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This is NTV Newsroom [music] live from our global headquarters in New York City. After speculation that President Trump was going to ease restrictions on marijuana, he officially signed an executive order on the matter today. Listen, >> we have uh people begging for me to do this, people that are in great pain for decades. I want to emphasize that the order I am about to sign is uh not the legalization or it [clears throat] doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug. Has nothing to do with it. From the O of office, President Trump explained that the order loosens federal restrictions but does not fully legalize the drug. The order restricts the attorney general to speed up the process of moving marijuana into a lower classification. It was a schedule one, which means it could have a high potential for abuse with no acceptable medical use. Now it will be a schedule three. That means it will be considered less addictive. President Trump noted that the reclassification order will also make it easier to do marijuana related medical research to study the benefits and potential dangers. He also wants Congress to reconsider the classification of hemp derived CBD products for seniors that have benefits for pain. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC will be renamed the Trump Kennedy Center. A Senate spokeswoman said in a statement that the Kennedy Center board voted unanimously for the renaming. She said the vote recognizes President Trump’s work during the past year saving the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction. She added that the name reflects the bipartisan support for America’s cultural center. Trump became chairman of the center earlier this year. He has promised to transform the venue into one of the greatest centers for performing arts. White House press secretary Caroline Levit commented on the decision, saying the center will attain new levels of success and grandeur. Police have identified a suspect in the Brown University shooting and have put out a warrant for their arrest. The police are also investigating a possible link between the Brown shooting and the murder of a MIT professor killed in a Massachusetts home. President Trump is set to sign a massive defense bill today. The Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to advance the bill setting policy for the Pentagon. Here’s more. >> The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA is a compromise between separate measures passed earlier this year in the House and the Senate. It authorizes a record $91 billion in annual military spending with a 4% pay raise for the troops. It also authorizes reforms to the system for acquiring military equipment and includes efforts to boost competitiveness with US arch rivals China and Russia. The Senate backed the bill by 77 to 20 with strong support from both parties. Two of the no votes were from Republican senators Mike Lee and Ran Paul. The House passed the bill last week by 312 to 112, also with broad bipartisan support. The Senate has passed a $900 billion spending bill for defense. Joining us to discuss is retired Lieutenant Colonel Darren Gob, former Blackhawk helicopter pilot and battalion commander in the US Army. Uh, so good afternoon to you, Colonel. Now, the bill is heading to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law. Um, can I just first off ask you what stands out to you in this bill the most? >> Hey, Dama. I think um what sticks out to me the most really is the acquisition reform and and that’s absolutely critical because unfortunately the system that’s been made and endorsed by ultimately Congress and the defense industry is to take a single item like call you a tank and manufacture parts for that tank in various location congressional districts around the country. And what that does is it it makes the logistics of the entire process a whole lot worse. it makes it much more expensive and so for the same for for a significantly increased cost you end up with the same same quality of material. So we we’ve needed acquisition reform for a very long time because that system is spread across multiple different platforms from fighters to tanks uh even ships and components on those ships. So that sticks out to me initially as probably one of the biggest things simply from a financial perspective. >> Okay. What about the cost then overall talking about financials? Uh some lawmakers are saying the spending level is too high. If signed into law, it’s poised to become the most expensive NDAA in US history. So what are your thoughts on that? Uh overall, I’ve always tended to think that the NDAAS bury so much stuff in them that they are more expensive than they really actually need to be. And if it was slimmed down to those critical components that dealt purely with military readiness, lethality, and and those things that are necessary to fight and win wars, I I suspect like all of them, you could peel a lot of things out and make it a lot less than where it’s at right now. And I say that given a small example of when I was a battalion commander, I ran a large aviation unit. I managed to fly twice as many hours as all the my comparable size organizations on half a budget using some basic discipline measures that we had to institute. I think if some more discipline was put into this budget across the department of defense that you could find that a lot of money could come out of that and you wouldn’t harm actual military readiness. tends to be filled with a lot of special projects because the NDAA is a mustpass bill. >> Okay. So, Colonel, earlier you brought up one point. Uh there’s another point I want your thoughts on. Uh so, this bill allows some military aircraft to operate without broadcasting their precise location. And military aircraft have been banned uh from doing so since January after a crash over the Ptoac River. So, where do you stand on this? Well, I I think it’s actually a hybrid answer. And if the capacity is on an aircraft to do so, but it can also be turned on and off, I’m fine with it. But a military tactical aircraft is actually designed specifically to not broadcast stuff if it doesn’t have to. It’s also specifically defined design designed to make sure that you have to physically turn on those kinds of systems because when you have an emitter from an aircraft, it makes you a whole lot easier to identify than if you keep all these different emitters turned off. So, I’d have to look into a little bit more detail on the some of the specifics of the systems that they’d be trying to push into military aircraft. And my fear is, as is typical in many cases, it’s an overreaction to although a single horrible accident in Washington DC, it doesn’t apply to military aircraft fleetwide across the dep the entire department and it could create more problems than solutions in different environments. So that’s what I think we need to look at is make sure there’s an option to ensure these things are managed by the pilots in command of these aircraft force and they can turn them off and leave them off if needed. >> All right, understood. Um and as well, House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the final text uh of this bill, saying it reverses woke policies from the Biden administration. And Colonel, there are in fact provisions banning diversity programs. So, how do you think um how have policies like these impacted the military? And do you welcome these proposed changes? >> I welcome the proposed changes wholeheartedly. And