NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 17)

Welcome to NTD Evening News. Our top story tonight, President Trump wrapping up the G7 summit as the White House reveals the full text of the Iran deal. What's in the memorandum, when will it be signed, and how world leaders are welcoming the Iran agreement. Labor Department threatening to cut certain funding from states that won't fix unemployment insurance fraud. Plus, Vice President J.D. Vance weighing in on the latest efforts to combat health care fraud in New York. Jason Perry reports. The Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady at Chairman Kevin Warsh's first policy meeting. We'll speak with economist Michael Bustler for reactions. Taxes are emerging as a key issue in the California governor's race. Republican candidate Steve Hilton has unveiled a new proposal that would eliminate state income taxes on the first 150,000 of a family's income. Christina Corona reports. Could drones become the next line of defense against school shootings? A new system launching in schools says it can confront an armed attacker in just 15 seconds. The tech now being tested in Florida and Georgia. And a small jet carrying six crashed on a highway in South Texas last night, killing one on board. First responders conducted a miraculous rescue of the others. This is NTD Evening News, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Here's Kerry Dunst. Good evening. Thank you for joining us tonight. President Trump wrapping up the G7 summit in Evian, France, by laying out terms of the Iran deal. And as oil prices plummet, the president telling NTD how the Iran agreement could affect the U.S. economy in the long term. We now go live to NTD's White House correspondent Mari Otsu. She's in Geneva. Mari, good evening. You were just at the G7 presser in Evian. What did President Trump tell you specifically? Hey, Kerry. Good evening to you. That's right. A lot of back and forth between Evian and Geneva. We're now in Geneva. And it looks like we're going to be extending the trip as the White House has announced that that signing ceremony for that Iran agreement will take place on Friday in Lucerne. And that Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to be in attendance, although that is subject to change. Now President Trump is dining at the Palace of Versailles, kicking off the end of his trip to France here with a bang. But at that presser there, at the G7 wrapping up, President Trump was touting the Iran agreement, saying that it achieves everything the U.S. set out to achieve at the beginning, namely that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, never build a nuclear weapon. And President Trump specifically telling NTD that as oil prices are now tumbling in the wake of this announcement this week, how this deal and the signing on Friday might affect a long term oil prices and the U.S.'s economy. Take a look. Thank you, President Trump. Oil prices are now plummeting. How do you see this agreement further affecting energy prices in the U.S. and the U.S. economy in the long term? Well, first of all, thank you for the word plummeting, because that's what's happening. Oil prices are plummeting. And that means oil prices are going to come down. We have to put out this fire in Iran because I don't want them using a nuclear weapon. Now that the oil is coming down, you're going to see everything follow. Everything follows the cost of energy. And we're going to end up having the lowest energy anywhere in the world. Now this is coming as U.S. officials are releasing the full text to us of that memorandum of understanding some key details include, of course, Iran affirming that they will never start developing a nuclear weapon. Also it calls for an immediate ceasefire that's on every front, including in Lebanon. Also the U.S. will begin lifting its naval blockade on Iranian ports within 30 days. And in return, Iran will use its best means to ensure that commercial ships are able to transit through the Strait of Hormuz toll free. Now President Trump during this press conference is also emphasizing, though, that this memorandum of understanding is not binding. And that means that if Iran violates any of its terms, the U.S. will go back to striking in Iran. Take a look. When I say permanently, it should be permanently. But if it's not permanently, we will bomb them. They will be bombed just like I bombed them on Wednesday night and Tuesday night and was going to bomb them on Thursday night at a level that was three times greater. And they knew that I will bomb them. And if I don't like it, we'll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head. If I don't like it, if they don't behave, we'll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head. OK, because they misbehaved for 47 years. Now, U.S. officials are also clarifying to us that the MOU will kick off a 60 day period for both countries, Iran and the U.S., to further negotiate a final deal, which could mean eventually easing all sanctions if the regime behaves. Now, both the U.S. officials and President Trump have been emphasizing that there won't be any funds coming from the U.S. or from the U.S. Treasury, but that the Treasury could unfreeze some of the assets that it froze during Operation Epic Fury if Iran holds up to their commitments. Take a look. We're not putting up money only if they're doing things right. If they're doing things right, if people want to invest, they can invest. Remember this also. When you talk about billions of dollars, they've had much more than a trillion dollars worth of damage done. Meanwhile, both G7 leaders and Middle East leaders have been praising the Iran deal as a breakthrough. The G7 releasing this statement on geopolitical issues that says we recognize the breakthrough and the opportunity that currently exists in the Middle East with this deal on the table and Middle East leaders also touting the ties between the U.S. and the Middle East and their teamwork during Operation Epic Fury. Take a look. I want to thank you for your leadership in this very, very important, critical time in the Middle East. And I think, as you mentioned, Mr. President, this is a very important deal. I have to say it's exceeded my expectations. We're very pleased with the deal that's been struck. It sets the groundwork for – to ensure Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon. The President helped create that deal, led creating that deal. I would like to start by expressing big congratulations for the breakthrough that you have achieved, Mr. President, of restoring peace to the Middle East. President Trump, meanwhile, saying that a great deal of unity was found at the G7, generally listing other accomplishments of those conversations, namely signing an inaugural declaration on illegal immigration and coordinating stopping drug trafficking. Kerry, back to you. Well, after midnight in Geneva, a very long day for