NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Dec 22)

and welcome to Entity Evening News. Our top story tonight, new information emerging about the deadly attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach. Australian officials say the suspects in the Hanukkah shooting threw pipe bombs at the crowd, but they failed to detonate. The suspects also allegedly practiced shooting just days before the attack. Jason Perry with the details. The Department of Homeland Security says it will triple its cash incentive for illegal immigrants to voluntarily deport before the new year. Jason Blair reports. The US continues to enforce its blockade on sanctioned oil tankers in transit to and from Venezuela. Lawmakers agree that the Latin American country poses a national security threat, but disagree on a possible role for the US military. Luis Martinez brings us the latest. And as we just saw, President Trump unveiling plans to build a new class of battleships as part of his vision to strengthen ship manufacturing. And he's naming them after himself. The latest in a legal case involving a former top aid to two New York governors accused of using her position to push Beijing's agenda. A federal judge today declaring a mistrial. This is NTD Evening News live from our global headquarters in New York City. Here's Tiffany Meyer. >> Good evening. Thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Paul Grainy in for Tiffany Meyer. Starting with Australia, authorities say the suspects in last week's shooting attack threw pipe bombs at the crowd, but they failed to detonate. Meanwhile, the Australia government says they're continuing to take steps to try to prevent another terrorist attack. NTD's Jason Perry has the details and a warning. This report contains footage that some viewers may find disturbing. Newly released court documents accuse a father and son duo of training for the terrorist attack in Australia that killed 15 people and injured more than 40 at a Hanukkah celebration. Police killed the father during the attack and his son now faces 59 charges including murder and terrorism. The court documents reveal footage of the father Sajid Akram and his son Navided allegedly training with firearms in a rural part of Australia just 2 days before the attack. Police accused the men of performing reconnaissance of Bondai Beach at around the same time. Police released this image from the day of the attack of the father and son leaving their residence while carrying long bulky items wrapped in blankets. Police believe the items were firearms and explosive devices, one of which was found in the trunk of the alleged gunman's vehicle. Police also released photos of homemade pipe bombs, saying the father and son threw them at the crowd, but fortunately they did not detonate. Investigators say they found a video on one of the suspects phones showing the father and son sitting in front of an image of an ISIS flag giving their reasons for the attack and condemning Zionists. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albani on Monday said the country's national security committee had met for the ninth time since what he called the anti-semitic terror attack. We want uh the power to cancel visas where the home affairs minister suspects a person has engaged in vilification, hate speech, promoting violence, displaying hate symbols, or associating with a terrorist organization or prohibited hate group. >> The New South Wales premier said he wanted to see stricter gun laws and restrictions on hate speech. because I'm convinced that most Australians want to live together in peace and harmony and have no interest in poking each other either in malicious violent ways or even in incitement to violence and hatred and racism in our community. >> 13 victims of last week's shooting attack are still in the hospital, including four in critical condition. On Monday, volunteers as well as Australian authorities were seen clearing away flowers, candles, and other items that had been placed at the memorial at the Bondi Beach Pavilion in Sydney. Jason Perry, NTD News. >> And a Russian general has been killed by a car bomb in Moscow. Officials say Lieutenant General Fenil Sarv died this morning after an explosive device under a car detonated. Sarvarov ran the armed forces operational training department. State media said the 56-year-old had been in the position for 9 years. Russian officials say investigators are considering various motives for the attack, including a theory it was organized by Ukrainian special forces. Several prominent Russians have been killed by explosive devices or shot dead in Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. And a $3,000 incentive is now being offered to illegal immigrants who self-deport by the end of the year. That's up from the usual $1,000 stipen. The Department of Homeland Security says the 1.9 million self-deportations are expected to round out the year. Entity correspondent Jason Blair reports. With about a week left in 2025, the Department of Homeland Security is ramping up efforts by offering a $3,000 incentive to anyone who is in the country illegally to self-deport. >> We'll buy you a ticket, give you $3,000 to go home, and that includes people that uh have not been detained, maybe have interacted with us, uh are detained, and don't have criminal charges against them. >> The $3,000 is triple the amount of what was previously offered of $1,000. The DHS says that self-deportation can be done on the Customs and Border Protection Home app. Secretary Gnome says just download the app, fill out your information, and DHS will take care of the rest, including arranging and paying for your travel back home. Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift, and self-deport if they don't, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return. The DHS says that using the app also qualifies someone for forgiveness for any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart the country. Earlier this month, Secretary Gnome says that by the end of 2025, 2.5 million deportations are expected to have been carried out since January. That includes over 600,000 that were detained and deported, but 1.9 million uh virtually have left voluntarily through our communication efforts, through the efforts of facilitating uh plane tickets. >> And over the weekend in Minnesota, US Customs and Immigration Enforcement says that an illegal immigrant from Cuba was taken in after attempting to evade arrest by ramming his car into two officers and other vehicles. ICE says after a pursuit he attempted to flee on foot and was eventually subdued all while arresting arrest and biting an officer during the process. Juan Carlos Romero entered the country in 2024 using the CBP1 app according to ICE. According to a press release by the St. Paul police, a federal agent was hit by a vehicle and responded by firing the agent's service weapon. The press release says that the federal agent suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the suspect was not harmed. Reporting in Washington DC, Jason Blair, NTD News. And CBS has decided to hold off and airing an episode of 60 Minutes about a mega prison in El Salvador. The facility houses hundreds of Venezuelan deportes sent by the United States. New editor-in chief Barry Weise made the decision just two hours before airtime on Sunday. The broadcaster said the episode would be aired at a future date. According to previews of the clips, preview clips of the new piece, the show will feature correspondent Sharon Alonszi speaking to deportiz who had been sent to El Salvador's mega prison. Alonsi defended her piece, saying it's fully correct and cleared by new standards officials. She called We Wise's decision to hold off on the show a political one. In a statement to the New York Times, Weise said, quote, "Holding stories that aren't ready for whatever reason that they lack sufficient context or they're missing critical voices happens every day in every newsroom." Wise was installed at the top of CBS News this fall when its parent company, Paramount, was bought out. President Trump has been critical of 60 Minutes. He sued last year over an interview with former presidential nominee Kala Harris. The case was settled this summer with CBS agreeing to pay $16 million. And Iran has offered its support to the Venezuelan regime as tensions with the United States escalate in the Caribbean. Our Washington correspondent, Luis Eduardo Martinez, has more. >> The United States seized a second oil tanker off of the coast of Venezuela this weekend. The tanker was in route to Asia and its cargo of Venezuelan crude oil had been bought by a Chinese-based firm. The Chinese Communist Party buys roughly 80% of sanctioned Venezuelan oil. And on Sunday, the US pursued a third oil tanker, the Bella 1, as it approached Venezuela with no cargo. The tanker is sanctioned and has links to Iran's shadow fleet. US interdiction efforts include not only boarding and seizing vessels, but also prohibiting them from making port in Venezuela. >> President Trump promised to secure our nation from the scourge of narco drug trafficking. The kingpin in our backyard is Maduro in Venezuela. What is President Trump's motivation? These boat strikes were initially justified on the ground that we're fighting against narot trafficking. Then Susie Wilds, the chief of staff, says it's about regime change. That's what this is about. Over the weekend, the Iranian regime confirmed it would increase its support and partnership with Venezuela and denounced US actions against sanctioned vessels. The Communist Cuban regime, which relies on subsidized Venezuelan oil, and the Chinese Communist Party have also come out against the US and in support of the regime of Nicolas Maduro. the status quo that they operate and and and cooperate with terrorist organizations against the national interest of the United States. Not just cooperate, but partner with and participate in activities that threaten the national interest of the United States. So yes, our goal is to change that dynamic. US lawmakers agree that the Madura regime in Venezuela poses a national security threat for the United States and is at the center of regional instability, but disagree on whether the US military should participate in regime change efforts. >> Do you support regime change in Venezuela? >> Well, I would tell you the Venezuelan people do. They voted against Maduro in the last election. Very few governments other than >> support the United States pushing for regime change. I would tell you the United States position for now um six years I believe has been that he is not the recognized leader of Venezuela. >> It's important to note that the shadow fleet of oil tankers that Venezuela, Iran, and Russia used to sell its sanctioned oil is composed of over a thousand oil tankers, most of which end up in China. The Chinese Communist Party benefits from discounted oil prices from authoritarian regimes that in turn are the main promoters of terrorism in their respective