230 Million Under Severe Weather Alert; 10,000 Flights Canceled - NTD News Today

Welcome to NTD News Today. I'm Don Ma. Here are today's top stories. A federal investigation is underway into yesterday's shooting in Minnesota involving federal agents. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch says immigration officers are tasked with the difficult job of removing criminal illegal aliens from American communities. He called for cooperation from state and local politicians. Over 10,000 flights are canceled nationwide as the U.S. braces for a winter storm, putting 60 percent of the population under weather alerts. The AFC and NFC Championship Games happening today. Which teams have an edge? We discuss with the former sports producer. Britain pauses its Chagos Islands bill and political pushback and U.S. concerns. Why this tiny island chain is at the center of U.S.-UK security dispute. Good gut health is increasingly seen as core part of overall health and to preventing a spread of diseases ranging from eczema all the way to Alzheimer's disease. Vital Signs Bretton Falun shares insights from leading doctors on what's impacting America's gut health and what can be done about it. This is NTD News Today, live from our global headquarters in New York City. Good afternoon and thank you for joining us today. Hope everyone's staying safe in this winter storm. The Minnesota National Guard is activating Saturday as prosecutors took to the streets, or protesters actually, after a deadly shooting that day. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem said the man killed was holding a handgun as he approached federal immigration officers carrying out their duties. Noem describes the illegal alien the federal agents were pursuing. Whose criminal history included domestic assault with intentionally inflicting bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license. These people by and large, you know, have for the last couple of weeks, they've been impeding us. They've been blocking them in. They've been doing all these things to prevent them from doing their job. So it's really, you know, the fact that he's saying that he's just he's just playing wrong and he knows it. But the worst part about it is talking about our democracy. Well, part of our democracy is we have elections and we pass laws and the executive branch enforces the laws. And he's using his authority to prevent the law from being enforced. It's a complete subversion effort by him and Governor Walz, the likes of which we have not seen probably since the Civil War, where the state is just basically saying, hey, this is a no-go zone for immigration enforcement. And both Walz and Fry have said that. And that's remarkable. And the president not only has a responsibility just for the immigration law, but for all laws in general to not let that stand. You can't have a state, you can't have a politician and you can't have some activists decide what federal laws get enforced, where they get enforced. It's really outrageous conduct. And one point that Paul Morrow made during the last hour as well, which I think is great, is during the riots of 2020, remember the probably the worst handled riots were Minneapolis and the two common denominators, Walz and Fry. Walz was trying to ingratiate himself with the rioters while Walz was figuratively hiding under a desk. And we saw what happened in Minneapolis and they seem to be intent on having it happen again. The incident comes just a few weeks after another fatal shooting in Minnesota involving federal immigration agents. Violence against ICE officers has been on the rise for months. Democratic lawmakers are calling for ICE agents to leave Minnesota. Our message is really clear and straightforward. We need ICE out of Minnesota. Todd Blanch, deputy attorney general, said, quote, a federal investigation is ongoing, but make no mistake, this avoidable strategy is the result of the total failure of Minnesota city and state officials who have resisted federal law enforcement and created this situation. Federal officers are tasked with the difficult jobs of removing criminal illegal aliens from American communities. State and local politicians and police should be helping, not hindering this effort. Now, the suspect who allegedly bit the finger off an HSI agent in Minnesota has been arrested. The Trump administration is rolling out policy shifts internationally and at home. From the newly created Board of Peace to canceling billions in Biden-era climate funding. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has more. The Trump administration's canceling 30 billion dollars in green energy loans and revising another 53 billion dollars worth. Now, the changes and eliminations come after its review of loan obligations issued by the Biden administration. Details weren't provided on which programs are impacted, but the administration's already canceled several solar and wind projects, replacing them with natural gas and nuclear power plants. Now, those domestic moves comes as the president's also reshaping U.S. policy on the world stage, launching a new Board of Peace. It's going to be a great board. That'll be a board, I think, like no other. President Trump rolling out of Davos, Switzerland, after forming a new international body, the Board of Peace, one that could reshape global diplomacy and defense. Trump says it might eventually replace the United Nations, pitching the board as a force to enforce ceasefires, starting with Gaza. People that are living so poorly are going to be living so well. And many countries already committing to fund the alliance. Some of the countries have already put up a billion. Some of the countries have already put up much more than that. I mean, that's a lot of money, but it's nothing compared to the value of peace. But Trump uninvited Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney from serving on the Board of Peace after he said this. Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs is leverage. Financial infrastructure is coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday, Canada is against the Golden Dome being built over Greenland, even though the Golden Dome would protect Canada. Instead, they voted in favor of doing business with China, who will eat them up within the first year. It comes after Carney's recent trip to China, where he met with top Chinese Communist Party officials establishing a trade framework. Canada and China now have the opportunity to work more closely together to strengthen the world's multilateral institutions. Carney said at Davos that the world order is going to change. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. With regard to Greenland, Trump says that he's working out a plan with NATO allies for the U.S. to acquire 100% of it forever. The time limit is infinity, meaning there is no time limit. It's forever. There's no price. There's no purchase price. He says Greenland is key to his proposal for the Golden Dome missile defense system designed to intercept long range missiles that would travel over the Arctic from Russia or China. We're building a Golden Dome. You see the way it works. That is so much better for us and for Europe to have that piece of ice covered by the Golden. NATO Secretary General saying it's about security. He's the leader of the free world. If he is worried about something, hey, we'd better listen. We have China, which is not an Arctic country, but which is more and more active there in that region. While the leaders of some European nations are still on the fence about this, Ukrainian President Zelensky says. Europe looks lost trying to convince the U.S. president to change, but he will not change. President Trump loves who he is and he says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe. Greenland's prime minister says he's ready to negotiate. We are ready to discuss a lot of things and we are ready to to negotiate a better partnership and so on. Back on the board of peace, its charter has not yet been released, but it's definitely a bold initiative that's raising questions about how successful of a diplomatic breakthrough it can become and whether it can eventually replace the United Nations, like Trump had suggested. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Jack Bradley, NTD News. And joining us now to give us her analysis of the events at Davos, Switzerland, is Dr. Rebecca Grant, Vice President, Lexington Institute and National Security Analyst. So, Dr. Grant, so good to have you here. To start off, could you give us your overall thoughts? As you saw, a lot has happened over the past week at the World Economic Forum. What stood out to you in Davos? Well, first of all, Trump was there in person and that's where he's the most effective, dealing with other leaders one-on-one. And I'm also really struck that Trump can take an issue like Greenland, a highly technical issue of Golden Dome and missile defense, and in his own style, suddenly make it the number one issue for world leaders and get a tremendous amount of progress. If they'd gone through channels, this could have taken years. But instead, they are working directly on an agreement that's going to address all of the concerns. But I think President Trump is really at the top of his game and he was showing the leaders in Davos that he wants things done quickly, that he doesn't need to work through formal channels, and that it's time to get our house in order to oppose the continued and spreading threat of China, whether they like it or not. So can you give us your assessment of the perception here? You mentioned Greenland. Some people, world leaders, reacting not so positively to Trump's actions. Some were due to his tariffs in relation to what he wanted for Greenland. So what do you think, how the world perceives the U.S. in response to what happened? Well, President Trump is so unique and you're absolutely right that a lot of the leaders in Europe and particularly the leaders of the EU, the European Union, are sort of horrified at this style