you. Thank you, Mari. And joining us now to unpack the points in this deal is Gerard Fletty, a Middle East attorney specializing in international law. Thanks for joining this evening, Gerard. First off, I'd like to get your reactions to the points that are laid out in the memorandum of understanding. Well, I think the most important point is to notice that this is not a final peace deal. This is an agreement to suspend the war and for American forces to pull back from the blockade in exchange for the reopening of the State of Hormuz and negotiations that will be taking place over the next 60 days, but that are not limited to 60 days. They can last longer than that. So essentially, this is a deal, a partial deal on this wall. It is an effort to reopen the State of Hormuz, which is what the outcome of this memorandum of understanding is. But the rest of it is contingent upon a lot of other things happening, meaning that the key points of negotiation of how to get Iran to commit to not developing nuclear weapons remains up for discussion and will be the subject of continued negotiations. Yeah, you really nailed the critical point that has not yet been finalized yet, of course. But it does, as you point out, allow the return to somewhat of normalcy when it comes to the economic picture for both Iran as well as the rest of the global economy when it comes to the cost of oil. But going back to that major point, they shall not, quote, shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. So if the deal does go through, how significant would this be in light of what we've seen in past deals, such as the Obama deal that was struck in the waning days of the Obama administration? That's such a great question, because ultimately when it comes to this, there need to be verification methods. But there is only the concept of trust without verification methods, without having some way to meaningfully implement and safeguard that Iran does not actually refine further or develop or otherwise procure nuclear weapons. We are left to trusting Iran's word. And Iran has not proven itself to be trustworthy when it comes to waging war in the region or developing weapons of mass destruction. So this is a key issue that remains to be discussed and addressed, because the memorandum of understanding does not satisfactorily address how we guarantee or how Iran guarantees that it will hold to its agreement. Yeah, certainly a milestone method before releasing sanctioned funds and other carrots. And do we have, there you are, Gerard. Now Gerard, I want to move to the president's point about there being over a trillion dollars of damage to Iran. There's this $300 billion fund for the reconstruction and development. But President Trump says that the U.S. won't need to direct taxpayer funding towards that fund. Your understandings of that? That certainly seems to be a very truthful statement, that a large portion of that money, the $300 billion, is already secured in terms of commitments from Middle Eastern countries and Asian countries to invest and develop and rebuild in Iran, so that it's not money that would be coming from the United States taxpayer. It's also worth pointing out that there is a suspension of some sanctions and some limits on Iranian transactions, plus freeing up its assets, making its assets available to it, which really is a financial windfall for Iran in exchange for very little at this point, just for reopening the state of Hormuz. So there is potentially a lot of money on the table. It's also worth pointing out that to the extent the Iranian economy or infrastructure is damaged, Iran now has the capacity to sell oil on the open market. So we're not just talking about $300 billion, we're talking about what sales will be realized by Iran. And to that point, on oil sales, the U.S. says that the era of China buying sanctioned Iranian oil at a massive discount is over, as the Treasury will issue waivers for exporting Iranian crude. Your reaction to that approach? That may well be the case, but China is already having problems right now obtaining crude oil with the blockade that the United States put in place. So this is still of benefit to China, although admittedly now they will be paying more, they will be paying a premium for the open market. That being said, this is really an issue of competition for that same oil. The premium that China was paying was, it was doing so because few other countries or other groups were willing to buy sanctioned oil. Now that it is no longer, or would no longer be sanctioned, it would be available on the open market, meaning competition might not lead to lower prices for China after all. And you hit on this point a bit earlier, Gerard, but I think it's important to come back to it. So Iran would be getting those frozen assets, but not fully up front. The U.S. says that this will be monitored. Some are raising concerns, and as you alluded to, about putting any trust in Iran. So what are the mechanisms of enforcement that we could expect to see if we're able to finalize a deal? Well, another excellent question, and one that is really hard to predict because enforcement has been so difficult with Iran. When it comes to financial transactions, we are better at monitoring global financial transactions and imposing stops or limits on that. But unless a final agreement actually discusses how Iran would or would not spend its money, which does not seem to be the case based on the memorandum of understanding that was released today, there would be very little way to actually see what Iran is doing with that money. And money is fungible, meaning that it doesn't really matter who is paying it to Iran. It could use it for whatever purposes it deems it wants to, which would include resupplying its armory, maintaining its ballistic missiles, and building more drones. So ultimately, this is a trust mentality that we have yet to see if it plays out. And one other question for you, Gerard. Iran is holding the position that they want Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanon, but there's nothing in there regards to what to do about Hezbollah. In terms of Hezbollah and potentially other Iran proxies, how does that factor into all of this? I think that's one of the documents of this memorandum of understanding, and there's very little to discuss this in final negotiations as well. Iran has held firm to the position that its funding of its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, would be off-limits, that it would continue doing what it wants to do without addressing these proxies. So right now, there seems to be very little that will happen in terms of Iran's support for Hezbollah. But at the same time, it's very difficult for Israel, which is not a party to this agreement, to promise or pledge that it will not defend itself either. Well, much to look out for. Many questions still unanswered. Thanks for joining us, Gerard Felitti. Pleasure. Thank you. And NATO Chief Mark Rutte says President Trump's Iran deal is creating a safer environment for all nations. Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hagseth is heading to Europe for a meeting of NATO defense ministers. And it is international correspondent Arjen Pazdar has that story. The deal President Trump struck has created an opportunity to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. NATO defense ministers are gathering in Brussels on Wednesday. Secretary General Mark Rutte praising President Trump for the deal he struck with Iran. The U.S. action to prevent the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and degrade its ballistic missile capability improves security for us all. The Department of War showing Secretary Pete Hagseth leaving the U.S. and then arriving in Brussels to join the meeting of defense ministers. Rutte says one of the topics the nations are scheduled to address is an issue President Trump has been raising for a long time. Investing 5% of GDP in defense by 2035. That's what we agreed. So I expect nations to present clear, concrete and credible plans to reach that goal. Rutte says reaching that goal is crucial for a stronger NATO that includes more troops, more resources and a much stronger industrial base. According to Rutte, European nations and Canada have already been increasing their defense spending after the commitment was made in The Hague last year. This week's talks marked the last meeting before the 2026 NATO Summit, which is set to be held in Turkey next month. President Trump, meanwhile, giving an update on the Russia-Ukraine peace efforts during a speech at the G7 Summit in France. The president says he spoke with the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine this week. I think they both want to do something, they just don't know how to do it. They want to do it, they just don't know how. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying he and President Trump had another conversation on Wednesday night. Zelensky calls it, quote, an important coordination call that can bring about significant change. The developments come as the fighting between the two sides keep raging on. Ukrainian officials say Russia attacked the southeastern city of Zaporozhye, killing at least one civilian and setting a residential building on fire. According to Ukrainian police, a wave of Russian drones killed the person in his car. Arien Pastar, NTD News. The Labor Department is threatening to withhold some state funding if governors fail to take immediate action to address unemployment insurance fraud. At the same time, Vice President J.D. Vance giving an update on the administration's efforts to combat health care fraud in New York. NTD's Jason Perry has the details. The Department of Labor on Wednesday issuing letters to the governors of 53 U.S. states and territories demanding immediate action to combat fraud, waste and abuse within the unemployment insurance program, adding that if the states don't take action to protect the unemployment insurance system, then the Labor Department will, for the first time in history, withhold administrative funds from states. Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito saying, quote, the days of excuses are over. States that fail to protect taxpayer dollars should expect consequences. The department also giving some details of what they call the most glaring examples, noting that Illinois improperly paid out more than $320 million in taxpayer funds. Illinois did not immediately comment on that accusation and that California is more than $20 billion in debt to the federal government after years of fraud, improper payments and mismanagement of its unemployment insurance system. California Governor Gavin Newsom's office responded by blaming, quote, lax regulations and rushed distribution of unemployment benefits by the first Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labor Department also says New York is losing an estimated $2 million a day to fraud and improper payments. Vice President J.D. Vance, who's the chairman of the task force to eliminate fraud, was in New York on Wednesday commenting on the recent lawsuit filed by the Department of This person was actually inviting fraudulent bidders to come in and take advantage of your tax dollars so that we could send it to fraudsters instead of you. And that's disgraceful. In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for New York Governor Kathy Hochul accuses the Trump administration of attacking political opponents during an election year. You know what these fraudsters are doing? They are taking advantage of American generosity to enrich themselves. And we need somebody who's going to put him in jail and protect your money. And that's exactly what we're doing under the administration. Jason Perry, NCD News. The confirmation hearing for Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton was canceled today after President Trump announced he would keep Clayton in his role as U.S. Attorney until a successor is confirmed. The president also saying he won't approve a FISA reauthorization unless it's paired with the Save America Act. And today's Chris Bobb reports. I was surprised, I was looking forward to the hearing and the opportunity to ask some questions of Mr. Clayton. He has been praised by members of both sides of the aisle. Senator Susan Collins reacting after President Trump canceled Wednesday's Intelligence Committee hearing for DNI nominee Jay Clayton. In a Truth Social post, the president says he wants Clayton to remain in his current position as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York until James McDonald is confirmed as his replacement. Trump posting, quote, I may not be able to get the extraordinary Sullivan-Cromwell partner Jamie approved, and I don't want to take Jay Clayton away from the great job he is doing until Jamie is in place. Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton had initially indicated that the confirmation hearing would proceed. A short time later, Cotton confirmed the change in a post on X, quote, It's regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today. Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune had been publicly pushing for Clayton's confirmation. Jay Clayton is an eminently qualified individual to become the new director of national intelligence. And so we are looking forward to processing him this week. He has all the qualifications that are necessary. He has the vision, the experience, the judgment, the competence, all the things that you want in that position. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who praised Clayton when he was nominated, expressed frustration over Trump's move. For him to be jerking around Jay Clayton, for him to be jerking around critical intelligence tools at this point is the epitome of irresponsibility. Trump's post also introduced a new condition for reauthorizing FISA, quote, Therefore, to add a slight bit of intrigue, but for the good of the nation and the people of our country, I will not approve FISA without the Save America Act going along with it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the president indiscernible and the addition of the Save America Act a grenade. There can be no intrigue when it comes to protecting our national security. Senator John Fetterman was the only Senate Democrat to vote yes on a motion to proceed with a reauthorization extension for Section 702. Trump described the Save America Act in a June 10 Truth Social post as requiring photo identification and proof of citizenship for voters, limiting mail-in ballots to illness, disability, military service, or travel, barring men from women's sports, and prohibiting transgender surgeries for minors. Some Republicans in Congress have highlighted the act as their top priority. There is no legitimate reason to oppose the Save America Act. Having an open-ended situation where people can vote regardless of whether they're citizens and regardless of whether they are who they say they are, that's what they want. That should scare all of us. Scare all of us enough to make sure that the Republican Senate gets the Save America Act passed. There is nothing more important than this. For now, Senate leaders are awaiting guidance from the White House on Clayton's nomination while negotiations over FISA continue. Chris Bobb, NTD News. And what is President Trump's strategy behind delaying the vote for Jay Clayton? And why is the Save America Act so critical? Tune in for panel debate tonight on Capitol Report at 7 p.m. Eastern, just after evening news. This morning, Senators are working on human rights legislation. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved the Falun Gong Protection Act. It's a bipartisan bill aimed at holding Chinese Communist Party officials accountable for forcibly harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience. The lead sponsor of the bill previously told NTD why it's imperative to combat the abuse. They literally capture practitioners of Falun Gong. They remove their organs and then they provide them either to transplant to other Chinese nationals, or they also find the organs on the black market to be trafficked overseas. It is a grotesque and utterly inhumane practice. And the Chinese Communist Party is an evil organization, and I think we need American leadership to stand up and shine a light to stop their espionage, to stop their propaganda, to stop their theft of intellectual property, to stop their murder, their torture. Now, the bill would sanction perpetrators of the crime, including visa invalidation, blocking an offender from entering the U.S., and imposing criminal punishment of fines of up to $1 million in 20 years in prison. Falun Gong is a spiritual meditation practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The Chinese Communist Party has persecuted its adherents going back to 1999. The Falun Gong Protection Act has already passed the House by voice vote with no opposition. Senator Jeff Merkley told Sound of Hope that the bill has a good chance of passing the Senate, and he hopes to bring more awareness to the issue. Have a listen. We held a hearing before the China Commission, and to hear the stories of folks who have witnessed what was going on, I hope we can really increase world awareness of this terrible practice. And the next step is a full vote on the Senate floor before it can be signed into law by the president. And coming up, a small jet carrying six people crashed on a highway in South Texas last night, killing one person on board. Here are accounts from eyewitnesses. And taxes are emerging as a key issue in the California governor's race. Republican candidate Steve Hilton has unveiled a proposal that would eliminate state income taxes on the first $150,000 of family income. Christina Corona reports. This is how I keep my joints happy. Omega XL is a powerful natural supplement backed by 40 years of clinical research. Take control of your pain like Cynthia Bailey. My knees in particular started giving me pain issues all the way back to my modeling days, from just running through airports, photo shoots. After taking Omega XL, I really started to notice how less stiff I was, especially my knees and my hip. Has Omega XL changed my life? Yes. I barely notice my joint pain anymore. Now I'm like literally sprinting through the airports. My secret is Omega XL. Pick up the phone and call now to get this exclusive TV offer. Buy one Omega XL and we'll send you a second bottle absolutely free. You'll also get a free bottle of Vitamin XL D3. Buy one, get two free. A total value of over $115 all for just $49.95. You save more than 55% and shipping is free. Backed by a money back guarantee and is not available in stores. Operators are standing by. So call now. Are you sitting at home living in pain? Maybe it's in your hands, maybe your back or your hips. The good news is you don't need to live in pain. Why? Because there is Omega XL. A one of a kind, natural, powerful joint relief supplement created from the green lip muscles of New Zealand. Drug free, non-habit forming. It's small, easy to swallow. And it's backed by more than 40 years of clinical research. If you're experiencing daily aches and pains due to aging and overuse, try Omega XL. Just ask anybody who uses it. The results are undeniable. I had a lot of joint pain and that slowed me down. I had considerable pain in my back. Really, really felt the pain. I mean in my ankles and in my heels. I'm telling you about something that's gonna change your life. It has revived me. This works. I'm not a prisoner anymore to my pain. As I was getting older, my joints started to feel that wear and tear. But then I tried Omega XL and it changed my life. Today I'm here at my ranch exercising some of my polo ponies. So as you get older, it gets tougher. I was starting to suffer some of that business. And then I ran into somebody who said, You should try Omega XL and look what it's done. I feel better than I felt in the last 30 years. Omega XL gave me the ability to get back in the saddle. It works great. If you're in pain, I want you to know that there is real hope out there. I'm living proof. See the difference it can make in your life just like it did in mine. Call now or order online to receive our special TV offer. Buy one bottle of Omega XL and get a second free. Plus, we'll also include a free bottle of Vitamin XL D3. Two free bottles for the price of one bottle of Omega XL. A total value of $115. You pay only $49.95 and it ships free. Plus, you get a money back guarantee. Buy one, get two free. Call or go online right now. Welcome back to NTD Evening News. I'm Cary Dunst. A fiery fatal plane crash on a Texas highway. Late this afternoon, we learned the victim was Josh Berry. Fixture in the Austin, Texas tech