what I want to make sure is that the language that’s embedded in there gets translated out to the force and actually executed because banning know the wokeism the DEI policies and and all the hiring and promotion characteristics that are counter to the military’s basic core ethics is a good thing but they have to replace that and make sure it’s effectively replaced throughout the bureaucracy that in many cases is fighting back against all this and just in different ways and ensure that we get back to merit-based promotions based purely on performance and no racial or other type of demographics apply. That that’s just the simple way it it should be and it should always be that way. Um it’s amazing to me that we’ve come so far down the road where promotions aren’t based on someone’s performance and character rather than a skin color. I welcome all those, but I want to see how well it’s implemented into the force and how quickly. Okay, so this bill is hund page hundreds of pages long. I just wanted to go through a few more points with you, Colonel. Uh, and it also limits US investments in China’s technology and defense sectors. Uh, do you think that’s significant? I think it’s significant in in the respect that it signals the fact that we want to bring these capabilities back to the United States both the the research development manufacturing and and distribution to the to the military from home from homeland. Now the question to me will always be has that capacity already been replaced? That way if we shut off a supply chain that does happen to come from China in some way we we are able to replace that here already before we turn it off because that would also be a problem that would cause some friction and risk here in the United States with our military. Uh in the end I think the goal is good done right it is necessary. >> Okay. Okay, just one more thing, Colonel. How do you look at another point in the bill that could withhold a portion of War Secretary Pete Hexath travel budget until footages uh related uh to military strikes are turned over to Congress? >> Doesn’t need to be in the bill at all. I think that’s ridiculous and uh it shouldn’t be there at all. People are playing politics in this case with actual military readiness concerns. And you know, this has been happening for a while. We’ve been sinking these drug ships as we should, which is entirely in line with the Constitution. So, this is someone inserting something in a National Defense Authorization Act that shouldn’t be there at all. Has no point at all being there. >> Well, all right, Colonel. I appreciate you giving us uh your insight on this topic today. Pleasure speaking with you. You too, Dom. Thank you. >> Two men accused of profiting off a government program meant to [music] feed hungry Americans. Details ahead on a massive fraud after this break. Picture this. The heart of Manhattan, full of energy, movement, and life. Now imagine bringing that same vitality into your home with trusted [music] health insights for your body, mind, and soul. Every week, Vital Science dives into health issues that matter the most, the foods that strengthen your immune system, the exercises that [music] keep you moving, the mindfulness practices that calm your mind, plus expert advice from doctors and health leaders [music] you can trust. This isn’t just another health show. It’s real insight designed to keep you informed, inspired, and in motion. So whether you’re starting your day with focus or winding down with balance, Vital Science brings health and vitality straight into your living room. Joining us now to talk inflation is Joseph Travisani, economic and currency analyst at FX Street. So, Joseph, thank you for joining us today. Um, can you break down this report for us? Uh, below the headline number, what do you see under the hood? >> Hi, Don, nice to see you. Well, underneath where we’re the government is has has an issue with this particular report because of the way it was compiled. February’s I mean October’s report was cancelled because of the government shutdown. The data was not collected. So the question that is in this report the technical question underneath is what data are they using for some of the numbers that go into this particular CPI number. It is possible that on some and we don’t really know that on some of the items they simply continued the prices the price levels from the prior month and that would be from September in which case you’re not going to incorporate the amount of increases that were actually out there in the in the market. So that is why the markets are not really moving based on this particular CPI number which on the face of it is a very good number because it’s 2.7 as opposed to what was expected 3.1 for the headline number. >> So do you expect this number to be part of the trend or do you think this is an outlier based on what you just described? >> That’s a very difficult question. I think it’s probably a bit of an outlier, but I also think that the trend is probably lower. And the primary reason is because of energy prices. Now, gas natural gas prices have shot up appreciably, I don’t know, about 6% or so in uh November and December, but that’s because we have a have had a colder um early winter, late fall than is normal. So that has pushed gas prices up. But oil prices that is WTI is off 23% year to date. Those prices especially the oil prices will start to filter through since oil is the basis of almost all energy in the United States and the global economy will filter through to lower prices. Can I just ask you, Joseph, um how much does a CPI uh reflect actual world inflation uh at the grocery store? Because I was uh just in one uh a couple days ago and I saw the brand of milk that I buy went up by 50 cents, which is about 8% and that’s higher than the CPI, right? So, can you just speak to that? My example probably isn’t very um representative, but what do you think? >> No, I think you’re correct. The problem with CPI it’s its greatest use of course is comparison over time. That means that the the same the statistic statistic was compiled the same way a year ago as it is today. So that gives you a general run whether and how much it captures specific items and specific movements. It’s a good question. I think it probably understates what’s actually going on. One of the things that has happened over time over the past generation and more is that as the government stat uh bureaucracies, the government statisticians rejigger this particular statistic and this is certainly true of the PCI PCE number as well. They have changed its reporting analysis. In other words, I remember reading recently that if you had if you were calculating the CPI the same way it was when Jimmy Carter was president, it would be about 2% higher, I think, than it is now. So, the government has changed the way they report and the things that they report to produce a lower number. And one of the reasons for that, of course, is quite simple. Politicians prefer to have a lower number reported on CPI consumers that means voters just like inflation intensely. >> Okay, Joseph, you said earlier perhaps you believe this one is an outlier. Is the Fed discounting this one? Uh how is it looking at the 2.7%. I think the Fed probably is discounting this one and for the reasons that I expressed. And at any rate, even if you had a one-time number that came in uh as this one did, just say this number had no has no statistical quirks in it because of the shutdown and the lack of October’s numbers, the Fed would still