Trump Pardons Democrat Henry Cuellar; Immigration Operation in New Orleans | NTD News Today Dec. 3

Welcome to NTD News Today. Here are today's top stories. More fallout following the shooting of National Guard members in Washington DC. The Trump administration pausing immigration and asylum applications from 19 countries. Federal agents launch a major immigration crackdown in New Orleans, targeting suspects once arrested for violent crimes. Republican Matt Van Apps wins Tennessee special house election. Meanwhile, Democrat Myra Marcus launches an independent campaign for a congressional seat in Chicago. No consensus after a marathon session between US negotiators and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. How things currently stand on the Russia Ukraine war. This is NTD News Today live from our global headquarters in New York City. >> Today is Wednesday, December 3rd. I'm Stephanie Aox. President Trump said he was granting a full and unconditional pardon to Democratic Texas Congressman Henry Quay and his wife Quayar and his wife Emldda were charged in 2024 with accepting $600,000 in bribes from foreign entities. The moderate Democrat still won reelection in November to represent a South Texas district. Huare has said he and his wife are innocent. The couple's trial had been set to begin next April. Trump posted on True Social this morning, calling the charges unamerican. He accused former President Biden of weaponizing the Justice Department to target political opponents. Trump said Qua bravely spoke out against open borders. Trump said Biden went after the congressman and his wife, quote, simply for speaking the truth. Where is not the only Democrat Trump has pardoned this year. In February, Trump also pardoned a former Illinois governor five years after he had commuted his sentence in a political corruption case. And the Trump administration is pausing immigration applications for individuals from 19 countries. That's according to a policy memo from US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The White House hit pause on all immigration applications for people from Somalia and 18 other non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns. The official memorandum outlining the new policy points to recent crimes suspected to be committed by immigrants, including the deadly attack on US National Guard members in Washington last week. An Afghan man was arrested as a suspect, and Afghanistan is also on the list. Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement in moves that have prompted protests across the country. Trump promised a flurry of restrictions after the National Guard attack. >> It was a crime against our entire nation. Most of the countries targeted were slapped with severe immigration restrictions in June, including Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eratraa, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. While Bundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leon, Togo, Turkmanistan, and Venezuela were subjected to partial restrictions. The new policy places a hold on pending applications including green card and US citizenship processing. It also orders all immigrants from the list of countries to be re-reed which involves quote a potential interview and if necessary a reinter to fully assess all national security and public safety threats. And the House Homeland Security Committee is holding a hearing today amid a rise in violence against law enforcement. Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino had more to say in his opening statement. >> Public trust and public safety go hand in hand, and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about how they believe agencies can strike an appropriate balance between officer safety and law enforcement accountability. Our witnesses today have seen their the consequences of this rising harassment and violence firsthand. I hope their testimony reminds my colleagues and the American people that those who wear the badge are human beings whose dedication to safeguarding our country should never make them targets. Today's hearing follows several violent incidents involving law enforcement. On July 7th, an individual armed with a rifle and tactical gear attacked a border patrol facility in Macallen, Texas. That attack injured multiple officers. In September, a shooter opened fire on an ICE facility in Dallas, killing two detainees and injuring two others. The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of targeted violence against law enforcement. In October, DHS discovered gangs in Mexico had placed bounties on ICE officers and border patrol agents. And federal authorities launched a new immigration enforcement operation today in New Orleans. Trisha McGlaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, previewed the operation during an interview with CNN this morning. >> Cataloo Crunch, which we are launching today down in New Orleans, were first and foremost really focusing on those worst of the worst criminals. Those criminals who have previously been locked up by local authorities, but then because New Orleans functions as a sanctuary city, those individuals were not released to ICE, they were instead released back onto New Orleans streets. So, we're talking about uh child pedophiles who are on our list of targets, burglars, uh gang members, rapists, those individuals we are highly targeting, and we will continue whether it be 5,000 arrests or beyond. >> DHS says the targets include illegal immigrants released after arrests. Their crimes include home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft, auto, and rape. The full scope of the operation hasn't been detailed. Officials previously expected it to run through the end of the year with a brief slowdown around Christmas. President Trump said yesterday the National Guard will be deployed to the