2 National Guard Members Shot in DC; GA Election Case Against Trump Tossed|NTD Evening News（Nov. 26

Welcome to NT Evening News. Our top story tonight, two National Guardsmen shot this afternoon just blocks from the White House. FBI director Cash Patel gives an update on their condition and President Trump orders 500 more Guardsmen to DC after the shooting. Our Washington correspondent Mario was on the scene when it happened. She's standing by with the latest. A win for President Trump. A Georgia prosecutor drops the election interference case against Trump and his allies. What the prosecutor says about the high-profile case. A massive fire has ripped through a Hong Kong housing complex, killing at least 40 people. Rescue efforts continue as authorities work to contain the blaze and search for those still missing. Christina Corona has what we know so far. And air travel is expected to be the busiest in more than a decade, but people are still making the trip to see their family this Thanksgiving. David Lamb hears from travelers on the West Coast. 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. Two National Guardsmen shot this afternoon near the White House. Our Washington correspondent Marios was on the scene when it happened and we now go live to her for the story. Good evening, Mari. As you were on the scene, can you tell us how that happened and what you saw? >> Tiff, good evening. Yes, an honestly traumatizing and horrific uh event just before a day before Thanksgiving and just blocks away from the White House. Um, and I happened to be there. I was uh in a car driving uh with my cameraman on our way to the White House to do uh hits for the show earlier today. And when we were about to turn left onto 17th Street where uh the press entrance to the White House is, I heard multiple shots uh more than five. I don't know exactly how many uh looked up and saw uh to my left a National Guardsman fall and immediately commotion uh kind of rang out in in the area. Other guardsmen uh were running to to his aid. I also saw some coming up from the metro station running up the escalator. It was unclear to me at the time where the shots were coming from. I myself did not see the shooter, but glass was also ricocheting off of the car from the uh bus stop. It it the shooter had shot through the glass at the bus stop and uh that had been where some National Guardsmen were were standing doing high visibility patrols and um I also saw guardsmen embracing each other. Maybe they they knew uh that the injuries could be potentially fatal and yeah, the sounds of sirens and uh firemen and policemen immediately rushing to the scene. The White House uh press entrance was actually immediately closed down. Everything was on lockdown um as police and secret service were deployed in the area. And currently right now uh up until I street from Pennsylvania Avenue, everything is still closed. Tiff, >> I mean, absolutely horrifying. And I'm so glad you're safe. Hm. And Mari, I know this is a developing story, but how have officials been responding? >> Sure, Tiff. So, uh, FBI Director Cash Patel said recently in a presser to clear up some earlier reporting, uh, that both that two guardsmen have that were shot in critical condition. in earlier reporting had uh said that they had passed but he said that that's not the case although they are in critical condition um and the White House has been fully briefed on the issue. While President Trump is in u Mara Lago in Florida not here he did take to Truth Social uh to say this quote the animal that shot the two National Guardsmen with both being critically wounded and now in two separate hospitals is also severely wounded but regardless will pay a very steep price. God bless our great National Guard and all of our military and law enforcement. These are truly great people. I, as President of the United States and everyone associated with the office of the presidency am with you. And Attorney General Pam Bondi says that federal agents are on the scene and asks for us uh to pray for the National Guard while Secretary of Homeland Security Christy Gnome says that DHS is working with law enforcement to gather more information. Meanwhile, uh, FBI Director Cash Patel and Vice President JD Vance have this to say. Watch. >> Two of our brave members of the National Guard in the Department of War were brazenly attacked in a horrendous act of violence. Please send your prayers to those brave warriors who are in critical condition and their families. They are the heroes of this day. >> I want everybody who's a person of faith to say a prayer for those two National Guardsmen that they're able. And meanwhile, as Secretary of War Pete Hegsath is saying that President Trump is directing him to deploy 500 more National Guardsmen to DC in the aftermath of this shooting. Tiff, back to you, Mari. Thank you for that update. And we'll dive deeper into today's tragic incident with retired Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Randy Sutton later in the show, so stay tuned for that. A major legal victory for President Trump. A Georgia prosecutor is dropping the election interference racketeering case against Trump and his allies. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee officially dismissed the case today. Peter Scan Akis is director of the prosecuting attorneys council of Georgia. He decided to drop all remaining charges. He wrote in a court filing that it would not serve the interests of justice to keep prosecuting. Scandal AIS assigned the case to himself early this month. he was unable to find another prosecutor willing to take it on. Fulton County District Attorney Fonnie Willis launched the case back in 2023. She alleged that Trump and his allies attempted to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. A Georgia court later disqualified Willis from prosecuting the case. A raging fire tore through seven high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex, leaving at least 40 dead and dozens injured. Officials say the blaze spread rapidly and firefighters are still working to reach residents trapped on the upper floors. NTD's Christina Corona tells us more. Officials say three men have been arrested in connection with Wednesday's deadly fire in Hong Kong that claimed at least 40 lives. The suspects, not yet publicly named, are being held on suspicion of manslaughter linked to the blaze at an apartment complex in the city's Taipo district. Authorities say the blaze broke out in the mid afternoon and quickly escalated. >> Fires in some individual units are very fierce and our firefighters have encountered extremely high temperatures inside the buildings. Furthermore, there are still cases in the upper floors that we are still unable to reach. However, our control center is in touch with them by phone. Once we are able to reach the units in the upper floor, we will immediately bring them to safety. Nearly 280 residents were initially reported missing. Authorities also confirmed that one firefighter died after suffering critical injuries. After nearly 10 hours, fires in three buildings were controlled while four remain ablaze. Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee confirmed at least 29 people were hospitalized. Lee offered his condolences to the victims of the city's deadliest fire in 30 years, saying authorities are treating the incident with the utmost seriousness. I take this incident with the utmost seriousness. I have instructed all government departments and units to make every effort on multiple fronts. Our top priority is to extinguish the fire and rescue the trapped residents. The second is to treat the injured, and the third is to provide follow-up support. >> The estate's eight blocks have been under renovation since July 2024 and are covered in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh. One resident said he was unable to return to his apartment after the fire raged. >> My dog was at home, so I thought of coming back and bringing the dog down from the apartment. It was just around 5:00 p.m. and the police would not let me up. The fire was not yet burning at our building. I don't know how my dog is doing upstairs now. I'm afraid the smoke will suffocate him. >> Authorities say the fire spread unusually fast and that styrofoam was found in the building's renovation materials. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Christina Corona, NTD News. >> Coming up, Russian President Vladimir Putin says he believes the US understands the complexity of the Ukraine conflict, but another Russian official says Moscow has not yet received the latest US-drafted peace plan from Washington. Arian Pazdar reports. The body recently returned from the Gaza Strip has been confirmed to be that of an Israeli hostage. Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence leads to new counterterrorism operations in the West Bank. Jason Perry with the update. President Trump says he is open to talks with the Venezuelan regime as Maduro's allies begin to turn their back on him. Luis Martinez brings us the latest. And Taiwan's president says he believes China is gearing up to forcibly seize Taiwan by 2027. He's announced a new defense spending plan of $40 billion. Jack Bradley has more on a potential offensive by communist China after the break. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he believes the US understands the complexity involved in reaching a peace settlement in Ukraine. This comes as the European Union says Russia's military must be curbed to stop the fighting. And today's international correspondent Arian Pdar has more. Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting down with ally Alexander Lucashenko, the president of Belarus. The two talked about the US effort to stop the fighting in Ukraine. I'll say publicly now what I told the Americans before. If they are delicate and understand that this is a complex matter that requires complex decisions, I think they do understand this, but we'll talk about it in more detail now. Before President Trump returned to office, Putin repeatedly said that relations with the US were at the lowest point since the Cold War. The Kremlin now says efforts to normalize diplomatic relations with Washington continue. >> Our relationship with the US is still at the early stages of normalization and the overall success of this process is not guaranteed. He praised the fact that the US has been listening to Russia's demands in the peace process, but added that at the same time, the US still sends weapons and other support to Ukraine. Another Russian official says Moscow hasn't discussed the details of the latest US drafted peace plan yet. That's despite a Tuesday meeting in Abu Dhabi between American and Russian officials. >> The peace plan hasn't been discussed