NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 20)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, polls show President Biden flipping the script among independent voters. What could be driving this shift a week before the first debate and why is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. not making it to the debate stage? Iris Tao reports. Congress can adopt a wealth tax in the future if it so chooses. This made possible by the Supreme Court's latest ruling. A bipartisan group of senators pushing to add Russia to the list of countries that sponsor terrorism, while Russian President Vladimir Putin shores up international allies, Luis Martinez in D.C. Top aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are meeting with American officials despite a recent controversy why the meeting was almost New Mexico requests that President Biden issue a major disaster declaration as the state battles wildfires and severe weather. David Lam reports on the weather across the nation. This is NTD Evening News. Live from our NTD global headquarters in New York City, here is Tiffany Meyer. Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. A week until the first debate, President Biden now leads former President Trump in a string of new polls. Still within the margin of error, but a shift in Biden's favor compared with polls before Trump's conviction. NTD's Iris Tao has more from the White House. While former President Trump is maintaining an edge in the all-important swing states, President Biden seems to be gaining ground among independent voters according to the latest polls. A new Fox News poll released on Thursday shows Biden now leads Trump by two points. And to be clear, that two-point difference is within the margin of error, but it marks a three-point swing towards Biden from last month. So what's changed? Almost all partisans polled remain loyal, but independents now favor Biden by nine points, a shift from May when they preferred Trump by two points. The chair of the Democratic National Committee says Biden is appealing to voters through his policies, while former President Trump said last week that his latest conviction in New York was boosting his popularity. Listen to what Joe Biden says in his speeches. He talks about the agenda that he has had and the accomplishments that he has done in order to make the lives of the American people better. And since the rigged trial in New York, my numbers have increased substantially. And fundraising, by the way, is, I believe, the highest numbers in the history of politics. And Trump is still leading in most swing states, according to a new Emerson College poll. Trump also fired back against Fox News poll, accusing it of polling more Biden voters than Trump voters to skew the results. Trump also disputed the poll's finding that democracy now becomes the number one issue on voters' minds, saying it should be inflation and immigration. Meanwhile, another new poll, this one from NPR, PBS and Marist, also shows Biden gaining support from independents. Still overall, Trump leads Biden by 0.5 percent in polling average by RealClearPolitics, showing a very tight race. And now, Biden and Trump are full steam ahead before next week's first presidential debate, and President Biden on Thursday headed to Camp David to prepare. And we also learned on Thursday that based on the outcome of a coin toss, Biden will be on the right side of the podium, while Trump will get to deliver the last closing statement after Biden. And on Thursday, CNN officially announced that independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for the debate as he wouldn't make it on enough ballots and was not polling well enough. RFK Jr. responded by saying excluding him is undemocratic. Still a lot to watch for for this debate, as it will be the first ever debate in U.S. history between a sitting U.S. president and a former one. Reporting from the White House, Iris Tao, NTV News. Congress may be open to adopt a wealth tax in the future if they so choose. This is made possible by the Supreme Court's latest ruling today. The case was brought by a couple from Washington who were charged around $15,000 on back taxes from an Indian company they invested in, although they never made money from it. The high court is upholding a Trump-era law which taxes U.S. corporate earnings abroad going back 30 years, even without earnings being realized. The couple had hoped to prevent Congress from creating a wealth tax in the future, an idea that's supported by progressive Democrats. But the justices rejected their lawsuit because the 2017 tax law is a levy on income, not property. At the same time, the court purposefully stopped short of allowing a wealth tax or a tax on unrealized domestic earnings. Senators introduced a bill that would add Russia to the list of state sponsors of terrorism in an attempt to further isolate the country from the international community. Our Washington correspondent, Luis Martinez, has more on the story. Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican from South Carolina, and Senator Richard Blumenthal, the Democrat from Connecticut, introduced this Thursday a bill meant to add Russia to the list of states who sponsor terrorism. Currently in the list are North Korea, Cuba, Iran, and Syria. The bill introduced by Senator Graham and Senator Blumenthal includes a list of Russia's terrorist activities dating as far back as 1999. At the beginning of the Second Chechen War, according to Senator Lindsey Graham, including Russia in the list of states that sponsor terrorism would open a new front in the war against Russian aggression. It would be a morale boost to the people of Ukraine. It would make Russia even more of a pariah state, that if you wanted to do business with Russia after we make them a state sponsor of terrorism, you do so at your own peril. It would allow victims of Putin's barbaric behavior to access American courts. Despite both Senator Graham and Senator Blumenthal mentioning that Russia is a pariah state in the international system, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea and Vietnam this week, and Russian warships conducted military drills in the coast of Havana, Cuba last week, and are expected to also travel to Venezuela. Not only are they in a defense agreement with North Korea, they may be providing nuclear expertise to North Korea to increase their nuclear arsenal. Now if that doesn't get you to being a state sponsor of terrorism, what would? Senator Graham and Senator Blumenthal refused to put a timeline to when this bill might see a vote in the Senate floor, but did not discard using unanimous consent to bypass Senate leadership in order to force a vote in the Senate floor. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. The White House is halting all exports of air defense munitions to allies and instead sending them over to Ukraine. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby describes the decision as, quote, difficult but necessary. With Russia doubling down its attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, Kirby said weapons like Patriot interceptor missiles are much needed for the war-torn nation, adding that the action will not affect the U.S. defense commitments to Israel and Taiwan. The systems will enhance the Ukrainian military's ability to defend themselves against relentless missile and drone attacks. The first batch of shipments will happen in the coming weeks before the end of summer, but it is not immediately clear how many countries currently waiting to get the systems will be impacted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still facing backlash for accusing the U.S. of withholding weapon shipments, but despite the public rift, American officials moved ahead with plans to meet Netanyahu's top aides today. NTD's international correspondent Aryan Pazdar has the Middle East update. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with two aides of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. And just a few minutes before the meeting, the State Department issued the topics on the agenda. Watch. Our ongoing work to try to reach a ceasefire that will secure the release of all hostages with surge humanitarian assistance. They will discuss the situation in the north of Lebanon, I'm sorry, in the north of Israel along the border with Lebanon. Some media outlets previously reported that the meeting had been canceled due to this video released by Netanyahu on Tuesday. The administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel. White House spokesperson John Kirby on Thursday said that the idea that we had somehow stopped helping Israel with their self-defense needs is absolutely not accurate. The State Department said this on the issue. And I don't think it's productive to engage in an intense public back and forth about this. So we will just let our actions continue to speak. This comes as the American floating pier in Gaza resumed operations on Thursday with the help of Israeli soldiers. And there were no U.S. boots on the ground during the reestablishment of the pier. We have not established an end date for this mission as of now, contrary to some press reporting on the matter. The pier was removed last Friday due to rough sea conditions. Poor weather and security considerations have so far limited the number of days it has been operational. The Pentagon says it will now be used again to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, continues its offensive in Gaza. Medics say Israeli soldiers killed three people and wounded dozens in the central Gaza Strip overnight. NTD can't independently verify those numbers. And residents say Israeli tanks are reaching deeper into Rafa in the south. That's as tensions between Israel and Lebanon keep rising. Of course, everyone is afraid. And those who tell you they are not afraid will be lying to themselves. This comes after Hezbollah threatened Israel and Cyprus on Wednesday, now expanding aggression towards Europe. Aryan Pasdar, NTD News. Severe weather in the U.S., the east coast baking from a heat wave while rain batters Texas. That's as authorities say at least two people are dead from wildfires in New Mexico. NTD's David Lam brings us the update. The state of New Mexico requested a major emergency declaration from President Biden. The state faced multiple natural disasters, wildfire, flood warnings and a massive dust storm. And it takes an immense amount of resources. That's why it's so important for agencies like FEMA to respond to these incidents quickly, to make sure to compensate and find housing for folks quickly. And frankly, the federal government has to do a much better job of responding to these fires. New Mexico already declared a local emergency this week as two large fires converged, burning more than 23,000 acres in the southern part of the state. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's office confirmed that two people have died, resulting from the fires and thousands evacuated. At the same time, the state issued warnings for floods and a dust storm. Heavy rain and hail fell Wednesday, and experts predict more moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico, bringing hope of relief. But it warned strong winds could cause problems for firefighters. You have storms when you have lightning, when you have floods that are going down the hill, when you have lots of rain, you can't suppress fire under those conditions. And so the crews have to be pulled back. Neighboring state Texas was also in a disaster declaration as tropical storm Albert moved through the Gulf Coast. Governor Greg Abbott said residents should stay vigilant to keep themselves and their families safe. The National Hurricane Center said the hurricane's circulation has dissipated, but Mexico is still impacted. According to the National Weather Service, higher temperatures are forecasted for most of the U.S. as seen on the map. It's cooler in the north, but we watch the yellow and orange more in the 80s and 90s as we head into the weekend. Triple digits are expected among the southern parts of the U.S., nearly going coast to coast. David Lam, NTD News. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Much of the U.S. is still in the middle of a historic week-long heat wave. How should we stay safe from the excessive heat? And what are the challenges for those who have to work outside? Earlier, we spoke with Lawrence Wilson, political reporter at The Epoch Times, to find out more. Lawrence Wilson, thank you so much for joining us. Great to have you back on the show. My pleasure. Now, Lawrence, most of the country is currently under severe weather warnings, including nearly all of the northeast parts of the Midwest and southwest. But what is the impact on workers? Well, it makes it really difficult for workers who have to be out in the heat. Now, think about delivery drivers, warehouse workers, maybe people working at car washes or car service places where those big garage bays are open all the time. They're not only in the heat, but they're working in the heat. So it can be very difficult and dangerous because heat stroke is a real thing, and even younger people can get it. It's really dangerous for anybody that has an underlying health condition, breathing problem, a heart condition. It can be extremely dangerous when you get temperatures in the 90s, and then that heat index with the humidity can be up to 100, 105. You can get real hot real fast. And for these workers who do have to do their jobs outside, how do they battle the heat? Well, a lot of the folks we talk to, they're kind of used to it. They know it's coming, and they've found ways to deal with it. And these are not surprising, but if you're not used to dealing with extreme heat, you may have to think about it. Hydration is the main thing. Keep a lot of fluids going because you're going to sweat out all of that in cooling. And one manager that we talked to at an oil change center, he said they have electrolyte popsicles for the workers. So they can either take a break, get something cool, also replenish the electrolytes. The choice of lighter clothing that's breathable, hats for people who aren't used to wearing them, and brakes. Get out of the heat when you can, or at least stop working periodically to let your body adjust. Expanding on that, and to one of your earlier points, heat can be quite deadly. Last year, 350 people died in New York City due to the heat, and nationwide, over 2,000 died, according to the CDC. Given that, what can people, even if they're not working outside, do to protect themselves? Well, avoid the heat as much as you can. This is what the Red Cross advises people. If you don't have to go out at one o'clock in the afternoon, don't go out because that's going to be about the hottest part of the day, that early to mid-afternoon time. If you don't have air conditioning or a way to get cool in your home, some cities have open cooling centers. If those exist in your city, a place to go where there's air conditioning. If you can't find one of those, a public library, a shopping mall, a grocery store. Some grocery stores have a little cafe. Go there, buy a Diet Coke or something, and just cool off for a while. Those breaks from the heat really do help. So getting out of the heat and avoiding it as much as you can. On that note, New York City's Mayor Eric Adams has said the city has opened cooling centers, such as splash pads outside. Beaches are open, but not public pools. How effective are these measures at protecting people and battling the heat? Well, they can be quite effective. We spoke with a person who is connected with a very large social service agency in the city of Indianapolis, and he said they operate cooling centers for people to come in. He said, you know, when people come in, they can be in pretty bad shape, but they get some liquid in them, take some time to relax in the air conditioning. They serve meals there, they get a meal in you, and usually they bounce back and feel better. So it really does work. Good to hear indeed. Lawrence Wilson, thank you so much for your time. Thank you, my pleasure. Students are underperforming and teachers are struggling. Senators explore a minimum $60,000 teacher salary as a means to improve education. Education is broken. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, or HELP, discussed America's problematic K-12 education system Thursday. Two-thirds of U.S. public school students don't read proficiently in fourth grade. Forty percent are essentially non-readers. Senator Bill Cassidy says schools are poorly educating America's children. Some lawmakers say higher teacher pay is part of the solution. Four, one, two, three, four, hedge fund managers on Wall Street made more money last year than every kindergarten teacher in America, nearly 120,000 teachers. Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced the Pay Teachers Act, which sets a $60,000 minimum salary. Teachers should be as other professionals requiring similar levels of education, such as architects and CPAs. William Kirwan has studied high-performing school systems around the world. He found that other countries value teachers more than America does. Teaching is a well-regarded and well-compensated profession that attracts talent similar to other high-status professions in these countries. Their teacher preparation programs are rigorous and certification standards are high. Former teacher Robert Pondicio says raising pay won't solve the problem. We have made teaching too hard for mere mortals. He says teachers face many other problems, citing polls that show nearly half of all teachers plan to quit due to school climate and safety. About 40 percent of teachers have faced physical violence from students. So by all means, raise teacher pay, but do not assume that it will solve teacher shortages or keep good teachers in the classroom. Poor training, deteriorating classroom conditions, shoddy curriculum, and spiraling demands have made an already challenging job nearly impossible. Senator Bill Cassidy noted that the U.S. already spends more per student than it ever has before. Here's spending. Here's inflation. So spending has greatly exceeded inflation. But even beginning before the pandemic, we saw a decrease in math scores and a decrease in reading scores. He says new spending should focus on teachers and not on things that may not improve education. Mayor and Governor Kathy Hochul today signing a bill designed to target social media feeds for children. It makes New York the first state to enact a law regulating social media algorithms. We can protect our kids. We can tell the companies that you are not allowed to do this. You don't have a right to do this. That parents should have say over their children's lives and their health. Not you. Not you who are on a marketing quest to have people follow you for the rest of their lives. We can stop that right now. And let's get that done. The Safer Kids Act compels social media companies to cut back on addictive feeds for users under the age of 18. It also imposes a curfew, no notifications between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent. New York State Attorney General Letitia James will set new guidelines for parental consent and age verification. The bill will take effect 180 days after the rules are set. Companies that failed to comply with the measures could be fined up to $5,000 per violation. A group representing tech firms spoke out against the measure on First Amendment grounds. But Governor Hochul said quote we've checked to make sure we believe it's constitutional. She added that Congress and other states should follow with similar actions. Some New Yorkers want more funding for schools and libraries. At a rally in front of City Hall today, demonstrators called for Mayor Eric Adams to reverse budget cuts for childhood programs. NTD's Fiona Gee was there to find out more. Our education system needs all the support it can get. It cannot continue to manage these random cuts to programs that are so important. Demonstrators say that the mayor's proposed budget cuts would have impacts on many aspects of both family and student life. Cuts around education, cuts around early childhood education and child care, cuts to libraries, cuts to like City University in New York. The cuts for child care and early childhood education are 400 million dollars. I hear these stories all the time. People who have to make choices between you know whether or not they work or you know stay home to take care of their young children. Cuts to programming in our schools, overcrowded classrooms. If these cuts go through, libraries in New York City will have to close on Saturday as well. So it'll just be Monday to Friday. And how would that impact communities? Basically if you work Monday to Friday, now you can't go to the library. You can't bring your kid to borrow books. You can't teach them to love reading. People are migrating out of the city. It's becoming unaffordable. People are not feeling that they're cared for by the city. Mothers also express the worry they feel about how these cuts will impact their children. As a mother, oh boy, you know it's very, I'm very worried because while mayor is doing these cuts, our kids don't have nothing to do at home. As a parent, our children should have everything they need. If we're not fully investing in the tools that are going to help our kids just be successful at their own levels, right, then the future return on that is minimized, right? They don't have access to the many social workers that they might need or their friends may need. They don't have access to constant art and music, foreign languages that they should have in their schools. They say, mom, we don't have this program anymore. So what are they going to do with our kids? They go to their cell phones. They go outside. They run them to the trains. There are those who