Trump Hails US-Saudi Ties; Ex-FBI Dir. Comey Seeks Dismissal of Charges | NTD Evening News (Nov. 19)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, President Trump designating Saudi Arabia a non-NATO ally. He's also applauding the Muslim Kingdom's investments in the US and vowing to work to end the war in Sudan. Mario at the White House. Former FBI Director James Comey today asked for a dismissal of the federal case against him, calling it selective and vindictive. Arlene Richards has the updates. During a heated hearing, Senate Republicans call out so-called sanctuary cities for not cooperating with ICE. Senate Democrats walk out. Jason Blair reports. A former Olympian is now one of the world's most wanted fugitives. Ryan Wedding faces new federal charges for allegedly running a massive international drug empire. Christina Corona brings us the latest in the case. And a billionaire businessman wants to govern California. He's throwing his name in the hat for the 2026 governor's race. David Lamb tells us more about the Democratic candidate. This is NTV Evening News live from our global headquarters in New York City. Here's Tiffany Meyer. >> Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. President Trump speaking today at the Saudi Investment Forum to top business and tech executives touting billions of dollars in financial ties between the US and Saudi Arabia. He also vows to partner with Middle Eastern countries to work toward peace in Sudan at the request of the Saudi Crown Prince. Entities Mariosu has more from the White House. The partnership between our two nations is among the most consequential in the entire world. And together, the crown prince and I are making an alliance stronger and more powerful than it's ever been before. >> President Trump announcing that $270 billion in deals are being signed between dozens of companies today, thanking those companies for bringing jobs back to American workers. This coming just a day after rolling out the red carpet for Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman in a day of pomp and circumstance which culminated in a black tie dinner at the White House. >> And this week, our countries also signed groundbreaking agreements on civil nuclear energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, and we're going to be selling Saudi Arabia some of the greatest military equipment ever built, including nearly 300 Americanmade tanks. The Saudi prince Tuesday pledging to increase his country's investments in the US from a previously promised $600 billion. >> Yesterday, the crown prince announced that the number that they'll be investing in the United States is $1 trillion. >> And President Trump hailing the US Saudi strategic partnership, announcing >> we officially designated the kingdom yesterday as the major nonNATO ally. That's a big deal. President Trump also vows to settle the conflict in Sudan by working out a peace deal at the request of the Saudi crown prince. >> I just see how important that is to you and to a lot of your friends in the room. Sudan and we're going to start working in Sudan. I didn't think that that was one that was going to be >> the president adding how influential his tariff strategy has been in ensuring national security and brokering multiple peace deals. Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance are in North Carolina at the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast, visiting with service members and military families to honor the sacrifice of those who serve during the holiday season. Last week, the Marine Corps celebrated 250 years of service. To you and your families who give so much for our country, thank you. >> Military families are truly a model for our country and for my own family. As we are in our life of public service today, >> the first and second ladies are also making stops at local schools where students are presenting projects on the presidential AI challenge, an initiative spearheaded by the first lady. Reporting from the White House, Mario, NTD News. And President Trump is expected to sign the bill to release the Epstein file soon as he emphasizes that prominent Democrats could be mentioned. What will the fallout be? Here from Lauri A Watkins in Tim Parish tonight on Capitol Report at 7 PM Eastern time. Attorneys for former FBI director James Comey appeared before a federal judge in Virginia today to ask for a dismissal of what his attorneys call a selective and vindictive prosecution by the Trump administration. NTD's Arlene Richards has more. >> Oh, and there's >> a member of the first Trump administration has accused his former boss of holding a grudge. one so deep that it led to what his attorneys argue is a selective and vindictive prosecution. Attorneys for former FBI Director James Comey asked Virginia District Court Judge Michael Nakmanov on Wednesday to dismiss the federal indictment filed against him in September. >> Could you raise your right hand, please? >> Comey's attorney said the Trump administration was singling out his client because of the president's personal animus toward him. They