in Abu Dhabi. The peace plan hasn't been discussed in detail with anyone yet. >> We have seen it. It has been handed over to us, but there has been no discussion yet. >> He added that Moscow saw only a copy of the proposals and has yet to receive the document through official channels. The foreign policy chief of the European Union says Russia is not truly seeking peace. According to her, Moscow still tries to gain time by negotiating with the US. She now wants to forcibly curb Russia's military. >> If we want to prevent this war to continue, then actually we should, you know, curb the army of uh of uh Russia and also their military budget. >> She added that Europe has to send a signal that changing borders by force and starting wars doesn't pay off. And NATO and Ukraine announced a joint initiative to accelerate defense innovation. The initiative will be called Unite Brave NATO. Teams of allied and Ukrainian companies will be eligible for grants worth over $10 million. The first competition will be to counter unmanned aerial systems, strengthen air defense, and secure frontline communications. After a successful pilot competition, NATO and Ukraine plan to increase funding to over $50 million. Arian Pastar, NTD News. Israel has confirmed that the body handed over from the Gaza Strip yesterday was that of an Israeli hostage. Meanwhile, based on new intelligence, Israeli forces have launched new counterterrorism operations in the West Bank. Entities Jason Perry has the update. Israel's National Institute of Forensic Medicine has identified a body recently handed over from the Gaza Strip to be that of Israeli hostage draw or he was killed during the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th. Israel's government spokesperson said Hamas terrorists set or's house on fire during the attack, >> causing Dro and Yonat and their children to evacuate through the window. Both Dor and Yonat split up and tried to escape, but were murdered by terrorists. Their children, their two children, Noam and Alma, were kidnapped alive into Gaza. They were held there for 50 days until they were released in November of 2023. >> She also explained that 255 hostages were taken captive that day and that Israel has recovered 253 of them, 168 alive and 85 deceased. As of now, two hostages still remain in the Gaza Strip, and Israel says they will not rest until all of the hostages are returned. After confirming that the body was that of a hostage, Israel handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians. A convoy of Red Cross vehicles believed to be carrying those bodies was seen driving through the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. However, the Hamasrun Health Ministry says it has difficulty identifying them without DNA testing. >> In other parts of the Gaza Strip, a music teacher at the American International School in Gaza sings with children in a tent camp and also teaches them to play instruments. >> War is horrific with everything that it entails. Its timing, its sound, its fear. But when we get together to sing, we forget about this sound. It's a strong feeling every time I see a child smiling and forgetting they are in the midst of a war. That has empowered me to push through. >> Although Israel and Hamas are in a ceasefire, the fighting has continued almost daily. Israeli forces on Wednesday said they killed six terrorists who had likely escaped from a tunnel and posed a threat to Israeli troops. And the Israeli Air Force released this video showing a strike on a terrorist who was reportedly planning a sniper attack against Israeli troops. Meanwhile, Israel said they began a joint counterterrorism operation in the West Bank, saying the operations are based on intelligence that terrorists are trying to establish infrastructure in the area. Jason Perry, NTD News. President Trump has signaled he is willing to talk to Nicholas Maduro as pressure increases on the Venezuelan regime. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez has more on the story. >> The US has designated the cartel de los soles or cartel of the sons as a foreign terrorist organization. President Trump has ordered the military to ready plans for strikes inside Venezuela and instructed the CIA to also come with plans for covert operations inside the country. But President Trump has also left the door open for negotiations with the regime of Nicolas Maduro. >> Maduro, the US designated him the leader of this foreign terrorist organization. Why do you want to talk to him? If he's the leader, >> if we can save lives, if we can do things the easy way, that's fine. >> And if we have to do it the hard way, that's fine, too. >> Regional allies of Nicolas Maduro have begun turning their backs on him. Until recently, Colombian President Gustavo Petro had denounced the United States and shown support for Nicolas Maduro, but has now switched his narrative to admitting that Venezuela is not a democracy. Maduro's problem is called democracy. And I recognize it like this, lack of democracy and dialogue. No Colombian investigation and this is independent of the president and carried out in years that I have not been president shows us a relationship between Colombian drug trafficking and Maduro. Nicolas Maduro has remained publicly defiant. He has deployed the military and militias nationwide and holding a replica sword of Simon Bolar has asked his followers