House Passes SAVE America Act; FBI Look for Clues in Guthrie Case | NTD Good Morning (Feb. 12)

Welcome NTD. Good morning starts now. Here are today's top stories. Investigators are combing the Arizona desert looking for clues in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, where the investigation stands right now. The House passes the Save America Act. What the bill aims to do to secure election integrity as it moves now to the Senate. Coal is back in focus as President Trump signs an order directing the military to buy coal fired power and the EPA weighs a major rollback of greenhouse gas regulations. Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighting the D. O. J. S. Achievements at a congressional hearing. The session marked by clashes over crime and fraud investigations. A new report says the Chinese Communist Party is using a large network to influence democratic countries, including the U. S. Experts say many of these groups look normal but maybe tied to the C. C. P. U. S. Economy adds 130,000 job new jobs while the unemployment rate drops to 4.3%. We unpack it all with an economist. This is N. T. D. Good morning live from our global headquarters in New York City. Here are Stefania Cox and Kerry Dunst. Good morning. Thank you for joining us. Today is Thursday, February 12th. You're watching N. T. D. Good morning and Kerry is currently on a special assignment. In today's top news, the search for Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie entering its 12th day investigators now combing the Arizona desert near Guthrie's home looking for clues. The New York Post yesterday posting a video and photos of FBI personnel taking possession of a glove they found discarded on roadside. It's not clear whether the glove matched the pair worn by the person who showed up in a video from Guthrie's doorbell camera released by the FBI authorities yesterday released a man taken in for questioning with no major breakthroughs in the investigation. The Pima County Sheriff's Office saying several 100 detectives and agents are now part of the investigation. N. T. D.'s Arlene Richards has more. Please give us some space in the county Sheriff's office said again on Wednesday that it is not scheduling any press briefings or interviews unless a significant development occurs. It's the third time in a week that this office has declined to talk to the media and it follows what could be considered some major developments including a delivery driver detained and questioned for several hours, an investigative search of a resident's home in Rio Rico and the release of images and video footage of a potential suspect. Though no suspect has been publicly identified, FBI director Cash Patel told Fox News the bureau is making progress. I will say we have made substantial progress in these last 36 48 hours thanks to the technical capabilities of the FBI and our partnerships. And I do believe we are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest. The FBI said in a statement Wednesday that numerous agents were searching Tucson's Catalina foothills in a social media post. Wednesday afternoon, the bureau said they were conducting an extensive search along multiple roadways and that it's related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation. They're continuing to offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie. Carlos Palazuelos, a delivery driver, was detained for questioning during a traffic stop yesterday. He told Fox News on Tuesday that he had nothing to do with the case. Until right now, all I know is that they show my my in law a picture of somebody wearing a mask or something and they supposedly looked like my eyes. He told other news outlets he was held for questioning for eight hours while his home and vehicle were searched before he was released. Investigators have not commented on his account nor confirmed his identity. The sheriff's office confirmed that an adult male was detained as part of a follow up to a lead and was released. Nancy Guthrie, 84, is the mother of today's show co host Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings. Their mother has been missing since February 1st. The family have said in social media posts that they believe she is still alive. Harleen Richards and T. D. News. A big night on Capitol Hill is the House passes the much discussed Save America Act. Republicans say the legislation will help secure American elections. Democrats say it will make voting harder. Here's that story. A contentious voting bill is moving through Congress, setting up a partisan fight in the Senate over what voters will need The bill is passed without objection. The House on Wednesday narrowly approving the Save America Act. This is a very important night on the House floor. House Republicans tonight stood with the overwhelming majority of Americans who demand secure elections. The Republican led legislation will require a documented proof of U. S. Citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections. It would also require voters to furnish photo I. D. Before voting, even when casting mail in ballots, the vote coming down to the wire with House members voting 218 to 213 in favor. A single Democrat, Henry Quaylar of Texas, voting with Republicans. Congressman Chip Roy of Texas, the bill's primary sponsor, stressing election integrity has broad support among the population. It's pulling an 80 85 90% across the country. It's because it's common sense. The American people want a sovereign nation. They understand that voter I. D. Is common sense to vote. They want only American citizens to vote in American elections, and this legislation does that. But the Save Act has been a point of contention in Congress for some time. In April last year, the Senate refused to take a perversion of the same bill. Earlier this week, the House Rules Committee advancing the legislation in its current form, softening the rules on photo I. D. Requirements and including an exception for uniformed service members. The committee's ranking Democrat, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, arguing before the vote that it's already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. McGovern frames the bill as a form of voter suppression. He says Republicans claims of widespread voter fraud don't add up. Every time these claims are investigated, they disappear like a mirage. So this entire bill is fundamentally predicated on a lie. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has thrown its weight behind the bill. The White House posting on American elections should be decided by American citizens only. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it's expected to face strong opposition from Democrats. Coal is back in the spotlight. President Trump signing an executive order directing the military to purchase electricity generated from coal fired power plants. Indeed, he's Daniel Monahan has more on the move and major developments at the Environmental Protection Agency. President Trump discussing the order at the champion of coal event. We're going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it's going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years. War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are instructed to approve long term power purchase agreements for defense facilities and other sites deemed mission critical. The White House says coal fired electricity is being prioritized to enhance grid reliability, prevent blackouts, strengthen on site fuel security and support defense and intelligence operations. Officials also raised concerns about the consistency of solar and wind power during extreme weather events and potential risks to national defense. Trump pointed to coal's performance during periods of high demand. When large parts of our country were hit with winter storms, it was coal that kept the power on, and it was coal that never was bothered by cold weather, warm weather. It's never bothered by anything, just keeps on chugging, right? The president criticized prior administrations for focusing on wind and other energy sources while minimizing the coal industry. Biden and the radical left wanted to abolish coal. They did everything they could, everything possible. But on day one of this administration, I ended the war on coal. We terminated the Green News scam, and we withdrew from the unfair one sided Paris Climate Accord. Trump says his administration has lifted regulations and supported coal miners, adding that dozens of coal plants were saved under revised policies. He also ordered the Energy Department to fund operations with $175 million in upgrades in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. One coal miner took the stage to thank Trump for his efforts. The common sense policies to keep coal plants running, implemented by this administration, mean that my husband and I can keep working, stay where we are and continue raising our son in our community that we call home. Blackford thanked Trump for keeping utility prices affordable, the lights on and their jobs alive. We are real, real people under these hard hats. On behalf of America's coal miners, thank you, Mr President, for recognizing the value of coal and the value of the people who power this industry every day. The president was also presented with a trophy from coal miners. The trophy says the undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal. Meanwhile, Trump today will move to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency's endangerment finding. That's the legal basis for many federal greenhouse gas regulations first established during the Obama administration. The finding determined that emissions from fossil fuels could be regulated under the Clean Air Act. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is calling the move the biggest deregulatory action in U. S. History. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. Thank you, Daniel. And the airspace around El Paso International Airport is open again after the FAA previously announced a 10 day closure. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy saying the FAA and the Department of War detected a Mexican cartel drone incursion. Duffy added that the threat had been neutralized. The FAA saying there was no danger to commercial aviation and that all flights would resume the FAA imposing a similar flight restriction around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 15 miles northwest of the El Paso Airport. El Paso sits on the southern border and is a center for cross border commerce with Mexico. Joining us now to discuss the brief closure of the El Paso Airport and cartel drone usage more broadly as Stefano Rittendale, Chief Intelligence Officer at Artorias. Stefano deployed to the southern border in 2018 as the military intelligence officer in charge and saw first hand how drones were being used for cross border activities by the cartels. Good to have you with us this morning, Stefano. Why did the Department of War opt to implement a no fly zone and how did it help them in their efforts to stop the Juarez cartel? Well, first, thank you so much for having me. And I think what is important to highlight for a lot of our viewers that might not be aware, drone incursions are a daily occurrence now across the border. When I deployed in 2018, it was a new event. Probably in the six weeks I was there, we were talking about 20 drone incursions. Now we're probably talking about that amount on a daily basis, if not more. If you talk to people on the border from CBP or military personnel that are active there, multiple drones are used by human smugglers and cartels regularly and concurrently. This does appear that this operation was much more led by CBP rather than the DOW and the Department of Homeland Security, which in the end of the day, they're the primary responsible for border security. But it's important to note that drones are going over the border every day and this is a problem that has been kind of unaddressed and hopefully either the DOW or the Department of Homeland Security takes a much more harder stance now. And how do cartels use their drones in their endeavors? Right. So when you're looking at the border and the way that they use drones, I think a lot of people know, for example, they are being used for drug smuggling. But I think the main one that I see is really from a reconnaissance perspective and similar to how the US military would use drones from an ISR to try to find what's going on. A lot of times we see human smugglers and cartels use drones to kind of follow migrants that are trying to get into the United States or keep an eye on border patrol and CBP. And that's the primary role. They're very easy tools to provide constant surveillance on our operations on the border. And it gives these human smugglers and cartel members a leg up to make sure that their smuggling operations are successful. So let's look specifically at the El Paso area. Why do you think this particular event happened right there and and how do the cartels operate in that area? Is it different to the other areas? So Sinaloa Juarez is very interesting because the primary cartel that is basically the dominant one there is the Juarez cartel. You do also have the Sinaloa cartel. But the Juarez cartel is the primary one. The issue that the Juarez cartel runs into is they don't necessarily control the areas where drugs are produced. So they require those products to be sent to them and they make money by, you know, smuggling it across the border. And so that's why they're much more involved, let's say in human smuggling as well, because they're able to charge more because you're operating basically in their plaza in