NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Nov. 8)

This is NTD Evening News. Live from our global headquarters in New York City, here's Tiffany Meyer. Good evening, and thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Stefania Cox, in for Tiffany Meyer. A new charge is unsealed today. The United States says Iranian agents plotted to assassinate Trump before the election. Iranian officials also saw the period after the election as a potential window. NTD's White House correspondent Iris Tao brings us the details from Palm Beach, Florida. The Justice Department on Friday charged an Iranian man and two New York residents in a murder-for-hire plot to kill then-presidential candidate Trump. The DOJ says it was part of Iran's revenge for the killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, which Trump has repeatedly taken credit for throughout the years. According to the DOJ, one of the plotters said he was assigned in September to surveil and ultimately assassinate Trump. Iran then warned the plotter that if he failed to deliver a plan by mid-October, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards would pause their plan to kill Trump until after the election as they thought Trump would lose and become more vulnerable to getting assassinated. The Trump team, meanwhile, voicing defiance, saying on Friday that Trump was aware of the assassination plot, adding that, quote, nothing will deter President Trump from returning to the White House and restoring peace around the world. The FBI says Iran's efforts won't be tolerated. And Trump survived two assassination attempts in the months leading up to the election. One at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally and another one near his golf club in Miami, Florida. The Secret Service has already significantly ramped up Trump's protection before the election and now as president-elect, Trump will only get even stronger security measures. And here in Palm Beach, where Trump is working on his transition before getting back to the White House in January, officials are planning additional protection measures. On Friday, heavy security was seen around Mar-a-Lago, including a Coast Guard boat mounted with a rifle and a robotic dog. The Secret Service says it's equipped with surveillance technology. In the coming days and weeks, Trump is expected to announce more picks for key White House and Cabinet positions as he interviews the different candidates. Reporting from West Palm Beach, Iris Tao, NTD News. President-elect Trump's federal election case is now on hold. A federal judge today granted a request from special counsel Jack Smith to pause the case. The judge overseeing the case canceled any remaining court deadlines. At the same time, prosecutors will assess the appropriate course going forward in light of Trump's presidential victory. Smith's team has been evaluating how to wind down the two federal cases against Trump before the president-elect takes office. The Justice Department has a longstanding policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted while in office. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Administration Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Barry Loudermilk sent a letter to Smith. They demanded that the special counsel turn over all documents relating to his prosecutions of Trump. Amsterdam today, dealing with the aftermath of violent attacks on Israeli soccer fans. Many were injured and police arrested dozens of people. President Biden and other world leaders are now speaking out. NTD's international correspondent, Arian Pasdar, has that story. Chaos after a soccer game in Amsterdam on Thursday. Anti-Semitic attacks caused five people to be hospitalized and 62 arrested. That's according to local Dutch police. Police say rioters attacked supporters who traveled from Israel to the Netherlands to support Tel Aviv playing against Amsterdam. Witnesses describe what they saw as chaos erupted. They came when a lot of people were already hurt, injured, some of them probably go to the hospital. We have nothing to do with the war, we come to support Maccabi Tel Aviv. A day later, on Friday, some Israelis living in Amsterdam took to the streets to protest the violence. I just woke up today in 1938 and I felt the urge to come here with my flag to show my people that they are not transparent. Travelers heading from Tel Aviv's airport to Amsterdam on Friday say they won't change their plans because of the attacks. I live my life my way. They should be ashamed. They should change their lives. They should be imprisoned. So, you know, doesn't mean my life changed. Will I be cautious? Will I be careful? Of course, everyone should be cautious in this day and age. Reactions to the attacks are coming in not just from the people of Israel. Officials from both the Netherlands and Israel are now condemning the violence, classifying it as anti-Semitic hate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday comparing the attacks to the 1938 Kristallnacht, when Germans violently attacked Jews and their properties. Tomorrow, 86 years ago, was Kristallnacht, when Jews on European soil were attacked for being Jews. This has now recurred. This is what happened. There is only one difference. The state of the Jews has arisen. We need to deal with it. The prime minister of the Netherlands also commenting on Friday. Let's say that I'm ashamed that this