WH: ’Tremendous Progress’ in Ukraine Peace Deal; Trump Pardons Turkeys | NTD Evening News (Nov. 25)

Welcome to NGT Evening News. Our Tom Story tonight. President Trump saying he thinks a Russia Ukraine peace deal is near. And as the holiday approaches, the president is urging people across the nation to renew their faith this Thanksgiving. Mario at the White House. NATO today scrambling fighter jets near Romania's border with Ukraine. How the US is responding to the increasing drone incursions. A lawsuit found by families of Hamas victims accuses a cryptocurrency company of enabling terror terrorist activities. Arley Richards has more on the case. China's Xiinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin reaffirm their support for the Venezuelan regime amid increasing tensions in the Caribbean. Luis Martinez brings us the latest in the region. President Trump speaks with Japan's prime minister after she vows to defend Taiwan. Plus, Tokyo prepares to deploy new missile units near the islands as Beijing warns Japan has crossed a red line. Jack Bradley with more on the escalating standoff. And amid a highle Chinese Communist Party officials visit overseas. A group of peaceful protesters were harassed and attacked. Several countries are spotlighting the CCP's human rights abuses. Molina Weissup reports. 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 saying the US is very close to a Russia Ukraine peace deal. This comes as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll meets with a Russian delegation and Ukraine tentatively agrees to a revised peace deal after weekend talks in Geneva. And President Trump ushers in the holidays at the White House, declaring that Thanksgiving is a chance for Americans to renew their faith in God. We now go live to NTD's Washington correspondent Mario Tu live at the North Lawn. Mari, good evening. >> Tiff, good evening. Yes, President Trump today is saying that his team has made quote tremendous progress uh in securing peace between Russia and Ukraine. Uh he says that a peace plan has been fine-tuned with only a few disagreements remaining. The president is also directing a US special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow while US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll meets with the Ukrainians. Take a look. >> So I I think we're getting very close to a deal. We'll find out. I thought that one would have been uh gone quicker. >> President Trump adds that he looks forward to meeting with Zalinski and Putin soon, but only when the deal is finalized. >> I have watched as the president and his team have worked around the clock overnight with both sides on endless phone calls, endless meetings to try to bring this war to a close. >> While Democrats criticize the US peace plan for favoring Russia, >> I think it would go down frankly as a historically bad deal. But the whole idea that this was drafted without Ukrainian input and my fear is the person who's watching this as close as Vladimir Putin is President Xi and China because if we throw in the towel on Ukraine, I think that gives frankly more fuel to the fire in terms of she taking on Taiwan. >> The White House pushes back saying that the administration has spoken extensively and equally with both sides. It's coming from people who have no idea what they're talking about or people who are pushing their own agenda or maybe people who don't want to see this war come to an end. I don't know. Maybe they're profiting off of it. Vice President Vance accuses the political class of being obsessed with keeping the war going rather than tackling pressing domestic issues like affordability. >> And this Thanksgiving, we're also making incredible strides to make America affordable again. It's a great time of the year and our country is doing really well economically like we've never done before. >> President Trump hails his administration's economic agenda at an annual ceremony sparing two turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving. >> The turkeys being pardoned today go by the names of gobble and waddle. I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy. But then I realized I wouldn't be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people. and touts the prices of this year's Thanksgiving meals amid a refocus on affordability before the 2026 midterms. >> According to the USDA, the price of Thanksgiving turkey is down 33% from its Biden era highs. Potatoes are down 13%, ham is down 15% compared to last Thanksgiving. >> The president also urges Americans to spend their holiday renewing their faith. I hope all Americans will have the chance to enjoy the fellowship of family and friends and renew our faith in God's providence. We have more people praying. The churches are coming back, but religion is coming back to America. >> And President Trump is now jetting off for Florida. You may be able to hear the sounds of Marine One on the South Lawn behind me there. Uh the president's expected to spend his Thanksgiving week at Mara Lago with his family. A holiday tradition for the Trumps. Tiff, back to you. >> All right, Mari. Thanks for those updates. NATO today scrambling fighter jets near Romania's border with Ukraine. They were responding to the deepest ever drone incursion into Romania. In today's international correspondent, Ian Pastar has the details. >> Romanian and German NATO fighter jets were scrambled in what Bucharest called a Russian provocation. Romania initially scrambled two Euro fighters which are part of German air policing missions in Romania. They tracked a drone in the southeast of the country before it re-entered Ukraine. The army later scrambled two Romanian fighter