their area of operation, they're able to push this. That's why smuggling of human smuggling is probably much more prevalent in El Paso and other areas where we see this, for example, is Texas. So in Juarez specifically, a lot of the human smuggling is directed by them. It's easy ways for them to make money either over the border utilizing drones. And we've also seen a lot of instances of them leveraging tunnels much more sophisticated to try to get into the United States because a lot of tunnels have been seized and decommissioned by Mexican and U. S. Authorities on both sides of the border in El Paso into the Juarez. So it sounds like the authorities are adapting to these new tactics or perhaps, um, you know, the cartels are leaning into other tactics apart from just coming right across the border. Um, what? What else do you think needs to happen in terms of, um, developments in that area and the way that authorities need to adapt further? So it does look like the Department of War gave a lot of the counter U. S. Systems to Department of Homeland Security, and that might cause a little bit of confusion and concerns with the F. A. Why? We kind of show that short term, uh, shut down in the airspace. But I think that's basically the right approach. Historically, the Department of Homeland Security has been reliant on the Department of War for a lot of these counter U. A. S. You know, technologies and systems, and frankly, that should be given to the Department of Homeland Security specifically for them to manage and control because they're the ones that are there 24 7 right right now. We do have a significant amount of military forces in the border, but that could be a temporary problem said either with a change of administration or there's a crisis that happened somewhere else where the military has to deploy to respond. The Department of Homeland Security should be the primary one. I think that's kind of the changes that we're seeing is that the Homeland Security will take a much more technological approach and be much more established in this regard, because in the end of the day, this is a problem that's going to exist now and into the future. And if we don't adapt, we're enabling these smugglers and cartel members to have a leg up over us. And just looking back as you have such close experience with the on the ground situation and also ahead. What? How do you see the overall situation along the northern Mexico border since Trump came into office? Right. So one of the key aspects that I think we've seen is and this is probably also one of the reasons why we've seen drones really skyrocketing use is before Trump came into office, there was this idea of quantity. In other words, how many migrants can we get through to the border to make money? And since Trump came into office, there's been a shift to more of the quality right now. It's not necessarily can we get them through, but now it's basically can we get them to evade border patrol? Can we get them to evade CBP? That's why the use of tunnels is important and more important. That's the use of drones. A lot of times we see videos where these drones are mirroring and following the migrants and the relaying information for them to avoid border patrol, right? So it's just kind of this quality perspective. And unfortunately, the other area where we kind of seen a problem set is inside of Mexico. Some of these human smuggling networks who weren't able to adapt at the tougher border posture that the Trump administration provided. A lot of these human smuggling networks have just relied to extortion and kidnapping across northern Mexico. Unfortunately, there's a huge crisis in northern Mexico right now related to kidnapping extortion, and that's probably going to continue for the foreseeable future. And all of this is a highly dangerous operation for law enforcement on the ground to try to combat. What are some of the risks that American law enforcement faces in the El Paso region in particular? Right. So a lot of this is actually I would highlight the key one that I've kind of observed talking to people on the ground is the issue of these drones are becoming a little bit much more aggressive in the way they do smuggling operations, and they're not operating in the sense of constraints when they're kind of flying over. And some people that I've talked to kind of had issues with how that actually provides a risk for helicopters that are used for surveillance, both either from CBP or the U. S. Military that kind of does these operations. You know that there is a significant concern about the airspace there, and El Paso, as everybody knows, is right there at the border was a major international airport. There's always that concern from an air safety perspective of one of these drones kind of operating and providing that risk to the air movement there. Other areas that to kind of look like. Obviously, there's always going to be a threat from human smugglers and cartel members of acting much more aggressively, let's say, and trying to be successful in the smuggling operations. But overall, I think the main problem set that the Department of Homeland Security and the D O. W. Looking at is the drone problem set because they understand that provides a significant risk to U. S. Airspace. Well, there is still developments on this front, and we really appreciate your insights and your experience this morning. Thank you so much for sharing it. Stefano Rotundale. Thank you. Thank you so much. Coming up, Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighting the D O. J. S. Achievements at a congressional hearing. The session marked by clashes over crime and fraud investigations ahead. Welcome back. President Trump's borders are Tom Homan is set to hold a press conference this morning in Minneapolis is expected to brief reporters at eight a.m. Local time. It's been about a week since he announced plans to reduce the federal presence on city streets there, he said. The drawdown was due to improved cooperation with local law enforcement. Thousands of agents were deployed to Minnesota in December as part of Operation Metro Surge aimed at arresting illegal immigrant criminals will be bringing you their live at nine a.m. Eastern. Stay tuned for that. And the Department of Homeland Security says it's investigating a plot targeting an ice facility in Oregon in the statement. Officials say a suspect allegedly authored a manifesto detailing plans to kill immigration agents. The suspect was stopped by the St Helens Police Department earlier this month, and officers reported finding materials to make Molotov cocktails. The D. H. S. As a suspect admitted to ordering an A. R. 15 style rifle. Next, New Jersey's governor issues an executive order limiting how federal immigration agents can use state property under Governor Mikey Cheryl's order. Agents cannot use state