say that the mayor needs to put this money back into education and libraries. However, others say that funding needs to be put into the police force so that they could keep communities safe. And this is an ongoing debate. Fiona G, NTD News. Starting next year, public schools in Louisiana will be required to display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms. Some civil rights groups have already filed lawsuits claiming this would violate the establishment clause in the First Amendment. But supporters of the law say this isn't about religion and that the Ten Commandments encompass values that are relevant to all human beings. NTD's Sam Wong was out at the National Mall to find out what folks think about the new measure. Public schools in Louisiana are now required to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. So what are your thoughts? Well, I think that it's an overreach. I feel like it's the right thing to do. I don't have a problem or take issue with the state mandating that we do that. God is a foundational part of all our lives. Any deposition of religion on children is a bad idea. It goes in the face of our democratic values and our personal choices and our personal freedoms. Display them, but not engage in excessive coercion toward the kids. You know, too much would be good. I don't think they have to be displayed in every single room in the building, but I think there should be a place in every learning facility where they should be accessible. We want to have the Koran tacked to the school walls and the Torah and everything else. Not really. So for those who are arguing that church and state is essential to the democratic freedom in this country, so what do you make of that? I don't know how I feel about that because it's kind of on the spot, but I can see it take a lot of problems away. In my mind, there's no real separation. Benjamin Franklin did not originally mean for the church to be separate from the state. It was to keep the state separate from the church so the church could not be dictated by the state. It wasn't the other way around. Welcome back. If you're just joining us now, here are some of today's top headlines. The White House announced it will rush delivery of air defense missiles to Ukraine by redirecting planned shipments to other allied nations. The shipment will involve hundreds of Patriot interceptor missiles. This came as senators unveiled a bipartisan bill that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Wildfires in New Mexico claim the life of a second person and is still 0% contained. The season's first name, Tropical Storm Alberto, made landfall in Mexico and brought severe flooding to Texas. States in the Northeast and the Midwest continue to The Supreme Court upheld a Trump-era tax on unrealized income from overseas investments. The tax applies to corporate earnings abroad, even when the earnings weren't realized. This means Congress may be able to adopt a wealth tax in the future, although the ruling purposefully stopped short of allowing that. A new poll by Fox News showed President Biden leading former President Trump nationally by two points. Biden also performed stronger among independent voters. Meanwhile, a new Emerson College poll showed Trump still leading in key swing states. A transition to renewable energy may weaken U.S. national security. That's according to a new report which highlights the need for energy security in the face of the Chinese regime's Entities at Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has the details. Securing a stable energy supply is of critical concern for U.S. national security. This comes in the face of mounting pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, and the threats may be exacerbated by the push for renewable energy. That's according to Brent Sadler, Senior Research Fellow in Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology at the Allison Center for National Security for the Heritage Foundation. But those refineries have been encouraged to make investments not for expanding capacity or building new refineries, but to actually retool themselves to process renewables or biofuels. But the clean energy comes with a cost, he says. The focus on shifting to renewables is more expensive and there's less output. When we need more capacity, we're going in the opposite direction. And this may put us at a greater security risk in the face of the Chinese regime. If we actually have a stronger domestic production, and more importantly, a larger capacity to refine our own domestic crude oil, then we could be a lot more resilient to Chinese coercion on the open market. And certainly if we got into a war, we'd be a lot more resilient. He said more nuclear power plants would help back up the energy supply for the military. And Congress is on board. On Tuesday, the Senate sent a bipartisan bill to President Biden's desk. It speeds up the permitting process and provides incentives for building nuclear energy technology. If there's a disruption to supply or shipping of energy in the United States for crude oil to refineries, we have the nuclear power plants that are providing a much larger portion of our energy, electric energy, so we can still function. As the threat of the Chinese Communist Party continues to mount, it's clear that a secure energy reserve is vital for U.S. national security. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Jack Bradley, NTD News. The U.S. Treasury working with other federal agencies and banks to stop the flow of opioids and other dangerous drugs into the country. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is announcing new sanctions on a Mexican drug cartel and a new advisory for banks. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday that her department had sanctioned Members of the drug cartel smuggled fentanyl, cocaine, meth and migrants into the U.S. Atlanta, Georgia, where Yellen was speaking from, has been a hub for them. Yellen said that synthetic drugs not only kill Americans, but also hurt the country financially. The U.S. Joint Economic Committee estimates that the opioid epidemic cost America nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020. And that's why President Biden has directed the entire U.S. government to use every tool at our disposal to combat the opioid epidemic and save lives. Yellen also made note that overdose deaths from fentanyl have increased in Georgia by more than 200 percent between 2019 and 2021. The Treasury Secretary said the Biden administration has increased funding for treatment for people addicted to fentanyl and other illegal drugs. As part of President Biden's unity agenda, the Treasury Department is working with Mexico and China to stop the flow of illicit drugs going into the U.S. We're also engaging with our foreign partners. Last July, President Biden launched the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats that brings together more than 100 countries and 11 international organizations. Encounter Narcotics is a focus in our bilateral relations, including with China, the key source of the precursor fentanyl. Yellen said her agency issued new guidelines to banks. They aim to help banks monitor how drug cartels are laundering money from illicit fentanyl sales. The secretary said her department is committed to sharing more collected data with banks and emphasized the need for better cooperation. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Homeless individuals can get a chance to live in luxury as a new high-rise opens in Southern California, totally funded by taxpayers. A luxury homeless shelter opened in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday for homeless individuals and veterans. Weingart Center Tower spans 228,000 square feet, making it one of the largest permanent housing projects on the West Coast. The 19-story tower cost about $165 million to build, with each unit averaging about $600,000. It's all funded by taxpayers. It has 228 studio apartments, 47 one-bedroom apartments, and three one-bedroom apartments for full-time on-site managers. The building will also offer services like job training and counseling. In a statement, the senior project manager said, Building in the heart of Skid Row presents unique challenges, but this team is constantly reminded that the vision behind this project serves as a positive response to the homelessness crisis. There are a total of 18 Weingart Center locations for housing in Southern California. Actor Donald Sutherland has died at age 88. His son, Kiefer Sutherland, confirmed his father's death today. The Canadian actor played a prominent role in the hit TV sitcom MASH, when recently he portrayed villain President Snow in the Hunger Games film franchise. Sutherland said on a talk show in 1998, quote, I love to feel my hand fit into the glove of some other character. I feel a huge freedom. Time stops for me. Now for your sports news, we are joined by NTD's Dave Martin over at the Sports Hub. Dave, a lot going on today, but let's start in the NBA, where the LA Lakers have reportedly found their new head coach and former player JJ Redick. Why do you think they would target Redick, who has no coaching experience in the NBA? Well, it's not completely uncommon for a team to hire someone without any prior coaching experience in the NBA, especially if they were a player in the league, and JJ Redick was. Now, you know, Jason Kidd did the same thing. Mark Jackson, Larry Bird, Doc Rivers, all four of those ended up being very successful coaches. Now, to be clear, this report is according to ESPN, which is citing unnamed sources. NTD has been unable to verify the information. But if true, this would seem to also work for LeBron James. You know, James and Redick co-host a podcast together, so it seems like they have a good relationship. And the Lakers definitely want to appease LeBron because he could opt out of his contract, sign with some other team. They'd much prefer to keep them. Personally, I think it's a great hire. I mean, Redick has been an NBA analyst on ABC. He's very sharp on TV. And between LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he's going to have a very good team to work with here. Over in the WNBA, ticket prices for Sunday's Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese rematch are at record levels. What do you think makes this one so anticipated? You know, for one, I mean, these two obviously have a rivalry dating back to their college days, which obviously wasn't that long ago. But there's also been at least some minor fireworks in their two games and two WNBA matchups. Now, according to ticket reseller TickPick, the average price of the Sunday's game is $253. That would be the most expensive WNBA ticket ever. Now, I mean, compare that to Chicago Sky's average ticket price of just $88. Plus, it's the first time they meet in Chicago, which is a bigger metropolitan area than Indianapolis. I would expect, though, as long as Caitlin Clark's