BLIZZARD, WINTER STORM WARNINGS ACROSS U.S.

Welcome to NTD Tonight, I'm David Zang. Here is a preview of some of today's top stories. Israel's defense ministers say they are currently fighting a war on seven fronts. What do they all have in common? An Israeli forces evacuating another area in central Gaza. Two GOP representatives say they were swatted on Christmas day. More on the fake emergency calls that targeted the lawmakers. Blizzard conditions blasted plains and upper midwest. More states now under winter storm warnings. More on which and how severe. First up, to reduce civilian casualties in this war against Hamas, Israeli forces evacuated another area in Gaza City. And Israel's defense minister explained that they are also at war on six other fronts. NTD's Jason Perry has the update. The Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip kept a bird's eye view on this terrorist who tried to set an explosive device next to their tank. He ran away to this building and the IDF ordered an airstrike on his location. Israel Defense Forces have been taking measures in the Gaza Strip to minimize civilian casualties in its war against Hamas terrorists. They reportedly dropped leaflets on Monday to Palestinians in central Gaza asking them to evacuate the Berage camp. We left with our clothes on. We have been forced out. On Tuesday, the IDF released a video showing what they found in the evacuated camp, a Hamas terrorist training facility. It had rifles set up at firing positions, along with what appear to be training explosive devices. But it's not just the Gaza Strip Israel is at war with. Israel's minister of defense said this on Tuesday. We are in a multi-front war and are coming under attack from seven different theaters, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. And he added that Israel has already taken decisive measures. We have already responded and taken action in six of these theaters. And I say here in the most explicit way, anyone who acts against us is a potential target. There is no immunity for anyone. All of the areas that Israel's defense minister mentioned have terrorist groups backed by Iran, which has for years vowed to destroy Israel. For one, Iran supports Hamas, which is responsible for the October 7th massacre. It supports the Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, who consistently attack Israeli forces. And across Israel's northern border, Iran also supports Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, who've been firing rockets into northern Israel on a daily basis. Tehran supports the Houthi terrorists in Yemen, who have been firing attack drones and missiles at Israel, and attacking ships in the Red Sea that they think are headed to Israel. It also supports terrorists in Syria, who have also been launching attacks at Israel. And looking further out, Iran receives support from the Chinese Communist Party. Iranian-backed Qatayib Hezbollah terrorists in Iraq recently injured three U.S. service members in a drone attack. Now, just hours after that attack, the U.S. struck terrorist sites in southern Baghdad early Tuesday morning. The U.S. has warned other countries not to get involved in the Israel-Hamas war. Jason Perry, NTD News. Now, let's take a look at other national headlines. President Biden ordered airstrikes against Iran-backed terrorist groups in Iraq on Christmas night. The White House says it was in retaliation to a drone attack on a U.S. base. The Pentagon says three U.S. service members were injured. One is in critical condition. U.S. Central Command says it targeted three sites used by Qatayib Hezbollah and affiliated terrorist groups. The terrorist organization is also known as Hezbollah Brigades, a fault against coalition forces in the Iraq war. CENTCOM says the precision strikes likely killed a number of terrorists. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says the strikes were ordered in response to a series of attacks against the U.S. in both Syria and Iraq. Austin said while the U.S. does not seek to escalate conflict in the region, it will not hesitate to take action to protect its troops and interests. Austin called the airstrikes necessary and proportionate. In an overnight attack in the Ukraine-Russia war, Ukraine struck a large Russian warship in Crimea with cruise missiles that killed at least one person. Footage obtained by Reuters shows the moment of a large explosion at the Crimean port of Fedosha on Tuesday. Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuri Akhnat did not specify what kind of cruise missile was used, but both Britain and France have supplied Kyiv with such weapons. Russian's defense ministry cited by the Interfax news agency said this large landing ship, Novocherkassk, had been damaged. The strike could hinder Russian attempts to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast. Buildings in the Crimean port of Fedosha were damaged, likely by the blast wave from the explosion. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move Kyiv and the West condemned as an illegal seizure. President Vladimir Putin earlier this month said that Odessa, the headquarters of the Ukraine's own navy, was a Russian city. Previous attacks by Ukraine have targeted ships in dry docks, warships moored in the port of Sevastopol, airfields, the main Black Sea Fleet headquarter building, and the bridge that connects southern Russia to Crimea. Two GOP lawmakers say they were swatted yesterday on Christmas. Swatting is when police and SWAT team are sent out to respond to a fake emergency call. Representatives Brendan Williams and Marjorie Taylor Greene both posted about the false alarms on X. Williams thanked local police for contacting him before arriving. The congressman says officers left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts and took the opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Williams says Capitol and local police are both investigating. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says it's the eighth time she has been targeted by fake callers. Local police say the call was received through a suicide prevention line. A man claimed he shot his girlfriend and was threatening to kill himself. Authorities on the way turned around after confirming with Greene's security team that the claim was false. Greene thanked her local police on X and says they shouldn't have to deal with this. Swatting calls on Greene's home were also reported in August last year. At least one caller said they were upset with Greene's stance on transgender issues. The FBI is working with Colorado law enforcement to investigate a series of threatening social media posts against the Supreme Court justices in the state. The posts came after justices ruled last week to remove Trump from the state's 2024 primary ballot. The FBI stated it's aware of the situation and will investigate any threat or use of violence. The names of the four Supreme Court justices who ruled to disqualify Trump have appeared on social media. Authorities say some of the posts are quote, incendiary. Some threatened to reveal the judges' personal information. January could bring significant changes to the 2024 presidential race. Some key events are scheduled to take place, many of which might affect former President Trump. He's leading in the polls, but legal issues can still hurt his campaign. NTD's Arian Pastor brings us what to look out for after New Year's Eve. Five key events in January could affect the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. Let's first take a look at Colorado Supreme Court removing former President Trump from the state's 2024 ballot. Shortly after the decision was made last week, Trump spoke at an event in Iowa. They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you and in the end, they're not after me, they're after you. I just happen to be standing in their way and I always will stand in their way. Many are now expecting the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene, which might happen by January 4th. That's because on January 5th, the state is set to start printing ballots for its primaries. On January 10th, CNN will host a Republican primary debate in Iowa, just five days before the state's caucuses. Debates have proven they can boost or hurt campaigns. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is now on pace with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in nationwide polls, partly thanks to strong performances like in this NewsNation debate. First of all, he's mad because those Wall Street donors used to support him and now they support me. In a less consequential case for Trump, closing arguments are set to begin on January 11th in New York City. That's in the civil trial over Trump's New York City business, which the judge has already found liable for fraud. He'll now decide the amount the former president has to pay. This case is more likely to reach a timely conclusion than other trials. On January 15th, Iowa will hold its caucuses. Trump is expected to emerge as the winner, as he's leading the polls at 50 percent according to polling averages. Less than three points separate DeSantis and Haley at roughly 18 and 16 respectively. Coming in second in Iowa is crucial for DeSantis to maintain his role as the top challenger to Trump. And lastly, New Hampshire will hold its primaries on January 23rd. Trump is leading the polls in that state as well, enjoying a strong 20-point lead over Haley. DeSantis comes in fourth behind former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. However, the state's rules make it hard to predict an outcome. Voters who are not affiliated with a party can request either a Republican or Democratic ballot on primary day. Arian Pasdar, NTD News. A winter storm is sweeping the Plains and upper Midwest, bringing heavy snows, freezing rain and strong winds, making post-holiday travel extremely dangerous. NTD's Christina Corona has more on the weather update. According to the National Weather Service, Tuesday's forecast will generate gusts of wind 50 to 60 miles per hour, with isolated gusts up to 75 miles per hour that may topple trees and power lines, causing blizzard conditions. The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued winter storm and blizzard warnings for six states, Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Snow fell at a rate of one inch per hour across portions of northeast Colorado, western South Dakota, western Nebraska, and northwest Kansas on Tuesday. The weather service said, in addition, strong winds gusting upwards of 55 miles per hour will lead to blizzard conditions. The combination of heavy snow rates and whiteout conditions will make travel difficult to impossible. Residents are cautioned to avoid travel, but if they must be on the road to bring survival kits and stay in their vehicles in case they get stranded. In the last two days, Douglas Pass, Colorado has accumulated 13 inches of snow. Lander, Wyoming received 11.4 inches, Columbus, Nebraska saw 8 inches, and the Denver metro area experienced snowfall ranging from one to three inches. The blizzard warning is in effect until 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday, impacting nearly 600,000 people across five states, with South Dakota and Nebraska being the most affected. Christina Corona, NTD News. We'll take a short break now everybody, but here's a look at what we have for you when we come back. Minimum wage will increase in 22 states starting January 2024. Which states and by how much? A former Los Angeles County Sheriff would testify on alleged deputy gangs in the department. This comes after years of resisting subpoenas. The San Francisco 49ers suffered a huge loss against the Baltimore Ravens. A new player now emerges as the 2023 NFL MVP favorite. Those stories and more coming up on NTD Tonight. Welcome back to NTD Tonight, I'm your host David Zhang. Starting January 1st, several states are set to boost paychecks of minimum wage workers, providing them with increased earnings. NTD's Christina Corona tells us which states will soon pay more. On January 1st, 22 states will increase their minimum wages, raising pay for an estimated 9.9 million workers. In total, workers will receive nearly 7 billion dollars in additional wages from state minimum wage increases. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the states with minimum wage increases are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington, while Florida increased their minimum wage in September 2023. Hawaii is leading with the most significant minimum wage increase, seeing a boost of two dollars, while Washington remains the state with the highest hourly minimum wage at 16.28. Michigan will have the lowest minimum wage increase of 23 cents. In addition to the 22 states, 38 cities and counties will also raise their minimum wages above the state minimum on January 1st. According to EPI data, nearly 58% of workers who will benefit from the coming wage increase are women, 9% are black, and nearly 38% are Hispanic. More than 25% of those getting a pay raise are parents, which is crucial since almost 20% of these workers currently have incomes below the poverty line. The Department of Labor reports that 20 states will stick to the federal minimum wage of seven dollars and 25 cents per hour. In July, Senate Democrats presented the Raise the Wage Act of 2023, which, if approved, aims to raise the federal minimum wage to 17 dollars per hour by 2028. Christina Corona, NTD News, El Monte. In Southern California, ICE recently announced they arrested over a dozen illegal immigrants with a criminal history during a two-day operation. Some have child sex offenses. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said they arrested 26 illegal immigrants during a Los Angeles enforcement operation between December 18th to December 20th. The operation, called Enforcement and Removal Operations, focused on removing those who are known to have criminal convictions for sex offenses and pose a serious threat to public safety. In a statement, the agency said, Among those arrested are a 19-year-old citizen of El Salvador, a 40-year-old citizen of Mexico, and a 35-year-old citizen of Guatemala who were convicted of child sex offenses. In 2022, officers arrested over 46,000 illegal immigrants with criminal histories. A former Los Angeles County Sheriff has finally agreed to testify on the alleged deputy gangs in his department. This comes after witnesses claimed for years members were part of a gang, but the ex-sheriff called it a political stunt. Villanueva has been called out for harboring secret deputy gangs in his department during his time in office from 2018 to 2022. During a March hearing, witnesses claimed there were over a dozen deputies who were tattooed members of the Bandidos, an internal gang in East LA. Villanueva called the hearing a scripted and well-rehearsed political stunt to influence the outcome of the election. In a March interview with California insider C.M. Akkarami, Villanueva said the gangs, quote, never existed in the department, but it was useful just for a political game. The former sheriff announced this September that he is running against incumbent Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. And now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, last night's Monday Night Football 49ers versus Baltimore Ravens. We saw the top two MVP candidates playing against each other, namely Brock Purdy and Lamar Jackson. But based on last night's performance, do you think that Lamar Jackson would now have a better odds of clinching that MVP title over Brock Purdy? Yeah, I mean, the season's not over, but he clearly won the head-to-head battle against Brock Purdy last night. Purdy had been considered at least a betting favorite leading up to that game. You know, Jackson's ability to scramble out of the pocket, avoid pass rushers and, you know, extend plays is almost unmatched. He's always been like that, but he's had some injury problems the past couple of years. Now this year, him and Baltimore have kind of snuck up on everyone. I mean, they haven't made the playoffs the last two years, so not many people were talking about them at the beginning. They started off three and two. Now they won nine of the last 10. All of a sudden, they have the best record in the league. Purdy's had a great season, too, but he just had a bad game last night with four picks. His team no longer has the best record in the league. That's always a big factor for MVP, too. All right, let's shift gears to basketball. The Detroit Pistons are playing tonight against the Brooklyn Nets again, and the Pistons are looking to avoid a record-breaking 27th straight loss in one season. What has gone wrong with the Pistons to suffer that many losses in a row? You know, a lot of things have to go wrong. I mean, player scouting, player development, coaching injuries, probably, they probably have maybe a combination of all them. You know, Monty Williams, their coach, he's actually a very well-respected head coach. I think he's a good, I think he's a good coach, but they've just had a number of top picks in the draft. They've got a number of young players. They're still kind of waiting for them to develop, I would say. Now 27 straight losses would be a single season record. There's actually the overall over two seasons record was a Philadelphia 76ers eight years ago of 28 straight losses. Now, all those losses eventually, though, for them netted them MVP Joel Embiid, and now they're, you know, a power in the Eastern Conference. Now they play the Brooklyn Nets tonight. If they don't win, their schedule only gets more difficult from here. They've got a big road trip coming up, so they could end up on the wrong side of history for an extended period of time. Thank you, Dave. All right, that's all we've got for you tonight. We would like you to join us again on NTD Tonight every weekday at 9 p.m. I'm David Zhang. Have a wonderful evening.