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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has formally designated Venezuela’s Cartel de Los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, ramping up an ongoing pressure campaign on the South American country.
The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Chinese Com
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NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to NTD News Today. Here are today's top stories.
00:05The White House confirmed that President Trump spoke by phone with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping this morning.
00:12A look at what they discussed.
00:14U.S. trade officials in Brussels meeting with European Union counterparts.
00:18The outcome of the meeting and the approach to trade with China.
00:21Treasury Secretary Scott Besson says Americans can expect substantial refunds next year and pushes back on recession talk after economic damage from the government shutdown.
00:34NBA coach Chauncey Phillips pleaded not guilty today in a sprawling case of alleged cheating that has rocked the sports world.
00:43And the United States and Ukraine say they've made progress in a revised peace proposal.
00:47What's changed? After an earlier proposal was criticized for giving Russia too much.
01:05This is NTD News Today, live from our global headquarters in New York City.
01:12Today is Monday, November 24th. I'm Stephanie Eccox.
01:15First Lady Melania Trump is now at the North Drive of the White House to welcome this year's National Christmas tree.
01:22Take a look.
01:30Thanks, everybody.
01:31Merry Christmas.
01:33Merry Christmas.
01:34Merry Christmas.
01:38Thank you so much.
01:45Merry Christmas.
01:46Merry Christmas.
01:47Merry Christmas.
02:32There we see the White House Christmas tree being received by the First Lady.
02:42And next, President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone today.
02:46They reportedly discussed trade in Taiwan and Ukraine.
02:50Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported that Xi told Trump that Taiwan's return to mainland China was important.
02:59Of course, we know that the Chinese communist regime has never ruled Taiwan, though Taiwan and mainland China once had the same government at different points in history.
03:10Xinhua also reported that Xi commented on other topics like Ukraine and trade relations.
03:16The U.S. offered no details of what was said on the call besides the name of the general topics.
03:22Trump and Xi met in South Korea in October following months of trade tensions.
03:26The Chinese regime has since resumed purchases of U.S. soybeans and halted its expanded curbs on rare-earth exports.
03:35The U.S. has lowered tariffs on China by 10 percent.
03:39In an update on soybean purchases, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says the Trump administration expects to have deals regarding aid for U.S. farmers and Chinese soybean purchases within the next two weeks.
03:51Speaking on CNBC, they've already put in a purchase order.
03:56We've already started shipping soybeans their way, almost a million and a half metric tons.
04:00We have every indication they will continue to buy soybeans, sorghum, etc.
04:05But it goes to the larger effort of President Trump.
04:08We can't be so reliant as Americans producing American products on one country, a foreign adversary.
04:15So opening up, Japan's going to buy more soybeans.
04:18The EU's going to buy more soybeans.
04:20There are countries all around the world now that have committed to that.
04:23The Agriculture Secretary expects more and more markets for U.S. agricultural products to open up next year.
04:31Rollins says China will ink a deal on soybean purchases this week or next.
04:36On Aid for Farmers, Rollins says the administration will have an announcement within the next two weeks.
04:42And the U.S. and the European Union will be working to diversify their trade relations.
04:47Here's the EU's Trade Commissioner after a meeting today with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
04:52Well, there are 12 countries, mostly in Pacific, who would like to work much closer with us.
04:59And this is, I think, extremely important signal because we are talking about 30% of GDP and 40% of trade.
05:08Then I provided the detailed information about ongoing negotiations with India,
05:14with the UAE and the interest of other Gulf countries to join that track and to start working again on the region-to-region agreement.
05:28And I expressed my hope that by 2027, we would be in the position to complete the free trade negotiations with the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.
05:42So we are clearly diversifying as much as possible, opening new market access for our entrepreneurs.
05:48EU officials said they had a very constructive and frank discussion with their U.S. counterparts on trade.
05:56And more meetings are still underway today.
05:58The EU will be working to lower tariffs on the U.S. following a trade deal from August.
06:02But the union does not expect a deal to ease U.S. steel tariffs to come out of the talks this week.
06:09The two sides will also work together to tackle challenges in rare earth minerals.
06:13This comes after China, the world's dominant player in rare earth's announced export controls.
06:19Here's what the European side said about trade relations with China.
06:25Cooperation and economic interaction with China remain vital in many areas,
06:29but we need to be clear-eyed and confront the challenges, including unfair trade practices and recent export control measures.
