Trump Sounds the Alarm on Communism; Democrats Face an Internal Battle? | NTD Evening News (June 26)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, President Trump sounding the alarm on what he calls the biggest threat facing our nation since its founding, what he's warning about, and how the U.S. is responding to a new ceasefire violation by Iran. The Religious Liberty Commission delivering its final report to President Trump. The document details threats to religious liberty here in the U.S. along with proposals on how to protect it. Jason Perry has more. After a string of wins by Democratic Socialists, some moderate Democrats are drawing a line. Why a new centrist push is exposing growing divisions inside the party. And the White House condemning what it's calling targeted sabotage to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The pool has been fenced off earlier than usual ahead of the Fourth of July celebrations. Jason Blair has the latest. In a rare aviation accident in the capital of China, a small aircraft slamming into the city's tallest building. What we know so far. This is NTD Evening News. Live from our global headquarters in New York City, here's Kerry Dunst. Good evening. Thank you for joining us tonight. President Trump says communism is now posing the biggest threat to our nation since its founding. He's also giving a stern warning to Democrats as a slew of self-proclaimed Democratic Socialists gain ground in New York. Joining us now live is NTD's White House correspondent, Iris Tao. Good evening, Iris. What's the president saying today at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference? Good evening to you as well, Kerry. So President Trump, ahead of this year's upcoming midterms, is now sounding the alarm about what he's now calling a communist takeover of the Democratic Party. He's pointing directly at this week's New York primary results while saying that this shift toward communism is the biggest threat our country has ever faced. This is the greatest threat to our country since its founding, in my opinion, 250 years ago. What's happening right now? It's the greatest threat. People don't look at that, oh, three people were elected. No, no. It's many more than three people. The Democrat Party is in big trouble because this isn't stopping with New York. This week, self-proclaimed Democratic socialist candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zoran Mondani swept New York's congressional primaries, ousting two incumbents backed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and a party establishment. Such candidates now proposing policies such as abolishing ICE, ending deportations even for violent criminals and defunding police and prisons. They're communists, they're not social Democrats. They want to completely destroy the traditional American way of life. It was a huge night for the dirtbag left last night in New York City. President Trump warning the communists are finally making their move while also stressing the stark contrast between religion and communism. All communists are godless. They don't believe in God. All communist countries attack religions violently. It's part of their, it's part of their deal. And it's not just New York. The president previously telling NTD that communist policies are now seen in deep blue states across the country. When you see it happening with New York, you see it happening with Los Angeles and parts of California. Today, he's again warning Americans about its consequences. You'll live in squalor. There will be no food. There will be no housing. There will be no military. There will be no law and order. There will be no nothing. A way out. He's urging everyday Americans to go out and vote in the upcoming midterms, saying that that's a vital election and that as everything from freedom and religious liberty is on the line, he says, it's ever more important to pass the Safe America Act as well. Back to you. And Iris, shifting gears here, the U.S. has struck Iran in a new move after President Trump says Iran made a foolish ceasefire violation. Tell us more on that. Sure. So, tonight, Central Command, what it calls a powerful response to unwarranted aggression by Iran, announcing that it has hit Iran's missile and drone storage sites as well as radar sites along the Strait of Hormuz. It comes after Iran used attack drones to target a Singapore-flagged vessel crossing through that key waterway. President Trump called it a foolish violation of the ceasefire, adding previously this afternoon I don't like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four. We knocked down three at a ship. So you'll find out. Will the U.S. respond? I mean, you'll find out exactly. Will the U.S. respond? What is your message to Iran? Will I respond? You're going to find out. Now, Central Command in a statement says that the U.S. military remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed and in full force. And the fact remains to be seen, though, if and how the latest flare-up would impact ongoing negotiations. Kerry. Thank you, Iris, for joining. Next, House Republicans say Democrats are headed for an internal battle after Democratic Socialist candidates scored high-profile primary wins this week, as Iris was just alluding to. Now, a group of moderate Democrats, they're publicly pushing back, saying the party needs to promote a centrist message. And today's Chris Bobb has more on that. We have better candidates than the Democrats do. They are on the verge of an open civil war because the establishment Democrats are being pushed out by the Marxists. They're having a lot of disarray on their side, and that will play to our advantage in the midterms. House Republicans are seizing on this week's Democratic primaries, arguing victories by Democrat Socialist-backed candidates in New York reveal a party moving further left. But the backlash isn't just coming from Republicans. Thirteen Democratic House members and candidates are now backing a new Promise to America initiative, pledging support for