California Braces for Week of Storms; Christmas Returns to Bethlehem | NTD Evening News (Dec. 24)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, heavy rain floods Southern California on Christmas Eve. Millions of residents are in areas with a high flood risk. Officials are urging holiday travelers to drive with caution. An explosion at a nursing home near Philadelphia leaves at least two dead and injures 20 others. A look at what could be the cause of the deadly incident. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zalinski says the US and Ukraine have reached a consensus on several key issues aimed at ending the war, but sensitive issues remain unresolved. Meanwhile, in Moscow, three people are killed by a bomb. Christmas celebrations return to Bethlehem as the ceasefire continues between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, the mother of the last hostage whose body is held in the Gaza Strip will be traveling with Israel's prime minister to the US. Jason Perry reports. President Trump's use of tariffs has reshaped global trade. While critics warned that consumers could bear the cost, inflation has recently eased. And Trump says the policy has strengthened the US in more ways than one. Jack Bradley takes a look at how effective the president's tariffs have been so far. 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. I'm Don Min for Tiffany Meyer. A powerful storm carrying a strong atmospheric river is laying siege to California. Evacuations have been issued because of the risk of life-threatening flooding and debris flows. A level 404 high risk of flooding rain is in place for Southern California today, including more than 7 million people in portions of Los Angeles and surrounding counties. That's according to the weather prediction center. Ivan Rodriguez has the latest. Wednesday morning, parts of Southern California started getting hit by heavy bands of rain. The Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a man trapped in a small drainage tunnel on the LA River during the storm. Rescuers were able to place a ladder through a vault opening and the man climbed up to dry ground. The LAD said no injuries were reported. LA Fire Captain Adam Van Gerpin says they pre-eployed crews in susceptible areas with burn scars from January's Eaton and Palisades fires. Now it's all hands on deck. >> Hi sir, good morning. How are you? >> LAPD partners have been out there. They've been doing some door knocking in the in the most susceptible homes. They've door knocked on 126 homes and we've been issuing evacuation warnings uh for the people in the burn scar areas. Rainfall rates could exceed 1 in per hour at times Wednesday. That's more than enough to trigger dangerous flash flooding and life-threatening debris flows on recent burn scars. All told, rainfall totals in Southern California through the end of the week could be as much as 4 to 7 ines in coastal and valley locations, while foothills and mountains see 6 to 14 in. Since these storms land right in the middle of Christmas, officials urge people to drive with caution. If you need to travel, then leave yourself plenty of time to get where you're going. Don't drive through uh standing water. Uh you know, they say uh yep, if you need to go around, then go around. Turn around. Don't drown. >> Southern California is predicted to finally see some relief from this non-stop stormy pattern this weekend. >> I'm Ivan Rodriguez reporting. >> A tragedy in eastern Pennsylvania. An explosion in a nursing home near Philadelphia claimed at least two lives and injured 20 others. The explosion yesterday collapsed part of the building, sent fire, shooting out, and left people trapped inside. Here have the details. I was asleep and like the whole house shook. It was crazy. Like I could not believe that. >> A fire and explosion erupted in the Bristol Health and Rehab Center near Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon. At least two deaths are confirmed. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says firefighters, rescue crews, and bystanders were helping get the nursing home residents to safety. I want to say that in the immediate moments after the explosion, um, you saw what real heroism is all about. >> Authorities in Bristol Township are investigating a possible gas leak as the cause. >> Within approximately 15 to 30 seconds of us exiting the building, knowing there was a heavy odor of of natural gas around us, there was a there was another explosion and fire. Uh, we kept the fire in check without uh giving up the source. the the fire actually helped us identify where the leak was coming from in the basement and we just prevented it from spreading into other parts of the building. >> I'm hurt. I This is my neighborhood so like I feel like they are my family. >> It sucks and it's right right near Christmas time too. I I would just ask all Pennians uh to join Lori and I in prayer for this community, for those who are injured, and for those families who are about to celebrate Christmas with an empty chair at their table. >> Three people were killed by a bomb today in Moscow. The explosion occurred in the same area where a senior Russian general was killed two days ago by a car bomb. Russian investigators said when two police officers approached a man who was acting strangely, they were killed by an explosive device. They said that a third person was also killed, but did