also claimed his testimony was protected speech. The Justice Department charged Comey with making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding during testimony he gave before a Senate committee in 2020. They're accusing him of authorizing leaks to the press about FBI investigations. A pressing issue Nakmanov addressed during the hearing was the claim that the entire grand jury didn't see the full indictment. Comey's attorney had accused the government of altering the indictment after the jury declined to approve one count. US Attorney Lindseay Halligan was the only attorney that presented before the grand jury. She was in the courtroom on Wednesday, but a different attorney argued on behalf of the government. Nakmanov questioned Haligan about what the full grand jury saw. She pushed back and directed the judge to the transcript of a back and forth between one juror and the magistrate judge. Comey's attorney asked Nakmanov to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be brought for a second time. Nakmanov said the issues are too wavy and too complex. He said he would not be making a ruling on Wednesday. Arlene Richards, NTD News. The Justice Department has announced new charges against former Olympian Ryan James Wedding, who is accused of running a massive transnational drug network. The former snowboarder is now one of the FBI's top 10 most wanted fugitives. And Christina Corona tells us more. The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that new charges have been insealed against Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian snowboarder and Olympic athlete now accused of running a massive drug trafficking empire. Authorities are offering a $15 million reward for his capture. >> He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in this world. He is currently the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada. >> Authorities say Weddings Group imports roughly 60 metric tons of cocaine a year into Los Angeles using semi-truckss from Mexico, moving over a billion dollars worth of narcotics across the Americas. So far, 35 people have been indicted and authorities have seized over 4,000 pounds of drugs, weapons, 3.2 2 million in cryptocurrency and $13 million in assets. FBI director Cash Patel compared Wedding to some of the world's most notorious drug lords. >> Ryan Wedding is a modernday iteration of Pablo Escobar. He's a modern-day iteration of El Chapo Guzman. He is responsible for engineering a narot trafficking and naroterrorism program that we have not seen in a long time. wedding and 14 defendants, including a Canadian lawyer, are charged with orchestrating the January 2025 murder of a witness who was shot at a restaurant in Colombia. Wedding now faces additional counts, including witness tampering and intimidation, murder, money laundering, and drug trafficking. >> Ryan Wedding is extremely dangerous. He's extremely violent, and he's extremely wealthy. He's being protected by the Sinaloa cartel along with others in the country of Mexico. We will find him and we will bring him to justice. >> Law enforcement across the US, Canada, and Mexico continue efforts to locate Wedding, who remains among the FBI's top 10 most wanted fugitives. Christina Corona, NTD News. New York City Mayor Alexora Omdani announced he will keep New York's current police commissioner. During his campaign, he pledged to keep Jisha Katish in the role. She is seen as being at odds with Mdani's views on policing. Democrats who would otherwise not have supported his campaign gave their backing because of his vow to retain Tish. Mani's critics fear his past views on police could lead to policies that allow crime to grow. Petiticious time leading the police department under Mayor Eric Adams has led to a sign significant drop in murders. Though felony assault numbers are the highest they've been in at least 24 years. Tish opposed New York's 2019 criminal justice reforms seen as creating a soft on crime situation. While mom Donnie wanted even more of the same kind of changes. The House Judiciary Committee examining the rise in violent crime in major US cities and the impact of the Trump administration's deployment of federal forces to restore law and order. Our Washington correspondent, Luis Martinez, has more. >> Crime just didn't rise and come about on its own. It happened because leaders chose so. Leaders in the Democratic run cities have made political choices. choices that put radical ideology before safety, politics before people, and criminals before the safety of the good people in our communities. >> After visiting New York City, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, members of the House Judiciary Committee examined the impact of soft crime policies in major US cities. >> In August, President Trump deployed all these folks. And what happens when you enforce the law? Crimes went down. Safety went up. Over 4,000 arrests and an 11% drop in crime citywide. 