city in the coming weeks. The Democratic Run City is the latest location added to the administration's stepped up enforcement efforts. It follows recent actions in Charlotte, North Carolina. And a federal judge in Washington DC has ruled that federal agents should stop arresting illegal immigrants without a warrant unless they can show that a suspect was at risk of fleeing. Under federal law, immigration officers can only make a warrantless arrest if they have probable cause to believe that someone is in the country illegally and that they're likely to flee before an arrest warrant can be obtained. Last week, a federal judge in Denver issued a similar ruling that determined immigration agents had acted unlawfully by arresting immigrants without showing proof they posed a flight risk. And President Trump says he's nullifying every document former President Trump, excuse me, that former President Biden approved using what he calls an autopen. He announced yesterday all autopens signed executive actions under Biden are now void and without legal effect. Trump also said pardons, commutations, or any legal papers signed in that way are terminated. He said the move follows his earlier decision to revoke all autopensed executive orders from the Biden years. Trump says that Biden wasn't personally involved in approving these signatures and aids misused the process. The congressional investigation concluded senior officials abused autopen authority and couldn't prove Biden authorized key actions. And Republican Matt Van Apps has won Tennessee's special election in the seventh congressional district. The former state commissioner and army helicopter pilot defeated Democrat Afton Ben with just over 53% of the vote according to the Associated Press. Ben finished with roughly 46%. Baneps said his victory sent a loud and clear message that the people of Middle Tennessee stand with President Trump. >> Our victory was powered by supporters of President Trump turning out to vote. The president built the largest, most diverse coalition to ever elect a Republican and we leaned in on that. President Trump was allin with us and it made the difference. In Congress, I'll be allin with him. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> President Trump reacted on Truth Social, congratulating ABS, saying, quote, "The radical left Democrats threw everything at him, including millions of dollars." On Monday, Vaneps headlined a rally, which featured House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Marcia Blackburn. Trump also called into a Monday rally. On the Democrat side, former Vice President Al Gore and Congresswoman Alexandria Accaziocortez stumped for Ben. Millions of dollars were poured into both campaigns. Ben Apps will represent 14 counties in middle Tennessee, filling the seat vacated by Congressman Mark Green. The win helps Republicans maintain their narrow House majority heading into 2026. Ben conceded last night, crediting volunteers for keeping the race close. And Democratic activist Myra Ma Masias launched an independent campaign for the US House today. She's vying for the Chicago area seat of retiring Congressman Chewy Garcia. Mas worked as a field organizer for former President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. She also led a nonprofit that backed former President Biden's policy agenda. Chewy Garcia faced criticism from some in his party last month for announcing his retirement after the state's candidate filing deadline that ensured his handpicked successor. His chief of staff, Patty Garcia, would run unopposed for the party's nomination. Patty Garcia will be the Democratic Party's nominee and is not related to him. Chewy Garcia has said concerns about his and his wife's health and the adoption of their grandson prompted the last minute reversal. And in more political news, James Solomon has been elected mayor of New of Jersey City, defeating former New Jersey Governor Jim McGrevy in a runoff. Solomon, a city council member since 2017, ran on a platform to make the city more affordable. He promised to tackle rising housing costs, invest in public safety, and improve schools. Solomon emphasized standing up to developers, special interests, and even President Trump. The Trump administration is suing to end Jersey City's sanctuary city protections. Solomon plans to hire 100 new police officers and create a civil civilian complaint review board for oversight. McGrevy was running for office for the first time since resigning as governor in 2004. And the Justice Department sued six more states yesterday for refusing to respond to a request for statewide voter registration roles. In the lawsuit, the department accuses the state of defying federal civil rights laws. It argues the law requires states to maintain accurate voter roles and make those records available for inspection. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the states had fallen into a pattern of non-compliance and that the law requires them to comply with basic voter role maintenance. The states involved include Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. This latest action brings the total to at least 14 states the department has sued in an effort to obtain voter information. Representatives from the six states have not officially commented on the lawsuit. And President Trump talking tariffs and taxes in a message on affordability. We speak with a federal budget specialist. And a doctor who told ketamine who sold ketamine to do to actor Matthew Perry in the weeks before his overdose death will be sentenced today. Perry's family will have a chance to make a statement in a Los Angeles federal court. That more after this. Welcome back. President Trump on Tuesday leaning into his proposal to send Americans some of the income the country's earning from his new tariffs. He also forecasts that Americans would