DOJ Arrests ‘Self-identified Anti-ICE Antifa Terrorist'; DHS Funding Fight | NTD News Today Feb. 5

And welcome to NTD News Today. Here are today's top stories. Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 157 prisoners of war each following peace talks today in Abu Dhabi. That's as the US and Russia agreed to re-establish military-to-military dialogue. President Trump attends the national prayer breakfast, touching on a range of topics with the key takeaways. Federal authorities are joining the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Her daughter, NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie, has uploaded a video addressed to anyone holding her mother captive. New Jersey Democrats head to the polls for a special primary election. Voters will pick from a crowded field to fill the house seat left open by Governor Mikey Sherrill. Vice President J.D. Vance arrives in Milan ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony. This is NTD News Today, live from our global headquarters in New York City. The Justice Department has announced an arrest in Minneapolis. Officials say the suspect is a self-identified anti-ICE terrorist. Kyle Wagner of Minneapolis was arrested on federal threat and cyber stalking charges. He's expected to appear in court today. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch said the suspect has conspired to threaten, assault, kill and dox federal officers. The DOJ said that Wagner used Facebook and Instagram to urge followers to confront and assault federal officers. In one video, officials say Wagner directly threatened ICE, saying agents were coming under attack. In later posts, he called for continued harassment and urged people to physically confront officers. He also encouraged supporters to, quote, hunt ICE agents. Authorities say the suspect promoted the unmasking of ICE agents and trained the situation as a war that he was prepared to die for. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the suspect an Antifa domestic terrorist, adding, quote, if you come for law enforcement, the Trump administration will come for you. We'll keep you updated. Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff provided an update on peace talks in Abu Dhabi today. He said delegations from the U.S., Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a prisoner exchange involving 314 individuals. Russia's defense ministry released a short video showing a group of uniformed men getting on a bus. Ukraine's President Zelensky shared on social media that Ukraine secured the release of 157 people held by Russia that includes soldiers, officers and civilians. Most have been in captivity since 2022. Zelensky said it's the first exchange in five months. Whitkoff said talks will continue with further progress expected in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Zelensky addressed the ongoing human cost of the conflict. He reported that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the Russian invasion. We agreed that the next meeting will take place in the near future. Regarding the nature of the conversation and what was discussed, they talked about everything. The negotiators consider the information very sensitive and want to come and brief me in detail. We discussed energy cooperation. There are things that can strengthen both our countries. In particular, this concerns the development of our energy networks in Ukraine and Poland. There are projects we must implement. We expect productive joint work. Now, also at the talks in Abu Dhabi today, the U.S. made progress in improving relations with Russia. The two countries agreed to re-establish direct military-to-military dialogue, with the American side saying the new channel will provide consistent contact as the parties continue working toward peace in Ukraine. High-level military communication was suspended back in 2021. Back then, relations between Moscow and Washington were growing increasingly strained ahead of Russia's new invasion. Also today, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia is expiring. This ends legally binding limits on the world's two largest nuclear arsenals for the first time in decades. The treaty came into force back in 2011 and was extended for five years in 2021, although it's not yet clear if Washington and Moscow used today's talks to extend the treaty again. Another search for NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother continues. The family now speaking directly to anyone who may be holding Nancy Guthrie. Here's the latest. Today's show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie posted a video message addressing anyone who might be holding her elderly mother. Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Arizona home several days ago. In the message posted to Instagram, the NBC co-host spoke to the potential captors directly. Savannah, who appeared with her brother and sister, said the family had heard media reports of a ransom note but said it was an age in which such material can be faked. The siblings spoke directly to their missing mother, calling her their beacon. President Trump said he spoke with Savannah Guthrie yesterday. In a Truth Social post, the president said he's directing all federal law enforcement to be at the family's and local police department's disposal. Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31st when she was dropped off at her home by relatives after having dinner with them. Authorities say she was reported missing the following afternoon. Police have cordoned off her home. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS that Nancy Guthrie could not have walked away from her home and that he believed she was abducted. He told reporters this was not dementia related and that the elderly Guthrie is as sharp as a tack. He noted Guthrie had limited mobility and she was taking medication daily. As of now, no suspect has been identified. Now we'll keep you updated as that story develops. And in other news, an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter crashed last night, killing both the pilot and a trooper on board. The aircraft went down as it was assisting officers in responding to an active shooter. The names of the trooper and the pilot haven't been released yet, but the FAA said the helicopter crashed near Flagstaff. The agency said it would assist the National Transportation Safety Board in the crash investigation, with the air rescue unit trained for various missions, including mountain and water rescues. The Flagstaff Police Department said the suspect in the shooting suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds was taken into custody. No one else was injured. Now President Trump attending the National Prayer Breakfast today. The annual event focused on faith and fellowship across political lines, but attended by every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower. President Trump saying he's been here just about every time, joking he didn't have the courage to turn it down. And last time I came, I got in at four in the morning. They said, sir, you're going to be speaking at seven. I said, really? Oh, that's wonderful. I said, where? National Prayer Breakfast. I said, I'll be there. I'm afraid not to be. I need all the help I can get. Because last time I was having a lot of fun. We had a big crowd. We had 60,000 people, and I'm talking about the fact that I will never make it to heaven. I will never, ever. And I was being funny. I was trying to be, you know, you can't be sarcastic with them because they write your words. And the people who are reading the words are much different. But I said, I'm never going to make it to heaven. I just don't think I qualify. I don't think there's a thing I can do. All of these good things I'm doing, including for religion. You know, religion's back now hotter than ever before. The president also brought up the issue of voter ID, saying the issue of poll is very high among Democrats, too, but the Democratic leaders don't want to approve it. The president touted his administration's success on investment and energy and defended Kristi Noem amid calls for her firing. Yesterday, I did the Super Bowl interview. Sir, are you going to relieve Kristi Noem of her duties? No. Oh, I said, why would I do that? We have the strongest border in the history of our country. We have the best crime numbers we've ever had going back to the year 1900. That's 125 years. So we're having tremendous success. We have more investment being made in our country now than any country has ever had by many times. You go back 10 years, a certain country, not us, $3 trillion. We have in 11 months, because that 12th month is coming out next week, we have $18 trillion of investment coming in. The biggest ever was three many years ago. And one of the reasons for it is secretaries Doug Burgum and Doug Collins, they are drilling my whole thing was drill, baby drill. Where are they? The president also said there's a religious revival in the United States. The president mentioning that in 2025, more Bibles were sold in the U.S. than at any time in the last hundred years. Trump announcing that the Department of Education is officially issuing its new guidance to protect the right of prayer in public schools. And now still to come, 700 immigration agents are leaving Minneapolis. What does that mean for President Trump's deportation operation across the country? I'm Paul Graney. We start with a look at immigration enforcement, President Trump signaling that immigration officials are adapting their techniques amid heightened tensions. NTD's Daniel Monahan has more on that, plus an update from the Southern border with DHS Secretary Christine Ohm. The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota due to increased cooperation with local law enforcement. Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration and as a result of the need for less law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I have announced effective immediately we will draw down 700 people. Borders are Tom Homan said it is smarter enforcement, not less. President Trump I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough. We're dealing with really hard criminals. Trump says he has called Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey and had great conversations with them. And then I see them ranting and raving out there, literally as though a call wasn't made. Trump called the shooting deaths of Alex Pretty and Renee Good unfortunate speaking on NBC News. He was not an angel and she was not an angel. You look at some tapes from back, but still, I'm not happy with what happened. Nobody could be happy and ICE wasn't happy either. And the president says they have five cities. His administration is strongly considering for new enforcement operations, but they prefer to be invited. We could have Chicago be a safe city, just like DC is a safe city, just like all of these places that we've gone to. The Department of Homeland Security said yesterday 4,000 illegal immigrants, including violent criminals, have been arrested so far in Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge. Recent arrests include criminals convicted of sexual conduct with a minor and domestic assault. President Trump praised DHS Secretary Christine Ohm when asked if she still has his confidence. Look, she was in charge of the border. The border's closed. We have the best crime numbers that we've had in 125 years. I think she's doing a very good job. Again, public relations, she's not getting credit for the job that she does. Noam visited the southern border yesterday, saying the Trump administration has delivered the most secure border in American history. And we did it with the immediate aftermath we were facing from that humanitarian crisis that was created from Joe Biden's open border policies. Noam says the border is so quiet that sometimes you can even forget how bad it was just a little over a year ago. During the Biden administration and those open border policies, we saw even the UN declare that the United States and Mexico border was the deadliest land route in the world. Noam says some counties along the border had to install migrant morgues just to pick up the dead bodies that were passing away. And while the left tries to tell us many times that it's somehow compassionate to allow that kind of chaos, it isn't. It was dangerous. The homeland security secretary criticized those against enforcing immigration laws and deporting illegal immigrant criminals, saying what about the victims of their crimes? Daniel Monahan, NTD News. So now that lawmakers have ended the partial government shutdown, the clock now ticking on DHS funding. Democrats expected to unveil their official proposals today to reform the agency, while President Trump vows a drawdown of ICE agents in Minnesota. NTD's Melina Wyscope reports. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are at the very beginning stages with regards to how to make changes to ICE policy. But they need to reach a deal by next Friday. And lawmakers already acknowledge that this is not going to be an easy task just simply because of how sensitive the immigration issue is on both sides of the aisle. Democrats have officially unveiled their demands on paper and what they put forth on paper so far tracks with everything that we've heard from their side of the aisle verbally. Democrats want agents to no longer wear masks. They want them to show their ID numbers. And they also want to expand judicial warrants and protect sensitive locations. There are certain places you shouldn't, they shouldn't be able to go in, churches, synagogues, schools, election places. Now, Republicans have said they are open to certain changes that Democrats have put forth, but not all of them. Some sticking points include issues like removal of masks and showing ID because Republicans, specifically House Speaker Mike Johnson, says that this level of exposure could allow criminals to target ICE agents and their families. Because unlike your local law enforcement in your hometown, ICE agents are being doxed and targeted. We have evidence of that. Everybody knows that it's happening. Now, Republicans have also pushed back on Democrats' demand to expand judicial warrants because they say this could create more red tape and bureaucracy and ultimately slow down enforcement efforts. But lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has already said that they'll likely need more time for negotiations. I had argued at the time was way too short to allow anything consequential to happen. Because of slim majorities in both chambers, any one lawmaker could ultimately slow the process. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Weiskopf, NTD. So a major sticking point here is the honoring of ICE detainers. On the radio this morning, I heard the person in charge of a major prison that serves the Minneapolis area saying she will only release prisoners to ICE if ICE has assigned judicial warrant. She says she won't accept a warrant issued by the DHS itself, a.k.a. an ICE detainer. Now with us to explore is Cooper Smith, director of Homeland Security and Immigration at the America First Policy Institute. Cooper, great to see you. Thanks for coming on this afternoon. The prison I brought up just now says it's simply following the law. Should ICE be obtaining judicial warrants more often? Well, ICE both uses judicial warrants and administrative warrants. And I think that list of 10 demands that you were just reporting on a moment ago from Chuck Schumer and Jeffries basically would abolish ICE as we know it. And included in those 10 demands are the requirement that they use