11% drop in just a few months. >> Democratic lawmakers focus their criticism on federal law enforcement and accuse the Trump administration of disregarding court orders and deporting American citizens. Both claims have been debunked. >> In Donald Trump's America, you are at increased risk of experiencing militaristic operations in your home. increased risk of being sub subject to detainment by mass thugs and wannabe v vigilantes. >> Witness testimony highlighted the need for reform in legislation so that repeat offenders are not released without corrective action. >> In Chicago, on average, a shooting or homicide suspect is arrested nearly 12 times. In Oakland, homicide victims and suspects alike have an average of 10 prior arrests. In Baltimore, the number is nine. And right here in Washington DC, it's 11. >> Research has shown how onethird of crime in cities like New York City are perpetrated by the same repeat offenders. >> Officers are not lazy, they are overwhelmed. A small fraction of offenders in chronically mentally ill drive much of this disorder. Research suggests that incarcerating or housing just a small fraction of the worst offenders would visibly improve conditions. The House Administration Committee also examined today the Stock Act, a bill that would prohibit lawmakers from trading stocks while being in office. Reporting from Washington DC, Luis Eluardo Martinez, NTD News. >> Senator John Cornin says ICE agents need to make arrests in public because many so-called sanctuary cities are refusing to cooperate and Senate Democrats walk out of a hearing about immigration enforcement before it even gets started. Entity correspondent Jason Blair reports. >> Many of us look to law enforcement officers for protection in cases of robbery, burglary, or assault. Why can't we extend the same level of respect to law enforcement officers who will carry out our other laws that Congress has passed like our immigration laws? Americans have had enough. They're sick of masked agents disrespecting daycarees, schools, and churches, disappearing loved ones, and intimidating our communities. >> The barriers slowing down ICE from carrying out deportations, as well as critiques of ISIS's actions were on the table in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Chairman John Cornin comments on why ICE needs to often go out into the streets to make arrests. because sanctuary cities simply refuse to cooperate with law enforcement and allow them to be transferred directly from jail if detained. >> Ranking member Alex Padilla says during ICE raids, brutality and misuse of power are being seen regularly. But my guess is that today you won't be hearing about the Department of Homeland Security's violent takedowns of peaceful, hardworking, long-term immigrants who don't have that violent criminal record. >> After giving his opening statement, Padilla walked out of the hearing, saying, quote, "This hearing will not be a serious or constructive conversation." And for that reason, I refused to give oxygen to the fire of disinformation and propaganda that this hearing was set up to ignite. >> Padilla's exit was followed by the rest of the Democrat subcommittee members. One witness says that many illegal aliens in the country are forced by the cartels to commit crimes. >> The cartels have a vast intelligence network and keep records of the people they smuggle. I've had illegal aliens involved in criminal activity tell me that they had no choice but to commit criminal acts in order to prevent their family members from being placed into bondage and doing unspeakable acts in their home countries. >> Boyd says this has become a major national security concern. >> What this means is that millions of illegal aliens now residing in the United States are part of the logistical support operations for illicit cartel activities throughout our country. Another witness says that many of the large ICE protests around the country are being organized by well-funded activist groups. She spoke specifically about the June demonstrations in Los Angeles. >> These certainly were not spontaneous riots. They were well coordinated and what we uncovered was an orchestrated operation and those at the forefront of the anti-ICE resistance have received ample funding. Chief among them is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. Jason Blair, NTD News. >> A billionaire activist has thrown his hat into the ring in the race for California's next governor. He joins a list of prominent Democratic candidates to replace Governor Gavin Newsome. Entities David Lamb has more on the candidate who once ran for president. >> California will have a goober notorial election next year and a billionaire has entered the race. Philanthropist and businessman Tommy Styer made the announcement on Wednesday. >> I'm Tommy Styer. I wanted to build a business here. Now it's worth billions of dollars and I walked away from it because I wanted to give back to California. >> In 1986, Styer founded Fereralon Capital Management, a hedge fund in San Francisco. He ran for president in 2019. The Democratic climate activist joins the California race to replace Gavin Newsome as his term ends next year. The 68-year-old says he promises to make companies pay their fair share