happened in the Netherlands and it's a terrible anti-Semitic attack. And we will not tolerate and we will prosecute the perpetrators. President Biden says the anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam are despicable and echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted. He added that he's in touch with Israeli and Dutch officials to make sure the attackers will be held accountable. Ariane Pastar, NTD News. Voters in California did not swing left this election in those key districts captured by Republicans in the 2022 midterms. House Republicans are now poised to keep their majority. NTD's Washington correspondent Luis Martinez is here to give us an update on the balance of power in the House. That's right. House Republicans are poised to keep control of the House of Representatives as of right now. They are seven seats away from that 218 majority. Republicans right now have secured 211 seats. Let's look at those races that have yet to be called that might give Republicans the majority or help Republicans flip or help Democrats flip the House. Most of these races that have not yet been called are in the state of California. Those were the five races Democrats needed to flip back into Democratic control after they lost them back in the 2022 midterm election. So if we go to California's 13th district, it has not yet been called. Fifty eight percent of the votes counted. And the Republican John Duarte is ahead. If we go to California's 22nd district again, it's the Republican David Valadao ahead of the Democratic contender. Fifty eight percent of the votes counted for more than 10 points of difference. If we go down South California, we have right here in California's 27th district, Mike Garcia leading in the exit poll. Seventy three percent of the votes counted. That's three. If we go to four right here, California's 31st district is Kevin Colbert, Ken Colbert leading the race. And right here in Young Kim's district right here. There we go. Young Kim, California's 40th district. So that's already five races in the state of California. We can even look closer at two others that haven't been called the 47th and 45th district in California. That adds up to seven races that right now Republicans are leading in the state of California. If they capture all those seven seats, that's it. That's 218. That's the majority. They're still waiting on a couple of races in the state of Washington that we haven't gotten the results. One of them is going for Democrats. Mary Gluskin from Paris seems to be beating with 87 percent of the votes. Joe Kent. But then in Washington's fourth district, we only have Republican candidates. And let's remember, the state of Washington has a jungle primary. So it doesn't matter what party you're in. It's the four top candidates during the primary season that get to the ballot box on November 5th. In this case, Washington's fourth district. It was two Republicans. So as we've just reviewed, Republicans are well on their way to keeping their majority. As of right now, it looks like it will be a slim majority of two or three seats. If we want to go to the Senate, what the Senate balance of power looks like. We do need to emphasize that we still do not have results from the state of Nevada and the state of Arizona. Right here in Nevada, we're waiting for results from Clark County. We have Jackie Rosen, Democratic incumbent, leading over Sam Brown. But there's still four percent of the votes in and only 17,000 votes difference in between both candidates. And in the state of Arizona, we also have 77 percent of the votes in. And Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego is leading the race ahead of Kelly Lake. But the margins are very small, less than one percentage point. That will be a very tight race to be called. And we're waiting for it. As of now, Republicans in control of the Senate have captured, recaptured the White House with former President Donald Trump. Winning the presidency and are poised to keep in control of the House of Representatives total control in Washington, D.C. Back to you. Thank you, Luis. Now that Republicans have won the Senate and are just seats away from potentially taking the House, what would a new Republican Congress look like? And today's Melina Wisecup has more on the Republican policy agenda. Just 25 House races have yet to be called, mostly on the West Coast, and Republicans are getting very close to securing 218. And if they are successful there, they already have an agenda to get started on. Speaker Mike Johnson previously laid out five priorities that they'd like to address once they take the gavel. At the top of that list is invigorating the economy. And he noted that confronting China is a key element to doing so. Bipartisan work will continue as we take on Chinese companies that use forced labor and dodge tariffs through the de minimis exception. Congress also continues to have productive conversations about the best way to prevent American funds from flowing into firms that support the Chinese military. More and more people now understand that we support the Chinese economy at our own peril. The speaker committed to supporting tax cuts that will likely be pushed by President-elect Trump, as well as revamping U.S. oil and gas production. Another two priorities are to open up opportunities for school choice and slash the size of the federal government. And root out a long list of non-essential jobs throughout the federal bureaucracy. Our government is going to be a responsible government with a reduced scope and reduced spending. Now, Speaker Mike Johnson does need to go through a re-election bid to remain the House speaker. That race is shaping up for mid-December. Otherwise, the most challenging part for Republicans now in Congress will be to surpass the 60 vote threshold in the Senate in order to pass key pieces of legislation. With just 53 Republicans now, that means that most of these bills will need to be bipartisan in order to get enough Democrats on board to vote for them. As of right now, while Republicans have secured the Senate, they're just a few seats away from also securing the House. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Weiskup, NTD News. What do voters think about the possibility of Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress? NTD's Sam Wong was out on the National Mall in D.C. to hear from voters on that and the presidential election. What's your reaction to the election result, first of all? I'm real happy and excited for it. It was something that we needed. I'm surprised. I mean, everyone probably thought it was going to be Harris, but then, bam, Trump. I said, I'm just upset Joe Exotic didn't get elected. Actually, I voted for Trump. I can't vote for somebody that believes in abortion. So I got three kids. Hopefully the new administration will try to do what's right for everybody. Be the president for all of America. That's what I'm looking for. So and hopefully as citizens, we can hold that administration accountable for that. I think it's great. I think it's great that Trump won. I actually worked the polls in New Jersey, which is a very blue state. And there was a lot of first time voters and a lot of them just bullet voted for president. It is 180 degrees of everything I believe in. What do you think about the prospect of having Republicans taking control of the Senate and potentially the House, too? I think 100 percent the Republicans are going to turn around and get rid of the 60 vote mandate. I think that that did be a good idea, a good thing, because you can't have a House divided. So did you vote Republicans up and down the ballot? Yes. It was it was weird because I was a Democrat. I voted blue for a long time. I think it should be like a mix of both both parties so that there's not full control of one party. I mean, there's a check and balance system. There's still a filibuster. There's still all sorts of ways that you can divert that. I just want unity. I just want both of them to get along. I want peace. I just hope that they would take in consideration and realize that you represent everybody. If you're just going to only pass policies that are geared towards the people that put you in office, then, you know, we're going to be in the same place in another two years and four years. The best way to move forward is to just hold everyone accountable. If you have something that you want to get passed, contact your congressman, contact your senator. I think it's I think it'll be OK. Yeah, I think it'll be OK. We'll see. See how it shakes out. If it's you know, if it doesn't work out, then four years from now, you know, reelect and change it. The mountain fire in California has now spread to over 20,000 acres, destroying numerous homes and forcing many to evacuate, fueled by strong wind gusts. The blaze has exploded in size after it was first reported Wednesday. NTV's Christina Corona brings us the latest on that. As of Friday, the mountain fire in Ventura County, California, has burned over 20,500 acres and is 7 percent contained, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The blaze ignited early Wednesday, driven by 60 miles per hour winds and has destroyed over 130 structures and damaged 88 more in the Moore Park and Camarillo areas. These numbers are expected to rise as inspection crews assess the damage on Friday. The process is to go through and identify all the houses and all the conditions that they may be in that could be undamaged, damaged or destroyed. This is a slow process because we have to make sure that the properties are safe. That means the gas lines and the electrical and all their hazards have to be can have to be secured before the teams enter onto the properties. Evacuation orders remain in place for more than 10,000 residents. The fire department says there are currently over 2400 personnel on scene, including 378 engines, 20 water tenders, 34 hand crews, 17 bulldozers and 14 helicopters. After visiting communities impacted by the blaze, Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Thursday. Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner expressed deep empathy and a strong commitment to supporting the community affected by the fire. To our community members that have been impacted by this fire, our hearts do go out to you. You are our families. You are our communities. Our firefighters, our first responders, myself, we live in these communities and we do. We do take this serious and we our hearts do go out to you and we will do everything we can to get you back in as soon as we can and to get you assistance when you get back in. Sheriff's officials reported a total of 10 injuries from the fire, with most cases involving smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire, which started near Balcombe Canyon and Bradley Road north of the 118 freeway, remains under investigation. Anyone with information on the fire is urged to contact the Mountain Fire Information Hotline. Christina Corona, NTD News. On the West Coast, the mayor of San Francisco has conceded in her re-election bid. The mayor-elect is an heir to the Levi's fortune. NTD's David Lam reports. In the San Francisco mayoral race, the latest results from Thursday afternoon show challenger Daniel Lurie with more than 119,000 votes. That's around 56% support. An incumbent, London Breed, with just over 93,000 votes, nearly 44%. 