not specify who that was. Unofficial Russian Telegram news channel said the bomber was one of those killed and that he detonated the bomb when approached by the officers. NTD could not confirm those details. Meanwhile, Ukraine's president Vadimir Zalinski says the US and Ukraine have reached a consensus on several key issues aimed at bringing an end to the Russia Ukraine war. But Zilinski said territorial control in Ukraine's eastern region and the management of a nuclear power plant remain unresolved. The Ukrainian leader said he would be willing to withdraw troops from those areas if Moscow also pulls back and the areas become demilitarized zones monitored by international forces. A response is expected from Russia soon. So far, Moscow has given no indication that it will agree to any kind of withdrawal from land it has seized. Christians from around the world are preparing to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem for the first time since the Israel Hamas war began. But the body of one deceased hostage still remains in the Gaza Strip, and his mother continues to call for his release. NTD's Jason Perry has the update. President Trump's Gaza peace plan appears to have stalled in the first phase because the body of one deceased hostage remains in the territory. The final hostage yet to be returned is Israeli police officer Ron Gavilli. On Wednesday, his mother, Talik Gavilli, gave this message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. >> Mr. Prime Minister, I support your decision not to move to phase two of the agreement before all commitments to us are fulfilled. The original agreement spoke of 48 hostages. We have received only 47. If we do not insist on the full implementation of this agreement, we risk losing Ronnie forever. >> And she said she was invited to travel with Netanyahu during his upcoming trip to the United States. The prime minister is traveling to meet with President Trump and I am flying to support him to assist him and to ensure that there will be no advancement to the next phase until Hamas fulfills its obligations in this stage of the agreement and above all its duty to return Rani home. On the same day, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization met with Turkeykey's foreign minister in Ankura. Turkish officials said they discussed phase two of the ceasefire agreement as the Hamas delegation said Hamas had fulfilled its obligations of the agreement. And while the ceasefire remains in place, Christians from around the world are preparing to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem for the first time since the Israel Hamas war started two years ago. A tourist from Vietnam shared her thoughts about visiting the city where many believe Jesus was born. I feel so exciting. I feel so happy and you know like I really really really really for 25 years I really want to come here but I didn't have chance to come here and I'm so excited and so happy. >> And a Christmas parade returned to Nazareth, Israel. A local resident said this. >> Thanks Lord that you know we the war has stopped and we are celebrating together as Christians in this community here in Nazareth. And there are some tourists they start to get back from outside of the country. They they start to come back here to this land to celebrate with us. >> Nazareth is the place where Christians believe Jesus grew up. Jason Perry, NTD News. >> France, Germany, the EU, and the UK today reacting to a US decision to impose travel bans on five Europeans. The Trump administration is accusing those individuals of pressuring tech firms to censor or suppress American views. The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, which supervises tech regulation in Europe, warned that it could take action against any unjustified measures. It said it had requested clarification from the US State Department. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision yesterday. Those targeted include Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market from 2019 to 2024. He was also a key architect of the block's digital rule book. Four executives of NOS's were also targeted. The bans come amid US opposition to the EU's digital services act. It's a landmark law that European officials say is meant to combat hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation. The US and other critics say it stifles free speech and imposes costs on American tech companies. Rubio said the individuals targeted have led organized efforts to coersse American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose. President Trump's use of tariffs have reshaped global trade. While critics warned that consumers could bear the cost, inflation has recently eased, and Trump says the policy is driving investment, strengthening US leverage, and funding major initiatives. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley breaks down what's at play. >> Tariffs. My favorite word, tariffs. >> President Trump has taken an aggressive approach to tariffs over the past year. And whether you're for or against them, they've created a major change in the global economy. Critics have argued that tariffs on goods fall onto the consumer. But it's not immediately clear that prices on certain tariff goods have gone up. And the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report on the annual inflation rate shows that it dropped from 3% to 2.7% last month. Now, President Trump has many reasons behind these tariffs and one of the main ones is to rebalance unfair trade practices with other countries that have been putting up trade barriers against the US for years and also to encourage domestic manufacturing. Trump said that these tariffs have already been encouraging trillions of dollars in US investment. companies know that if they build in America, there are no tariffs. And that's why they're coming home to the USA in record numbers. They're building factories and plants at levels we haven't seen. AI, automobiles. We're doing what nobody thought was even possible. Not even remotely possible. There has never, frankly, been anything like it. One year ago, our country was dead. We were absolutely dead. our country was ready to fail. Totally failed. Now, we're the hottest country anywhere in the world. And that's said by every single leader that I've spoken to over the last 5 months. In that year-end address, President Trump said to the nation that he's sending $1,776 bonus checks to 1.45 million military members. Trump says that the income made from tariffs made it possible. And the checks are already on the way. Nobody understood that one until about 30 minutes ago. We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs and the bill helped us along. Nobody deserves it more than our military. And I say congratulations to everybody. And by the way, we now have record enlistment in our military. And last year we had among the worst recruitment numbers in our military's history. What a difference a year makes. Now, President Trump also said that he used the threat of tariffs to end certain wars such as between India and Pakistan, Cambodia and Thailand, and between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, just to name a few. Trump has also used tariffs as part of a separate negotiation with other countries on a range of issues, including on illegal immigration and drug trafficking. He lowered tariffs on China by 10% for instance all in exchange for curbing fentinel precursor chemicals to the US. He also placed tariffs on Mexico and Canada to stem the flow of fentinel, other drugs and also illegal immigration to the US. Now on the domestic front, Trump said that tariffs could be used to potentially lower or eliminate federal income taxes, pay off the national debt, and send dividend payments worth $2,000 to low and middle inome families next year. The Supreme Court is hearing a case on whether to uphold or reject Trump's tariffs under an emergency law. If it's rejected, it could result in the US having to refund all of the collected tariff money, which now amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars. And Trump has called this case the biggest threat to US national security and could render the nation financially defenseless. Reporting by Jack Bradley, NTD News. Coming up, the White House shining with holiday spirit as First Lady Melania Trump reveals this year's Christmas decor creations. From a majestic treehonoring gold star families to patriotic nods to America's 250th anniversary, the 2025 decorations celebrate home, heart, and heritage. Mario Otsu with the details when we return. The White House is decked out for the holidays with a heartfelt theme from First Lady Melania Trump. Patriotic displays honor family tradition and our nation's upcoming milestone. NTD's Washington correspondent Mario Otu brings us more from the beautifully decorated White House. >> First Lady Melania Trump unveiling the 2025 White House Christmas decorations with the theme, "Home is where the heart is. This year's decorations highlight patriotism, family, and tradition with a special nod to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the blue room stands the official White House Christmas tree, an 18 ft conol fur tree from Sydney, Michigan, which the first lady welcomed to the White House the week of Thanksgiving. Arriving in horserawn carriage for her inspection. It's decorated with ornaments showing each state's bird and flower and gold stars honoring Gold Star families. >> Every Gold Star family fights a battle long after the victory is won. And today, we lift you up and we hold you high. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for giving America the brightest light in your lives. It's what you've done. The Red Room focuses on the first lady's fostering the future program tied to her be best initiative, a public awareness campaign that promotes children's well-being by addressing social, emotional, and physical health and online safety. This executive order, fostering the future for American children and families, gives me tremendous pride. It is both empathetic and strategic. I predict this this small spark today will ignite a profound and lasting nationwide movement. >> The green room celebrates family fun with presidential Lego portraits of President Trump and George Washington. While the East Room features patriotic red, white, and blue trees with national symbols like golden eagles, stars, roses, and oak leaves for America 250. A gingerbread white house boasting over 120 pounds of gingerbread is prominently displayed in the state dining room, highlighting the south portico and offering a glimpse of the yellow oval room. Other key features include 75 signature wreaths with classic red bows hung on the windows, 700 ft of garland, 25,000 ft of ribbon, and more than 10,000 blue butterflies symbolizing