Houthis Vow Revenge for U.S., UK Strikes; Avalanches in Idaho and California – Jan. 12

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to NTD tonight. I'm David Zhang. Here is a preview of some of today's top stories Who the rebels of our revenge against the US and UK led military strikes? The rebels have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea Two recent avalanches one in Idaho and another in California Both the disasters have claimed the lives of people in the area with the new year ahead Money still remains a top issue for many people. We'll take a look at some expenses that could get cheaper First tensions grow in the Middle East I ran back to who the forces vowed revenge against the US and UK warships in the Red Sea Here's more on this developing story Yemen's who the rebels vowed on Friday fierce retaliation in response to Thursday's US and UK military airstrikes Thursday's strikes took aim at more than 60 targets in 16 different locations across who the controlled areas in Yemen The Houthis said that the attack killed at least five people and wounded six The bombardment was in response to recent who the lead drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea They were given one a final warning earlier this month. They chose to ignore it launched a pretty massive attack on Tuesday against US and coalition ships and we responded so they've got it They got another choice to make they need to know that we will stand fully prepared To defend ourselves and defend that shipping if it comes to it since November 2023 who the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea Saying they are avenging Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas But the Houthis have frequently targeted vessels with no clear links to Israel Disrupting a key route for global trade and energy shipments since the start of Israel Hamas war who these have shown support for Hamas terrorists on Friday tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered across the several cities to condemn the US and British strikes however, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is Demanding the Houthis to immediately end their attacks on commercial shipping in accordance with the UN Resolution 2722 the Secretary General stresses the need to avoid acts that could further worsen the situation in Yemen itself He calls for every effort to be made to ensure that Yemen pursues a path of peace And that the work undertaken thus far to end the conflict in Yemen should not be lost The Houthis say they would continue targeting all ships heading to Israel and warned International shipping companies against using Israeli ports Thursday's airstrikes marks a dramatic escalation in the West's response to who these assaults on international shipping and Raising further international concerns over the tensions in the Red Sea region Now, let's take a look at other top headlines Australia said today that it provided the personnel support to the US and UK in their strikes against who the military targets in Yemen Denmark also said the country fully supports the strikes Denmark is home to shipping giant Marisk The country joined a US statement last week warning the Houthis to halt their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea Marisk said earlier this month It was diverting all container vessels from Red Sea routes around Africa's Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future The shipping company warned the customers to prepare for significant disruption Taiwan is gearing up for its presidential election this Saturday The three men competing for the throne are trying to prove they're the best pick Thousands of supporters attended a Thursday rally for Taiwan's ruling party the Democratic Progressive Party Its candidate William Lai is Taiwan's current vice president Beijing wants him out accusing him of being a separatist Hou Youyi, the presidential hopeful for the Kuomintang Opposition Party slammed William Lai Thursday accusing him of supporting Taiwan's independence Hou's party Kuomintang traditionally favors closer ties with China and denies being pro-Beijing Zooming in on Ke Wenzhe, the Taiwan People's Party candidate Ke on Friday described himself as the person both Beijing and Washington would have no problem with He says his bottom line for dealing with China is that Taiwan's democracy and way of life must be respected He also stresses that China is Taiwan's most important market Meanwhile Taiwan's defense ministry said today it detected five Chinese balloons flying over the Taiwan Strait in the last 24 hours The Iowa caucuses are just around the corner But a polar vortex has created unfavorable weather conditions for the scheduled campaigns Heavy snow blanketed swaths of Iowa on Friday with blizzard warnings in effect until Saturday morning As of Friday multiple types of weather alerts have been activated in all 50 US states due to the colder than average winter weather These range from a weather watch warning or advisory The National Weather Service said a dangerously cold Arctic air will hit the US heartland starting this weekend on Friday morning road crews in Iowa and Nebraska were struggling to keep ahead of the fast-falling snow Despite blizzard conditions in Iowa DeSantis made a stop in the town of Ankeny on Friday He has visited all 99 counties and secured the backing of its governor Campaign canvassing brave the frigid cold in a final push to get Iowans out to vote NTD news will bring you live coverage of the 2024 Iowa caucuses this coming Monday join Tiffany Meyer and Steve Lance on the nation decides 2024 as we break down the action live on January 15th at 8 p.m. Eastern Time Another avalanche this time in a remote area in Idaho and more updates on California's avalanche that ripped through a ski resort near Lake Tahoe Authorities said two men were rescued after being caught in an avalanche in the Idaho back country While a third man was believed to be dead According to the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office