143,000 ballots remain to be counted. While the final tally is not yet certified, Breed conceded on Thursday and pledged a smooth transition as Lurie takes over the job. She stated on Thursday, at the end of the day, this job is bigger than any one person and what matters is that we keep moving this city forward. Today, I called Daniel Lurie and congratulated him on his victory in this election. Lurie gave his first press conference on Friday. I stand before you humbled and inspired with the great honor and privilege of serving you, the people of San Francisco, as your next mayor. We will never turn a blind eye to racism, bigotry or anti-Asian hate. We will continue to harness the power of innovation, protect the future of our planet and once again become a magnet for creative minds. Lurie is a San Francisco native and heir to the Levi Strauss and company fortune. While San Francisco streets have been cleaner in recent months, challengers on the campaign trail criticized the Breed administration as homeless encampments, open drug use and brazen retail theft occurred during her six years in office. Breed said she'll continue to carry out the remaining two months of her term. David Lam, Entity News, California. The past year's coverage of the 2024 election suggests that traditional media may be losing some of its influence. Podcasts and independent content creators have been surging in popularity. Here's that story. I want to thank the Nelk boys, Aiden Ross, Theo Vaughn, Bustle with the Boys and last but not least, the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan. At President-elect Trump's victory celebration, UFC CEO Dana White gave a shout out to numerous podcasters who had spoken with Trump before the election. Bustle with the Boys' Trump interview on YouTube got over 440,000 views. Aiden Ross's interview got 2.7 million views. Theo Vaughn's, 14 million. And Joe Rogan's, over 65 million across YouTube and other platforms. How crazy is that? Meanwhile, Fox News had around 2.7 million primetime viewers in October. MSNBC had 1.3 million and CNN, 792,000. There's a lot more options. You know, we're busy and maybe you're spending more time in your car, running your kids around. And now you're able to listen to your favorite podcast host whenever you want. Media expert Greg Linnelli says the legacy media has failed to adjust. The median age of Fox viewers is 69 for MSNBC, 70 and for CNN, 68. Younger audiences are going to other platforms such as YouTube. I expect to see greater, greater investment in audio and podcast buying in digital, out of home buying and other channels that that ought to be included in media plans at an increased allocation. Media expert Molly Hoops expects the trend to continue. People still watch TV during crucial live events like election results. Fox News, MSNBC and CNN had around 21 million viewers on election night. But the traditional dispensers of political information appear to be losing their clout everywhere else. Joining us now to discuss what's next in Trump's multiple legal cases is John Malcolm. He's vice president of the Heritage Foundation's Institute for Constitutional Government and the director of the Mies Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. John, good to see you. First up, your reaction to Judge Chutkan's decision? Well, it's not surprising, both of the federal cases and likely the state cases are going to go away. First of all, Donald Trump has said that once he becomes president, that he's going to fire Jack Smith within two seconds. That's a quote. But I don't think it's going to come to that. The Department of Justice policy under both Republican and Democratic administrations is that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. That has to do with the supremacy clause and separation of powers. It is impossible for a president to fulfill his obligations that come along with the office. While he is sitting in a courthouse defending himself in a criminal case, Jack Smith, as a special counsel, is bound by that policy and he will have to abide by it. So I believe that he will dismiss these cases. He may decide to issue a report of his investigation. Well, that remains to be seen. But I think the federal case in Florida has already been dismissed. I don't think he's going to continue the appeal challenging his appointment. And the federal case in the District of Columbia is highly likely to be dismissed as well. Now, why does the DOJ have this longstanding policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents? Because the president could not possibly do his job while defending himself against a criminal indictment. So what the department has said is once the president leaves office, he might be charged with a crime. If he is impeached and removed from office, he can be, as a former president, charged with a crime. But it would be simply impossible