NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Dec. 27)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight. New details emerge from the deadly jet crash in Kazakhstan. Did Russia shoot down an Azerbaijan Airlines flight killing 38 people? Survivors now say they heard explosions before the crash. Ariane Pazdar has Moscow's response. An elderly woman in Israel is stabbed to death near a nursing home in what police are calling a terrorist attack. And in Yemen, officials say operations at Sanana Airport are back to normal just a day after Israeli airstrikes. Jason Perry reports. South Korea's acting president impeached, deepening political turmoil. The move follows disputes over key judicial appointments. Homelessness in the U.S. is up 18% this year, affecting over 700,000 people. Cristina Corona looks at what's driving the surge and where progress is being made. The Guatemalan man who allegedly burned a homeless woman to death in a New York City subway car has been indicted. Chris Beers reports on this and the vigil held for the victim. And be prepared if you're traveling the next couple of days. Severe storms across the U.S. could impede millions of travelers this busy holiday weekend. We tell you which areas could be hit the hardest. This is MTV Evening News, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Good evening, thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Paul Legrani, in for Tiffany Meyer. With the latest on a deadly Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash earlier this week, survivors now say they heard explosions before the crash. And the Kremlin has responded to allegations that its air defense system shocked the plane down. NTV's international correspondent Arian Pasdar has the latest on the tragic crash. An airplane from Azerbaijan Airlines crashed on Christmas Day, killing 38 people. The plane experienced some kind of issues after entering Russian airspace. A lawmaker from Azerbaijan says Russia's air defense system shot the plane down. The Kremlin responded on Friday. The investigation of this aviation incident is underway. And until conclusions of this investigation are released, we do not consider ourselves free to make any assessment. Footage shows holes in the wreckage of the plane. And a passenger who survived the crash now says she heard explosions. About 20 or 30 minutes after takeoff, we felt two explosions. The plane was supposed to land, but it didn't. Something exploded inside twice. Also, Russia's aviation chief now confirms that the airspace where the plane had issues was actually closed due to incoming Ukrainian attacks. Ukrainian combat drones were mounting terrorist attacks on civil infrastructure in the area. Due to this, the carpet plan was introduced, meaning all aircraft had to leave the indicated airspace immediately. Also on Friday, Azerbaijan Airlines says its preliminary investigation indicates that the plane did suffer external interference. And the reason for the crash isn't the only question that remains open. Another is why the pilot crossed the Caspian Sea all the way to Kazakhstan instead of landing in Russia, where the issue took place. Russia's aviation chief says it was because of fog in the area. Nothing could be seen at an altitude of 500 meters. The captain tried to land the aircraft twice. The attempts were unsuccessful. He decided to head to Kazakhstan. This has not been confirmed by any other nations yet. More information is expected to be released as investigations continue. Arian Pasdar, NTD News. And another Russia-related news. The White House says North Korean troops in Russia are experiencing mass casualties in the front lines. Also, the Kremlin today warned the incoming Trump administration against conducting possible nuclear testing. The Russian deputy foreign minister in charge of arms control says the U.S. shouldn't conduct nuclear testing, adding that Moscow would keep its options open. According to a Russian newspaper, the minister said that the American policy is very hostile to Russia at the moment. The resumption of testing by the world's two biggest nuclear powers could have a significant impact on relations. The last time the U.S. conducted a nuclear test was in the 90s, over 30 years ago. And North Korean troops fighting for Russia are reportedly experiencing mass casualties in the front lines. That's according to the White House. It published new numbers today. A spokesperson said a thousand North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in Russia's Kursk region in the last week alone. The number far exceeds the figure U.S. officials have previously provided. According to the White House, Moscow and Pyongyang are treating North Korean troops as easily replaceable. They're reportedly ordering the troops to make hopeless assaults against Ukrainian defenses. And an elderly woman in Israel was stabbed to death near a nursing home in what police are calling a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, officials in Yemen say it's business as usual at Sana'a airport just a day after it was hit by Israeli airstrikes. Police surrounded the crime scene near a nursing home in Israel on Friday. A Palestinian man allegedly stabbed an 83-year-old woman to death in what officials are calling a terrorist attack. I arrived to the scene first and I saw a terrorist next to a woman, eight years old. We found her on the sidewalk next to her nursing home, unconscious and with stab wounds. He said they performed life-saving treatment and that the