U.S. to Exit 66 Global Bodies; WH Defends ICE Officer in MN Shooting | NTD Evening News (Jan. 8)

Welcome to NTD evening news. Our top story tonight, tensions are high in Minneapolis after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman yesterday. The Department of Homeland Security reports that federal officers were attacked multiple times in a coordinated effort. Arian Pazdar has the latest. Vice President Judy Vance announcing a new role to combat taxpayer fraud in Minnesota and the White House defending ICE and condemning media coverage of Wednesday's ICE involved shooting. Mario at the White House. Five Republicans join Democrats on a war powers resolution regarding Venezuela, but the Senate still has two more procedural votes and the president can veto the legislation. Bruce Martinez on Capitol Hill. The Trump administration pulls the US out of dozens of international organizations, many tied to the United Nations. Why the White House says they threaten American sovereignty. Jeff Bradley reports. Internet and phone lines were cut across Iran soon after mass demonstrations began in the country. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces continue clashes with US backed Kurdish forces in Syria. Jason Perry with the details. 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. Minneapolis is on edge after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman yesterday. The Department of Homeland Security now says that protesters weaponized vehicles to attack federal officers four times yesterday alone. Entities Arian Pazdar has more and a warning. This report includes footage some viewers may find disturbing. >> This was an act of domestic terrorism. >> Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noam repeating the Trump administration stance that Wednesday's shooting was the result of a targeted attack against law enforcement. Noam says a woman who had been stalking and impeding ICE agents weaponized her vehicle and that an officer who stood in front of it then fired defensive shots. >> This vehicle was used to hit this officer. It was used as a weapon and the officers feels as though his life was in jeopardy. This officer took action to protect himself and to protect his fellow law enforcement officers. >> The officer who fired the shots has now been identified. Images released in court documents show that he was injured in a similar incident in June when he was dragged by a car. President Trump weighed in shortly after the incident on Wednesday, calling one of the anti-ICE protesters at the scene a quote professional agitator. A Homeland Security spokesperson now tells Fox News that there were multiple coordinated attacks directed against ICE agents on Wednesday. Unfortunately, we are seeing a coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement, particularly in Minneapolis. We've seen uh four vehicle rammings, weaponization of vehicles against our law enforcement yesterday. We saw an additional today. >> Meanwhile, tensions are still high in Minnesota with protesters confronting federal law enforcement. Federal officers fired pepper balls at the protesters to contain the crowd. I knew I had to be here and uh one of our neighbors was murdered. I I only live a few blocks south of what happened. >> DHS reports that hostility against ICE is on the rise. The agency sites a 1300% increase in assaults against law enforcement and an 8,000% increase in death threats compared to last year. Some are saying that local officials are fueling the fire by repeating rhetoric which can lead to violence. Minnesota Governor Tim Walls denies this. I've not used inflammatory terms of what happened. I've asked us to find the answers. The only way we find the answers is a thorough investigation by nonpartisan professionals. >> Walls is calling on the federal government to let state authorities participate in the investigation into the shooting. The State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says that the Department of Justice informed them that the probe would be led only by the FBI. When asked about the decision, Noom said Minnesota authorities should instead be investigating people who are harassing officers and inciting violence. Arian Pastar, NTD News. >> And this just in Governor Walls is authorizing the Minnesota National Guard to support local law enforcement. According to a statement, the troops will be staged and ready out of an abundance of caution and in coordination with local officials. The statement says the goal is to help maintain peace, ensure public safety, and allow for peaceful demonstrations. Vice President Vance in the James Brady briefing room today. He's announcing a new role to combat taxpayer fraud amid the mounting scandal in Minnesota. And the White House condemning the media coverage of Wednesday's ICE involved shooting. We now go live to entities Washington correspondent Mariosu at the White House. Mari, good evening. >> Tiff, good evening. Yes, that's right. Press Secretary Levit was joined by Vice President JD Vance in the briefing room today where he announced that he's creating a new role in assistant attorney general ro role to combat taxpayer fraud. Uh he says that this is in response to fraud in child care programs in Minnesota. and he says that while the prosecutor will mainly focus on Minnesota for now, he or she will also have a nationwide scope eventually uh and that this person