likely see bigger refunds on their income taxes next year. Joining us for insight is Richard Stern, director of budget policy at the Heritage Foundation and formerly the budget adviser to House Speaker Mike Johnson. Good to have you with us today, Richard. >> Thank you so much for having me on. >> Yeah, I'm really looking forward to this discussion. What what's your initial response to those two U proposals that Trump has put forward? He's he's been saying it for some time, but came out again yesterday with >> No, no, of course. So, look, I'm for anything that cuts taxes. You know, Americans have one of the highest income tax systems on the planet. It's one of the most complicated tax systems, one of the most punitive on hard work. So, look, if we can do things to cut income taxes, give families relief, that's a good thing at the end of the day. And on that track, President Trump has also been speaking about the possibility that Americans may not need to pay any income tax in the future if things go well in large part for his his own tariffs that he's introduced. >> Absolutely. So, you know, one of the things a lot of people don't realize in the United States is that most countries, most of the countries we trade with actually have very few income taxes whatsoever. These are countries that regulate their private sectors into the ground that have higher overall tax rates in the US. But even they know that an income tax is one of the most destructive tax systems you can have. So if we can move towards getting rid of an income tax, having broad flat taxes instead be much better for our economy. Now, all of this um President Trump is trying to kind of reorient all of the economic dynamics within within the international order, but it's also in large part trying to deal with America's huge budget deficit. Um you've called the national debt America's second mortgage. I'd just like love for you to speak for a moment about about the impact on Americans that this deficit's having. >> Absolutely. Well, thank you for saying that. I I I like saying that line because it really speaks to the burden of the debt. So it's $38 trillion. We know that. But what is that per household? It's $270,000 per American household. We spend more as a country on interest on the debt than we spend our own military. Something like $8,000 per family per year just on interest. Really what that is is $ 38 trillion of real resources that could have gone to build more homes, more factories, more offices that instead was wasted by the federal bureaucracy. >> And critics are some critics are concerned that um the tariffs may increase inflation and pressure on Americans who are already dealing with a lot of this um and currently according to polls very concerned about affordability. Um, how do you see this need to balance the budget and uh keep inflation low? Uh, >> absolutely. So, if you implement tariffs and you don't cut income taxes, then it will be an extra burden on Americans and American businesses. But if every dollar of tariff revenue is matched by a cut to income taxes, taxes on businesses, especially small businesses, that will be beneficial overall. And, you know, at the end of the day, it's it's useful. You can use tariffs to negotiate to get all kinds of wins globally, but the goal would be to either get rid of them in the long run or cut the other taxes by an equivalent amount, but you don't want to keep both in place. >> So, how likely do you think it is that the tariffs could replace the income tax one for one as you're suggesting? >> Well, I will say unfortunately we we wouldn't be able to actually collect enough tariff revenue to get rid of the entirety of the income tax system. That being said, I'm all in favor of pushing the messaging on it and talking to the American public, frankly, about just how destructive the income tax has been and every bit we can chip away at the income tax will pay dividends, not just now, but for many generations to come. >> So, what other major policy recommendations would you have to cut down on income tax? >> Oh, scores and scores of them. So, you know, one of the things that a lot of people don't realize is the tax code itself moves trillions of dollars of subsidies to particular industries and particular people, all of which are subsidized by raising taxes on everybody else. We have a an income tax system that is tremendously punitive on businesses, especially small businesses, on young workers trying to start a family, trying to buy a home to redistribute their wealth, their money to favored groups, favored industries, and people that don't work at all. And so pairing down all those exemptions would really help the American economy. It would help families, young workers. It would allow us to have lower overall tax rates. And I know you've also said just not spending as much for the government um is is a fast track there as well. What kinds of recommendations would you have looking at what the Trump administration is currently doing on that front already to further that? >> Absolutely. So you know Doge painted a lot of targets. They were the first entity to go through the government really identify where all the waste fraud and abuse is. So, we haven't cut too much money, but you know, the tax bill that just got done, cut more than a trillion dollars of planned spending over the next decade. It's a good down payment, but we need to really root out all the waste, fraud, and abuse. Really make sure that we're not giving welfare to illegal aliens and the people who don't even follow basic work requirements. And then you know there's the major entitlement programs and other large spending programs which we can reform with decadesl long changes that won't harm people but will allow us to get to a sustainable budget but we need to make those reforms make them soon >> and hopefully all in coordination with