall on private land. Bannon, an ex-advisor to former President Trump, arrived at the office of the Manhattan District Attorney this morning. The charges have not been announced yet, but prosecutors indicated that they are linked to the We Build the Wall effort. The group raised funds to build barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Bannon was hit with federal charges in 2020 over his involvement with We Build the Wall, but they were dropped after Trump pardoned him. Two others in the case pleaded guilty. Bannon said in a statement to news outlets that authorities have "...decided to pursue phony charges against me 60 days before the midterm election." He called the charges "...nothing more than a political weaponization of the criminal justice system." New York Attorney General and the Manhattan District Attorney have a press conference scheduled for this afternoon. More Trump-related news. Former Attorney General William Barr says the Department of Justice appears to be closing in on having enough evidence to indict former President Trump. NTD's Jessica Beatty has more on his comments. Bill Barr told Fox News Wednesday the DOJ's next move comes down to two questions. One, Will the government be able to make out a technical case? Will they have evidence that they could indict somebody on including him? That's the first question, and I think they're getting very close to that point, frankly. Barr did not say why he believes the DOJ is close to having enough evidence to indict Trump or if he has specific information. The second question, Barr said, involves whether the DOJ would indict a former president. Barr said he hopes they don't because of the turmoil it could create in the United States. Earlier in the interview, Barr criticized a judge for granting Trump a special master to review documents that were taken by the FBI. Barr said he doesn't think a former president should be able to prevent the DOJ from reviewing documents. Trump and Barr have publicly been at odds after Barr claimed there was no widespread fraud during the 2020 election. Meanwhile, a former top FBI counterintelligence official has a different take on what could be next. Kevin Brock told Just the News Tuesday the warrant used to search Trump's home may be thrown out because its scope was too broad to begin with. Every single document generated during the Trump administration just seemed inexcusably overbroad. And now there's indications that they collected much more than they were authorized to collect. Brock said historically FBI searches are based on warrants that are not overly broad and specify which parts of the house can be searched. He said prosecutors might be concerned that the search warrant could be suppressed because of the scope and they would lose access to what was collected. The warrant shows Trump is under investigation for possible Espionage Act violations and obstruction of justice. Trump has said the raid was politically motivated, designed to hurt his chances if he decides to run for president again. Jessica Beatty, NTD News. We could be seeing more of the FBI raid affidavit soon, but it won't tell us anything new. It's actually the DOJ that's requesting that more parts of the affidavit be unredacted. They say it would confirm what was previously disclosed during the special master hearings specifically about Pryor's penis. Usually that information is confidential unless it comes up in a later case and there are no charges against Trump yet. But the DOJ argues that the information has already been publicly discussed. Under J6, the leader of the Oath Keepers is set to go on trial in three weeks. That's for his alleged involvement in the January 6th Capitol breach. Now the judge in the case has denied his request to change lawyers. Oath Keepers founder Elma Rhodes and others are set for trial in three weeks on charges they allegedly conspired to disrupt the counting of electoral college votes on January 6th and sought to prevent the peaceful transition of presidential power. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta on Wednesday refused to allow Rhodes to fire his defense attorneys and bring in a new attorney, mostly because he says it's too close to the trial and it would disrupt much of the process, including jury selection. Rhodes wanted to go with a different attorney, Edward Tarpley Jr., who says that he and Rhodes don't agree with the judge's decision. We believe that under the Sixth Amendment, he has an absolute right to the counsel of his choice, but it was pretty clear to me that the judge had his mind made up. The judge did allow Rhodes, however, to add Tarpley to the team of already existing lawyers. Rhodes says his current lawyers missed key court deadlines and didn't file necessary motions and subpoenas. He also points to a lack of communication, saying his last phone call with them was around a month ago. The change of lawyers might have postponed the trial, but Tarpley says more time is needed anyways. All the defense attorneys have said that they need more time on this case. I mean, everybody has consistently said that. The discovery is voluminous. Of course, you know, the government, I think, disagrees with that, and they think that, well, they've done everything they need to do and they're ready for trial. Tarpley says he thinks Rhodes, who's a Yale Law School graduate, has been unfairly accused