Trump Account: $500K by Retirement; Oz vs. Newsom on Fraud | NTD Newsroom (Jan. 28)

Welcome to NTD Newsroom. I'm Don Ma. As tax season begins, President Trump launches Trump Accounts, the new savings program aimed at helping families build long-term wealth for their children. We have the latest on a high-profile summit in the nation's capital. President Trump warning Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry that he is playing with fire and the FBI is investigating chat groups that protesters in Minnesota have been using to coordinate activities. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz promising to investigate alleged welfare fraud in California. Governor Gavin Newsom reacts. Marco Rubio tells Senators the Venezuelan regime is open to cooperating to counter the influence of China, Russia, and Iran in the South American nation. President Trump repeated his demand that Iran come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons. The President said if not, the next U.S. attack would be far worse. Lawmakers, human rights groups, and UK-based Hong Kongers have their eyes on China as the Prime Minister makes a visit to Beijing. We asked a representative for the British Hong Kongers community what it means for them. Amazon is cutting 16,000 jobs in its second round of layoffs in three months. What's behind the cuts? This is NTD Newsroom, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Good afternoon and thank you for joining us today. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate on the U.S. involvement in Venezuela. Lawmakers also pressed the National Security Advisor on several crises around the world. Our Washington correspondent Luis Eduardo Martinez has the details. I certainly agree with the chairman in terms of his comments relative to Nicolas Maduro. He was bad for Venezuela, he was bad for the region, and he was bad for the United States. President Trump's actions against narco-terrorists and his capture of Maduro have made America safer. Every American should be thanking Donald Trump and Marco Rubio for what they have done. Democrat and Republican senators applauded the Trump administration's execution of Operation Absolute Resolve, which resulted in the capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. For the first time in 20 years, we are having serious conversations about eroding and eliminating the Iranian presence, the Chinese influence, the Russian presence as well. Secretary Rubio outlined a process of political stabilization that would culminate in the transition to put to an end the regime in Venezuela and restore democracy. We are dealing with people over there that have spent most of their lives living in a gangster paradise. And we are certainly better off today in Venezuela than we were four weeks ago. And I think and hope and expect that we'll be better off in three months, in six months, in nine months than we would have been had Maduro still been there. Senators also press Secretary Rubio on the Trump administration's stance towards NATO. And I'm asking you to do everything you can to reinforce our commitment to NATO. NATO needs to be reimagined as well in terms of the obligations. And this is not new to this president. Multiple presidents have complained about it. I think this president just complains about it louder than other presidents. And one of the things we've explained to our to our allies in NATO is the United States is not simply focused on Europe. We also have defense needs in the Western Hemisphere. We have defense needs in the Indo-Pacific. Secretary Rubio warned the Iranian regime against future crackdowns against protesters and urged the regime to commit to political and economic reform. The protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future because this regime, unless they are willing to change and or leave, have no way of addressing the legitimate and consistent complaints of the people of Iran who deserve better. It is important to note that after Operation Absolute was solved, crucial Venezuelan oil shipments to the communist Cuban regime have stopped. And after the Trump administration applied pressure on the Mexican government, Mexican oil shipments have been canceled to the communist Cuban regime as well. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson says more than half a million families have signed up for the Trump administration's investment accounts in recent days. Besson's comments come as the administration promotes the initiative created this year under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. From an early age, our citizens will be able to observe the benefits of free markets in real time. And it's all thanks to President Trump. Trump accounts are a generational down payment on the American dream. They are the culmination of more than two centuries of capitalism and financial markets changing the world. And they are the key to unlocking the next 250 years of our national prosperity. By giving each newborn citizen a material stake in the American dream through Trump accounts, President Trump is mending future investors on every rung of the economic ladder. He is embedding. There's an investor. He is embedding financial literacy in the next generation, and he's creating an ownership economy to help secure the American experiment for the next century, the next 250 years. The Treasury will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for all children born between 2025 and 2028. The initiative has drawn wide support so far. In December, billionaire investor Ray Dalio announced he would help fund Trump accounts for certain children in Connecticut. Michael and Susan Dell have contributed over $6 billion. Today, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America announced they will match $1,000 contributions to Trump accounts for eligible children of employees. Companies like BlackRock, Charter Communications, Uber, Visa, and MasterCard have also pledged support. Besson said there will be additional contributions from private investors, which will be announced later today. Meanwhile, during the summit, President Trump noted that Visa will have a mechanism that allows cardholders to put their credit card rewards into Trump accounts. At Trump account summit, Washington correspondent Mari Otsu talked with Canadian investor and entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary on his opinion on the Trump accounts for kids. years. And so it's a way of supporting every family, not just the child, because many families are burdened by