06:38Our trading relationship with China is unbalanced.
06:41So today we discussed among ourselves, but also with our American colleagues,
06:46how we need to address weaponizing of dependencies through the use of our instruments and conditions,
06:55through incentives for investments in the EU, and through remaining open and diversifying our supply chains.
07:01We need to enhance the EU's capacity in relations to purchasing and stockpiling raw materials.
07:07The United States has formally designated Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro,
07:14as a member of a foreign terrorist organization.
07:17The designation is for alleged involvement in the Cartel de los Soles.
07:21It's used to describe a decentralized network of Venezuelan groups within the armed forces linked to drug trafficking.
07:28The administration officials have been making the case the designation will give the U.S. expanded military options for striking inside Venezuela.
07:37It comes as the U.S. military has amassed more than a dozen warships into the region as part of what the Pentagon has branded Operation Southern Spear.
07:46And the U.S. military has killed dozens of people in a boat strikes as part of the anti-drug trafficking campaign.
07:54Maduro has always denied any personal involvement in drug trafficking and the existence of the alleged cartel.
08:00His government today rejected the terrorist designation, calling it a, quote, ridiculous fabrication.
08:06And the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will meet with U.S. Southern Command Service members in Puerto Rico today.
08:14The American military footprint there has grown amid the Trump administration's consideration of military action against Venezuela.
08:21The Pentagon says General Dan Cain will visit the territory where most of the roughly 10,000 troops in the Caribbean are believed to be based.
08:29The U.S. military has conducted bomber flights up to the coast of Venezuela.
08:32Meanwhile, airlines have canceled flights after an FAA alert citing increased security risks around Venezuela.
08:42And the arraignment of former NBA player and suspended NBA coach Chauncey Billups was this morning as part of the larger sports gambling scandal.
08:54NTD's Dave Martin is on the scene.
08:57Dave, what can you tell us what's happened so far?
09:00Yeah, we had two things here, Steph.
09:05You know, we had the arraignment, as you said, of former NBA player and suspended NBA coach Chauncey Billups.
09:11Now, Billups is in court flanked by lawyers on both sides of him.
09:14He pled not guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.
09:19Now, that part was over pretty quickly.
09:21Right after that, they had this status conference where all 31 defendants and their lawyers were present.
09:26Now, the government said plea bargain discussions have begun, but no deals have actually been offered yet.
09:34Now, if you remember, this is really two main cases.
09:37You heard those alleged rigged high-stakes poker games as part of one case.
09:41The second was regarding bets on those NBA games using insider information.
09:47Now, up next in this case, there's another status conference.
09:50It's not scheduled until March 4th of next year.
09:53The judge actually, though, indicated he'd like to get this whole thing wrapped up by next September.
09:59So, they're looking for a speedy trial here, apparently, Steph.
10:02All right.
10:03Good to know.
10:03And thanks for that report, Dave.
10:08The U.S. and Ukraine say negotiations in Geneva have brought them closer to a revised roadmap for ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
10:16As talks continue, here's how things currently stand.
10:19The United States and Ukraine say they've made progress on a revised peace proposal after talks in Geneva.
10:26It was an attempt to fix an earlier plan widely criticized by allies for giving Moscow too much.
10:31The White House says the new framework strengthens protections for Ukraine and keeps its sovereignty non-negotiable.
10:37Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared optimistic about the plan in Geneva yesterday.
10:41It is probably the most productive day we have had on this issue, maybe in the entirety of our engagement, but certainly in a very long time.
10:49But work remains.
10:50And because this continues to be a working process, you know, I don't want to declare victory or finality here.
10:59The earlier 28-point plan proved controversial with the United States' European partners.
11:05According to a draft of the plan viewed by the Associated Press, it included compromises like Ukraine ceding territory to Russia along current battle lines and abandoning its ambitions to join NATO.
11:15European nations have offered a counterproposal that would ease some of the proposed territorial concessions and include a NATO-style security guarantee from the United States for Ukraine if it is attacked.
11:25Rubio, however, said negotiations have significantly narrowed the remaining disagreements.
11:30He emphasized the peace document is still evolving and that unresolved points are not insurmountable.
11:35This is a living, breathing document.
11:37Every day with input it changes.
11:39I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable.
11:42We just need more time than what we have today.
11:44I honestly believe we'll get there.
11:46Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday it was good that Ukraine was engaged in a dialogue with the U.S.