capitalism, fiscal discipline, border security, and what they call mainstream Democratic values. New York Congressman Tom Suozzi, one of the effort's leaders, posted on X, quote, We disagree with MAGA. We disagree with socialism. We believe the vast majority of Americans want common-sense, mainstream leadership, not political extremism. Suozzi telling Fox News today, You know, there are certain things that I believe in that are not being reflected in the current environment, especially with some of these races on Tuesday. And as we said in our pledge, you know, we're for capitalism, not socialism. We're for safety, not lawlessness. We're proud of America, not ashamed of America. And we need to be promoting those things. The effort comes as Democrats continue debating the party's direction following last year's election losses and this week's primary results. Michigan Senator Alyssa Slotkin, appearing on Stephen A. Smith's radio show, Straight Shooter, said voters are demanding change, but argued that doesn't necessarily mean embracing the party's left wing. Democrats got shellacked in 2024. The Democrats had a million priorities. They tried to make everybody happy. When you prioritize nothing, no one knows what you stand for. I'm very different than the folks who got elected last night in New York City. What works in Manhattan doesn't always work in a place like Michigan. The new centrist coalition says its goal is to offer an alternative to democratic socialism as Democrats debate what message gives them the best chance of winning back voters in the midterm elections. Chris Bobb, NTD News. Former National Security Advisor John Bolton pleading guilty today to one count of retaining national security information. The information was related to his work under the first Trump administration. Bolton has since turned into a vocal critic of the president. In a federal courthouse in Maryland, he admitted that he shared national security information with his wife and his daughter. Bolton was originally charged last October with eight counts of transmitting classified information and 10 counts of retaining classified information. He now faces up to five years in prison and has agreed to pay over two million dollars in fines. He'll be sentenced on October 28th. And 147,000 missing migrant children have been found by the Trump administration so far. This, according to White House Border Czar Tom Homan. He spoke at a conservative event earlier this morning, touting the administration's immigration policies. Here's what Homan had to say on the missing children. In the last administration, nearly a half a million children were smuggled into this country, separated from their parents, put in hands of criminal cartels, and released to unvetted sponsors. Many of the addresses provided by the sponsors didn't exist. We're out there looking for these kids and the address is a supermarket, a parking lot, a church, shopping mall. Many of the IDs provided by the sponsors were fraudulent. Under President Trump's leadership, we have already found 147,000 of these children. Now many of these children, many of these children were safe with their families, just hiding out because they didn't want to be deported. But many, too many, were victims of sex trafficking and forced labor. According to the Department of Homeland Security, during the Biden administration, 450,000 unaccompanied migrant children have lost contact with authorities inside the country. Most of them were located in cities with sanctuary policies. Homan also criticizing the media's portrayal of the administration's policies as inhumane, arguing strict border enforcement saves lives. Have a listen. Studies are done by independent groups. Up to 31% of women that make that journey coming to the United States get sexually assaulted. So when President Trump has illegal immigration down 97%, how many women aren't being raped? How many children aren't dying making that journey? How many no unsuspecting terrorists aren't coming into the country? How many pounds of fentanyl isn't coming across the border to kill Americans? President Trump is saving thousands of lives every month. But no one wants to talk about it. And according to Customs and Border Patrol, more than 100 million lethal doses of fentanyl were seized last month, hitting a historic record. The White House is calling damage to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool targeted sabotage. Fencing has been placed around the pool ahead of Washington, D.C.'s Independence Day fireworks. But this year, the barriers are up earlier than usual. Entity correspondent Jason Blair has more. We caught some people vandalizing our beautiful reflecting pool. U.S. Park Police releasing video footage of a person allegedly committing an act of vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington, D.C. on June 19th. In a statement, the White House says this isn't random mischief, it's targeted sabotage by anti-American crackpots who despise a strong, proud and beautiful country. President Trump also indicates that other individuals have been seen or caught damaging the pool. They took a cutter, a box cutter or something very sharp. They threw a little fertilizer in the water, which is not good. Fertilizer doesn't go well with water. But they caught him. They actually caught him. A recent court document shows that the reflecting pool is scheduled to be drained again for repairs following the Fourth of July holiday. The document also states that Park Police responded to damage reports, including, quote, caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor, destruction of delaminating surface material. In addition, approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool. The pool is currently fenced off, which is normal protocol for the Fourth of July celebrations. However, this year, the fencing was put up earlier than usual. The Department of the Interior states the reflecting pool was always set to be fenced off ahead of the Fourth of July. As in years prior, one of the launch pads for the fireworks is around the pool. So fencing is put up to ensure public safety. The reflecting pool was designed by architect Henry Bacon, who also did the Lincoln Memorial. It was finished in 1923 and is set up to reflect both the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, along with the sky. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair, NTD News. President Trump is threatening some European countries with 100 percent tariffs. That is if they choose to proceed with their digital services tax on American companies. The digital services tax targets the revenue of the world's top tech giants, which are usually U.S. companies. Over a dozen countries levy such a tax. France, for example, has levied a 3 percent digital services tax since 2019. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he will not scrap the tax despite U.S. pressure. Trump has said that the tax unfairly targets American companies. In a Truth Social post today, President Trump writes, quote, This tariff will supersede trade deals made with the country, whether implemented, signed or not. And coming up in the high profile Palisades fire arson trial, a judge declares a mistrial after the jury fails to reach a unanimous verdict. David Lamb has more. And VidCon 2026 is bringing together creators, fans, families and digital platforms from around the world. Christina Koroner takes us inside one of the year's biggest events for online media. Welcome back to NTD Evening News. I'm Kerry Dunst. The Religious Liberty Commission releasing their report today and presenting it to President Trump. The report identifies emerging threats to religious liberty here in the U.S. and it offers recommendations to protect the free exercise of faith. NTD's Jason Perry has more. We want religious liberty. We want liberty, but we also want religious liberty. Members of the Religious Liberty Commission on Friday delivering their final draft report to President Trump. We will closely study this report that is being presented to me as president today. My administration will continue to work with the really the pillars of protecting religious liberty for all Americans. Trump established the Religious Liberty Commission last year to identify emerging threats to religious liberty and protect the free exercise of religion, among other things. The report is based on findings from seven hearings the commission held over the past year through which it received input from more than 100 witnesses, many of whom experienced what they describe as religious persecution here in the United States, including this football coach who was fired by his school for praying at games. I was being prosecuted and persecuted for a 15-second prayer on the 50-hour line after a football game. And a single mother who was denied a religious exemption for vaccine requirements for her daughter to attend school. On Friday, the chairman of the Religious Liberty Commission, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, saying this. The question is, what is religious liberty? It's our conscience. It's that little voice inside of us that tells us right from wrong. When governments can take away your religious liberty, they're putting their hand in your heart and taking everything you believe in. The president spoke earlier today of the communist threat in this country. We know what communists do around the world. They remove God. They close the churches. They punish the believers. Patrick also saying that a constant theme emerged during the hearings. Witnesses testified that they were attacked with one phrase, the separation of church and state. Patrick noting that it doesn't appear in the Constitution, saying, quote, that phrase should have no power over people of all faiths ever again in America. The commission is offering 12 key recommendations to the president to protect religious freedom. President Trump adding that with the nation's 250th anniversary approaching, it's important to strengthen the fundamental right of religious liberty. Jason Perry, NCD News. And the Texas State Board of Education has approved a required reading list for more than five million public school students that includes Bible passages. The list includes literary works such as Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, as well as passages from the New Testament. Critics argued the titles lack teachings from other faiths and blur the separation of church and state. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were a key component of the nation's founding and therefore should be included in school education. Rollout will start with elementary school students in 2030. And during his run for New York City mayor, Zoran Mamdani promised voters a rent freeze. On Thursday evening, a board he controls approved the measure. The freeze covers both one- and two-year leases for people living in about one million rent-stabilized apartments. And Deshaun Marshall has more. The motion passes. An ecstatic crowd cheered as a New York City housing board voted on Thursday to freeze the rents for about one million regulated apartments for up to two years. But not everyone is happy about the rent freezing. Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association and Landlord Lobbying Group says This will only result in more dilapidated housing and potentially more foreclosures and bankruptcies, which the city is wholly unprepared for. Economically, this is significant, OK? This will save the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized apartments about $540 a year, OK? If this rent freeze is sustained over the next several years, this could potentially mean billions of dollars of spendable income, spendable money being spent in the city. There will be significant consequences also. There are a very strong reaction from the business and the real estate community highlighting a lot of the concerns about rent freezes. And if passed this prologue, we can expect, unfortunately, a lot of those negative consequences to come to fruition. A summary of Proposal 1 is as followed. One year lease, 0 percent. One year increase period, 0 percent. Two year increase period, 0 percent. The rent freeze vote fulfills a central campaign promise of Mayor Zoran Mamdani only months into his term. It represents a big part of his political legacy to accomplish this. I think that's very significant. You know, it also raises questions of the neutrality of the Rent Guidelines Board. Yesterday, you saw Christina Smith resign prior to this approval to do the two-year rent freeze. That calls into question not just the neutrality of the Rent Guidelines Board, but other third-party boards in New York that are designed to be a check against City Hall and the politics of the moment to protect New Yorkers. I think that's significant here. And that's something that a lot of business leaders are concerned about. Some landlords, from mom-and-pop owners of a single building to wealthy private equity investors, say they are forced to hike rents on unregulated, market-rate apartments to recoup losses on their rent-stabilized units. Sean Marshall, NTD News. Over 900 people are now confirmed dead in Venezuela, and thousands more are estimated to have been killed. The first American rescue teams are already in Venezuela, and they're trying to save people still buried under the rubble after those two major earthquakes had hit. NTD's international correspondent, Arian Pazdar, is in South America with the latest. New footage on Friday shows entire neighborhoods destroyed in parts of Venezuela after two major earthquakes hit on Wednesday. They reached magnitudes of 7.5 and 7.2. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the death toll could reach as much as 10,000 people. Rescue work is ongoing as people are still stuck under the debris. Eyewitness footage shows people are still being saved, almost 48 hours after the earthquake struck. Some residents say the government doesn't have enough personnel to help with rescue efforts across the country, so civilians are working day and night to clear the debris and hopefully still find survivors. They are calling on the government and countries around the world to help us. What we need here is heavy machinery. Human strength isn't enough. A person can't move these structures. Venezuela's acting president is suggesting the government is focused on the state which was the hardest hit. We have also decided to militarize the state of La Guaira. As you can see, armed forces have been deployed across the state to handle this difficult situation which is affecting our people. U.S. Southern Command overnight on Friday releasing this picture showing that the first American forces arrived in Venezuela. The command also releasing these pictures of the USS Fort Lauderdale and USS Billings, saying quote the U.S. Navy has a proud legacy of providing disaster relief directly from the sea. On top of that, these aircraft will also provide critical support during the American rescue efforts in Venezuela, and the Los Angeles Fire Department sending over 70 people to help in the operations. President Trump on Friday commenting on the disaster. By the way, we're helping Venezuela, they had a tremendous earthquake, a lot of people killed and unbelievable, retin caracas, and we have a lot of people over there helping. Well that was terrible what happened, it was a big earthquake, knocked down buildings. Now the United States isn't the only country sending help. In Europe, Germany, Switzerland and Spain are joining forces to send rescue teams. And here in Brazil, which borders Venezuela, the government says it is willing to send quote whatever is needed to help. And other Latin American countries such as Colombia, Chile, Mexico and others are sending rescue teams as well. Arian Pasdar, NTD News. And our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the country of Venezuela at this hard time. Next, Israel and Lebanon are signing a framework agreement to end hostilities. The Trump administration brokered the trilateral framework. It's the beginning of the beginning, there's a lot of work ahead. We don't in any way underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead. But we understand the importance of it, how vital it is. And we are honored to have played a part in bringing this together. In this performance-based trilateral framework agreement, Iran is out, Hezbollah is out, and the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in. The agreement comes after delegates from Israel and Lebanon met with U.S. officials in Washington D.C. for over four days. The deal aims to lead to a future agreement on broader peace. Under the agreement, Israel will withdraw from some areas in southern Lebanon and transfer them to the Lebanese military. All three sides say the people of Israel and Lebanon need to be able to live in peace and security and say they believe the agreement today is one step closer to achieving that end. Coming up, President Trump had strong words for the dangers of communism in reaction to Tuesday's New York primaries, where three Democratic socialists won. We'll speak with an award-winning author and journalist for analysis. And a rare aviation accident in the capital of China, a small aircraft slamming into the city's tallest building, what we know so far. Welcome back to NTD Evening News. I'm Kerry Dunst. A small aircraft strikes the tallest building in Beijing. Videos posted on social media show debris falling from the skyscraper earlier today. The footage shows local police closing some roads leading to the building. Footage also appears to show part of the aircraft's tail and damage to a taxi cab on the ground. Fire trucks, police vehicles and an ambulance were seen outside. The building, known as Sitik Tower or China Zun, is a 108-story skyscraper in east Beijing. It's the headquarters of the state-owned conglomerate Sitik Group. Authorities have not yet released details about the incident. Images online suggest the aircraft may have been a domestic model. The incident comes as Beijing remains under strict drone restrictions that were introduced in May. And in the three-week arson trial on L.A.'s Palisades Fire, a judge declaring a mistrial today after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. A man was accused of lighting a fire that grew into one of the deadliest wildfires in L.A. history. Prosecutors say they will try again after a mistrial was declared on Friday in the Palisades Fire trial. 