and use that money to fund public schools, build homes that families can afford, and lower electric bills by 25% by ending utility monopolies. He also wants to ban corporate political action committee money from state elections. According to Styer's campaign, he took on the tobacco industry to raise the cigarette tax. I'm saying we have a broken government. It's been bought by corporations. And my question is, who do you think is going to change that? >> Sacramento politicians are afraid to change up this system. I'm not. They're going to hate this. >> He also led a campaign to impeach President Trump during his first term. Prominent Democratic candidates in California's race include Congresswoman Katie Porter, Javier Bera, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Via Ragosa. Republican candidates include Chad Biano, and former Fox News host Steve Hilton. California voters will vote for a new governor in November 2026. David Lamb, NTD News, California. Coming up, Ukrainian officials say dozens of civilians are dead after Russian attacks on multiple apartment buildings. Arian Par has how the US is now trying to restore the peace process with Russia. Israeli forces strike Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip after troops come under fire and Israeli intelligence services say they helped catch Hamas terrorists in Europe who are planning an attack. Jason Perry with the details. And lawmakers on Capitol Hill warned that US industries are vulnerable as Beijing may again cut off supplies and wage an economic war. Jack Bradley has more on the dangers of China's chokeold on the world's rare earth minerals when we come back. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Ukrainian officials say dozens of civilians are dead after Russian strikes on multiple apartment buildings. The US delegation is in Ukraine today amid the increase in attacks. Entities international correspondent Arian Pastar has the war update. Rescue personnel in western Ukraine are working through the night on Wednesday after a deadly Russian attack. Ukraine reports at least 25 civilian deaths after a major attack on the western city of Turnopel. >> As you can hear, the equipment ceased its operation. A moment of silence has been declared to be able to hear possible survivors under the rubble. >> At least one person has been saved after being buried alive under the rubble. Ukraine says Russia launched almost 500 drones and 50 missiles at Ukraine overnight. Russia doesn't often attack western Ukraine as most of the fighting happens in the east where Ukraine borders Russia. US efforts to broker peace between Moscow and Kiev are once again picking up steam. US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff General Randy George are meeting Wednesday with Ukrainian officials in Kief. According to the US Embassy in Kiev, the officials are taking part in a factf finding mission. Ukraine says the US delegation was briefed on Russia's troop buildup, ongoing offensive operations, and missile strikes on residential areas. And Ukrainian President Vladimir Zilinski also ramping up his efforts to stop the fighting. >> He's in Turkey on Wednesday meeting with President Reep Erdogan. Zalinski says his goal is to diplomatically isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Turkey is a member of NATO but still very close to Russia and thus a key player in the conflict. Eldwan says the two presidents discussed reviving the peace talks between Moscow and Kief. We believe it would be beneficial to reactivate the Istanbul process with a more comprehensive approach that addresses the problems that have become acute. Speaking alongside Eldan, Zilinski said Ukraine is counting on diplomatic efforts by Turkey to help end the fighting. He added that Kiev hopes to revive prisoner of war exchanges with Russia by the end of the year. Arian Pasar, NTD News. >> Israeli forces launched a series of air strikes in the Gaza Strip after accusing Hamas terrorists of shooting at troops. Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence services say they helped authorities in Europe locate Hamas terrorists who were planning to attack civilians. Entities Jason Perry has the details. >> Residents in the Gaza Strip were seen scrambling around this hospital on Wednesday as patients were taken inside for treatment. A spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza said that Israeli forces had struck the area. Multiple locations in the Gaza Strip, particularly in Gaza City, have been targeted. The latest target was the Alc building in the Ziton neighborhood at Ascala Crossroad directly with a war plane with two rockets. >> The Israel Defense Forces or IDF said terrorists had opened fire toward Israeli troops in the southern Gaza Strip, though no injuries were reported. Israel said this was a violation of the ceasefire agreement and in response the IDF struck multiple targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist group across the Gaza Strip. Israel also accused the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon of violating their ceasefire agreement, saying the terrorist group was attempting to reestablish terrorist infrastructure in civilian areas. Israel released their intelligence indicating that the red dots are Hezbollah military structures. The blue dots are weapon storage facilities and the yellow dots are underground infrastructure. And on Wednesday, Israel issued evacuation orders to residents in a village in southern Lebanon before striking targets belonging to the Iranbacked group. Israel also said they struck a military compound in southern Lebanon used by Hamas to conduct training on terrorist operations. Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, has reportedly been helping European countries arrest Hamas terrorist in Europe. In a joint investigation led by Israel's intelligence service, Germany and Austria arrested terrorists and also discovered weapon supplies, including explosives that were to be used to conduct terrorist attacks on innocent civilians. Israel released this map showing the locations of Hamas operation centers in Europe. Also on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops in Syria. We attach enormous importance to our ability, both defensive and offensive, here to protecting our Drews allies, and especially protecting the state of Israel and its northern border across the Golden Heights. This is a mission that could evolve at any moment, but we are counting on you. >> President Trump on Monday said his administration was working to improve relations between Israel and Syria. Jason Perry, NTD News. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is sounding the alarm, saying China's dominance over rare earth minerals has put the US economy and national security at risk. Entities Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has more. >> When the Chinese government controls critical minerals, it then has the power to dictate what we say and what we do. This is because if we don't do what they want, they can turn off the flow of critical minerals and [ __ ] our industry. The House Select Committee on the CCP warning about China's monopoly on rare earth minerals. Rare earths are critical from everything for smartphones to fighter jets. And just over a month ago, Beijing cut off rare earth mineral exports entirely. A move that shocked global markets and forced Washington and its allies into emergency talks. And although the US and China agreed to a one-year trade deal, first off, it's unclear whether that will even hold, as the CCP has broken trade deals with the US before. But if it does hold, lawmakers say the damage is already clear. America is dangerously reliant on the CCP's supply chain. >> Once the CCP has killed the competition, they weaponize their monopoly for coercive purposes. China holds about 90% of the world's rare earth processing, meaning they take raw minerals and turn them into usable products. Beijing got to this point over the last three decades by acquiring US companies, flooding markets with subsidized minerals, and driving the remaining mining firms out of business by selling below cost, even willing to lose money to maintain control. >> This is no different than the space race. All of the technologies we talked about are in everything in this room. your blender, your phone, your computer, our defense systems. Rare earths may be a small upstream industry worth just tens of billions of dollars, but they underpin trillions in downstream economic activity and millions of jobs. >> One lawmaker saying factories in her state were impacted by China's export restrictions. >> Auto suppliers can't get the magnets required for electric motors. Steel and chemical producers see costs jump overnight. It's the result of a deliberate strategy by the Chinese government to control the supply chains that power the 21st century economy. >> The panel recommends rebuilding the domestic supply chain from mining to refining. This year, the Pentagon invested $400 million for a stake in MP materials, America's only rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California. And they also warned that unless the US rebuilds now, Beijing will continue using these minerals as geopolitical leverage. Reporting by Jack Bradley, NTD News. Coming up, what's the significance of President Trump declaring Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally, Gregory Copley from the International Strategic Studies Association joins us to discuss that and the president's promise to work toward a peace deal in Sudan when we come back. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. President Trump today promised the Saudi crown prince that the US will work toward a peace deal to end internal conflicts in Sudan. Sudan is separated from Saudi Arabia by the Red Sea. The announcement comes after the president announced yesterday that the US would designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally. This represents a significant ev elevation of the Muslim kingdom's diplomatic standing with the US. Joining us now to discuss these latest developments and more is Gregory CPPley. He's the president of the International Strategic Studies Association. He's also the author of the Noble State Governance Options in an ignoble era. Gregory, thank you so much for joining us. Now, President Trump today calling this partnership one of the most consequential in the world. What makes this partnership so critical to the administration? Well, it's basically the fact that it brings Saudi Arabia essentially into uh the the whole peace movement which President Trump started at the end of his first term in office. Saudi Arabia always indicated that it was ready to to join in those Abraham Accords and it's done so. Uh included in those Abraham Accords was of course also Sudan uh which is within the region. So so this is basically taking things through to their logical conclusion. Saudi Arabia is a very wealthy and influential part of the Middle East. Of course, a critical anchor against uh Iran in its present configuration. And what President Trump is starting to do is to reassemble uh the Middle East US relationship more the way it was under President Nixon. Uh so that's almost 50 years ago. and and President Nixon uh had a wonderful relationship with both Iran and Saudi Arabia which President Carter blew apart and even with the Abraham Accords of four and five years ago when President Trump started them uh he was immediately out of office and and uh the Biden administration started to dismantle the Abraham Accords. This is now putting it all back. Uh we're starting to see a much more coordinated Middle East. Uh and uh the the Sudan problem is a big part of that. President Trump will also have to start looking at how to stabilize Ethiopia and Eratraa and Yemen as all as part of this as well. So it's all going to be much more coordinated than than before. And Saudi Arabia of course will get something out of it too. It's abandoned any of it its talks with People's Republic of China uh and is now as we saw buying 48 new F-35 fighters from the US. That's a very big deal. So that's going to be a major step forward as well. >> And expanding on that, what message is the US sending to the region by elevating Saudi Arabia to a major non-NATO ally? uh well there are a number of other countries in the region including Jordan and Israel and so on who are major designated as major non-NATO US allies and I think that this designation is going to be more and more important going forward for countries around the world because NATO itself has become fragmented. It's not necessarily something which works in in US interests anymore. Uh so the US is building this new alliance of of allies called major non-NATO allies and it's also got other alliances such as Orcus, the Australia, United Kingdom, United States alliance and so on. So this is this is going to be part part of a of a a new relationship which the US is pushing around the world without NATO and the Europeans uh getting involved if you like riding on the US coattails. And to your earlier point, there have been concerns on national security grounds over the Saudis defense and technological ties with China. Do you see those ties lessening now with this US partnership? >> Absolutely. Uh I think there was a period under the Biden administration when Riyad felt very nervous about the stability and the intentions of the United States and started uh looking to get alternative relationships which would safeguard Saudi interests. China was never really a good fit for that because it never had the technology which would have made Saudi Arabia capable of true self-defense. Uh it learned during that period however that the the Chinese technology was profoundly inferior to that of the US and the west. So, so it was if you like it was it was a good learning curve for Saudi Arabia but a dangerous situation for the United States because it did risk uh you know its its appearance and relationships in the Middle East. Uh President Trump has been sending the message consistently to Iran and through Israel and the like the United States is back in the region. The next problem it's going to have to deal with apart from settling the conflicts in Sudan and Ethiopia is the fact that Turkey which has been a NATO so-called NATO ally uh is actually now threatening conflict with Israel. So, uh, Saudi Arabia is very pleased to work with the United States and Israel for that matter to contain the resurgence of a of a neootman Turkey, which has expansionists uh, interests in both the Arabian Peninsula and very much in the Mediterranean. >> Now, President Trump did also promise to help resolve that conflict in Sudan while highlighting his peacekeeping record. Talk to us about the situation in Sudan. What would it take to resolve such a conflict? >> Well, it's going to be difficult. I think we are now at a situation where uh we we're going to have to see someone win convincingly one side or the other. And uh although there are no uh should we say from a western point of view good options there, the option which is likely to prevail is the one which supports the armed forces of Sudan, which is essentially the caretaker government of Sudan. Uh the other uh uh mobile reaction force uh is an is