judicial warrants, which if that were to go through, ICE would have no ability to remove the 15 or 20 million people who came here under Joe Biden. So I think that particular demand, along with a few others, are going to be non-starters for John Thune and the Republican Party. And like I said, I think that list would effectively abolish ICE as we know it. And it seems to me that their true goal here is to end immigration enforcement altogether. Cooper, go into this for us. How exactly would requiring them to get judicial warrants impact them to that degree? Sure, because then ICE would have to go to a every time they wanted to conduct an operation. And again, we're talking about a scale of a problem here, 15, 20, potentially more millions of people who came here, especially under Joe Biden's term with open borders policies. So just due to the scale of the problem created here, if you were to require ICE to only use judicial warrants, it would effectively neuter the agency and render them completely useless. Well, on that point, critics of the deportation operation say, well, this is the law. Where exactly do we stand on that? Well, yeah, the law also says if you have no legal right to be here, then you should be removed. So I find it really ironic from the left who's saying that this is immigration law. Well, if they read Title VIII of the U.S. Code, they would know that entering the country illegally is a crime. If you come again, it's a felony. Unfortunately, the Department of Justice doesn't have the resources to prosecute all of those cases. But back to the reporting that you just said about Tom Homan, you know, when we talk about smart enforcement, we're talking about sanctuary jurisdictions. Of course, ICE operates in 100 percent of the country in all 50 states all day, every day. And I think what the administration is doing here is trying a different approach as it relates to sanctuary jurisdictions, which, in my opinion, should be ended completely. But unfortunately, that would take an act of Congress. And as we know, they can't even seem to pass a budget in relation to DHS at the moment. Cooper, on that point, as you say, Homan said 700 agents have been withdrawn from Minneapolis. Democrats on their side are calling for more targeted operations. Do you expect major changes there in Minneapolis? Well, I do. Look, I think Tom Homan and the president said, you know, after the last couple of weeks that they need a new approach and they need smart enforcement, they need to go into a safe jail setting to get these violent criminal aliens out. I think it's also important to remember that, as you reported on, 4,000 criminal illegal aliens have already been removed from Minneapolis since metro surge started. But going back to the beginning of the Trump administration, we're talking about 10,000 people who've been removed from that state. So, you know, I don't think we're going to see a huge change in those numbers. I think the numbers will continue to tick up. I think mass deportation will continue. And that's what the president has indicated. And I just want to note some of the people lifted out of Minneapolis during this operation have committed terrible crimes. I think oftentimes this gets overlooked. Staying on the point, the president said his deportation operation maybe could have used a softer touch. He did say you still need to be tough. What do you think that means? Particularly, where do you think this lighter touch may come in? Yeah, again, going back to my original point, I think what they're doing here, when he says softer touch, it's in relation to sanctuary jurisdiction policies, right? Going back to the beginning of the Trump administration, they've been trying to get rid of sanctuary cities either by, you know, taking their resources from them or outright banning them altogether. Congress has been working on that as well. But while that works through the courts and through Congress, what the president and Tom Homan are saying is, okay, maybe that particular model didn't work in a sanctuary jurisdiction. Perhaps we need to negotiate more, come to an agreement. And my hope is what I think will happen is if Tom Homan is able to successfully negotiate with local sheriffs, with the mayor, with the governor, perhaps that can serve as a model for other sanctuary states and other sanctuary jurisdictions, whether that's California and Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, other states who are against the president's immigration priorities, but who nonetheless need to comply with federal law and should. And Cooper, Homan says that over there in Minnesota that local officials are open to cooperating more with ICE on these. But when you listen to some of the local officials, it doesn't seem so clear cut. Are we waiting, for example, for this to play through the courts? Particularly, I want to go back to the original point on these ICE detainers and the legality of actually having states and local authorities enforce them. Is there going to be a watershed moment here? I mean, potentially, I think you could see it working its way through the courts, but I'm not really sure. Again, I don't imagine that Congress is going to agree to this. This is not going to be a possibility