property as a staging area, processing location or a base for operations. Cheryl, telling reporters the order also requires a judicial warrant for agents to enter non public areas like state offices or facilities. The governor says New Jersey is launching a state portal for residents to submit photos or videos of ice activity, though the public will not be allowed to view that material. She says the goal is to track patterns of enforcement which can inform the state's response, including in court. Republican congressman from New Jersey, Jeff Andrew, criticized the move, saying Cheryl is putting a target on the backs of federal officers, and the Department of Transportation has issued a final rule to stop unqualified foreign truckers from driving on U. S. Highways. The department, saying such drivers pose a significant safety threat to the driving public. The new rule allows only certain types of visa holders who undergo enhanced vetting to receive a commercial driver's license. Work permits from employers that do not screen for transportation safety will no longer be accepted. States must now verify applicants in with immigration status through a system managed under the Department of Homeland Security. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says for far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse truck licensing systems. And of course, if you recall, seven people were killed in two accidents last year involving illegal immigrant truck drivers. On Capitol Hill, Attorney General Camp Pam Bondi highlighting the achievements of the Justice Department during her first year in office. Lawmakers from both parties pressing bondi on the department's actions under the current and previous administrations entities. Chris Bob has that story. I came into office with the goal of refocusing the Department of Justice on its core mission. After years of bloated bureaucracy and political weaponization for you, don't tell me I did tell you because we saw what you did in the Senate Lawyer and I will continue to determine the generalities. Reclaim your time in the gutter for her theatric. At a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi testified on the accomplishments of the Justice Department during the first year of her leadership. In 2025, we saw the lowest murder rate in 125 years. Bondi said murder is down 21%. Robbery is down 23% carjacking down 43% and gun assaults down 22%. She said the drop was no accident and credited President Trump's law and order push even as the administration faces 267 lawsuits to date challenging its agenda. Republicans also pressed bondi on allegations of government weaponization under the previous administration, focusing on surveillance and intelligence gathering practices. And we are committed to working with Congress to uncover weaponization and other misconduct by Jack Smith, by others, Arctic Frost, everything that happened under the past administration. It's established when Colin is confirmed. He's amazing. I think you've met with him. You said chairman when that is established, we're gonna work on both sides of the aisle. That's what we want to do to stop fraud. Congressman Andy Biggs raised concerns about past queries under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that involved members of Congress, congressional staff, journalists and others not suspected of acting as foreign agents. What was the legal predicate for using a foreign intelligence authority in the Arctic Frost investigation? I can't discuss anything regarding that because it is very active and ongoing. If any member of the Democrat Party, if any of them that had happened to them, we would take that just as serious when asked whether former CIA director john Brennan was under investigation. Bondi said the department is bound by policy and she would not discuss specific matters. I can't confirm nor deny whether there is a pending investigation. But what I will say is no one is above the law. Weaponization has ended. Democratic lawmakers, including outgoing congressman Jerry Nadler, spent much of the hearing delivering long statements on the Epstein case. Bondi said she wasn't given a chance to respond until the very end, saying that Democrats own investigation and President Trump's work on the economy should be part of the discussion. My time. I think it's very interesting and you can reclaim time about being indicted. The president said they tried to impeach him twice and you, Mr Nadler, were one of the leads on the impeachment. You said the president conspired, saw foreign interference in the 2016 election. You sit here and you attack the president and I am not going to have it. I've been around since the Obama administration. This administration released over three million pages of documents. The Dow is over $50,000. I don't know why you're laughing. You're a great stock trader, as I hear Raskin arena. So are these folks. But we never expected that the Department of Justice would not seek to prosecute and investigate those who are making threats against us. I can assure you that they are very serious. They are being looked into. None of you should be threatened ever. None of your Children should be threatened. I will work with all of you on both sides of the aisle. Last week, the D. O. J. Secured a federal prison sentence in a case involving repeated threats against two members of Congress and their staff. Reporting from Washington D. C. Chris Bob Entity News. Thank you, Chris. And a new report from the Jamestown Foundation says the Chinese Communist Party is linked to thousands of groups operating in democratic countries. Researchers say their goal is to quietly influence politics and public opinion, including here in the United States. Entities Christina Corona tells us more. A new report from the Jamestown Foundation warns that the Chinese Communist Party is using a massive global network to influence politics into democratic countries, including the United States. The report maps more than 2000 organizations linked to the C. C. P. S. United Front Work Department, a system designed to impose the C. C. P. S. influence and ideology without using force. The party uses this system to ways that serve the party's goal, which is becoming the dominant global power and advancing claims such as the annexation of Taiwan. The report says the organizations often look legitimate, such as cultural groups, business and trade associations, professional societies, schools and Chinese language media. Researchers say much of the influence effort isn't obvious and isn't illegal activity. Much of the United Front work happens through informal ties, such as personal relationships, invitation to China, honorary titles and privilege access. Though the press conference was held in Canada, the report says the same United Front influence is active in the United States and other