regions. Reporting from Washington DC, Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. And a Brooklyn federal judge today declaring a mistrial in a case alleging that a former top aid to two New York governors used her position to push Beijing's agenda. Prosecutors accused Linda's son of illegally acting as an agent of the Chinese regime at the highest levels of state government in exchange for millions of dollars. Son's husband Chris who was accused of laundering millions of dollars from Chinese officials through his export business. The couple was accused of using the money to fund luxury cars, designer handbags, and million-doll estates. While Sun's salary never reached more than $145,000 and who reported little income from his business, both plead not guilty to all charges. The panel of 12 jurors had sent Judge Brian Kogan several notes last week saying it couldn't agree on the various felony charges that Son and her husband faced. The US Attorney's Office says it plans to bring the couple to trial a second time. Prosecutors can retry a case after a mistrial is declared due to a hung jury as no verdict was ultimately reached. And China says it will impose steep tariffs on European dairy products like iconic French cheese and cream. It sees seen as a retaliation to the EU's tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The EU says China's action is both unjustified and unwarranted. ENT's international correspondent Malcolm Hudson brings us more. The Chinese regime has imposed provisional duties on dairy products shipped from the European Union. It's the regime's latest retaliation against the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese-made electric vehicles. European Commission spokesperson Olaf Gil said China's duties on dairy are concerning. The commission's assessment is that the investigation is based on questionable allegations and insufficient evidence and that the measures are therefore unjustified and unwarranted. He said the EU is doing everything possible to defend farmers and exporters from China's unfair trade defense practices. The new tariff rates vary by European cheese manufacturer and range from 21.9% to 42.7%. The director general of the French Dairy Federation said if the tariffs last only two months, the industry would be hurt but could still manage. >> What would be dramatic is if these customs duties were confirmed and became permanent. In that case, it's quite simple. We would have to accept that France's export capacity to the Chinese market would be dramatically reduced, if not completely halted. poverty. >> He said French companies feature prominently on the list of those affected because France is a major exporter to China, particularly of the products at the heart of the investigation, cream and cheese. China's anti-subsidy investigation into imported dairy products began in August 2024, shortly after Brussels unveiled a plan to place tariffs on electric vehicles made in China. While the new levies could be reduced once Beijing issues its final ruling, the decision risks heightening tensions with Europe. Gil noted challenges to the EU's commitment to strengthening trade with China. In order for that to meaningfully happen, there are a list of um issues and concerns that the European Union has had going back many months and even years that we would require China to address in terms of uh overcapacity, in terms of unfair use of uh trade instruments, in terms of uh trade deficit and so on. >> He said the EU has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over Beijing's anti-subsidity probe of its dairy products. According to the EU's official statistics, the EU has seen a 15% drop in cheese exports to China in the first 8 months of this year compared to the same period last year. The EU is the world's leading cheese exporter with most of its products selling to the UK, the United States, and Japan. Beijing's latest action against European cheese and milk producers follows Brussels ramping up of pressure on the regime's non-market trade policies and practices. In October 2024, the EU imposed tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese electric vehicles. It followed a year-long investigation that concluded the car makers in China benefit from unfair state subsidies, which threatens to harm the EU's homegrown auto industry. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News. And President Trump today unveiling plans to build a new class of battleships as part of his vision to strengthen the military. The Trump class ships will be part of the administration's vision for a quote golden fleet aimed at detering US adversaries like communist China. >> They'll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American ship building industry, and inspire fear in America's enemies all over the world. President Trump made the announcement at his Mara Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. He says the new warships will be the largest with 100 times the force. The president also pushed to speed up manufacturing of ships, saying he's planning to meet with major defense contractors next week to hash out the details. In recent years, the US has seen significant slowdowns in shipmaking. President Trump signed an executive order back in April ordering a governmentwide reform to fasttrack production. But the US hasn't built any battleships since World War II with the last American battleship retiring in 1992. And President Trump announced yesterday that he's appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. Landry thanked Trump for the appointment in a post on X and said that the new role would not see him resign from his current position as governor. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Landry understands how essential Greenland is to US national security. And he said Landry will strongly advocate United States interests for the safety, security, and survival of US allies and the world. Greenland is a Danish territory that largely governs itself. Trump has said several times that the island should become part of the United States. He says the region is essential for US security and has expressed interest in Greenland's mineral reserves. Landsry praised the idea earlier this year. While Greenland and Denmark have consistently rejected it. In response to the news today, the leaders of the two nations said the US will not take over Greenland. They demanded respect for the territorial integrity. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. And still to come, drenching rain from a powerful atmospheric river is causing dangerous flooding across Northern California, turning this holiday week into a hazardous one for much of the state. Christina Corona has the weather update from the West Coast. And the battle for Warner Brothers Discovery continues. Paramount Sky Dance beefing up its offer. This after Warner Brothers said last week it prefers to sell its studios and streaming assets to Netflix. And way more robo taxis are working again in Silicon Valley. The cars stopped in the street during a major power outage in San Francisco. David Lamb brings us that story when we come back. Welcome back. I'm Paul Grainy. The Trump administration has suspended leases for five offshore wind projects off the east coast. The Pentagon has expressed concerns that the installations would interfere with military radar systems. According to the Pentagon, the movement of huge turbine blades and the highly reflective towers causes radar interference and the resulting clutter obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects. During his last presidential campaign, President Trump vowed to end the offshore wind industry. The president has argued that the wind energy projects are too expensive and hurt whales and birds. And severe storms fueled by an atmospheric river are causing widespread and dangerous flooding across California. At least one death has been reported and officials are warning that more storms and heavy rainfall are on the way. NTD's Christina Corona has the latest. At least one person is dead in Reading, California, about 150 miles north of Sacramento after flash floods swept through the city during an atmospheric river-driven storm. Reading Mayor Matt Latau says police and fire crews carried out water rescues, including pulling one victim from a flooded vehicle who was confirmed dead. The official cause of death is still under investigation. He also said the fire chief and staff are setting up an emergency operations center to coordinate the flood response. Shasta County was hit especially hard with heavy rain flooding roadways including parts of Interstate 5. Nearly a month's worth of rain fell in just 2 days with more than 5 in recorded at one reading fire station. In Humbult County, crews also performed water rescues as flood waters reached chest level in some areas. Further east, rising water along the South Yuba River forced evacuations in Placer County, where at least nine people were evacuated from a home in the Sierra Nevada. Officials warned more storms are on the way, bringing the risk of additional flooding, debris flows, rock slides, and strong winds that could knock out power. Flood watches remain in effect for much of California through the end of the week, impacting more than 40 million people from San Francisco to Los Angeles and San Diego as the storm pushes south. Looking ahead, the National Weather Service says Southern California can expect 4 to 8 ines of rain from Tuesday through Friday. Officials have issued a high wind watch and flood advisories for much of the region, warning that gusts could reach 50 mph. On Tuesday, light showers may begin in coastal Southern California. Rain intensity is expected to increase Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, the peak of the storm is expected. Drenching downpours will bring the highest risk of urban flooding. Then on Thursday, Christmas Day, additional lighter showers are expected to continue throughout the day as the system moves through the area. Christina Corona, NTD News. Now, it may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can always be kind of stressful in different ways, too. The holidays travel season is underway, so expect to see lots of traffic and long wait lines. Here are a few tips to beat the rush. >> The year 2025 is ending on a historic note. AAA estimates a record setting 122.