for the Republican Party to come to the table on judicial warrant reform as it relates to ICE. Again, I think members of Congress realize that President Trump was elected overwhelmingly on a simple promise, and that was to deport people here who have no legal right to be here, especially those with a criminal record, gang members, rapists, human traffickers, and the like. And that's what the American people want. And additionally, I'd point to recent polling that just came out from Harvard Harris saying that 73% of all Americans want criminal aliens deported, 73%. So all this kind of gusto about the president's poll numbers are tanking on this issue is just totally nonsensical. The American people want criminal aliens removed, and I think reform to judicial warrants is not going to be on the table. Interesting. Cooper, finally, Democrats also demanding that ICE agents show ID and don't wear face masks. Republicans say to put their safety at risk. But how is this demand any different from say regular law enforcement and their requirements? I think there's two issues here. One is on body cameras, which you've seen both parties have come together and said, you know, we're going to get $20 million to ICE for body cameras. They're going to roll it out, as Secretary Noem said, starting in Minneapolis. Also important to remember that ICE has used body cameras. They've been exploring them and paying for them for the last four or five years. They just needed more funding. They're going to get that. As it relates to face masks, again, these agents are facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them, according to the Department of Homeland Security, 8,000%. And it's not just the agent. It's unfortunately their families. It's their children who are getting involved in the doxing. So I think they do need to be protected. They do need to have that ability to keep the masks on. And I don't imagine that Republicans are going to change their mind on that issue. Just incredible what's happening. Cooper Smith at the America First Policy Institute. Cooper, thank you. And now President Trump opted not to choose between Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the 2028 election. Trump was asked would he endorse who on NBC News. Here's what he said. Well, I don't want to get into this. We have three years to go. I don't want to, you know, I have two people that are doing a great job. I don't want to have an argument with, or I don't want to use the word fight. It wouldn't be a fight. But look, J.D. is fantastic and Marco is fantastic. Of course, Marco Rubio has been active on multiple fronts since joining the second Trump administration. The Secretary of State was also appointed acting head of USAID, a national security advisor last year. Panama's president said his country would not renew its Belt and Road Initiative agreement with China after a meeting with Rubio. Rubio, of course, also called on the country to address the Chinese Communist Party's influence in the region. Vance, meanwhile, cast a tie-breaking vote to block Democrats from redistricting Trump's ability, to continue military action in Venezuela. The VP has also emerged as a prominent defender and advocate of the administration's America First agenda. Now moving on, New Jersey Democrats head to the polls today for a special primary election. Voters will pick from a crowded field to fill the House seat left open by Governor Mikey Sherrill. Sherrill stepped down from representing New Jersey's 11th district after she won the governor's race last year. Among the leading Democrats seeking the nomination is former Representative Tom Malinowski. He lost a bid for re-election in another district back in 2022. New Jersey Democratic Senator Andy Kim has endorsed him. Essex County Commissioner Brandon Gill is running too. Gill has the endorsement of former Governor Phil Murphy after managing Murphy's first campaign for governor. Taisha Way is also in the race. Way served as Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State for two terms under Murphy until last month. In the Republican race, Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway is running unopposed. Special general election is set for April 16th. We'll let you know who wins it. And former Vice President Kamala Harris has announced a new online organizing effort called Headquarters. She says it'll go beyond campaign season and Harris is relaunching her Kamala HQ accounts on X and TikTok, rebranding them as Headquarters. The group People for the American Way is partnering for the project with organizers saying they plan to expand to other social media platforms. And now the U.S. job market appears to be cooling. Labor Department data showing a two-month high in the number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits. For the week ending January 31st, initial jobless claims jumped from 209,000 to 231,000, with weekly claims hovering around the historically low level of 200,000 over the past several weeks, highlighting ongoing low-fire, low-hire conditions in the U.S. labor market. The four-week average ticked up by 6,000 to 212,000, with the number of individuals currently receiving unemployment benefits increasing by 25,000 to 1.84 million. That marked the fourth consecutive week in which recurring claims remained below 1.9 million. According to global outplacement firm Challenger Gray and Christmas, U.S.