of diplomacy. I think, of course, the standout to me probably is the message from Canada's prime minister talking about not a transition but a rupture. But you've got to understand the basis here is really different. We are the biggest trading partner with Canada. They do 80% of their trade with the United States. There's not going to be a rupture between the U.S. and Canada. In many cases, there are really legitimate, long, varied issues that have needed a lot of attention. President Trump is just doing it all at once and it's a lot for the world diplomats to take on board. Okay, Dr. Grant, on Canada, what do you make of the statement by the Canadian prime minister who said the rules-based order is fading? And this is in reference to the U.S. What do you make of that statement? That was interesting because he's saying, oh, I wish we could go back to the good old days where we had a lot of meetings and everybody got to invest in China and we talked about the rules-based order. But I thought he went a little too far because as Prime Minister Carney perfectly well knows, this is about upholding the western rules-based order and those values in the face of China and their attachment to Xi Jinping thought. The world really is dividing in a way and leaders, Canada and many others, would love to not have to really pick sides. Trump is kind of saying, hey, I'm sorry, we've got to pick sides. We've got to do things correctly. We've got to get the U.S. back in a fair position. And then Trump's been very critical of Canada's deal with China. Now, Canada needed to make that deal to sell some of their agriculture products. They're going to let in Chinese EVs. It's a limited number. I think they're going to regret it. But on the other hand, Trump had said to them, all right, go ahead, make your deal with China. Let's see what you've got. So I think that Prime Minister Carney was just overstepping a little bit there. Don't forget, he comes from banking, so he's really well acquainted with that rule set that he's talking about. OK, how do you feel about the Canadian-U.S. relationship then? Why do you think China or Canada is moving closer to China? President Trump says China is going to eat Canada's lunch. What do you think are the consequences of this? Well, that's a fair warning. But, you know, with the U.S.-Canada relationship, I really do go back to two things. One is that tremendous long border. Look, we Americans love Canadians. And the 80 percent of Canada's trade is with the U.S. They're also a very key trading partner for the United States. We have a lot of companies that do business across the border there. The other big thing, of course, is defense. And Canada is our partner in NORAD, the Defense of North America. And those defense bonds remain really strong. Of course, also Canada being a NATO partner and really working hard on that high north and the Arctic. So despite Prime Minister Carney's words, I think the U.S.-Canada relationship, the fundamentals are still strong, although there is a lot of words flying across that border. OK, I want to jump back to Greenland for a moment here, because President Trump said he's working on a deal where the U.S. would have total access to Greenland and with no time limit. He didn't say whether that would entail ownership. But can the U.S. achieve all of its security goals in regards to China, Russia, without actually owning Greenland? They can because the national security goal here is base access. But it is also making sure that China does not get in there and get the mineral rights. Greenland is kind of a geologist's treasure house, whether it's oil reserves under the ice or the critical minerals and rare earths that they have. What we don't want to see in the really long term picture is Greenland slowly, slipping into the Chinese realm. Now, then back to Trump's number one priority, which of course is Golden Dome and air and missile defense. I mean, Greenland is the front door to the U.S., to Canada. That polar route is the attack route for Russian or Chinese bombers and missiles. And it is essential that the U.S. can put whatever surveillance and other forces it needs up in Greenland to make sure that we can protect North America. OK, Dr. Grant, just real quick, one last thing. Where do you stand on the position of the Trump administration that if the U.S. does not take Greenland, that China or Russia will? Oh, we've seen the fact that China has tried to get in there with investment and that Russia has its forces near there. China has a submarine going under the Arctic. So that is a genuine threat. And look, Trump is negotiating. He's going to get what he wants. And his number one priority is an arrangement with Greenland that keeps the United States and Canada secure. All right, Dr. Grant, it's such a pleasure to speak with you, as always. Thank you so much. Thank you. Over 10,000 flights have been canceled nationwide as a massive winter storm is sweeping the nation. This storm is expected to bring crippling snow and dangerous