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home. You've got this two-week period when people are coming and going during different times. >> TripleA says nearly 110 million will drive, just over 8 million will fly, and close to 5 million will take other forms of travel like buses or trains. For those getting behind the wheel this holiday season, a basic rule of thumb, the sooner you leave, the better. >> Early mornings are the best. Those are the times that you're going to have the lighter traffic. Also, you don't have the buildup and more opportunities for there to be crashes or construction later in the day. >> If you're heading to the airport, be proactive before pulling up to the front doors. >> Do everything you can before you get to the airport. Reserve that parking. Check into that flight. Prepay for checked baggage. It's really going to save you time and heartache when you get there. And as for those procrastinators who may still be looking for a lastminute bargain on a plane ticket, >> there's always weird things going on with airfare. So you can probably find a cheap deal to fly, but is there value in that flight? Is the layover three times longer than it normally would be? Is it going to take you three times longer to get to your destination? And Paramount Sky Dance has amended its offer to buy Warner Brothers Discovery. The studio said that Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, would support the acquisition. This month, Paramount presented Warner Brothers Discovery with an allcash $30 per share bid. The studio valued the entertainment empire, including his portfolio of television networks, atund 108.4 billion. streaming giant Netflix earlier said that its offer that it would require Warner Brothers Discovery. Netflix offered a deal equating to an equity value of 72 billion and an enterprise value approaching 83 billion. Paramount said in a statement that Larry Ellison has agreed to provide an irrevocable personal guarantee of 40.4 billion of the equity financing for the offer. The studio added that Oracle billionaire has also agreed to pay any damages on claims against Paramount. And Whimo has resumed service in San Francisco. Over the weekend, its robo taxi stopped working when the city experienced a blackout. NTD's David Lamb has more. Whimo robo taxis are working in Silicon Valley again after a major power outage turned San Francisco dark over the weekend as seen in clips shared on social media. Whimo owned by Alphabet resumed its driverless ride service on Sunday evening. The company said it worked with city officials during the blackout and had proactively initiated a temporary pause. One resident said he saw several Whimo autonomous vehicles stopped in the middle of the street. According to Pacific Gas and Electric, the outage left more than 130,000 customers without power beginning on Saturday afternoon. Mayor Daniel Lurri announced a resource center available for residents open until midnight on Monday. We continue to see San Franciscans uh get their power put back on by PG Gen, although we still have 5,000 customers without power. >> The widespread event knocked out power to traffic lights and disrupted transit services. >> Uh we are all working collaboratively coordinating across all of our departments throughout the city. Uh we have ambassadors out, we have public safety officials out. P Gen said the blackout was caused by a fire at a substation. The traffic disruptions in San Francisco came as robo taxi services have become more common in major US cities. Whimo is among a small number of companies operating fully driverless ride hailing services for the public even as concerns about autonomous vehicles remain high. David Lamb, NTD News, California. >> Incredible. And still to come, what is LawFare and how can foreign actors use it to target Americans? We speak with the founder of the Law Fair project, Brooke Goldstein, to dive into it after the break. Welcome back. I'm Paul Grainy. From what's described as rising radicalization in New York City to foreign actors taking advantage of America's legal system, Steve Lance and Tiffany Meyers sat down with Brooke Goldstein at Turning Point USA's America Fest to explore these hot button issues. Goldstein is the executive director and founder of the LawFare Project. Here's the interview. >> And we're here and we're joined by Brooke Goldstein, executive director and founder of Lawfair Project. Brooke, thank you so much for sitting down with us. Thank you for having me. >> It's really great. Um, Brooke, since Zoran Mdani, mayor elect in New York City, uh, was elected, a lot of New Yorkers say that the city feels less safe. What do you think is driving this, uh, feeling? And so, >> we have we have a mobster in office right now. Zoran Mami was one of the people who were in the pro- Hamas mobs, and now he's in office. And, uh, the unfortunate truth is that all of this radicalization even happened before he was in office. that's happening on our campuses. And I do have to warn though because we're so focused on anti-semitism. We don't have a problem of rising anti-semitism. We have a problem of rising radicalization in our country. And of course, the Jews are a part of that. But it's anti-American. It's anti-Jude Christian values. It's anti-democracy. It's anti-freedom. It's anti-free speech. And so this is something that all Americans should care about. And that's why, for example, it's so um, you know, disrupted a and disturbing that there's such a focus not just on Jew hatred, but on Israel, because that's not what this is about. That is a a great distraction. When we're too focused on Israel or or anti-semitism, we're we're losing uh the view of what we're really facing, which is creeping Islamism. And the more we fight amongst ourselves and the more we talk about Israel Palestine, the less we're focusing on radical Islam as a threat to the West to all democracy. So Zoran Mami is not just a threat to the Jews. He's a threat to the rule of law in America. I want to get to that, but very quickly staying in New York, Mayor Elect Mdani has said he plans to keep Jessica Tesh as NYPD commissioner summer