discount it because it is simply a one number, one month. And the important fact of all statistics like this is the trend line. Which way is it headed? And that that you’re not really getting that from any one particular number and certainly not this number with some questions about its formulation. >> So we just got the uh employment number a couple days ago. Uh I I don’t remember exactly which day. and uh the unemployment rate ticked up um to I think the highest level in four years or something like that. President Trump yesterday addressed the economy as well touting his policy saying things are better than uh what they were under the Biden administration. Can you just talk to us uh given today’s inflation picture? What is the overall um picture on the economy in your view? >> Well, we have a relatively weak job number job market. It’s not producing a tremendous amount of jobs. It’s certainly not losing jobs. On the other hand, if you look at the initial claims for unemployment, they have they have maintained at a very low rate. So, there isn’t any real firing going on in the economy either. The inflation has come down, but it’s also popped back up a little bit. So, you have a problem there. you are looking at probably some impact from tariffs that the Trump administration put in for other reasons than particularly uh to for they they put into to boost the uh manufacturing economy here on the other side of that you have what appears to be in the Atlanta Fed GDP numbers for the third quarter running at 3 and a half% a very strong economy I think the Trump administration ‘s point would be that after what the Biden administration did particularly in inflation that it takes time to correct these problems. That is true. We will wait have to wait and see though whether or not the economy starts to produce the kinds of jobs that the administration would certainly want and would certainly tout in running into next year’s election. That is unsettled yet. Again, on the good side, on the positive side, is an apparent an economy running at three and a half% since the GDP numbers from the Atlanta Fed tend to be fairly good. >> Okay, last question, Joseph. Are you optimistic or not about the US economy uh going into next year and beyond? >> I am optimistic about it. I think that that a number of factors that are at play here. One is the economic growth and that will if you’re running at three and a half% in one quarter and the third quarter, it’s very unlikely that it’s going to fall off the cliff or even diminish a great deal in uh the fourth quarter and into the first and second quarter next year. One of the reasons for that is because the Fed has lowered rates. So whatever pressure had been coming from higher rates is diminishing. In addition, as I said, you have a 23% decrease in oil prices yearto date. Oil is the basic industrial commodity for this society and for all industrial societies. That will over time reduce prices because oil is a factor in almost everything that goes into certainly the CPI numbers and almost everything that comprises our lives as well. So there is a there is positive movement in the directions that would produce a stronger economy into next year. Okay, Joseph, that should do it. Always great to speak with you. Thank you for your insights. >> Thanks for having me. It’s always enjoyable to be here. >> Britain names veteran diplomat Christian Turner as the UK’s next ambassador to the United States. Prime Minister Kier Starmer said Turner’s appointment would help reinforce Britain’s close ties with Washington. Turner’s appointment follows a career spanning two decades, spanning two decades in foreign policy and national security. The 53-year-old takes on the crucial text uh task at a time when the US and UK are in open disagreement on issues like free speech and energy policy, but are also working closely together in other areas like AI technology and ending the war in Ukraine. Turner’s appointment now awaits Washington’s formal consent. It’s a shift in strategy from Starmer after his decision to send in political appointee Peter Mandelson backfired earlier this year. Mandlesson was fired in September when it came to light that he had spent uh supportive he had sent supportive emails to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The emails revealed a much closer relationship than previously acknowledged. Violent scenes erupted in Brussels today as European farmers protested the EU’s planned trade deal with South America. This echoes other demonstrations that erupted over the past week in several EU countries, including France and Greece. NTD international correspondent David Vz has the story. Tensions flared in Brussels on Thursday as thousands of European farmers protested against the EU’s planned free trade deal with South America’s Mercur block just as EU leaders gathered for a crucial summit. Around 7,000 farmers descended on the Belgian capital with nearly a thousand tractors blocking roads around EU institutions. While most of the demonstration was peaceful, clashes erupted near the European Parliament. Protesters burned tires and hay, lit fires, and hurled vegetables at police who responded with tear gas and water cannons. Black smoke filled nearby streets and parts of the parliament complex were evacuated. Farmers said the mercosur deal would expose them to cheaper imports from countries like Brazil and Argentina produced under loser environmental and health standards. They fear it would drive down prices and threaten their livelihoods. Many also opposed planned reforms to EU farm subsidies, warning of further pressure on the sector. French President Emanuel Macron said France would not support the deal without stronger safeguards for farmers, a position echoed by Italy, Poland, Hungary, and others. Their opposition could be enough to block the agreement. Supporters, including Germany and Spain, argue the deal would boost EU exports and strengthen Europe’s global trade position amid rising competition from China and trade tensions with the United States. Ukraine says a a team of peace negotiators is on route to the United States, but the fighting continues and Keev warns it is facing a foreign aid shortfall of over $50 billion in 2026. NTD’s international correspondent Arian Pasar has the latest. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zilinski announcing that a team of representatives is traveling to Washington for peace talks. >> On Friday and Saturday, our team will be in the United States. They’re already on their way. The Americans are expecting them. >> According to the Ukrainian president, there are no final aligned peace proposals for now. He reiterated his plea to partners to strengthen Ukraine in case Russia refuses to stop the fighting. And the Kremlin says Russia is preparing for contacts with the United States. A spokesman was asked about reports which say Russian officials are expected to travel to Miami over the weekend for peace talks. >> We are indeed preparing certain contacts with our American counterparts in order to obtain information about the results of the work that has been done. The spokesman says Russia wants to learn more about the progress made in talks between the US, Europe, and Ukraine. Meanwhile, in Brussels, the European Union is intensifying talks on whether to use frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine. >> Either money today or blood tomorrow. >> Many European officials say supporting Ukraine is necessary, so Russia isn’t successful and won’t expand the war across more European countries. Their goal was to make a decision during a Thursday summit on whether to provide Ukraine with a multi-billion dollar loan from Russian assets. >> We have to find a solution today that we will not leave the European Council without a solution for the >> Ukraine says it might suffer a foreign aid shortfall of over $50 billion in 2026. According to Zilinski, Kief is facing significant cuts to drone production and will have fewer drones than Russia if Kief doesn’t receive the loan. So far, the EU hasn’t published any official announcement on a decision made on Thursday. Arian Pastar, NTD News. >> A business jet crashed at a regional airport in North Carolina today, killing multiple people. The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft went down about 45 miles north of Charlotte. According to FlightAware tracking data, the small jet took off from the airport shortly after 10:00 a.m. but returned and was attempting to land. Weather reports showed drizzle and clouds at the time of the crash. Video captured by a nearby driver showed smoke rising from the wreckage on the runway on the runway. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating for Ford Motor Company is going to take a nearly 20 billion dollar loss mostly tied to its electric vehicle business. Joining us to discuss is Lauren Fix, automotive expert at Car Coach Reports. Uh Lauren, good to see you. It’s been a while since we spoke. I did speak to Paul a couple of weeks ago. Um he did have he he had some great comments to say. Um how are you doing, Lauren? I’m great. There’s a lot going on in the automotive world right now and I I think people don’t realize it because they’re so busy with the holiday season, but one of the big things that’s happening is not just Ford, but just the the shift in what consumers want. Brands are finally listening and that’s a good thing. >> So, I mean, Ford killing several electric vehicle models. Why do you think the company is doing this? Is it weakening EV demand or because of policies of this administration? >> It’s all of the above. I think they jumped on that EV bandwagon. They all jumped on that horse saying, “I’m not going to push back against the government. We’re going to take whatever regulations they push on us. Even though they have lobbyists and everything, they agreed to go ahead and do that because there was going to be a $7,500 tax credit. That tax credit is gone. The the charging infrastructure, if you want to put a charger in your garage, was $1,200. That goes away on the 31st. So once that’s gone, consumers are going to pay for whatever it is they want. Just say if you wanted a gasoline powered vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, you just go and buy it. But when they realized that they made these F-150 Lightning trucks that are all electric, they thought they were going to sell like hotcakes, they soon realized that vehicles between $50 and $80,000, no matter where they’re built, are way outside the average person’s price range. Remember, the average price of a vehicle today is about $50,000 where previous to COVID it was $34,000. So with that huge increase, it makes it’s untouchable for many people. The cost of everything has gotten more expensive. Although some things like eggs and gasoline have gotten less expensive, electricity has gotten more expensive. So, buying an EV is not the wisest choice, especially with the increase in insurance. >> So, you said uh Ford thought the F-150 Lightning will be selling like hot cakes. Uh it’s actually one of the cars uh that the car maker is eliminating. Um so, I I’m wondering if you could do a comparison for us in terms of sales. How did the EV version of this uh pickup truck compare to the none version? And just overall, how does electric compared to gas-powered? >> Okay, there’s a there’s a lot to that. So, first off, it’s hard to do a fair even up comparison because there was a tax credit involved, which was an incentive to get consumers to go and buy these vehicles. There was also a push for dealers to buy these vehicles and park them on their lots, which many are still sitting around. Drive by any any dealer from any brand, anything that’s an electric car is sitting there and not selling as well. Well, even Tesla’s down in sales. So, part of that is the infrastructure, the charging, the cost of electricity, the higher insurance rates, the the infrastructure itself, depending on where you live, it’s hard to get a charging. And I just had a Nissan Leaf just last week to test drive, and I’ll post my review on my Car Smarts channel. But I’ll tell you, getting a charge, even at a Tesla charger, some didn’t allow it unless it was a Tesla product. Others I had to wait in line in order to charge. So, I basically got home and plugged it in the wall and it took two days to get a full charge. And it’s not the fault of the vehicle, it’s the fault of the charging. Now, we’ll see what my electric bill looks like when it comes back, but I know it’s going to be higher because I don’t own an electric vehicle. And consumers are finding themselves that if they don’t own a garage, and believe it or not, only 60% of America owns a garage. So, you think, well, what if you have a condo? That doesn’t necessarily mean you have a garage. Or you’re renting, that doesn’t mean you have a garage or could put a charging station in. And so, all of these are just limitations. And Americans as a whole don’t like to be limited in how far they can go and and and including how long it takes to charge. And to give you an idea, the vehicles that I get come from New York City and I live in Buffalo. And the usual time to drive that’s about 5 hours. Every driver that has brought an electric vehicle to me, I ask, “How long does it take?” And they say twice as long. So if you’re willing to drive 10 hours instead of five hours, how does that make you want to buy that vehicle? It doesn’t. And so consumers have made the statement. Ford has woken up to it. Almost every brand has switched back to saying, you know what, including Scout, which is a brand new product that’s coming out from Volkswagen, has said, “We’re going to offer what they call an e-rev, which is an extended range. There’ll be a gasoline motor combined with an electric motor.” And for consumers, that just means a hybrid application. That’s what consumers want. They want to be able to go wherever they want. And if they want to plug in and sit in, you know, at a parking lot or in a drive-thru or wait for your kids to come out of school, you can at zero miles to the gallon because you’re on electricity. And that’s a really good combination for consumers, especially if you’re leasing. >> So, you said that Ford has woken up to this. Um, I’m just wondering here because Ford’s decision does not happen in a vacuum, right? We have Chinese electric car makers fully in the market. So, uh, I’m thinking in that aspect, what is the impact for Ford? Does this move at all conceive some ground to Chinese EV makers? Well, the that not really because where we are sitting on here in the United States on the largest oil underneath the ground and in the case of uh China, they decided in advance we we can’t beat America. We can’t beat Germany in building cars. So what they decided to do was create this EV story that this was better for the environment. But before they did that, they purchased 80 to 90% of the mines that are out there. And so therefore they can say if you want an electric vehicle you need a battery you have to get it from China so that they would control the