Jeffrey Epstein Associates’ Names Unsealed; Colorado Sued for Banning Ghost Guns – Jan. 3

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to NTD Tonight. I'm David Zhang. Here's a preview of some of today's top stories. The House speaker led dozens of lawmakers to the southern border today. He's calling for a solution to the crisis that both parties can swallow. An explosion in Iran killed over a hundred people. More on the significance of the location and impacts. A cyber-kidnapping scam targets a Chinese exchange student in Utah. Authorities have found the boy and are investigating. Breaking news as we come on the air tonight. Hundreds of pages of unsealed documents from a lawsuit connected to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were publicly released this afternoon. Big names on the list included former President Bill Clinton, his estranged longtime aide Doug Band, Tris Andrew, and the French modeling agent Jean-Luc Bernal, who like Epstein, died while awaiting trial. We'll bring you more tomorrow as we learn more about the full list. Dozens of House Republicans are at the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas. Their trip comes as Customs and Border Patrol saw a record high number of illegal crossings in December, around 300,000 crossings. That's roughly the size of the city of Orlando crossing into the United States illegally in a single month. NTD's Congressional Correspondent Melina Weiskopf reports for us. House Republicans have made several trips to the southern border, but this is the first time that Mike Johnson is leading a delegation as the speaker, and it comes at a time when pressure is high. As right now, the Senate is working on a deal with the White House. They're trying to find common ground solutions over immigration and border policy, how to change those policies to fix the immigration issue. But House Republicans, they have their own list of demands, much of which includes returning to Trump era border policies, such as the remain in Mexico policy. This delegation was made up of around 64 Republican lawmakers from 26 states, the Republican speaker says, and they met with Border Patrol agents. They met with local residents. They viewed processing centers, all to get a grip of the current situation at the border. Here's what those Republicans had to say about the urgency of the issue, arguing why their demands deserve to be met. When President Trump entered the Oval Office, he put in the remain in Mexico policy. He ended the catch and release policy. He did the fundamental common sense things that stem the flow. It was down to a tiny fraction of what it is right now in December alone. It's the highest number in history. And it's going to continue because they're showing no no no inclination at all to change it. The greatest domestic threat to the national security and the safety of the American people is Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. And that last person you just heard from was Congressman Mark Green. He's the chairman on the Homeland Security Committee here. He says that next week his committee will officially begin those impeachment proceedings against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, arguing that he has failed to uphold his duty to secure the border. But the DHS secretary has pushed back, saying he simply doesn't have the money or the resources to 100 percent carry out his job effectively, saying that the ball is now in Congress's court. Take a look at what he had to say. We need additional personnel to advance our security at the border. We need technology to advance our fight against fentanyl. We need additional asylum officers to really accelerate the asylum adjudication process. Republicans argue that if Congress does give the DHS more money, that money will only be used to process more illegal immigrants and release them into the country rather than use the money to try to stem the flow of illegal immigration to begin with. Reporting from Capitol Hill, Melina Wisecup, NTD News. This afternoon, the Biden administration DOJ just sued Texas over its new border security bill SB4. The bill allows Texas authorities to arrest, jail, and deport people who cross illegally into the state. Now let's take a look at other top headlines. At least 103 people were killed Wednesday and 141 injured in the Iranian city of Kerman after twin blasts near the burial site of the slain military commander Qasem Soleimani. The Iranian Red Crescent posted a video on its social media platform X on Wednesday, which shows wounded people being treated following two explosions at a ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the killing of top commander Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq. Iranian state television reported a first and then a second blast during a crowded anniversary event at the cemetery where Soleimani is buried in the southeastern city of Kerman. An unnamed official told the state news agency IRNA that two explosive devices planted along the road leading to Kerman's martyr cemetery were detonated remotely by terrorists. The explosions threatened to accelerate tensions in the region that have spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Former President Donald Trump is trying to get back on the main primary ballot in 2024. The 45th president and current GOP presidential frontrunner asked the court in Maine to overturn the decision that resulted in his removal. In his filing, Trump accuses Maine Secretary of State Shanna Bellows' political bias. Last week, Bellows said she had a legal obligation to take Trump off the ballot because of his actions during the January 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is also dealing with the 14th Amendment-related challenges to his ability to run for president in numerous states. That includes Colorado, where the state's Supreme Court removed Trump from its primary ballot. Today, Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review Colorado's ruling. Any ruling from the high court will be the final say in Trump's eligibility. Cash, gold bars, and a luxury car. Senator Bob Menendez is facing new accusations of corruption and bribery. The superseding indictment released yesterday claims the New Jersey Democrat used influence to help secure an investment for a co-conspirator from a fund tied to Qatar's government. In addition to bribery charges, Menendez is accused of acting as a foreign agent for the government of Egypt. That's for allegedly helping the country to benefit another