and wrongfully prosecuted in this case. I mean, he never went into the Capitol. I mean, he never told anybody to go into the Capitol. The Department of Justice has brought rarely used and difficult to prove charges of seditious conspiracy, which is a serious but lesser counterpart to treason, against Oath Keepers members. In other news, new research shows Iran poses a significant cyber threat. According to tech security firm Mandiant, Iranian hackers have been trying to break into email accounts of U.S. officials who are involved in Iranian policies. The report also accuses this group of attempting to breach the cell phones of Iranian dissidents. Mandiant says between March and June of 2021, the hackers had access to a compromised email account of someone at a Washington, D.C., think tank and used it to target government officials working on Middle Eastern policies. There's no word on which agency was involved or if the hacking attempts were prevented. The National Security Council has not commented. Moving from security to politics, in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman has agreed to debate his opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, in the Senate race. The Democratic lieutenant governor is recovering from a stroke that he suffered in May. He says in a statement that he always intended to debate Oz, but the debate was held up while he addressed some lingering issues from his stroke. Fetterman did not say exactly where or when the debate would take place, but it could be sometime in October. The U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania could be one of the most consequential races of the year and may determine who controls the Senate. Turning now to the education front in Washington state, it would have been the first day of school yesterday, but public school teachers in Seattle went on strike to demand higher pay, staffing ratios and better working conditions. Here are the details. Seattle teachers hit the picket line on Wednesday, cancelling the first day of school for 47,000 students in the state's largest public school system. The Seattle Teachers Association, which has over 6,000 members, said 95 percent of its members who submitted a ballot voted to go on strike. This is what you're fighting for. You're fighting for more support for student needs, more support for a sustainable workforce, increased pay and a fair contract. Educators can't teach with all of these things, and your vote showed folks you won't teach without a fair contract that includes all of those. Teachers formed picket lines at many of the school system's 110 schools. Dozens of teachers wore red T-shirts, carried signs and chanted, Educators United will never be defeated. It's about money, right? It's about funding, right? It's about funding like special education. We call it SPED. Funding special education, funding the substitute teachers, stuff like that. Because right now what they're trying to do is cut the special education and put the kids in regular, what are called general education classes. Seattle teachers are calling for higher pay, staffing ratios to be maintained or improved for special and multilingual education and an increase in the number of counselors and social workers. Them not being willing to be transparent and open with me as an educator about how my job is going to be done. And it's a little paternalistic, like, you know, like you would to a kid, oh, everything's going to be fine. Trust us. But that's, as I say, not a recipe for success. We do need to write it down. And I think it's fair to ask that the district do that. Seattle Public Schools, in a statement, said it was optimistic that the bargaining teams will come to a positive solution for students and staff. Speaking of teachers, the nation's second largest teachers union is in the spotlight. It involves their money spent on political causes. The union says they have not engaged in direct or indirect campaign activities for candidates, but a conservative legal advocacy group is suspicious of that. Please welcome Michael O'Neill, the assistant general counsel at Landmark Legal Foundation. Pleasure speaking with you, Michael. Happy to be with you. Thank you. Why have you asked the IRS to audit the American Federation of Teachers over allegedly misrepresenting funds used for political purposes? Well, we know the AFT wields enormous political power. Every election season, we see AFT leadership and AFT personnel mobilize in electioneering activities. We see them holding get-out-the-vote drives, holding bus tours, rallies, mobilizing their membership, going door-to-door, essentially, even to advocate for the election of identified candidates for public office. Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris. Well, unions are allowed to do this, but if unions use general treasury funds, in other words, funds derived from collection of teachers' dues, to finance those sorts of activities, that is subject to reporting on the union's tax return, their Form 990, our tax return. The AFT says that it doesn't spend any general treasury revenue on those sorts of electioneering activities. And we find that really difficult to believe. First of all, other unions, like the National Education Association or the SEIU, both report that they do engage in these sorts of activities and do acknowledge this on their tax returns. Our question is simple. How does the AFT reconcile the fact that their tax return says that they do not engage in these sorts of activities with the fact that, clearly, every time there's an election, AFT is prominent, spending all of this money on these sorts of activities. I understand your concern. Now, the AFT responded to your foundation's complaint, saying it was sloppy and wrong on the facts and without merit. The union said it conducts its business through the appropriate accounts, including AFT Solidarity 527. What is that account and how does it relate to this? Right. That is a political organization. That's the designation, essentially. That is their tax designation for their PAC. And if you look at the disclosure reports for that entity and their PAC, you see, which is organized under the Federal Election Campaign Act, you don't see any expenditures that describe the sorts of activities we describe in our complaint. And so what you'll see is you'll see applications for $5,000 for a contribution to an identified candidate, a typical cash contribution to certain candidates. You'll see transfers to other PACs for other entities' PACs. You don't see the sort of disclosures that would underscore the sort of financial accounting for the activities that we describe. In other words, who paid Randy Weingarten's salary in 2016 when she went door-to-door campaigning for Hillary Clinton? Well, the AFT general treasury paid that. Well, who accounted for her political activities for that time? Who paid for the rallies that AFT held in support of Joe Biden or Kamala Harris? Or Hillary Clinton? Who paid for the bus tour? We don't see any of that on their disclosure reports through their 527s. So we have to ask the question, where does that money come from? And you know who can answer that question? The Internal Revenue Service. So it certainly seems like there may be some red flags here. Now, what's at stake here? What is the bottom line in terms of how much the union would owe if they did misreport how their funds were being used? Right. First of all, just to get a little technical here, there's indirect and direct political campaign activities. When a union spends money on direct political campaign activities, that is the specific advocacy of the election or defeat of identified candidates for public office, those are subject to taxation and reporting. And those are subject to taxation at the corporate income tax rate. So if, for example, a union spent $1 million or $2 million on those sorts of activities, that $2 million is subject to taxation. Indirect political campaign activities, and again that is a term of art, is subject to reporting on a Schedule C. Again, that is all so that we can have public transparency for the extent to which labor unions or exempt entities are engaging in these sorts of activities for the public and for the union membership at large. Well, we'll see how this plays out. Michael O'Neill, Landmark Legal Foundation, great to speak with you. My pleasure. Have a great day. NTD reached out to the Great Valley School District for comment on the lawsuit, but did not hear back by broadcast time. Venetia Redmond's GoFundMe page is called Injunction PA Mom. And in other news, Queen Elizabeth is under medical supervision. Buckingham Palace says doctors became concerned for her health this morning. The doctors are recommending that she remain under medical supervision after further evaluating her health. Buckingham Palace added that she is comfortable and at her home in the Scottish Highlands. Members of the Royal family have been informed and are traveling to Scotland. BBC One has suspended all programming until 6 p.m. to give updates on the Queen's health. A BBC Royal correspondent says that means, quote, there is a degree of seriousness that we have not seen before. The Queen turned 96 this year. She is the first British monarch in history to celebrate a platinum jubilee of 70 years on the throne. And coming up, the new iPhone 14 will soon be available for pre-order. The new model can use satellites to send emergency messages. But that's not all that Apple is unveiling. Stay tuned for more after the break. That's in connection to the recent murder of an investigative reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The reporter, Jeff Gehrman, and Clark County Public Administrator Rob Tellis, had a growing enmity. It began when Gehrman reported that Tellis had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and treated workers poorly. Gehrman also recently filed requests for emails and text messages between Tellis and three other county officials. He was arrested on September 3rd from a stabbing. Witnesses described a vehicle at the crime scene. Police then found a matching vehicle at Tellis' home. During the arrest, they wheeled Tellis' out of his home on a stretcher into an ambulance. He did not speak to reporters after he was interviewed and searched by police. Tellis' term ends in January since he lost a Democratic primary election in June. The fire contained 5 percent of the fire. Officials are urging residents to evacuate. The Riverside County Fire Department says the fire continues to outpace efforts from both ground and air resources. The department chief says the fire is burning in all directions on all flanks. Officials urge residents living close to the fire to gather their belongings and to prepare to