11:51It is important that we do talk to the Americans and we are getting signals that President Trump's team is hearing us.
12:01Secretary Rubio also acknowledged that Moscow must ultimately approve any final agreement.
12:07President Trump earlier set a Thursday target for agreement, a deadline Rubio now suggests may be flexible.
12:12You know, whether it's Thursday, whether it's Friday, whether it's Wednesday, whether it's Monday of the following week, we want it to be soon because people are going to, between today and the time we deal with this, more people are going to die.
12:21More destruction is going to happen.
12:23Our goal is to end this war as soon as possible, but we need a little more time.
12:28President Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine remains deeply grateful for U.S. support, stressing that American assistance has saved Ukrainian lives.
12:36It came after President Trump yesterday said Ukraine's leaders had shown zero gratitude for U.S. assistance.
12:43Turkey's President Erdogan, meanwhile, says he plans to speak with Vladimir Putin today about advancing peace efforts
12:49and restarting grain shipments through the Black Sea.
12:52Despite being a NATO member, Turkey has maintained relations with both Kyiv and Moscow,
12:57providing weapons to Ukraine but declining to join Western sanctions on Russia.
13:02And Russia has responded to the latest peace plan drafted in Geneva yesterday.
13:06The Kremlin says this version is not acceptable.
13:12We learned this morning about the European plan, which is completely non-constructive and not acceptable for us at first glance.
13:20Mr. Rubio announced that the U.S. side has been completely satisfied by the Geneva talks with the Ukrainians.
13:26But he also said that there were 26 points, so there were a lot of different speculations.
13:31It is unclear whom to believe.
13:34Putin wants legal recognition for what he has stolen, to break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty.
13:46And that's the main problem.
13:49Solensky added that Ukraine will continue working with its partners like the U.S. and European nations.
13:55The President of the European Council said the EU will keep supporting Ukraine as peace talks move forward.
14:01British Prime Minister Keir Starmer weighed in as well today.
14:04He said there's more work to do to establish a just and lasting peace, but added that progress is being made.
14:12And as the Trump administration works with Ukraine on a peace plan, lawmakers are gearing up to sanction Russia.
14:18NTD's Melina Weisskopf has the details.
14:21As U.S. leaders are working towards a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, lawmakers are pushing ahead with plans to sanction Moscow.
14:31Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick urged the administration to continue working its peace-through-strength strategy.
14:37He plans to force a vote on Russian sanctions.
14:40Republican leaders in the House and Senate have previously voiced support for sanctioning Russia.
14:45And Trump has green-lighted the effort.
14:48We want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to give the administration the tools that they need
14:53to facilitate and bring about a peaceful resolution between Russia and Ukraine.
14:59The expected vote comes as the Trump administration is working to close a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
15:05As details are still being worked out,
15:08Congressman Michael McCaul is the former chairman for the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
15:11He's pushing to ensure an ironclad security agreement for Ukraine to prevent a repeat of the failed Budapest Agreement of 1994.
15:20Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Weisskopf, NTD News.
15:25Treasury Secretary Scott Besant says Americans can expect substantial refunds next year.
15:31Besant also says he's optimistic that no recession is on the way,
15:34despite the damage a record-setting shutdown may did to the economy.
15:40NTD's Daniel Monahan has a look at the U.S. economic outlook.
15:53Welcome back.
15:54Treasury Secretary Scott Besant says Americans can expect substantial refunds next year.
16:00Besant also says he's optimistic that no recession is on the way,
16:03despite the damage a record-setting shutdown did to the economy.
16:07NTD's Daniel Monahan has more on the U.S. economic outlook.
16:13Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said that while parts of the U.S. economy, like housing,
16:17were in a recession because of elevated interest rates,
16:20he does not expect the broader economy to plunge into a recession in the coming months.
16:24Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press.
16:27I am very, very optimistic.
16:29On 2026, we have set the table for a very strong, non-inflationary growth economy.
16:35Besant says no tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security is kicking in,
16:40along with auto-deductibility on loans for American cars, which will all spur economic growth.
16:45We're going to see substantial, substantial refunds to working families in the first quarter of 2026.
16:53The Treasury Secretary says the Trump administration has slowed inflation
16:58and is working hard to bring it down further.
17:01Besant says the Council of Economic Advisors has a study on how to reduce the inflation rate.
17:06You know the best way to bring your inflation rate down?
17:09Move from a blue state to a red state.