ice. Close to 230 million Americans from New Mexico to Maine are under weather alerts through Monday. That's over 60 percent of the population. Multiple states and D.C. have declared a state of emergency. This monster storm will bring nearly an inch of ice or more to large sections of the plains and south. Parts of the Midwest and northeast will be pounded with snow. Areas like upstate New York could see up to two feet. New York City could get more than a foot of accumulation. New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani said New Yorkers should expect whiteout or near blizzard conditions. It will be colder than any sustained period that New York has experienced in about eight years. But New York, whatever comes for it, this city is ready. At least 24 states have issued emergency disaster declarations due to the winter storm. Washington D.C. seeing several inches of snow Sunday morning. Authorities have issued a winter storm warning set to be in effect until 4 a.m. Monday. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is delaying a controversial bill on the Shackles Islands after backlash at home and sharp criticism from President Donald Trump. The British territory in the Indian Ocean hosts a key U.S.-U.K. military base. Britain's government has pulled a planned parliamentary debate on a bill yesterday that would formalize its agreement to cede sovereignty of the Shackles Islands to Mauritius. The deal would keep the strategic Diego Garcia military base in U.S. and British hands. But the U.K. would lease the site from Mauritius for about $135 million a year for 99 years. But the move has sparked political backlash at home and abroad. In a Truth Social post last week, Trump blasted Britain's plan to hand over the Shackles Islands to Mauritius. He added that the move would signal total weakness to China and Russia. Lawmakers paused for citing geopolitical tensions and concerns the deal would undermine security arrangements with the U.S. The government says it remains committed to the agreement, calling the Diego Garcia base vital to national security and regional stability. Trump's comments have added to the pressure, rattling the British government and fueling debate over whether the handover should be reconsidered. For now, the bill is on hold and will come back up in Parliament later, leaving the future of the Shackles deal and its geopolitical fallout uncertain. Coming up, the AFC and NFC Championship today. Which teams has an edge? We discuss with the former sports producer after this break. Here to give us his analysis of the AFC and NFC Championship games happening today is Mike Leon, former sports producer and host of the Can We Please Talk News commentary podcast. Mike, good to see you. So what do you think here? Which team has an edge in New England versus Denver in the AFC Championship? And keeping in mind, you know, Denver's loss of starter Bo Nix. Hey, Don, good to see you. Yeah, on a Sunday talking sports, right? A little bit of a respite from what's happening in the world of news. So, yeah. So in terms of the AFC side of this, you know, this is if you're a Bills fan right now, you've got to be kicking yourself, Don, because a missed opportunity, especially with Bo Nix's injury, like you just mentioned, on the Broncos side, you could have had, you know, the AFC Championship game in New England on the Eastern Seaboard, Bills fans heading over there. But instead we get the Broncos, who were the number one seed this year, who a lot of people felt were ripe for the picking and New England is going to go in there. They're hot young quarterback and Drake May, no quarterback with Bo Nix. And now Jared Stitham is going to have to play and he hasn't thrown or completed an NFL pass in, I believe, three years since 2023. So everything's on the Patriots today, all the pressures on them. They're going to have to go on the road, obviously the tough mile high stadium and conditions that will be there and will affect the game potentially. Also, not only the travel schedule, the altitude, but I think the Patriots are prepared. Mike Rabo, obviously, you know, he's won a Super Bowl. He's been a long time New England football player. Now he's brought them in year one, turned them around. So I think New England's got the edge in this game. I'd be shocked if Denver wins, but again, it's mainly because of the quarterback position and no Bo Nix. Okay. I have to bring up the weather. Do you think the storm and the low temperatures are going to appear as a factor today? And if so, how, how much of a factor? Yeah, I mean, both of these teams, you know, love to run the football. That's both of their coaches and Sean Payton and variable love running the football. So I mean, again, will it play a factor? They're both cold weather teams. Both of them are used to this. You saw the conditions last week in New England where it was really raining and coming down at different times of the game and that affected the Texans and CJ Stroud. So I don't affect it. I don't think it'll