will be announced next week. And the White House today is also responding to that other incident that took place in Minnesota Wednesday when a woman was fatally shot by an ICE agent. The administration saying that the agent acted in self-defense and calling the entire incident the result of anti-ICE rhetoric and radicalization. Take a look. She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle and she attempted to run an law enforcement officer over it. This appears as an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents, an act of domest domestic terrorism. >> DHS Secretary Gnome says the woman had been stalking and impeding ISIS's work throughout the day and the White House calls the incident a result of radicalization. ICE agents repeatedly ordered her to get out of the car and to stop instructing obstructing law enforcement, but she refused to obey their commands. >> The deadly incident that took place in Minnesota yesterday occurred as a result of a larger sinister left-wing movement that has spread across our country. >> Press Secretary Levit says ICE officers are facing a 1,200% increase in assaults, a 3,200% increase in vehicle rammings and an 8,000% increase in death threats. And Vice President Vance condemns media coverage of the event. >> The reporting over this has been one of the biggest scandals I've ever seen in media when you have a guy who was defending himself and is now being treated by as some sort of federal assassin. You guys are meant to report the truth. How have you let yourself become agents of propaganda of a radical fringe that's making it harder for us to enforce our laws? >> The Minneapolis mayor, meanwhile, demands ICE get out of his city. They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video of myself, I want to tell everybody directly. That is bull. >> This comes as FBI director Cash Patel says his agents are investigating the organizers and funders of anti-ICE protests for impeding law enforcement activities and endangering public safety. >> This is the headline. I'm just going to read it. Outrage after ICE officer kills US citizen in Minneapolis. What that headline leaves out is that that woman has is part of a broader left-wing network to attack, to dox, to assault, and to make it impossible for our ICE officers to do their job. >> Meanwhile, President Trump is announcing that he's ordering his representatives to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds, adding that this step aims to make the cost of housing of owning a home more affordable for Americans. This is coming just a day after the president moved to ban uh Wall Street from buying single family homes, saying that he'll be calling on Congress to codify that. Tiff, back to you. Right, Mari? Thanks for those updates. As Homeland Security Secretary Christine Nome calls driving into an ICE agent, and similar actions domestic terrorism, what's the legal standard for ISIS use of deadly force? Your legal analysis from Jim Trusty tonight on Capital Report with Steve Lance at 7 PM Eastern. The Senate today advanced consideration of a war powers resolution as the House tackled government funding. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez has the details. Five Republicans join Democrats in advancing a War Powers Act resolution that would prohibit President Trump from taking any further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. They're going to own screwing up the best chance we've ever had to liberate the people of Venezuela and make our country safer from drug poisoning. What is Trump doing? We don't have troops on the ground now, but he's telling the people who coming after Madura, if I need to, everything's on the table. If you screw with me, you're going to wind up like Madura. >> There's still two more procedural votes in the Senate for the War Powers Act resolution. If it passes, it will be sent to the House. The president still retains the power to veto the resolution if it becomes law, like in 2019 when Congress tried to force the president to withdraw from taking any further military action against the Houthis in Yemen. This was a motion to discharge my war powers resolution from the committee. The committee was going to lock it up and it was never going to see the light of day. So now it becomes the pending business of the Senate. What you will likely see next week is a vote on a motion to proceed, which we would expect simple majority, similar vote to today, and then a debate finally after months about this military operation, the whole thing, including where it's going in Venezuela and possibly in other nations. >> The House voted to pass the Democrat sponsored bill that would extend the expired Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits for three more years. These are people who are supporting military adventurism, billions of dollars being spent in South America and in other parts of the world. Yet, Republican leaders in the House and the Senate are not willing to spend a dime to keep healthcare affordable for the American people. >> The bill now heads to the Senate where it is expected that it will be amended and sent back to the House. The House of Representatives also passed today a trio appropriation bills to fund commerce, justice, science, interior, water, and energy departments through fiscal year 2026. Reporting from Washington, DC, Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. >> The