co-defendant's export business. Menendez' attorney stated Tuesday that the government doesn't have the proof to back up any of the accusations, calling them baseless, bizarre, and based on routine lawful contacts between constituents or foreign officials. Menendez has resisted calls to step down from the Senate. GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie says he's disappointed with the Democrats for not taking solid action. You know, at least the Republicans removed George Santos. Where are the Democrats in the United States Senate with removing this guy? This is now a second superseding indictment, so it's a third set of charges. Christie says it's too big a risk given Menendez' position of leadership and access to U.S. intelligence. Menendez' trial is set for May 6. Japanese authorities are beginning their investigations into yesterday's fiery plane collision. Japan's transport ministry today released the transcripts of conversations with the control tower. They showed that the Japan Airlines passenger jet was given permission to land, but the Coast Guard plane was not cleared for takeoff. The smaller plane was told to taxi to a holding point near the runway. The Coast Guard captain said he had entered the runway after receiving permission. That's in contradiction to the transcripts. Authorities are on the ground inspecting the charred wreckage of the airliner. They had also recovered the black box from the Coast Guard plane. In the fatal accident on Tuesday, Japan Airlines flight 516 crashed into the Coast Guard aircraft after touching down on the runway, causing it to erupt into a terrifying fireball. All 379 people on the Japan Airlines plane were safely evacuated. Five of the six crew members on the smaller Coast Guard aircraft died. Reports say Tokyo police are investigating whether possible professional negligence led to the collision. Haneda Airport canceled over 100 flights today. A new type of scam is trending now called cyber kidnapping. A teenage Chinese exchange student was found days later after he said his family in China was threatened with a ransom in exchange for his safety. A foreign exchange student from China identified as Kai Zhuang, who was reported missing last week in Utah, has been found. Authorities said there was an apparent cyber kidnapping scheme to extort $80,000 from the student's family. The 17-year-old student was reported missing Friday, a day after he was last seen at the home where he had been staying in Riverdale, about 30 miles from Salt Lake City. We were able to find a couple doorbell camera that showed he actually left the house about 5 30 a.m. Riverdale police initially said that they believed the student had been forcibly taken from his home. But on Sunday night, they said he was found safe in a tent about 25 miles away from Riverdale. According to police, he said his family in China was threatened and that he needed to isolate himself. It's unclear how he received this information. Meanwhile, his family had received a ransom note and photograph of the student that made it appear that he had been abducted and was in danger. The family paid $80,000 in ransom before he was found. A Las Vegas police officer was found dead hours after his arrest on several felony charges. And today's Christina Corona has more on the story. A Las Vegas police officer, Jake Freeman, was arrested by Henderson police on charges of aggravated stalking, attempted home invasion and causing damage to another person's property. The arrest came after Freeman's ex wife contacted the authorities at 2 50 a.m. on New Year's Eve to report that Freeman was outside banging on the front door and window of her parents house and insisting her to come outside. Following his arrest, Freeman was taken to the Henderson Detention Center at 4 38 a.m. on Sunday and released on bail at 5 p.m. According to the Clark County Coroner's Office, Freeman died from a gunshot wound around 6 39 p.m. Freeman told the police that he got divorced from his ex wife on December 28th, 2023. He had been working for the L. V. M. P. D. Since 2017. Christina Corona and T. D. News. We'll take a short break now, everybody, but here's a look at what we have for you when we come back. Colorado's ban on ghost guns is now effective. But why is one gun owners group suing a former Kentucky County clerk faces a $260,000 fine? More on the legal battle that led to the hefty fee. NFL player Aaron Rogers comments on the expected release of court documents revealing the names of people connected to Jeffrey Epstein and late night show host Jimmy Kimmel is now threatening to sue those stories and more coming up on N. T. D. Tonight. Welcome back to N. T. D. Tonight. I'm your host, David Zhang. A Colorado based a gun rights group is challenging the state over ghost gun bans. They say the recent law is taking away the rights of gun enthusiasts and collectors. N. T. D.'s David Lamb reports. As of the new year, Colorado's ghost gun ban is effective, making it illegal to possess and transport firearms that aren't stamped with federal serial numbers. According to Senate Bill 23 to 79, it's targeting criminal activity relating to guns. But on Monday, the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners Group said it is suing Colorado, claiming the law infringes upon the constitutional rights of the public, peaceful Colorado residents and gun enthusiasts. The executive director of the group says in the Bruin decision, the Supreme Court made it clear that any law infringing on the right to bear arms must align with the historical understanding of the Second Amendment. Senate Bill 23 to 70 clearly does not meet the standard. If homemade, unserialized guns weren't legal at the time of our nation's founding, we would all have a British accent. The law bars anyone in Colorado except licensed firearm manufacturers from creating gun frames and receivers. Violations can result in a misdemeanor or felony. The lawsuit is the latest of several Second Amendment lawsuits aimed at gun control passed by Colorado's majority democratic legislature and signed by Governor Jared Polis last year. A federal appeals court rejected the California city's petition to rehear its case on banning natural gas. This comes after the court struck down the ban earlier last year. The city of Berkeley, California, has been trying to ban natural gas, but now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit put that effort to an end after it rejected a petition to rehear the case on Tuesday. The court denied the petition after