democracies. Jamestown fellow Cheryl Yu says this isn't about ethnicity. It's about the C. C. P. S. Influence operations. This is not a question of ethnicity. It is a question of state directed political influence inside a democracy and protecting targeted communities is part of protecting our democratic institutions. Jamestown President Peter Mattis says the danger is that these groups can end up speaking for communities. When we let some of these leaders represent whole communities, we're letting the party take away the voice of our citizens, and they're using the legitimacy of our citizens to put the party's voice in Beijing's perspective into our politics, into our decision making. Researchers say recognizing how these networks operate is key to protecting societies from foreign influence. Christina Corona and T. D. News. Coming up, President Trump meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for high stake talks about Iran negotiations and the White House celebrating the new jobs report. Plus, women's rights groups are rolling out billboard trucks across California, challenging a controversial prison law. The campaign spotlights an upcoming rape trial and raises renewed debate over transgender housing policies in prisons. Welcome back. President Trump welcoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House yesterday for high stakes talks around Iran, the White House touting the newly released January jobs report. President Trump says that nothing definitive was reached during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu other than insisting that negotiations with Iran continue. He says that he has a preference for a deal being reached, but if not, he reminds Iran of Operation Midnight Hammer. That's the U. S. Is strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities last summer. He also says that the meeting with Netanyahu was quote very good and touts the relationship between the U. S. And Israel. This is coming after U. S. Iran negotiations in Oman. Just last week, President Trump told Axios he's thinking of sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East in case negotiations with Iran fail. Here's President Trump when asked if a deal with Iran would stay. They wouldn't talk to anybody else, but they're talking to me. But you know, it's a good question. A lot of people say no, and I would say that I'd rather make a deal. It's gonna be a good deal. No nuclear weapons, no missiles, no this, no that. The Trump Netanyahu meeting comes as demonstrators in Tehran celebrate the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. That's the 1979 uprising that ousted the pro Western Shaw, installing a theocratic dictatorship, enforcing Sharia law. Demonstrators chant death to Israel as the senior official in Iran's ruling system calls for national unity. We're not seeking nuclear weapons. It's a tall wall of distrust that America and Europe are built with their words that stops the talks from leading to results. Our Iran will not bow to their excessive demands. It will not back off in the face of injustice and aggression. That's as Iran doubles down on plans to continue its uranium enrichment program, with Iran's foreign minister saying he will not negotiate Iran's missile capabilities. Meanwhile, President Trump is celebrating his administration's economic wins at an event touting coal as America's most affordable energy source. Because of tariffs, you saw that we just it was just announced how a trade deficit has gone down. The other thing is breaking 7000 on the S. N. P. And very importantly, 50,000 yesterday, 50,000. We broke on the Dow. He's also celebrating the newly released January jobs report as quote far greater than expected. The report showing that the unemployment rate fell to 4.3% and the economy added 130,000 jobs. It also shows more people are entering the labor force now than at any time since 2001. The White House is highlighting the reversal from the jobs report exactly one year ago, demonstrating that the economy President Trump inherited was losing private sector jobs while adding government jobs. And now there were more than 170,000 private sector jobs, and there were about there was about a 40,000 decrease in government jobs. This administration came into office. We're reprivatizing the economy, so it's really a remarkable, strong number. And to put it in perspective to get that much job creation while you know that basically the labor force is declining some because people are are leaving the country and being deported is a really remarkable thing. Reporting from Washington D. C. Mario to NTD News. Thank you, Mari. And the latest jobs report is out with the U. S. Economy adding 130,000 new jobs in the unemployment rate dipping to 4.3%. As you've heard to break it all down to learn more about it when what it means for you. I spoke with E. J. Antoni. He's a chief economist at the Heritage Foundation. Does this report mean that the economy truly is growing stronger? What's your assessment? Well, I think so. Absolutely. And it's not just for this report. We have a lot of other data that indicates the economy is definitely growing and not only that it's growing, but unlike before where we had, I think, a more anemic pace. This is healthy growth. You can look at the kinds of jobs that are being created. They're good paying full time jobs. Who is getting the jobs? It's native born Americans. It's not just foreign born workers, a lot of whom are here illegally, right? Where are people getting jobs in the productive private sector, not the unproductive public sector. We're actually shedding government jobs and gaining private sector ones. The inverse of what was happening in January of 2025 when this president took office. So interesting. Let's dig into this. So what does all of that mean for taxes, for example? Well, tax revenues are up. We just got this week. In addition to this jobs report, we got information out of the Treasury that shows the deficit for January was down compared to the previous year. We're down for the entirety of the fiscal year. Thus far, we're down about 17% compared to where we were during the previous fiscal year. That was the last four months of the Biden administration. So again, we're making very, very good progress here in terms of whether it's the labor market, whether it's federal finances, you name it. And in terms of wage growth, are people really feeling it? Absolutely. And one of the great things here is the fact that not only are paychecks getting bigger, which is what you want to see, but most importantly, those paychecks can buy more. So under Biden, yes, paychecks got bigger. There's no doubt about it. The problem was prices rose even faster than wages, and so your larger paycheck actually bought you less, about 4% less by the time he left office. Under Trump, that paycheck now buys you