the cost of education of their children once they turn 18. Now you've got a nest egg growing here and you can contribute to this thing every year and others like your employer can too. What I love about this is if you're the employer, you don't just invest in the employee, invest in their family. It's a great idea. It's bipartisan. It's just plain good all around. And so you have praised private matching like with the Dells and how can more CEOs and more corporations turn Trump accounts into maybe a scalable business or an employee tool for retention and financial literacy more broadly? Well, Dell's gone beyond the call of duty because he's providing it to every child that might have been born pre this period, and he's contributing over $6 billion. He's sort of leading the way corporately as an example, and I think it's fantastic what he's done. I really think that this is how a country heals itself. When it's broken and when Social Security is being questioned and the future of it being questioned, this is a pivot towards a different way of solving the problem, which makes so much sense. Most people understand the merit of this, even if they don't understand the inner workings of the market. You don't need to understand the inner workings. You just know that it's working for you. And that's 110 million people that don't have any plan for their future in America. What do you think is the relationship right now between hope and a sense of future that maybe young people are missing? I think people are concerned because there's so much change around the world. That's always been the case. The key to this is to create an anchor, a base, something that you know is yours as you're growing. And I think it's great for financial literacy because kids are going to start checking the value of their account on their phone as soon as they hit 11 to 12 years old. And that helps them understand, wow, this is my money, and one day I can use this to start my own family. There's nothing wrong with this idea. I can't find a single problem with it. So what do you say, lastly, to those critics? How do you counter claims that the Trump accounts privatized Social Security to widen inequality? I wish we could privatize Social Security. I wish we would take it off the back of the government and put some of it on the individual. And that's exactly what's happening here. Thank you so much. President Trump wrapped up his remarks at the Treasury Department summit launching the new Trump accounts. Treasury Secretary Scott Besen is speaking now. Let's take a look. President Trump recognized the shortcoming of this idea while also grasping its promise. So he set out to perfect it. Working with some of the most talented businessmen in the country, including Brad Gerstner and Michael Dell, he pioneered Trump accounts, investment accounts that newborn Americans can receive on day one. Trump accounts allow for private ownership, multiple funding pathways and direct investment across a broad swath of the American economy. Where President Trump's predecessors created debt and dependency, President Trump always insists every day on creating assets and expanding ownership to the American people. This is a signature characteristic of his presidency. With Trump accounts, every American child born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028 is eligible to receive a thousand dollar seed contribution from the Treasury Department that will immediately be invested in an index fund. To claim this investment, most families need merely check a box on form 4547, the most aptly named tax document of all time. We are just three days into the 2026 tax filing season, and already approximately 600,000 American families have elected to open a Trump account for their children. The compound growth from Treasury's initial seed funding alone stands to make young Americans wealthy. Assuming historical growth rates continue, a single thousand dollar deposit into a Trump account at birth should grow to an estimated amount of at least half a million dollars by the age of retirement. The thousand dollar seed from Treasury is exclusive to newborns, but keep in mind that any American below the age of 18 is also eligible to receive a tax-advantaged Trump account to begin saving for the future. Philanthropists, family, friends, employers, and states can backfill Trump accounts for these children to help them build a strong financial foundation before graduating from high school. Our objective is to provide every American child with a Trump account, and the men and women in this audience will help make that possible. In addition to the thousand dollar seed from Treasury, there are three other channels for funding Trump accounts. First, through the donations of parents, friends, and employers. Second, through the generous donations of wealthy Americans and philanthropic organizations. And third, through donations from state governments. President Trump wanted to make it especially easy for family, friends, and employers to give to Trump accounts, and he has succeeded in that goal. Donations to a Trump account will soon be the best gift a child could ever receive. Starting July 4th, our nation's 250th anniversary, family, friends, and employers will be able to contribute up to $5,000 to each Trump account each year. By contributing the maximum amount annually, the Council of Economic Advisers estimates that a child's Trump account could be worth more than a million dollars at age 28 and tens of millions by the age of retirement. Donations from employers are essential to bringing the president's vision to life. Already, we have seen a large number of U.S. businesses across a wide range of industries step up to support Trump accounts. Companies like Charles Schwab, Uber, Charter Communications, Bank of New York Mellon, State Street, MasterCard, Visa, Block, Robinhood, SoFi, Chime, Russell Investments, and Dell Technologies have all announced they will match employee contributions to Trump accounts in a variety of forms that work best for the employees. And just today, Steak and Shake, Broadcom, Intel, IBM, JPMorgan, Chipotle, Coinbase, and Comcast all announced that they will offer matching contributions as well. The president foresees a day where matching contributions to Trump accounts will be as integral to an employee benefits package as a matching 401k. Through Trump accounts, our president is putting the American dream within the reach of every citizen no matter the circumstances at birth. When young Americans turn 18, they can use their Trump