a militia which has a very poor record against some of the Sudin minorities and uh there there's been a war if you like underway uh as to which who should back which and you've got various players in the Middle East and Turkey who who are supporting one side or another. uh the Egyptians who essentially are looking for a stable situation have been largely supporting the the regular armed forces uh in in Sudan. So that that works. But the issue is that you can't solve the Sudan crisis just on its own. You have to look to Ethiopia. And one of the keys to ending this conflict is to provide stable electricity and food supply and so on uh to Sudan. And that could come from Ethiopia which with its new dam could provide electricity to support Sudan and for that matter parts of Egypt if necessary. >> A lot to watch for for short. Gregor CPPley as always. Thank you so much for joining us. >> Thank you very much Tiffany. >> Coming up, AI chatbots are booming, but how dangerous are they? Lawmakers dig into new concerns from AI psychosis to misleading answers and why experts say chatbot should never replace real therapists. David Lamb has that story. And in college football, Texas is out and Oklahoma is in, according to the latest playoff projections. Dave Martin joins us to discuss when we return. Welcome back. Hack, I'm Tiffany Meyer. With AI chat bots being built onto everyday devices, AI companies are taking steps to address concerns. But lawmakers say additional oversight is needed. In light of some jarring interactions with people's David Lamb has more on a House panel hearing where psychiatrists shared their findings. As artificial chat bots become more available, lawmakers look into the risks and benefits of the products. My goal for today's hearing is to have a balanced, honest conversation about the potential benefits and harms that AI chatbots pose to Americans. On Tuesday, experts testified before the US House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Artificial Intelligence. Generative AI chatbots are computer programs powered by large language models, LLMs, that simulate human conversation with a user. >> A new term has been coined AI psychosis, which describes when a user's interactions with a chatbot lead to distorted beliefs or even delusions. As we've seen in some absolutely tragic cases, users experiencing mental health crisis have even taken their own lives. >> Congress members mentioned that since AI chatbots emerged, these cases have happened after long-term relationships with chatbots. In some cases, the chatbots encouraged or affirmed suicidal ideiations. And while there were benefits such as accessibility, the doctors also pointed out current challenges. >> In another study of women in a war zone, access to an AI chatbot was able to reduce anxiety by 30%, although human therapy was more effective at 50%. However, AI chatbots are not yet ready to replace clinicians or therapists. If I try to do a search or use a chatbot to, you know, plum more papers in a particular area, I have found that they generally just fabricate the titles and it's they don't produce outputs that I can rely on for my work. >> What happens in a lot of research papers now, there's something called LLM as judge. And so what they do is they actually have the large language model read all those outputs and try to code it. So anytime you see the word LLM is judge, I would be careful or say we should at least have a human reading it and checking over it. Sensio University reported this year based on a survey among the respondents who use AI and self-report mental health challenges, almost 49% use large language models for therapeutic support. Towards the end of the hearing, Congresswoman Kim Shrier urged the public to seek real life relationships during a time when there's fewer, she says. David Lamb, NTD News. And now for your sports news. We're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, plenty going on right now, but let's start in college football as the latest playoff projections were released last night. What stood out to you here? Well, you know, there were some, you know, predictable changes, of course, because over the weekend, you know, Alabama lost to Oklahoma, Texas lost to Georgia, and South Florida lost to Navy on Saturday. So, the Sooners essentially replace Texas in the rankings. Alabama drops from fourth to 10th, and two lane ends up taking South Florida's spot as the lone group of five representative. Now, meanwhile, Miami is the highest ranked team from the ACC, but no ACC team is ranked high enough to qualify except for, you know, whichever team wins the conference and gets the automatic bid. But the Hurricanes, meanwhile, they're tied for fifth in the ACC. They would need a lot of help just to reach the ACC title game. So, they're projected right now, but it be very surprising if they make it, even if they win out here. Now, elsewhere, Texas Tech leaprogged over Old Miss, went from seventh to fifth. Well, despite both teams winning over the weekend, of course, these are not the final rankings, those come out in three weeks, and only