17:12Blue state inflation is half a percent higher,
17:15and that is because they don't deregulate,
17:18they keep prices up, energy is higher.
17:21Besant also addressed the filibuster, saying by wielding it,
17:25Democrats inflicted tremendous harm on the nation through the shutdown.
17:29He said the record-setting closure cost $11 billion in permanent economic damage,
17:35an estimated 1.5 percentage points in lost GDP growth in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025.
17:42If Senate Democrats close the government again,
17:45that Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster.
17:50Meanwhile, Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett says real wages this year are up about $1,200.
17:57Because of all the jobs that are being created by the trillions that are coming in for capital spending and so on,
18:03and real wages, which is real purchasing power, dropped about $3,000 under President Biden.
18:08And so I think in the end, people are going to look at their pockets and decide,
18:11am I ahead or am I not?
18:12And I think that they're going to find that they're ahead.
18:16Hassett says he expects 2026 to be an absolute blockbuster year.
18:21The comments from Besant and Hassett come as Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins said Saturday
18:27she's still leaning against the central bank cutting its benchmark interest rates.
18:32Members of the Trump administration, including Besant,
18:34have wanted the Fed to lower interest rates, saying inflation has leveled off.
18:39Daniel Monaghan, NTD News.
18:42Thanks, Daniel, for that report.
18:44And joining us now to discuss the economic outlook is Tim Dosher,
18:48Executive Director of Unleash Prosperity Now.
18:50Tim, good to have you with us today.
18:52Let's begin with your response to Secretary Besant's forecast
18:55for a substantial acceleration in economic growth next year.
18:58Well, I think he's absolutely right.
19:02There's no question about it.
19:03Let me tell you what isn't going to happen January 1st.
19:07That's a $4 trillion tax hike,
19:09which would have happened if we didn't pass one big, beautiful bill.
19:12And I'll tell you what, I hear the word recession being used.
19:15You know, they tried to pin him on that yesterday on the Sunday shows.
19:20Recession would definitely happen if we didn't pass one big, beautiful bill.
19:24And so not only are we going to get the pro-growth effects of it,
19:26like Kevin Hassett mentioned, you know,
19:29companies are already taking advantage of the full expensing of capital expenditures.
19:34They're taking advantage of it.
19:35That is extremely pro-growth.
19:37That means that more companies are going to be hiring
19:39in whatever specified industry that they are making that investment in.
19:44And so they are right.
19:45This will absolutely compound into a really great, strong first quarter of next year.
19:51And by the way, in terms of the government shutdown,
19:53you said, you know, half a percent of GDP.
19:55You know, the Atlanta Fed is projecting above 4% growth.
20:00So if we settle for a 3.5% growth, just taking their hypothetical in play,
20:06that's still markedly better than where we were under the Biden years.
20:11All right.
20:11So a positive outlook.
20:13How is that going to impact low and moderate income households,
20:17potentially differently as you see it?
20:20Well, it's already happening.
20:23That is the really amazing number that we have done.
20:26You go to UnleashProsperity.com.
20:27You can read our number crunching in terms of real median household income.
20:34Americans are seeing $1,200 additional under Trump already than they did under Biden.
20:40And that's simply because the regulatory burden that has been alleviated from the Biden administration,
20:49from what Trump has done, is already paying off in spades for people that are part of that median income gap.
20:55In addition, the inflation number really is the moneymaker here.
21:00Because, look, we had 9%, 9.2% inflation under Joe Biden.
21:05I mean, that is sky high.
21:07Prices today are 24% higher than they were in 2020.
21:13And as we've done the math on that, about 87% of that inflation is directly because of the Biden administration.
21:22So, look, this is not something that is solved overnight, Stephanie.
21:25This is not something that we're just going to see go away.
21:28But with more money, with rising wages, you know, higher earnings,
21:32this is actually going to be the thing that brings us to affordability out of the Biden delays.
21:37And looking now at some of the measures that were just mentioned that Secretary Besant touched on,
21:44like no tax on tips, he mentioned Social Security and other measures,
21:49how effectively do you think they will support financial security for working Americans?
21:54Well, I think it doesn't discourage people.
21:56I think that that is a key driver in saying, look, this is more money coming your way.
22:02In addition to all the other things from extending the Trump tax cuts that people are going to see,
22:07they also continue to have that hope that, look, if you work overtime,
22:12you're not going to be taxed as highly on it over time.
22:15If, you know, your Social Security is going to be taxed, like you said, no tax on tips.