-based employers announced more than 108,000 planned job cuts in January. That's the highest level since October and the biggest January tally since 2009. And now Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is investigating car repossessions. That's according to a Senate Banking Committee spokesperson. U.S. repos are at the highest level since the Great Recession. That says Americans struggle with expensive car payments. Warren's probe is looking into potentially illegal or mistaken repossessions. And still to come, the U.S. and Iran will hold talks tomorrow in Oman. What President Trump is saying is the two nations remain at odds. And Taiwan's president says the island's ties with the United States are rock solid. He makes the comment after President Trump and the Chinese regime leader spoke by phone. Stay tuned for more after the break. I'm Paul Graney. This is World Watch. The White House has confirmed that talks with Iran are set for tomorrow. The meeting in Oman comes amid heightened tensions over Iran's nuclear program and the U.S. buildup in the region. A White House official told The Epoch Times the meeting was rescheduled after Arab leaders urged the Trump administration not to pull out of talks. Washington and Tehran remain at odds over the scope of negotiations. The U.S. has insisted on Tehran's missile arsenal being part of the discussion, while Iran's leadership has vowed only to discuss its nuclear program. Speaking to ABC, President Trump said Iran's supreme leader should be, in his words, very worried. He said if the U.S. hadn't taken out Iran's nuclear facilities last year, it would have produced a nuclear weapon within a month. And now France today said its navy seized more than four tons of cocaine in French Polynesia and intercepted another boat carrying the drug in the Caribbean. This came as the U.S. and other countries step up their fight against drug trafficking. Local officials in French Polynesia said the seizure occurred on Monday with the navy vessel acting on intelligence from French and New Zealand customs. It stopped a boat flagged for suspicion and the navy found 174 packages of cocaine on board. Paris has been pushing for a European Union sanctions regime to tackle the issue. And now snow and freezing rain hit Berlin's airport this morning, causing airlines to delay or cancel multiple departing flights. The airport said on its website in the morning that no takeoffs were taking place due to the weather conditions. It asked passengers to check the status of their flights with the airlines, with flight departures resuming later this morning. Snow and freezing rain fell during the night and in the morning in eastern Germany, also causing disruptions on roads for rail and traffic. And now Taiwan says its ties with the United States are rock solid. President Lai Ching-Teh made the comment today, hours after President Trump and communist leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone. One of the topics included the self-ruled island's future. Xi asked Trump to be prudent about supplying arms to Taiwan, that's according to China's foreign ministry. The State Department in December announced its largest ever arms sale package to Taiwan. The deal valued at more than 11 billion dollars, includes missiles, artillery systems and drones. Taiwan has always paid close attention to the interactions between China and the United States, and there are excellent communication channels between Taiwan and the United States. This dialogue between the leaders of China and the United States maintained four unchanged policies in the trilateral relationship between the US, China and Taiwan. And Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company is set to produce some of the world's most advanced AI semiconductors in Japan. The company plans to make three nanometer chips that are currently under construction factory, but the chips is set to power AI applications, robotics and autonomous driving technologies. The move seen as a boost for Japan's chip making ambitions, it comes ahead of a general election, with Prime Minister Sane Takeichi calling the project significant for economic security. Now, TSMC began mass production of less advanced chips at another Japanese factory back in 2024. The company also expanding here in the US, including new facilities in Arizona to meet rising global AI demand. And now federal authorities are investigating a suspected biolab at a home in Las Vegas. The owner is a Chinese national who's currently in custody. He was arrested three years ago for running an unlicensed biolab in California, where officials found about a thousand mice engineered to carry COVID-19. NTD's Juliet Song has more. Investigations are underway over a suspected biolab found inside a Las Vegas home. SWAT teams and the FBI swooped in on Saturday. Within a locked garage, they found refrigerators and vials with unknown substances. A local sheriff says the materials could be biological or hazardous. Those materials have been transferred to an FBI lab for testing. Investigators say there