accounts to keep saving for their retirement, or they can use them to help purchase a new home or further their education. Two hallmarks of the American dream. And you're watching now, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Besant speaking in Washington about the Trump account saying that around 600,000 American families have already opted in for a Trump account. And according to his estimate, it's set to grow to half a million dollars by retirement age. And he says it's the best gift for a child that he can receive. And joining us to discuss this further is Tim Docher, Executive Director of Unleashed Prosperity, and Michael Bossler, Professor of Finance, Stockton University. So first of all, good afternoon to you both. Tim, I'd like to start with you. So having heard what Secretary of Treasury Scott Besant said just now and what President Trump has said earlier today, what is your feeling about Trump accounts? Well, as you've been seeing all morning, and by the way, I was at the event earlier before the President spoke and as the President was speaking, and you see these families in there, a lot of kids joining, and you start to think about what is the real thing happening here? And the real thing happening here is we're changing the conversation in Washington, D.C. to away from Social Security, this tired, broken system that has been pillaged and taken from and not a reliable form of retirement from this generation coming up. And we're putting it in the hands of parents and children for their future. Like you said, even if you did nothing with this money, by age 55, you're going to have $200,000 waiting for you. That's an estimate, of course. And that right there is a better return than anything that the government could make. And President Trump made that point today. And so I think this really is an incredible opportunity for parents to take control, to have a leg up in not only just providing money and financing, but to be able to talk to their kids about the greatest force in the universe, according to Ben Franklin, and that's compound interest. What a cool opportunity. All right, Michael, what do you think? I agree with Tim completely. This is absolutely marvelous. And I'll tell you, some of the long-term benefits, so many of the young today are starting to question capitalism. They're starting to look at socialism. We see in some cities, even like New York, socialists are being elected into mayor and a lot of people are starting to look to have the government take care of them. What this does, it puts at least $1,000 at birth, and the money keeps growing. It's invested typically in a mutual fund or ETF, and it will continue to grow. And then children, as they're growing up, as soon as they're old enough to use their smartphone, which I think is relatively young now, they're going to take a look and say, I'm part of the system now. I own shares in these companies. This is not just a difference between capital and labor. We've kind of bridged the gap here. Eventually these kids will start working, but they'll have investments in corporations. So when the economy grows and these companies say our earnings are going up, everybody's going to say, hey, well, hey, that benefits me. My account's going up too. I see the value of capitalism. I see how capital grows, the importance of compounding. And every time my grandparents or relatives want to give me a $50 gift card for my birthday, I'll just say, put it into my account here, these Trump accounts, and the money will grow. This is a monumental, massive, positive impact on the youth that will end up helping the economy grow going forward and helping young people really understand how the economy works. This is marvelous. Okay, so Tim, you made a great point about compound interest being a great force. So there is a $5,000 cap on yearly investments across all accounts. Do you think these rules ensure that all families are given a fair shot at maximizing benefits? I think that that's what they could get at the time. Obviously, it would be great to have no cap, but of course, that was not the size of the one big, beautiful bill to allow it. So I think it's a great start. I mean, in IRA, you're looking at probably $7,000 max contribution per year. So you're not too far behind with the Trump accounts. But this really is something, I just wanted to pivot. Think about what this actually says. This teaches children that American companies are worth investing in. It's not sending part of your paycheck to the government who will then dole it out when you reach a certain age and you're not exactly sure how they got to that number and it's really confusing. What you're doing is you're teaching kids that the best investment that you can make is in the American entrepreneurial ingenuity and that spirit that has made us the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. This has really become such an inspiring thing. And look, not everybody's going to teach their kids this. Not everybody's going to teach their kids that what's happening to their money. But the parents who do do that, who would not have done it had this not been there, is going to be a transformative thing. It's going to inspire young kids to be entrepreneurs, to look at the world differently. I wish I had this when I was a kid. I really do because it would have helped me conceptualize something super complex because now I have an ownership stake in it and I better be responsible for that. So Michael, what do you think of Tim's point that do you think these accounts will help positively promote and incentivize financial planning or wealth building for more families? It'll benefit everybody. And one thing that is a unique feature of this, what you could say, people could say, look, I can put money into an IRA. However, you have to have earned income. So if you earned over $7,000, you can take $7,000 per year and put it into a retirement account. These kids don't have to earn any income. So money can go into there whenever anybody wants to make a gift. A kid starts working as a teenager, he's making a few dollars, he starts putting some of that into there. And he understands that when instead of going out and spending their money on something foolish, they're going to take that money, put it into the account and they know it's going to grow. So I think it's a huge benefit to all Americans. And as Tim said, if you're a little worried about what's happening with the social security system, isn't going to have any money. When I get there, I've been telling my students for