22:17That is more money in the bank.
22:19That is more of a bright spot on the horizon.
22:22And I will also say this.
22:24I agree that when you make more money, you tend to be more productive.
22:27And if there is an industry in which you are working overtime in,
22:31and now you see a reason to take those extra overtime shifts
22:35because you're going to start being able to, you know, not see taxes on that overtime,
22:38that is a massive boost of productivity that I think that we haven't even been talking about
22:43and discussing when it comes to GDP.
22:46And so I think we're going to see that, Stephanie, play out over the next few months.
22:50And what else, if anything, do you think might be needed to help support the economy and working families?
22:56Well, I think you've got to get the health care situation under wraps.
23:00You've got to stop inflating health care prices by subsidizing insurance companies,
23:06giving them those, you know, we talk about the big thing that we shut the government down for.
23:11We didn't.
23:11The Democrats shut it down for.
23:13But these Obamacare subsidies are going to skyrocket if we don't continue to fund them.
23:19Well, the problem is that we have been funding them, and health care is, you know, triple what it was when Obamacare was passed.
23:27So this is something that we really must take on because everybody, myself, I'm a type 1 diabetic.
23:32Health care is not cheap for me as a type 1 diabetic, not at all, and it's not getting any cheaper.
23:38And so what you've got to do is you've got to replace that government Washington, D.C. mentality
23:43of bailing out insurance companies, hoping that they're going to give people better rates.
23:48And what you've got to do is you've got to open it up to state-across-state buying.
23:52You've got to allow no caps on health savings accounts for people like me to store away money for those days
23:58where it's going to get tougher to pay for health care for me when I get older.
24:01That's the kind of stuff that we need to focus on in this country when you're talking about affordability,
24:06not, you know, some temporary little $2,000 check.
24:10You've got to go to the problem where it actually is, and I believe health care is a big one.
24:15And certainly many Americans are dealing with conditions like diabetes and other long-term conditions
24:21that will need that kind of long-term approach.
24:23Considering the record government shutdowns, estimated $11 billion in permanent economic damage,
24:30how can policymakers avoid future shutdowns?
24:33It's a big one.
24:34Well, I think that's going to be up to the Democrats to do that.
24:39I mean, when you have a Republican fighting to keep the status quo in Washington, D.C., that's not a good thing.
24:46The status quo is what got us to this inflation in the first place.
24:49And so when you have the Democrats adding even more to that, that's going to be a problem.
24:54But what I will say is this.
24:56I believe that when push comes to shove, this is an election year that we're coming up on.
25:02I don't believe that the left is going to be pushing this shutdown narrative for political points
25:08because it did not work for them a couple months ago, it did not work for them a couple weeks ago,
25:12and it's not going to work for them a couple months from now.
25:15So the shutdown has to go.
25:17But I will say this.
25:18If you talk about getting rid of the filibuster, as Secretary Besson did, I completely disagree with that.
25:23The filibuster has saved us from so many bad left-leaning ideas, you know, making Washington, D.C. another state, making Puerto Rico a state.
25:34That's the kind of stuff that will happen if you do get rid of the filibuster.
25:37So I think that we can play the politics a little better than that and not risk opening ourselves up to rot when the Democrats take over.
25:45At least through so many shutdowns over the course of the country's history, we have not had to take that measure so far.
25:54We'll all be watching closely, especially as 2026 comes just around the corner.
25:59Thank you so much for your time today, Tim Doshier.
26:01Good to speak with you.
26:03Yes, ma'am.
26:03Have a great day.
26:04And you.
26:06And next, a major battle over press access continues.
26:10An appeals court will hear oral arguments today in the Associated Press dispute with President Trump over access to presidential events.
26:18The D.C. Circuit is reviewing the administration's appeal of an April ruling.
26:23The decision found it unlawfully restricted the AP after the news organization refused to use the new name for the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America.
26:32District Judge Trevor McFadden had granted a preliminary injunction ordering the White House to restore AP access to the Oval Office and other news spaces.
26:42The injunction was paused in June while the appeals court considered the administration's case.
26:47Trump signed an executive order in February to change the name of the body of water to the Gulf of America.
26:53The AP said it would continue to use the Gulf's old name while acknowledging the new name Trump had chosen.
26:59The infomercial, Pitchman, popularly known as the ShamWow Guy, is running for a U.S. House seat in Texas.