scene, according to a statement from the company that he founded, Capital Factory. Miraculously, most aboard the chartered jet walked away after bystanders rushed to rescue the passengers. Have a look. A traumatic, deadly scene on a Laredo, Texas highway. The fiery wreckage from a chartered flight operated by NetJets. First responders frantically trying to break the cockpit windshield. The flight originating from Mexico and heading to Austin with six people on board diverted toward Laredo after the Cessna citation reported mechanical issues. Our first responders were among the first on the scene and immediately activated established emergency response protocols in a matter of minutes. The Cessna coming down on Loop 20 Highway just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, roughly two and a half miles from the runway, according to flight data. A witness describes the disturbing scene with debris scattered across multiple lanes. We got closer, we saw there was a lot of flames and then we saw a aircraft split in half. Somehow, multiple passengers able to open the plane door with some help from bystanders and get out safely. Police say five passengers, plus five responding officers, were taken to the hospital for injuries and evaluations. The plane. You guys okay? Also hitting a vehicle when it came down. At least one person in that car was taken to the hospital. There was something that I was like, wow, it's, I can't believe people can actually survive an airplane crash. One person on board was killed in the crash. The NTSB will lead the investigation into what happened. As Californians continue to face a high cost of living, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton pitching a new tax plan that he says would provide relief for working families. This proposal would exempt the first $150,000 of family income from state taxes. And today's Christina Corona has more on that. Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton unveiled a new tax proposal Tuesday in Huntington Beach, proposing what he calls a simpler tax system for California. Hilton told Real America's Voice that California's high cost of living has left many residents struggling to get ahead. In California, a hundred grand doesn't get you very far. A lot of counties, that's officially the level for low income. So people have been saying, can we raise it? And that's what I'm announcing today. Now it's going to be 150 grand tax-free. The way we can pay for that is a slight adjustment to what I was going to do above 100 grand, which was a flat tax of 7.5%. Now that's going to be 8%. So that's how we make it work. Under Hilton's proposal, families earning up to $150,000 annually would pay no state income tax. Income above that would be taxed at a flat rate of 8%. Hilton unveiled the proposal one day after California lawmakers advanced several revenue raising measures as part of the state budget package. The corrupt system that Javier Becerra is part of and supports has just increased taxes again. They've just put up your taxes in Sacramento, even though we already have the highest cost of living in the country. The simplest and most direct way we can put more money in people's pockets is to take less money out in the first place. California currently uses a progressive income tax system with tax rates increasing as income rises. Hilton's proposal would move the state toward a flat tax model. According to the Tax Foundation, states including Arizona, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi have adopted or moved toward flat income tax systems in recent years. Hilton says the proposal would generate about $187 billion in revenue. Christina Corona, NTD News. The Federal Reserve keeps interest rates steady, but giving clues about how new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh may steer things moving forward. What it means for your household's current and future money plans. Here's more on that. New Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh breaking down the first interest rate decision of his tenure. Members of the FOMC are unambiguous and unanimous. This committee will deliver price stability. The announcement coming after inflation spiked to a three-year high last month. Inflation's about 4 percent. Almost impossible for the Fed to cut rates when the inflation is running at twice its target level. As the war in Iran pushed energy prices higher and other pressures too. But the job market is showing broader growth and energy prices are falling after an initial agreement to halt the war between the U.S. and Iran. That places less urgency on the central bank to make a move in either direction. So consumers eager for cheaper borrowing costs will have to wait everywhere from credit cards to auto loans. And even though interest rates aren't directly related to mortgage rates they do influence them. And high mortgage rates are cutting into supply keeping shelter a sticky element of overall inflation. People are just staying in their homes for longer. They're clinging to those super low mortgage rates. They're not moving at the same pace that they normally would. Inflation has been a recent driver of consumer pessimism according to consumer sentiment surveys. And joining us for analysis now is Michael Busler. He's an economist, public policy analyst, as well as a professor of finance at Stockton University. Michael, appreciate you joining this evening. Let's start with the economics of the decision to hold the interest rates steady. So I think Kevin Warsh did exactly the right thing. It was a unanimous decision by the Board of Governors. Kevin Warsh really believes interest rates are too high and it's hurting the economy and I agree with him. But you can't cut interest rates when inflation, which was down as low as 2.4% at one point, is now up over 4%. So and that inflation was driven not by excess demand in the economy, which monetary policy can handle. It was driven by high energy prices. It looks like those high energy prices are starting to come down and we should see the inflation rate, not so much this month, but going into July and August, you'll see the inflation rate start to come down. Then I believe they'll cut interest rates. And let's go into Warsh's first meeting as the Fed chair. He said that he plans to start up five task forces that will address the Fed's balance sheet, its use and reliance on data sources, productivity and employment, and inflation frameworks. Why is Warsh doing this? So all of those things impact inflation, productivity, growth in the money supply. So he says, let's take a good look at this, at each of these things individually, get a task force. Everybody on the board of governors are economists. I believe all of them have PhDs or most of them have PhDs. So they want to take a good look at what's really causing inflation and how are we measuring it correctly? And what kind of things can we look at going into the future that