states not uh you know working together towards a common cause. Um, I want to pivot now and just look a little at recent announcements around President Trump's um, accounts for children that he's announced. We did hear yesterday, Michael and Susan Dell announcing that they were contributing more than six billion dollars to those uh, accounts and of course that will go directly to these children who who will benefit directly from it in the long run. But um stepping back, it does provide an example of kind of a new way of running government in a in a way where you see President Trump gaining private support um on a lot of his policies and that means Americans are directly benefiting but without it going via taxes. >> If you could comment on that. >> Absolutely. I think it's a beautiful breathtaking thing, right? We're seeing an enormous act of charity of the free market working. You know, we're used to a government that just expands and expands and with it they steal freedom. They steal money. You know, nearly 40% of Americans earnings get funneled through a state, local, or the federal government right now. So, what you're seeing here under Trump is deregulation, tax cuts, freeing the economy, freeing innovators and entrepreneurs. And now we've got this making every American born in, you know, everyone born here as an American citizen a capital holder. making sure that everybody starts off life, every American starts off life owning some piece of the stock market, owning some piece of the engines of our prosperity. And of course, the the charitable contribution you're talking about is billionaires wanting to be part of that, wanting to give back to the community who they've built businesses in and making sure that everybody has that kind of opportunity. The government steals wages, has done that for decades, and suppressed people's savings, their retirement investments. Now, for the first time, you're right, we have a president who's working with the private sector to make sure that everybody has that opportunity, that everybody can control their own money. >> Yeah, it's an it's kind of an a broad view here and it kind of yeah, quite a positive view. If you could dig into this idea of um so stealing wages being just garnering the taxes from from the people and suppressing wages, what what are you speaking about there? >> Yeah. So, so you know, we think of the payroll taxes we pay right now, trillions of dollars that Americans pay, and it goes to Social Security, it goes to Medicare, but that's a promise the government makes to you decades from now. That money right now is money you could invest in the stock market, which is really to say it's money that you that everybody could make available to build more factories, to build offices, to expand job opportunities, build housing. Now, that instead is invested in the federal government. And so that's where that money is stolen from. Going to these Trump accounts, going to personalized accounts where people have control over them, where they can invest in the economy, not the government, is the way forward for prosperity and real long-term retirement security. >> This is what I wanted to speak about next because of course on both sides of the aisle and for many many years there's been concern about social security and the long-term um viability of it and and there's a lot of warnings there. So, how do you see this new program um either replacing or um otherwise supporting Americans futures? >> So, I it's not going to replace social security, but what I would say though is it's going to provide real robust financial security. So, you know, one of the things we don't talk about a lot is that social security throws most of its money to seniors who are already wealthy, who are well off, who actually have real retirement savings. But social security doesn't provide a lot of benefits to people who weren't able to save while they were working largely because the government stole the wages they would have invested. So these accounts charity like this is going to allow that group of Americans, most Americans to really build up real investments to have real equity going into retirement. What it does is give people real financial freedom and independence where they don't have to worry frankly about what happens with social security and generations from now that will lead to a much more prosperous much more financially secure America for everybody. >> And what kind of role do you think financial education will play in how successful this is and and what recommendations would you have for folks who maybe uh have has a child in their family that might be uh receiving some of these funds? I I think it's a great question. So, I would encourage everybody go try to be financially literate. You don't have to know a lot about it. You know, economists always talk about dry numbers and charts, but you know, there's a lot of material online. And, you know, I think a lot of people think that they'll never own stock, that they'll never have investments, and so they don't see it as something they should know. But, this will mean that everyone is born with retirement savings already in hand with capital holdings. It means that every American growing up will know that they're already part of the broader market, that they have real assets. And I think that cultural change will change a lot of things for the positive about the country and give everyone an incentive to become financially literate instead of having a whole chunk of Americans who feel like they never need to know that or they'll never be part of the capital holding class, >> right? It gives that incentive and that's what you really need for the long term to invest in your own education on this and it's an ongoing process. Thank you so much for your insights today, Richard Stern. Good to speak with you. >> Always a pleasure. Thank