is no threat to the public. The property manager of the home has been taken into custody. The owner of the home, is already in federal custody. He was arrested after officials discovered an illegal biolab he operated in California. There, authorities discovered a thousand mice whose DNA has been engineered to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus. Officials also uncovered at least 20 potentially infectious agents, including HIV, tuberculosis, and the deadliest known form of malaria. Zhu has been charged with making misbranded medical devices. His attorney says he has no involvement in any alleged biolab tied to the Las Vegas investigation. He's also wanted in Canada for stealing millions of dollars worth of intellectual property from U.S. companies. He's scheduled for trial in April in the California case. Juliet Song, NTD News. And some new information is coming in about an alleged illegal biolab in Las Vegas. The property's former cleaning employee says multiple people who spent time inside the home fell ill. That's according to newly released court documents. Now, police say the cleaner reported seeing lab-style equipment, chemical containers, and refrigerators locked inside a garage, along with a strong hospital-like odor. She told investigators that she and a handyman became, quote, deathly ill. She said days after entering the space, they were suffering breathing problems, fatigue, and muscle aches. The cleaner also said several guests and residents got sick, including one person hospitalized with severe respiratory breathing issues. And in Kyiv's sub-zero winter, heating systems crippled by Russian strikes are leaving thousands of homes cold. Working in basements across the city, 66-year-old plumber Volodymyr Vasiliev is one of the people racing to keep families warm. We have the details. In a winter colder than any Ukraine has faced for years, 66-year-old plumber Volodymyr Vasiliev descends into the basements of Kyiv's battered Soviet-era apartment blocks. Burst pipes and the constant hiss of a blowtorch, this has become his routine, as crews scramble to restore heat to a city repeatedly plunged into darkness. You just have to do it as quickly as possible, because there are people there, and that's it. I don't feel that I'm doing anything extraordinary. The guys here are just doing their job calmly. Well, not calm in every way. They mostly mention that shortly. I mean, Putin, and that's it. They're all normal, adequate guys who know why they're here. Russia's renewed strikes have hammered Ukraine's energy grid. They have knocked out power and heating for hours at a time across the capital. And it all comes with temperatures dropping way below freezing. While Ukrainian negotiators meet their Russian counterparts in Abu Dhabi in their latest attempt to end the war, people like Vasiliev are fighting their own battle. He's among nearly 250 railway workers drafted from around the country to help Kyiv restore basic services. Together, they've repaired heating or water in around 160 buildings. When his shift ends, he heads home, greeted by his wife Svitlana, as she prepares a meal. Vasiliev says there's no point negotiating with Putin, and no hope that the Russian people will ever stand up to him. Polling suggests most Ukrainians share that resolve, with 65 percent saying they are ready to endure fighting as long as necessary. It's just that the Russians make people angrier. How should I feel? Putin left the whole city without heating, water or electricity. There are maternity hospitals, children and old people who can take care of themselves and need care. And I'm supposed to forgive that? Should I just give up and say, well, that's it? So many people have already died. Am I supposed to forgive them all? Inside the buildings where Vasiliev works, residents ask only one thing. When will the heat return? How do the people feel? A grandma comes over and asks us if we want a shot of vodka, then tries to give us some money. Do you understand? No one has ever sworn at us. They say, guys, thank you, but when? The only question is when it will be warm. And then this grandmother surprised me most of all. Her son is fighting in the war, yet here she is with the money. Some interesting insights coming up. America's 250th birthday celebrations will feature at this year's Super Bowl, but the America 250 Commission has in store. And now Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Milan with his family today ahead of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Vance greeted U.S. athletes, offering some words of encouragement. Democrat, Republican, independent, we're all rooting for you and we're cheering for you, and we know you're going to make us proud. So thank you all and hope you guys have fun. Now, Vance is leading a delegation that includes his wife, Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and several former Olympic champions. The vice president is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of Milano-Cortilla Winter Games tomorrow. After the event, Vance is set to head to Armenia and Azerbaijan, with President Trump tapping the VP to build on a peace deal aimed at ending four decades of conflict between the two nations. And now Italy