Guthrie Case: Glove DNA Returns No Matches; Jesse Jackson Dies at 84 | NTD Evening News (Feb. 17)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, a whirlwind day of diplomacy in Geneva. That's as the U.S. holds talks on Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war, how the White House is responding. Mario Tsu has the latest. Reverend Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon and two-time presidential candidate, has passed away at the age of 84. But we know about his legacy. A setback in the Nancy Guthrie case, the DNA profile found on a glove near her home returned no match in national databases. But other leads investigators are still following. DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Trisha McLaughlin is set to leave her job. What she and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem say about the departure. President Trump stepping in as a massive sewage spill continues pouring into the Potomac River. He says federal authorities will take over after local officials struggle to manage the crisis. And Texas kicking off a high-stakes primary season for Senate and other key races. What to watch for as early voting begins. This is NTD Evening News. Live from our global headquarters in New York City, here's Tiffany Meyer. Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. The U.S. and Iran holding high-stakes nuclear talks in Geneva as the U.S. sends a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf. This comes amid threats of U.S. military intervention if a deal on Iran's nuclear program isn't reached. We now go live to NTD's Washington correspondent Mari Otsu. Mari, good evening. Tiff, good evening. And that's right. And those talks are being led on the U.S. side by Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, both the U.S. and Iran after those talks, saying that progress was made. U.S. officials saying that they expect to have a more detailed report from Iran in the next two weeks. And Iran's foreign minister saying that while they agreed on, quote, guiding principles, more work is needed to come to a general agreement. And while Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, the United States State Department has designated the Iranian regime a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984. And Iran International is now reporting that just since last month, January, there have been more than 36,000 people who were killed in anti-regime protests. And Vice President Vance says this. Take a look. Yes, of course, the Iranians say that they're not interested in a nuclear weapon. We know, in fact, that's not true. They have shown a number of things that make it clear that they're interested in acquiring a nuclear weapon. Vance saying he spoke to Whitkoff and Kushner about the negotiations and that while everything is on the table, including ballistic missiles and support for Iranian regime proxies, the U.S.'s red line is Iran possessing a nuclear weapon. We don't want nuclear proliferation. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, there are a lot of other regimes, some friendly, some not so friendly, who would get nuclear weapons after them. That would be a disaster for the American people because then you have these crazy regimes all over the world with the most dangerous weapons in the world. This comes as the U.S. sends a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf and Iran conducts military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump warning the regime there will be consequences if they don't make a deal. So I'll be involved in those talks indirectly and they'll be very important. We'll see what can happen. I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal. Meanwhile, also in Geneva, Russia and Ukraine are meeting to hammer out a peace deal mediated by the U.S. President Trump pressuring Kiev to act fast. Well, in big talks, it's going to be very easy. I mean, look, so far, Ukraine better come to the table fast. That's all I'm telling you. We are in a position. We want them to come. And also today, President Trump is unveiling that that first batch of projects under that U.S.-Japan trade deal signed last summer is officially beginning. Under that trade deal, Japan is committed to investing $550 billion in the United States. And those first three projects President Trump is announcing today are an Ohio gas power plant, a critical mineral site in Georgia and a liquefied natural gas facility in Texas. Tiff, back to you. All right, Mari, thanks for those updates. The Reverend Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, has died at the age of 84. In a statement, his family said he died peacefully this morning, surrounded by his family. They described Jackson as a tireless change agent who elevated the voices of the voiceless over decades of engagement in civil rights advocacy, voter mobilization and presidential politics. The cause of death was not immediately given. Jackson rose to prominence in the civil rights movement, working alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in marches, sit-ins and organizing efforts. In 2017, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The Jackson family said, Our father was a servant leader, not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world. Public observances will be held in Chicago, with further details to be released by the Rainbow Push coalition. President Trump is reacting to Jesse Jackson's death, saying he knew Jackson well. In a post on Truth Social, the president writes, He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and street smarts. He was very gregarious, someone who truly loved people. Trump says he has helped pass measures that Jackson supported, including