years, I wouldn't count on social security when you retire. I would plan on something else. If there's money there, that's great. If it turns out there's not so much money there, you've taken care of it yourself. Well, here, somebody can start at birth, putting money away. When they turn 18, they may be able to use it for a number of different things. If they don't, and they just leave it in there and keep adding to it, by the time they're retirement age, there could be millions of dollars in there. A lot of people say, well, I don't want to work. I hear a lot of my students say, I don't want to work until I'm 65. I want to retire at 40. Well, that's great. But financially, it's difficult to do. But if you start putting money into an account like this and don't touch it and let it grow through compounding and adding more in, you'll be able to retire when you decide, not when the federal government tells you it's time to retire. And you'll be able to retire a millionaire. You literally will retire a millionaire. It's an incredible thing to tell your kids. You want to be a millionaire? This is what you have to do. Do it. So, Tim, Michael brought up a great point. So I want to ask you, how do Trump accounts compare to existing plans, for example, 529 plans? Well, look, I think that what they did was that you actually can put this toward education. You actually can do this. And basically, the 529 is an account the parent sets up for the kid that follows them when they are college age. And I think that they've actually adjusted the law or they're trying to adjust the law so you can actually spend some of that money before they get college age. That would be a great thing, actually. But this isn't dedicated solely on going to college or on education. This is a savings account. This is an account that you can have control over and dominion over to start a business or to continue to invest in. It really is a different thing from the 529, which focuses on education. Okay, Tim, Michael, what are your thoughts on this opt-in structure versus automatic enrollment? Because sometimes when it's opt-in, maybe some Americans will miss enrollment. Well, what opt-in does, it puts the responsibility on you. The prior administration in particular has been trying to shift away from individual responsibility and towards social responsibility. Don't worry, the government will take care of you. Well, the government's not going to take care of you and I wouldn't rely on it. Anyway, this says you're responsible for your own account here. And if you decide you want to sacrifice a little now and put more money in so that you have more when you're 18, this will do that for you. A lot of high school graduates today are starting to question the value of a college education. I think that may be a mistake, but nonetheless, they're questioning the value of a college education. So here will be something, you'll have money saved up. Well, I don't want to go to college. You know what? Maybe I can start my own business. I have an idea for something. I see something else that's working. All I need is a little bit of capital. Well, here you go. You have a little bit of capital. It gives people more options and more opportunities. And they know that they have individual responsibility. And when they end up taking the money and using it, they'll have earned the rewards themselves. Great feeling of self-worth. And that's what the U.S. economy is based on. Individuals taking chances and individuals succeeding and individuals as a result of the investment and the chances that they made. This is monumental. Okay, Tim, I'll end with you if you have any additional thoughts you have right now. Well, what I want to say is that I'm expecting, we are expecting our first child June 1st. So this will be a Trump account baby. And my wife and I have spent significant time. The reason why I continue to harp on this notion of changing the narrative is that now we have something to point to instead of, you know, the government is terrible at whatever. Well, the government has realized now under Trump that prosperity does not start with government. Prosperity starts with American ingenuity, which is represented in index accounts all across the stock market. And that is something that our little girl is going to be able to benefit from. And believe it or not, or not, believe it or not, she will understand what that account means for her. And we hope that she chooses the best for it. Well, Tim, I got to congratulate you on your upcoming child. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you both for speaking to us about this topic today. Really appreciate it. Thank you. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady after announcing its policy decision today, a pause that investors believe could extend it through the spring. Fed Chair Jerome Powell discussed the potential for a future rate cut. There was broad support on the committee for holding today. Broad, I would say, including among non-voters. So that's where that was. Of course, some people did want to cut and dissented, but committee pretty broadly for holding today. We're not trying to articulate, you know, a test for when to next cut or whether to cut at the next meeting. You know, what we're saying is, we're well positioned as we make decisions meeting by meeting, looking at the incoming data, evolving outlook and all that. And, you know, we're in a position where, you know, we have to-we still have some tension between employment and inflation, but it's less than it was. I think that the upside risks to inflation and the downside risks to employment have probably both diminished a bit. So, you know, we'll be looking at that. It's about how you weigh the risks to the two goals and how big those-and quantify them. And so there are different views on the committee and, you know, we'll find our way forward as the data evolve. Recent economic data shows continued resilience. The unemployment rate fell to 4.4% in December, even as job growth slowed. Inflation remains elevated, with economists expecting the Fed's preferred inflation gauge to come in at about 3% year over year. That's above the central bank's 2% target. Some analysts say stronger consumer spending and supportive fiscal policy have reduced the urgency for additional rate cuts. President Trump has called for sharper rate cuts. Trump also commented on the status of the U.S. dollar yesterday, saying it's doing great. President Trump warning Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Pryor that he is playing