have a huge impact on the game unless we get some torrential storm where you can't even, you know, see in front of your face. And I don't know what the conditions are like right now in Colorado, but, but I, I think that both of these teams will try to establish the run. Look, it'll probably be a low scoring affair. I think last week it was pretty good weather with respect to the bills and Broncos and that game went overtime, which is why you saw such a high score, but there was a lot of turnovers in that game. I think ball security obviously is going to be important when, when you're at this point, final four teams playing for a championship, don't turn the ball over. Both coaches will be stressing that today, Don. Okay. So let me ask you this last week, there was a very pivotal call in the Denver's versus Buffalo game as both the offensive player and the defensive player came down with Josh Allen's passing over time. So it was, it was ultimately ruled an interception. Can we get your thoughts on that? What did you make of it? Yeah. I mean, this is one of those plays it's, it's such a bang, bang play. And the fact that they reviewed it, the biggest thing that people don't understand is when, when a play is under review by the league, right? You have to kind of scrap the rule just for a second and look at what they called on the field. And because they called an interception on the field, that's why they didn't overturn it. And they kept it as an interception, but it's such a bang, bang play there. You know, obviously cooks looks like he had it and the defending player takes it away from him as they're flipping over. And he comes up standing up with it. So to the referees, because it's such a bang, bang play, Don, it gives the illusion and the appearance of, Hey, I intercepted this ball. And that's why they ruled that way. Had there been a little bit more of a struggle on the ground and then he comes up with it, obviously then it'll go to the offensive player per the rules. But I think it's such a bang, bang play. Look, that's not the reason why Buffalo lost. I think any bills fan will tell you that I think Sean McDermott now who's been fired as Bill's coach will tell you that's not the reason why they lost. They had a pivotal stretch right before half. And in the beginning of third quarter where they really lost that game, a bunch of turnovers gave points very easily to Denver that they shouldn't have, but such a bang, bang play. You know, I think, I think the league maybe got it wrong, but again, they ruled in an interception. So you got to stay with it. Okay. Let's talk a bit on the NFC side. Uh, what do you make the Seahawks and the Rams game? Uh, which, which team do you think has a slight edge? Yeah. Great question, Don, because I don't know if either of them have a slight edge. These two teams have played their last four meetings have been decided, I believe by a total of eight points between these guys. And it's been split two, two, right. In terms of who's won. So Matthew Stafford's played great in, in the last two games, six touchdowns on interceptions against the Seahawks, Sam Darnold back in November, didn't play that well, uh, in Los Angeles with four interceptions, but even with those four interceptions done, they only lost by less than a field goal. So again, what will the weather conditions be like in Seattle? Last time they played Thursday night game, a crazy, crazy game, 38, 37, a ruling on the field in terms of a ball that was batted down, picked up, ran in for a two point conversion. One of the craziest games I've ever seen. I don't think we'll see a lot of that today. I think the Rams didn't have Devante Adams in that game. They get him back obviously for this game. He just had a good game last week. They've got the best wide receiving core. They've got a Superbowl winning quarterback. I think they're the best team. I think they have the best coach. I think they go in today into, uh, Seattle and I think they win the game. I trust Matthew Stafford a little bit more than I trust Sam Darnold. So I'm going to go with the Rams today, Don. All right. We'll see. Oh, we'll find out. Um, just one last question here. Uh, the finalists for the league's MVP award were announced this week, right? With Drake may and Matt Stafford considered the front runners. Uh, who would your vote go to? I wish I had a vote, right? Don. Uh, I would probably go with, look, Jake Mays had a great year and the, the, the, the Renaissance that they've had in new England. Although I'm a Raiders fan and I still think Tom Brady fumbled decades ago. So I hate to see the Patriots have another young quarterback that they're going to build around and that they're at this pinnacle right now where they're in another AFC championship game and potentially going to the Superbowl. I like Drake may a lot loved him out of college at UNC, but I think Stafford has had the better year and he's done that too, with some injuries. Nobody knew if he was going to actually play this season because of some back