a rescue effort began shortly before 3 p.m Thursday when law enforcement received a GPS alert of a possible fatality in an avalanche near Stevens Peak Close to the Montana border a search-and-rescue effort began with help from the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office and the US Air Force Two men were located and transported for medical care. The third is believed to have perished at the site Authorities did not say what the three people were doing in the area The area had been under an avalanche danger warning for several days because heavy snowfall and strong winds had created unstable conditions on high steep slopes the avalanche came a day after the first US avalanche death of the season was reported in California an avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at the Palisades Tahoe ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday morning Trapping four people and killing one a second avalanche struck the same area near Lake Tahoe on Thursday But there were no reported casualties With 2023 behind us a new year ahead Money could still remain a top-of-mind issue for people. Here are four expenses expected to get cheaper this year According to money.com Forecasters expect these goods and services to see a price drop in 2024 Gas buddy expects the 2023 national average gas price of three dollars and fifty one cents per gallon to drop by 13 cents this year December is expected to be the lowest at $2.99 per gallon while May would hold the highest at three dollars sixty-seven the states of Mississippi and Texas are expected to have the lowest gas prices in 2024 ranging from about 280 to three dollars and twenty cents and Some cities on the west coast may briefly see price hikes of six dollars per gallon And if you're flying within the u.s Hopper a travel app expects domestic flights to remain below 2023 and pre pandemic levels in the next six months Hopper says January will be the cheapest month of the year to book travel until the fall shoulder season in September and October in May domestic flights average up to nearly $300 wholesale use electric vehicle prices fell for most of 2023 as prices for new EVs dropped and Unsold EVs rose according to Cox Automotive data Cox forecasts that used EV prices would decline more than the overall used vehicle prices in 2024 and car rental giant Hertz is selling nearly 20,000 of its EVs including Tesla's citing high collision costs and for homebuyers according to real estate company Redfin the median home sale price was about $400,000 last year and realtor.com expects the monthly purchase cost of a median home to decrease from 2240 to under 2200 while it's not much of a decrease. They say it's a significant first step in a buyer friendly direction We all take a short break now everybody, but here's a look at what we have for you when we come back Automated receipt checks Sam's Club plans to use AI to check shoppers purchases before leaving the store One University is removing diversity initiatives when hiring Another school recently came under criticism for language used in the race newsletter Could VHS tapes make a comeback? We'll find out as we visit a California video store those stories and more coming up on NTD tonight Welcome back to NTD tonight I'm your host David Zhang showing your receipt when leaving Sam's Club might become a thing of the past New technology is rolling out this year that automates the process NTV's Jason Blair has more shoppers at Sam's Club will soon be able to avoid showing their receipt to a staff member when exiting a new Application leveraging a first-of-its-kind combination of artificial intelligence and computer vision Technology will automate the process whether the customer uses Sam's Club's scan-and-go system or checks out at a register Their carts will be scanned while leaving matching their items with their receipt without having to stop Chris Nicholas the company's CEO said in a statement quote We are constantly looking at ways for Sam's Club to be the most convenient Membership club and will continue to prioritize using technology to provide a truly Differentiated and delightful experience for our members Sam's Club currently has the feature at ten pilot locations and plan on expanding to almost all of their 600 US stores by the end of this year Jason Blair NTD news a University in Utah announced that you will not use diversity and inclusion initiatives to hire new employees This comes after the governor criticized the diversity statements saying it would be more divisive The University of Utah president announced the school will no longer be using diversity statements for hiring in a letter University president Taylor Randall said as the University of Utah strives for excellence in education research patient care and service to community We remain steadfast in our belief and actions that we must have a dedicated team of Individuals from every walk of life to help us achieve that goal as we do So we affirm our commitment to non-discriminatory hiring practices and the well-being of our patients and campus community The decision comes after the Utah Board of Higher Education Recommended that all hiring units at the university should discontinue the use of any type of diversity Statements or similar practices as part of their unit level applicant or employee hiring processes It echoed Utah governor Spencer Cox who claimed in December that diversity statements would promote divisiveness instead of inclusion Meanwhile at Johns Hopkins University a January newsletter included a list of people who are categorized as quote privileged but in a statement to NTD a Johns Hopkins medicine Spokesperson said the monthly newsletter used language that contradicts the values of Johns Hopkins as an institution and that the chief Diversity officer has sincerely acknowledged this mistake and retracted the language used in the message earlier last year Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill proposing to ban diversity and inclusion initiatives at