to defend the country and his regime against foreign threats. There is no excuse for anyone to fail at this decisive moment for the existence of the republic. No excuse for anyone whether civilian, politician, military or police. Let no one make excuses. Failure is not an option. The homeland demands it. Our greatest effort and sacrifice. And with Simon Bolivar, I come to say that if the homeland demands it, the homeland will have our lives if necessary. Since Nicolas Maludo took power over 10 years ago, onethird of the Venezuelan population has fled the country, some 8,000 civilians have been murdered by the regime for resisting its authority. And it's also important to note that onethird of the total cocaine that it smuggled into the United States from Latin America comes through Venezuela, facilitated by the cartel of the Suns, which uses military installations in the country to traffic illegal drugs into the US. Reporting from Washington DC, Luis Eluardo Martinez, NTD News. >> The Taiwanese president is announcing a new defense spending plan of $40 billion. He says he believes China is speeding up preparations to forcibly seize Taiwan by 2027. Entities Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has the details. We hope that China can understand that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific is the responsibility of every country in the Indoacific. Constantly launching multiaceted threats and attacks against neighboring countries at every turn is not the conduct expected of a responsible major power. >> China is accelerating its military preparations to forcibly seize Taiwan by 2027. That's according to Taiwan's president, who just announced a special defense budget of $40 billion to confront the Chinese military. The budget will be allocated over eight years and includes the construction of what he calls a Taiwan dome, an air defense system to intercept missiles. It will also go toward purchasing artillery, long range missiles, and other equipment jointly developed by Taiwan and the US. The US has long been Taiwan's primary arms supplier. Earlier this month, the Pentagon sold $1 billion dollar worth of surfaceto-air missiles and military aircraft parts to Taiwan. The goal here is to deter aggression from the Chinese Communist Party, which has been increasingly working to infiltrate Taiwan and conducting more military aircraft crossings over the Taiwan straight median line. 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. The US has a policy of strategic ambiguity, meaning not stating whether it will come to defend Taiwan if attacked by China, though it's presumed they will. Analysts say that this has its advantages, that it keeps Taiwan with wanting to invest in its own defense rather than relying on an ally, and it won't provoke China's aggression. Earlier this week, Trump and the CCP leader Xiinping spoke on the phone. Trump later said that he accepted she's invitation to visit Beijing in April and she will travel to Washington later in the year. But that doesn't muddy the relationship between the US and Taiwan. According to President Lie, >> Taiwan's relationship with the United States is rock solid. >> Lie also called on Beijing to tone down its aggression on Taiwan's neighbor, Japan. China and Japan are in the worst diplomatic state they've been in decades. It's after Japanese Prime Minister Sai Takayichi appeared to break the policy of strategic ambiguity at a parliamentary meeting earlier this month, saying that if China attacked Taiwan, it would threaten Japan's survival. and she swore that Japan would defend Taiwan militarily if that occurred. Reporting by Jack Bradley, NTD News. >> And after Zoro Mamani's victory in New York City, how is socialism being repackaged for a new generation? Tonight, Carrie Smith joins entity Steve Lance for a candid in-depth conversation where she shares her personal journey out of what she calls a woke belief system. With woke ideology, um there is no creator in that belief system, right? A lot of times what they're doing is telling people to worship yourself or worship the government. But it does lay out this sort of moral code for people in how to be a good person. And so they a lot of woke people may think, well, I'm not religious really because you will stand here and argue with me until you're blue in the face that a man can get pregnant. Like that's a very fanatical view. And and you know deep you know deep down it's not true. Um, and so they it tells you like the way to be a good person is to say and do these things and the and then all of these other things are bad. Like it it inverts the natural order of things. It turns everything upside down. Um, and I think it fills it fills that gap for a lot of people if they don't have if they're not connected to the divine, if they're not connected to God, to the natural order, to the natural law. Um it it sort of gives them this this vague um way of discerning what is good and what is bad. It's just turning it upside down, though. >> Smith opens up about the fear she faced leaving Hollywood and her former ideology and how language is being weaponized to reshape public thinking. Catch the full conversation tonight on Oneon-One with Steve Lance at 700 p.m. Eastern time. Coming up, changes are coming to the National Park Service, more free entry days, higher prices for international travelers, and some flashy new past designs. Yet Monahan has what you need to know. Ice workers received messages of praise and thanks from numerous members of Congress in a video shared on social media just before Thanksgiving. Jason Blair brings us those highlights. And Thanksgiving air travel is expected to be the busiest in more than a decade, but people are still making the trip to see their families. We hear from travelers when we come back. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Two National Guard members were shot near the White House today. At a press conference, FBI Director Cash Patel said the guardsmen were in critical condition. He also pledged to bring those responsible to justice. Joining us now to discuss is retired Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Randy Sutton. He's the founder and chairman of the Wounded Blue. Randing, thank you so much for joining us. First, what are your thoughts on this tragedy unfolding in our nation's capital? >> I'm heartbroken. I'm heartbroken that that two National Guards uh personnel were targeted and shot. We don't know their condition, but their condition is is critical. Um that means lifech changing if not if not uh fatal. You know we had some initial confusion. Uh there was it was originally uh the confusion about their condition. Uh some reports said that they were deceased. Uh that's been walked back. So uh it it's pretty clear to me that um that the the lines of communication are a little skewed right now. And this is this is a problem when you have a an occurrence like this where you know this is such a a u a public display here. You know you have broad daylight an attack on two national guards uh personnel shooting right near the White House and and uh it's a confused situation. Any crime scene like this is a devastating scene. uh you have you have you have to uh first of first and foremost um is the is the the saving of lives. Then you have to safeguard the scene and you have to you know develop the investigative uh actions that need to take place. You have a massive scene. You have the potential for hundreds of witnesses, surveillance and such. It is a really really dynamic scene and a very confusing one as well. >> Yeah, absolutely horrific. One of our reporters was actually on scene and heard the shots unfolding. And you have Washington's mayor, Muriel Bowser, calling it a targeted shooting. Now, the National Guard has acted as a visual deterrent in DC. They're not arresting people, for example. Does this suggest anything about the suspected shooters intention here? >> Well, that's a great question. That's the that's the $64,000 question. What's the motivation? What was it that that created uh the environment for this individual to uh to open fire on two National Guards people? Was there an ideological motivation? Was this based on on on some type of of uh perverse ideology? Was it um a a target of opportunity where he chose to make a statement here for some bizarre reason? And and this is the question that's on every American's mind, the question of why. Um you know, it's it's natural for us to ask this question and to be very um uh if you if you will, we're kind of restless about getting the answers. And this is where the the the investigators and the the government here have to be very careful. They have to walk a very thin line. They have to be transparent to a point, but at the same time, uh, you have to hold back information that is not that that should not be made public because of the investigative process. Remember, they're they're looking right now to see if there are other individuals involved in this. Was was this part of a a plot? Were there conspirators involved here? Who provided the weapon? I mean, there's a lot there's so many questions here and we're at the earliest stages of this investigation. So, my advice is uh that we just need we need to cool our jets here uh and and realize that there is a lot of movement at play here and we have to just be prepared to to uh you know hold back a little bit and and wait. >> We're not good at that. >> On screen there, you just saw some live footage of the crime scene there. There's a lot of investigation to your point and information is still coming in, Randy, but talk to us about the significance of the location. This was a metro station not far from the White House. >> Exactly. And that and the So the question of course is why this particular location. Was this part of uh the message uh that that this shooter was trying to get out that u you know the >> Yeah. Here's here's a question on a lot of diets, you know. >> Yeah. Always this kind of things. >> I'm I'm I'm getting a lot of uh Okay, there we are. Um the question is that um was this individual making a statement? Was he trying to say, "Hey, um I can target them. I can target anyone." You know, uh this is the the fact that these are National Guards people. they're now part of the the criminal justice situation taking place in Washington DC. So if you look at the overall situation that's taken place within the the law enforcement community uh last year more than 89,000 American law enforcement officers were physically attacked in the line of duty and assaulted. That's a stunning that's a stunning statistic. It's it's it's never happened in the history of this country. That's a massive increase. And and uh the the question is why? And when we look at at at all the the varying