Trump administration is withdrawing the United States from 66 international organizations and treaties. It includes more than 30 connected to the United Nations. Our Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has the details. >> The US is withdrawing from 66 international organizations, 31 of which are tied to the United Nations. The State Department says that these organizations are redundant, poorly run, or captured by foreign interests, and in some cases openly hostile to US policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement after the announcement, "From DEI mandates to gender equity campaigns to climate orthodoxy, many international organizations now serve a globalist project rooted in the discredited fantasy of the end of history. Among the UN linked groups the US is withdrawing from are the Peaceuilding Commission, the UN Democracy Fund, UN energy and UN women, as well as several legal and developmental bodies. Non-UN groups include climate and energy organizations like the 247 carbon-f free energy compact and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. But President Trump says that this isn't just about bureaucracy. It's about policy outcomes. Back in September, Trump accused the United Nations right in front of their faces of enabling illegal immigration into the US. In 2024, the UN budgeted $372 million in cash assistance to support an estimated $624,000 migrants journeying into the United States. The UN also provided food, shelter, transportation, and debit cards to illegal aliens. Can you believe that? On the way to infiltrate our southern border. Trump has also taken direct aim at global climate initiatives, many of which are tied to UN frameworks and energy compacts that the US is now leaving. >> I remember hearing about the carbon footprint and then President Obama would get into Air Force One, a massive Boeing 747. He talk about the carbon footprint. We must do something. Then he'd get in and he'd fly from Washington to Hawaii to play a round of golf. This comes less than a year after President Trump also withdrew the US from the UN Human Rights Council, which allows countries like China and Iran on the council despite their extensive human rights abuses. The administration says that this review is ongoing and more exits are possible. Reporting by Jack Bradley, NTD News. >> Internet and phone lines were cut across Iran soon after today's protests began. Meanwhile, fighting continues between Syria's government forces and US backed Kurdish forces in Syria. ND's Jason Perry has the Middle East update. >> Protesters in Iran on Thursday gathered around an Iranian flag and then began tearing it up. Protests were held across Iran, including in the capital after the country's exiled crown prince, Reza Path Lavi, called for mass demonstrations on Thursday and Friday. and he said based on their response, he'll announce the next call to action. However, internet and telephone lines in Iran were cut out immediately after the protest began. The US-based human rights activist news agency said at least 41 people have been killed during the demonstrations, while more than 2,000 others have been detained. And President Trump has threatened US intervention if Iran shoots peaceful protesters. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Arachtri on Thursday addressed the nationwide protests. An interpreter then translated his words into Arabic. >> We are ready for any situation. We do not want war, but we are ready for it. We are also ready for negotiations, but negotiations that are based on mutual interests and respect. Protests continued in Syria on Thursday as well. The demonstrators in a Kurdish controlled area of Syria accused the Syrian government of attacking innocent people. >> We are hoping that countries that stand for human rights will be aware of this crime, will stand against it, and prevent the continuation of this crime of the killing of innocent civilians. >> Each side has accused the other of deliberately targeting civilian neighborhoods. and the Syrian army launched new strikes against Kurdish forces in Aleppo on Thursday. The Syrian government has accused the Kurdish forces, which are backed by the United States, of using Kurdish controlled areas to launch attacks. In another development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Bulgarian diplomat Nicolay Maladinov. Maladinov has been chosen to serve as the director general for President Trump's Board of Peace, aimed at overseeing the peace process in Gaza. According to media reports, Maladinov assisted the US in negotiations for the 2020 Abraham Accords, in which multiple Arab countries normalize diplomatic ties with Israel. This comes as the Gaza peace plan brokered by President Trump approaches phase two, which includes the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of an international stabilization force. However, the body of one hostage still remains in the Gaza Strip and Israel says it must be returned before they move on to the second phase of the deal. Jason Perry, NTD News. Coming up, President Trump this week vowing to ban large institutional investors from buying more single family homes. What do Americans think of the move? Sam Wis was out in DC to hear from them. And what's being touted as the biggest change to nutrition policy ever. The health department releases a significantly revised food pyramid. Jason Blair has more on the new dietary guidelines when we come back. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. President Trump this week vowing to ban large institutional investors from buying more single family homes. This comes as his administration is renewing its focus on making housing more affordable. In a post on Truth Social, Trump says he'll call on Congress to codify his proposal. Add in quote, "People live in homes, not corporations." Wall Street firms like Blackstone and JP Morgan have been ramping up purchases of single family homes in recent years. Their involvement grew after the great recession of 2008 as foreclosures reached record levels. Institutional investors have a bigger presence in the southeast, controlling a sizable portion of the single family rental market in places like Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Tampa. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed measures that would limit such purchases, saying the practice is making it harder for ordinary Americans to buy homes. And how do everyday Americans feel about the proposal? Entities Sam Wong was out on the National Mall in DC to hear from the people. >> How are you feeling about the housing prices these days? >> Uh, well, I bought my house 20 years ago. Well, 25 years ago and for about $67,000 and nowadays it would probably be about $200,000. So, I think they're a little out of control. >> I don't know. I feel like it's it's difficult. Yeah. I mean, we're all college students, so it's difficult to say, but I feel like a lot of people are too pessimistic about it. >> Uh they're getting high getting high. I wish I would have bought in uh 20 years ago. It's the only real asset most Americans have. >> Well, we know that the prices are going up for a lot of people and we're fortunate because we own our own home. So, we're not really affected with the the rates right now. >> We bought at a good time, you know. I mean, back in the '9s when we bought our house, you know. >> Do you happen to own a home? >> I do not. >> You do not. And are you looking forward to owning one? >> Uh, possibly one day. I hope so. >> And how do you think the housing market is looking right now for you? >> Um, most of the homes around where I live in New York are way out of my price range. Um, so nothing's happening any like anytime soon. President Trump is talking about potentially banning uh large investors from buying uh single family homes. Do you think this is going to be beneficial for the country? What are your thoughts? >> Uh yeah, it will it will keep prices down. If you put big money into the home market where they can pretty much overpay pay 10% 20% over asking price, it's going to make it hard for your average man to bargain for a for a good home. >> Uh I think it's a good idea. like uh companies like I think it's Blackstone have been buying up homes for the last like 5 10 years. So it's kind of good that that's something that's getting thought of by our president now. >> I think it's much more important that we just build a lot more housing to generally drive down prices than like banning investors from investing in this asset. >> Trump is a businessman. So I think he he looks at more everything as a business and if he wants the bigger corporations out of families business like that then I think that's a good idea. >> Back in 2012 I worked I was in the title business the mortgage business and my job was to go out and get deeds for bulk sales where corporations were going out and buying all the homes in Detroit. Uh literally I would go out and get 75 foreclosure deeds a day and they would just buy them up like nothing. They could get them for a dollar. I think it's a great idea. Um, some of these young kids, you know, they're getting out of college and stuff. They're already in debt and it's tough to go get a home. Also, >> it's being touted as the biggest change to nutrition policy ever. Health Department officials say the new upside down food pyramid is putting Americans health first over lobbyists and big food. NTD correspondent Jason Blair has more. >> Who is hungry for a new food pyramid? The Department of Health and Human Services was hyping up an audience on Thursday in celebration of a big change in federal nutrition policy. >> Today, we are here to celebrate the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025 to 2030, the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in history. >> If you haven't noticed, American nutrition has had a rough last 50 years. This administration is focusing on standing with Americans, not big pharma or with big food. >> Getting away from the corporate interests. You know, we have a charge from President Trump. Do what's medically right and don't worry about the lobbyists. >> The new food pyramid calls for prioritizing protein, healthy fats, and vegetables, as well as limiting consumption of ultrarocessed food and added sugar. For too long, Americans were told to avoid protein, avoid healthy fats, rely on carbohydrates, and accept highly processed foods as unavoidable. Diets rich in vegetables and fruit reduce the risk of disease much more effectively than medical interventions or pharmaceutical interventions. Highly processed foods loaded with additives, added sugar, and excess salt damage health, and they should be avoided. My message is clear. eat real food. The new food pyramid has also been referred to as the upside