you so much. >> The Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA is stepping up its fight against drugs with the Fentinel Free America Initiative. This comes as DEA administrator Terry Cole is touting the success of strikes on suspected drug boats. Cole told Fox News the strikes in the Caribbean are helping cut off the supply of illegal drugs into the US. He said they have seen changes to first stop loads, meaning cocaine is more expensive now when it arrives in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. The DEA has also launched its fentinel-free America plan. The department described this as a comprehensive enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign. It's aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentinel. and the Supreme Court will weigh whether a Mississippi street preacher should be protected by the First Amendment. The justices are being asked to sort out whether Gabriel Oliver can challenge the city of Brandon's ordinance regulating protests. Olivier was convicted of violating that ordinance in 2021. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a fine and a year's unsupervised probation. Under a 1994 Supreme Court precedent, convicted criminals generally cannot file civil lawsuits that would undermine their convictions. Though the case is technical, the court's decision could have broad implications for similar ordinances across the country. The decision is expected next year. And a doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before his overdose death will be sentenced today. Perry's family and others will have a chance to make a statement in Los Angeles federal court. Prosecutors are asking the judge to sentence Dr. Salvador at Placencia to three years in prison. Placencia has entered a plea agreement where he has admitted to illegally selling the Friends star large amounts of ketamine. He was not accused of selling the actor the dose that investigators say killed him on October 28th, 2023. Perry had been taking the surgical anesthetic legally as a treatment for depression. When his regular doctor wouldn't provide it in the amounts he wanted, Perry turned to Placentia. Placencia. Placencia admitted to illegally selling the drug to Perry despite knowing he was a recovering addict. Vaccine advisers to the CDC are considering a major change to the childhood vaccine schedule. The change would potentially delay a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine that newborns receive by weeks or even years. The vaccine advisers are a group that was handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this year. Kennedy said that giving the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns is motivated by money, not health concerns. Infectious disease experts say it's key to preventing an illness that's easy to catch and impossible to cure. They say that delaying the vaccine for even a few months will drive up infections and deaths from the disease. We'll keep you posted on developments there. NATO foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels today for a one-day meeting. What the head of NATO says about increasing the pressure on Russia a day after a meeting in Moscow. And residents in Hong Kong returned to salvage belongings from the only block left standing after last week's devastating fire. Officials say the death toll now rises to 159, including an infant and a 97 year old. Those stories after this. Welcome back. Europe has decided to phase out Russian gas imports by 2027. The European Council today announced the agreement with the European Parliament, calling it a new era. Today is indeed a historic day for our union. Last night, we reached a provisional agreement on the commission's proposal to fully phase out Russian fossil fuels. We're turning that page, and we're turning it for good. This is the dawn of a new era, the era of Europe's full energy independence from Russia. The agreement will include a legally binding stepwise prohibition on liqufied natural gas and pipeline gas imports from Russia. A full ban will take effect by the end of 2026 in autumn 2027, respectively. As of October, Russia accounted for 12% of EU gas imports, down from 45% before its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Hungary, France, and Belgium are among the countries still receiving Russian gas. NATO foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels today for a one-day meeting. They're discussing the US peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine and the alliance's support for the country. NATO chief Mark Ruda criticizes Russia for continuing the fighting while also provoking NATO. Russia is also demonstrating increasingly reckless behavior when it comes to NATO, such as violating our airspace, conducting cyber attacks, and deploying spy ships to map allies undersea infrastructure. These incidents underscore the need for unwavering vigilance. Route says it's crucial that Western allies and partners increase the pressure on Russia amid the ongoing fighting. He adds that twothirds of NATO member states have committed to support Ukraine with weapons through the so-called prioritized Ukraine requirements list or Pearl. In total, the program received commitments worth $4 billion. This includes contributions from Australia and New Zealand which aren't members of NATO. And for more on the Ukraine peace talks, here's an update on a marathon 5-hour meeting in Moscow yesterday between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A long meeting yesterday between US special envoy Steve Witkov, President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, ultimately producing no results. The Kremlin described the talks as constructive, but said compromises had not yet been found. >> The conversation was very useful, constructive, and very meaningful. It lasted not for 5 minutes, but for 5 hours. Putin