leave as soon as an evacuation order arrives. An investigation into the start of the fire is still underway. According to a local electricity supplier for the region, the company said that circuit activity occurred close to the time the fire started. This means the fire may have started from the utility's equipment. A national response team has been activated to handle the large-scale fire as it heads toward federal land. The fire killed two people and destroyed several structures so far. The Biden administration is investing in the nation's largest trade gateway, which will lead to the port on Wednesday. The problem is there's only one way in and there's only one way out and it's not efficient. That's impeding the movement of hundreds of thousands of cargo containers, creating delays that ripple as far as the American Midwest, the East Coast and everywhere in between. And that's going to change. I am delighted to be here to formally celebrate the award of $20 million to the Port of Los Angeles to build a new four-lane roadway that runs at 5 miles per hour when they go through the low-clearance tunnel so that they don't become stuck. Buttigieg says the improvements are expected to reduce trucking delays by almost 2,500 truck hours every single day and that the new crossing will reduce the amount of time a truck travels through the area from one minute to five seconds. The $20 million come from the $2.2 billion allocated from last year's infrastructure bill. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach support $380 billion in trade and 3 million jobs. The U.S. military is looking for a faster way to shuttle cargo around the world. That's where Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin come in. The companies, along with Rocket Lab Sierra Space Corporation and Virgin Orbit, have signed deals with the military to launch cargo and rockets. The military is hoping to find a way to get weapons, supplies and even people from one country to another in the United States. The U.S. has invested about $5 to $10 billion in the program called Rocket Cargo. The idea of hypersonic travel has been around for years, but point-to-point trips at breakneck speeds are still a distant goal. United Airlines is threatening to pull out of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. That is, if the Federal Aviation Administration does not grant the airline more flights. That's according to an email viewed by Reuters. JFK Airport is the largest hub for international flights in and out of North America and the 13th busiest airport in the U.S. Kirby told employees, In a statement Tuesday, the FAA said that additional slots at JFK would follow the process of awarding them fairly and to increase competition. United Airlines is the nation's third largest carrier after American Airlines and Delta Airlines. Apple made some big announcements last night, and today's Andrew Thomas has more about the new iPhone 14 and an ultra-watch for divers, triathletes and other athletes. Apple's new iPhone 14 features an always-on display, an updated camera and a dynamic island. The island is an adaptable black bar that covers the face scanner on the front of the phone. A tech researcher says that's not all. Well, I think the biggest news for me is the satellite service for iPhone 14. There's been rumors of this, honestly, for about a year and a half, and it wasn't clear whether or not they were going to actually do it. Apple said its satellite SOS will work with emergency responders. Users will be able to share their location via satellite when they have no other connectivity. The service will be free for two years with the iPhone 14. It's not something that everybody needs, but I think it's a thing that everybody would like to have caught in a particular situation and knowing that you have that safety net to potentially get in contact with someone if you are, God forbid, stuck, is a big deal. Apple's new iPhone 14 products are the same prices as their predecessors, ranging from about $800 to $1,100. The smartphones will be available for pre-order starting September 9, but the updated iPhone Pro line won't be available until September 16. Apple is also releasing new Apple Watches, including a new Watch Ultra model aimed at extreme sports and diving. The Ultra has a bigger battery to last through events like triathlons, better waterproofing and temperature resistance for the outdoors, and better GPS tracking for sports. To get that capability as a potential is certainly going to be attractive to a certain group of people, and again, if you're a hardcore hiker or ultra-marathoner, then that kind of stuff is going to be cool. The Ultra will start at nearly $800 and will be available September 23. Andrew Thomas, NTD News. A cloud formation raised concern that Mount Rainier was about to erupt. Washington State residents were wondering if the volcano was venting. They took to social media Wednesday morning to share photos and videos. The National Park Service shot down that idea, saying a new vent has not opened. It said the U.S. Geological Seismic Network did not show any unusual levels of activity. It said volcanologists who were installing new equipment also confirmed there was no new activity. The Park Service said what people were seeing was a lenticular cloud formation. Mount Rainier is considered episodically active. The last time it erupted was