down pyramid due to the shape now appearing flipped over, as well as protein and healthy fats now appearing at the wider top end, as well as protein recommendations being increased by 50 to 100% according to FDA Commissioner Marty McCary. The new guidelines will shape meals in public schools as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Reporting in Washington DC, Jason Blair, NTD News. >> New York State is expanding free child care. New York Governor Kathy Hokll and New York City Mayor Zoro Mdani announced the initiative today. >> And today, I'm proud to announce that New York State is paying the full cost to launch two care for the first time, universal daycare for two-year-olds as proposed by Mayor Mandani. We're not just paying for one year of the program. We don't usually go one year out in our budget, but just to let you know how serious we are, we're taking the unprecedented step to not just commit for the 2027 budget, which I'm working on right now, but also the following year as well to show you we're in this for the long haul. >> We will build on the city's existing 3K program and say no longer will a family in Flatbush be offered a seat, but have to find out that that seat is in Atoria. We will add seats in the neighborhoods where demand has not been met. >> This will be felt by expanded subsidies for tens of thousands of additional families. It will be felt when parents look at their bank accounts at the end of the year and see that they have saved more than $20,000 per child. >> For Mom Donnie, the announcement is a step toward fulfilling one of his primary campaign promises. According to Governor Hokll's office, the first year will focus on highnee areas selected by the city before expanding. New York will then work to expand access to universal prek statewide, aiming for the 2028 to 29th school year. Vocal is up for reelection this year. Coming up, the Senate today advanced a resolution to curb President Trump's ability to take further action against Venezuela without congressional approval. How did past presidents conduct strikes without congressional approval? Arling Richards breaks it down for us after the break. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. The Senate today advanced a resolution that could limit President Trump's ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela. NTD's Arlene Richards takes a look at how past presidents conducted military strikes without approval from Congress. >> The A's are 52, the nays are 47. The motion is agreed to. >> The Senate on Thursday narrowly advanced a Democrat-led resolution that could limit President Trump's authority to take further action in Venezuela. An approved amendment to the War Powers Resolution would require Trump to get congressional approval before striking Venezuela again. Trump's surprise attack on Saturday that resulted in the arrest of self-proclaimed leader Nicholas Maduro has come under significant scrutiny by mostly Democratic members of Congress. They have accused him of committing an act of war. >> This was not simply a counternarcotics operation. It was an act of war. This was a military action involving Delta Force, involving the army, apparently involving thousands of troops. Republicans have argued that the strike was justified. >> We are not at war. We do not have US armed forces in Venezuela and we are not occupying that country. This was one that did not require prior authorization by Congress. It just required notification. And all the administration officials did exactly what they were supposed to do on the timetable they were supposed to do it in. The War Powers Resolution was signed in 1973 to limit a president's ability to engage military forces without congressional approval. The current resolution requires >> the War Powers Act states that notification should be made to Congress within 48 hours following the initiation of hostilities. >> The resolution permits US forces to remain in the country for a maximum of 60 days. Trump invoked his constitutional authority as well as the War Powers Resolution. He claimed the strike was justified as self-defense due to Maduro's involvement in trafficking drugs to the United States. Since 1973, presidents on both sides have used their constitutional powers to conduct strikes on foreign countries without preapproval from Congress. In 1999, President Bill Clinton joined NATO forces in air strikes against the former Yugoslavia. The reason to address atrocities committed against Albanians in Kosovo. Clinton asserted his authority under the Constitution as well as the War Powers Resolution. Congress didn't declare war before the strike, nor did Clinton request their approval. US forces continued the attack for 79 days, but Congress didn't force a halt. Presidents don't always rely on the war powers resolution. After the September 11th attacks, Congress passed a resolution that allowed presidents to conduct military force on Afghanistan and Iraq without approval. But presidents have used this permission to take action beyond those countries. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama carried out strikes against terrorist groups in countries like Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan. and presidents consistently rely on their constitutional powers for new situations. Obama asserted his constitutional powers and relied on a UN resolution for his 2011 attacks on Libya. He didn't seek congressional approval and assured that US involvement would be limited in nature, duration, and scope. His aim was to help overthrow military leader Mar Gaddafi. US forces continued the strikes for seven months even though Congress voted against it continuing but Congress didn't stop the strikes after 60 days. Arlene Richards, NTD News. The US seized two Venezuela linked oil tankers on Wednesday. One with a painted Russian flag and the US Coast Guard had been chasing the vessel across the Atlantic since December. It was actually flanked by two Russian naval ships and a submarine. The other tanker was in the Caribbean. To explore the latest developments surrounding Venezuela, we're joined by retired US Navy Captain Armen Kurdian. He's also a foreign policy and national security analyst as well as a California state senate candidate. Arman, thank you so much for joining us. Always great to have you. Now, Homeland Security Secretary Christy Nome saying both ships were either last docked in Venezuela or on route to it. As a retired Navy cabinet, how are you viewing all of this? What's next for these vessels? Good afternoon, Tiffany. A properly behaving oil tanker that is shipping oil between countries doesn't ship sanctioned oil. It doesn't turn off its transponder. It doesn't uh report false positions. It doesn't put on a false flag and it doesn't try to hide itself as it's in transit. These tankers have been doing all this and there are dozens of tankers all over the world that have been doing this and enabling a lot of these countries to flaunt uh global sanctions against uh their particular countries. So these actions are lawful actions. In fact, uh in the seizure of the the Bella 1, I believe, which was north of the British Isles, the British government uh was actually supporting that action uh by detecting and monitoring and providing uh situational awareness to uh the American forces and the Coast Guard that boarded the ship and and seized it. So I I think these Donald Trump has basically said, "Look, we're not just going to play this game anymore. If these are really sanctioned vessels and they're carrying illegal oil, then we are going to stop them in the high seas. So, he has really upped the game in the sense and it has put a major strangle hold on these countries and their ability to sell oil even at a discount price. >> And when it comes to Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Venezuela can't turn into the operating hub for Iran, Russia, Hezbollah, China or Cuba. Talk to us about the influence these countries have had in Venezuela and how big of a blow this will be to those countries if Venezuela severs those ties. Well, China despite its massive economy is not rich in mineral resources for fossil fuels and they have to buy it from from other countries similar to Japan. Uh China has at one point of Venezuela's illicit oil uh a lot of times at about a 10 to 12% discount on the global market. Uh right now that oil uh you know about $60 a barrel uh is you know they would sell it for 503. It's very hard to make money on that because that oil also requires a lot of refining capacity. So China's basically been able to prop up Venezuela's economy through these cheap oil purchases. uh excuse me uh Iran uh and China have also engaged with uh Venezuela in uh in trying to flaunt the US sanctions through barter systems. So when you can't use a US dollar if you're barred from using a dollar or you're physically physical barrier so to speak through the banking system you can't use petro dollars you have to engage in barders. So Iran has given Venezuela technology, joint technology, a military uh kind of work. Uh and the same thing uh with Russia uh providing Russia with oil, Russia providing uh Venezuela with uh you know additional expertise uh a barter system. They've been trying to circumvent a lot of sanctions. So uh these four countries are aligned simply because they don't like the United States. uh and taking Venezuela out of that uh puzzle uh is going to do uh it's actually going to hurt China quite a bit. Uh but I know China is not necessarily on the same level as Iran or Russia in terms of global bad actors, but they are certainly a a global competitor to the United States. >> And expanding on that, the Chinese regime has funded multiple projects across Venezuela from energy to telecoms as well as massive loans. Venezuela officially signed onto China's global infrastructure project known as the Bel and Road Initiative in 2018. What do the moves by the US in Venezuela mean for China's influence in the region? >> Well, China's been doing this all over the world with their belt and road initiatives. A lot of times they just loan the countries this money themselves. Hey, I'll loan you the money to do this. And then the the countries can't pay them back and then suddenly China owns the entire port facility or the refining facility and as a way to stick their claws into someone else's uh someone else's government. Uh that is something that the United States is is very very concerned about. We don't want that happening uh in our backyard. And that's why uh Donald Trump went into uh Venezuela and picked up Maduro for law enforcement for a lot of his drug connections. But at the same time uh with the hope that they can compel Venezuela to change its behavior through gentle coercion shall we say uh you know the president says he's going to run