transformation and renewal. The White House says, "As Americans explore the historic rooms of the White House this holiday season, the 2025 Christmas decorations serve as a reminder that the strength of our nation is found in its people." In our shared values, valued traditions, and the steadfast belief that home is where the heart is. Reporting from the White House, Mario, NTD News. >> Before leaving for the winter break, our Washington correspondent Luis Edardo Martinez spoke with lawmakers who sent their best wishes to our audience this holiday season. Take a look. uh wish everybody a merry Christmas, happy holidays and a very very prosperous uh new year. Um you know this is the this is a time to to reflect and be with family and and reflect on how lucky you are we are to live in the greatest country in the world. >> I just want to say to all the people in my district and also in the United States and around the world, merry Christmas. You know, this is a time where we celebrate as Catholics and as Christians the birth of Jesus. I hope everybody keeps that in mind and tries to love their neighbor and remember that he came to to serve all of us, especially the poor. >> Is there anything that you or your family enjoy traditionally every year? >> Yeah, we all get together. We all get together as a family. We pray together first before dinner and then uh we sing Christmas carols. It's a lot of fun. >> Yes. Merry Christmas. What an honor it is to serve in Penelis County. >> Oh yeah. You know, we like visiting our parents, whether it's my wife's parents or mine. And uh seeing grandma and grandpa is always great for my kids. >> You have any any wishes for the >> I hope everyone is safe and happy and healthy for the holidays. >> Um I mean for me it's about the birth of Jesus Christ. Um secondly it's about spending time with family and um you never know how long they're going to be around and tell tell your family you appreciate them. Be overly generous to them and spend a lot of time with family. Happy holidays to everybody back home. Very worried about the flooding and uh need relief. It's been a very very tough week. So I hope everyone can find time uh to enjoy the holidays. Well, I wish everybody a merry Christmas or a happy Hanukkah depending on what they celebrate. Got a lot to be thankful for. President Trump's done a great job over the first 11 months of his presidency. And now we'll all take a great holiday break. Happy New Year. And then we'll be back at it as soon as we're done with the first of the year. Coming up, a new documentary from the Ipo Times explores the life of Charlie Kirk and the circumstances that led to his assassination. Joshua Phillip, the host of Truth Under Fire, the framing of Charlie Kirk, sat down with NTD's Steve Lance and Tiffany Meyer at Turning Point USA's America Fest to talk about his new film. Hear that conversation when we come back. Over the weekend in Phoenix, Arizona, Turning Point USA held its first major conference since Charlie Kirk's assassination, America Fest 2025. While there, NTD's Steve Lance and Tiffany Meyer sat down with Joshua Phillip, senior investigative reporter for the Epoch Times and host of Crossroads on Epoch TV. He has a new documentary out about Charlie Kirk's legacy. Here's that interview. Josh, thank you so much for joining us. >> Hey, always a pleasure and uh great being here. >> Now, this is actually the largest America Fest in Turning Point history. What has been your experience so far this year? What does this turnout signal to you? >> Well, it's incredible. I I've heard they have about 30,000 people here, 10,000 on the wait list if people choose to leave. And uh yeah, last year was 20,000. So, I I would say this is part of the Charlie Kirk effect. Charlie actually inspired a lot of people and I really do believe that uh I was wondering what the effect was going to be. What's the future turning point? It really does feel stronger than it's ever been. >> And Josh, one of the main reasons that you know we're doing this interview is to talk about the amazing film uh that you've put together. It's called Truth Under Fire: The Framing of Charlie Kirk. Talk to us about the subtitle. >> Yeah, so this actually started out f Okay, so it expanded a bit. It started first into an investigation into how Charlie Kirk was framed because of course, you know, acts of violence often have reasons behind them and it it seems that somebody was very brainwashed enough or hated someone enough to kill them. Now, Donald Trump actually came up with an order or, you know, calling for investigations into this, a type of conspiracy against rights. And what he's alleging effectively is that there's a system in place to first of all defame people then dox them, you know, expose their home address, their personal information, mark them for attack, and then make examples out of them. Uh, saying, "Hey, I don't want to go speak at that event because Antifa might show up and they might beat me. I don't want to go make my opinions heard on, you know, publicly or my school even because I might get attacked and I might get expelled from my school. I don't want to lose my job. I don't want to get hit pieces done to me by the media." And what this is being framed at is is it effectively effectively a conspiracy against constitutional rights. Uh something that scares you out of engaging in freedom of speech. Something that scares