Yuri Yushikov said both sides reviewed American draft proposals, some of which Moscow sees as workable and others as unacceptable. We criticized some things and the president did not hide our critical, even negative attitude to a number of proposals. >> The meeting began with exchanges of greetings between Trump and Putin, though both sides say the details of the negotiations remain confidential. Still, the Kremlin says the meeting did not push the sides further from peace, but made clear that the road ahead is long. >> Not further. Not further, that's for sure. But there's still a lot of work to be done >> on the Ukrainian side. President Vadimir Zalinski said yesterday in Ireland he expects a full briefing from US negotiators once they return from Moscow. >> We are waiting for the results in uh uh America Russia negotiations today's results and I will react according to the results. At a cabinet meeting in Washington yesterday, Trump blamed the Biden administration for allowing the war to begin in the first place. >> Not an easy situation, let me tell you what a mess. It's a war that ne never would have happened if I were president. Not even a chance. And it didn't happen for four years. >> Trump said the US was no longer monetarily involved, only selling weapons to NATO and not directly to Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump's message saying Trump is the only leader in the world positioned to end it. >> It's the reason why we're involved in this whole Ukraine Russia conflict. That's not our war. It's not the president's war. This war started. It never would have happened if you'd been president. But this war is going on and the president is trying to end it. Not because listen, we got a million things to focus on in the world as a country. But he's the only leader in the world that can help end it. Rubio says the enormous casualty suffered by Russian forces is evidence of the conflict's increasing futility. In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said the administration's aim is a deal Ukraine can live with, ensuring its sovereignty and long-term security while laying the groundwork for future prosperity. These are the kinds of things stop the war, you know, make sure they never get invaded or attacked again. Protect Ukraine's long-standing and long-term sovereignty and independence so that they don't become a puppet state. are actually independent and sovereign and allow their economy not just to recover but to prosper. >> The war's front lines remain fluid. Russia has published new drone footage from Vchansk and Putin continues to claim full control of Picrosk assertions Ukraine disputes. Tensions at sea have also escalated after a drone strike on a Russian tanker near Turkey, prompting Putin to threaten steps as extreme as cutting Ukraine off from the sea. >> The most radical solution is to cut Ukraine off from the sea. then piracy will be impossible for Ukraine in principle. >> For now, peace is still a long way off. And with more meetings expected, negotiators could be in for the long haul. I'm Stephania Cox and this is World Watch. The European Union's former foreign policy chief is facing corruption charges. Frederica Mogarini was arrested this week with two others as part of a fraud investigation. Authorities in Belgium made the arrest after raiding the offices of the EU diplomatic service in Brussels and a college in Bugus. Mo Mogarini led the EU foreign service from 2014 to 2019. She now serves as the director of the College of Europe. As the EU's top diplomat, Mogarini was responsible for supervising the Iran nuclear talks, among other foreign policy and security issues. And Ukraine security service has arrested a former British soldier. Ukrainian prosecutors accuse Ross David Cutmore of espionage. Authorities say the 40-year-old was spying for Russia. Cut arrived in Ukraine sometime last year to train Ukrainian soldiers. The British instructor is accused of sharing the locations of the Ukrainian military, images of sensitive military sites, and identifying information about Ukrainian service members. Prosecutors alleged that he also assisted in the successful assassinations of a Ukrainian member of parliament as well as two activists. And Taiwan is thankful and China upset today after a move by President Trump. Trump signed into law new rules requiring the State Department to regularly review and update guidelines on interacting with Taipei. It means the State Department should carry out reviews of contacts with Taiwan at least once every 5 years. Taiwan says the law stands as a firm symbol of the two countries shared values of democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights. China says it opposes any form of official contact between the US and quote the Taiwan region of China, which is what it calls Taiwan. The death toll in Hong Kong's deadliest fire is in decades hit 159 today. Police say victims included an infant and an 97year-old as they continued their search for remains in the burned out apartment complex. Residents returned briefly to their homes to retrieve belongings as hundreds of others housed in temporary accommodation struggled to rebuild their lives. Here's more. Some residents of Wangfoot Court who fled last week's deadly fire returned on Wednesday to retrieve belongings. Carrying suitcases and empty bags, those from the only block not destroyed in the inferno were escorted by government staff and given 90 minutes to pack. Seven other blocks were engulfed by the 40hour fire and authorities have not said when residents can return as evidence is collected for a criminal probe. The government said more than 2600 residents have been put in temporary accommodation with over a thousand staying in host camps or hotel rooms. Over 1,600 more have moved into transitional housing units. Meanwhile, mourners gathered near the Chard