we're going to run the country well not the day-to-day operations but if we can tell them look you know get rid of Russian and Iranian and Chinese influence and let the United States in you know the free markets uh your economy used to be the four world's fourth largest uh per capita GDP back in the 1950s they are now so far down the totem pole. They're right behind Cuba and Haiti. Uh an 88% drop in their GDP uh over the last few decades. Uh their people are impoverished. They can't buy food. Uh they can't they can't work. Uh and it's time to uh for for Venezuela to realize the benefits of capitalism and eliminate the uh the scourge of socialism. And Armen, there is a refocus by Washington onto the Western Hemisphere on enforcing the Monroe Doctrine or as Trump is suggesting the Donro doctrine. Talk to us about what you're watching for though in this hemisphere. Could Chinese influence be completely pushed out or displaced? >> I don't know if it'll be completely pushed out, but hopefully it'll be somewhat displaced. The uh Donroe doctrine is the conglomeration of America first policy with the uh with the Monroe doctrine saying look uh we don't want to get involved in foreign wars but uh we see that changing Venezuela's behavior and influencing them internally is a benefit to the United States and will help us kind of going forward. Uh you know early on we talked about you know the strikes on the boats and whether he would engage in military strikes within uh the country. Well, this is this is a military strike and retrieval of of Maduro. Uh, and there's a lot of questions as to whether it was a legal action, non-legal action. uh and I think those are fair questions to ask but at the same time you can't uh you can't simply over overestimate or over emphasize the significance of the action success of it and the the effect it's had on a lot of the leaders uh within Central and South America especially in Colombia right there next door where a lot of those drugs are actually manufactured. So uh a lot uh is to be seen as to how Venezuela behave. If they do change their behavior uh and they stop uh using American citizens as pawns and imprisoning them for this that or the other thing uh then uh that attitude might change throughout the rest of the country and South America. >> A lot to watch for for sure. Armen Kurtian as always thank you so much for joining us. >> Thanks so much Tiffany. Coming up in college football, it's a case yet to be tried in court. Can a team force a player to play out their contract? Dave Martin joins us to discuss when we return. And now for your sports news by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, plenty going on. We have NBA news as well as college football. But let's start in the NFL as Black Monday has continued all the way to Thursday now with the Miami Dolphins becoming the latest team to fire their head coach Mike McDaniel. Was this move expected? >> You know, early in the season it probably was. The Dolphins lost six of their first seven games, and that was after missed the playoffs the previous year. But then they actually rebounded to finish a respectable seven and 10. So it was maybe 50/50 there at the end of the season. But there was some question about whether they need to start over at quarterback next season. Now their Pro Bowl quarterback Tua Tonga was benched for the final three games of this season in favor of rookie Quinn Urs. And if you start over at quarterback, that can signal really a full rebuild of the team. And plenty of times they do that with a new head coach as well. In any case, Mike McDaniel had really had a decent run there. four seasons, went 35 and 33 with two playoff appearances. With his firing, there's now eight NFL teams looking for a new head coach. There actually could be a few more or at least maybe one more possibly depending on how the first round of the playoffs goes this weekend. So, we could be looking at yet another Black Monday next week. Tiff, I'll I'll let you know in case that happens, though. Right. I >> mean, we even had a secretary of state Marco Rubio weigh again. >> Yeah. You know, I mean, once once once those memes get started, they really just keep going. He could be Miami's head coach. He could be the political leader of Venezuela. Who knows at this point? As long as he keeps sitting on that couch with that f look like that, he's definitely a candidate for a lot of jobs coming up in the world. >> He already has a lot of jobs. >> Poor guy. >> Anyways, >> you know, his just an FYI, Tiff, his son is a football player for the University of Florida. You knew that, right? >> Yeah, I told you about You told me about that, right? She tells me. Yes, >> it was new. The one time I knew something Dave didn't sports related. Uh, looking at NBA news though, the Atlanta Hawks have reportedly traded All-Star guard Trey Young to Washington. >> Yeah, Washington got a good one. Young led the NBA in assists last season. He's always among the league leaders in assists. He's also always among the league leaders in points per game as well. I mean, he averages 25 a game for his career. Now, he's only played 10 games this season. That's because of a sprained MCL. He suffered earlier this year. But anyway, in this reported trade, anyway, the Hawks would get CJ McCullen and Cory Kispert from the Wizards. That's according to multiple outlets. Of course, why a 27year-old four-time all-star is