you out of engaging in freedom of assembly. And in that effect works as a form of really political terrorism. Now Charlie Kirk, I believe, was a victim of this. And so the investigation set out to find how is Charlie Kirk framed? What were the organizations that framed him? How does the system work? What is this machine that cancels people, doxes people, then marks them for attack? And from there, it actually expanded into it was a moment I had and you two were at the Charlie Kirks memorial as well, actually right here in Arizona. It was a moment I had walking into the stadium onto the stadium floor and he just it was like perfect timing. Things went kind of quiet and everybody raised their signs, you know, I am Charlie Kirk, remember Charlie Kirk. And I had a moment. I was like, "Wow, you know what? I'm witnessing something that I've never witnessed before." I really had the sense that for the first time in my life, I'm seeing really in my my own two eyes what a martyr looks like. This is what happens when somebody in their death is more powerful than in life. That he inspired people through that. And uh I wanted to capture that as well to make sure that's not forgotten to history. >> I want to expand on the media point that you were talking about. When we look at the broader media environment, how do you believe the media painted Charlie in the years leading up to his death? >> So, you know, when I do investigations, my first step is I trace things back to the origin. Then I then I trace it forward. So, the origin of the hit pieces on Charlie was 2017. That was after the Charlottesville attack, right? Uh so, what happened at the time, you had a group of individuals who were tearing down Confederate statues and you had counterprotesters. They went to Charlottesville. Then you had the very extreme types show up, the Antifa, and then you had the crazy alt-right guys of the tiki torches. Everyone remembers that probably. Then you had the kid who drove his car through the crowd, killed a young woman, and you know, the rest is history. The media then questioned Donald Trump, do you condemn this? Will you condemn the alt-right? Will you, you know, we we say something bad about him? And Trump said, yeah. So what Trump what Donald Trump said effectively was this. You know what? There were fine people on both sides. Uh there were people who, you know, wanted the Confederate suction out, the people who tried to stop it and they were peaceful protesters, but then you had the crazy people and they came out beating each other with baseball bats and they were vicious and it was terrible. And I condemn them absolutely. Donald Trump condemned the alt-right that day. And I'd say that I'd say actually the alt-right died in Charlottesville that day because they lost presidential support very very directly. The media took that and they twisted it. They said Donald Trump called them very fine people and he refused to condemn the alt-right. Both of which were lies. That was a false narrative promoted. They misqued him, took it out of context, and then actually lied to people about Donald Trump not not condemning the alt-right. And then they went to Trump's supporters. They framed MAGA as being an alt-right fascist movement because Donald Trump didn't disavow them, therefore they're all outright, which is not true, but that's what they said. And then they said, well, Charlie Kirk at the time, very still very young. I didn't realize how young he was actually still very young and you know, kind of really part of the MAGA movement. Yeah. People who supported Trump in his community, uh, students at the time, they said, "Well, you will you disavow the Trump supporters because they're the alt-right. Donald Trump didn't condemn them, therefore he's a Nazi, and if you don't condemn them, therefore you're a Nazi." And Charlie Kirk said, "No, I'm not going to condemn them. There's nothing wrong with them. They're not they're not extreme. They they just like the president of the United States. What's your problem? They framed him using that. And what you had then was a game of telephone, right? You you say one thing to one person, they say it to the next person, the next person. It went from Charlie Kirk does not disavow the uh you know the Trump supporters, therefore they're Nazis, therefore he has Nazis in his midst to Charlie Kirk is a Nazi. and and that was how the the narrative was framed. Over time, as the media began putting this in their headlines, Charlie Kirk has extremists in his midst, you started then having official organizations taking and making reports about him. According to the New York Times, he has these people in his midst. According to this newspaper, he has people in his midst. According to this, therefore, this is an extremist movement. Therefore, he's the leader of an extremist movement. Therefore, you know, this is the narrative. And that's how they framed him. And then you have these agitated youth who, you know, they they believe in this whole worldview. They're sitting, I don't know, in their basement or whatever else and they're saying, "This guy's baby Hitler. This guy's going to grow up one day and he's going to become Hitler." And what do you do to baby Hitler? Well, you kill him, right? That's what happened to Charlie Kirk. >> There's a lot there, Josh. with regard to sort of the picture that you painted in terms of these leftist Marxist uh movements, these