criminal justice reform, long-term funding for historically black colleges and universities, and the Opportunity Zones economic development package. Trump adds, He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed. The Nancy Guthrie investigation is facing a setback. The Pima County Sheriff says an analysis of the glove they found near her house did not return any matches. It was processed through the FBI's DNA database, which contains more than 19 million offender samples. The sheriff also confirmed the DNA on the glove does not match DNA recovered inside the residence. Officials say additional DNA evidence from the home is still being analyzed, and that they're also working to locate Guthrie's pacemaker with help from the manufacturer. Investigators are coordinating with Walmart after identifying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack worn by the suspect as a store-exclusive item. The sheriff told the Associated Press it is the only item of clothing definitively identified. In a statement Monday, the sheriff said the Guthrie family has been cleared as suspects and described them as fully cooperative. Meanwhile, President Trump is threatening the kidnappers with the death penalty if Guthrie is not returned alive. Tricia McLaughlin is leaving her post as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS. Secretary Kristi Noem confirms McLaughlin's departure today in a post on X. Noem says McLaughlin has served with exceptional dedication, tenacity and professionalism. The DHS secretary writes, quote, she has played an instrumental role in advancing our mission to secure the homeland and keep Americans safe. McLaughlin says she had been planning to leave in December, but pushed back her departure amid the aftermath of the Rene Good and Alex Pretty shootings. Noem says her department is sad to see McLaughlin leave, grateful for her service and wishes her success. President Trump now getting involved with a near the nation's capital. Trump directing federal resources and blaming Maryland's governor for mismanaging the situation this morning. President Donald Trump now stepping in as a massive sewage spill continues flowing into the Potomac River. The president blaming Maryland Governor Wes Moore for what he calls gross mismanagement. Trump called the sewage spill a massive ecological disaster, saying local authorities cannot handle the situation. Trump said yesterday the federal government will step in to protect the river. In a social media post yesterday, the president said he was directing federal authorities to immediately provide all necessary management, direction and coordination. The crisis began January 19 when a major sewer line collapsed in Montgomery County, Maryland. The rupture sent more than 240 million gallons of wastewater into the river. A local water utility saying nearly 250 million gallons overflowed from the waste pipe since early February. University of Maryland researchers are calling it one of the largest sewage spills in US history. Researchers have detected high levels of bacteria in the water. Health experts warning of serious risks for anyone coming into contact with the impact of water. Officials emphasize drinking water has not been impacted. Governor Moore's office is pushing back against Trump's comments, saying it is the federal government, not Maryland, that is responsible for the sewer line. Meanwhile, emergency repairs are expected to take several more weeks. Permanent repairs could take up to nine months. The Environmental Protection Agency has revoked an Obama-era ruling that shaped vehicle emissions rules for more than a decade. How did this change life for Americans and will consumers see lower car prices now? Hear from EPA Deputy Administrator David Fatui tonight on Capitol Report at 7 p.m. Early voting has begun across Texas, kicking off a high-stakes primary season for Senate and other key races. Primary Election Day is set for March 3rd, with some races potentially headed for runoffs in May. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn faces a tough Republican primary against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt. On the Democratic side, Congressman Jasmine Crockett and State Representative James Tolerico are battling for nomination. Candidates are campaigning across the state, with rallies and events timed to coincide with early voting. Several House contests are also drawing attention after redistricting shifted several districts toward Republicans, including the 28th, represented by Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar. And don't miss President Trump's first State of the Union address of his second term next Tuesday. The president is expected to cover the most pressing issues of our day, from the economy to achieving peace abroad, and he'll reveal his yearly plan to Congress, the nation, and the world. Join me and TD's Steve Lance and Mari Otsu at 7 p.m. Eastern to track the president ahead of his speech, hear reactions from lawmakers, and speak with panels on what it all means for you. Don't miss it. Coming up, Israel's foreign ministry has accused a U.N. agency of teaching children to hate and kill Jews. Meanwhile, Israeli forces are continuing cross-border operations to prevent terrorist attacks against civilians. Jason Perry reports. A congressional commission says India is in the best position to replace a notable amount of China's dominance in global supply chains, and why it's in America's interest to help India. Jason Blair reports. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. A congressional commission says India is in the best position to replace a notable amount of China's dominance in global supply chains, and why it's in America's best economic and national security interest to help India in this position. NTD correspondent Jason Blair reports. Today's hearing addresses the critical role of India in U.S.