jets after radar showed a second airspace violation. Romania calls it the latest Russian attempt to provoke Bucharest. We have a new incursion by a Russian drone. A new provocation by Russia against Romania. A drone that the Romanian army and the German pilots tried to shoot down. >> US troops are visiting a Romanian air base on Tuesday. The commander of the US Army in Europe and Africa says a new capability to shoot down drones will be deployed to Romania. >> We have tested it and it is in the final stages of being employed. Uh Romanian soldiers and other alliance soldiers have been trained on this capability. He added that the system will be employed very soon. Meanwhile, the fighting in Ukraine continues. KF officials say Russian strikes killed six civilians in Ukraine's capital city on Tuesday. According to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zilinski, Russia launched 22 missiles and 460 drones overnight. The strikes knocked out water, electricity, and heat in parts of Kiev. I would like us to finally get some help, some protection. We can't cope with this on our own. It's very sad. It's very sad that everyone is just watching. >> The attack comes amid fast developing peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US, leading some to question whether Russia is truly seeking peace. Arian Pastor, NTD News. With President Trump and Ukrainian President Zalinsky meeting as soon as Thanksgiving, will they make a breakthrough with a peace plan? Hear from retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert McInness tonight on Capital Report with Steve Lance at 700 p.m. Eastern time. The families of 300 US citizens heard or killed in the October 7th attack on Israel have sued cryptocurrency trading company Binance. Entities Arlene Richards has more details. Binance, a cryptocurrency trading company, has been accused of supporting terrorist activities. The accusations were laid out in a lawsuit filed in a North Dakota federal court on Monday. Families of 300 US citizens hurt or killed in the October 7th terrorist attacks in Israel claimed that Binance aided Hamas and other terrorist groups by transferring more than1 billion dollars among accounts they controlled. Specifically, the lawsuit states, "For years, defendants knowingly, willfully, and systematically assisted Hamas, the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, Palestine Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups to transfer and conceal the equivalent of hundreds of millions of US dollars through the Binance platform in support of their terrorist activities. This assistance directly and materially contributed to the October 7th attacks and to subsequent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestine Islamic Jihad. According to the lawsuit, these groups had been designated as foreign terrorist organizations for years before the October 7th attack. In recent years, they turned to cryptocurrencies as a means to move money more covertly. The lawsuit accuses Binance founders Chong Pong Xiao and Guang Ying Chen of quote intentionally designing the company as a criminal enterprise to facilitate money laundering on a global scale and states that Binance devised a scheme to evade US oversight of its global money laundering enterprise. For example, it states that Binance created a fake spin-off company to be used exclusively for US customers. This move allegedly allowed them to keep 5 million US users while evading US laws. A Binance spokesperson responded to the lawsuit in an email to NTD. It stated, quote, "Binance has become aware of a complaint filed in the United States Federal Court. We cannot comment on any ongoing litigation. As a global crypto exchange, we comply fully with internationally recognized sanction laws. We remain steadfast in our commitment to working with regulators, law enforcement, and our users to protect the integrity of the global digital asset ecosystem. The families are seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial, as well as attorneys fees and expenses. Arlene Richards, NTD News. In the Middle East, a body said to be that of a deceased hostage is currently undergoing identification in Israel. Meanwhile, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which delivered aid directly to Gaza Strip residents while bypassing Habas, has ended its mission in the territory. Entities Jason Perry has the update. >> The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, which delivered aid to residents in the Gaza Strip for four months, has ended its mission in the territory. The organization says it delivered 187 million meals to residents during that time. The GHF was a USbacked initiative to deliver aid directly to Gaza Strip residents. The Hamas terrorist group has been accused of stealing humanitarian aid and selling it to support its terrorist operations. And those who assisted the GHF risked their lives to deliver aid directly to residents, bypassing Hamas. In a statement on Monday, the GHF said the Civil Military Coordination Center, which is overseeing the Gaza Peace Plant, will now use a piloted version of the GHF model for delivering aid to residents. And on Tuesday, groups of people were seen gathering water here in the northern Gaza Strip. A displaced woman explained the difficulties of trying to live in a tent. Last night, it rained heavily with strong winds and storms. My children have no clothes and they're freezing. It rained so much that we got flooded both inside and outside the tent. >> Meanwhile, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad recently handed over a body said to be that of a deceased hostage. And the body is currently being identified