Florida Universities a Florida school district defines itself facing a lawsuit for the removal of nearly 2,000 books from its shelves including reference materials Entities Christina Corona has more on the story in response to Florida law HB 1069 the Escambia County School District in Pensacola, Florida removed several dictionaries and encyclopedias from school libraries school officials determined that these books violated the law signed by governor Ron DeSantis last year which restricts access to materials containing sexual conduct in Florida classrooms throughout the summer break of 2023 officials within the district removed a minimum of eight encyclopedias and five Dictionaries copies of the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley's believe it or not were also removed Children's books that showcased unusual stories and hair raising oddities were among the materials taken out the list obtained by the Florida Freedom to read project an organization dedicated to challenging book bans and censorship in the state Includes Thurgood Marshall the first black Supreme Court justice and Frank's diary of a young girl and the adventures and the memoirs of Sherlock Holmes according to Pan America's press release more than 1,600 books were removed Pan America publisher Penguin Random House several authors and Parents have jointly filed a federal lawsuit against the school district Alleging a violation of free speech on Wednesday US District Judge Kent Wetherill Rejected the 14th Amendment claim, but granted standing under the First Amendment Christina Corona and TD News Blockbusters might be virtually gone, but VHS tapes has seen an unusual rise in demand Some are holding on to these tapes for a nostalgic values and childhood memories Entities David Lamb visits a video store that welcomes its customers seven days a week VHS tapes are making a comeback So we're speaking to the owner of Captain video who's been around for decades to find out more Ira Belfer who ran this time capsule of a store in San Mateo since 1985 says there's been a rise in demand for these About a year ago. It seemed like all of a sudden people started coming in asking for VHS Which I thought was very odd because the people that were asking for it were not older people. They were younger people What do you know about VHS is? Popularity rewinding back. It seems to be a plot twist for some. I really don't know why they would do something like that I was glad to see tapes go just you Just can't play around with a little more Belfer also says people have donated their tapes to the store People cry. I don't want to throw these away Would you please take them happy to no problem and I can turn around and sell this stuff And I only sell them for a dollar. I mean, I'm not getting rich off of VHS But every now and then you'll get a gem. They'll come in. Oh, I find a lot of movies that are still sealed They've never been opened on eBay. Some people have auctioned their tapes for tens of thousands of dollars VHS or video home system was created in the 1970s for people to enjoy films at home Though demand dwindled in the 2000s as DVDs and blu-ray took over in the world of streaming services stores like Captain Video have a unique challenge unfortunately, I was with a distributor since 1985 and About two months ago. They sent me an email saying they're closing out So and I would buy every week the new releases and you know, movies were coming out still on DVD That seems to be coming to an end a lot of Movies are being exclusive to certain streaming services and they're not available to the general public the Washington Post reported that brick-and-mortar video stores have opened or reopened in Southern, California and Enthusiasts referred to themselves as tape heads It's unclear where legacy media formats like VHS and tapes fit in today or if it's a trend But some enjoyed the experience of physically browsing through stores in San Mateo, California David Lam NTD news The all-star weekend is an event fans and players look forward to during its regular season Entities Tyler Castillo has updates on the all-star weekend for hockey in North America The NHL all-star weekend kicks off on February 3rd in Toronto Canada where we will see the league's best all rounded up for an eventful weekend This year one of the players selected was Conor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks Who was the first overall selection in last year's NHL draft? He is the youngest player ever to be selected to the all-star in NHL history at only 18 years old However, during a recent game, he suffered a broken jaw and will miss the all-star event altogether Representing the home city that is hosting the festivities will be Toronto's own Austin Matthews who currently leads the league in goals This year's NHL all-star game will look a little different as they are bringing back a fan favorite of the NHL all-star draft The way it works is that captains Representing their respective division can draft one of the 28 other all-stars to play for their specific All-star team on top of that the all-star skills competition will showcase the fastest skater hardest shot stick handling one-timers passing and of course shooting accuracy the more prestigious Challenges includes the shootout and a fun obstacle course for the players Just like the NHL the AHL also known as the American Hockey League will also be hosting their all-star weekend on February 3rd Located in San Jose, California The AHL is the minor league affiliate with the National Hockey League Representing the home city of San Jose is Daniel Gushkin who leads the San Jose Barracuda in goals and points in only his second year on the team It is also his first appearance in the AHL all-star The weekend will showcase the AHL skills competition the AHL Hall of Fame induction and awards ceremony And lastly the AHL all-star challenge That's all we've got for you tonight, we would like you to join us again all NTD tonight every weekday at 9 p.m I'm David Zhang. Have a great weekend