team keeps getting better and keep winning, demand is going to rise. I mean, after a 1-9 start, they've now won five of their last seven games. So we'll be keeping track of these ticket prices probably for the rest of the season where they keep going up. Shifting gears to the NHL Stanley Cup final, Edmonton's Connor McDavid has taken over the series with his play, especially in the last two games to keep the Oilers alive. Where does his playoff production rank in NHL history? I mean, it's right up there with the best of them. His three assists in game four gave him 32 for this postseason. That broke Wayne Gretzky's single postseason record. And then he added two more in game five. He's not done. I mean, those 34 assists plus eight goals now gave him 42 points. Let's look where that ranks among the all-time greats. Here are the top five highest scoring single postseason performances of all time. Connor McDavid in fourth with 42 points. Now, he could at least have won maybe possibly two more games to catch Wayne Gretzky here in first with his 47 that was back in 1985. Mario Lemieux right behind him with 44 in 1991. And really, these two are the two greatest players in NHL history. He's obviously got some good company there. Now, meanwhile, his Oilers, they are attempting the nearly impossible task of coming back from an 0-3 deficit to win the series. Now, only four NHL teams have ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win the series. That's out of 210 instances. Only once has this ever happened in the Stanley Cup final. That was 82 years ago when the Toronto Maple Leafs did it. Now, Edmonton has won the last two games to cut the lead to 3-2. Friday night will be game six in Edmonton. Moving to soccer news. Copa America starts tonight with defending champion Argentina taking on Canada. What are Team USA's chances in this tournament? Well, not great. I mean, they're not the favorites to win at all despite the fact that it's taking place right here in the United States. That would be Argentina. Now, Argentina, they are the defending champions of this event plus the World Cup defending champions right now. I would be shocked if they didn't at least make it to the final. Now, as for the U.S., they've never actually won this event, but they are in a somewhat favorable group though because in their group is also going to be Panama and Bolivia who are the two of the lowest ranked teams in this tournament. They should be favored in those two games, but they've also got Uruguay to play. They are very talented. That's going to be a tall task, but for this tournament, you know, it's going to be the top two teams in each group that is going to advance to the knockout stage, so they've got a good chance there. That knockout stage is going to start on July 4 right here in the United States. Well, Davis, always thanks for joining us. Well, thank you, Tiff. Historians say George Washington never did cut down a cherry tree despite the famous story, but he did pack away many bottles of the fruit at his Mount Vernon home. They were found recently and are still perfectly preserved. Archaeologists are excited over a find in the cellar of George Washington's Mount Vernon mansion. They unearthed dozens of bottles of cherries and other fruit. The discovery was made during a dig related to a restoration project. Food remains have been found in other parts of the world and even ancient food remains, but finding what is essentially fresh fruit 250 years later is pretty spectacular. All the stars sort of have to align in the right manner for that to happen. Whole pieces of fruit, recognizable as cherries, were found in some of the bottles. Other bottles contained different types of fruit, and testing is underway to confirm exactly which kinds. The total bottle count was 35 bottles. That's recovered from six different storage pits. Of that 35, six were broken, so 29 of the bottles contained intact fruit contents. Of that, 12 bottles had cherries, 16 bottles had berries, probably gooseberries or currants, but we haven't confirmed that, and the last bottle had mixed cherries and berries. Archaeologists have an idea about exactly when the fruit was stored in the cellar. This pit in particular, we have a theory we think this is probably the summer of 1775, which is the last harvest just before Washington rode off to Philadelphia and became commander-in-chief just before the revolution. Records at Mount Vernon show the Washingtons were fond of cherries, at least when mixed with brandy. The family also enjoyed another treat that may have contained the fruit. We do know that the Washingtons were very fond of ice cream. This could have also ended up in ice cream, who knows. The find represents more than just an interesting discovery related to a key figure in U.S. history. Plantations like Mount Vernon are where all of these different styles of cooking and different plants and animals came together with European, Native, and African antecedents, and all of that stuff is woven into a new cuisine, an American cuisine, and this is part of that. So there is a lot of information that we're excited to get from these bottles, and they can tell us a lot about what life was like here. Mount Vernon is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct DNA testing on the fruit. They're also examining more than 50 cherry pits recovered from the bottles to see if any of them can be planted. For around-the-clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Good night.