27:10According to a filing from a few days ago, the 61-year-old registered to compete in the Republican primary under the name Offer Vince ShamWow Shmoley.
27:20He became a household name through his promotion of the ShamWow, an absorbent towel that went viral in the late 2000s.
27:29Shmoley is also directed and starred in the 1990 film The Underground Comedy Movie.
27:35He currently serves as the president and CEO of Square One Entertainment and launched a podcast called The ShamWow Guy Show in 2023.
27:44He told Fox News that he was motivated to run for Congress to fight what he described as wokeism and because of the political infighting in the country.
27:52Shmoley joins at least four other candidates running for the seat in the 31st District of Texas.
27:58The position is currently held by Congressman John Carter, who has already filed for re-election.
28:05And a major immigration decision could be on the way.
28:07Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said yesterday the federal government plans to evaluate temporary protected status for people from Somalia.
28:15TPS is a legal safeguard against deportation for immigrants from certain countries.
28:21We plan to follow the process that's in law to evaluate TPS and how it applies to different countries and individuals from then.
28:28It was never meant to be an asylum program.
28:30It was always meant to be put in place after an incident or an event on a temporary basis, and that's what the evaluation will be.
28:37President Trump said Friday he would immediately strip Somali residents in Minnesota of temporary protected status.
28:44The announcement drew protest from some state leaders who characterized Trump's declaration as a legally dubious effort.
28:52In his social media post, Trump said that Somali gangs had targeted Minnesota residents.
28:59He referred to the state as a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.
29:02Federal prosecutors have, in recent weeks, brought charges against dozens of people in a social services fraud scheme.
29:10Some of the defendants hail from Somalia.
29:13A report produced for Congress in August put the number of Somalis covered by TPS at around 700 nationwide.
29:22And operations have resumed following an outage at Terminal 4 of New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
29:27Travelers faced major delays yesterday after a system failure brought operations to a standstill.
29:34The Port Authority said technicians restored the internet connection in a few hours, but long lines had already formed.
29:40Passengers described hours-long standstills, with some reporting that lines did not move at all after arriving before noon.
29:49The outage hit at the start of a busy Thanksgiving travel week and follows a prolonged government shutdown that stranded the aviation system.
29:58And there could be more worry for travelers.
30:00A winter storm watch is now in effect from Wednesday night through Friday.
30:04Forecasters warn that heavy lake-effects snow and white-out conditions could disrupt Thanksgiving travel across western New York State.
30:12And a cold front could bring snow to parts of the Midwest.
30:15Here's more on the week's travel conditions.
30:19Airports across the country are bracing for the busy holiday season.
30:25The FAA is predicting this to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period in 15 years.
30:31As we go into the holiday, it's going to be full.
30:33It's going to be packed.
30:34The airlines are ready.
30:35The air traffic controls are back.
30:38Tuesday is expected to be the peak travel day, with more than 52,000 flights.
30:43But the weather could cause major disruptions in parts of the country.
30:46Rain could turn to snow in some areas like Minneapolis as early as Tuesday.
30:52This comes as AAA expects a record-breaking 82 million people to travel 50 miles or more next week, with at least 73 million on the roads.
31:02You should not be driving in inclement weather.
31:04If you are driving, AAA says some of the worst times to travel are Tuesday between noon and 9 p.m., Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
31:23As the holidays approach, some relief for tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration workers.
31:32A TSA spokesperson says about 90 percent of the workers have received back pay.
31:36Now the government shutdown is over.
31:38The rest will receive their back pay today.
31:41The TSA workers missed several paychecks during the country's longest shutdown.
31:45The back pay comes just as the holiday travel rush is set to begin in earnest over the next few days.
31:52TSA expects to screen nearly 18 million travelers during Thanksgiving week.
31:57And a highly anticipated trial to determine if an oral version of semaglutide could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease has failed.
32:07That's according to drugmaker Novo Nordisk.
32:09Semaglutide is the active ingredient in popular drugs Ozampic and Wegovi.
32:15Smaller trials in animal studies had suggested GLP-1s might help slow cognitive decline or reduce neuroinflammation.
32:23However, larger trials like this one were needed to confirm whether patients saw actual benefits.
32:30A pair of Phase 3 trials were conducted of more than 3,800 adults receiving normal care for Alzheimer's.
32:36The trial evaluated whether an older pill of semaglutide worked better than a placebo.