auto industry. They do subsidize every single car brand that is made in China. And many countries are allowing Chinese vehicles to come in. That will not happen in Canada where there’s a 100% tariff and there’s no way they’re going to bring Chinese cars into the United States at least under this administration. And if they did it would destroy our auto industry for every brand. Remember that a lot of the Japanese brands sell most of their vehicles here. the Koreans sold their vehicles here, they’d build them here. If the Chinese wanted to do that, they’d have to build here. Which means the UAW would be standing in line saying, “We need to unionize you also.” And that would make those cars a very a very average price to everything that’s out there. So what they do in other countries like Germany, and it has destroyed their auto industry, is they flood the market with low price cars, essentially half the price. So how do they stay in business? Well, their federal government, the Chinese government, subsidizes to the car brands. And so therefore, why a car that might be $40,000, they’ll sell it for 20. And then, so how does the car maker stay in business? They just take Chinese government funds. That doesn’t work in in a global basis, it’s not a fair market. And what it does is it allows consumers to think they’re getting a deal, but really what they’re doing is destroying their own economy. China doesn’t care. Their goal is to own the auto industry. And if they ever get a chance to start selling in the US and into North America, that’s probably what will happen is that we’ll see a lot of companies go away. And that’s really bad. And currently, the EU, by the way, has said just yesterday that they’re going to reduce their all EV mandate. And so that’s also going to hurt China because if it’s all EV, which doesn’t make sense in cold climates like Norway and Germany, I mean, it gets really cold, much like the upper half of this country and into Canada, it doesn’t make sense to have an EV. And so consumers are choosing to buy used gasoline powered cars and you’re watching a resurgence of gasoline powered vehicles, >> right? Uh I mean just look at your phone. Your phone battery in cold temperatures um >> Yes. >> reduces by I don’t know like a significant it feels like a significant percentage. So I just have one more question on my mind here. Can you talk to us about the rate of EV adoption in the US? What does that look like? Has it slowed since the start of this administration? >> Absolutely, 100%. You had the Congressional Review Act where President Trump signed U on July 4th that took away all of the mandates that said you had to go all electric. So, that’s out the door. Uh EPA leader Lee Zeldon went in and has removed all the powers from California. Some are still in courts right now. Some are in the Supreme Court. Once that goes through, California will no longer have the California Air Resources Board, which has been one state calling the rules for the other 49, which is obviously not constitutional. But what we’re also seeing is all of these undoing of everything, including the autopen. Huge story. I have that on my car coach reports channel. What has happened when President Trump said anything that was signed by an autopen doesn’t exist any longer. Now, how that will hold up in court, we’re soon to find out. But right now, that means that all of the mandates for electric vehicles, all of the infrastructure is gone. And this is a huge story because what we’re happening now without that $7,500 tax credit, we’re most likely going to see about 4% of the cars sold being electric. So, if you want an electric car, there are fantastic choices from every automaker. But many automakers like Honda said, “We’re not going to make the prologue anymore.” General Motors is still making the Cadillac line mostly electric, but Ford has woken up and said, “Nope, that’s not going to work.” Stellantis has also said with their new leadership, they need to sell vehicles. They’re building more gasoline and hybrid vehicles. So, big changes there as well. Uh the Koreans are still selling whatever consumers want. If you want one of their Ionic products, they’ll sell it to you. If you don’t, they’ll just make something else. So, it depends on each car brand’s uh business plan, but many of them have woken up to this a long time ago and were prepared. Toyota was one of the smartest. They didn’t jump on the bandwagon. They still offer the Prius if you want it, but they also offer all hybrid vehicles across their lineup. >> Well, all right, Lawrence, uh, it’s good to talk to you, good to see you again, and I encourage our viewers to take a look at your article that you mentioned in this interview. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is rolling out new rules against gender transition procedures for minors. It includes cutting off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide such procedures to children. The health secretary says a recent HHS report found that these procedures impose medical dangers and lasting harm on children. >> This morning I signed a declaration sex rejecting procedures are neither safe nor effective treatment for children with gender dysphoria. >> [applause] >> These procedures fail to meet professionally recognized standards of care. Medical professionals or entities providing sex rejecting procedures to children are out of compliance with these standards of health care. This declaration is a clear directive to providers to follow the science and the overwhelming body of evidence that these procedures hurt, not help children. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing two new rules. The first rule prohibits hospitals that take part in Medicare and Medicaid from performing gender transition procedures on minors. The second rule prohibits federal Medicaid dollars from funding such procedures. The FDA is also issuing warning letters to manufacturers of breast binders. The HHS says violators will pay a heavy price. Kennedy says the medical industry has rad in millions of dollars by convincing children that such procedures are the only way to achieve happiness. He promises that the HHS will protect children by following the evidence and gold standard science. A sexual predator has been sentenced to 84 years in prison for exploitation of minors. The Justice Department says his operation spanned in nearly every state. 31-year-old Austin Lawless of Colorado is guilty of 13 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, five counts of sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of advertising child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Authorities say Lawless used social media to coers minors into producing sexually explicit images and videos. He reportedly hid his identity, feigned romantic interest in victims, and threatened victims with dissemination of their sexual content. He also sex trafficked at least five minor victims. The Justice Department says it identified 84 victims from nearly every state and at least five foreign countries. The FBI calls this one of the most egregious forms of exploitation it has investigated. The agency says it’s committed to dismantling networks of exploitation that prey on children. Fraud allegations continue to roll out of Minnesota. A Minnesota lawmaker alleged yesterday that a man awaiting trial on federal charges continues to collect payments from other government programs. State Representative Kirsten Robbins told the fraud fighting committee that she chairs uh that she finds the