woman was evacuated to the hospital but later died of her injuries. You know, after in the morning, you know, at four o'clock in the morning, she sat probably in the shelter. And after a few hours, you know, she gets killed. Residents in Tel Aviv had to seek shelter early Friday morning after alarms sounded in central Israel. Israeli forces reported that a missile was fired from Yemen and was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory. The siren sounded because of the possibility of falling debris from the interception. The Houthi terrorist group in Yemen said they had targeted an airport in Israel but no damage was reported. The attack comes the day after Israeli forces reportedly struck an airport in Yemen said to be used by the Houthis for military activities. However, authorities at the Sana'a International Airport say flights have already resumed. Also on Friday, Israeli forces reported launching more airstrikes but not against Yemen. Israel said the strikes were to prevent weapons from being smuggled through Syria to the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon. This morning, we struck seven crossings along the Syria-Lebanon border. We understood that they were trying to test us and smuggle weapons once again. They are attempting to raise their heads and test how strictly we are enforcing these understandings. Meanwhile, in other parts of Syria, the new Syrian military held a parade in Damascus. A former prisoner shared his thoughts. The fighters entered and opened the doors for us. I had not left the prison cell for five years or even raised my head. In gratitude to God Almighty, the feelings are indescribable. And other Syrians, whose relatives are still missing since the fall of the former president Bashar al-Assad's regime, also came out as they continue to seek answers on the whereabouts of their loved ones. Jason Perry, NTD News. And South Korea's National Assembly impeached the acting president today, plunging the country into deeper political chaos. Here's a closer look at what happened. South Korea's parliament impeached acting president Han Dong-seok on Friday, less than two weeks after ousting president Yun Su-kyo. I declare that the impeachment motion of Prime Minister Han Deok-su was passed with 192 votes out of 192 votes cast. The motion led by opposition parties passed with no opposing votes after the ruling People Power Party boycotted the ballots. This latest impeachment plunges South Korea deeper into the political chaos figured by Yun's short-lived declaration of martial law. The South Korean won currency plunged to the lowest since March 2009 amid turmoil. The main opposition Democratic Party unveiled a plan to impeach Han on Thursday after he declined to immediately appoint three justices to fill vacancies at the constitutional court. Han had said it would exceed his powers as acting president. As the next in line under the law, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok now assumes the acting presidency. The impeachment also took place on the day that Yun faced the first hearing in a case that will determine his fate. South Korea's constitutional court is to determine whether to overturn his impeachment and reinstate him or remove him permanently from office. Pro- and anti-Yun groups held separate rallies outside. Yun was not required to attend Friday's hearing. If he is ousted, a new presidential election would be held within 60 days. We'll have more analysis on the situation in South Korea later in the show. Before that, the U.S. saw an 18 percent increase in homelessness this year driven by a lack of affordable housing, natural disasters, and a surge in immigrants. NTHU's Christina Corona tells us more. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Friday that more than 770,000 people were homeless in January. The increase follows a 12 percent rise in 2023 due mainly to high rents and the end of pandemic aid. Family homelessness rose by nearly 40 percent in cities like New York, Chicago, and Denver, more than doubling due to the influx of immigrants. Nearly 150,000 children were homeless on a single night, which is a 33 percent jump from last year. Natural disasters like the Maui wildfire also contributed to the rise and forced thousands into shelters. Advocates say the increase is due to underinvestment in affordable housing. Several cities, mainly in the West, are enforcing camping bans. This comes after a Supreme Court ruling last year, which upheld that the bans do not violate the Eighth Amendment. However, homelessness among veterans continues to decrease, with an 8 percent drop in 2024. Dallas saw a 16 percent drop in homelessness between 2022 and 2024, and Los Angeles saw a reduction of 5 percent since 2023. However, California still has the nation's largest homeless population, followed by New York, Washington, Florida, and Massachusetts. Christina Corona, NTD News. And the Guatemalan man who allegedly set fire to a woman in a New York City subway car has been indicted. Authorities say Sebastian Zepeda-Khalil ignited the woman's clothing and fanned the flames. NTD's Chris Beers reports. Suspected murderer Sebastian Zepeda-Khalil has been indicted. He was not present at the hearing, and his attorney declined to comment afterwards. The indictment will be unsealed on January 7th. Zepeda faces charges of first- and second-degree murder, as well as arson. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Here is Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Sebastian Zepeda, four counts of murder, murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree, and arson in the first degree. These are significant counts. Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole. It's the most serious statute in New York state law. And my office is very confident about the evidence in this case and our ability to hold Zepeda accountable for his dastardly deeds. The suspect made his first court appearance Tuesday. He was held without bail at New York City's Rikers Island jail complex. He has not entered a plea. On Thursday, a vigil was held for the female victim. Reverend Kevin McCall led community leaders in prayer at the Coney Island subway stop where the victim died. Authorities say the cause of death was thermal injury and smoke inhalation. Reverend McCall told CNN her life mattered and we believe that we can do something and that anyone can participate. And that is the power of prayer, unquote. Authorities haven't released any info about the victim other than her sex. They're using forensics and video surveillance to identify her. As for the suspect, federal immigration officials said he was deported from the United States to his home country of Guatemala in 2018, but somehow managed to enter the U.S. again. Authorities say he was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the crime. His last known address was a Brooklyn homeless shelter for men dealing with substance abuse, according to the NYPD. The suspect told investigators he drinks a lot of liquor and did not know what happened to the victim. He identified himself in photos and surveillance video showing the fire being lit. This case brings New York City subway safety back into the spotlight. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams plan to increase police presence in the subway. The sprawling system has 472 stations, making it hard to patrol. The question of illegal immigration in sanctuary cities is also pertinent with this case. Trump's border chief nominee, Tom Homan, had a meeting with Mayor Adams on the issue earlier this month. Both men described the talk positively. Chris Beers, NTD News. Shocking case. And be prepared if you're traveling the next few days. Severe storms across the U.S. could impede millions of travelers this busy holiday weekend. Parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are at risk of more tornadoes and large hail. In the western mountains, a series of storms could dump one to two feet of snow and more than four inches of rain in some areas. Parts of the East Coast, from the Florida Panhandle all the way up to New York State, could get hit with heavy rain. They could potentially cause dangerous travel conditions. According to FlightAware.com, more than 5,600 flights into, out of, or within the U.S. have been delayed today, and many more could be delayed or canceled this weekend. And this Christmas season, what is it like for people to travel on long journeys for the holidays? And how are they spending their time between Christmas and New Year's? Anthony Sam Wong was out in the National Mall in D.C. to find out. We're staying in New York for a week. We missed our flight from New York to Burlington. Anyway, it's just kind of messing things up. But we're here and we're happy. I actually work on a ship that's just in the Caribbean. So I've been sailing from nice, hot tropical islands and arrived here. And I'm like, oh, OK, jacket's on. It wasn't too bad. There were minor hang-ups, but nothing too serious. Minor hang-up in the air? Nah, just at the departure. What do you guys plan on doing for the rest of the year between Christmas and New Year? We've got a football game tomorrow. NC State plays ECU. So we're going up to Annapolis to go to that. And then we're heading back home, having a party. Well, we're here for another two days. And then we fly back the day before New Year's Eve. And on New Year's Eve, we're back home, back in Ireland. Well, we actually plan to trip to D.C. because my friend from college and I, we had never been to any of the monuments. So figured best time is any. I plan on spending time with the rest of my girlfriend's family and also with my family when I get home. And like I said, snowboarding, a little snowboarding. Also spending time with friends, too. In Washington, D.C., there's lots to see and do around here. We're then going from here in three days heading to Miami to have New Year's there, which will be nice. So we're going from freezing cold, like snow, to heat. Just going to go back home here after today, visit Washington, D.C., and then head back down to El Paso where it's 70 degrees and sunny. Well, it's good weather down there, right? That's right. And be sure to check out all the landmarks while you're here. Absolutely. Well, we're just traveling around here. We're going to the Marine Corps Museum. His brother and my sister-in-law just had a kid. So once we get back to Arizona, we'll get to meet our little nephew. Well, congratulations to you guys. Yeah, yeah. Shout out Drew Jr. Thank you. So the comments this evening. Incoming White House Borders are Tom Homan takes issue with illegal immigrants who have children in the U.S. despite their immigration status. Homan discusses the return of family detention centers as in an interview with NBC News. And from presidential immunity to reigning in the administrative state's power, the Supreme Court issued several key rulings over this past year. We highlight the biggest ones. And Speaker Johnson and House Republicans prepare for a new Congress