with fire. This after the Democratic mayor commented on federal immigration enforcement operations in his city. In a post on X yesterday, the mayor said, quote, Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe. This came after he met with Border Czar Tom Homan, who is in Minnesota, to oversee ICE operations. The mayor added he wanted to see the federal operation end. In a post on Truth Social today, Trump responded, saying, quote, Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the law and that he is playing with fire? Trump said the comment from the mayor is surprising and came despite a good conversation with him earlier. The mayor reacted to Trump's post today, saying the job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce immigration laws. FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau is investigating signal chat groups that protesters in Minnesota have been using to coordinate activities. He says they're looking for anything illegal that might be going on. Here's more on that. The FBI is investigating groups allegedly organizing anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis. Director Kash Patel said the bureau is examining whether protest activity in Minneapolis has violated federal law. Patel said the investigation was prompted by reports that rioters were organizing activities through groups on the encrypted messaging app Signal. Speaking on Fox News yesterday, Patel said he was made aware of an influencer's reporting who said he infiltrated a signal group used by rioters and protesters. The signal chat group is information we collect from the public because we repeatedly request the public provide us with information they have. Patel suggested there was a possibility these chats were being coordinated by people around the country, not just in Minnesota. These groups have been allegedly sharing information about ICE agents' movements. Patel said the FBI is looking into whether anyone in them has been inciting violence. We are not going after people and infringing on their freedom of speech to peacefully protest. We are definitely not going after people in their Second Amendment rights to bear arms. Only if you incite violence and or threaten to do harm to law enforcement officials and break the law in any other way does it become an investigatory matter. So this signal chat is something that we, the FBI, are looking at and spearheading. The investigation comes as federal authorities are investigating shootings by ICE officers in Minnesota. Speaking to Fox News, Patel urged the public not to be swayed by media narratives. Do not let the media cement a false narrative. Let these investigations run its course. Let us do our job with our interagency and state and local partners, and let's all take a breath and calm down the situation. The FBI also says federal authorities have arrested four people over the alleged theft of sensitive information from government vehicles earlier this month. The documents were allegedly stolen when protesters and agents clashed after an ICE officer shot a man in the leg. In a post on social media, one person claimed the documents contained the full names of FBI agents, phone numbers, and emails, as well as maps on where they are staying and where they are holding illegal immigrants. Patel warned earlier this week it is illegal for anyone to track and dox federal agents. In a post on X, he said the FBI is chasing down every last person responsible for attacking, impeding, or threatening federal law enforcement doing their jobs. A man has been arrested after spraying an unknown liquid at Congresswoman Ilhan Omar during a town hall meeting in Minneapolis. Audience members restrained the man before he was arrested. Omar's office said the Minnesota congresswoman was not injured, and she continued her town hall after the incident. Police say the man has been charged with third-degree assault. It happened after Omar called for Homeland Security Secretary Christine Ohm to resign, and for ICE to be dismantled. Yesterday's incident came on the same day the United States Capitol Police raised its threat assessment for members of Congress for the third year in a row. A Friday deadline to fund the federal government is drawing near. Senate Republicans are asking Democrats to clarify their expectations around the funding for the Department of Homeland Security to find a compromise. NTD's Daniel Monaghan reports The atmosphere on Capitol Hill yesterday was uncertain, as Democrats unite against funding the DHS. They are calling for reforms, though they haven't put forward a unified proposal on what those would look like. Last week, the House passed the $1.2 trillion spending package at issue. It would fund the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the DHS. The so-called mini-bus spending package seemed on track to pass the Senate until just a few days ago. That changed in the wake of the shooting of Alex Pretty, a protester carrying a firearm in Minneapolis, by Customs and Border Protection agents. Senate Democrats vowed to oppose the DHS component of the funding package in the incident's aftermath. Senate Leader John Thune called the death of I'm glad that the president is sending Tom Holman to Minnesota and I hope that his arrival will help restore order to the situation. Thune called for reflection on some of the rhetoric leading up to the incident. I also hope that recent tragedies have inspired some soul-searching among those who have participated in or encouraged abuse toward ICE officers and other law enforcement officers. On that note, Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner called ICE officers a small bunch of wannabe Nazis yesterday during a press conference. Krasner vowed that they would be hunted down like Nazis were for decades and brought to justice. White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt is calling such comparisons shameful and said they lead to increased tensions. Senator Chuck Schumer labeled ICE actions as abuses and criticized the administration. The Senate must not pass the DHS budget as currently written and must be reworked to rein in and overhaul ICE to ensure the public's safety. President Trump yesterday called for an investigation into the shooting incident and has expressed a desire to reduce tensions in Minnesota. Well, you know, I'm doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I'm going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself. The administration has withdrawn Greg Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol, overseeing operations in the Twin Cities, in favor of Border Czar Tom Homan. But Democrats are demanding legislative changes before they'll back any bill containing DHS funding. While no unified message has emerged, several Democratic senators suggested potential changes. Senator Chris Murphy mentioned an independent investigation into Pretty's death, ending what he called roving patrols and calling for more education and body cams. For now, Majority Leader Thune says Republicans plan to move forward with the spending bill as a single package, adding that leadership is prepared to pursue a plan B if that effort fails. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. California Governor Gavin Newsom clashing with CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. This comes after the Medicare and Medicaid chief alleged massive fraud in the Golden State. You've learned there's roughly three and a half billion dollars of fraud taking place here in Los Angeles in hospice and home care. It's run quite a bit of it by the Russian Armenian mafia. You notice the lettering and language behind me is of that dialect. In a series of videos posted this week, Dr. Oz alleged that organized crime rings in Los Angeles County set up fraudulent hospices without providing services. He said these groups then claim state benefits. The CMS chief called L.A. County an epicenter for health care fraud in America and promised the situation will change under President Trump. In a response posted yesterday, Newsom's office disputed the alleged fraud. They said the governor already banned all new hospices beginning in 2022 and revoked over 280 licenses. Dr. Oz also reacted to Newsom, writing, quote, Seems like you might need to double down on your efforts at home. We can get California back on track. That is what you want, isn't it? Here to help. Check your email. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Beijing today as he begins a three day tour in China. Starmer is traveling with more than 50 British business representatives. He is set to meet with Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Jiang. On Friday, Starmer will hold talks in Shanghai with local officials. The last meeting between a British prime minister and Xi took place in 2018 by then Prime Minister Theresa May. Starmer says before the visit that he can strengthen trade ties with China while not harming relations with the United States. We are resolute about being outward looking, about taking opportunities, building relationships, having confidence globally, but always being absolutely focused on our national interest. And it is in our national interest to engage with China. Relations between the UK and China have cooled for years due to concerns about security risks posed by the Chinese Communist Party. Those include Beijing's crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong, China's support for Russia in the Ukraine war, and allegations by British security services that China regularly spies on politicians and officials. Starmer's visit comes a week after his government approved plans for a mega Chinese embassy in London. The proposal has drawn controversy. Joining us now to discuss this Starmer's visit is Tomas Roberto, UK Head of Public Affairs and Advocacy for the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. Tomas, thank you for joining us today. So British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was previously a human rights lawyer. So with that in mind, what are your thoughts on the points that he should raise with Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping? Thank you. The first point he should raise and the main point he should push home is the barbaric imprisonment of British citizen Jimmy Lai. Jimmy Lai is imprisoned in Hong Kong. He spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement. He is imprisoned on baseless charges of sedition and section. Essentially, his background is that he set up a newspaper called the Apple Daily in Hong Kong. It was a free market newspaper that was critical of the Chinese Communist Party. The officials there and the Chinese Communist Party itself didn't like this, so they've imprisoned him. He supported previous protests in 2019 and 2020. So if there's anything that the Prime Minister can do in his visit and should do, it is free Jimmy Lai. He should come home as a hero and he should come home with Jimmy Lai. Of course, many are watching if the Prime Minister will actually bring up this point. But to you, why is it important to bring it up? He's a British citizen. If the Prime Minister doesn't bring this up, if the Prime Minister doesn't try and secure Jimmy's release, then a British passport is worthless. There needs to be some meaning behind being British. There needs to be some meaning behind the security that the British government provides its citizens and its subjects throughout the world. This is the perfect opportunity to do that. If the Prime Minister is going to China and he doesn't raise Jimmy's case, he doesn't try and secure his release, then it's just acquiescence for the Chinese. He's just going there with a begging bowl, looking for money, looking for trade deals, looking for economic development, which the Chinese won't be giving the United Kingdom. So he should be pressing as hard as he can for Jimmy's release as soon as possible. He's been in solitary confinement now since, I think, about 2020. It's time that he was brought home. Okay, so Tomas, if it comes to be that he was successful in getting Lai released, what message would that actually send to Chinese dissidents and Hong Kongers living in the UK right now? What's the message? That would be an enormously positive message. It would show that the British Prime Minister has Hong Kongers' backs, that he is willing to stand up to the second largest economy in the world, is willing to put their interests ahead of any trade deal that is dangled in front of him by the Chinese, that he is willing to raise these difficult issues, he's willing to have a foreign policy that has a conscience, and he is willing to put British interests, British national security interests and British values ahead of any trade deal that the Chinese claim that they may or may not give us. You know, I'm just wondering here, because the new Chinese embassy in London was approved right before this trip. I mean, does that help the Prime Minister with his negotiations? Or, you know, could it have been more useful to use as a bargaining chip to set out some ground rules with the Chinese