those determine the actual matchups. I just like think I should mention this every single time. You know, these are these are fun TE's to talk about, but ultimately only the last one matters, too. >> This is just for us to have some fun. >> Yeah, I I had fun with it. I don't know about you. >> Well, moving to NBA news, LeBron James made history last night just by stepping onto the court for a record setting 23rd season. Yeah, James missed the first 14 games of the season, but last night he returned after that sciatica problem. Uh, now he had the Lakers actually scored 140 points last night. That's the most they've scored all season. James, meanwhile, had 12 assists, which was a game high. Uh, he's also scored 11 points. That actually runs his record of doubledigit scoring games now to,293 in a row, which takes all the way back to 2007. Now, he also hit a pair of three-pointers to patch Reggie Miller for sixth most on the all-time list. Now, meanwhile, James is just 50 games played behind Robert Parish for the most in NBA history. He's 496 assists away from Jason Kid to put him in third place for all time. Now, just for perspective, he had 575 last year, so very possible there. Meanwhile, the Lakers fared very well actually in his absence going 10 and4. They are in first place in the Pacific division, but I think they still missed him. You know, I missed reporting on the guy. So, >> be like, maybe one day you'll make history by stepping foot in this studio. >> Maybe. So, that'll be quite the history, won't it? >> Shifting gears to tennis though, the International Tennis Hall of Fame announced that Roger Federer will be inducted next year as a Hall of Famer. >> Yes, clearly a well-earned induction. Now, Federer's accomplishments are a whole lot. I mean he broke the records, Pete Sanford's records actually of most Grand Slam championships won most weeks as the number one ranked player in the game. Now both of those huge marks though have been since passed by NovakJokovic. Overall though, Feder won 103 career champ career titles. That's the second most all time before his retirement in 2022. Now of course he really did not play much those last three years 2020 21 20 and 2022 because of a knee injury that was very similar to his rival Rafael Nadal which is his really last two years were interrupted with those hip injuries. Now, Federer's greatness wasn't just his uh was really only passed by his popularity. Even at the US Open, he got just about as much fan support, if not more, than very popular American Andre Agassi, whom Federer beat twice in their three matches there, including the 2006 finals. Now, Federer is still the record holder for the most Wimbledon titles with eight and consecutive weeks, ranked number one with 237. That's more than four years worth. So, there was really never any question that Federer would get in. You know, I don't know if you can tell, but I'm a big fan of this. It I try not to let it out, you know, try to be impartial, but who didn't like Feder? You know, >> I'll be looking forward to this induction. >> Looking now at boxing news though, Jake Paul will fight former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua next month. Where would Joshua rank in terms of Paul's toughest opponents? >> You know, most have him at the him at the top, you know, as the toughest. Now, unlike Tyson, who Paul fought a year ago, Joshua is a former heavyweight champion who's much closer to his prime. Now, other than that, his Paul's opponents have mainly been former MMA MMA fighters or past their prime boxers. Now, the 28-year-old pole does have a 12-1 career record. Joshua, who is 36, is 28-4 record. Now, Joshua has also fought um that much higher weight still than Paul, like over a 250 lbs. Paul Seavius was 227 for that Tyson fight last year, but normally he fights out of no under 200 pounds, so that could be a challenge. But of course, Paul at least is eight years younger. Now, also in Joshua's last fight, he was stopped in the fifth round by Daniel Dubois in an IBF title fight. He then had elbow surgery after that. That was September of 2024. He has not been in the ring since, so at least there's that. In any case, this eight round bout will take place one month from now. That's Friday, December 19th in Miami, and it will be aired live on Netflix. So >> Netflix, >> yeah, >> it's a new one. >> Well, actually, the Tyson versus Paul fight was on Netflix a year ago. >> So, we'll >> see if uh Netflix subscriptions uh go up. >> Well, you know, I I got a subscription just for that and then I forgot for like seven or eight months. I was paying $5 a month and I never even used it other than that. So, lesson learned for this one. I'll have to make sure, you know, I make that decision much closer after after the fight. >> While you've been warned, all of you, >> I'm going to put a reminder in right now. Okay. >> All right. Well, Dave, as always, thanks for joining us. >> Thank you, Tiff. >> And that's all for today's news. For roundtheclock coverage, visit us at ntd.com/live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffy Meyer. Good night.