answers uh which which include you know a lack of consequences for criminal activity in the last you know seven or eight years. Um a criminal justice system that's broken in many places including Washington DC. um a uh an anti-law enforcement lobby that's been that's been well funded and and uh has been receiving a lot of um a lot of help from the national media. You have a you have a recipe for disaster. I I talk about this in my latest book, Rescuing 911: The Fight for America's Safety, that that the c the criminal justice system is in crisis right now. And it it it can't be it can't be um changed overnight. This is a generational issue and it requires uh a great deal of understanding by the American public and it's also a time for the American public to stand up and say we need to work together. We need to stand together for the safety of our nation. >> Oh, it's a very sad day when those who are there to protect us are the ones getting hurt. Well, Randy Sutton, thank you so much for joining us, though. >> Thank you for having me. I appreciate it and have a great Thanksgiving. >> You too. >> Lawmakers on Capitol Hill expressed their gratitude to ICE workers in a video shared by the Department of Homeland and Security. NTD correspondent Jason Blair has more. >> We just want to take a moment on Thanksgiving and thank the men and women of ICE for doing the important work of keeping America safe and secure. In a video posted by the Department of Homeland Security, lawmakers share their support and thanks for the workers at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The video features a montage of Republican congressmen and women from both the House and Senate. Many express thanks to ICE for targeting dangerous criminals. >> Because of you, our country is safer this holiday season. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Thank you for getting rid of dangerous criminals. >> Thank you for making America safe again. Thank you for enforcing our laws on immigration and for dealing with such a challenging time. >> The video comes as the Trump administration has been carrying out an aggressive deportation campaign as a top priority. And the DHS along with the FBI make 20 arrests during a human trafficking takedown in both Wisconsin and in Illinois. According to a statement by the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office, the statement says a multi- agency federal operation originating out of the Chicago area resulted in 20 arrests in both the city of Kenosha and in Illinois. The office also says that ICE, who wasn't originally involved in the operation, told them that all illegal immigrants involved in the federal action have been deported. The sheriff's office also says local law enforcement participation was not required to the sensitive nature and scope of the federal investigation. The office also says that many false social media claims were circulating about federal law enforcement's actions and they could have jeopardized investigations as well as public safety. The sheriff's office encourages people to instead rely on official sources. Jason Blair, NTD News. Changes are on the way to a national park near you. The Department of the Interior says foreign visitors will soon pay significantly more, while the number of free entry days will also increase. NTD's Daniel Monahan breaks down what to expect. >> Beginning January 1st, 2026, the price gap between residents and non-residents will widen. US residents will still be able to buy the annual national parks pass for $80, but foreign visitors will pay $250 for the same pass. >> And for our international visitors, a new $250 pass ensures they contribute their fair share. For foreigners without the annual pass, entry to 11 of the country's most visited parks, such as Acadia, the Grand Canyon, and Rocky Mountain National Parks, will include a new $100 fee on top of the standard entrance cost, which can run up to $35 per vehicle or $20 per person. The pass will now cover two motorcycles instead of one for those who prefer to ride beneath the open sky. The Trump administration says the new pricing structure supports its America first agenda. >> This year, we're making it easier and more affordable for every American to experience the beauty and freedom of our public lands. >> In another change, the Interior Department is also adding new residentonly patriotic fee free days in 2026, bringing the total number of free admission days at national parks to 10. New 2026 dates include President's Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, the Park Service's 110th birthday on August 25th, Constitution Day, and Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. As the Roosevelt once said, "There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country." >> Theodore Roosevelt placed over 230 million acres under federal protection, more than any other president. And for America's 250th anniversary, admission will be free over Independence Day weekend, July 3rd through the 5th. These feef free days apply only to US citizens. Non-residents will still pay regular entrance fees. And new digital park passes are coming. Starting January 1st, visitors will be able to buy and store their national park passes virtually on recreation.gov and link them to any physical pass they already have. New commemorative designs for the nation's 250th anniversary are also being introduced. The annual pass features Presidents George Washington and Donald Trump. President Theodore Roosevelt appears on the volunteer pass. Trump saluting service members is featured on the military pass and Independence Hall is on the senior pass. >> Oh yeah. >> National parks continue to see record attendance with nearly 332 million visits in 2024. About 14 and a half million were international tourists. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. >> Air travel could be the busiest in years during the Thanksgiving holidays. NTD's David Lamb speaks with travelers on the West Coast about coming home to see family. >> The Federal Aviation Administration said that more than 360,000 flights were scheduled during the Thanksgiving travel period, but that doesn't stop people from going home to visit their families. It's always a worry. Flights are always booked. It gets a little more pricey, but in the end day, I was able to get here, so I was really happy. >> I'm heading to San Diego right now to meet up with my family. My little brother goes to school there, and my family is flying in from Sacramento. >> I've kind of been boxed up with school, so I'm looking forward to seeing my family and being able to hang out with them, kind of relax from school for a bit. >> The FAA expects to have solid staffing to manage the extra travelers. Now, here at the San Jose Manetta International Airport, the public information manager told me that things have ran smoothly. >> And what does Thanksgiving mean to you? >> It means, you know, getting the whole family together and kind of being thankful for that they're around and having other friends together and eating a bunch of food. >> Um, catching up with family, especially when we're all separated, uh, seeing friends I haven't seen for a while, and then of course just like having a good time. Um, for me, I'd say the three core things are obviously food and then family and even friends kind of. So, just kind of like gathering, being able to like enjoy each other's company. The FAA predicted that this Thanksgiving travel period would be the busiest in 15 years, noting that on November 25th, that was the peak travel day with more than 52,000 flights. It's been six years since I've seen them uh going on about. So, it's definitely something I'm looking forward to since it'll be a surprise. >> So, do you want to give a shout out to your family members or anyone if they're going to be watching? >> Um and maybe my little brother David if you're watching. Uh we'll see you soon. >> Just that I love them. Can't wait to see them soon. And I'm excited to to hang out with all them for the Thanksgiving. >> Thanks, San Jose. If you see this love, um thank you for taking care of me. And uh yeah, thank you guys. On behalf of everyone at NTD, we wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving to their families and loved ones. Reporting in California, David Lamb, NTD News. >> Coming up, families attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. Inflation, a longtime tradition on the eve of Turkey Day. Sean Marshall takes us there. And in college football, the latest playoff projections are out with Miami hanging on. But how realistic are the Hurricanes chances? Dave Martin joins us to discuss when we return. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. The famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is tomorrow, but there's another tradition in New York City, the balloon inflation, the day before the parade. NTD's Ashan Marshall was there earlier today. >> There are 34 balloons this year. Macy's Thanksgiving Eve parade balloon inflation event along with 28 floats, 28 performers, and 11 marching bands and a ton of other assorted parade entertainment. Today is the day before our 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And here we are on the Upper West Side having an opportunity to get all of our balloons that are going to fly high tomorrow in our Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's our opportunity to inflate, not only inflate the balloons, but also share this big spectacle, this New York City icon, this destination for all families, uh, here on the Upper West Side the day before our fantastic parade tomorrow morning. In the past, the balloon inflations were done mostly at night, perhaps so children wouldn't cry when seeing their favorite cartoon character flat on the ground. But now, it's a fun event the whole family can enjoy. Some people actually enjoy the balloon inflation more than the parade itself. This year's should be a great one as usual. >> I like turkey. >> Turkey. >> I'm going to watch. >> So, what's your favorite balloon? >> UM, SNOOPY, >> the food guy over there. >> Snoopy. >> Oh. To start, I definitely have to ask what your favorite balloon is. >> Uh, it's the Pikachu and Eevee in the tobogen. This year, new featured character balloons include Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Shrek's onion carriage, Mario, and Derpy Tiger from K-pop Demon Hunters. Of course, the longtime favorites will be back like Pikachu, Goku from Dragon Ball Z, and Snoopy. >> It's been 52 years since I've been to my last parade. I'm 60 years old now. Uh we lived in Roslin in Long Island, and my dad used to take us every year, but uh like I said, it's been 52 years since I've been back here. So, it's a great thing to come back here and see all the