about 2% more than when he took office. And what do you think this will all mean for interest rates? I think in the long run, we're actually going to see interest rates start to come down because when you don't have that inflationary pressure in the economy from the government spending, borrowing and printing too much money without that, there's no reason to have interest rates this high. So I'm very optimistic about the incoming Fed chair, Kevin Warsh. I think he is going to be able to navigate that path to get us down to those lower interest rates. Let's break down. What do you put this all down to this latest report and the other data that you're you've pointed to? Well, this is what the Treasury Secretary Scott Besson has referred to as the reprivatization of the economy. So instead of relying on on government spending to boost GDP on government hiring to boost the jobs report right instead of that, we're doing away with that and allowing the private sector to grow, which it will do if you just get out of its way. And as that private sector grows and generates more tax revenue, it reduces the federal deficit. It creates more hiring. You have more people employed, less reliance on government services like welfare, for example. So again, it's a very, very positive shift for the economy overall. And just for individual viewers out there, what can they possibly do with the climate as it is right now to position themselves to take make the most advantage, take the most advantage of of what's happening in the U.S. economy at the moment? Well, investments like Trump accounts are a great, great move. So for those folks who have newborns or if you have maybe kids are a little bit older, as long as you're still under 18, you can take advantage of those Trump accounts. I mean, it really is absolutely amazing how if you start investing when you're young, you get such a tremendous head start on life. You turn 18. You can use this money not just for school like a traditional four year college, but you can even use it for things like community college, trade school. You can use it to start a business, to buy a home, you name it. And if you want to just let it ride out until you're ready to retire, you'll be a millionaire. It really is an incredible investment vehicle. So when the economy is booming, when the market's hot like it is right now, great time to get in. Thank you so much for joining us. E. J. Anthony. Thank you for having me. The pair of women's rights groups is making waves in California with an eye catching campaign to raise awareness about men being housed in women's prisons. The statewide billboard truck campaign is calling attention to the upcoming rape trial of a man accused of assaulting two women in the female prison that he was allowed to transfer into N. T. D. S. Daniel Monaghan spoke with the executive director of women to women about the campaign this week. Advocacy groups. Women are real and woman to woman launched a statewide billboard truck campaign across California to raise awareness about men being housed in women's prisons under law. S. B. 1 32 S. B. 1 32 was authored by state Senator Scott Weiner and signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. It allows men to be housed in women's prisons if they say they are transgender. Since there are no requirements within any of the gender self ID policies, this just allows for anyone, whether they're in transition or not to transfer. So what this translates to is there's just regular men with beards and tattoos from head to toe. They're walking around women's prisons. The mobile billboards feature stark messages, including women in California prisons raped by male inmates and S. B. 1 32 state sanctioned rape media silent. I use this term specifically state sanctioned raped because this is exactly what it is. Our legislators were fully aware of if you have a working brain, you would know that giving people free range to gender self I. D. Within the carceral system is going to lead to people game in the system and take advantage of an opportunity. Why wouldn't they? Amy Ichikawa is the executive director of woman to woman. She knows the correctional system all too well, having spent five years in central California women's facility in Chochilla. These days, women are facing a new threat that wasn't present when she did her time in early 2000 and 24 there. Well, I received several phone calls about a couple of rapes that took place within a 24 hour period in this central California women's facility. The billboard campaign is drawing attention to the upcoming trial of the man accused of those rapes. Tremaine Carol was transferred to the Chochilla Women's Correctional Facility after claiming to be transgender after 22 years in a men's prison. The judge in his rape trial ordered the prosecutor to refer to Carol by she her pronouns. Ichikawa says many of the men who have transferred into women's prisons are sex offenders. There's hundreds of people on the waiting list, many of whom are registered sex offenders. Uh, 33.8% of the original transfer requests were registered sex offenders. She says many female prisoners fear for their safety sleeping in eight bed dorms with the male inmates. Well, just knowing the nature of their crimes, their size, the fact that they know above all, their feelings will be prioritized over women's safety and well being. She says they are also afraid to speak out. Women just don't want to talk about it anymore because they've seen what happens to the women who have spoken up. They see what happens when you do stand up for yourself or you do file a formal complaint. You get your privileges taken. You lose honor dorm privileges. Some people even lose parole suitability grants. Ichikawa says the medical aspect is also disturbing. There's women that have to petition the courts to get basic health care needs while these individuals that are trans identified are prioritized and no questions asked. Facelifts, nose jobs, cheek and chin implants, Rogaine for, you know, their male pattern baldness from 2017 to 2023. The California corrections system spent nearly $2.5 million on vaginoplasty and around $600,000 in breast implants, facial feminization and laser hair removal. SB 1 32 is called the Transgender Respect Agency and Dignity Act. The legislation is described by its creators as allowing incarcerated transgender, non binary and intersex people to be housed and searched in a manner consistent with their gender identity. Ichikawa says woman to woman, women are real and other groups will continue to fight it. Historically, there hasn't been anyone to defend incarcerated women who are the pawn in this game that the powers and principalities are playing. Um, but we're not going to stop. Women are woman to woman. We're not going to stop the truck campaign. Opposing it has traveled through