29-year-old Jonathan Rinder-Kinesh faces federal charges of arson, malicious destruction by means of fire and timber set aflame, allegedly starting what became a devastating 23,000-acre fire in Los Angeles County. A jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on Thursday, with 10 jurors voting not guilty and two voting guilty. The jury deliberated for more than 14 hours. Judge Ann Huang said the jury was set on their positions. While many from the community have called for accountability, one of the jurors said there wasn't enough evidence to hold Rinder-Kinesh responsible for the entire Palisades Fire. Meanwhile, the former L.A. fire chief is suing Mayor Karen Bass for defamation, claiming that Bass made false statements about the chief regarding the fire to avoid accountability. To make sure that our firefighters have exactly what they need to do their job. The mayor's spokesperson called the lawsuit meritless. According to California's fire department, the Palisades Fire destroyed almost 7,000 structures and killed 12 civilians. On January 1st, 2025, Rinder-Kinesh transported his last Uber passenger before midnight and then called 911 more than a dozen times as he reported the fire. Prosecutors say he started the fire out of resentment towards the wealthy, while the defense argued that fireworks were the likely cause of the blaze. The judge scheduled a status conference for July 15th and a potential retrial on October 19th. She also ordered Rinder-Kinesh to remain in federal custody pending the new trial. David Lam, NTD News, California. In response to three Democratic Socialist victories in Tuesday's New York primaries, with the backing of the mayor, Zoran Mondani, President Trump had some strong words for the dangers of communism. Joining us now to discuss is Alex Newman. He's an award-winning journalist and author. Thanks for joining us this evening, Alex. I'd like to play a clip from President Trump's speech today and get your reaction. Communism is very easy to sell. It destroys everything, but it's very easy. I'd be, I'll be honest, I think I'd be the greatest communist in history. I give free rent. Ladies and gentlemen, from now on, you don't have to pay any rent. From now on, anybody wants a house, don't worry about it. Just pick the house you want. Everybody gets free food. Everything is free from this point forward. Everyone's going to vote for me. The problem is, after two or three years, the country is a disaster area. It's a lighthearted moment in response to something that is somewhat dangerous. So I'd love to get your reaction to the president's putting that into context. Yeah, I mean, despite the humor, these are some of the most serious and forceful remarks we've had about communism from the president. And he's absolutely right. I mean, the Communist Party selling material has always basically been we're going to give you free stuff. You can take stuff from your neighbor. And so I think what Trump is doing here is he's trying to sound the alarm about a very real issue, which is the infiltration of communism within the Democratic Party. It's nice that he's trying to do it with a little bit of humor, but I think the seriousness of what he's saying needs to be taken seriously by the American people and certainly by rank Now, Alex, according to a Gallup poll, about 40 percent of Americans have a positive view of socialism. I want to explore with you why that is. And if you could remind our audience, what is the relationship between the socialism that people might think of from the Nordics and communism? Well, what they have in Scandinavia, and I used to live in Scandinavia, is really much closer to free markets than it is to communism. I think it's very inaccurate to call the Scandinavian welfare model socialism. In some ways, the Scandinavian countries have more freedom in terms of the economy than the United States does. And that's even on the Index of Economic Freedom from the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal. So the idea that Scandinavia is practicing socialism is not true. They did move in that direction and it was such a disaster. They very quickly reversed course by the time the 1990s started coming around. And those reforms have been very, very helpful for them. In fact, they became prosperous as a result of markets and free market economics. Socialism is really just an interim step on the road to alleged utopia that communism is supposed to bring. It is really the government ownership, what they call the collective ownership of the means of production. And so socialism is really just a step toward communism. And when you talk about democratic socialists of America, they are socialists. Yes, they may like to use democracy. They may like to use the electoral process to bring that about. But it's ultimately all leading to the same destination. And I think the reason we have more and more Americans moving in that direction, and this is especially true among young people, is because this is what they're learning in the school system. This is what's being pumped out through the entertainment system. And they don't even hide it. The democratic socialists a few years ago talked about how democratic socialists should become teachers so they can indoctrinate the next generation. If you look at the people who built this system, I've covered this very extensively. These are people who really did share the collectivist worldview, the idea that socialism was superior to freedom. So very, very dangerous. And this is a threat that, as the president pointed out, we need to be taken very seriously. And earlier this morning on Truth Social, the president said the communists are finally making their