-China competition. In a hearing titled India, China, and the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission heard from experts to see where India fits in when it comes to competing with China. Commissioner Jonathan Stivers says India is the best option right now to replace a significant share of China's role in global supply chains. With rising national security concerns and a slowing economy in China, companies are seeking to diversify their supply chains out of the country. Stivers says India has a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit and a strong STEM pipeline for high-skilled workers. Perhaps more importantly, India's democratic system and adherence to the rule of law create the underlying conditions for fair and transparent commerce. However, India faces a difficult balancing act with China, weighing economic security against the needs of industrial development. India is a top supplier of our generic drugs, yet India relies extensively on China for the pharmaceutical ingredients and key startup materials. China also accounted for 16% of India's total imports. And these figures highlight the fact that China for India is not just a marginal trading partner, but it is a system-scale supplier whose inputs are deeply embedded in Indian production. Over the last two decades, Indian policymakers have gone from seeing China as a potential enabler to more of an obstruction in achieving India's objectives. Stivers says a strong and economically vibrant India is in the national interest of the U.S., especially as strategic competition with China intensifies. India's scale, demographic, economic, military makes it the only country in Asia with the potential to serve as a long-term counterweight to China's regional dominance. The need for transparency with pharmaceutical ingredients was also raised. When I buy a T-shirt, I can find out where the cotton was made. I can find out where the labor was, the carbon footprint. When I put a pill in my mouth, I have no idea where it's from. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair, NTD News. Canada is set to boost its defense spending and the output of its domestic defense industry. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says he plans to dramatically increase the amount of weapons Canada buys from domestic firms instead of the U.S. We have committed to double, double our defense expenditures by the end of this decade. And that amounts to an additional $80 billion over the next five years, should we are announcing Canada's first-ever defense industrial strategy. It's a bold plan to get our armed forces what they need, when they need it. It's a bold plan to scale Canadian defense companies and to put hundreds of billions of dollars into strategic sectors of our economy while creating over 125,000 high-paying jobs across Canada. The announcement comes as Canada is on track to meet its 2 percent NATO defense spending target this spring ahead of schedule. Carney says that over the next decade, Canada will invest $180 billion in defense procurement, $290 billion in defense security-related infrastructure, and create over $125 billion in additional downstream economic benefits. The Prime Minister adds that this strategy is about protecting Canada's sovereignty in its fullest sense and boosting its ability to act independently. He notes that the decision does not mean isolation. Canada currently spends 70 percent of its weapons budget on U.S. products. But Carney wants to bring that figure down. He wants Canadian firms to eventually hit that 70 percent mark instead. Starting today, Canadians and Brits can visit China visa-free. This comes after the Canadian Prime Minister and the U.K. Prime Minister visited China recently to sign a series of deals. Joining us now to dive into Canada-China relations and the CCP's influence operations in North America is Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of StateArmor. Michael, thank you so much for joining us. Great to see you again. Now, China is opening its doors to foreign nationals, expanding the list of countries to 79 today with the latest being Canadians and Britons who can enter visa-free for 30 days. Now, it's part of recent deals with both countries. How are you reading this move and what does this signal in terms of where two of America's main allies now stand? China likes to give the minimum and take the maximum. So giving this relief on visas is really minimum relief. And it's not as if a Canadian national or a British national will not be tracked and spied upon when they go visit communist China. They very much will be. So this doesn't provide any relief to anything substantive, such as espionage, transnational oppression. It's just really a change in paperwork. It's lipstick on a pig of a regime that's incredibly hostile and aggressive towards the Western world, including Canada, including the United Kingdom, where there's tremendous espionage, transnational repression and united front political warfare occurring in those countries. So it's a minimal change. It's really China giving the minimum and taking the maximum. And that's what they do in all of their relationships. And both leaders are trying to revamp relations with China. A recent NANAS poll for Bloomberg found that more than half of Canadians said they're open to buying Chinese EVs now that tariffs have been lowered. Now, we know that President Trump has long pushed to oust Chinese EVs from North America, slapping 100 percent tariffs on them. I believe Canada had initially joined. Now, you've said before that Chinese