San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento. A truck will also travel to Central California Women's facility on Friday. Daniel Monaghan and T. D. News. Thank you, Jack. And as the latest job jobs report is out with the U. S. Economy adding 130,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate dipping to 4.3% as you've just heard. What does that all mean for you? Here to break it down is E. J. Antony, chief economist and acting director of the Grover M. Herman Center for the Federal Budget at the Heritage Foundation. Good to have you with us today. E. J. Thank you for joining us this morning. Does this report mean that the economy truly is growing stronger? What's your assessment? Well, I think so. Absolutely. And it's not just for this report. We have a lot of other data that indicates the economy is definitely growing. And not only that, it's growing, but unlike before where we had, I think, a more anemic pace. This is healthy growth. You can look at the kinds of jobs that are being created. They're good paying full time jobs. Who is getting the jobs? It's native born Americans. It's not just foreign born workers, a lot of whom are here illegally, right? Where are people getting jobs in the productive private sector, not the unproductive public sector? We're actually shedding government jobs and gaining private sector ones. The inverse of what was happening in January of 2025 when this president took office. So interesting. Let's dig into this. So what does all of that mean for taxes, for example? Well, tax revenues are up. We just got this week. In addition to this jobs report, we got information out of the Treasury that shows the deficit for January was down compared to the previous year. We're down for the entirety of the fiscal year. Thus far, we're down about 17% compared to where we were during the fiscal year. That was the last four months of the Biden administration. So again, we're making very, very good progress here in terms of whether it's the labor market, whether it's federal finances, you name it. And in terms of wage growth, are people really feeling it? Absolutely. And one of the great things here is the fact that not only are paychecks getting bigger, which is what you want to see, but most importantly, those paychecks can buy more. So under Biden, yes, paychecks got bigger. There's no doubt about it. The problem was prices rose even faster than wages. And so your larger paycheck actually bought you less, about 4% less. By the time he left office under Trump, that paycheck now buys you about 2% more than when he took office. And what do you think this will all mean for interest rates? I think in the long run, we're actually gonna see interest rates start to come down because when you don't have that inflationary pressure in the economy from the government spending, borrowing and printing too much money without that, there's no reason to have interest rates this high. So I'm very optimistic about the incoming Fed chair, Kevin Warsh. I think he is going to be able to navigate that path to get us down to those lower interest rates. Let's break down. What do you put this all down to this latest report and the other data that you've pointed to? Well, this is what the Treasury Secretary Scott Besson has referred to as the reprivatization of the economy. So instead of relying on on government spending to boost GDP on government hiring to boost the jobs report, right? Instead of that, we're doing away with that and allowing the private sector to grow, which it will do if you just get out of its way. And as that private sector grows and generates more tax revenue, it reduces the federal deficit. It creates more hiring. You have more people employed, less reliance on government services like welfare, for example. So again, it's a very, very positive shift for the economy overall. And just for individual viewers out there, what can they possibly do with the climate as it is right now to position themselves to take make the most advantage, take the most advantage of of what's happening in the U.S. economy at the moment? Well, investments like Trump accounts are a great, great move. So for those folks who have newborns or if you have maybe kids are a little bit older, as long as you're still under 18, you can take advantage of those Trump accounts. I mean, it really is absolutely amazing how if you start investing when you're young, you get such a tremendous head start on life. You turn 18, you can use this money not just for school, like a traditional four year college, but you can even use it for things like community college, trade school. You can use it to start a business, to buy a home, you name it. And if you want to just let it ride out until you're ready to retire, you'll be a millionaire. It really is an incredible investment vehicle. So when the economy's booming, when the market's hot like it is right now, great time to get in. It is all looking and sounding pretty good. What would you advise, if anything, for policymakers at this point to to make it even better? You've got to keep your foot on the gas. This is not the time to let up. They need to really move full steam ahead with with the regulatory cuts, with the tax cuts, with the spending cuts. That last part is particularly tricky, I think, because the executive branch can only do so much there, right? Ultimately, you need Congress to get on board. So I would say Congress needs to get off the couch and essentially really get on board with this president's economic agenda. And what are the challenges that you're seeing there for that to take place? Well, unfortunately, you have a lot of Democrats who just want to see the president fail. And then you even have a lot of Republicans, these so-called rhinos, or Republicans in name only, who want to see those spending cuts fail. So the administration definitely is facing a lot of headwinds when it comes to something like cutting spending, but it's definitely a key part of the president's agenda. It has made him successful thus far, but again, there's only so much the executive alone can do. And what do you think Americans should be watching for next in terms of the economy and jobs? I think really just their own personal finances. So we mentioned earlier how, you know, paychecks are not only getting bigger, but they can buy you more, right? That's a huge win, and I think that's what people are going to continue to be looking at going forward, and they should, because that tells you not just how the economy is doing overall, but how you personally are doing within that economy. And as someone who studies this all day, what do you think, if anything, may be missing from the broader conversation about the U.S. economy and what perhaps needs to happen long term to keep it thriving? I think the right sizing of the federal government hasn't gotten enough discussion. And