move. I've been waiting and preparing for this for a long time. And then he goes on to say the game is on. Enjoy watching President Donald J. Trump. So it sounds like the president has a plan. What do you expect from him? Well, the president has been aware of this for a long time. If you go back to 2017 when he first took office, Rich Higgins on the National Security Council wrote an extraordinary memo where he talked about an alliance between communists, Islamists, globalists, jihadists working to destroy the United States of America, not just as a nation, but even as an ideal. And so this has been on Trump's radar for a long time. Of course, he's following what's going on in Cuba. He's seen what's going on in Venezuela. And he recognizes that this is actually a national security threat to the United States when you talk about the subversion, when you talk about the sleeper cells that we have across this country. And so I expect that the president and his team have been taking this threat very seriously where crimes have been committed. And certainly there have been many crimes committed to get us this far. I hope we'll see prosecutions from the Department of Justice. But this is a major threat, and it's not going to be fixed, I don't think, with any simple policies. This is a long-term issue. The other side has been playing the long game, and I expect that the president and his administration understand that. When you speak of subversion and crimes that have been committed, can you give a few examples? Well, many have been busted and publicly thrown in prison for this. One of the really obvious ones that comes to my mind is Alger Hiss. This is a guy who was a senior official at the U.S. State Department. He actually was one of the leading figures in the creation of the United Nations, supposedly representing the United States of America. He was the chairman of the conference that wrote the U.N. charter. Later, he became the first secretary general of the United Nations. And then he was prosecuted and thrown into federal prison because he was working as an agent of Joseph Stalin. Of course, he was far from alone. You had many others like Harry Dexter White at the Treasury Department who was involved in this, and many, many others. The Benona documents that the NSA intercepted once they were decrypted revealed hundreds of Soviet agents and communist agents at every level of government. And so we've had this espionage problem for a long time. We've had agents of influence operating in this country without registering on behalf of foreign power for many, many years. So these are all very serious crimes that have been committed against the United States. Now, in an interesting twist, 13 Democrats launched a pro-capitalism initiative called Promise to America, the intent to fight socialist leanings within their own party. Let's listen to Congressman Tom Swazy on Fox earlier today. You know, there are certain things that I believe in that are not being reflected in the current environment, especially with some of these races on Tuesday. And as we said in our pledge, you know, we're for capitalism, not socialism. We're for safety, not lawlessness. We're proud of America, not ashamed of America. Your thoughts to what's happening inside of the Democratic Party? Yeah, and he's one of many who have spoken out. Senator Federman recently was talking about some of the communist crazies, as he called them, who've infiltrated the party as well. So this is a struggle that's going to be going on for a long time. We've seen similar struggles. There was an effort to purge all of the pro-life Democrats some years ago, the so-called blue dog Democrats. And the pro-life Democrats ended up on the losing side of that battle. They have essentially been purged from the party. The platform now fully embraces abortion. I expect we might see something very similar here with the push to stop socialism within the party. There are a lot of socialist forces within the Democrat Party, even some that don't openly identify that way. But if you look at who are the most popular with the grassroots in some of the Democratic Party primaries, you've got people like Mamdani, you've got people like Bernie Sanders. You have people who openly identify as socialists. So this is a battle that's going to go on for some time. It'll be interesting to see how it goes. But I don't think that it's by any means guaranteed that the pro-market, pro-freedom forces are going to end up triumphant. And finally, as we start to finish up, our nation's 250th anniversary, of course, is next week. We've come so far as a country, and we have a long history of countering the spread of communism globally. So how important do you think it is at this moment to reflect on this issue? It's one of the most important issues that we could be reflecting on. The United States has an incredible tradition of liberty, an incredible tradition of constitutional Republican government. We've embraced the concept of God-given rights, which is, of course, completely antithetical to the socialist worldview. But as the president pointed out in those remarks, this is an existential threat to the foundations of the United States. I think on this 250th birthday of the United States and our independence, we ought to all be reflecting on the various threats to that independence, the blessings that have come from that independence. And that should motivate us to redouble our efforts to preserve freedom, to push back tyrannical ideologies, socialism, communism, Islamism, whatever the case may be, and really stand up for the incredible heritage of liberty that we've had in this country. Well, Alex Newman, thank you so much for joining us this evening. Thanks for having me. And as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Great American State Fair in D.C. is attracting tourists from all across the country. The event features exhibits from dozens of states and territories showcasing the best of what America has to offer. Nantidee Sam Wong was out on the fairgrounds to hear from the