may bring the inflation rate down? Productivity is very important. So if somebody gets a 5% raise and doesn't produce any more, then you're going to get 5% increase in cost. But if somebody produces, gets a 5% raise and then increases productivity, so produces 5% more, that'll have no impact on prices. So he wants to look at all the key elements of inflation. Let's study them. Let's see what really has the most impact and we'll base our monetary policy decisions on that. One last point, he mentioned the balance sheet. So what does that mean? So when the federal government runs a deficit in the budget, they sell bonds to finance that. Usually the bonds are bought by the public in general. If the Federal Reserve is afraid it could cause some disruptions in capital markets, the Federal Reserve will buy some of those bonds and they do so by just electronically printing up money, which turns out to be inflationary. So Warsh wants to work that balance sheet down, how much bonds, I think it's around $8 trillion that the Federal Reserve is carrying on a balance sheet. He wants to work that down. And Michael, I want to get your observations about Warsh's difference in style than his predecessor, Jerome Powell. Yeah, so Jerome Powell, after the Fed meets so many times a year, I think eight or 10 times a year, they meet on a Tuesday and Wednesday, and then Wednesday afternoon, the chair of the Federal Reserve talks about what the Board of Governors decided to do. Powell used to give these long-winded speeches that left a lot of people scratching their heads saying, what exactly did he say? Warsh won't do that. He'll keep it very short to the point. Here's what we see happening. Here's where we are today. Here's where we think things will be in the future. And as a result, this is the action that we took. More straightforward and not a lot of this puffery that Jerome Powell was noted for. Yeah, they're saying that his delivery of his media update was about a third of what Powell would normally give, at least if you look at April's announcement. Now, some analysts are taking note that Warsh said the Fed's number one goal is getting monetary policy right. He didn't make any mention of this dual mandate that you typically hear about, also in regards to employment as well. So does this align with President Trump's statements that if growth is organic and not government-induced, that you can have stable prices while expanding the economy and the jobs market? And that's essentially what Warsh means. We need price stability in the economy. Inflation, the economy doesn't work when you have inflation. It just skews everything. So we need to get the inflation rate down to 2% or less. I believe, had it not been for this Iran conflict, we would have probably been near 2% by the end of the year. But he recognizes there is a dual mandate. Price stability is very important, but so is full employment. Now, he took a look at the employment numbers from the last two, three, four months. They're all very, very high. The economy is adding a large number of jobs. He might say, well, we don't need to stimulate the economy. So he may not be so quick to bring interest rates down, especially with the inflation rate going up. However, when the inflation does come down, Warsh will start to ease interest rates gradually, and that will get the economy moving forward. Even though the jobs numbers are good, the economy is still only growing at about a 2%, 2.5% rate. With everything Trump did, and Warsh mentioned it, business investment is going up because you can expense the whole investment in one year rather than depreciating it over years. So things are in place for the economy to grow probably up to 4% per year and maybe more. Warsh wants to bring interest rates down without causing any inflation so that the economy can grow. As soon as the inflation rate comes down, I'm not sure what the status of this Iran deal is, whether it's getting signed on Friday or not, but if it does and the straits are opened up, the supply of oil increases, oil prices come down, the inflation rate comes down, that will allow Warsh to gradually bring interest rates down and stimulate the economy so we get non-inflationary growth. That's what he's shooting for. Well, and it sounds like I'm just getting alerted that President Trump may have just signed a copy of that memorandum. So hopefully those things that you're forecasting come to pass. Michael Bussler, thanks for breaking down the new direction at the Fed. Thanks for having me, Kerry. Always my pleasure. And as I just alluded to, breaking news just now out of Washington. The White House has confirmed that President Trump signed a copy of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding earlier in France. Iranian media outlet Tasnim is reporting that the Iranian side has also signed the deal. They have countersigned. Recall that Vice President J.D. Vance previously started a digital copy of the MOU and that had already been signed. It remains unclear now how this version squares with that earlier digital copy. We'll bring you more details as soon as we have them. And turning now to primary elections, D.C. residents yesterday casting their ballots for the first time using ranked choice voting. Now, that's a system that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, which can make voting and vote counting take longer. Socialist candidate Janice Lewis-George, she is currently leading in the D.C. mayoral race. How are everyday Americans viewing these developments? NTD's Sam Wong was out on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., speaking with the people. What do you make of ranked choice voting? This is relatively new to D.C., but it's happening in multiple states like Alaska, Maine. What do you think about it? I just think they don't need to drag out voting. They need to count them and don't take months or more than a week or two. Especially the more stuff they put into it to make it more complicated, it's harder to understand. That just clouds the issues. There is some controversy. I see both sides of that, honestly. Kind of like who gets the most votes and then it's just first, second, third, fourth place, regardless of party. I guess I'm open. In Florida, they count votes within 24 hours. You need to have two or three candidates and the one who gets the most votes wins. Done. That's it. That's all. I just don't agree with it. I think the majority should rule and it should be done quickly. Legally. One of the ASEAN mayors of Canada this year happens to be a socialist. What do you think about this trend? Do you think this reflects where the Democratic Party is going? What do you think? It's gone in the toilet. These people have lost their minds. We fought wars to fight communism and socialism. It's never worked anywhere in the world. I think that's where they're headed. I really do. That's why I'm a Republican. I'm a flight attendant and I take