32:43Novo Nordisk said the drug did lead to improvements in Alzheimer's-related biomarkers, but did not delay progression of the disease.
32:53The drugmaker had long treated Alzheimer's as a long-shot bet for its popular GLP-1 drugs.
32:59Results from the trials have not yet been peer-reviewed or published, but will be presented at upcoming scientific conferences.
33:08And the BBC's chairman and other senior leaders are facing tough questions from British lawmakers today.
33:14How President Trump's threat of a lawsuit is impacting the British outlet.
33:19And tensions are rising in Asia as Japan prepares to deploy new missile units, drawing sharp warnings from China.
33:25Those stories and more up ahead.
33:29The BBC's chairman and other senior leaders are facing questions from British lawmakers regarding editorial standards.
33:51President Trump threatened to file a billion-dollar lawsuit over a misleading edit of a speech he made on January 6th.
33:59Here's a former BBC advisor who sent a memo highlighting the edit of Trump's speech, as well as other concerns about impartiality at the station.
34:08I think some people came to jump to the conclusion there's some sort of ideological exercise going on here.
34:15But from my point of view, there really wasn't.
34:17I don't want the BBC leaning this way or that way.
34:19I just want it straight and impartial and fair.
34:24The documentary in question spliced together three separate quotes from a speech to make it appear to be one quote,
34:31urging supporters to march on the Capitol and fight like hell.
34:34Following Trump's threat of a possible lawsuit, the BBC says its chairman sent a letter to the White House.
34:42The chairman said he and the corporation were sorry for the edit, but the broadcaster insists it did not defame Trump and rejects the basis for his lawsuit threat.
34:52As the tensions between Japan and China continue to escalate, Japan's defense minister said today the country was advancing preparations to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air guided missile unit on an island.
35:06The medium-range surface-to-air guided missile plan for deployment at Camp Yonaguni is a force dedicated to protect the island's security.
35:18We believe its deployment will reduce the very possibility of armed attacks against our nation
35:23and do not consider the argument that it will heighten regional tensions to be accurate.
35:27Japan says the deployment will reduce the possibility of armed attacks against Japan.
35:35China reacted today, calling the deployment of missiles extremely dangerous,
35:40labeling it a deliberate move that breeds regional tensions and stokes military rivalry.
35:46Japan and China have entered their worst diplomatic crisis in years.
35:49It began after Japanese Prime Minister Sanai Takeuchi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response.
35:57Malaysia plans to ban social media accounts for anyone under 16 there, starting in 2026, joining Australia and a growing list of countries moving to tighten digital age limits for children.
36:12The plan is part of a push to protect younger people from cyberbullying, scams, and sexual exploitation.
36:18The government is reviewing models used in Australia and elsewhere, including electronic ID checks,
36:24but it did not give an exact rollout date.
36:28Australia will enforce the world's first nationwide social media age ban on December 10th.
36:35And former British Prime Minister David Cameron has been treated for prostate cancer.
36:41Cameron told the Times newspaper about his diagnosis and treatment.
36:44He served as British Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016
36:48and resigned after the Brexit referendum when Britain voted to leave the European Union.
36:55Cameron was named as the country's new foreign secretary in November 2023.
37:00Then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made Cameron a member of the UK's Upper House of Parliament, the unelected House of Lords.
37:07Cameron said his cancer treatment has motivated him to advocate for a targeted screening program.
37:13President Donald Trump is set to pardon two lucky turkeys tomorrow at the White House.
37:19This year's birds have been named gobble and waddle.
37:23And the White House Historical Association and a non-profit create a new Christmas ornament.
37:29We teased it earlier.
37:30That is coming up after this.
37:43Welcome back.
37:57The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden is now back for the season.
38:02Miniture trains and iconic New York City landmarks brought to life as the show celebrates its 34th year.
38:09NTD Sean Marshall was there.
38:11Kids and adults can all enjoy the New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show.
38:17The intricate detail that goes into making these buildings is simply amazing.
38:23They're designed after buildings and structures all around New York City.
38:28And not only is the train show amazing,
38:30but you can also enjoy the magical aura of the diverse plants and flowers all around the Botanical Garden.
38:36Each year, the New York Botanical Garden team switches things up a little bit for the Holiday Train Show with nearly 200 famous New York landmarks like the Statue of Liberty,
38:49Brooklyn Bridge, and Rockefeller Center, along with other popular and historical sites.
38:54Last year, the Bronx was displayed front and center, and this year, Central Park is in the Hopped Conservatory main area.