in 1894, when pioneers saw steam and black smoke rising from the summit. And if you have any news tips or feedback for the show, don't hesitate to email us at news.today at n-t-d dot com. And just ahead, another U.S. delegation visits Taiwan to deal with the U.S. A U.S. congresswoman supports more exchange with the island. And one of Taiwan's richest businessmen is offering the self-ruled island millions to improve its civil defense program, and it's not the first time he's pledged a money to help Taiwan defend itself. Find out more right here on N-T-D News. Hello, I'm Mike Lindell, and due to your incredible support, the original MySlippers are almost completely sold out. As a special thank you, you can get my new slides and sandals for as low as $29.98. This is a limited-time offer, so go to MyPillow.com or call the number on your screen. Use your promo code, and you'll get all my new footwear for as low as $29.98. 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At business occasion, you spend 50% of your time on traditional education and 50% on business education, including setting up your own family business. Learning is in your small, in-person pods of 6 to 10 students. At Renaissance Business Occasion, a.k.a. RenBiz.com, graduation means you have a degree and your own family business, like education always should have been. A transition to getting a career. Welcome back. Taiwan's president says she's confident Taiwan and the United States will come to a good trade deal. She spoke to a group of visiting U.S. lawmakers about the new trade initiative between the U.S. and Taiwan. Taiwan will continue to work with the United States to forge even closer trade and economic ties. One of the most important things Congress can do right now is to deepen economic relationship with Taiwan, and in particular, by pushing for a high-quality free trade agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan. We also cannot underestimate the power of cultural exchanges across academia, civil society, and government. Washington and Taipei unveiled the U.S.-Taiwan initiative on 21st century trade in June. It was just days after the Biden administration excluded the island from its Asia-focused economic plan, which is designed to counter Beijing's growing influence. Taiwan has long pushed for a broad free trade deal with the United States. The U.S. is its most important partner in economic ties. Visiting Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy expressed her support for such an agreement. She's part of the latest group in a string of senior officials from the United States visiting Taiwan. The Pentagon says it is putting a pause on deliveries of a popular fighter jet. Defense Department officials discovered that Lockheed Martin's fighter jet's turbo machine pumps. It will be replaced by one from an approved vendor. The F-35 is widely used in the U.S. military with versions made for the Air Force, Marines, and the Navy for aircraft carriers. Pentagon officials say the issue will be resolved as quickly as possible so aircraft deliveries can resume. Back to Taiwan, a U.S. Air Force general asked what would the U.S. do if Beijing invaded Taiwan. A U.S. general spoke about would-be strategy on Tuesday. General Kenton Hinote, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Air Force, said the Pentagon would target China's core logistical support during a hypothetical invasion. He made the remark during Atlantic Council seminar, going on to say that he hopes Beijing understands we're not just going to let their logistics flow. It's really hard for China. He warned that the U.S. would do everything possible to stop Beijing from invading Taiwan and make it one of the most difficult military operations in history. He said the U.S. hopes that the China-Taiwan status quo remains intact, noting that U.S. officials don't want to see China invade Taiwan or send missiles toward Japan. General Hinote has been a strong advocate for the seriousness of the situation and is catching up with Washington fast and in some key areas has even surpassed the U.S. At a congressional hearing last year, he warned that Beijing's military threat used to be a problem 10, 15 years out in the future, but now it's a current problem. Taiwan is training its forces to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion. That says Beijing keeps increasing its military activities following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement last week. Taiwan is holding military drills alongside rising tensions with Beijing. No matter what actions the enemy takes, we will be ready to confront the enemy with the most determined will. The drill simulates a situation where Taiwan is fighting against an invading enemy. Soldiers fired missiles. Tanks fired live rounds at targets. The intensified training comes amid rising tensions as Beijing conducted live drills around Taiwan following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit. And for the first time, Taiwan shot down a Chinese civilian drone that entered its airspace last week. Taiwan kicked off the drills Tuesday night. Although Communist China has recently incessantly made moves towards us, trying to incite disputes, we will still carry on with exercises and reacting to war without causing it in order to train up the fighting abilities of our soldiers. Also on Tuesday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited military forces in a base. Situations around the Taiwan Strait remain tense and the threat hasn't gone away. On top of sending warships and fighter jets to harass Taiwan, the Chinese Communist Party also uses disinformation She praised the island's military. In the face of challenges, our national military has calmly responded to the enemy's intents as intrusion and have tenaciously defended the country's security. Tsai said she believes the military's combat skills are more mature and its combat power is also stronger. One of Taiwan's richest businessmen is offering over $30 million to two civilian defense training programs. This would be a private effort to defend Taiwan amid heightened tensions with Beijing. Hsiao said he's making the donation simply because he doesn't like the Chinese Communist Party. He outlined his plan and how he believes the Chinese Communist Party will infiltrate Taiwan and attack its peace and stability. In the future, the Chinese Communist Party can only expect Taiwan to be paralyzed by an internal strife. They'll fund the hooligans to make trouble everywhere or secretly buy some corrupted celebrities and politicians in Taiwan to spread defeatism and surrenderism to sabotage the unity of the Taiwanese people and go to JumpSTART. That's a program to train 3 million civilian warriors in three years. The rest will be used to train 300,000 expert marksmen from among so-called common folks across Taiwan. Wearing a bulletproof vest, Hsiao said he had renounced his Singapore citizenship and is now 100% a Taiwanese citizen. This is not the first donation the businessman has made for similar purposes. Here's House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent visit. Hsiao pledged to donate approximately $100 million to the island's defense last month. Beijing considers Taiwan part of mainland Chinese territory and has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party. Hsiao says he once saw China as a promising market, but now he reportedly regrets that after all the obstacles he faced the company has since made a strategic shift out of China to the U.S. market. Just ahead, Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia has not lost anything in the conflict with Ukraine. His comments come after Ukraine says it's gaining military success in the country's south. And gang violence and immigration are the most pressing issues for Swedes. They are about to head to the polls for a national election and candidates are all campaigning The White House has approved another huge weapons package for Ukraine worth hundreds of millions. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the package at a meeting of defense ministers in Germany. In the weeks since the contact group last met, the United States has committed another $6.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. The gathering took place at a German air base. Defense ministers discussed and already provided more than $10 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since February. The latest U.S. package will include more ammunition, Humvees and anti-tank systems. Austin also mentioned how the Ukrainian counteroffensive has managed to turn back the situation in some parts of the country. He said the aid that Ukraine is receiving will allow them to continue their efforts in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia has not lost anything as a result of its military campaign in Ukraine. His comments come as Ukrainian officials say they've had steady success in a counteroffensive in the country's south. Here's more. Russia is gaining, not losing from the conflict in Ukraine, according to Putin. Putin was speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok. He did, however, acknowledge that the conflict had unleashed a, quote, certain polarization in both the world and in Russia. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials remain guarded over how their military's counteroffensive in the region. Putin on Wednesday was said to show a Ukrainian soldier raising his country's flag in Vysokopilia, located in the Kherson region that had reportedly been retaken by Ukrainian forces. Reuters was not able to verify the date the video was filmed. Russia says it has repelled an assault in the area located between Kharkiv and Russian-held Izyum, adding that if the town were lost, Russian forces in Izyum would become vulnerable. Reuters was unable to independently verify any battlefield reports. In Sweden, national elections this Sunday come amid a sense of rising insecurity. A series of shootings have made crime a key priority. Here's a report from NTD's Eddie Yatkin. Swedes head to the poll this Sunday. For the first time, crime is the most important issue for voters, with all sides pledging to further tighten legislation and expand the police force. Sweden has one of the highest rates of gun killings in Europe, societies in Sweden. We also see new generations that want to go into these gangs, so we also have to work harder to prevent new generations from choosing a criminal life, and I think the only way to do that is to stop the segregation that we have in Sweden. Andersson says she believes the welfare over the last 15 years. Sweden has reduced immigration since the 2015 refugee crisis, under two straight terms of Social Democrat rule. The right would go further, especially