a lot of Ubers and every Uber driver I talk to is conservative and a lot of them have come from other countries. Cuba. They say, we came here to escape that and why would we want that? And I said, yeah, well send some of these people to Cuba for a year. He goes, a year? No, how about like a month? I think people are just uninformed as to what it really means. I think it just means everyone is equally poor. I'm not necessarily a Democrat. I'm not necessarily a Republican. I'm what's best for me and my family. Socialism is not best for me or my family and surely isn't best for the country. If the Democrats go further with that, that's just going to cause them more and more problems. And a new American-made technology is promising to revolutionize school safety. Drones designed to confront active shooters within seconds are now heading to classrooms in Florida and Georgia this fall. NDD's Jack Bradley has more on this pilot program and the strong support it's been receiving. Three drones emerged from boxes mounted in a school building. Within seconds, they're racing toward an active shooter. The drones can sound sirens, spray pepper gel, and even strike a shooter at high speeds while police respond. The system is called Campus Guardian Angel and it's now expanding into schools in Florida and Georgia through state-funded programs. Our goal then is to respond in five seconds, to be on the shooter in 15 seconds, and to degrade our incapacity in 60 seconds. Justin Marston says the idea came after the Uvalde School shooting and from seeing how small drones have been used in Ukraine. If we could just use less lethal effects, the drone doesn't have to have a gun mounted on it, it's very effective. The company stores groups of drones throughout a school and operates them remotely from a command center in Austin, Texas, with elite pilots, including top drone racers and former Navy SEALs, using live feeds. We have five of the top 10 drone racing pilots in the nation and they can do unbelievable things with drones. During recent demonstrations, school staff, parents, students, and law enforcement officers watched the drones race through hallways and confront a simulated shooter. Many came away impressed by the speed of the response. As a father, it allows me to know that my kids are being taken care of when they're away from me and it gives me a sense of mind that they're going to be okay. I would say you have to see this. There's a high level of degree of confidence in watching these guys drive these drones that it's different than watching your seven-year-old drive a drone. Every second matters during an active shooter situation. Unlike officers who may be minutes away, the drones are already inside the school. Instead of you running down the corridor, not knowing what's happening, having to put your life on the line, we don't care if we get shot. We are a lump of plastic. Last week, Georgia approved five school districts to participate in the pilot program. Florida became the first state to launch the program last year. Marston compares the system to fire sprinklers, a safety measure schools hope they'll never need, but want available in an emergency. This is not a one-off. Hardly ever happens once in a blue moon. Now it's the number one most likely cause of death in kids. If we could help address that, it would be a really meaningful impact. The company says researchers from multiple universities are expected to independently study the program as the pilot projects move forward. Jack Bradley, NTD News. And coming up at the World Cup, a day after Lionel Messi's incredible hat trick, Cristiano Ronaldo was in action for Portugal. NTV's Dave Martin joins us with all the latest sports news. It's finally here, our second annual mega sale. This sale only comes around once a year, so take advantage of the best offers ever while you can. For example, save 50% on our Giza Dream bedsheets, as low as $29.98. And for the first time ever on TV, MyPillow mattresses and MyPillow mattress toppers, as low as $99.98. And you save 50% on our Luxe Pure six-piece towel sets, regular $69.98, now only $39.98. And our best-selling standard, MyPillows, regular $49.98, on sale for $17.98. Wait on it, mega sale, only $14.98. So go to MyPillow.com or call the number on your screen. Use this promo code to take advantage of our second annual mega sale. But wait, there's more. To make the mega sale even more special, when you order right now, your order's gonna ship absolutely free. This is such a gentle painting, so beautifully portrayed. A group of people reading together in this simple, everyday-looking living room. A young girl reading along with an adult, a grandparent sitting in the lotus position, a businessman in his typical suit. You see all those people, they look like they have quietly settled down there. And you as a viewer, it looks like you've just stepped in the door. You can't see what it is they're reading, so you're a little bit curious and you're kind of invited to walk in. This harmonious feeling is not by accident. It is the very subject of the work. The book they are reading is the main text of Falun Gong, which is an ancient Chinese spiritual discipline in the Buddhist tradition. At the core of Falun Gong are the values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Unfortunately, the practice is banned in China, where the artist resides. Thousands have been killed for their faith. Golden energy blooms into the room as a result of their steadfast faith. The painting on the back wall reminds us of this work's title, Plum Blossoms in a Muddy World. It's also a metaphor for the practitioners that are sitting in the room as plum blossoms. They signify perseverance and hope that all brutal winters end and life is renewed once again. The magical painting. Welcome back to Entity Evening News. I'm Cary Dunst. As fans continue celebrating the New York Knicks NBA championship, preparations are underway for what Mayor Zoran Mamdani says could be the biggest New York City parade ever. Entity's Sean Marshall has more. This will be the Knicks' first ever ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes. You will not want to miss it. New York is preparing to celebrate the NBA championship New York Knicks with a ticker tape parade this week. NYPD says they will deploy over 10,000 officers to the parade, the largest number assigned to any planned event. On Thursday at 10 a.m., we are hosting a ticker tape parade along Broadway, beginning in Battery Park and ending at City Hall. It will be free and open to the public, so plan to arrive a couple hours early to get a good spot. Heavy weapons teams, explosive detection canines, transportation, transit, highway, aviation, drones, and more will be on hand to keep things secure. Tiny Knicks fans in Brooklyn are helping New York's basketball heroes. On Monday, children decorated a parade banner with blue and orange handprints ahead of the team's