at Israel's National Institute of Forensic Medicine. If confirmed to be a deceased hostage's body, that will leave the bodies of two hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip. In another development, Israeli forces on Tuesday said they tracked down a terrorist in the West Bank who was accused of killing two Israeli soldiers in a car ramming attack last year. After reaching the residence, Israeli forces reported that the terrorist was armed and had barricaded himself inside. Israel then said they launched a precision strike to kill the terrorist. Israeli forces also report they recently struck a Hezbollah terrorist in Beirut and they continue to strike Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon almost daily. Israel's foreign minister on Monday implied that the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon is stronger than the Lebanese military. >> As long as Hisbala is the strongest military force in Lebanon, Israel has no security and Lebanon has no future. and he added that as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed, Lebanon will remain under de facto Iranian occupation. Jason Perry, NTV News. >> Tensions between the US and the Venezuelan regime of Nicholas Maduro have shifted into the calculus of great power competition. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez breaks down the links between the Maduro regime and major US adversaries. According to Nicolas Maluru, an indicted narco terrorists Xi Jinpin and Vladimir Putin, the leaders of China and Russia sent him letters expressing their solidarity and support amid rising tensions with the United States. It is impressive how a movement of solidarity is rising everywhere in support of the victorious effort of the indestructible people of Venezuela in the face of these threats, psychological, political, diplomatic wars, whatever they do, however they do it, wherever they do it, they will not be able to defeat Venezuela. We are invincible. The US government has designated the cartel of the Sons, the cartel that Nicolas Maduro is accused of leading as a foreign terrorist organization. >> Venezuela is run by a narco terrorist ring that traffics drugs, weapons, human traffics as well into the United States. >> Top Venezuelan officials have been using the Venezuelan military and its installations to traffic drugs. the survival of the regime is the only thing keeping them from facing justice. >> Today, Marco Rubio, you know, pulled out another rehash about the cartel of the Suns that now it's a terrorist organization. Ridiculous. They're ridiculous. They repeat and repeat the story about drug trafficking. The drug trafficking story. >> The regime is accused of killing over 8,000 civilians for resisting their authority. and unofficial results show that over 80% of Venezuelans voted against Maduro in last year's presidential elections. >> So, we know, we have information that maybe the top echelon of the military forces in Venezuela may be with Maduro and they're going to flee with him, but the middle and lower ranks are with the opposition. >> The Venezuelan regime has been economically propped up by China and Russia and has close ties with Iran and its proxy terrorist organizations, Hamas and Hezbollah. Venezuela has been the the launching pad, the hub for our enemies, the Iranian, Hezbollah, uh, Hamas, the Cubans, the Nicaraguans, people that hate the United States, and the only thing they want to do is do harm to us and to our young Americans. >> It's important to note that the Venezuelan regime also provides oil at discounted prices to Nicaragua and Cuba, the only other two dictatorships in the region, and allowing for them to survive. Reporting from Washington, DC, Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. President Trump spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Sai Takayichi following her comments about defending Taiwan if it were attacked by China. This comes as Japan prepares to deploy missile guidance systems to its westernmost island just 70 miles from Taiwan. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has the details. >> With tensions escalating between Japan and China, Japan's Prime Minister Takayichi held a call with President Trump. She said they discussed US China relations and cooperation following Trump's recent visit to Japan. >> President Trump explained about the recent US China relations, including his talks with the Chinese leader last night. I believe that I was able to confirm the close cooperation between Japan and the United States. What prompted the sudden spike in tensions between Japan and China was Prime Minister Takayichi publicly declaring that Japan would intervene if Taiwan were attacked, arguing that any conflict there would put Japan directly at risk. China reacted sharply and a Chinese council general in Osaka even threatened to cut the head off of the Japanese leader. And Beijing has been urging its residents not to travel to Japan. Chinese state-run media has also been calling for military strikes on Japan. Just prior to calling Takayichi, President Trump spoke with CCP leader Xiinping and she reportedly told Trump of his desire to take over Taiwan despite the CCP never having ruled over the self-governing democracy. Taiwan's government says that's not an option and Beijing is trying to intimidate both Taipei and Tokyo. situation. >> China has repeatedly acted in line with its authoritarian expansionist nature, seeking to intimidate and exert pressure on Taiwan and neighboring countries such as Japan in the region. Both Taiwan and Japan are committing to increase their defense spending. In the latest move, Japan's defense ministry says it's moving