underpinnings that are trying to suppress ultimately uh people's speech and thoughts. Charlie was ultimately a victim. He paid the ultimate price to be silenced with the bullet through his neck. But prior to that, one thing that sort of made Charlie different was that he did not succumb to a lot of those demands and a lot of that pressure. It's not as easy for your average student or person uh to have that type of willpower and strength. Do you see the conservative movement, the Turning Point USA family carrying on that legacy? And >> yeah, I mean I mean look at look look at this place. You know, after Charlie got killed, I had a lot of people tell me, "Hey, uh, Josh, you should be careful speaking at events." I I was supposed to speak at an event in South Korea with Charlie just a few days before he got killed. Actually, it was one of the last events he did that in Japan. And, you know, I was scheduled to speak at another event that same week. People were calling me up, Josh, be careful. We don't want to see this happen to you. And I had a moment. I was like, you know, should I be careful? And then I thought about I actually thought about Charlie and I was like, you know what? If someone told Charlie, "Hey, you're gonna someone's going to try to kill you, you know, be quiet." I don't think he would have done it. I I knew Charlie. In fact, even more than that, I think if someone I think if someone were to show Charlie, this is what you will achieve in your death. You're going to have churches doubling in capacity. You're going to have young kids turning back to their faith. You're going to have people remembering what they stand for. Will you die to do this? And Charlie would have. I know Charlie. he he would have said, "Yeah, kill me." Uh because, you know, I'll be a martyr and that that that is what I live for. Uh and so, you know, it inspired me and I think a lot of people here it inspired them in the same way. I've seen it in kids talking to youth, talking to some of the youth leaders at the schools. Not only did they not shrink in, you know, in respect to, hey, gez, there's crazy people out there looking to kill people for doing this. You just had some turning point chapter head get killed. Actually, it's the opposite. They're saying, "You know what? I need to be brave because other people were brave before me. I need to stand up because other people stood up before me, and I'm not going to shrink into the shadows and be too afraid to stand for what I stand for." >> Joshua Phillip, Truth Under Fire. Excellent uh insights into Charlie Kirk's life and legacy. Greatly appreciate you joining us. >> Anytime. Thank you. Coming up at the Olympics, with the Winter Games just a few weeks away, concern grows over whether the venues will be ready in time. Dave Martin reports. Around the holidays, people from all over the world flock to Brooklyn, New York to drive and walk through the famous Diker Heights, home of some of the most festive light displays. Char Marshall brings us there. and get a taste of New York City's creative flare and delicious fair with Stefania Cox taking us on a personal tour through the city's cold, oldest, and biggest holiday market after the break. With the start of the Winter Olympics in Italy now just 6 weeks away, some officials are raising concerns over whether the outdoor venues will be ready on time. NTD's Dave Martin has the story. International Ski Federation President Johan Elash is raising concerns over whether some of the Olympics outdoor platforms specifically for the skiing and snowboarding events will be ready in time for the winter games which start on February 6th. >> Take a look at Bor there there is half half the downhill track is uh well not half but a big portion of the downhill track doesn't have any snow at all. looks like September and it is very warm. So this is this is uh uh this is an issue and it's it's what can I say it would be be a lot of work. While some have blamed unusually warm temperatures or poor planning, Elash claims to blame elsewhere. >> It's not the organizing committees. It's just simply lack of funding from the Italian government. And it's uh really important that um that uh every effort is now made uh to to make sure that everything is ready on time. I I mean, we've had warmer winters. We still managed to make the snow and here we have a situation where we have no snow. Uh we've asked questions, we keep asking questions. the organizing committee. Uh I mean the the many of the people that are part of the organizing committee are actually part of the faith family and I speak to them regularly with friends with family and the the fundamental issue here is lack of funding. Elage, who's resided over the International Ski Federation or FIS for four years now, said this wasn't the first time an event faced a snow shortage, but preached readiness was crucial in those previous cases. >> First of all, we we start we always have a more plan base in place. We would u if I mean we wouldn't start making snow this late. We would have plans to bring in snow from other areas, truck it in. We would have uh all sorts of contingency planning. We would have uh for transformers, we would have mobile transformer solutions in place uh to ensure that uh everything can operate. It's just many many things. it's uh parking in certain areas is uh is missing and we would simply sort that out and have that sorted out years ago, not