information concerning. We did receive your letter, Inspector General, asking us to share information with you on credible whistleblower reports. And to date, we have not because there is no trust. As you might understand, this fraud has been perpetuated on your watch. And the whistleblowers who reach out to us within the department are terrified and they feel that they’ve been retaliated against already. They feel that they are um very afraid. They’re afraid to reach out to us and if they thought we were then turning around and giving it to you, we would not have whistleblowers. >> Robins says a public records researcher uncovered an intertwined web of people and entities allegedly tied to the man with the help of whistleblowers. She says those connections are still receiving taxpayer dollars for assisted living facilities and adult day services despite multiple red flags indicating possible fraud. Robbins says the revelation showed that state agencies are failing to employ the most basic checks and balances to prevent and detect fraud. The defendant, whom Robbins dubbed person one, allegedly received $49 million from state-run programs from 2019 to 2024. He is among 78 people charged since 2022 in the Feeding Our Future scandal. fraudsters connected to that now defunct nonprofit agency reaped a total of nearly $250 million from the federal children nutrition program after falsely claiming to provide 91 million meals to needy children. And a shocking and massive SNAP benefits fraud bust in Boston. Two store owners are accused of trafficking millions in benefits. Here’s more. These men abuse one of the government’s most critical safety net programs for their own financial gain. This is a tax. This is taxpayer money meant to keep people from going hungry. These defendants decided to take it for themselves. Massachusetts US Attorney General Lee Foley detailed the accusations against two store owners, Antonio Bonner and Saul Elise. They are the owners of Jula variety store and saw matchmix store which share a single storefront. >> Investigators found that both stores had exceptionally large and highly anomalous snap redemption volumes far be far beyond what is remotely possible for businesses of their size, type, and location. >> The men are accused of exchanging SNAP benefits for cash and alcohol. Foley said one month one of the stores redeemed half a million dollars in benefits. >> Simply put, there is no plausible way SNAP eligible food could have been purchased from these stores for this long. Yet, these two stores are alleged to have illicitly trafficked nearly $7 million in SNAP benefits. The fraud was shocking and glaring. Foley said undercover officers used EBT cards to traffic cash at both stores. She says both defendants exchanged cash for benefits. >> A scheme that turned a program designed to feed families into a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise. >> Bonner and Elise may have each been charged with food stamp fraud. Federal officials say an illegal immigrant with a commercial driver’s license allegedly caused a deadly crash in Tennessee. Investigators say Chinese national Hang Song was driving a tour bus on December 9th when he slammed into the rear of a tractor trailer allegedly distracted by a video on his phone. The crash triggered a chain reaction involving multiple vehicles, killing 31-year-old truck driver Carrie Smith and injuring two others. The DHS says Wong entered the US illegally through Mexico in 2023. He was later released with work authorization and a social security number allowing him to obtain a commercial driver’s license in New York. Homeland Security Secretary Christine blamed sanctuary policies for putting unqualified drivers on American roads. Transportation Secretary Shawn Duffy said the driver failed an English proficiency test after the crash. New York Governor Kathy Hokll says she will sign a bill that will legalize doctor assisted suicide in New York. She stated that she believes it’s a civil rights issue that protects personal choice. NTD’s Char Marshall has more. >> In an op-ed to the Times Union, New York Governor Kathy Hokll announced why she is supporting the medical aid and dying act. the bill which would allow suffering terminally ill individuals with less than six months to live the right to medical aided self-termination. >> The bill is not only controversial from a uh legal perspective, it is controversial from the family dynamic perspective and uh there will be increased guardianship cases as a result of it. Hokll said the government has a responsibility to protect not interfere with an individual’s deeply personal decisions. Hokll believes the bill is on par with labor rights, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, and reproductive rights. >> This is going to increase the chances of guardianship cases coming forward because there’s always going to be a question as to the mental capacity of a person. The law requires you to be mentally capable of going ahead and making this decision. And you need two witnesses and you need two doctors to go ahead and sign off on this procedure. But parents who do not want to see their children pass or spouses who do not want to see their husband or wife pass or partners who do not want to let go of their their partners. They are going to contest these things in terms of guardianship and try and bring up everything possible to avoid having their loved one terminate their own life. And the issue also comes down to the fact that this bill starts at the age of 18. At the age of 18, you have the right to go ahead and start utilizing this bill. So, at an age where you’re not even capable of drinking, okay, uh you’re able to go ahead and terminate your own life, which presents numerous issues onto itself, especially with only a 5-day waiting period between the time that you go in for the request and the time that you actually basically terminate your own life. Along with the mandatory five-day waiting period to provide the patient the chance to change their mind, there is also both a written and recorded oral request to confirm that free will is present. And anyone who may benefit financially is disqualified from being a witness or interpreter. Opposing the bill is New York’s Catholic bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Bishops of New York State. They say that this new law signals our government’s abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens, telling people who are sick or disabled that suicide, in their case, is not only acceptable, but is encouraged by our elected leaders. >> A person may be compromised just by virtue of the medications they are taking. A person may be compromised just by virtue of the fact that they’re under the stress of the illness itself. and and one of the provisions of the bill is the fact that it is likely that you will pass within six months. No one knows exactly when someone is going to pass. Therefore, there are going to be contests as to experts, medical experts coming in and saying this person has the ability to live longer. This person will live uh a year or two or there are new treatments or new designs or uh new projects that are being worked on to allow the person to live for a longer period of time than six months. That six-month issue is going to come up a lot in litigation. And as for undue influence, you have the situation where the person themselves may be driving themselves into a hole as a result of their illness. Therefore, it becomes a self perpetuating situation. It is a snowball effect. >> Outpatient facilities associated with religious hospitals may elect not to offer medical aid and dying and the effective date of the bill has been extended to ensure time for regulations and training. Sean Marshall, NTD News. >> A shakeup in the Catholic Church. Pope Leo has chosen the next leader of the Catholic Church in New York. The Pope appointed a relatively unknown cleric from Illinois. Bishop Ronald Hicks to replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Hicks will now lead the nation’s second largest Catholic diocese. Dolan offered to resign in February after turning 75 as required by church law. Cardinals often serve until the age of 80, the mandatory retirement age. Hicks has several similarities to Pope Leo. They are both originally from South Chicago suburbs, but spent years as missionaries in Latin America. Leo was in Peru while Hicks was in El Salvador. In November, Hicks endorsed the Catholic bishop’s condemnation of President Trump’s immigration crackdown. 