has foiled a series of cyber attacks targeting some of its foreign ministry offices. The country's foreign minister said the attacks targeted a Washington, D.C. office, Winter Olympics websites, and hotels in Cortina. Talking to reporters during a trip to Washington yesterday, the foreign minister said that Russian hackers were behind the attempted attacks. He declined to provide additional details, though. Italian authorities ramping up security, as global leaders are set to attend the Olympics opening ceremony tomorrow. Ahead of the opening ceremony, the Winter Olympics were already underway yesterday with the first curling matches in Cortina. And now, winning Olympic figure skating gold takes more than perfect jumps. It's a blend of precision, emotion, and magic. Team USA skaters Amber Glenn and Jason Brown unpacked what defines a gold medal performance on the world's biggest stage. Take a listen. What makes a gold medal performance is heart, when you can feel that emotion from that athlete, and sight, and grit. Sometimes the gold medal performance isn't what wins gold. There's a feeling to it, a excitement. And in the scoring system, that's not always what wins. And it is a technical sport, but there is a lightness to that Olympic champion. I think so often we think about Olympic performances, or we dream about the ease of an Olympic performance. Someone going out there, and it's just like, they make it look effortless. And like, every movement was flawless and no hair out of place. And like, at the end of the day, it's about fighting. It's about grit. It's about performing. It's like, all of it wrapped into one, and never giving up from the time you start to finish. And now, a new wireless sensor system aims to give ski jumping coaches more immediate data on technique. Switzerland's national team tests whether it can sharpen training feedback and keep their athletes airborne for longer. Here are the details. The system is being developed at ETH Zurich. Dr. Christoph Leitner is the project's lead researcher. We are really eager to understand and see what the sensor data will show, particularly when the athlete arrives at the jumping table. You know, this is a very short period of time. It's like 300 milliseconds. But getting a shot in the detail into the center of mass, for example, will definitely bring more information, not only for us engineers, but also for the coaches. And eventually, hopefully for the athlete, having the coach as a filter to optimize their technique. As this Swiss junior skier jumps, the sensors on his boots, goggles, and legs measure his takeoff force and center of gravity while in flight. The system's machine learning model also gives immediate feedback to the athlete through a vibration motor in their The data could help coaches pinpoint areas where an athlete needs to adjust their posture and dynamics, ultimately improving their takeoff efficiency, a key factor in securing competitive success. For the future, I see a hyper-connected athlete, an athlete that has basically sensors everywhere, tiny nodes that are super efficient and that capture the complexity of movement. And I hope to contribute with this system for the development of the ski jumpers of Swiss Ski and hopefully for other alpine sports or even summer sports. I can imagine to apply the sensors for running, swimming, any kinds of sports. And now, while there's been a lot of attention on the halftime show, this year's Super Bowl will also celebrate America's 250th birthday. The American 250 Commission has partnered with the NFL to weave elements of the celebration throughout the event. It was a great way to get the word out about America 250. So we were featured on the footballs, featured on the coin toss. So here it is here, America 250 on the heads, NFL logo as the tails were stenciled on the sidelines. Our flag was rolled out on the field along with the American flag and we have lots more planned for the Super Bowl. Super Bowl week kicked off in San Francisco on Tuesday with the Super Bowl experience opening to fans. During the event, fans could enter an America 250 Airstream and record their own American story. On the 4th of July, the organization will bury a time capsule for 250 years that will include various items from the 60th Super Bowl. America 250 chair Rosie Rios said Americans can expect several events leading up to Independence Day, or as she put it, we're rolling up into July 4th with America's ultimate block party. Sounds like fun. And not everyone is looking forward to the Super Bowl this Sunday. Some fans are getting excited for this year's Puppy Bowl instead. Team Fluff and Team Rock will feature a brand new roster of cute pups to take part in some pre-football action. This year, the Puppy Bowl will also feature a halftime showdown between older dogs, Team Oldies and Team Goldies. A reminder that senior dogs deserve love and adoption as well. Puppy Bowl 2022 will feature 150 dogs from 72 shelters across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands. Again, sounds like fun. Now, if you have any feedback in the show, maybe you have some news tips for us, send us an email, news.today at ntd.com. We'd love to hear from you. We'll cover more news right after this break.