complex, laying flowers and offerings as police victim identification teams continued their work along with scores dead. Many people remain missing and recovery in the worst hit areas could take weeks. Uh it's a catastrophe that nobody wanted to happen and it could have been avoided if the rules and regulations are really strictly executed and um regulated. Basically, I think justice is number one. I think there's no negotiation justice and really really justice for the victims. And I think the entire population in Hong Kong would love to have the truth and the justice to be told. Police have arrested more than 20 people for suspected manslaughter while an anti-corruption body is also investigating. Residents who escaped the blaze must now try to get their lives back on track. Yet the overwhelming sense of loss has given way to helplessness. I hope those who have passed away may rest in peace. >> For those who are still alive, I hope they can be a bit braver in facing everything. I want to send my blessings to the living. And to those who have died, I wish them a smooth journey. In the end, everything could be summed up in four words, a tragedy beyond words. And up ahead, researchers in Europe discover more than 60,000 miles of roads built by the Romans. A new interactive map allows users to see how the ancient network connected the empire. And a masked burglar breaks into a closed Virginia liquor store and hits the bottom shelf. The suspect acts like an animal. Well, because in fact he is. We'll have more on that after this. Welcome back. The trash panda is apparently living up to its name. Just listen to the story out of Virginia. Officers were called to a liquor store in Hanover County after the place was found ransacked, liquor bottles strewn about and the masked suspect passed out on the bathroom floor. That suspect, a very drunk raccoon. An officer was able to get him to an animal shelter where he was checked out for injuries and given a chance to sleep off his libations. He was then released back into the wild. and animals at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago played in what looked like a winter wonderland. Let's take a look there. Oh, footage showing Tim the brown bear rolling in the fresh snowfall. Well, while some of them couldn't get enough of the fresh snow, others seemed less impressed. Bison blanketed in snow woolly coats protecting them from freezing temperatures. What's the taste of snow of a snowflake? Amanda Gray and Hudson the polar bear seems conducting a full experience review. Meanwhile, Amur leopard cub and Mexican wolf apparently enjoying the wintry conditions as well. Forecasters say Chicago received about 10 ines of snow over the weekend, but it's expected to be spared for more until later in the week. Now over to France. The Lou Museum has open reopened its newly renovated painting and sculpture galleries. The refurbished rooms feature Italian and Spanish works from the 17th and 18th centuries. The museum also opened its new gallery of the five continents. The Louv says the gall is designed to foster dialogue between cultures. It brings together more than 200 sculptures from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceanania. The pieces are displayed in a vast space that has been under renovation for several years. Renovation means removing all the paintings, sending them to a stock room, inspecting them, dusting them, making small restorations, making more fundamental, more important restoration decisions that we have launched or that we have had time to do. >> The Lou is the world's largest museum in terms of exhibition space. The museum has faced criticism for lack scrutiny after that jewelry heist where burglars stole precious precious pieces from the na napalonic era. It has closed some rooms recently. Researchers in Europe have discovered more than 60,000 miles of roads built by the Romans. Today, a new interactive map allows users to see how the ancient network connected the empire. NTD's Andrew Thomas has the details. >> Satellite surveys, topographical maps, and software have revealed more of the Roman Empire. A new study published in journal scientific data shows the extent of Rome's roads and where they led. Lead author Tom Bugman says the traffic helped shape modern Europe. >> We have longd distanceance trade, you know, grain being produced in Egypt and being consumed in Rome, traded and transported over vast distances. We also have phenomena like uh Germanic tribes and their mass migration of Germanic peoples into the western Roman Empire and contributing to its fall in the fifth century. >> Bugman's explains how the Romans were able to take control of and improve the roots. >> It conquered areas that were already densely urbanized with a vast net of existing roads. The Romans continued to use them. They upgraded them. An important contribution by the Romans is that they connected up all of those local road systems. The Roman Empire covered more than 1.5 million square miles. Its road network would connect its far-flung corners. >> So for the very first time, it was possible to move over land from Syria to Spain, for example, these vast distances. It was truly the first continental scale terrestrial transport infrastructure. >> A new highresolution digital data set and map covers roads throughout the Roman Empire. Bugman's hopes people are interested to learn more about their connections to the ancient civilization. It's kind of like a GPS, like a Google maps of the ancient world. What I want people to do is explore it. See where their houses, see where the nearest Roman road is. >> Andrew Thomas, NTD News. >> And that's all we have time for this hour, but if you have any feedback on the show or have something you'd like to see us cover, send us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you. We'll cover more news right after this break.