regime? Absolutely. The British government should not have approved the Chinese embassy, the Chinese mega embassy prior to the visit. It's left the government sort of empty-handed in their negotiating tactics. This embassy poses a huge security risk to Britain and her allies. It's an enormous site. It's located within less than three feet from very sensitive data cables that connect the city of London to the rest of the world. And that's one of the world's largest financial districts. Security concerns have been raised by our allies, the United States, Netherlands, Sweden, and they've all raised security concerns over its embassy location. And on top of that, the embassy planning application had, it was unredacted. Sorry, it was redacted. So we couldn't see what the rooms in the embassy would be used for. There's a multi-story basement with 208 rooms that aren't disclosed for what their use would be. And I can leave it to your imagination, but the Chinese, if they're not willing to disclose the rooms, it could very well be a sort of a disco down there, but I don't think that would be the case. And one of these rooms runs directly parallel to the sensitive data cables that connect the city of London to the rest of the world. Tomas, if I may, just one more thing, I'd like to hear your thoughts on. Many other groups and organizations have written to the prime minister to address matters like Tibet, for example, and evidence of forced organ harvesting against practitioners of Falun Gong, Uyghurs. Your final thoughts on this, what do you think about that situation? I mean, it's horrific. China is running a series of, want for a better word, concentration camps in their country. They are sort of trying to eradicate the Uyghur culture in Zhejiang province. They are forced human organ harvesting of dissidents. Within the UK itself, they are carrying out transnational repression. So there was an incident in Manchester in 2022 when they pulled a Hong Konger called Bob Chan onto the grounds of their consulate there and physically beat him up. It just took a British police officer to go into the grounds and put him away, breaking the protocol. China is not a regime that can be trusted. It is not a regime that adheres to Western liberal democratic values. It is a regime that has a view of the world, and it is a view of the world that the West should very much be standing up against and one that we shouldn't be a part of. The regime is not to be trusted. Great having your comments today, Thomas. Thank you very much. President Trump today urged Iran to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons, or the next US attack would be far worse. In a Truth Social post, Trump said a massive armada of US naval forces is heading toward Iran, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships. The president says the fleet is moving with purpose and remains ready to fulfill its mission swiftly if needed. Trump repeated his longstanding demand that Iran agree to a deal that includes no nuclear weapons. The president says time is running out and that any attack will be far worse than Operation Midnight Hammer, which took out the country's nuclear capabilities. In addition to the president's comments on Iran, he also made strong predictions about the future of Cuba. Joining us to discuss this is John Suarez, executive director, Center for a Free Cuba. So, John, good afternoon to you. First of all, I have a clip here of President Trump talking about this subject. I just want you to take a quick listen. And Cuba will be failing pretty soon. Cuba is really a nation that's very close to failing. You know, they got their money from Venezuela. They got the oil from Venezuela. They're not getting that anymore. I mean, what do you make of Trump's comments here? Do you expect to see something like this happening soon? Well, I think when we talk about Cuba failing the regime in Havana, that means when they're no longer able to repress. The Cuban military has a cash reserve of $80 billion, and they have prioritized repression over every other opportunity to provide services to the Cuban people. There's no food. The infrastructure is collapsing. Water can't be delivered to homes. But they have an effective secret police state operating on the island. And they also have a military that's exporting mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. There are about 30,000 Cubans in Venezuela, which I believe one of the demands being made by the Trump administration to Delsa Rodriguez is for those Cubans to return home to Havana. Now, if the cutback in oil and also the cutback in drug trafficking, the presence of that armada of the United States and the Caribbean has also cut back in the trafficking of drugs, which has been another source of income for the regime, which Secretary Rubio in his written remarks delivered today to the United States Senate highlighted. With those two elements of resources taken away, I do believe that the situation for the dictatorship is growing existential. And the Trump administration has indicated that they're willing to negotiate. We don't know exactly what the terms are of that negotiation. But I think knowing Secretary Rubio and his commitment to a democratic transition and the commitment of the Trump administration, their national security document, that hostile regimes like the one in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua backed by Russia, Venezuela and Iran will no longer be tolerated. I think we are going to see regime change. Okay, so you brought up Secretary of State Marco Rubio's testimony today. I have a clip about that. So let's just listen to that as well. Will you make a public commitment today to rule out U.S. regime change in Cuba regime change? Yes. Oh, no. I think we would like to see the regime change. We would like this. That doesn't mean that we're going to make a change, but we would love to see a change. There's no doubt about the fact that it would be of great benefit to the United States if Cuba was no longer governed by an autocratic regime. Can you talk to us some more about what are the circumstances? How else might the Cuban regime fall? Well, I think it's important to highlight in his testimony, he mentioned that codified into U.S. law with the Helms-Burton Law, the Human Democracy Act, passed in February of 1996, following the February 24th, 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown. This is where Cuban MiGs in international airspace shot down two U.S. planes, killing three U.S. citizens and a U.S. resident in an act of state