13 days before the New Year’s Eve celebration in Time Square, the giant 2026 numerals arrived today. The 7 foot tall numbers are kicking off early holiday excitement in Midtown. The installation has become a pre-H holiday tradition for New Yorkers and visitors. >> Yeah, here we go. 5 4 3 2 1 Happy New Year. >> They will be on display at Broadway Plaza between 46th Street and 47th. Visitors can stop by and take photos with the gleaming numerals. The display will remain open to the public until 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 23rd. After the display ends, the numerals will be stored briefly. They will then be moved to the top of one time square. >> This is NTV Newsroom live from our global headquarters in New York City. >> Good afternoon everyone and thank you for joining us today. You were just watching President Trump at the Oval Office signing an executive order reducing the danger level of marijuana and he’s saying that he is not legalizing the drug but allowing more research to be done on it. Next, the US announces a massive arms sale to Taiwan worth over $10 billion. Joining us to discuss is Taylor Hawthorne, visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Center for American Safety and Security. So, Taylor, good afternoon to you. Uh, I just wanted to ask you if this is approved by Congress, it would be the largest ever weapons package to Taiwan in US history and it would exceed the total amount of arm sales to Taiwan during the Biden administration. What is your analysis on this? >> Well, my analysis of this is is first and foremost that I think that this is an incredibly necessary arms deal. Um, Taiwan is an incredibly important part of US national security and defense and I think a lot of people don’t understand uh just how big of a role that they play in the Indo-Pacific and in our defense culture. But largely I want to highlight the fact that I think my bigger point on this is is that this is just a further reflection of how many ills were done during the Biden administration and how they really let their foot off the gas on many critical areas of defense. And I think that we’re unfortunately going to see the negative effects of that for many years to come. >> Okay. Can can we go into a bit de more detail about uh the the national security impacts of of Taiwan for the US? Uh why is Taiwan such an important ally? >> So Taiwan um is part of the first island chain. It it’s it is a reflection of democracy and a beacon um in the Indo-Pacific. Most of I think of a third of the shipping um and the supply chain in the world goes through this area. And so if China gets a hold of Taiwan and uh states a claim on Taiwan and invades Taiwan, then they have access to critical areas of national security such as logistics um and such as the semiconductors and the chips that are used in the manufacturing for a lot of our defense initiatives. So there is not a single fighter pilot, drone, jet, uh, ship, you know, ballistic missile that we use that does not use these semiconductors that Taiwan produces. And it’s estimated between 60 to 70% of all of these semiconductors and chips are manufactured from one company in Taiwan. So this is incredibly important. I think a viewer can draw the the direct line in connection to the fact that if China is able to take over a nation that has the largest producer of something that the United States absolutely needs as a critical use uh for the support of their military. This would be detrimental as China is not our ally. So speaking of China, Beijing’s foreign ministry responded to this uh and said quote um this cannot save the doomed fate of Taiwan independence but will only accelerate military confrontation and war. So in your view does helping Taiwan defend itself decrease the chance of a conflict or does it increase the chance? >> I think people have a really strange misperception on what China is. I think that people think that um they can work with the leadership in Beijing and and just be nice enough to them and give them enough of what they want and they’ll change their entire military strategy. And that’s simply not the case. China has been committing acts of hybrid warfare and direct warfare all over the world. They look at everything that they’ve done with the Belt and Road initiative. Look at the inroads that they have with Venezuela, with Iran, with Russia. Look at the way that Russia and China work together on the UN Security Council to veto pretty much every single resolution that is passed um or tries to pass. And so China there is no amount of giving into China with the exception of saying here China you can have it all. The world is yours. That is going to be the only way that they stop. And we as a nation have to decide do we value the democratic and western values that we hold de dear. the rule of law, uh, freedom of autonomy, freedom of religion, these things that are incredibly free speech, these things that are incredibly important to us as a nation, and is that something that we value? Because if it is, we have to make sure that China is kept in check. And so, I don’t think that any amount of placating to China is going to get them to stop doing what they want to do. And so the best way to deal with a bully is really to tell the bully that we’re going to do what we want to do. And if they have to act out because of that, uh, then so be it. But the United States defense policy should not change based on the threats of um of an adversary, we need to set our defense policy and move forward accordingly regardless of what China decides to do. >> Okay. Can you just expand on that point? What does this tell China? Is there a message that this deal is sending? I I hope that China can see that over the last 10 months the president is really serious about being willing to work towards a diplomatic solution. The solution here I don’t believe that Secretary Rubio uh Secretary Heg President Trump I don’t believe any of them’s uh first gut reaction is to go to war with China to fight with China to shut China down. Um, I think that that has been reflected in the national defense policy um that was released earlier this month that people can go online and read. You can see that we’ve pulled back on what we deem is a threat to China because I believe this administration is truly trying to work with diplomacy first. That being said, I think that China understands and realizes that if diplomatic efforts cannot be reached, if we cannot get on the same page as two global superpowers who do have the ability to destroy each other, um, if