EVs are rolling instruments of espionage and consumer fraud. Expand on that for us. Well, if you look at Poland today, Poland today just announced that Chinese EVs can't go near their military bases. This occurred in Poland. This occurred in the United States. To some extent, it's occurred in the UK and other European countries. The Israelis looked at the same thing. If you look at how China creates their EVs, they're highly connective. They even contain laser sensors that scan the surroundings down to the nanometer. All of that data goes back to Beijing. So you have these sensors. They're looking at every little, you know, tiny millimeter on the street, around your home, around critical infrastructure, around a military base. It's sensing all of that and sending it back to Beijing. Your car is going to connect to the Internet through connectivity devices in the car, and then your phone will as well. All of that data will be harvested. All of your personal data will be harvested. How you drive, where you go, when you do it, all of that data goes back to Beijing. It's really insane that countries want to hand over the most intimate data, such as where you go, when, how and what you do there, along with genetic data to Beijing. This is very insane. It's a bad idea. We should stop giving them all of our data. Michael, shifting to influence operations, a new report from the Jamestown Foundation found over 2,000 groups across the U.S., Canada, Germany and the UK helping to advance the CCP's agenda. First, what was your reaction to this report? Were you surprised by the number? I wasn't surprised by the overall number, which is about 2,000 political warfare units across those four countries, nearly 1,000 of them within the United States. We run into these groups all the time. They try to interfere in state politics. They try to interfere in local politics. They try to interfere in federal politics. There was just a Chinese national indicted in the last couple weeks for actually working to get a specific person elected mayor in Chino Hills, California. What was surprising is the outsized influence in Canada. If you look at the numbers proportionate to population, Canada has eight times as many Chinese Communist Party political warfare units in Canada compared to how many there are in the United States. China sees Canada as the soft underbelly of North America. They're making political inroads there in various obvious ways. They're trying to make supply chain inroads there as well. They're very much deploying huge amounts of political warfare in Canada to interfere in their politics and influence their policymaking. The report notes that this number is just the tip of the iceberg. Communist China has touted the United Front since Mao's time. He called it a secret weapon of the Chinese Communist Party. How should Americans understand what the United Front Work Department is? The United Front Work Department is Communist China's way to infiltrate across society. This is how they lift their diplomatic message. This is how they raise Beijing's voice and suppress the voices of those who oppose Beijing. You'll see these organizations in states like Florida that's actually working on this problem. You'll see these organizations say that it's racist to actually crack down on crimes committed by the Chinese Communist Party, that it's somehow racist to crack down on those crimes, even though the victims of those crimes are Asian Americans themselves. They'll suppress the messaging against Beijing, and they'll raise Beijing's voice within state and local politics, within federal politics, in order to shape overall policymaking. They also leech intellectual property, economic know-how, research at the universities. They even actually pull diseases and other pathogens out of university systems. There's one example. The president of the Chinese Student Scholars Association at the University of this is a United Front organization. She was helping agents of the Chinese Communist Party send pathogens from the lab in Florida back to China. She got kicked off campus for doing that. Some of her compatriots got indicted. It's an all-weather, always political war machine within the United States to suppress our strength and sap our strength to China, and then sow weakness and sow chaos in our country. Michael, when we look at Chinese influence operations more broadly, one aspect that's been getting more attention is transnational repression. One example of this on US soil is the targeting of Shen Yun, an American dance company that showcases China before communism, and as a result, it's been slandered, even attacked by the Chinese regime and those sympathetic to it. Do you see these operations as a direct attack on American values and our way of life? It's a direct attack on American values. It's direct attack on our way in life. But I think even more important than that, it's a direct attack on American sovereignty. What you see the Chinese Communist Party attempt to do is actual policing operations on Shen Yun, on other groups within the United States. So they cloak themselves in the power of the state within the United States. They make the argument that they can enforce Chinese law here on our soil. That's why you see a number of jurisdictions, Florida's one, Texas is another, actually making it a felony for a foreign regime like China to try to enforce their laws here. That's what they do to Shen Yun. That's what they do to these other organizations. One of the things that's interesting of what Shen Yun highlights is the forced organ harvesting. The most heinous crime committed in communist China is when they take organs out of just innocent people who are political dissidents, they take them and they