forward with putting a new missile guidance system on its westernmost island near Taiwan to strengthen deterrence. We believe its deployments will reduce the very possibility of armed attacks against our nation and do not consider the argument that it will heighten regional tensions to be accurate. >> And all of this is unfolding as President Trump and China's Xiinping prepare for reciprocal visits. Trump to visit Beijing in April and she to the US later in the year. But at least for now, Japan and China are in the most serious diplomatic standoff in years. Reporting by Jack Bradley, NTD News. >> The US recently joined several other nations to push for an end to human rights violations in China. Just days later, pro-CCCP groups harass peaceful protesters in Australia. Entities Molina Weissup has more. The United States has joined a group of 14 other countries including Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and a few others in signing a statement to the UN calling for the immediate release of people who the Chinese Communist Party has illegally detained for exercising their fundamental freedom of faith. In the statement, the countries raised concerns that ethnic and religious minority groups, particularly weagers, Christians, Tibetans, fallen gong practitioners, and others have faced targeted repression, including through separation of children from their families, torture, and the destruction of cultural heritage. The countries are pressing the United Nations to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable in a meaningful way to combat this human rights issue. It comes just one week after the CCP illegally arrested nearly 20 leaders of Zion Church. That's one of the largest underground Christian churches inside of China. One of those leaders, Öza Jinn, who's the founder of Zion Church, his daughter testified to lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week. She's urging US leaders to do more to get prisoners of conscience like her father freed. >> I'm sometimes indeed fearful. After all, I know that I seek to expose and hold account the second most powerful country in the world. Yet as a Christian, I believe that we are asked to take courage and speak truth and that God who created heaven and earth will stand by our side. This comes as a top Chinese Communist Party leader Ja Gi is visiting Australia right now. Jao was the subject of a push for sanctions here in the US last month due to human rights issues. Because of his high rank, he plays a lead role in the persecution of fallen gong, a meditation discipline centered on aligning oneself with truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Amid Jiao's visit to Australia, a group of fallen gong practitioners in the country peacefully protested, trying to call attention to the widespread persecution that he's engaged with, including forcibly removing organs from prisoners of conscience. While those protesters were holding banners shedding light on this issue, some members from a pro-CP group by the name of Fuink Association tried to block these banners from being seen and harassed protesters. One of the protesters, Salucing, had his shirt ripped open by one of the members from the pro-CP group. Another protester was hit in the head with the flag pole. This isn't a one-off incident happening in Australia anywhere falling has a presence, which is throughout much of the world. There are pro-CCCP groups directed to harass and threaten them to try to export the CCP's persecution of the practice outside of its own borders. This was also a key focus in last week's hearing on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers and US leaders are actively working to expose and stop the CCP's transnational oppression here in the US and abroad. Reporting from Washington DC, Molina Weissub, NTD News. Coming up, the FBI has requested interviews with the six Democrats who posted a video telling military service members to defy illegal orders. The lawmakers say they won't be intimidated. The man is charged for allegedly making threats of violence towards ICE agents and their families while in front of the ICE facility in Portland. Jason Blair reports. And 20 US states are challenging new requirements for housing grants. At the same time, the Trump administration is shifting its focus to transitional housing and preconditions for assistance. David Lamb has more on that after the break. Welcome back. I'm Judy Meyer. The FBI has requested interviews with the six Democrat lawmakers who posted a video telling military service members to defy illegal orders. The bureau's request comes a day after the Pentagon threatened to recall Navy veteran and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. The other Democrats who appeared in the video released last week include Representatives Jason Crowe, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Duzio, and Chrissy Hulahan. All are military veterans. Former CIA officer Senator Alisa Slotkin participated in last week's video as well. The lawmakers responded to the FBI request in a joint statement. The post read in part, quote, "President Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass members of Congress." Their statement continued, quote, "No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution." President Trump has accused the lawmakers of sedition. An ICE protester is charged for allegedly making threats of violence toward federal officers in Portland. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christine Gnome gives stats on the number of assaults on ICE agents since January. NTD correspondent Jason Blair reports. >> A man who is frequently seen protesting outside of the ICE facility in Portland, Oregon is accused of making threats toward federal agents both in person and online. FBI Director Cash Patel states the FBI arrested a violent protester out of Portland who allegedly threatened to murder officers and assault their families. According to a federal affidavit, the suspect, John Cup, has also posted Tik Tok videos calling for the eradication of Jewish people and denying the Holocaust. He first appeared in court on Monday. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Gnome says that there has been 238 assaults on ICE agents between January 21st and November 21st. She says that's an increase of 1,153% from the same time last year. known post on X. Over the past 10 months, Democrat politicians have compared ICE to Nazis, the Gestapo, and slave patrols. President Trump and I will always stand with the men and women of ICE who risk their lives every day to arrest the worst of the worst. Acting ICE director Todd Lions says along with immigration enforcement, ICE also does a lot of counterterrorism work. While on the Ruthless podcast, he expressed one of his biggest concerns from the record amount of illegal border crossings that happened in fiscal year 2023. >> That's the key thing. That's my biggest fear, too, is out of all these, especially these military-aged males we let in. Who do we really let in? >> Lions also says the DHS has a lot of people in immigration detention centers because the Trump administration made it a priority to end quote catch and release. Well, we're not going to just arrest someone to give you a chance to go out and do something again once you like we finally figure out, hey, you're a known suspected terrorist. We're keeping everybody in custody now. >> Jason Blair, NTD News. >> A group of mostly Democrat-led states has filed a complaint against the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This comes as HUD is overhauling its grant programs that fight homelessness. NTD's David Lamb reports. 20 US states in the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration over restrictions on funding for housing grants. They say the Department of Housing and Urban Development's restrictions on more than $3 billion in grant funds are unlawfully targeting the LGBTQ community. The complaint says the new restrictions require providers to recognize only two genders, mandate that residents accept services like job training or substance abuse treatment as a precondition to obtain housing, and punish providers in localities that do not enforce strict antihomeless laws. The Trump administration has criticized the housing first approach, which focuses on putting people in permanent housing without sobriety or work requirements. In a post on Tuesday, HUD Secretary Scott Turner indicated the administration's new changes are actually putting an additional $300 million into record funding and reallocating more funds to support services. The lawsuit is led by Washington State, New York, and Rhode Island. Attorneys general from other states and several governors also joined the coalition. The lawsuit seeks to block the HUD from placing new conditions on the grants and claims more than 170,000 people could lose their housing. HUD says it's overhauling the grants program to focus on transitional housing initiatives. David Lamb, NTD News. Coming up, it's been 236 years since President George Washington's first Thanksgiving proclamation, declaring November 26, 1789 as a national holiday to give thanks for the creation of the Constitution and to honor religious and civil liberty. How does that message live on today? Navy Seal veteran Mike Cerelli joins us to discuss. And with Congresswoman Elise Stefonic running for New York governor and leaving her congressional seat open, Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino officially launches his campaign for New York's 21st district. Chris Bob reports when we come back. Welcome back. I'm Judy Meyer. It has been 236 years since President George Washington's first National Thanksgiving Proclamation. It was a request from Congress for Washington to designate November 26th, 1789 as a national day of thanks and prayer to honor religious and civil liberty. During today's turkey pardoning ceremony, President Trump carried on that spirit, urging Americans to use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to spend time with family and friends and renew their faith in God. Joining us now to discuss is US Navy Seal veteran Mike Cerelli. He is currently the chief talent officer at Overwatch Mission Critical. Mike, thank you so much for joining us. Now, as a veteran and a leading leadership coach, why do you think President George Washington's proclamation still matters in America today? >> Well, Tiffany, I want to go back in time. Uh 1789, you know, the Constitution has been ratified. It's uh it's a young country and and I'm sure democ democracy was a lot more fragile at that point and take into account that during the revolutionary war those fighting for it never gained more than 45% support from the colonists. So that means 55% of the colonists were either in support of British or just didn't want to to to be involved and take a side. So, you know, we've got to put ourselves in George Washington's state of mind where he's trying to create this sense of shared purpose and unity. And that's why he he he he signed this proclamation for Thanksgiving, the 26th day of November, for friends and families, for communities to come together and give thanks for our freedoms in this grand experiment we call America. And that's why it's relevant today because we are a house divided. And I think for a lot of people that have been on this