not wait for that until uh 6 weeks before the games. >> The 2026 Winter Olympics will be jointly hosted by Milano and Cortina, a couple of towns in northern Italy. Meanwhile, organizers have said these snow making machines have been operating for several nights as temperatures are now dropping and that the venues will be ready on time. This is Dave Martin for NTD News. Each year, Dker Heights Brooklyn puts on a community display of holiday lights that attracts people from all over the world. NTD Shawn Marshall was there to capture some of the magic. The world famous Dyker Heights Holiday Lights. People come from all over the world to walk around Brooklyn for a night. If you're ever in New York City during the month of December, then the world famous Dyker Heights Holiday Lights is a hidden gem great for a family outing. It's outside of the busy city in Brooklyn, but it can still be packed with people and traffic around some of the more colorful houses. >> Yeah, I took my grandma out here. I'm visiting her um in New York for the weekend. So, I flew out and we decided to kind of take a little trip and look around. We went and ate at a little Italian restaurant right before this. And so, yeah, we just wanted to get in the Christmas spirit. And I heard about this like from Tik Tok. I think >> this is um our sixth time to New York. We've never been to this area. So, we heard the lights are very nice during Christmas. So, it's our first time here in this neighborhood. >> Nice. What do you think about the lights? You ever seen anything like this before? >> Oh, it's uh beautiful. The houses are lovely. Every every house has its own unique designs. This one right here, I don't know, looks like a mansion itself. But yeah, it's it's lovely. There are a couple of different story versions on how the lighting tradition started. Local historians say it started in the 1940s. And one of the early extra extravagant houses was that of Lucy Spata at the famous 84th Street home where every inch of the property is decorated to honor her mother's passing. The Spot House tradition has been going on for over 40 years and uses the fame to give to local charities. What do you think? Have you ever seen anything like this before? >> I have not. I come from a very small town that has like five houses. Not actually, but we have maybe one house decorated a year and they play on the radio station and the lights sync up to the music and it's super cool. But nothing like this at all. Um, this is amazing to see all the houses decorated. And I actually just met somebody down there that was raising money for St. Jude and my sorority fundraises for St. Jude. So, it was really cool to see that and see people putting like their money towards something good and seeing how like this can affect other people outside of just like the people in this neighborhood as well. It's really cool. >> Now, the entire area has become a popular tourist destination with buses bringing in groups of tourists and locals to wander around together. >> So, uh are your kids around? Are they getting to enjoy this as well? They're they're napping in the car right now. So, we're just walking them down the street and we staying close by. So, uh they'll they'll miss a little bit of this, but it's okay. >> It's something different, right? We normally go down to the city and it gets really busy there. So, we wanted to try some new area. Dyker Heights is the first time we've been here. >> And well-known businesses getting in on the tradition. The lights generate an estimated $10 million in revenue for local businesses each year. Sean Marshall, NTV News. >> New York's Union Square Holiday Market by Urban Space delighted customers and vendors alike. This year, our very own Stefania Cox wandered through the award-winning seasonal delight. Check it out. The Union Square Holiday Market by Urban Space is New York's oldest and largest, hosting nearly 200 vendors, featuring unique gifts created by local crafts people, artists, and entrepreneurs. You got bespoke jewelry, bespoke desserts. Um, of course, there's plenty of art. This particular market puts a lot of emphasis on unique vendors and each one has to have a personal interview and showcase their their wares before they can nab their spot here. >> Well, I think the holiday market started at Union Square. I think this is the oldest one and I feel like it's the most charming one. It just feels very cozy and as far as the vendors, we all know each other and been working together for years. It's it's a special place. >> So, I asked him to to pick a number in his head >> and then take away every card that doesn't have his number on him. >> And I have to guess I've guessed the number >> and I'm guessing you >> uh 11. >> 11. So, in 10 years, how old will you be? >> 21. >> Is that your number? Got it. >> How the heck? >> What? >> What? >> Yeah, it works. >> No way. >> Amazing. >> It's a family-owned business. >> Are you part of the family? >> I am not part of the family. I'm only a family friend, but I they make me feel like family. >> Oh, lovely. Tell us about the family. >> Um, they're a wonderful family. Uh, the Melanods, they are uh from they're grew up in Princeton. Um, and they now operate this business. I know that the the mom and the dad were both computer engineers at one point and now they are working to help their son build this business out and they started out doing workshops for kids