saying that could be maybe a check on that spread. at a radicalization. What are your thoughts on Jessica Tish staying on? >> I think she's fabulous. Um I think it's important that she stays on. I don't believe that people should seed the space or leave office. You're going to create a vacuum and you know, who knows what's going to come in and there has to be, you know, a balance to to his radicalization. So, I just hope they can work together. Uh what's really disappointing though was M Donnie's reaction to the pro- Hamas mob that illegally went and harassed uh people who were trying to attend the synagogue, the Park East Synagogue. What they did is illegal. And then you have Mom Donni come out there and gaslight and blame the Jews and and say the Jewish presence is illegal. This has nothing to do with Jews in Judea. That has nothing to do with Israel. has everything to do with the Jewish community as a minority community in America in New York deserved of equal protection under the law deserve to have their civil rights enforced and of course the government the people who are in positions of power they can't be picking sides like that they have to enforce the law equally no matter who is the target or who is you know the the the uh perpetrator >> and Brooke as the director of the lawfare project talk to us about some of the initiatives that you've been working on and exactly what is lawfare? How is it used? You mentioned these college campuses. Talk to us about some of the money that's flowing into these groups. >> All right. Well, first of all, we're extraordinarily concerned. I think all Americans need to be concerned about the fact that Qatar spends at least $1 billion a year funding educational systems in the United States, whether it's universities, colleges, or even K through 12. There is no reason why the number one state sponsor of the Hamas terrorist group, a designated terrorist group, is funding the education of American children. And what lawfare is is the use of the law as a weapon of war, the manipulation of our legal systems, of our democracy to silence and punish free speech about our national security threats. And I'm happy to announce that we actually just won a lawsuit. Um the Council on American Islamic Relations represented a woman who sued our clients for calling out anti-semitism. And the judge threw the case out, which was a great win for free speech. You know, showing that you can freely exercise and and call out anti-semitism and exercise your First Amendment rights without being targeted. And of course, CARE is a Muslim Brotherhood front organization, an unindicted co-conspirator in a terror financing trial and recently a designated organization, a designated terrorist organization both in Texas and in Florida, masquerading as a Muslim civil rights group, but fundraising and filing frivolous lawsuits that are designed to target and attack America, Americans, and our constitutional rights. I want to dig into that because when it comes to protests, often people think they're very organic, right? And it's a representation of what people think and are feeling in the country, but there seems to be a growing trend of paid protesters. I was talking to Nate Friedman. He's been doing a lot of on the ground reporting on that. He was targeted by certain groups, and I know your organization actually tracks how money from nonprofits and government programs can end up overseas with extremist groups. Talk to us about how common that problem is. extraordinarily common and it's been going on for at least 20 years and that's actually how I got into lawfare in the first place because we were representing before I founded the lawfare project I worked at the Middle East forum with Daniel Pipes running a litigation defense fund and we were defending counterterrorism experts who were raising awareness about charitable front organizations who were raising money within the west and then funneling that money to provide material report to designated terrorist groups. And unfortunately, we still have the same problem. We just uh released uh we had a press release and and announced that we have an investigation now that we're funding in Canada into extremist groups that are also using Canada uh charitable registration status to fund raise. And it's not just donor responsibility, but we're calling for accountability. We're calling for transparency. And we're calling for the government to take a real hard look at who they are offering taxexempt status to. And uh look, the only way that terrorism works is because it's wellfunded. Whether it's funded by state sponsors of terrorism or whether they take advantage of our systems here. But at the very least, we need to make sure that we are not allowing American dollars or Canadian dollars to flow directly to materially support acts of terrorism. >> To your point of taking advantage of our systems, the term lawfare, how vulnerable is our legal system? Uh, from what I understand, a foreign a foreignb born national, a foreign national can sue and take to court an American citizen. And we don't know if there's state actors be behind them. >> Well, look, justice is a slow wheel that turns, but we are very blessed to live in a country where we have an impartial judicial system. But the whole thing about lawfare is it harasses people. And even though in the end of the day, you may win the lawsuit, you're still spending in time and money defending yourself. And especially when it comes to defamation lawsuits, if you're speaking