injuries that he had at the beginning of the year. And now he's, he's played really well, not only in these playoffs, but I let the last five or six games, you know, getting the Rams into this position. I mentioned already, he's won a Superbowl in Los Angeles ever since they traded for him with Detroit. I would give the edge to Stafford, but I also think it also depends on, you know, who gets to that Superbowl, right? But either way, you can't go wrong with either one. They both had phenomenal seasons. The Patriots have had, like I said, the bounce back season and the Rams are in the playoffs yet again under McVay and a chance to go to another Superbowl. All right, Mike, good to talk to you and we'll see what happens. Yeah, thanks Don. Coming up, gut health is increasingly seen as a core part of overall health. It could play a role in preventing a wide array of diseases. Vital Signs Braden Falun shares insights from leading doctors on what's impacting America's gut health and what can be done about it. Welcome back. For today's health segment, we have Vital Signs Braden Falun with insights from two doctors on what's impacting America's gut health and how to improve it. Take a look. Everyone is talking about gut health these days and the health of the microbiome. These colonies of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa that dwell within us, particularly in the gut, and how the health of this can be linked to diseases from depression and migraines to obesity and psoriasis, problems with the skin. I spoke to a doctor, a cardiologist, a heart specialist who's developed a very specific focus on gut health. His name is Dr. William Davis. Having seen the benefits of improving gut health to his heart patients, he started very much to pay attention to improving gut health. He spoke to me about a very specific condition called SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, that is being linked to a host of diseases and may be affecting a very, very large proportion of Americans. This is what he had to say about that condition. Many of us have been overexposed to antibiotics and things that have disruptive effects on the gastrointestinal microbiome, like glyphosate, the herbicide Roundup, or stomach acid blocking drugs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or chlorinated drinking water, or preservatives in food, and many other things have disrupted the gastrointestinal microbiome. Net result, we've lost literally hundreds of beneficial species in the colon. When that happens, it allows the overproliferation of fecal microbes. These are microbes like E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, which might ring familiar because they're also the microbes of food poisoning. When that kid flipping burgers at the fast food joint touches your food after not washing his hands after using the bathroom, you can get food poisoning from the same microbes. Point being, fecal microbes are not well-tolerated outside of the colon, the most distal 4 to 5 feet of your gastrointestinal tract. So, loss of many beneficial species in the colon, this has allowed the overproliferation of those fecal microbes that now have ascended into the 24 feet of small intestine in 1 out of 2 every American. So, we have there some insights on the possible causes of SIBO in the first place, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. In a moment, I'll play a clip from Dr. Davis talking about the connection, how SIBO can lead onto inflammation in the body, and inflammation being increasingly linked to a range of different diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's for one. And on a lesser scale, depression and migraines. Inflammation being, for instance, if you get an injury to a part of your body and that part becomes red, that's the immune system kicking into action and sending its immune warriors there to deal with that perceived threat, the infection or injury. It becomes a problem. It's needed in certain situations, but if it persists for too long, if it persists endlessly, you can imagine the kind of damage this can mean for different parts of the body, especially if it's in the brain. Here's Dr. Davis talking about the connection between SIBO and then inflammation. So, we're talking about 150 to 160 million plus people have this very peculiar issue of, we call it small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Fecal microbes proliferating in the small intestine. When they do that, the small intestine is poorly equipped to manage fecal microbes, trillions of them. They only live for a few hours. So, there's enormous rapid turnover of fecal microbes in this 24 feet of small intestine. They die and they release their toxic compounds such as endotoxin that enters the bloodstream because that small intestine, very poorly protected, is also very permeable. That's where we absorb nutrients like vitamins and minerals. So, this endotoxin penetrates into the bloodstream. That's called endotoxemia. And we now know with good evidence, it's the