floats and all the technology have changed everything. So, it's good to be back here in New York. >> It's so fun. I mean, it's a long line, but it's well worth it. It's very joyful. You get to see every single balloon, which you might not get to see if you're here for the actual parade tomorrow or um and then the scale of them are it's just like makes you very happy to see it all in person. They're just so huge and you just get to get up close and personal with it and everybody's in a great mood for the holidays and it's just very fun. It's a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving week and weekend. >> Last year was pretty cold and rainy for the parade, but this year it should be a lot drier. Sean Marshall, NTD News. And now for your sports news. We're joined by entities 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? >> You know, it's actually pretty similar to the last one. Now, if we look at the projections here, the big change really is that Miss and Oregon flip-flopped the Miss 7, Oregon 6. Last week, they were just at the reverse there. Now, one thing to watch for, I would say, who comes out of the ACC. Now, Miami is number 11 here as the lone representative right now, but it doesn't look like they're actually going to make the ACC championship game. It looks like SMU and Virginia have the best chance to make it. And whoever wins likely gets that one of those automatic bids as a conference champion despite be still possibly being ranked behind Miami. And that would probably kick Miami out altogether because although Tain is the final team ranked in here, they're actually ranked number 24 overall, but they would be the fifth highest ranked conference champion, which would get that final automatic bid. So Miami somehow needs to move up in the rankings despite only having one game left in the regular season. So even though they're in right now, they they need plenty of help to actually make the playoffs here, too. >> We'll keep an eye on that. Looking at Olympic news though, the torch relay was started today for the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, which begins next February. >> Yeah, they had a big ceremony today in Olympia, Greece, where the Olympic Games first started. Now they'll have a weekl long relay in Greece before they hand it over into Athens and then it will travel the torch into Italy for the start of a month's long relay there. Now newly appointed IOC uh CEO President Kiss Kersy Coventry was there. Here's part of her very emotional speech she gave. And as we light the Olympic flame for Milano Cortina, we will carry this light from the past to the present and continue it into the future. These games come at a critical part in our history. Thank you. I wasn't supposed to get emotional, but this place is very special. And it's so special because in a divided world that we live in today, the games hold a truly symbolic place. And it's our duty. It's our responsibility to ensure that the athletes from around the world can come together peacefully and that they can inspire the dreams and hopes of those around the world that are watching. >> So the uh the winter games start on February 6. They will be hosted by Milano and Cortina. >> All right, Walsh. Shifting gears to college basketball. A number of ranked teams are in action today. Where do things stand now? >> Yeah, that players era festival uh conducting uh concluding today in Las Vegas already 15th ranked Iowa State beat Syracuse there 7860. Also 20th ranked Texas Tech beat New Orleans 82 to 50. And at the battle for Atlanta's 24th ranked Vanderbilt beat Western Kentucky 8378. Now also at the players era players era festival today in Vegas. Third ranked Houston beat Notre Dame 6656. Tonight at 7 PM we have the third place game. The same venue in Las Vegas. Seventh ranked ranked Tennessee places Kansas. The first place game follows that one at 9:30 Eastern time. 7th ranked Michigan versus 12th ranked Gonzaga. Now the winners of these games get a lot of money in NIL prizes here. >> All right. Well, regarding this tournament, the Players Error Festival CEO told ESPN that organizers will consider a different format for next year's event. What do you think he's referring to? >> You know, there was plenty of confusion about how they would choose, you know, which teams made the championship game in the third place game, which as we discussed were for a lot of money. The winner gets a million dollars in NIL money. Now, basically, this is a three-game tournament from each team. first two games were known or advanced in the final day today. The matchups would be determined by margin of victory, record, AP ranking, head-to-head record, points scored, points allowed through these first two games. The result was the matchups weren't announced until after midnight last night, Eastern time. And then you had a team like 15th ranked Iowa State had two good wins. They beat St. John's and Kraton, but it wasn't even enough to get them into the third place game, let alone the title game. Now, next year, they're going to have 32 teams in this event. So, it could be a different format there. >> Going to be packed. Well, Davis always, thanks for joining us. >> Thank you, Tiff. >> And that's all for today's news. For around the clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com/live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Good night.