it lacked a majority support from the court's non-recused active judges. In a press release, Stephen Yerrick, president and CEO of Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, said they are pleased that the court denied Berkeley's appeal, thereby allowing the residents of Berkeley and likely elsewhere to continue to have choices with respect to energy sources for home and water heating. Berkeley became the first city in the U.S. to declare a ban on natural gas in 2019 for new homes and buildings. Shortly after, a restaurant group sued the city, claiming it bypassed state and federal regulations when it approved the ban. Last April, the court struck it down, siding with the restaurant group. A former county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples is now being ordered to pay legal fees. NTD's Christina Corona has more on the story. A judge has ordered that Kim Davis, the former county clerk from Kentucky who declined to issue marriage licenses to David Ermold and David Moore, must pay $260,000 in legal fees. In 2015, the couple sued Davis for refusing to grant them a marriage license based on her religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman. The judge granted the couple $100,000 in damages. Davis was briefly jailed in 2015 after ignoring the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that recognizes same-sex marriage. She was released when her staff issued the licenses in her absence, removing her name from the form. Davis lost her re-election bid for Rowan County's clerkship in 2018. Christina Corona, NTD News. In the world of sports, a teenager aims to be the first female to compete in bull riding at the top level. Her fearless drive has gotten her to the junior world finals in Las Vegas and more recognition. Nigah Knight is a high school junior from a small town in Oregon. She is on a years-long quest to become the first woman to compete at the top level of the professional bull riders tour. I bull ride because I love the adrenaline rush it gives me and I just love how it feels. She can't join until next year when she's 18 and even then she'll have to prove she's good enough to qualify. For now, she is the only woman to qualify in the 16 to 18 age division for this month's junior world finals in Las Vegas. I started bull riding when I was nine, but I started rodeo when I was three and I became a bull rider because of my dad. I was just always behind the shoots with him telling me to put me on his bull and so he started me off on sheep. There's fierce competition. Only 30 of the best riders from around the world reach the top. It takes time, travel, money and perhaps most of all guts. The sport is undeniably dangerous with riders frequently injured and even killed, but none of that fazes Nyjah. I just think of myself as another bull rider. I'm just there to do what I love, you know, win a rodeo, get some money, get a buckle and just have some fun. I usually don't like, I honestly see me as just another cowboy. I don't see me as a trailblazer. I just doing what I love. In bull riding, athletes try to stay on the bucking animal for eight seconds while keeping one hand in the air. It's violent and chaotic. Riders cannot touch the bull with their free hand. If eight seconds is achieved, both bull and rider are scored with a hundred points being the highest. Nyjah broke her arm once, which sidelined her along with the COVID-19 pandemic. But for two years now, she has been in the top junior level riding the big bulls. She finished in the top three in her region to earn her spot in the junior world finals. When she turns 18, she expects to compete on the Pendleton Whiskey Velocity Tour. From there, she'll work to earn the points needed for the top level. Late night show host Jimmy Kimmel is threatening to sue New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers after Rodgers said without evidence that Kimmel could be reviewed as a Jeffrey Epstein associate. NTD's Dave Martin joined me to talk about what happened between these two stars. Hey Dave, I don't know if this is considered sports politics or entertainment, but the famous NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers made some headlines on the Pat McAfee show regarding Jimmy Kimmel and the Jeffrey Epstein list. How did they even get on this topic? Yeah, you know, they were talking about some NFL conspiracy theories. Apparently, there's a popular one that the NFL predetermines who the two Super Bowl teams will be, and they show who that is based on the colors in the Super Bowl logo, which come out, you know, months before the Super Bowl even happens. It's just a funny conspiracy theory. Now, Rodgers joked, you know, there better be green in next year's logo, referring to the Jets, of course. And then someone, I think they know Rodgers is going to say this, because someone all of a sudden like cues him talking about the Epstein list, and Rodgers says, quote, that's supposed to be coming out soon. A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that it doesn't come out. Now, him and Kimmel actually have a bit of a history. You know, almost a year ago, Kimmel kind of mocked Rodgers for even talking about wanting to see this list, you know, maybe making it kind of seem like he was some kind of conspiracy theorist. I'm sure Rodgers has been mocked by the mainstream media before. He doesn't really go along with the narrative that they have. Obviously, not being vaccinated, he's gotten a lot of flack for that. Now, Kimmel did not respond in kind to this. He threatened legal action, said it was a very reckless thing. But obviously, we haven't seen who's on the list, of course. So this sounds like a joke gone bad, and Kimmel didn't take it too well. Even though Kimmel is supposed to be a political comedian himself, he frequently joking about Trump and other conservatives. Yeah. I mean, I'm sure it's a, I'm sure it's obviously would be a big deal. I mean, if you're rumored to be on this list, obviously for your reputation, it's a pretty big deal. He did not take kindly to it, though. No, I mean, it certainly seemed like on the Pat McAfee show, they were joking around about it. I don't know how much Rodgers really jokes around about that stuff, though. But yeah, I'm sure it's a pretty serious thing to some people, for sure. Thank you, Dave, for bringing us up to date on that. Yeah, no problem, Dave. And that's all we've got for you tonight. We would like you to join us again on NTD Tonight every weekday at 9pm. I'm David Zhang. Have a wonderful evening.