driving factor in hundreds of health conditions. And one of the effects is that it inflames the brain. It causes so-called type 3 diabetes or insulin resistance in the brain and it's highly toxic to the brain. It actually causes atrophy of various parts of your brain, like the hippocampus, one of the major parts of the brain affected with dementia. So, now that you've learned all about SIBO, you're probably wondering, how would I know if I actually have this issue? You could watch the full interview that I did with Dr. Davis by going to ept.ms forward slash super dash gut, where he talks about a way that he's developed to measure the look at the breath to measure the amount of these fecal microbes that may have died in the small intestine. Another way, and I spoke to an Indian doctor, Dr. Aditi Gupta, who's based in New York about this recently. She's an obstetrician gynecologist. It's something very close at hand to determine if you have a problem with gut dysbiosis where you have a proliferation of the bad bacteria is to look at your bowel movement or your poop. And being an obstetrician gynecologist, she said that often women are coming to her with problems like UTIs, urinary tract infections. And I've also heard about sexually transmitted infections, STIs from Dr. Davis was talking about this as problems that women experience due to the loss of the beneficial bacteria in the body. So I'll leave you with this clip with Dr. Gupta talking about the importance of checking the poop, which is what is a common practice in India for doctors to check this. She said one of the first things that doctors will ask their patients how they're doing in that department. And now people are finally comfortable talking about it because when I was in India, you know, this was 25 years ago. We always used to ask patients, did you poop today? How was your poop here? Nobody cared. And even when people ask the girls say, well, it's normal for me. Every three days is normal for me. And unfortunately, so far, all their physicians have told them it's okay. That's your normal, but sorry, that's not normal to get the toxins out, to get your body in balance. You really do need to poop every day. Properly. It's been great to be with you. I'm Brendan Fowler. Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. says a strict meat and fermented food diet helped him lose 20 pounds in just 20 days. On USA Today's The Excerpt podcast, Kennedy described following the carnivore diet the whole day and every day. He claims he also lost nearly half of his visceral fat, the dangerous fat around internal organs. The diet consists entirely of animal products like meat, eggs, and dairy, and it's often paired with fermented foods like yogurt or miso. Experts say fermentation may support gut health and boost immunity. However, they caution that cutting out fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can deprive the body of essential nutrients and raise heart risk. With the Winter Olympics approaching, ski safety is under scrutiny. We speak with an entrepreneur whose cut-resistant gear aims to prevent the severe lacerations that have long plagued skiers. More after this. Ski lacerations, injuries caused by sharp ski blades during skiing accidents have prompted new safety rules for the upcoming Winter Olympics. A survivor and entrepreneur is leading the push with protective undergarments now mandated in elite competition ahead of the Milano Cortina Games. Let me make sure I got a good a good blade on this. Victor lost half the blood in his body and nearly died in a horrific ski crash. Now he's on a mission to make ski lacerations, the potentially fatal cuts caused by razor-sharp edges, a thing of the past. And to do that, he founded cut-resistant undergarments brand Vicks Protection. Let me show you here up close. I can apply a whole lot of pressure. Ski lacerations are common in the sport as well as highly dangerous. They're possible at all skill levels when collisions occur. Vyonsek's accident happened while he was racing for his college in 2019. I cut my thigh, cut through all the muscular tissue there, the nerves, the IT bend and apparently I just nicked the femoral artery and I was losing blood ridiculously quickly. After his recovery, he bought and tested every cut-resistant product he could find, learning and refining. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation has made cut-resistant undergarments mandatory from the waist down from this season in all alpine disciplines at the World Cup and Olympics. That's as the ski world prepares for February's Milano Cortina Games. That protection could extend to the whole body. Vyonsek's company is also working on neck guards and undershirts. He said he feels like the only reason he survived was because he had a purpose. And this was that purpose, to eliminate ski lacerations from the sport entirely. That's all for today's news. Thank you for tuning in. Stay with us for NTD Evening News at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Pacific.