with an even smaller majority. Luis Martinez walks us through what to expect at Capitol Hill this coming January after the break. I have some breaking news coming in for you. President-elect Trump today asked the Supreme Court to delay the deadline for a potential TikTok ban. The ban on the Chinese-owned social media platform was set to take place on January 19th, just a day before his inauguration. The high court has already agreed to hear TikTok's challenge to the ban on an expedited schedule. But Trump argues that if the ban is delayed until he takes office, he may be able to resolve the issue through political means that would preserve the First Amendment rights of Americans while also addressing the government's national security concerns without the Supreme Court having to step in. In a Friday court filing, Trump's attorney said the president-elect has, quote, "...consummate deal-making expertise and the electoral mandate and the political will to negotiate a solution." We'll keep you updated. It comes after a federal appeals court earlier this month upheld the law that would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a U.S. ban. So how do Americans feel about this? Entity Sam Wong was down in the National Mall to hear from people. What do you think about the possibility of a TikTok ban that could happen next month? If it's deemed a threat, it should be done. But I'm not a TikTok user, so I'm not missing anything. It's going to take a lot of opportunities away from a lot of small creators. Only those people who either profit from it, you know, running a business through it, they're the ones that should be concerned. If they have access to my information, I don't want them to have it, so I guess I would be okay with that. If that's what they're trying to do is assure our privacy, then I guess I would be for it. I'd be in favor of at least some restructuring of how the company is owned and, you know, not as much direct Chinese government involvement. I've really tried to stay away from social media a lot. But in terms of that, I think, you know, the whole information giving away is not great. A lot of the population for TikTok are younger audiences, so maybe that's what they're trying to target. I'll be honest with you. TikTok, it's pretty bad. It doesn't encourage growth. Yeah, there's like possibilities inside TikTok. Not a lot of people do that. The algorithm kind of targets you to try and get all the information that you can, what you like. What do you think about the possibility of letting China having access to your personal data? I'm not a fan of that. No, no, no. I wouldn't like that. My data is not worth anything, really, in the long term. So if I'm doing something, you know, nefarious or businesslike, then yeah, maybe I'm worried. It's not something that, you know, gives me confidence. China is not our friendliest, friendliest foreign country. Our privacy, when it comes to different websites that we use now, is being used here. It's a big no-no. They can use it against the American public. And even though you may not see it at first, they target a lot of critical infrastructures within the United States. It's not good. America has been in the Middle East for far too long. We've been having all of our focus over in overseas and Middle Eastern conflicts. And while that's happening, China has been sleeping and they've been growing. I don't like anyone having access to my data. If they can't come to the table and compromise on some of the clearances or the security measures, we just have to give it up. And incoming White House boarders are Tom Homan says family detention will likely be reinstated when Trump takes office next month. Homan says ICE plans to hold families in, quote, soft-sided tent structures, similar to those utilized during past immigration surges. Anthony Stein of Monaghan has more on Homan's interview with NBC News. Incoming boarders are Tom Homan says parents who are in the country illegally may face deportation even if their children are U.S. citizens. Homan says such illegal immigrant families would be deported in a humane manner, speaking on NBC News. Open air campus, family, a family type facility that is open air, right? So we're not talking about wire and penal institutions, things like that, to have child care, to have education. Families will have the choice to leave the country together or be separated as part of the process. Homan told the Washington Post, quote, you knew you were in the country illegally and chose to have a child, so you put your family in that position. The Biden administration ended family detention in 2021, closing three ICE-operated residential centers that provided approximately 3,000 beds. These facilities include dormitory-style housing and educational programs for children. Some advocates criticize such facilities, concerned about the potential impact of detention on children's well-being. Meanwhile, a federal judge overseeing immigration policies has limited the detention of minors to a maximum of 20 days. This time frame often makes detaining families challenging, as deportation processes typically take longer. However, Homan indicated that the incoming administration may adjust its approach to address these constraints. In California, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors recently adopted a policy to prevent local jails from cooperating with federal immigration officials, potentially complicating Trump's deportation plans. San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez, however, has refused to comply, stating her office will continue notifying ICE about certain illegal immigrant detainees. This standoff highlights the kind of local resistance and political battles incoming borders are Tom Homan is likely to face as the Trump administration pushes for stricter immigration enforcement. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. And Trump has tasked Homan with finding the 340,000 missing children who entered the country unaccompanied. So how will Homan's idea of using halfway houses play into accomplishing that goal? Hear insights from the former acting director for ICE on NTD's Capitol Report at 7 p.m. And still to come this evening, how are neighboring countries reacting to South Korea's political crisis and how might U.S. be interested in the impact? International military strategist joins us to discuss. And the U.S. says new actions by the Hong Kong government are part of an ongoing transnational repression campaign. Jason Blair brings us the latest after the break. And welcome back. If you're just joining us now, here are some of today's top headlines. The man accused of burning a sleeping woman to death inside a New York City subway train has been charged with multiple counts of murder and arson. Sebastian Zepeda is a Guatemalan illegal immigrant and authorities continue to work to identify the victim. According to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness in the U.S. went up 18 percent this year. Overall, 770,000 people are considered homeless. The department said this was driven by a lack of affordable housing and a surge in immigrants. Officials in the U.S. and Azerbaijan suggested that Russian air defense systems may have brought down the passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan. The White House did not elaborate as the investigation unfolded. And South Korea's parliament voted to impeach the country's acting president, Han Deok-su, plunging the country into deeper political crisis. Han will be stripped of the powers and duties of the president until a constitutional court decides whether to dismiss or reinstate him. And joining us now to discuss the political turmoil in South Korea is retired Colonel Darren Gobb. He's an international military strategist and foreign policy analyst. Colonel, thanks so much for coming on. You're just the person I want to speak to about this. How do you assess what's happening in South Korea after today's news? Yeah, first, I'll start off by saying that having lived in South Korea and been part of watching their political system from an outsider's perspective, the South Korean political system is much more, I guess, aggressive than America. So this kind of turmoil is actually more normal than it is abnormal. When you look at the history of South Korean presidents and how their terms of office end, it's rarely ever a normal transition of power based on elections. There's always something that comes up that involves removal of a person and the reinstatement of or the instatement of somebody else. So what is different, though? This one comes on the heels of, you know, someone declaring martial law, the current president declaring martial law, and it didn't last very long and rightfully it shouldn't have. And depending on whose story you believe as to why he did that, it could have been trying to remove influence of North Korea and general communist influencers within the parliament or something else. I guess the challenge this time is going to be, was he right to do so because of what North Korea and China may be doing in order to try to take over and make a vassal state in some ways out of South Korea? And that's what's most concerning, is if they're successful in doing something like that. Well, let's talk about this, the catalyst for this, the martial law. Pan, who was just impeached, he wanted to start like an independent investigation into former President Huynh's martial law decree. He wanted to do an investigation. He likely had a clear understanding of what Huynh was doing. Why did he want an independent investigation? Well, it's not just an independent investigation of Huynh. My sources are telling me that there were some concerns about some of the records that they needed to get a hold of concerning the actual elections and the election systems that they're using in South Korea to validate that what is happening is actually legitimate elections at this point. So I'm waiting to get further reports to verify if that is true or not. But what I can say that I have witnessed personally is that North Korea, by way of China and others, are really actually trying to heavily influence the election systems and processes in South Korea in order to sway them more towards being a friendly neighbor to the communist mentality than a free capitalist West. If they're successful at doing that, that harms the safety and security of that region of the Pacific significantly because if they're successful once, they'll continue to do so in other nations. Well, why do people like you, Nor Han, not just come out and say this? Well, that's a good question. Sometimes they want to keep that kind of work in the background and come out with something that they may have already found that they're not prepared to tell everybody. And if they are finding things now that are worth sharing, they may be using back channels to get that to national leaders in other areas of the world, and specifically in the United States. In that case, my guess would be they're