even when we look at something like these jobs numbers, you know, people are saying, well, there's not as many jobs, there's not as much job growth as we had before, right? Well, that's true, because we're not hiring hundreds of thousands of government bureaucrats. I mean, right now, Trump has managed to get federal government, the bureaucracy, down to its lowest level since 1966. Think of that. Six decades, we have not seen federal government employment this low. It's a tremendous win, and as all those people leave the unproductive public sector and move into the productive private sector, they're not only going to get better paying jobs, but they'll actually be adding to the economy. They'll be increasing the amount of products and services that are available. That's a tremendous win. And again, policymakers need to double down on that agenda because it has been so productive. It has been so fruitful thus far, and it will only continue to be more so if they continue down that path. It's great to hear your insights this morning. Thank you so much for joining us, E. J. Anthony. Thank you for having me. And thanks to Daniel for that report. Coming up, California home to many billionaires, but some tech entrepreneurs are now looking for property outside the state. Mark Zuckerberg is said to be one of them. An expert weighs in on corporate site selection and one of a kind fashion week event. We take a look at a clothing collection that came straight from the farm to the runway. California is home to many billionaires, but now some wealthy tech entrepreneurs are looking to move outside the state. This comes as California is considering a wealth tax on billionaires. NTV's David Lamb reports. Some of the nation's wealthiest people live in California, such as meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. But he's reportedly the latest billionaire to buy property in Florida. John Boyd, who specializes in business site selection, spoke to us from South Florida, saying his company's survey found that nearly all of his respondents opposed the proposed 5% wealth tax in California. They view the wealth taxes yet another indictment, another blemish on an already very difficult and costly California business climate. The measure would impose a 5% tax on billionaires living in California on January 1st, 2026. The tax would be due in 2027. 90% of the tax money would be spent on health care for the public, with the rest on administration, education and food assistance. But this is the wrong way to do it. In fact, just the opposite will happen. The more you tax something, the less you have of it. Boyd is referring to the entrepreneurs who have already bought property in Miami. Zuckerberg and his wife are reportedly buying a new mansion on Indian Creek. It's one of the affluent areas in South Florida known as the Billionaire Bunker. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also owns property there, as well as in Boca Raton in Miami. Boyd says other regions are also seeing interest. We see a lot of markets in and around Lake Tahoe, okay, like Incline Village and Minda Nevada in Douglas County. We see Summerlin in Vegas. We see some of the high growth markets in the Dallas Metroplex region. If the tax proposal passes, residents whose net worth is $1 billion or more would face a tax of at least $50 million. David Lamb, NTD News, California. First Lady Melania Trump visits young patients and their families at the Children's Inn to celebrate the upcoming Valentine's Day. She sat with the kids, creating artwork with pink and red hearts while chatting about their lives, sports, music and other interests. One young man told the First Lady he didn't know how to address her, saying he knows a queen when he sees one. The First Lady told him to call her Melania. This Valentine's Day visit marks Trump's fourth trip to the Children's Inn as First Lady. The Children's Inn is a nonprofit organization offering free stays for Children undergoing studies and treatments at the National Institutes of Health. New York Fashion Week is back in New York City with something a little out of the ordinary. It's the Oat Potato fashion show at and auction at Grand Central Station. Idaho potato sacks turned into fashion items are on bid to support a nonprofit that provides meals to Children. NTD was there to catch the action. Idaho wants you to know that a vegetable can also be an object of desire. The 2026 hot potato collection has arrived at Grand Central Station for New York Fashion Week. These high fashion pieces are inspired by Idaho potato sacks. The collection blends agricultural heritage, American pop culture and elevated craftsmanship into bold runway ready looks in support of the no kid hungry nonprofit. These potato sacks have been expertly mashed together by Idaho born fashion designer Cartier Dior Eliasson. Yeah, so I actually was born and raised in southern Idaho. So the heart of potato country. I come from a long line of Idaho potato farmers. Um, but I've always loved fashion since I was a kid. So I started doing that when I was about nine years old, was a contestant on Project Runway Junior when I was a teenager. And then I went to Paris to go to fashion school. Um, and then I came back to start my own line and I moved back to Idaho, um, to create a lot of beautiful art inspired by Idaho. So that's kind of how I got selected for this project for the potato commission and got to create a whole collection out of potato sacks. The hot potato collection is up for public auction and closes February 17th at five p.m. Eastern time. The public auction can be found at Idaho potato dot com. And so far, one of the men's suits has the highest bids. Where did the idea for the show come from? Yes. So the original idea comes from this iconic picture of Maryland Monroe in the 1950s. I think somebody had said like she's so beautiful she could like wear just a potato sack. So they took a photo of her in one. Um, and it's something that I've seen since I was a little kid. I would go to the potato museum with my family and they have like a million cardboard cutouts of it and it's always been super inspiring for me. So it just kind of came from that beautiful Maryland photo. All proceeds are going to no kid hungry dot org, a national campaign working to end childhood hunger in New York City and throughout the nation, a nonprofit helping ensure kids across the U. S. Have access to nutritious meals. Sean Marshall N. T. D. News. Sweet story and a great effort. Well, that's all we have time for this hour. But if you have any feedback on the show or have something you'd like to see us cover, send us an email at good morning at N. T. D dot com. We'd love to hear from you and for around the clock. Original news coverage. Watch us live at N. T. D dot com slash live or download our N. T. D. App. I'm Stefania Cox. See you soon.