to fulfill the myriad duties that a president must do on a daily basis while sitting in a federal or state courthouse defending himself against a criminal prosecution. And so just in summary, you're saying here that all of the cases before Trump at the moment are not going to pan out. Is that what you said earlier? Well, the case in Georgia, I think, is not going to pan out. It's either going to be held in abeyance for four years or in all likelihood it will be dismissed. Fannie Willis may still decide to proceed against the other defendants, but she will not be allowed to proceed against Donald Trump. The case in New York is a little bit different. He's already been convicted. There is a motion to dismiss the charges or actually to overturn the conviction on the basis of the Supreme Court's recent presidential immunity case. I think that there are many, many errors that occurred in that trial. In that trial, that conviction is likely to be overturned one way or the other. But assuming for the moment that Judge Murchon decides to deny the motion to overturn the conviction and proceeds with sentencing, he can do that. But Donald Trump is not going to see the inside of a jail cell because, one, he could not fulfill the duties of president of the United States while sitting in a jail cell. And two, the Secret Service could not guarantee his safety while he would be sitting in the middle of a jail cell. So Judge Murchon may try to sentence him, fine him in some way, place him on probation with some restrictions. Who knows? Again, I think that conviction is likely to be overturned. But either way, even if it's affirmed, he is not going to see the inside of a jail cell. Now, during his campaign, Trump said that he would take legal action against those he says weaponized the government against him. Some attorneys are anticipating investigations under a new Trump presidency. What actions, if any, are you expecting on this front? Well, you can only go after somebody if they have committed a crime of some kind. You know, I haven't seen the evidence. I don't know what the allegations are. I don't see any crimes here. I certainly think that these were, you know, overly zealous prosecutions that, in fact, came back to hurt the Democrats. I think they were thinking they would prosecute Donald Trump and he would be perceived as this horrible person who would destroy his chances of becoming president. Instead, the people came to believe that he was a victim of a weaponized justice system. And I think it garnered a lot of sympathy for him. So it had the exact opposite effect from what Donald Trump's political enemies were hoping would would happen. What the Justice Department is going to do in terms of investigating people, I don't know. But of course, the Justice Department isn't, you know, isn't charged with exacting revenge. They are charged with investigating potential criminal actions and bringing cases if the facts in the law warrant it. And back to the cases that Trump's currently facing, what are you expecting next in terms of what to watch for in these cases? But either way, she will not be allowed to proceed against Donald Trump. The cases in in the District of Columbia, I think, are going to Jack Smith is going to have to file a motion to dismiss, which I believe that Judge Chutkin will grant. He will probably dismiss the appeal in the federal case in Florida. And Judge Murchon is now going to decide whether the conviction should be overturned based on the Supreme Court's precedent. He's going to make that ruling within a couple of weeks. And then he has set a sentencing date. But that will only go forward if, in fact, he denies the motion to overturn the conviction. John Malcolm, great to speak with you. Thank you for joining us. My pleasure. Good to be with you. Next, how is Trump going to handle the war in Ukraine? He previously said he'd end it quickly once he returns to office. But not all European leaders have the same expectations for Trump. And TV's international correspondent, Arianne Pasdar, has the story. I expect the United States to continue to support Ukraine. Former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg is among many European leaders calling on President-elect Trump to keep aiding Ukraine. If we allow President Putin to win, it will demonstrate weakness from the West, from the United States, from NATO. He added that allowing Russia to continue fighting in Ukraine would also send a signal to China, possibly encouraging the regime to start a conflict as well. Not just Stoltenberg, various European leaders are calling on Trump to keep supporting Ukraine with military aid. I passed the message yesterday to Donald Trump that we would like to cooperate with him in all fields, including on Ukraine. We have to strengthen Ukraine. We have to support Ukraine. We will continue to work well with the future American president. And the question of how peace can be achieved has been the subject of our discussions. Former President Trump previously said he would end the conflict immediately once returning to office. Russia says it's open for peace talks, but it demands that occupied regions in Ukraine become part of Russia. Putin has repeatedly stated that he was open to the dialogue with all interested sides. Western allies say handing over occupied regions means Ukraine would surrender to Moscow, which is why they want to keep aiding Ukraine. But some European leaders do want Trump to enter a deal and bring an end to the conflict. The situation on the front is obvious. There has been military defeat. The Americans are going to pull out of this war. They're not going to encourage the war. We expect my dear friend Trump to abandon the wrong policies of the old administration in his second term as president. We believe from the heart that Mr. President will put his shoulder to the wheel regarding ending wars. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Trump after his victory. It's not clear if the two talked about the conflict already. Ariane Pastar, NTD News. A British lord calls on the UK government to stand strong against China, especially when it comes to a crime against humanity. The Chinese regime's forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience. NTD's international correspondent Malcolm Hudson has more from us from London. British politician Lord David Alton says the British government must take a strong stance against the Chinese Communist Party and critically against human rights atrocities faced by the people of China. He spoke at a seminar covering how the Chinese regime subjects Falun Gong practitioners to forced organ harvesting, a crime where they are killed for their organs to supply a state-sanctioned transplantation trade. Fei Han practices Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. She was one of between 70 and 100 million people who took up this peaceful meditation in China during the 1990s. They aimed to follow the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. But in 1999, the Chinese Communist Party launched a brutal persecution against Falun Gong, seeking to eradicate it. Practitioners faced detention, torture, rape, death and organ harvesting at the hands of the Chinese regime. Fei Han said she was detained multiple times for her faith. During the first couple times I was imprisoned, blood draws were definitely required and ultrasounds were done when I was lying down and chest x-rays when I was standing up. In 2022, she was detained again and doctors forcefully drew blood despite her struggles against it. The last time I was captured, there was an extra check. They put me in a machine and made me breathe in and out. There was radiation and the doctors and police all ran away in fear and it was just me alone there. She said the machine scanned her from head to toe, focusing on her chest and abdomen for longer periods, a sign they were checking the quality of her organs. International criminal law lawyer Eleanor Stevenson said forced organ harvesting cannot happen without facilitation from others both inside and outside of China. You have Chinese surgeons being trained by UK or other Western surgeons and then they are going back to China and carrying out forced organ harvesting operations in state hospitals. She also pointed to supply chains for drugs such as immunosuppressants as well as machinery. Stevenson wants the British government to help find medical collaborations tied to organ harvesting and to help bring in laws to enforce stronger ethical standards for supply chains linked to China. International human rights lawyer David Matus said the UK does have the power to avoid being complicit. When it comes to avoiding complicity, that's totally within the power of the United Kingdom. They don't need the agreement of China to do any of it. When it comes to changing the behaviour of China, they can have an influence. They can increase the political cost to China of forced organ harvesting with prisoner of conscience victims. At the seminar in Parliament, Lord Alton and other British politicians took on board policy proposals. For example, Lord Alton sought a list of names from human rights lawyer Matus of people known to be involved in forced organ harvesting with the view to implement sanctions against them. Matus said Britain is moving forward in the right direction and encourages it to move faster to help bring an end to the brutal persecution. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News, London. And now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, a lot going on in sports at the moment, but I want to talk about college football. Sounds good. Some interesting playoffs and for the matchups in those playoffs coming up this weekend. Tell me about that. Yeah, I'm mainly looking at three matchups here, Georgia, Ole Miss, Michigan, Indiana and LSU, Alabama. Now, Ole Miss, they were a top five team heading into the season. They've got two very close losses. That's about as many as you can expect for them to still make the playoffs. But they have to win at home against Georgia on Saturday for that to happen. Naturally, that won't be easy. I mean, the Bulldogs are 7-1 despite having probably the toughest schedule in the country there. They are slight favorites, but if they do lose, the SEC is down to just two one-loss teams. That's Texas and Tennessee. And of course, there's no undefeated teams left in that conference. Probably the toughest conference. Now, Michigan, Indiana, the Wolverines are the defending champions. They're just 5-4. Indiana, meanwhile, undefeated, but they don't have a signature win yet. I think it'll go a long way if they got a decisive victory tomorrow. Finally, LSU, Alabama, two more great SEC teams. Both of those teams, though, have two losses. I think this is like an elimination game for the playoffs. You know, as I just said, I really think the committee is going to be very hard-pressed to include a three-loss team in the playoffs. Yet both these teams are very good. So this is going to be a very good matchup on Saturday night. A lot to watch for, but I want to look at hockey news now. And I'm going to ask you to give us the full lowdown because I don't even know where to start. Sure. Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, they play against Pittsburgh tonight. Now, Ovechkin, he has scored a goal in five straight games. He's now, what, 11th in the league in scoring? This guy is 39 years old. Now, he was held without a goal last year in the four-game playoffs. And we kind of thought, well, maybe this is kind of the beginning of the end, because he's at that age, age 39, where you're expecting a drop-off. But he hasn't. Meanwhile, as I said, he's very close to Wayne Gretzky's all-time great record. He's 33 goals away. That's closer than anyone's been since Gretzky passed Gordie Howe years and years ago. So the big question is, does he do it? I think the way he's going, he's on pace to do it probably sometime this spring. And this is going to be one of those incredible accomplishments, because when the great one got his, like, 800-second goal, like, 30-something years ago, nobody thought anyone would pass that record. But it looks like Alex Ovechkin is well on his way. Okay. Now to baseball, because we do have a rising star, it looks like, in that game. And Shohei Ohtani, is he, you know, in competition there with this new guy? You know, Juan Soto, I don't know if he's going to get as much money as Shohei Ohtani got last year. Ohtani set the bar that is never probably going to be equaled, at least for a while. $700 million contract. I don't know about if Soto gets $700 million. I think he does stay in New York with either the Yankees or Mets, though. The Yankees, the fact that he played with the Yankees this past year probably gives them a bit of a leg up on the competition. They're also the most storied franchise in the game. And he had a great year with them. They definitely want him back. I mean, he helped lead them to the World Series. So there's definitely interest there. But Soto's agent, Scott Boras, he's notorious for getting the biggest contracts for his players, wherever that may be. The Mets, meanwhile, they probably have the biggest checkbook. You've got hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen owns the team. It seems like it could be one of those teams doing it. Now, at 26, also, Soto is much younger than most players are when they hit free agency. I mean, he was 19 as a he was a rookie at 19. That's what that was an incredible accomplishment seven years ago. So it's rare that you get an MVP type player in their mid-20s hitting free agency. That's going to help his his value. But nobody has the same value that Shohei Ohtani has as a pitcher and a hitter. So those are my feelings on it. Nice. The full 360. We'll get your update over the weekend events next week. For sure. Thanks, Dave. Thank you. All right. And Christmas is in the air on Paris's Grand Boulevard. Stores revealed their animated window displays yesterday. A puppet show for passersby to enjoy. And today's international correspondent, David Vivas, reports from Paris. This is one of the first signs that Christmas is near. Paris's big stores are revealing their brand new decorations on the Grand Boulevard. French cinema icon Juliette Binoche unveiled the Christmas window displays at Paris's Printemps Haussmann on Thursday, marking the official start of the city's holiday festivities. Each year, these enchanting displays draw crowds to the iconic department store. A moment awaited by Parisians who gather around the windows. You've got to keep your childlike soul, unfortunately, with all the ups and downs of life, debts, vacation, work. People have to work hard. So it's a good thing to lighten the burden. Christmas magic. Fortunately, we can get a bit of it here. This season, the theme features marionettes and trend inspired scenes with figures seated in compartments enjoying whimsical landscapes. Julie Ducat and her team designed the hundred and thirty marionettes, a long effort that paid off with smiles from passersby. We have four months of full production and three and a half weeks of installation. So we have been at it for three and a half weeks now. Opening tonight, it seems to be well attended. So we're delighted. We have four months of full production and three and a half weeks of installation. We remember our travels at camp. So this theme is a bit comforting. I'd say I hope people can identify with them. Reflecting on the spirit of the holidays, Binoche shared a personal Christmas memory of the simple joys of family gatherings. I remember one Christmas in particular. My mother, my parents had very little money. We lived in a small apartment in the Paris suburbs, and my mother gave me socks and it was very simple. But I think I came away with a feeling of happiness, real happiness and feeling fulfilled. Printemps Christmas displays are visible on the bustling Boulevard Haussmann, a Paris district flooded with shoppers during the holiday season. David Vives, NTD News, Paris. And that's all for today's news from around the clock. Original coverage. Visit us at NTD dot com or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Stephanie Cox. Tiffany will be back next week. Good night.