earth long enough and in the United States, they've they've never seen our country this divisive. And this is the time for shared purpose and unity to be thankful for those who gave their lives, for those who built this nation, and remind one another that our our covenant to them is to keep building it in the direction in the trajectory that they foresaw into the future. Now, Washington emphasized that our national government must remain wise, just, and constitutional. From your perspective, why are those values especially important for Americans to revisit right now? >> Why is just and constitutional? And I think what he's speaking about is governance through virtue. And government must be accountable. It must be responsible. It must remain with the decrees that the constitution set forth. And one of the things that we lose sight about is if you if you read those founding documents, God is mentioned throughout them. This country was founded on Judeo-Christian values and we have strayed arguably uh from those and we need to return to them and you see that right now. We talk about sovereignty. Sovereignty requires borders and borders require enforcement. We need to protect our nation. We need to govern justly and with virtue and with integrity and character. And arguably, I think if you ask a lot of Americans right now if they trust government, the answer is no. And that is the challenge that lays ahead of us. How do we get back to restoring the trust of the people uh in government? And um that is why these periods like Thanksgiving come together and finding what connects us and the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world. Yeah, we've got problems, but even if you multiply those problems by five, we we are still the best nation in the world. And we've got to stop focusing on everything that is so wrong and the things that unite us. And days like that remind us of that. >> And Mike, you often talk about service and character. How can families today, especially parents raising young people, use Thanksgiving as a moment to teach gratitude, resilience, and appreciation for freedom? >> Yeah. Especially in a culture where I can define it by selfishness and entitlement, we lose sight of all the people that have bled either defending this nation, bled building it. And we need to remind them that the fact that you sit in an air conditioned space that you have modern plumbing and connectivity and electricity is because somebody in the trades built those homes that somebody invented that and we have been one of the most innovative countries from which everyone relies on our technology. That is the advancement. That is the contribution every generation of Americans have made. And we've got to remind our youth we've got to we've got to teach them civics. a subject that is arguably uh declined within uh education, our educational system. We have to remind them of the history and when people have a better understanding of our history, a better appreciation for all the long line of Americans since 1776 that have defended our nation, that have built our nation, they realize and they sort of create that covenant I I spoke about earlier that hey, they have passed that legacy on to us and it is up to us to continue to pass that legacy on to the next generation. uh making America a better place than what we were born into. >> And expanding on that, Thanksgiving was created as a unifying national moment. How can Americans today practice unity and gratitude even when the country feels divided? >> Yeah, I think rule number one is don't talk politics uh across the uh Thanksgiving table. Uh there's no surefire way to to to piss people off. If if you uh if you have differing political opinions, just agree to disagree. Talk about one another. Talk about what's going on in their lives. Hear stories. Tell stories about gratitude or or or something that you appreciate in in someone else. And focus on the things that are truly important. Not the politics, but one another. Personal relationships, community, family, Judeo-Christian values. Those are the things that we need to remind people uh people about and also take part in your communities. You know, we can sit and watch the news and complain all day long about all the things that are wrong with this country, but you know what? That just makes you part of the problem that you're not actually getting involved to make your community, uh your town, your state, the entire nation better. And so, we need to remind people that not only is it your obligation to vote, but it's also to get involved and make this place better than we found it. human uh human connection very important for sure. Mike Cerilli, as always, thank you so much for joining us. >> Happy Thanksgiving. >> There's a newcomer running for the House seat soon to be left open by Congresswoman Elise Stefonic, who is running for New York Governor. Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino made headlines during the last presidential election when he erected a massive illuminated vote for Trump sign at top his Amsterdam, New York factory. Now at the same site and in front of a wall of Thanksgiving turkeys, he has launched his congressional campaign. Entities Chris Bob has more. >> I'm in Amsterdam, New York, where Anthony Constantino, the CEO of Sticker Mule, just announced that he is running to secede Alise Stefonic in New York's 21st district. I am here to ask for your support, your family support, and the support of well, pretty much everyone else you know, as I've officially decided to run for Congress. >> On this cold day, after hours in upstate New York, Anthony Constantino gave away a number of hoodies as well as 2,000 turkeys. As we get close to Thanksgiving, >> others gave up on New York. I stayed and built my business here to protect my community and my friends from the horror of economic decline. >> Stefanic has represented this New York district since 2014, winning her 2024 re-election with 62% to 38%, making it safely Republican. So far, Constantino is running against Republican New York Assemblyman Robert Smullen. Both candidates are competing to position themselves as President Trump's preferred choice. At his campaign announcement last week, Smullen highlighted his experience working in Washington. He declared he is the quote only Trumpappointed conservative in this race. Meanwhile, Constantino says he is the only candidate loyal to President Trump who can use his business experience to promote the district. I think the biggest thing I can do is get us top of mind. You know, that's an easy one. I think I'm more positioned to do that to anyone. We got to be top of mind so people even know we exist where, you know, President Trump talks about the forgotten people. We have we're sort of the forgotten district and uh we got to be top of mind so people think about coming here and they see positive things are going and I'm trying my best to lead by example. President Trump can't fix the country on his own. I can't fix NY1 on my own. But I think I'm more equipped than anyone to inspire other people to get involved and help. And and that's the ultimate way to do things. The most exciting thing we can do to send shock waves through the country is to turn New York red and show people that we're going to go in a different direction. That we're going to work on cutting costs, cutting taxes, cutting regulations, which is going to make people want to come back here and going to make us exciting again. >> To watch the full interview, you can go to ntd.com. From Amsterdam, New York for NTD News, I'm Chris Bob. >> Coming up, millions of Americans are hitting the roads and airports this week for Thanksgiving. Christina Corona tells us what to expect as the holiday travel rush begins. And in college basketball, 13 ranked teams are in action today, looking to become number one. Dave Martin joins us with the latest scores when we return. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. The Thanksgiving travel rush is expected to be the busiest in years with millions of Americans hitting the roads and skies to celebrate. Airports and highways are preparing for record numbers and travelers are being urged to plan ahead. ENTD's Christina Corona tells us more. We're here at LAX where experts predict a record-breaking Thanksgiving travel rush. According to AAA, 88 million Americans will be traveling this holiday season with 8 million traveling by air. At LAX, officials are preparing for nearly 2.5 million passengers between November 20th and December 1st. We asked travelers how their experiences have been so far. >> Yeah, it was pretty crowdy, right? Yeah. >> From what I saw, the traffic wasn't too bad when I entered in. And nationwide, the FAA says this will be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period in 15 years with more than 52,000 flights expected on Tuesday alone. Travelers told us their holiday plans. >> I'm going back to the Bay or the Bay Area. >> We're just going to go sightseeing at Hollywood. Yeah, >> we don't really celebrate Thanksgiving here in Japan, so I'm just going to, you know, um enjoy sightseeing, traveling here. I'm expecting to go to Dodger Stadium. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> I would love to see >> Otani. >> Yeah, Otani. >> He's the greatest Japanese ever. >> Sunday, November 30th is projected to be the airport's busiest day with more than 230,000 travelers passing through. Recently, Transportation Secretary Shawn Duffy urged travelers to dress with some respect while flying. Part of his effort to promote civility on airplanes. I I would encourage people to maybe dress a little better, which encourage us encourages us to maybe behave all a little better. >> Let's try not to wear slippers and and uh and pajamas as we come to the airport. I think that's positive. >> Travelers shared their thoughts on the new civility campaign. >> If it's just the bare minimum of closed toes and having a shirt on, I think that's fine. I don't think that they'll stop you for having just pajamas on, but I think that if you're closed toes and you're dressed appropriately, you'll be fine. I like like wearing pajamas or comfortable things when getting on planes. >> Everyone should be comfortable coming to the airport and boarding airplanes. >> So far, there have been few flight delays at LAX and travelers tell me they haven't noticed any disruptions related to the government shutdown. Officials say this Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the busiest days at the airport. So, if you're hitting the road or to the airport, be sure to plan ahead and stay safe. Reporting from the city of Los Angeles, Christina Corona, NTD News. And now for your sports news, we into these Dave Martin day. plenty going on right now. But let's start in baseball as newly crowned Sai Young winner Paul Skins got a record amount from the pre-arpetration bonus pool. How does this bonus pool work? >> Well, let me explain. It's a good question, Tiff. Now, just to start, your first three years in Major League Baseball salary wise are known as your pre-arbitration years. Now, players typically make between half a million and a million dollars per season, which in Major League Baseball is actually well below average. Now, after that, your next three years are your arbitration years where you make you can negotiate salary figures