in classrooms and birthday parties and now they have uh started their own business to to spread that joy to everybody. >> We got to know some of the other families and the stories behind the businesses here. Kathy is um one half she and her sister founded this company u because they wanted to find healthier plastic free alternatives for their children. So actually Oliver Flynn are the names of their children. >> There's a nice little photo of them there. >> Oh nice. >> They also have a family cat >> featured here and our Swedish dish claws. >> Yeah. This is what drew me over. I was like this this looks >> um handone. >> Yeah. I um the um Aaron is the other founder. She is an artist, so she designed that. >> Oh, look at that cream on top and edible straws. One thing I love about New York City is all the hopeful messages that you see around. Sometimes you just be walking down the street and then there's someone has written in chalk something like you got this or keep going or as you see here state of gratitude and I know there's actually much more to this this stand I haven't learned about it yet but let's go ask the creator his name is Chris and he founded the company in 2020 with a stimulus check after he got out of treatment because a lot of people when they come out of treatment it's hard for them to find jobs. >> So, um, he gives back by employing people that, you know, are new to recovery and >> have, you know, trouble getting jobs. His motto was pretty much a state of gratitude, being grateful for anything. Um, so the mantra is it's really um it can be anything you want it to be, you know, being grateful for for anything. Gratitude and generosity, a gift that keeps giving in so many ways. >> We started at the beginning of the pandemic. >> Um, I started Baking Baptist to help a friend that lost her employment to pay back rent and groceries for her kids >> and we baked a few batches, gave gave her all the proceeds. And then she came to me a few weeks later and said, "I don't need a handout. I need a job." And we started baking together. >> Oh, wow. And today she's my head baker and we own a little store in Jersey City. >> Oh my gosh. That means they must be delicious because it's taken off so well. >> Yes, they were popular. I mean, they started from the beginning being super popular. >> Yeah. And how did you get inspired to have so many different flavors of >> wine? I'm Israeli, but I grew up in the Dominican Republic. And Jersey City is the most diverse city in the United States. So, we have a big Filipino community, a big Latin community, and I like to incorporate different flavors into our va, make everybody feel included and welcome. >> This is my best friend, Georgia. So, I make her come to into everything with me. We're working currently. And yeah, my mom's the best. >> Yeah, >> she's the best. >> I'm really proud of her. >> I love working here just cuz I get to eat all the samples. >> Yeah, >> I hear you. >> She's the best. She's done really good with the business and she's very inspiring to me. Always. >> Yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of variety here. And as I was mentioning, there's a lot of creativity in the food and a lot of stories and precious moments between friends and family. This looks amazing. I had to stop you and I heard you remarking that it tasted amazing. What are you having? >> I'm having a s'more hot chocolate. It's really delicious. And what's most exciting is that this is his first s'more ever. >> Indeed. Yeah. I've never heard of this thing and it's wonderful. So far, I've had to tell >> seven, four, whatever. Five, by six. Yeah. Yeah. A bit about where we got this thing from. >> Meanwhile, this cheesy pasta, partially cooked inside a wheel of cheese, is topped with more cheese. >> Yeah. All about the cheese. We got some cheese sauce here. Of course, we are in the heart of New York City as well. That can't be ignored. All the beautiful buildings all around and >> the night air. >> Let's see what else is happening in the food court. >> Cheese and truffle. Yeah, it's really good. I didn't expect it to be this big. >> And it's steaming hot. Where did you get it from? >> Uh, right here. Truffus. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Do you want one, too? >> Oh my gosh. I did already eat this side, but >> I just use my hands. >> Go for it. >> All right. >> Here, I'll eat one with you. >> They are really special. >> Yeah. >> Together, right? >> They're good. >> It tastes kind of meaty. >> Oh. >> In to me in a way that like the truffle. Yeah. No meat involved. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. I must say I've never enjoyed holiday markets quite as much as I have tonight. And I think that's because of the sense of community and warmth that you have here where people really want to come together, enjoy being together, and also share what's in their hearts through their products, through their beautiful creations, many of them handmade, and all with a vision of unity. Unity and Union right here at Union Square. >> And that's all for today's news. For round original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com/live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Don Ma. Merry Christmas and good night. Hi, I'm Tiffany Meyer and from all of us here at NTD Evening News and China in Focus, we wish you an extra magical holiday season and a wonderful start to the new year.