kill them by taking their organs. That's one of the things that's highlighted. China doesn't want that highlighted. So I've heard of them slashing tires of these people, trying to get them physically hurt in various ways, and trying to enforce communist laws here in the United States of America. So it's a direct attack on our sovereignty. Expanding on that, this reach by the CCP has been getting more attention like that Chinese police station above a noodle shop in the heart of New York City a few years ago. When it comes to action being done to counter it though, state armor has been at the forefront. Talk to us about some of the states that now have legislation countering the CCP's influence. A lot of states have legislation countering the CCP. On the issue of influence operations, right now I would point to the state of Florida where there's legislation advancing that really chops up a lot of what they try to do through their influence operations. And to the point of this new research about the Unite Front, the people who created that research came down and gave some of the most powerful testimony I've ever seen about the problem within the state of Florida. There's over 30 Unite Front organizations there, and what needs to be done in the solution, that's what lawmakers are doing there. They're banning any gifts or any money coming from these Unite Front organizations into politics. They're making them all register as foreign agents of communist China operating within the state of Florida. They're increasing criminal penalties for any crimes that these people would commit against dissidents, whether Shen Yun, whether it's other groups of dissidents within the United States. So they're enhancing penalties for crimes. They're actually creating training for Florida state employees on how to recognize what the Unite Front influence operations look like and how to crack down on them. There's a lot more that the state of Florida is doing. Tennessee, Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana, so many states are taking action on this. But I would point to the state of Florida that very soon I think could be enacting one of the most important laws in the country, taking care of those problems I just described to you. Michael Lucci, as always, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Israel's foreign ministry has accused a United Nations agency of teaching Palestinian children to kill Jews. This comes as Israeli forces continue cross-border operations to prevent terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. NTD's Jason Perry has the Middle East update. The Israeli mission to the EU and NATO, a diplomatic agency under the Israeli foreign ministry, is accusing a United Nations agency of indoctrinating Palestinian children. The Israeli mission accuses the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, of teaching children to hate and kill Jews. The mission recently posted these clips of Palestinian children said to be UNRWA students at the time. I want to fight against the Jews and defeat them in war. They teach us that the Zionists are our enemy, and we must fight them. I am ready to stab a Jew and drive a car over them. Stabbing and running over Jews brings dignity to the Palestinians. Right now, I'm prepared to be a suicide bomber. UNRWA schools in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip use textbooks supplied by the Palestinian Authority. And Israel's foreign ministry shared a post on X on Monday, citing a report on the content of the Palestinian curriculum. In a fifth-grade social studies textbook, it teaches about a woman named Dalal al-Mugrabi, who led a terrorist attack in which 38 Israeli civilians were killed, including 13 children. The textbook describes her as a martyr and a role model. UNRWA has previously responded to similar accusations, saying that UNRWA has no tolerance for hate speech, discrimination, or incitement to violence that could be viewed as taking sides in a conflict. And the Palestinian Authority itself, which is the body currently governing the West Bank, has a policy in place that pays the families of terrorists who harm or kill Israelis if the terrorist is injured, killed, or detained in the process. Meanwhile, Israel continues counterterrorism operations in the West Bank to help prevent attacks against Israeli civilians. Israeli troops have also been operating in Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group. The Lebanese government has also stepped up efforts to disarm the group. However, on Tuesday, Hezbollah said it rejects the Lebanese government's latest plans, saying that disarming the group will benefit Israel. And in the meantime, Israeli forces have continued launching strikes against reported terrorists in Lebanon. Israel says they will continue to operate to remove any threat against the state of Israel. Jason Perry, NTD News. Coming up, Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify tomorrow in a major social media trial in Los Angeles. Parents who say social media harmed their children are expected to pack the courthouse. Christina Corona reports. Hollywood is not happy with the new AI videos generated using a new tool from ByteDance. The film industry accuses the platform of violating actors' rights and character copyrights. David Lam has details. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take the stand Wednesday in a landmark social media trial in Los Angeles. The case is one of more than a thousand lawsuits accusing Meta and Google of designing addictive features that harm young users. NTD's Christina Corona tells us more. Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify Wednesday in a major social media trial in Los Angeles. The lawsuit alleges that Meta and Google designed products they knew would addict children. Zuckerberg is expected to face grieving families in court, and his testimony comes after facing sharp questioning on Capitol Hill two years ago. So you didn't take any action. You didn't take any action. You didn't fire anybody. You haven't compensated a single victim. Let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. There's families of victims here today. Have you apologized to the victims? Would you like to apologize for what you've done to these good people? I'm sorry. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered. Several parents who say social media played a role in their children's deaths are expected at the courthouse again this week. One father says his 17-year-old son died by suicide in 2022 after being coerced into sending explicit images on Instagram. Social media is an absolute addiction for young people at many different levels. It's not just about sextortion for us in this fight anymore. There's fentanyl parents here. There's suicide videos that are getting fed to these young people that are just looking for self-help and looking for an answer, and they're getting fed suicide videos. How to? Another mother says her 17-year-old daughter died from fentanyl poisoning after she allegedly received laced drugs from someone she met on Instagram. I don't know how they live with themselves. They have children. They don't allow their children to be on social media. I don't know how Mark Zuckerberg can live with himself knowing that his hands are bloody. Meta and Google denied the claims. Instagram chief Adam Masseri also testified last week, pushing back against the idea that problematic social media use meets the clinical definition of addiction. Christina Corona, NTD News. As AI-generated videos are flooding the internet, Hollywood is condemning a new tool from ByteDance. Chances are you may have seen some of the clips created with the platform. NTD's David Lam reports. Hollywood groups are condemning a new artificial intelligence video generator called cDance 2.0. After seeing this video of an AI Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting each other among many other generated videos, cDance 2.0 comes from Beijing-based company ByteDance, the creator of TikTok, and lets users create realistic-looking AI videos based on text prompts. It's only available in China for now, but the film industry says the platform violates copyright and uses the likeness of actors without permission. Yes, I'm busy. Are you taking a call? It's important. That wasn't an actual Star Wars scene between Count Dooku and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but some argue that these AI tools led aspiring filmmakers to make high-quality film in little time. Now, as ridiculous as that scene might have been, Hollywood isn't laughing. The Motion Picture Association said, by launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs. Actors union SAG-AFTRA said, this is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood. Axios reports that Disney has sent a cease and desist letter to ByteDance, alleging that copyrighted characters from Star Wars and Marvel were pirated. And Variety reports that Paramount Skydance sent a similar letter to the company. ByteDance responded on Sunday, saying, quote, we are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users. David Lam, NTD News, California. Coming up, countries around the world, from Taiwan to Argentina, are celebrating Lunar New Year, welcoming the Year of the Horse. And at the Olympics today, Team USA keeps pace with a pair of silvers, while injured star Lindsey Vonn heads home. Dave Martin joins us to discuss. Welcome back. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Countries all over the world are celebrating the Lunar New Year today, welcoming in the Year of the Horse. People from Taiwan to Buenos Aires gather to celebrate and usher in another year of prosperity and fortune. Every year of the horse is special, or rather, the years of the horse make us think of a special year. The horse arrives and brings success. And believe it or not, we have been working with that energy for a month for this event. I hope that my job will be smooth in the coming year and that I find a new job that I like. In Taipei, the historic Baoan Temple was struck 108 times to ring in the new year. The number 108 is seen as an auspicious number in Chinese culture. And in Buenos Aires, the local Chinatown kicked off a multi-day celebration with cultural and artistic activities, as well as a wide range of delicious foods. Argentina's Chinese community developed in two main waves, first by Taiwanese families who settled in the 1970s, followed by immigrants from China's Fujian province in the 90s. The new lunar cycle is associated with the Fire Horse, the seventh sign of the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Zodiac signs are determined by year of birth and repeat every 12 years. And now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, we've got some golf, college basketball news, but let's start with the Olympics. What were some of the highlights today for Team USA? Well, Team USA got a couple of medals today, so I'm gonna go with those highlights. Now, first in the men's speed skating team pursuit, Team USA finished second only to Italy, so congratulations to Team USA. Then in the men's freestyle skiing, the big air final, American Mac Forehand took home silver as well. Now, that's his first career Olympic medal, so big congratulations to him too. Now, as far as hockey is concerned, the men's Team USA will face Sweden tomorrow in the playoff quarterfinals. The U.S. has won all three games thus far. They are the second