being traded in the first place is kind of unclear. I mean, maybe it's more of a salary dump. Uh, Young makes $45 million this season. He has a player option for next season at 49 million. His hawks meanwhile currently are 18 and 21. That is good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. I don't want to speculate too much here, Tiff, but I'm a little surprised they're play they're trading such a good player in a not such a block not not so much of a blockbuster trade here. That's just my opinion though. So maybe something comes out that they they don't think he's very good or something. But I thought he was a very good player, but maybe I wouldn't make a very good general manager. Who knows? I was going to ask because it sounds like a lot of money, but is it not that much money? >> No, it's a lot of money, but I mean the highest I think is Jaylen Brown. He's at about 60 million. So, it's still up there. You know, $95 million over two years is still a lot. But, I mean, he's an all-star player. So, you know, plus the NBA is flush with cash, it seems. You say maybe not as much as the NFL, but they are definitely up there. So, >> they're rolling in dome. >> Yeah. But but unfortunately they don't really have a true salary cap, but the higher you get, the more restrictions they put on you. So it's kind of a soft salary cap, they call it. So maybe you're right. Maybe it is a salary. >> All right. Well, shifting gears to college football, the agent for former Washington Huskies quarterback Dean Williams announced today that he is dropping Williams as a client due to philosophical differences. What's going on here? >> Probably a lot more than we know. I'll say that. Here's what we think we know anyway. Now, Demon Williams is a very good quarterback who threw more than 3,000 yards this season for Washington. 25 touchdowns versus just eight interceptions while completing nearly 70% of his passes this season. That we do know. All very good numbers. Now, what we also know is that 2 days ago on January 6th, he announced that he would be entering the transfer portal, saying, quote, "I have to do what is best for me and my future." He made that announcement on social media. Reportedly though, that happened just days after he had agreed to a contract worth about somewhere around $4 million reportedly to play for them next season. This is according to ESPN. Now, if all that is accurate, of course, it could bring up a legal case where a school may actually try to enforce a signed contract with one of their student athletes or maybe you could say ex student athletes in this case. We really have not seen that that that yet. I mean, there really are not a lot of rules being enforced these days around college athletics. Now, of course, if I was NCAA president, Tiff, I would actually enforce contracts both ways between the school and the player, among other changes I would make. I didn't even go on my full rant last night when we were talking about how college sports have become kind of the wild wild west. But, you know, I send the NCAA all these, you know, suggestions. They never ever get back to me. But so if I were NCAA president, this is one of the things that I wouldn't do. You know, >> we'll start a a list behind you so people can keep track. >> Yeah, I'm sure the NC will be calling someday, I'm sure. >> Oh, you never know. Meanwhile, >> with my dream of being a general manager as well. Okay. >> So that you'll be rolling in dome. >> That's true. I will. That would be a nice thing. I think make they make like a seven figure salary, so that's not bad either. We'll see if they call up with a philosophical differences >> probably. So, >> uh on the field though, the playoffs start tonight with Miss playing Miami in the semi-finals. Who is the favorite here? >> Yeah, Hurricanes are generally listed as about a threepoint favorite tonight. It's a little actually surprising to me. I mean, they barely made it into the playoffs in the first place, the 10-2 record. Meanwhile, Miss, they got a better record and they are from the s the vaunted SEC, I should say. Of course, Miss's coaching situation or really assistant coach a coach assistant coaching situation is a little bit unsettled right now. Maybe that's the difference here. Of course, we had former old co former Old Miss coach Lane Kein left for LSU right as a regular season ended before the playoffs started. He took a bunch of his assistants with them to LSU. LSU though is letting some of those assistants come back for Old Miss again. This is our third game in the playoffs to uh to coach. Of course, if if they didn't allow them, it would look very bad. It's very tough to all of a sudden change out, especially your offensive coordinator just in time for the playoffs. That's very terrible timing. Meanwhile, Miami defense, they've been very stout. Certainly ask, you know, Ohio State or Texas and whom who they beaten already. Now, tonight's game starts at 7:30 Eastern time. The winner faces uh the winner of the Indiana Oregon semi-final game, which is Friday night. So, we got playoffs tonight and tomorrow. So, I know you're looking forward to that as I am, too. >> Lot of results to watch for. >> Yes, for sure. >> Well, Davis always, thanks for joining us. >> Thank you, Tiff. >> And that's all for today's news. For roundtheclock coverage, visit us at ntd.com/live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Good night.