if warranted and if necessary, that we’re heading down a dark and heavy road. And I think China is having to weigh that cost right now, just in the same way that we’re weighing that cost. And our administration, this Trump administration, I believe, is looking at this from a practical standpoint and really doing checks and balances and looking at the ROI of this and saying if we can do this diplomatically, we will do it diplomatically. But if we can’t, um, and I think that China taking Taiwan would be one of those we can’t do it, um, then we’re going to have to explore [clears throat] different avenues. >> Well, all right, Taylor. Um, before we end this interview, I just want to make a correction. I said Taiwan was an ally to the US earlier. It’s not an official ally in the sense that Japan is an ally to the US, but we can say that the US and Taiwan has a close partnership. Um, so yeah, that should do it for today. Great comments, Taylor. Thank you very much for coming on. >> Great seeing you. >> President Trump is set to sign a massive defense bill today. The Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to advance the bill setting the policy for the Pentagon. Here’s more. >> The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA is a compromise between separate measures passed earlier this year in the House and the Senate. It authorizes a record $91 billion in annual military spending with a 4% pay raise for the troops. It also authorizes reforms to the system for acquiring military equipment and includes efforts to boost competitiveness with US arch rivals China and Russia. The Senate backed the bill by 77 to 20 with strong support from both parties. Two of the no votes were from Republican senators Mike Lee and Ran Paul. The House passed the bill last week by 312 to 112, also with broad bipartisan support. Taiwan’s defense ministry and presidential office today thanked the US for processing uh or rather proceeding with an 11 billion arms sale to Taiwan, the largest ever US weapons package for the island. It comes as Beijing ramps up military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan, which it views as its own territory, which is a position Taipei rejects. Here’s more. The deal covers eight items including highs rocket systems which have been used extensively by Ukraine against Russian forces. Additional items include howitzes, anti-tank missiles, loitering drones and parts for other equipment. That’s all according to Taiwan’s defense ministry. It said the package now requires approval from US lawmakers though Taiwan has widespread cross party support. The Pentagon said the arm sales serve US national, economic, and security interests by supporting Taiwan’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a quote credible defensive capability. Pushed by the United States, Taiwan has been working to transform its armed forces. President Linta last month announced an extra $40 billion dollar in defense spending, saying there was no room for compromise on national security. Washington has formal diplomatic ties with Beijing, but maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and is the island’s most important arm supplier. The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Though such arm sales are a persistent source of friction with China. Next, lawmakers are sounding the alarm after an investigation uncovers how the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting US tax dollars to fund its own military and tech advancements. And this includes sensitive nuclear technology. ENT’s Molina Weissup reports. In the past two years, $6 billion worth of research and more than 4,000 papers published within the Department of Energy involved collaboration with Chinese researchers. Half of that research is fueling China’s defense and industrial base. Some of the Chinese entities involved are among the leading universities for defense and nuclear weapons research. This is according to a newly released report by the Select Committee on the CCP. The report is not hypothetical, congressional investigators say, detailing hundreds of instances in which Chinese researchers received awards after their collaboration with US researchers led to breakthroughs. For example, collaboration with the US professor helped the CCP and its research into high yield explosives and Chinese nuclear weapons development. At the same time, lawmakers are pushing legislation to stop Americans from unknowingly propping up CCP entities that threaten US national security. Congressman Andy Bar and Senator John Cornin leading on the Fight China Act. >> We’re codifying President Trump’s America First investment policy with this legislation, which will stop the flow of capital and knowhow into these sensitive technologies that threaten our national security. The chairman of the China Committee described the situation as deeply alarming and called on the Department of Energy to stop the exploitation and protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars. To address this, lawmakers are calling for tighter rules like requiring the government to disclose research ties with China. The Department of Energy said it’s reviewing the report and vows to ensure the integrity and security of DOE programs. Reporting from Washington DC, Molina Weissup, NTD News. Report with Steve Lance at 7. Turning Point [music] USA. America Fest 2025. This Thursday through Sunday on NTD. Turning Point USA is hosting its annual America Fest conference. This is the first conference since the assassination of its founder, Charlie Kirk. The event is expected to draw 30,000 attendees to the Phoenix Convention Center over a course of 4 days. TPUSA says in a post on X, quote, “Our first America Fest without Charlie begins today. Though we feel his absence in every way, what he built will continue here louder and stronger than ever.” Vice President JD Vance will be the keynote speaker this Sunday. Other top speakers include Charlie Kirk’s widow Erica, House Speaker Mike Johnson, DNI director Tulsi Gabbard, Borders Tom H. Homeman, and media personality Tucker Carlson. US inflation slowed more than expected in November. That’s according to a report released today after being delayed by the federal government shutdown. The Labor Department says the consumer price index rose 2.7% from a year earlier, down from 3% in September and the lowest level since midsummer. Economists had expected inflation to remain unchanged. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, also cooled, falling to 2.6% year-over-year. This is the slowest pace since early 2021. Energy prices, however, climbed more than 4% driven by higher fuel costs. Inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, complicating decisions over interest rates. The Fed last week cut rates for a third time this year, though officials signaled fewer cuts ahead. >> And so, you know, we’re making progress. The American people are making progress, but in some places, the hole that’s been dug is a really deep hole, and it’s going to take a while to get out. And so at what point does it become the Trump economy? Well, it’s a Trump economy now. Our policies are changing people’s lives. Uh but when are we going to be able to point to numbers and say that we fixed the problem? We we filled the hole that Biden dug. You know, that’ll depend on what things. So, for example, we’re we’re way past success on eggs, [laughter] but there are other things that are going to take longer. Experience Politics

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