seed for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the women's team plays Canada in the gold medal game, but that won't be until Thursday. But those are at least looking like two events that they should medal in, certainly at least for the men's, or for the women's, it's either being gold or silver. Let's look at the overall medal count here. Norway still in the lead, have the most golds, 14, they have the most total medals at 31. Italy right behind them, second most golds, second most medals, they have the most bronze actually. USA, third most medals, third most golds, and they have the most silver medals, so we can at least hang our hats on that tip. Ten silver medals, that leads everyone. Go Team USA. All right, still up there for now. Elsewhere at the Winter Games though, American skier Lindsey Vonn's crash and resulting hospitalization has been one of the bigger storylines still. Do we have an update on her condition? Yeah, Vonn actually posted a video on Instagram today. Here it is right here, her having a tough time. Well, as you can see, pretty much the entire time she is horizontal. Now she posted on her Instagram account today saying, quote, my leg is still in pieces, but I'm finally home. So this is her trip home apparently. Now she had been in the hospital for nine days, more than a week here, after suffering a complex leg fracture on her run on the really the first day of the Olympics about nine days ago. Now she said she had multiple surgeries on it already, and this is the one leg where she already tore that ACL but was still skiing on it amazingly. Now she also said she's looking forward to her next surgery where she can get the X-Fix out of her leg and be able to move around better. As you can see in this video, obviously not able to move unless she has the help of her trainers and her people. So yeah, I think home for her is in Park City, Utah, although I found actually three different residences. She had a residence at Beverly Hills and another one in Miami, but it looks like Park City, Utah is her main residence. I would guess she gets a lot of snow there. She could probably ski around there. All right, well, best of luck for a speedy recovery because that looked brutal. Yes, it looked very brutal. Shifting gears to golf, there's another major star, Tiger Woods, who's been unable to play for more than a year due to a couple of injuries. What is the latest on his condition? Yeah, well, Woods has not ruled out a return to the Master, which is just two months away. Now that's the first of the four major events this year. Pretty much, he's just limited himself to the majors these last four years. This is really golf's most prestigious event, really similar to Wimbledon for tennis. Woods has won this event five times. Only Jack Nicklaus has won it more than six, so it's no surprise he wanted to return there. Last year, though, obviously a very difficult one now for Woods. His mother died, if you remember, in February last year, and she was really a fixer at his events. Everyone saw how close they were, so Woods then canceled his next event because of that. Then he ruptured his Achilles in March, you know, having not played an event still. That wiped out really all the majors anyway. I mean, that's usually multiple months recovery time there. And then if that weren't enough, he underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery in his back. That was in October, so just five months ago. So he has not played an event since the Open Championship in June of 2024. That's 20 months ago. Now, Woods today has said his Achilles is no longer a problem, but the back surgery is more of an issue. Meanwhile, the guy just turned 50 about six weeks ago, so there's a lot happening. A lot going on with the guy. I'm hoping to see him still back on the course soon. It looks like maybe the Masters. Something to keep in mind and on the radar. Looking at college basketball, though, there are 11 ranked teams in action today. Yeah, and the biggest game of the night actually just started a few minutes ago. Number one, Michigan. The new number one gets an immediate test. They play at number seven, Purdue. That game actually started a few minutes ago, like I just said. Wolverines, 24 and one in the season. They've won 17 of their last 18 games. They are in first place in the Big Ten. Purdue just two and a half games behind them. Also tonight, 16th ranked North Carolina plays that rival NC State. That game starts at the top of the hour here, 7 p.m. Eastern time. Tar Heels will again be without star freshman Caleb Wilson, who broke his hand last week against Miami, but it was his left hand, which is non-shooting hand. Wilson, though, has been practicing with a cast on his left hand, so he could. His head coach, Shubert Davis, said he could be returning soon, but not a definite date at all. Also at 7 p.m., number 22, Miami of Ohio plays at UMass. Now, Miami of Ohio is the only undefeated team left. They are 25 and 0 this season. Meanwhile, no NBA games on tonight. They're still in the all-star game break. They will come back to work on Thursday. Either way, you're still busy. I am still busy, thank you. Yes, thank you to college basketball, keeping me awake. That's good. Otherwise, we'll have you go cover the melting snow. Well, that sounds kind of fun. I'd be okay with that. Well, you know, maybe tomorrow. Just kidding. You know, I shouldn't say yes on air. Well, Dave, as always, thanks for joining us. Thank you, too. And that's all for today's news. For on-the-clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com slash live or download our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tiffany Meyer, and from all of us here at NTD, happy Lunar New Year. Good night.