waiting until January 20th when Trump takes office if they're not already talking to his people now. Are you hearing anything behind the scenes here in America as to how perhaps the administration or the federal government is assessing this situation? Not specifically. Like, I haven't talked to high-level sources in the U.S. government that are telling me very specific things. What I know for sure, though, is that the concern is larger than just South Korea and that relationship with North Korea vis-a-vis China. It has to do with the general pivot of American security concerns towards China specifically. And this is just one more evidence of China's influence in the Pacific region that we're going to have to continue to work to counter while we've been focused elsewhere in Russia, Ukraine, Middle East, and by the way, also where we need to be focused, which is our So, if you broaden it out some and look at the Pacific in general, South Korea is just a bit of a harbinger for what could be coming if China is successful in gaining significant influence there. The United States has always sought to have South Korea as an ally. What does the Chinese Communist Party stand to gain from this type of situation? Well, first of all, they don't want to have liberty, freedom, capitalism, and the successes behind those shown in South Korea specifically as an example to the other nations that are around Southeast Asia. So when you look at Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and all these other, Indonesia, other nations throughout Southeast Asia, having a South Korea in some ways is like having Israel in the Middle East. It's the best example of what democratic norms, capitalist, and free economies can do. And if they can eliminate that influence of South Korea in the region, that's a huge boon to them that to China specifically is showing that communism is more powerful, the CCP is more powerful than the U.S.'s influence, and then they can potentially move further with their strategy of some sort of Taiwan reunification, then continue to influence Japan. Have you seen them be successful? Number one, what form has the CCP's influence operations taken in South Korea, and have they been successful? Well, their form is mostly within the realm of messaging and influencing politicians, much like sadly you see happening in Washington, D.C., and other areas around the country too. What China is doing in South Korea is exactly the same thing that they've been doing globally. That's politicians that they help get elected. There's organizations like World Health Organization, the United Nations in general, and others where they seek to spread their influence through getting their people in positions throughout all these different agencies and multiple different governments that are sympathetic to the CCP more so than they are to the nations they're living in and or Western democratic norms. They've been very successful at that. We need to recognize that not only in South Korea, but it's happening here in the United States. I think it was interesting, the Biden administration just recently signed a new order about transnational repression, the CCP's transnational repression targeting people overseas. I thought it was an interesting development. Colonel, we appreciate it. Colonel Darren Gob, appreciate it. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Have a good evening. And the U.S. has condemned the Hong Kong government's issue of arrest warrants for pro-democracy activists outside its borders. The State Department's now calling on the territory to stop using its national security laws to silence dissent. NDA's correspondent Jason Blair reports. The United States condemns six new arrest warrants and bounties issued by the Hong Kong government targeting pro-democracy activists in other countries. In a statement, the U.S. Department of State says the U.S. rejects the Hong Kong government's efforts to intimidate and silence people who choose to make the U.S. their home. The department says the extra territorial application of Hong Kong's national security law is a form of transnational repression that threatens U.S. sovereignty and the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people all over the world. These actions demonstrate Hong Kong authorities' disregard for international norms and for the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Since 2020, the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, has imposed a national security law in Hong Kong. The city was previously a colony of the U.K. until it was returned to China under the Sino-British Declaration. The national security law has given Beijing extensive control to crack down on dissent and erode Hong Kong's previous freedoms. The Chinese Communist Party also announces sanctions on seven companies in response to recent U.S. aid to Taiwan. President Biden announced $571 million in military aid to Taiwan last week. The Defense Department also recently said that $295 million in military sales to Taiwan has been approved. The CCP claims that the self-governing island belongs to them. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair, NTD News. And from presidential immunity to reigning in the powers of the executive branch, the Supreme Court issued several key decisions over this past year, and NTD's Melina Wyscott brings us the highlights of the biggest ruling. The Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling blurred the path ahead for Washington prosecutors trying to convict President-elect Trump, a case that's now been dismissed. This has nothing to do with me. This has to do with a president in the future for a hundred years from now. The immunity ruling was the first of its kind since 1982, during former President Richard Nixon's time. Another ruling involving Trump was on ballot disqualification. An activist group tried to boot Trump from the ballot, arguing that Trump should be considered as an insurrectionist and therefore should have been disqualified from the 2024 ballot based on the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court denied that theory. As for the administrative state, the Supreme Court overruled a doctrine known as Chevron deference. This allowed federal agencies to interpret laws when creating regulations, a practice that some argued allowed the government to grow too powerful and skirt Congress's lawmaking role. This ruling could play into Trump's favor during this term, as he plans to use recommendations from DOJ to make cuts to the federal government's budget. And a near unanimous ruling regarding gun rights. The high court sided with the federal government. It decided to uphold a law that prohibits domestic abusers from possessing firearms. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Weiskopf, NTD News. And the new year will see the installation of a new Congress and with it the election of new leaders for each chamber. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez walks us through what we expect to see happening on the Hill this coming January. On January 3rd, Speaker Mike Johnson will attempt to be reelected as Speaker of the House of Representatives. So far, he stands unchallenged, but he has already lost the support of one of the 220 Republican congressmen that will be sworn in in the new year. He can only afford to lose two more. In January, we will make a sea change in Washington. President Trump will return to D.C. and to the White House, and we will have Republican control of the Senate and the House. Things are going to be very different around here. This was a necessary step to bridge the gap, to put us into that moment where we can put our fingerprints on the final decisions on spending for 2025. After the next speaker is elected, we expect to see the official resignation of New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be his new U.N. ambassador. We also expect to see the official resignation of Florida Congressman Mike Walz, who is to be Trump's next national security advisor. And we also heard from former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who is no longer a member of Congress, but he's teasing with a return to Capitol Hill. My fellow Floridians have asked me to eye the governor's mansion in Tallahassee. Maybe special counsel to go after the insider trading for my former colleagues in Congress. It seems I may not have had enough support in the United States Senate. Maybe I'll just run for Marco Rubio's vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks. On the Senate side, Mitch McConnell is stepping down after nearly two decades at the helm of the Senate Republican Conference. Mitch McConnell has already warned his detractors that he will continue to push for his beliefs as chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee in the Appropriations Committee. But today, our nation faces one great challenge from forces betting on our decline. And so that first duty of government is the task to which I'll devote my efforts in the coming years. Senator John Thune from South Dakota will take over as the next Senate Majority Leader. The Senate will also see the departures of J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio. J.D. Vance will assume the vice presidency, and Marco Rubio is yet to be confirmed as the next Secretary of State. On January 6, 2025, Congress will have to certify the result of the presidential elections before Trump's inauguration. It is crucial to note that after the official resignation of Congressman Mike Walz and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, the House majority in the House of Representatives will be left to 218 Republicans. That means that if Democrats decide to boycott any sort of legislation, Republicans will not be able to lose a single vote. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. And coming up this evening, in the NFL, the league's streaming experiment in Netflix Wednesday drew a record crowd. Dave Martin joins us to discuss when we return. All right, welcome back. Just in time for your sports news, we're here with NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, happy Friday. Great to see you. Oh, great to see you, Paul. Yeah, happy Christmas and happy New Year. I told the guy Merry New Year today. Can you believe that on live TV? You foreigners. Yeah. You'll get it. You'll get it one of these years. Yeah, there you go. I have confidence in you. Someone told me they thought it was kind of cool. Maybe I'll start it. Maybe it'll be a trend. Yeah, you can try it when you go home, right? NFL. Record streaming on Netflix on Christmas. We're kind of used to watching the basketball on Christmas. How did the basketball hold up against the football? You know, surprisingly well. The NBA had their best TV numbers actually in five years, despite those NFL numbers, you know. In fact, the Warriors-Lakers game, of course, you get LeBron versus Curry. That was the most watched regular season NBA game in the last five years, averaging nearly eight million viewers. It probably didn't hurt that it came down to the wire and some big shots by Steph Curry there. But still, I mean, those viewership numbers were really only about a one-third of the 24 million that tuned into Netflix for those two NFL Christmas games. That was a record for most streamed NFL games in U.S. history. Now, believe it or not, though, the most watched part was a halftime show between Houston and Texas featuring Beyoncé. 