the Sweden Democrats. They have listed 30 reforms they say would cut asylum approvals to almost zero. Associate Professor Jens Stoltenberg says Sweden could become the kingmaker for a conservative coalition government. Opinion polls for the September election show a neck-and-neck race between the right-wing bloc and the ruling Social Democrats and their allies. Observers expect tough talks and trade-offs for the winning side. The British pound fell to a 37-year low against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, marking the lowest level for the currency since 1985, when Margaret Thatcher was Britain's Prime Minister. The UK's newest Prime Minister, Liz Truss, has only been officially on the job for one day, and she's already staring down multiple predicaments, including the potential currency crisis. And if you want to know more about the U.S. currency crisis, our website at www.cbsnews.org. We'll see you next week. . That's because it's synthetic. At the jewelry show in London, an expert panel discussed the lab-grown diamond market and its near future. There was initial skepticism about them because they were not natural, they had not been developing in the earth's crust over millions of years. But now the appetite for lab-grown diamonds is clearly growing, there is rising consumer demand for lab-grown diamond jewelry in the world. Green Lab Diamonds from India is the show's official sponsor. It claims to be the world's largest cultivator of diamonds. This 8.4 carat emerald cut, 2A quality diamond costs $24,000, around 10 times less than a similar mined diamond. So what we are trying to do is, there are people who are, you know, hoping, wishing that they could once buy a diamond and they're working really hard and now there's a chance everyone can buy a diamond and a diamond for everyone. Green Lab uses carbon vapor deposition machines to create its diamonds. Small seed diamonds are placed in sealed chambers and subjected to extreme heats. It can take millions of years for diamonds to form beneath the earth, but this method can produce large pure stones in a matter of weeks. It doesn't matter whether it's born above earth or born under earth, in the end the product is the same, it's called a diamond, it is a diamond, it will always be a diamond and this is a diamond which is for everyone. Belinda Morris is the editor of The Jeweller magazine. She says she's seen a change in attitudes towards lab-grown diamonds. In the last five years and even more so in the last three years probably, there are just more and more producers of it and more and more designers and manufacturers using lab-grown diamonds including people who at one time would have said they wouldn't touch them The jewelry show ran from September 5th through the 6th in London. Andrew Thomas, NTD News. Armenian arts and culture at the heart of a local festival. Visitors enjoyed traditional dancing and crafts passed down through the generations. This annual festival celebrates Armenian arts and traditional crafts in the city of Dilijan. Craftswomen demonstrate their skills with weaving, producing colorful designs right in front of festival visitors. Today we will present various branches of culture, Armenian culture, arts and crafts, especially those that we try to pass on to our children and that are passed down from generation to generation. Here is one work, a carpet, an Armenian handmade piece which is woven from sheep's wool. She says the carpets are still woven according to ancient patterns and the dyes mainly come from plants, seeds and husks. We make carpets using naturally dyed threads. The technology of naturally dyed threads, we use the Armenian ancient cartonel. Those are worms that produce a bright red color. We use India indigo from which blue and green color is obtained and the immortal flower from which yellow is obtained. In total, about 200 craftsmen present their works. Their products include ethnic costumes, jewelry, embroidery work, toys and metal and stone pieces. Another ancient Armenian craft is pottery. The first clay items found in Armenia date back to the 6th century BC. Over time, pottery became more complex, decorated with intricate designs made from natural colors. About 2,000 people visited the festival. We wanted to do some hiking, so we've done a few trails, but to find the cultural and arts and crafts festival here is wonderful, I think it's beautiful and a terrific insight into your foods, your music and the dance, delightful. The festival turns out great because it is needed. You need to respect your neighbors. You need to respect the cultures that live together with you. The festival of arts and crafts took place on September 3rd. Andrew Thomas, NTD News. Have you ever wondered what it's like to homeschool seven children? A military wife from Las Vegas is doing just that. She is undertaking the enormous task during her husband's long deployments. She talks to NTD about the rewards and challenges. Stay-at-home mom Marci Ball was a teacher until she had her first child. Her husband Brad is in the U.S. Air Force. The family has settled in Nevada after many stints abroad. Now Marci homeschools their seven children. There really is no secret, it's just a lot of work and dedication to what you do, like knowing you want to do it and doing it, and putting your whole heart into it. Needless to say, it comes with tremendous