publicly about these issues and then you get sued, the first thing your lawyer is going to do is tell you to be quiet until you finish the litigation. And we've seen that time and time again. We had, for example, a lawsuit uh a couple years back before the Boston bombing attack where I think it was 17 media defendants were sued. I think it was also the New York Times and in including my former boss for calling attention to the fact that Saudi funds were going and funding a mosque, the ISB mosque in Boston and allegedly radicalizing the mosque goers. Those 17 media defendants were sued by the very mosque that they were trying to raise awareness about. There were the FBI, you know, was not investigating out of fear of being called Islamophobic. And lo and behold, nobody was paying attention. and the Boston bombers who were allegedly radicalized in that very mosque went off and you know exploded themselves at the marathon. So lawfare is a very real threat. It's a very real tactic that's being used not just locally but on the international stage with frivolous war crimes charges against Israeli officials and American officials who are trying to fight on an asymmetric battlefield against terrorists who are using their own children as human shields and then accusing us of war crimes when they benefit from the higher civilian casualties and deaths. So that is the tactic of lawfare. That's what I wrote my first book about. That's what we are set up at the LawFare Project to fight against. And thank God we have a group of over a thousand lawyers. We work with over 37 major international law firms and we have been providing pro bono legal support to the victims of lawfare. >> Brook Goldstein really appreciate you sharing your perspective. Thank you. >> I appreciate being here. Thank you for having me. >> And still to come from spending quality time with family to expressing gratitude, what are some of your favorite Christmas traditions? Sam Wong hears from folks in DC for a few honorable mentions. And in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs have found the new home, but in a different state. Dave Martin joins us to discuss when we return. Welcome back. I'm Paul Grainy. As we enter another holiday season, what are some of your favorite Christmas traditions? Anthony Sam Wong was out on the streets of Washington DC to hear from the people. >> What's your favorite holiday tradition? >> It's usually giving out ornaments between family members, exchanging ornaments. >> Usually it's um something significant to that person or places we've been. Like I always buy an ornament when we travel so that we can put on the Christmas shoe to remember. >> It's a Italian American tradition where you have seven different types of fish, big feast, family comes together. I always used to sneak down out in the middle of the night after Santa had come and sit there and look at the tree while it's all quiet like right before the sun rose. So that was always my favorite. >> Have you been a good kid this whole year? >> I would like to think so. This Christmas we will do what we always do which is on Christmas Eve we will gather after our Christmas Eve service we'll gather for hot chocolate at our house and watch Die Hard. So, I'm from Jamaica and we have this like uh fruit cake and I really really love it and um I got somebody's giving me that for Christmas. So, >> we like to play um old records while decorating our Christmas tree and >> records like Bing Crosby and Elvis and uh those kind of some Nat King Cole things like that. So, they're all designed to put you make you in a happy space and uh most of them make you think about Christ. >> I am of German ancestry. My parents both came from Germany and so we do a lot of German traditions. One thing they do in Germany is a thing called flesh salot which is basically called it's in English it's meat salad but it's so good. >> And so every Christmas Eve we get together with everyone and we have flesh shelot and then we open our gifts on Christmas Eve. It's not on Christmas day like it traditionally is for a lot of other Americans because that's a German tradition. >> What does Christmas mean to you guys? uh celebration of uh of family time basically, >> you know, absolutely just spending time being able to have some downtime with family and friends. >> I would say family, you know, family and love really. >> So, I'm divorced and my son, but two years ago, we had a feast and I had my ex-wife and her husband come and my wife's exhusband and his girlfriend come. Everyone thinks it's weird to stay friends with your, you know, family, but we have the families we we choose to have. The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Everything else is just superfluous. It doesn't mean anything. >> Christ is the reason for the season. And so, um, I feel like it's an opportunity to tell people about Christ. >> We're just so happy and and, uh, you know, blessed to have such a large family and and we love them. And so, it's time for, uh, it's time to reflect on on Christ and spend time with the family and cherish them. And now for your sports news. We're joined by NTD's Dave Barton. Dave, great to see you. >> Great to see you again, Paul. >> Dave, a lot to talk about. NFL tonight. 