parade. It's been 19,392 days since the last Knicks championship. The franchise hasn't been to the NBA finals since losing to the Spurs in 1999. Since April 23rd, the team has won 15 of 16 games, with its lone loss coming in Game 3 on June 8th. The parade will take place Thursday at 10 a.m. along Broadway, starting at Battery Park and ending at City Hall. Sean Marshall, NTD News. And for more sports news, we're now joined by NTD's Dave Martin. Dave, we've got NBA, college football, but let's start with the World Cup. Even though it's the early rounds, people are going crazy. Of course, Lionel Messi had that hat trick very, starting off with a bang for Argentina. But now other legend, Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal got a surprise draw to kick things off. What happened there? Yeah, Portugal, Ronaldo and Portugal played DR Congo to a 1-1 draw this afternoon. Quite a surprise there. I mean, Portugal is considered one of the favorites for this, to win this event. They got a draw with a team that never even had accumulated a World Cup point in their history before this match. This was their first World Cup qualifying, you know, time to qualify since 1974, in fact. So a great start for them, meanwhile. Also today, earlier in the day, Austria beat Jordan 3-1. And then this afternoon, England beat Croatia 4-2. Now tonight, Ghana plays Panama in a few minutes. There's 7 p.m. Eastern time. That's going to be up north in Canada. Then at 10 p.m. Eastern, Uzbekistan plays Colombia in Mexico City. Now, of course, these are the first games for all these teams, still. Meanwhile, as you mentioned last night, Lionel Messi, a hat trick, three goals to lead Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria. This is a historic one, too. The three goals that he got give him 16 in his World Cup career. That ties him for the most in World Cup history. This was also his 11th hat trick in international play, but his first at the World Cup. Plus, at age 38, he's the oldest ever to get a hat trick at this stage. And plus, just even playing in this game became a record-breaking sixth World Cup appearance. Now, Ronaldo tied that event today. So quite a night last night for him. Also last night, Kylian Mbappe had a pair of goals for France, plus Erling Haaland, two more goals for Norway. So some big stars on the stage here. Took me a couple of goes to get Mbappe, but I think I got it now. I'm going to have to be saying that name a lot. I think we're going to go pretty far to the tournament. I still keep saying Lionel instead of Lionel Messi. I'm just going to say Messi for now. I can't get that wrong. I think of that kid from Peanuts when I think of Lionel. Anyway, Charlie Brown's younger brother. Linus. Oh, Linus, sorry. And of course, on Friday, the U.S. plays their second match, my morning news partner, Steph from Australia. She calls the team the Socceroos. So something to look forward to there. But let's turn to the NBA. I mean, it's surprising and not surprising, but these New York Knicks Spurs final drew the highest ratings going back to 1998. Almost 30 years. These are pre-streaming numbers for television. 20 million viewers. What do you make of that? 1998, of course. That's the last year Jordan and the Bulls were in the finals. He was driving the ratings back then. Obviously, I mean, the Knicks, they've got a lot of fans. These are one of the original franchises of the NBA. There was only 11 to start off back in 1946. Plus, unlike baseball, hockey, and football franchises in New York City, they were the only one. They had a monopoly in this area until Brooklyn, until the Nets moved to Brooklyn about a dozen years ago. So they've had a monopoly on the biggest market in the country. And this fan base has been starved for quite a long time. Now, since they were last previously in the NBA Finals, which was 1999, they had not made the playoffs very often. They had that one 19-year stretch where they went into the playoff 15 times in a league where just over half the teams make the postseason. It's almost hard to do. I'll also say this, though. Nielsen ratings changed their procedures last September, just before the NFL season. Ever since then, we've definitely seen a lot higher numbers pretty much across the board. I still think the Knicks are a big draw, you know, for sure. In this area, you had all these fans. We're just dying to see them. And this is New York City, so there's a lot of them. Our own Kerry Dunst is one of them. So you were one of the 29, and so was I. You know, I'd like to keep talking about the Knicks. But the saga of Brendan Soresby, nobody probably knew his name unless you were, like, a real college football nut. Now everybody knows this guy's name. What's happening with him? It looks like this could finally be ending, because he's reportedly entering into the NFL's supplemental draft that could take place in July. Now, the NFL, the supplemental draft is not even an every-year thing. It's just for players who are newly eligible, but did not enter the amateur draft in April. For whatever reason, Soresby looks like he would fit that mold. For one thing, he's old enough. You know, you have to be three years removed from high school. Plus, the circumstances have really changed since the regular NFL draft. At the time, it was a possibility that he would be facing, you know, suspension from the NCAA for sports gambling. But he did have legal options remaining to keep him eligible. Somehow, he was able to convince a judge in Texas to grant him an injunction to play the season. I don't think he or Texas Tech realized the backlash they would be receiving when they got that. Even the Big 12 Conference, where they play him, went to court on Monday to file a federal injunction for the right to potentially discipline him under their rules. The same day, the NCAA asked an appeals court for an expedited resolution to their case instead of waiting until after the season, or, you know, Soresby's eligibility would run out anyway. It would be a moot case. Soresby, meanwhile, had a June 22 deadline to enter the supplemental draft. So that probably seemed like the best bet. But this was a big case because Soresby is a very good player. Had a great year at Cincinnati last year. Texas Tech reportedly paid him $5 million to transfer to them in the offseason. But clearly, the rest of college football did not really seem to want someone who had already admitted to gambling on his own team to be eligible without going through much of a punishment. He would have missed the first two games of the season for his punishment. But normally, it's banned from the league. Well, we wish Soresby good luck in the NFL. Thanks for joining, Dave. For sure. Thank you, Kerry. And that is all the time we have for today's evening news. But for round-the-clock coverage, visit us at ntd.com or use our NTD app. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Kerry Dunst. Good night. NTD.