people. How does it feel to be celebrating America's 250th birthday here in D.C. at the Great American State Fair? It's amazing. It's honestly the reason why I came here this summer, was that I wanted to be in the room where all of this is being celebrated after 250 amazing years of American history. It was just pretty cool to be able to say that we got to come during the 250th anniversary, getting to visit all the places and learn all about our history. And it's just really cool. We're very, very proud. We came up from Florida to see it, my brother and I, to enjoy it. And we're just celebrating our country. It's heartwarming to see Americans come together and not fighting. Everybody's polite. Everybody's helpful. It's wonderful. We traveled up from Florida to come here and seeing the states represented. We heard some cowboys from the western United States out there talking about the cattle industry, great entertainment. Just makes you feel proud to be an American. How does it feel to be out here being part of the Great American State Fair? It's great. Representing the state of Utah is wonderful. Just letting visitors know all the great offerings that we have here in Utah and encouraging people to come out and visit us. Where are we right now? We are standing on the Grand Ole Opry stage. So this is an awesome opportunity for people to get their picture taken with a great backdrop that we've got. And you can see these curtains kind of go together and then come across with different videos so that people can get their picture taken with Elvis and Dolly Parton. And then also our governor has a video as well. Look at that Gibson gold top right there. So Gibson guitars are made in Tennessee. And so this is just one that we wanted to showcase to all of our music fans and kind of an honor to all of the music legends that we have here in Tennessee. Reflecting upon the past 250 years, how proud are you being an American today? I am very proud being an American and not somewhere in Europe. It feels amazing. We're actually free. That's why we have Trump as our president because he is the best. America is a very good country. It's the only country that can have freedom. I mean everybody, well some people don't like it. Some people do. Some people are just jealous. We have God on our side. We're actually direct descendants of the Mayflower. We're William Bradford. My parents were very proud of their ancestry. My grandmother, our families came from somewhere. So we're all immigrants and we are so proud to be here. What does it mean to be an American? I think it means freedom. That's what we're founded on. Have the economic opportunity to progress from nothing into everything and really be founded in that community of American exceptionalism. And NTD will be bringing you special coverage of the Freedom 250 Salute to America celebration taking place, of course, in the nation's capital this 4th of July. It'll be packed with tributes to the country, the people, and the trailblazers who all helped define our national identity, bringing America's legacy to life on stage. Plus, a firework show that Freedom 250 says will be the biggest in our nation's history. Our coverage starts at 7 p.m. Eastern on July 4th. We'll see you then. And coming up, Norwegian soccer fans celebrate their Viking heritage during this summer's World Cup. Experts say their actual history, though, looks a little bit different. And in baseball news, the last place New York met, they make a managerial change. Dave Martin joins us with the details. Welcome back to NTD Evening News. I'm Cary Dunst. Norwegian soccer fans are celebrating their Viking heritage during this summer's World Cup. While rowing and wearing horned helmets are often associated with the Norse Warriors, experts say their actual history looks a bit different. A crowd of fans donning red jerseys and horned helmets row in unison in New York City's Times Square. Norway is showing off its Viking history as its men's soccer team competes in its first World Cup in 28 years. But Viking expert Peter Pence says fans are getting more creative than historical. The short answer is they didn't have horned helmets at all. We do not actually know to what extent they actually used helmets. We only got one single helmet from Viking Scandinavia. Heide Norgaard is an expert in ancient metal at Denmark's Moesgaard Museum. She says they were probably used during ritual ceremony rather than combat. None of them were ever horned helmets. And that's logical because they were real warriors. And having a horned helmet on is not really helping you to protect your body. I mean, it's more the opposite. Horned helmets have been discovered in Denmark, but they predate the Viking age by quite some time. These horned helmets existed. And they existed as a ritual aspect 2,000 or 1,000 years before Christ. That means 2,000 years before the Vikings. While Norwegian fans may be having a bit of fun with the helmets, Pence says the rowing is a lot closer to the Vikings' true history. Viking culture was basically a maritime culture. And rowing is very important. It's not only individual rowing, but rowing together. Norway plays France in the final group one match at Boston Stadium at 3 p.m. Eastern. Now for your sports news, we're joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, I think we're going to kick off with the World Cup. Do you care to comment on rowing and the horned helmets of the Norwegians, or should we just go to the game with France? That was a fascinating thing there. I didn't know anything about that. I was very confused why they were doing the rowing thing at all until I was like, oh, okay, they got their Viking heritage, I guess. I mean, I would be trying to do that if we had a big Viking heritage here too, right? Did it help them against France in MFA? It did not help them against France. I mean, unfortunately today, Norway lost 4-1 to France. And this was supposed to be the battle of the two biggest stars in the World Cup. Kylian Mbappe of France, Erling Haaland of Norway. But both teams