with your team. Players typically make, you know, millions and even tens of millions for the best of them during those years. Then you're eligible for free agency unless you've already already signed a long-term deal. But sometimes, you know, I mean, players are at their best in their 20s, which is your typically your pre-arbitration years. So to solve the salary gap there, the owners and players union agreed to a $50 million bonus pool to be split among all pre-arbitration players based on performance. Now for instance, Skins got a $2.5 million bonus from that pool for winning the Sai Young this year. And there's bonuses for MVP and finishing the top five in these awards for rookie of the year as well. Now overall, 16 got nearly $3.5 million from the bonus pool. is the most ever given out to one single player. Of course, Skins is pretty special though. So soon I think Skins will be making $40 to $50 million a year probably in free agency. So this is just a taste of what he's going to get down the line. But they they try to make up for his only he only $950,000 this year by giving him three half million since he was so good. A >> lot of zeros. >> Yeah, a lot of zeros, too. >> All right. All right. Well, elsewhere in the game, a Japanese star pitcher, Tatsuya Imi, who's become a Major League Baseball free agent, might not be looking to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Japanese stars who seem to sign with the Dodgers. >> Yeah, you know, I I think it was widely assumed that when another Japanese star coming to the major leagues, he probably just signed with LA. I mean, they've already gotten Japan's biggest stars each of the last two off seasons already. I mean, that's Yoshobu, Yamamoto, and Roki Susaki. Not to mention Sho Shi Otani came over from the Angels originally came from Japan to too. So I think it was assumed when that when I posted he would want to head to LA as well now but I does not sound like he's heading there. Now he was asked about coming to the Dodgers on a recent podcast said he'd surely enjoy playing with those fellow Japanese star there in LA. But then he said, quote, "But winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I'd rather take them down." End quote. So, he has until January 2nd to sign with a new team here. So, maybe he signs with the Royals or maybe maybe with your new team favorite team, Tiff, you know, whoever that might be. >> Some rivals here. >> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Someone's going to be pwning up a lot of money from I'm sure that soon. >> All right. Well, shifting gears to the NFL. Former quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers are among 26 semi-finals for the Hall of Fame. When will they make the final decision? >> Yeah, that's going to be in February, just ahead of Super Bowl 60, which is on February 8th. First, they have to trim the list down to 15 finalists. That'll be happening later this year. Now, Breeze should be a shoein for the Hall of Fame. I mean, he's second all time in passing yards and touchdown passes. He finished second in the MVP building four different times. He led the Saints to a Super Bowl. Now, River's not far behind. He's seventh in passing yards in his career, sixth in touchdown passes while making eight Pro Bowls. Now, also eligible for the first time, former receiver Larry Fritz Gerald. He's second all time in catches and receiving yards, trailing only the great Jerry Rice in both categories. Also appearing for the first time, 11time Pro Bowl tight tight end Jason Whitten and running back Frank Gore, who finished his career third all time with exactly 16,000 career rushing yards. So, uh, I think, uh, all five have a very good shot there, too. If only I got to vote. >> Some exciting news to watch for them. Looking at college basketball action today, though. We have a number of ranked teams playing or already played. >> Yeah, we've got several tournaments going on during this Thanksgiving week. Now, already 15th ranked Iowa State beatraton this afternoon 78 to 60 at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Now, the Cyclones beat 14th ranked St. John's last night, so they are 6-0 right now. And 11th ranked Michigan State beat East Carolina 89 to 56 at the Fort Myers tipoff. Spartans are 6 and0 in the next play, North Carolina on Thanksgiving Day. And finally, at the Maui Invitational, 23rd ranked NC State beat Boy State 81 to 70 this after falling to Satan Hall uh yesterday. Now just ended at the Players era Festival, 14th ranked St. John's beat Baylor 96 to 81. Right now going on, 17th ranked Tennessee is playing at number three Houston and the aforementioned North Carolina Taros are playing St. Bonaventure at the Fort Meyers tip off. Then tonight, seventh ranked Michigan plays number 21 Auburn at 8:30 Eastern time. An hour after that, 12th ranked Gonzaga plays Maryland. And then at midnight, eighth ranked Alabama plays UNLV. All three games are in Las Vegas again. Now, if that's not enough, and really should be, right, Steph? That's a lot of games there already. 15th ranked UCLA plays Cal at 10:00 p.m. And finally, 25th ranked Indiana hosts Kansas State in Bloomington at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. I'm I'm exhausted just talking about all these things. Definitely. It's going to be a long night in front of the c in front of the TV for me. I can tell you that >> you're going to have a lot of updates for us tomorrow. >> I am. >> Well, Davis, thanks for joining us. >> Well, thank you, Tiff. >> And that's all for today's news. For on the clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com/live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Good night.