39:02So exciting for kids to come.
39:04There's over 30 G-scale model trains here.
39:08We have our very famous Thomas the Train that they can come and not interact with,
39:15but they can come and hang out with, watch them loop around the tracks.
39:19And, of course, there's so many other types of trains that they can see going across bridges,
39:26our famous Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge,
39:30and then, of course, interacting throughout the various other scapes and models that have been created here.
39:38The famous Thomas the Tank Engine is so popular that it needs to be a little off to the side
39:43and a little bit back from the barrier so kids don't try to take them home with it.
39:49And for plant lovers, the train show gives an extra bit of fun to a Botanical Garden visitor.
39:54We're here with a botany class, actually.
39:55We just visited the herbarium.
39:57We saw some phenomenal specimens.
39:59And it's, I mean, it's phenomenal here.
40:00I love seeing the detail on the trains.
40:02It's amazing just seeing how intricate everything is.
40:05I just heard someone say that it's all made from natural materials as well,
40:08this whole exhibition, which I just find so phenomenally impressive.
40:12I mean, I would say get here, honestly.
40:15It's something you really should see.
40:17I'm here with our grandson and my wife and the whole family.
40:20And the only thing I could say is if maybe they had a beer stop,
40:25maybe some draft beer that you could, you know, find every 30 feet or so.
40:29That's the only improvement I could think about.
40:31There are actually drinks available during the nighttime show.
40:34Energetic After Dark Celebrations, where you can sip seasonal cocktails and mocktails around the Hopped Conservatory.
40:42Yeah, the team is so creative in how they make all of the different models.
40:49They grab various types of twigs, seed pods, you know, bark from trees found in the forests of Kentucky.
41:04But also sometimes they find things here at the New York Botanical Garden that has just fallen to the ground
41:11that they collect and they add to their collection for when they're making new models for us.
41:16So it's all natural materials, which makes it even more special because it adds to the story here at the Botanical Garden.
41:23Seasonal classics and holiday pop favorites fill the air as live performers bring musical sounds of the season
41:31to the garden during the night shows.
41:34Tickets are starting at $25.
41:36Just visit the website nybg.org for all the details.
41:41There you'll find tickets for daytime as well as the nighttime experience.
41:46Sean Marshall, NTD News.
41:47Great report by Sean there.
41:51Next, President Donald Trump is set to pardon two lucky turkeys tomorrow at the White House.
41:56This year's birds have been named Gobble and Waddle.
42:00The names were chosen by popular vote after First Lady Melania Trump polled the public for favorites.
42:08This year's runners-up were Sugar and Spice and Acorn and Squash and Pumpkin and Pie.
42:14Gobble and Waddle hail from North Carolina and have been staying at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. ahead of the annual ceremony.
42:25The National Turkey Federation introduced the birds to the media this morning.
42:29The tradition dates back to 1947.
42:33President Joe Biden pardoned last year's turkeys named Peach and Blossom.
42:37And the White House Historical Association and a non-profit have teamed up to create a Christmas ornament commemorating America's 250th anniversary.
42:47The creators say the piece marks an opportunity to reflect on our nation's history and bring the country together.
42:53NTD's Andrew Thomas has more.
42:55This limited edition handcrafted ornament features the Declaration of Independence on one side and an America 250 logo with the White House on the other.
43:04The country's founding document marked the birth of the nation and independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.
43:11Organization American 250 collaborated with the White House Historical Association to create the celebratory 24-karat gold-plated decoration.
43:19And that it's a part of this beautiful heirloom ornament, I think, is really special.
43:24And so we could have taken a lot of different symbolism.
43:26We talked about lots of different ideas.
43:28But at the end of the day, the anniversary is the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
43:32The White House Historical Association has sold a popular Christmas tree ornament honoring a president or a key White House anniversary since 1981.
43:41More than one million of those ornaments are now sold every year.
43:43I think something that's so special about, personally, about this year's ornament is that it's so much more than just that,
43:50that it's a symbol of truly this unity that we're trying to strive for.
43:55The ornament is available for $26.95.
43:58Andrew Thomas, NTD News.
44:01That's all we have time for for this hour.
44:03But if you have any feedback on the show or have something you'd like to see us cover,
44:07send us an email at news.today at NTD.com.
44:10We'd love to hear from you.
44:11We'll cover more news right after this break.
44:13We'll cover more news right after this break.
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