27 million tuned in to watch her. Interesting. Interesting, isn't it? You watched it? I did. I'm kicking myself. I assume after the show, you can let me know what's happened. I want details, all right? All right. Okay, I'll check it out. I didn't see it either. On basketball, Doncic offered an injury for Dallas. How is he? You know, he had a calf strain. It must be actually pretty significant, because the news is he'll be re-evaluated in one month, so very well could be even longer than that. Now, Doncic, of course, he's one of the best and most popular players. He's been an all-NBA first-team selection five straight years. Yeah, this is big. He's only 25 years old. Last year, he won a scoring title, was second in assists, led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. This year, his numbers are slightly down, but also another concern. You have to play at least 65 of the 82 regular season games. You can only miss 17 to be eligible for MVP in those postseason honors. He's already missed eight. It looks like he's going to blow well past that, so not very good news for him or for Dallas. So did they give a timeline? Any idea when he'll be back? Re-evaluated in one month, so it seems to mean that in a month, they'll see where he's at, basically. So yeah, it looks like one month minimum based on that kind of news. When you saw it, how bad did you feel felt it looked? I thought the way he grimaced, I mean, he was still able to kind of limp off there. It's not like an ACL tear or an Achilles, where you got to have like three guys helping you off the court, but... He's a tough guy. Even with an ACL tear, that guy might just walk off anyway. Might. Might do that, you know? Maybe. He's a tough guy. He's an Eastern European guy. I've never seen anybody do that, but if anyone could, it would be Dontich. Heavy guy, though. I don't know if it would hold up. Hey, college football. No playoffs till the new year, whatever. Some bowl games. What are you expecting? Yeah, you know, we already had two this afternoon. Navy stunned Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl 21-20. I think Georgia Tech Vanderbilt is going on right now. Then we've got tonight Texas Tech versus Arkansas, Syracuse, Washington State. And then I think the best match of the day, USC versus Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. And that's at 10-30 Eastern tonight. But tomorrow is even bigger. You got eight bowl games tomorrow. That starts at 11 a.m. Eastern time. UConn versus North Carolina in the Fenway Bowl. Now, it's gonna be played at historic Fenway Park, which is, of course, a baseball season. Now, North Carolina, of course, they just hired Bill Belichick. He will not be coaching tonight. You know, when Mack Brown was fired, they actually hired an interim coach, Freddie Kitchens. He will be doing the coaching tomorrow. But really, there's two big games other than that one that stand out to me. Iowa State versus Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Both teams are ranked. Both just missed out on the playoffs, though. That's gonna be the Pop-Tarts Bowl. That's at 3-30 Eastern time. Then at 7-30, you got Colorado BYU in the Alamo Bowl. Again, both teams ranked. Both teams are hoping to make the playoffs. Both teams just missed out. Actually, in this one, both teams are in the Big 12. They actually tied for first place. So that's gonna be an interesting one there in the Alamo Bowl. 7-30 tomorrow night. Who'd you pick for the Rose Bowl? Pick for the Rose? We don't know the Rose Bowl matchups yet, actually. So I don't know. Oh, wait a minute. Is that the New Year's Day one? Well, see, none of these are the Rose Bowl yet. So you'll have to ask me Tuesday there. Because I don't want to look silly right now. Okay. Tuesday, I'm writing it. I'm writing it here. I want your tip. We'll do a write-in, all right? Next week, a tip on this show. Right, right, right, right. Let's do it. Hey, Belichick, back again. Looking to break Rescue's record. He's got 806. Yeah, I think for the chances, he's gonna do it. It's inevitable. Yeah, I think the question is, is he gonna do it this year? You know, he looks like he's gonna come back Saturday. There's 48 games left for Washington. He needs 27 to break Gretzky's all-time record of 894 goals. Now, he already had 15 and 18 games leading up to this injury. He was actually first in the NHL in goals scored, which is pretty amazing for a 39-year-old. You know, when Gretzky got to this age, he really was more of an assist man. He really hadn't scored too many goals his last four seasons. Ovechkin, though, he's been a remarkably consistent score. So it's really just inevitable when he does it. Probably sometime in April is my guess. You can quote me on that one, all right? There you go. Hey, Dave Martin, we appreciate it. Have a good one. All right, thank you so much. And that's all for today's news. For around-the-clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com or just download our Ntd app. It's great. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Paul Graney. Have a great night.