had already clinched their spot in the next round. Both had already won their first two games. Norway then elected not to play a number of their starters, including Haaland. So we didn't quite get that matchup. Really, as it turns out, Francis Ousmane Dembele kind of stole the show, getting a hat-trick in the first half, leading France to a 4-1 win. Now, Mbappe did get two assists there. So as I said, both teams have already qualified for their next round. France, though, clinches their group title with the win today. Now, meanwhile, Team USA kind of had a similar plan to Norway yesterday with nine new starters in their game last night for various reasons after Team USA had already clinched the group. Now, they lost 3-2 to Turkey. But we did get to see star-attached attacker Christian Pulisic on the field for about 30 minutes there. Looked very good, really darting all over the field there. Created several scoring opportunities, though was not able to come up with any that got in. Now, as for today, Senegal beat Iraq 5-0 this afternoon. We got four games tonight. We got Cape Verde versus Saudi Arabia, 8 p.m. Eastern time. Spain versus Uruguay at the same time, then 11 p.m. Eastern time. These matches are really getting late here, aren't they? Egypt face Iran, and New Zealand faces Belgium. So U.S. fans don't need to panic yet. You're saying that we didn't put all our best players on the field as a strategy. Just before the game began, they had already announced who the U.S.'s opponent would be in the knockout round. So it didn't matter at all who won. As I said, the U.S. had like nine new starters. They did get Pulisic on the field. So I'm not really concerned about that at all. I just hope that they can look like how they did in the first two games when they play Bosnia-Herzegovina. That'll be next Wednesday they play them in the round of 32. Looking forward to that. Let's move on to baseball. The Mets, what happened there? They parted ways with their manager, Mendoza. Yeah, Carlos Mendoza was fired today by the Mets. Now, the Mets, this shouldn't be very surprising news just considering the Mets have the highest payroll in baseball. Currently, they are last place in their division with a 34-47 record. Now, they had that 12-game losing streak back in April. Put them in the basement. They just have not been able to get out of the basement since. The Mets front office, you could say was actually somewhat patient with them considering what Philadelphia Affiliates did. I mean, they fired their manager in April despite winning the last two division titles. And that's Robbie Thompson. And Thompson has led them to four straight times into the playoffs. So Mendoza, he guided the Mets to the playoffs in 2024. Last year, if you remember at this time in June, they had the best record in baseball. But they really faltered in the second half, missing out on the playoffs last year at the slow start of the season. I guess that's all for them. Of course, the Mets completely made over their team in the offseason. If you remember Pete Alonzo and Andruvin Diaz, they both allowed to leave via free agency. They made a bunch of trades. They brought in, they brought in, who's his name? Marcus Simeon. I can't even remember this guy's name now. Marcus Simeon they got. They also signed Bo Bichette in free agency. My favorite name to say, by the way. I love that. I know you like saying Boba, right? Yeah. Yes, Bo Bichette. So they completely made over their team and it just hasn't worked out. Well, they call it a New York minute. The time you're under the pressure cooker in New York, you got to win and you got to win now. That's true. And it's fine. It's good to see the Knicks back on top. But yeah, you know, if in baseball and speaking of baseball, they're looking to take a page out of other leagues now, you know, introducing other things to maybe help the smaller markets. What's happening? Yeah, they've got that proposal to limit free. This is a proposal. It's just a proposal. But the proposal would limit free agent contracts to just five years in length. Now, right now, there's no limit at all to the length of length or size of contracts for free agents. This is very similar, actually, to the NBA, which has those maximum contract links for players. They've also proposed the salary, team salary cap, a hard cap, plus a basement. So you have a most you can spend and the least you can spend, much like the NFL. Right now in baseball, there's really no limits to either one. I think this is actually a good way of negotiating, though, by the players union. This is really how you negotiate. You kind of ask for the moon and, you know, find some mid-level agreement. Critics have already panned this, kind of talking about the last time the owners talked about doing a salary cap. That was 1994. And what happened was the players struck and they ended up canceling the playoffs and the World Series. It was a real disaster for baseball. But I think you can argue the sport needs something more to put those small market teams back on a level playing field. Kansas City Royals were the last small market team to win a World Series. That was 11 years ago. Now, you can almost argue that the Royals were a flash in the pan at the time. They've only made the playoffs one time since. Like I mentioned, the NFL, they've got the hard salary cap. NBA, you've got the very similar, I think, five years as most you can do for any contract. I think it's actually four for agency or something like that. So we'll have to see. I'd like to see more parity, though, in baseball. As a general fan, yes, my favorite team is a small market team. So you would think it would benefit them. I will say it definitely comes down to scouting. The Dodgers may have the highest payroll, but they are the best at scouting as well. So we'll have to see what this happens. Lots to look out for. Thanks for joining, Dave. Thank you, Kerry. And that's all for today's news. But keep it here on NTD. We've got Capitol Report up next. I'm Kerry Dunst. Thanks for watching. Good night.