terrorism. And at the time, the Clinton administration, which had been trying to improve relations, had three options, do nothing, a military intervention, or toughen sanctions. And they went with toughening sanctions by codifying. And in that codification, it says that if you want to lift sanctions on Cuba, there have to be certain things done. Multiparty elections, legalizing multiparties, freeing all political prisoners, and a number of other basic things that would usher in a democratic transition. That is U.S. law. That is not something up to the president or Secretary of State Rubio to decide on. Even Barack Obama, during his fall, he could not completely lift U.S. sanctions. He could make it more flexible, he can improve things, but it would require the U.S. Congress to actually change the law to be able to remove sanctions, which is one of the elements that is making life difficult for the dictatorship today. All right, John, I have one more clip here of comedian Bill Maher, who hit on this issue as well. And this clip has been making the rounds. So I think it's worth it to just take a quick look. If he somehow gets Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran all to be not these horrible places they were, he should get a Nobel Peace Prize. You know, John, I think we can all agree that this issue is beyond politics. What needs to happen to bring more unity on this issue? Well, I think, I don't know if you'll get the Nobel Peace Prize, but I do know that if those three regimes undergo a transition away from the current hostile anti-American dictatorships, in the case of Iran, it's in the midst of a genocide against the Iranian people, which by the way, Cuba is an ally of the Iranian regime and has been supporting them diplomatically. There were votes at the U.N. condemning the killing. I think there's some estimates saying 30,000 Iranians killed in these protests over the last few weeks. Cuba is one of the small group of countries that back the mullahs in Iran and not the people out in the streets. And lastly, the left talks a lot about imperialism, but they don't mention that the Cuban dictatorship, which has made a leitmotif of anti-imperialism, has currently sent 25,000 Cuban troops to Russia, 6,000 to 7,000 presently in the field, fighting for Mr. Putin against his imperial war. They've sent 25,000 troops to fight in Ukraine for Mr. Putin in his imperial war to eliminate the self-determination of an entire people. And then at the same time, they complain about U.S. imperialism. They're hypocrites. John, for a moment, can we take an educated guess here? Give us your analysis on what reaction would we see inside Cuba if the U.S. did take some form of action? Well, you have the military elite and the communist hardliners that would be hostile. You have approximately 6.5 million other Cubans to 7 million Cubans that would be ecstatic to see change. They've taken to the streets. The response of the regime in 2021 and 2023 has been to violently repress. There's a video that came out in July of 2021 showing the Cuban military using live ammunition against unarmed protesters. So it's an unpopular regime that maintains power through terror. An intervention by the United States would most likely be greeted by the vast majority of the Cubans in a favorable light. Okay. What about outside of Cuba? What does it mean more broadly for the world and people worldwide if this communist regime falls? Well, Cuba is a symbol for international communism. They have been bringing in hundreds of thousands of young people to promote the communist ideology. They're viewed, and I think if we go back to 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed, Fidel Castro together with Lula da Silva created the São Paulo Forum, and the idea was to regain what was lost. He then also developed close ties with communist China, which had begun already in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre, which Havana supported. One of the few countries that actually came out and said they supported the massacre of students in Tiananmen. So that relationship, it'll definitely be very hot in terms of communist propaganda networks, and there'll be great hostility to the downfall of this communist regime that's been in power for 67 years. Okay, John, that's all the time we have today. Really appreciate you coming on. Thank you. Thank you. The U.S. continues efforts to end the fighting between Russia and Ukraine. Both President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are praising the ongoing progress. NTD's international correspondent Ariane Pasdar has more. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted this video on Exxon Wednesday, praising post-war recovery plans that are being developed with the U.S. Zelensky says work with the American side is progressing actively. I thank the envoys of the President of the United States for their constructive approach in the negotiations. Just on Tuesday, President Trump also praised the progress that's being made to end the Russia-Ukraine war. We're looking at some very good things happening on Ukraine and Russia. Very good things. Very good things are happening on Ukraine and Russia. And the Kremlin on Wednesday saying Zelensky is being invited to visit Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We have never declined and will not decline such contacts. The main thing is that these contacts are well prepared. If Zelensky is truly ready for a meeting, we invite him to Moscow and guarantee his safety. The Kremlin official added that Putin already discussed the possible meeting with Zelensky during phone calls with Trump. Ariane Pasdar, NTD News. First Lady Melania Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange today. The First Lady made remarks beforehand as she promotes her new documentary. In the near future, cultural influence will matter as much as economic power. Our ability to tell our stories and emotionally connect with audiences is paramount. People long to be moved. We need stories that inspire dreams, offer hope, tales of redemption, sad stories, love stories, and funny stories. The movie titled Melania depicts the First Lady's life during the 20 days leading up to President Trump's second inauguration. The movie highlights her fashion choices, operations surrounding her Secret Service detail, and her role as an advisor to the President. Ahead of the film's theatrical release on January 30th, the President and First Lady will attend a premiere tomorrow at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.