49ers, the Colts. I believe it's Philip Rivers second game back over a 5-year retirement. You excited? >> I'm still I'm still blown away that this has happened. That was his second game back. I guess we're going to assume he's we're going to get more of the same what he did last week. A lot of good short throws he did with he did very well with those. Not as well as on the longer ones, which is not as surprising for a 44 year old who has not played in 5 years, even if he is, you know, almost a Hall of Famer. Now, Colts don't really have many options here though with Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson both out with injuries. Meanwhile, they need a win here pretty badly tonight. Now, they were once 7-1. They're now just eight and six out of playoff contention right now for the moment if the playoffs started today. Now, if they lose again tonight, which they are expected to to the Niners, they'd need Houston to lose out just to have a chance to make the playoffs. Now, even with a win, they still need Houston to lose one. Although, these two teams do meet in week 17, which should be a good matchup there. Now, for the 49ers, they've already clinched a playoff spot. It's just a matter of what seed they will get. They trail Seattle by a game and a half both in the division and in the conference right now. So this game is in Indianapolis starting at 8:15 Eastern time tonight, Paul. So I'm looking forward to this one. River is kind of old. I wish him all the best. >> You know, you think about it though, Tom Brady was 46 in his final season and he was still effective then. I know I know Brady was one of a kind, but >> Tom Brady, >> it could happen. >> Watching for sacks. Hey, and some personal news for you. Big personal news. Kansas City Chiefs have a new home in a new state. >> Tell the people >> they're coming to Kansas. Yes. Kansas lawmakers approved a plan today to help pay for a new $3 billion dome stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City. Kansas that is instead of Missouri. So right now the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. And they have so since 1972. A very rockous loud stadium. So, the Chiefs will simply move a few miles across state lines to play their games beginning in 2031. So, maybe not a big deal to all fans, but but it is to these states, you know, especially after the Rams left St. Louis, Missouri a few years ago. Now, Missouri tried to keep the Chiefs uh proposing an $800 million uh renovation last year, but that was rejected by Missouri voters in Jackson County ever since the Chiefs voters Chief's future has kind of been up in the air. Now, that same vote, they rejected a new stadium proposal for the Kansas City Royals. Both franchises then had uncertain futures as their stadium leases end in five years. Chiefs now have found a solution. So, let's let's hope the Royals do too. Very soon, Paul. >> Go Chiefs. >> I know. I was very excited. >> I'm happy for you, Dave. I'm happy for you. >> Thank you, Paul. I know. I I told you the tragedy of when I found out that my favorite teams played in Missouri instead of Kansas. So, >> you told me you started crying. >> They're coming back home now. It was a traumatic crying. It's true, Dave. I'm happy for you. I'm happy for you, Dave. College football last night. Two close games, two blowouts. You know, those blowouts, they were definitely predictable. You know, it was, you know, it was expected James Madison and to Lane would lose big. They did. You know, Miss being two lane 41-10, Oregon beat James Madison 5134. I wonder if the playoff committee though after that makes some changes because of that because I don't think they intended for at least two group of five teams to make the playoffs in the first place and really these blowouts are the reason why now other than tell the ACC to change their tiebreers for the conference title game andor expanding the number of teams in the playoffs. I don't know what else they can do now. Meanwhile that the committee had to deny Notre Dame a playoff bid because there wasn't any spots left. I think everyone agree though, the Irish, you know, Paul, your parent team for sure. They would have made a much better opponent against, you know, Old Miss or Oregon. I can see them beating either one of those teams. I wouldn't be surprised though if there's going to be some changes made to address this. So stay tuned. Meanwhile, the second round of the playoffs start next week on New Year's Eve with one game and then three more games on New Year's Day. So, I'm looking forward to those games. >> All right, Dave, they're telling me in my ear, "Cut the follow-up question. Stop wasting everyone's time." So, I got you got to get to ask you this one quickly. College basketball news. Arizona retaining their number one ranking in the latest top 25 poll today. Surprising? No, not really. They're still undefeated. I mean, it's hard to say who's better between them and Michigan. But anyway, this is Arizona's now third straight week at number at number one. Michigan is actually closing in on them at number two. Now, meanwhile, Duke fell from third to sixth after losing to Texas Tech on Saturday. So that's Iowa State move up to third followed by Yukon and Purdue. Also undefeated Nebraska has moved up to number 13. That's their highest ranking since 90 1992. Corn askers, one of seven Big 10 teams in the top 25. Meanwhile, the number one Wildcats, they play Bethun Cookman tonight at 900 p.m. Eastern tonight. Wildcats are 38 and a half point favorites in that one. So I probably won't be tuning into that game. >> Good luck, Cookman. Dave, as always, thank you. Talk to you. >> All right, that's all for today's news. For roundtheclock news coverage, visit us at ntd.com/live. Have a great evening. I'm Paul Greeny.