challenges. The biggest challenge is probably just not ever getting that reprieve in the evenings that when he's home, he'll come home and take the kids outside or something and just get them out of my hair for a little bit while I finish dinner or get a little break. Late nights are on the daily agenda for night owl Marci. I oftentimes tell her that she goes above and beyond what it would take for the family just to survive. Marci says her daughter Allison is a great help to her. She pretty joyfully will do anything I ask her to, so I don't want to, I never want to misuse that about her and mistreat that willingness and joy to help out. Brad was initially skeptical of homeschooling, but he has since changed his mind. It's been the best choice up until this point and we'll keep doing it until we want a change. The biggest driving force for the family has been their faith in God. I guess if I had to pick a motto for a family, it's the verse in Galatians 5, 22 and 23, which is the fruits of the spirit and so we just talk about if we have the spirit in us, we should be showing those fruits and that's what we work towards. So of course love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Marci says their patience was something she initially struggled with. I have learned patience because I've had to, like to survive. She says the challenges are definitely outweighed by the rewards. Homeschooling seems, it can seem overwhelming. It can seem like, oh I'm not a teacher, I could never do that or I don't have enough patience, I could never do that, but I do believe that if any mom has any desire to homeschool, it is definitely doable. The family's shared dream is to buy a small homestead with a big garden and keep chickens after Brad retires from the Air Force. Chenxi Gao, NTD News. Have you checked your posture lately? It might be restricting your air intake, which can affect your lung function. Here's Gina Marie who brings us Strong Mind and Body. We've developed very poor posture. Just check out everyone around you that's hunched over their cell phones. When chest muscles fail to fully stretch, it can result in poor breathing. Your quality of life is affected if you suffer from pulmonary obstruction, pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, and lung diseases. But we have good news for you. You can rehabilitate the lungs with a few exercises to strengthen respiratory muscle groups. Lung function can also improve and symptoms can ease. Let's look at three ways to improve lung performance. Aerobic exercise. Calisthenics, walking, jogging, or cycling. Aim for 20 to 40 minutes. Strength training improves muscle endurance. The diaphragm is important, but don't neglect upper body respiratory muscles. Use dumbbells or elastic bands to increase the weight during exercise. Breathing exercises. Chest breathing, abdominal breathing, localized breathing, and full breathing increase lung strength. Now let's take a look at some different lung exercises. Starting with chest breathing. Put your hands on your chest. Slowly inhale through your nose, filling your chest cavity. Notice your hands lift. Slowly exhale through your mouth. Abdominal breathing. Put your hands on your abdomen and inhale slowly through your nose. After inhaling to the fullest, exhale slowly through your mouth. Are your neck muscles and shoulders relaxed? Next, let's look at localized breathing. Lie down with hands on your rib cage. Your fingers part slightly with inhalation. This is good for restrictive lung disease. And finally, let's look at full chest and abdominal breathing. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Feel the expansion, then exhale. Correct breathing oxygenates your bloodstream, carrying nutrients to your body's cells. And in California, police had to chase away a bear that was making itself at home in someone's house. Residents say the bear entered through an unlocked kitchen door. This took place in Simi Valley in Southern California last Saturday. Police say they were called by the homeowner who took shelter with her son in an upstairs bedroom. The homeowners tossed house keys to the officers who entered through the front door and scared the bear away. But before that, the bear was able to help itself to some freshly baked cake and rummage through the refrigerator. Body cam video showed the bear scaling a backyard fence to get away. Several other neighbors had also seen the bear rummaging through their backyards and trash cans. And the latest Tom Cruise movie has reached yet another milestone. There are summer blockbusters and then there's Top Gun Maverick. The Paramount film features Tom Cruise's return to the skies as Maverick decades after the original 1986 hit. It won the domestic box office over Labor Day weekend, bringing in $7.9 million. That makes Maverick the only film in history to take the top spot on Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. The movie has also crossed the $700 million mark in ticket sales. That means it passed Marvel's Black Panther to become the fifth highest grossing film in North America. It has made $1.4 billion worldwide since opening in May. That's all for today's program. We're really glad to have you with us. Please send us an email if you'd like to tell us something. We're going to put it on screen. For podcasters, that's news.today at ntd.com. I'm Kevin Hogan, NTD News, New York City.